Global Overview
General Note
The size and scope of this project ended up spanning such a large book that I was unable to sell it as Paperback and Hardback covers. Because of that, I decided to break down this “Project” or “Work” or whatever you’d like to call it. So instead of one massive book, it’ll be split into separate books (Book 1, book 2 and so forth) then the price will be adjusted accordingly so the total cost of all the books together, will be equivalent to what the full book was previously.
Another “Positive” about doing it this way, means if I ever decide to expand this project into a lot of other types of books along a similar premise, I can always release them as other books in the same series and it’ll be easier to manage and maintain.
So for now I have taken all the books associated with this project, and split up the table of contents, and broken them down into separate “books” each one will have the associated books updated on the Amazon Description page, but it’ll also allow me to create them all as Ebook, Paperback and Hardback. Later on I may decide to add “more” books incorporating other Apocrypha that are not necessarily specifically “christian” related. Depending on how this project expands, and if time allows.
Preface:
I am a Christian, and I’ve read the Bible. I’ve always had an interest in the Apocrypha, but I found it overwhelming to identify what to read and where to find them. Even though they are all in the public domain, they are scattered all over the Internet in a variety of places.
On a basic level there are a few dozen books, but on a deeper dive there are over fifty that were recovered from the original Dead Sea Scrolls. I’ve spent the time to gather everything together in one place, where you’ll never have to run all over the Internet researching and finding them again.
A lot of these books were ported in from the Internet. I tried to make sure each one was in public domain, and the ones that were not, I translated myself. If you see something in here that is NOT in the public domain, and I have it in here by mistake, please let me know and I’ll fix it.
Please see all the following notes before continuing:
As you proceed, please keep the following things in mind.
1. At the top of each book, in the information section, I’ve put a field called “Status”. If the Status is Public Domain it means what I copied and put in my book, was from public domain. If I am mistaken about any of those, let me know. The ones that say “My Translation” are ones that I translated myself using a combination of translation technology, and human editing. They may not be perfect but I did the best I could. All the ones I translated myself have “My Translation” beside each book name below, and it says it in the status of each one as well.
2. The formatting for some of the books may change quite a bit between the various books. Porting these over from various sources into one place was already difficult, trying to get the exact formatting for all of them to be the same was almost impossible. So please note the parts of the book that incorporate the old texts, the formatting can be sporadic and at times unexpected, so please keep that in mind as you read through them.
3. There is some overlapping. At times you may notice some texts are part of a bigger texts, and in those cases both sets are included. I did this for completion sake.
4. Note: I spent a great deal of time working on this book, which is an experimental project for me. It was a great deal of time pulling together all of these pieces into one place, some I had to translate and/or create myself using a combination of AI translation, and paid human reviewers to edit it. It was a great deal of time and money involved in this project. If the project takes off and proves to be successful (and worth the time I put in) then I do have ideas for expansions on this project later on down the road. One idea is to release new versions of the book every once in awhile as separate projects, each one adding more and more books as well. Another idea I have is to translate this entire book itself (and all associated works) into various languages (Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese and so forth.). All this depends on how this one goes. Another idea is to compile a similar set of writings for other cultures. Perhaps one for ancient greece, ancient norse, and so forth. Again, time will tell depending on the success of this and other related projects.
NOTE: This was so big I could not make Paperback and Hardback versions of this, so I decided to break it down into specific books and refine it to an extent. It’s all part of a bigger work but broken down into smaller books. Each book will have the “global overview” that is the same, and then the “book overview’ Which is basically the table of contents for that specific book.
Book Overview
Miscellaneous Sacred Writing (part 1)
Overview:
I didn’t want to break the current structure/organizational elements of the previous parts of the book, but at the end I decided to add quite a few more texts. So I am adding a new section here to accommodate for the other ones I wanted to continue adding.
List of Books:
1. The Book of Jasher (Overview)
2. The Book of Jasher - 1625 Venice Hebrew Manuscript
3. The Book of Jasher - 1751 English Translation
The Book of Jasher
Entry: The Book of Jasher
Category/Type: Apocryphal Biblical Text
Status: Public Domain
Title: The Book of Jasher
Date and Origin:
• Estimated Date: The origins are unclear but are traditionally associated with ancient Israelite history. Surviving manuscripts are much later, with the most referenced versions dating to the 17th–19th centuries.
• Language: Originally Hebrew (assumed), surviving versions are in Hebrew and English translations.
• Geographical Context: Claims to originate from ancient Israel; extant versions are connected to medieval Jewish scholarship or 18th–19th-century reinterpretations.
Historical Context:
The Book of Jasher is referenced in the Bible as a record of significant events, such as the sun standing still during Joshua's battle (Joshua 10:13) and David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:18). Despite these biblical mentions, the extant texts bearing the name are not conclusively the original document and are typically classified as apocryphal or pseudepigraphal. These versions attempt to chronicle biblical history from creation to the conquest of Canaan, weaving midrashic and legendary elements into their narratives.
Content Summary:
1. Biblical Parallels:
• Recounts key events from Genesis through Joshua with added details and interpretations.
2. Expanded Stories:
• Includes narratives absent from the Bible, such as detailed accounts of the lives of biblical patriarchs and figures like Nimrod.
3. Moral Lessons:
• Emphasizes themes of justice, divine intervention, and the importance of following God’s laws.
4. Historical Contextualization:
• Interprets biblical events with a blend of folklore, theology, and historical speculation.
Significance:
• Offers insights into how biblical history and legends were interpreted by later Jewish communities.
• Provides a rich tapestry of midrashic and apocryphal traditions that illuminate theological and cultural values.
• Demonstrates the evolution of biblical storytelling across centuries.
Versions of the Book of Jasher
1. 1625 Venice Hebrew Manuscript:
◦ Type: Midrashic text.
◦ Language: Hebrew.
◦ Historical Context: A medieval composition reflecting Jewish interpretations of biblical events.
◦ Status: Public domain.
2. 1751 English Translation by Alcuin (Forgery):
◦ Type: Fabricated historical chronicle.
◦ Language: English.
◦ Historical Context: A forgery falsely claiming to be an ancient biblical text, widely discredited.
◦ Status: Public domain.
3. 1840 English Translation by M.M. Noah and A.S. Gould:
◦ Type: Translation of the Venice manuscript.
◦ Language: English.
◦ Historical Context: Became popular in 19th-century America and remains the most commonly referenced version today.
◦ Status: Public domain.
4. Pseudo-Jasher Texts:
◦ Type: Various apocryphal or fictionalized accounts.
◦ Language: English or other languages.
◦ Historical Context: Includes forgeries and derivative works not rooted in the Venice manuscript or authentic Jewish traditions.
◦ Status: Public domain (for works published before 1923).
Please note, since so many are “Claimed” to be forgeries or fakes, I went ahead and included all of the major public domain works below. So all 4 of the previous ones are included below.
Book of Jasher (1625 Venice Hebrew Manuscript)
1. 1625 Venice Hebrew Manuscript:
◦ Type: Midrashic text.
◦ Language: Hebrew.
◦ Historical Context: A medieval composition reflecting Jewish interpretations of biblical events.
◦ Status: Public domain.
1625 Venice Hebrew Manuscript (I imported the ENTIRE PDF below, because it is FIRMLY in public domain due to the age. Below that I have listed each of the other 3 versions one after another. Separated by the line breaks. Again, the formatting of each one might be chaotic because I am porting them in as best I can, and manually formatting on this scale can be a challenge.
Sefer HaYashar
The Book of Jasher
2
r#yh rps
Sefer HaYashar
“The Book of Jasher”
or
The Upright Book
Referred to in
Yahushua and Second Samuel
Translated
from the Original Hebrew
By
James Scott Trimm
"Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?" --Yahushua, x. 13.
"Behold it is written in the Book of Jasher." --II Samuel, i. 18
Published by:
The Institute for Nazarene Jewish Studies
PO Box 471
Hurst, TX 76053
http://www.nazarene.co.nr
3
© Copyright 2008 James Scott Trimm
4
Table of Contents
Introduction 7
Hebrew Preface
115
Book of Jasher
1840 Translator’s Preface
1840 Publisher’s Preface
1625 Printer’s Preface
125
497
507
513
5
6
Introduction
The Book of Jasher is one of the so-called "Lost Books" of
the Bible and is twice cited in the Tanak:
"Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?"
(Yahushua 10:13)
"Behold it is written in the Book of Jasher."
(2Sam. 1:18)
The term "Book of Jasher" is a bit misleading. This was not
a book written by someone named "Jasher". In fact the word
"Jasher" (Hebrew: Yashar) means "Upright" so that the
Hebrew Sefer HaYashar is "The Upright Book". The
definite article "Ha" tips us off that this is not a person's
name but a modifier for the word "book". There are two
references to Jasher in the Tanak: "And the sun stood still,
and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged
themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the
book of Jasher? So the sun stood still. (Yahushua 10:13)
(Also he bade them teach the children of Y’hudah the use of
the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) (2
Samuel 1:18) From these two references in the Tanak there
are several things we can learn about this mysterious book.
From the usage in Yahushua 10:13 we can determine:
1. That Jasher contained the account of the prolonged
day mentioned in Yahushua 10.
2. That Jasher was in circulation by the time the book
of Yahushua was written. Since Yahushua was written
prior to the death of Rahab, Jasher must have been
written by that time as well.
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3. The Book of Jasher had enough credibility that
Yahushua would cite it as support for his assertion of
the prolonged day. The usage in 2Sam. 1:18 tells us:
4. The Book of Jasher supported an admonition to
teach the son's of Y’hudah "the bow". The identity of
this lost book has been a matter of much speculation
over the centuries.
The ancient translations and paraphrases offer little help to
us in identifying the Book of Jasher. The Greek LXX omits
the entire phrase from Yahushua 10:13 and translates the the
phrase to mean "The Book of the Upright" in 2 Sam. 1:18.
The Latin Vulgate has in both places "Liber Justorum" "The
Book of the Upright Ones". In the Targums the phrase is
Paraphased as "The Book of the Law". The Aramaic Peshitta
Tanak has "The Book of Praises" in Yahushua 10:13 and
"The Book of the Song" in 2 Sam. 1:18. This may have
resulted from a misreading of r#y (Upright) as ry# (Song).
And some have speculated that the book in question was
actually a book of songs which included reference to
Yahushua 10:13 in the lyrics of a song. This theory also
takes "the bow" in 2 Sam. 1:18 to be the name of a song.
Jasher and the Talmud
The Talmud discusses the identity of Jasher but also fails to
offer us much real direction. In b.Avodah Zarah 25a several
theories for the identity of the Book of Jasher are proposed.
Rabbi Chiyya ben Abba taught in the name of Rabbi
Yochanan that it is "the book of Avraham, Yitz’chak and
Ya’akov" who are called "righteous". He seems to refer to
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Genesis since he sites Gen. 49:8 as the reference to Y’hudah
being taught "the bow". Rabbi Eleazar identified Jasher as
Deuteronomy based on Deut. 4:18. He cites Deut. 33:7 as
the reference to Y’hudah and archery. Rabbi Samuel ben
Nachmani identified Jasher as the book of Judges based on
Judges 17:6.
He found the reference to Y’hudah and archery in Judges
3:2 & 1:1-2. None of these explanations offered by the
Talmudic rabbis seek to explain how any of these biblical
books could have been referenced by Yahushua 10:13
(especially Judges which was written after Yahushua).
Could these Rabbis have used a text of Yahushua which
agreed with the LXX in omitting reference to the Book of
Jasher? At any rate if we accept the reference to Jasher in
Yahushua 10:13 then we must reject these identifications of
Jasher made in the Talmud. While the Rabbis of the Talmud
seem to have lost knowledge of the identity of the Book of
Jasher, its identity was known to earlier generations.
Josephus on Jasher
In his own recounting of the event of the prolonged day of
Yahushua 10 the first century Jewish Roman historian
Josephus identifies the Book of Jasher mentioned by
Yahushua as one of "the books laid up in the Temple" (Ant.
5:1:17). Thus the Book of Jasher was known to Josephus
and was known to be among the books laid up in the Temple
in the first century.
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The Three Books of Jasher
There are at least three books today with the title "Book of
Jasher"/"Sefer HaYashar". One of these is a Hebrew book
which was never intended to be identified with the Sefer
HaYashar or the Bible. (Remember Sefer HaYashar means
"The Upright Book").
Another "Book of Jasher" is a very bad English forgery
published first in 1751 and again in 1829. This version
claims to be written by a man named "Jasher". This forgery
opens with the phrase "Whilst it was the beginning, darkness
overspread the face of nature." Reprints of this forgery still
circulate today.
The "Book of Jasher" presented in this volume was
published in Hebrew in Venice in 1625, translated into
English by Mosheh Samuel and published by Mordechai
Noah in New York in 1840. It was Mosheh Samuel who
first divided the work into chapter and verse (being 91
chapters.)
A second edition of this translation was published in Salt
Lake City by J. H. Parry & Company in 1887. Both editions
have been reprinted and republished several times. In 1954
Bible Corporation of America in Philadelphia reprinted the
1840 edition. They also translated it from English into
Italian, Spanish, French and German for publication in those
languages as well.
There has been some debate as to whether this Book of
Jasher is the book mentioned in the Bible or just a Midrash
which some have speculated originated in the 13th century.
Certainly the book claims to be the same Book of Jasher
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mentioned in the Bible.
The Real Book of Jasher?
The 1625 edition of Jasher has a Preface, which says in part
(translated from the Hebrew):
...when the holy city Jerusalem was destroyed by
Titus, all the military heads went in to rob and
plunder, and among the officers of Titus was one
whose name was Sidrus, who went in to search, and
found in Jerusalem a house of great extent...
According to the preface this Sidrus found a false wall in
this house with a hidden room. In this room he found an old
man hiding with provisions and many books including the
Book of Jasher The old man found favor with Sidrus who
took the old man and his books with him. The preface says
"they went from city to city and from country to country
until they reached Sevilia [a city in Spain]." At that time
"Seville" was called "Hispalis" and was the capital of the
Roman province of Hispalensis. The manuscript was
donated to the Jewish college at Cordova, Spain. According
to the 1625 edition of Jasher the first printed edition of the
Book of Jasher was published in Naples Italy in 1552.
However no copies of the 1552 edition are known to have
survived. The earliest surviving Hebrew edition known is
the 1625 edition.
The Book of Jasher is a narrative beginning with the
creation of man and ends with the entry of Israel into
Kanaan. The Book of Jasher passage related to Yahushua
10:13 reads as follows:
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"And when they were smiting, the day was declining
toward evening, and Yahushua said in the eyes of all
the people, Sun, stand thou still upon Givon, and thou
moon in the valley of Ajalon, until the nation shall
have revenged itself upon its enemies. And the Lord
hearkened to the voice of Yahushua, and the sun stood
still in the midst of the heavens, and it stood still six
and thirty moments, and the moon also stood still and
hastened not to go down a whole day."
(Jasher 88:63-64)
The Book of Jasher passage which relates to 2 Sam. 1:18
involves Ya’akov's last words to his son Y’hudah:
"Only teach your sons the bow and all weapons of
war, in order that they may fight the battles of their
brother who will rule over his enemies."
(Jasher 56:9)
This reads very similar to the midrash which gives these last
words as:
"You, my son, are stronger than all your brothers, and
from your loins will kings arise. Teach your children
how they may protect themselves from enemies and
evil-doers"
It would seem that the author of Jasher did not create this
account to fit with 2 Sam. 1:18 since the same account
occurs in the midrash (which itself may have been drawn
from Jasher). Certainly many serious scholars have
concluded that this Book of Jasher is authentic.
12
The well known Hebraist and Rabbinic Scholar (and
translator of the 1840 Book of Jasher) Mosheh Samuel wrote
of Jasher:
"...the book is, with the exception of some doubtful
parts, a venerable monument of antiquity; and that,
notwithstanding some few additions have been made
to it in comparatively modern times, it still retains
sufficient to prove it a copy of the book referred to in
Yahushua, and 2 Samuel, ch. 1." - Mosheh Samuel - Hebraist and Rabbinic Scholar
The late Dr. Cyrus Gordon (who was the world's leading
Semitist until his death) wrote:
"There can be little doubt that the book of Jasher was
a national epic... The time is ripe for a fresh
investigation of such genuine sources of Scripture,
particularly against the background of the Dead Sea
Scrolls." - Dr. Cyrus Gordon; A History of the Hebrews
There is some evidence to suggest that the Book of Jasher
was a sort of secular History of the Hebrews. Although the
Book of Jasher acknowledges the hand of Elohim, its
purpose seems to be largely historical. The Book of Jasher
was an official historical record of events from the creation
of Adam to the entry of Israel into the Promised Land. This
would explain why Yahushua would appeal to the Book of
Jasher to support the fact that the prolonged day of
Yahushua 10 actually happened. Yahushua was appealing to
the "official record" and not to a theological book as-such.
The Hebrew preface to Jasher records that when Ptolemy
king of Egypt first sought from the Jews a copy of the Torah
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they sent him instead the Book of Jasher "for they could not
give him the book of the Lord" but later he learned what
they had done and they then provided for him the LXX. At
the very least we have in Jasher an important collection of
Jewish legends related to this time period.
James Scott Trimm
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Moses Samuel’s
English Translation
of the
Hebrew Preface
THIS BOOK IS THAT WHICH IS CALLED THE UPRIGHT BOOK
It has at this time been ascertained by us that when the
holy city Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus, all the military
heads went in to rob and plunder, and that amongst the
officers1 of Titus was one whose name was Sidrus, who
went in to search, and found in Jerusalem a house of great
extent, and took away all the spoils which he found there;
when he wished to go out of the house, he looked at the wall
and fancied that he saw treasures there, so he broke down
the wall and the building and found a cask full of various
books of the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa,2 also
books of the kings of Israel, and of the kings of other
nations, as well as many other books of Israel, together with
the books of the Mishnah adopted and established; many
rolls were also lying there; he also found there all sorts of
provisions and wine in abundance, and discovered an old
man sitting there, who was reading in those books. When
the officer saw this great sight he was greatly astonished,
and said to the old man, why dost thou sit alone in this place,
without any person remaining with thee? So the old man
answered, for many years past was I aware of this second
destruction of Jerusalem, so I built this house and made for
1Nwmgh Buxton gives this word “episcopus” which, besides a bishop, means also a
lieutenant, overseer, superintendent. See Arach.
2 Psalms, Proverbs, &c.
15
myself a balcony,3 and I brought with me these books to
read, and I brought also sufficient provisions, thinking
thereby to4 save my life.
And God caused the old man to find favor in the eyes
of the officer, who brought him forth with respect with all
his books, and they went from city to city and from country
to country until they reached Sevilia; and the officer found
that this old man was possessed of wisdom and
understanding and acquainted with various kinds of science,
upon discovering which he raised and honored him, was
constantly in his house and was taught by him all sorts of
wisdom, and they built form themselves a lofty and
capacious house in the suburbs of Sevilia and placed there
all those books.
This house is yet in Sevilia unto this day, and they
wrote there all the events that would hereafter take place
amongst the kings of the world unto the coming of our
Messiah.
And it came to pass that when God carried5 us away
with a mighty captivity by the hands of the kings of Edom,
from city to city and from country to country in bitter
anxiety, this book, called “The Generations of Adam”
together with other books came into our hands, for they
came from that house in Sevilia, and they came afterward to
our city Napuli, which city is under the sway of the king of
Spain, (whose glory may be exalted.) And when we saw
these books, that they were books of all wisdom, we
resolved in our minds to print them like all the books that
3hrdsk) or porch, a Talmudical word derived from the Greek. See Arach.
4 See Jeremiah 38:2, the same expression.
5 See same expression, Isaiah 22:17.
16
came to our hands. Now this book is the best and most
valuable of all, and of this book twelve copies have reached
us, and we searched in them and found them all of one copy,
there was no difference, nothing added and nothing
deficient, nor any alteration in letters, words or events, for
they were all alike as it were of one copy.
Since therefore, we saw in this book great merit
urging us to this resolve, we are determined to print it – and
it is found written that this book is called the Book Jasher,
because all its transactions are in that order as they had taken
place in the world as regards priority and succession, for
thou wilt not find in this book any postponement of events
that were anterior, or priority of those that were posterior,
but every thing is recorded in its place and time.
Thou wilt thus find that it relates the death of such a
one at the particular time of the life of another and thus
throughout. Owing to this it was called Sepher Hajashar,
but it is customary to call it the Generations of Adam, the
reason of which is that they call it by that with which it
commences, but the chief name thereof is the book “Jasher”
owing to the reasons we have assigned. Now it is found that
this book is translated into Greek, entitled “Lo libris de los
divtiis,”
It is also found written in the book of the Asmoneans
which has come down to us, that in the days of Ptolemy king
of Egypt, he ordered his servants to go and gather all the
books of laws, and all the books of Chronicles which they
could finding the world, so that he might become wise
through them, and by examining them become acquainted
with the subjects and events of the world, and to compile
from them a book in all matters of jurisdiction regarding the
17
affairs of life, thereby to exercise pure justice. So they went
and collected for him nine hundred and sixty five books and
brought to him, when commanded them to go again and seek
to complete the number of a thousand books, and they did
so. After this, some of the persecutors of Israel stood up
before him and said, O king, why wilt though trouble thyself
in this manner? Send to the Jews in Jerusalem that they
shall bring unto thee the book of their law which was written
from them from the mouth of the Lord by their Prophets,
from which thou mayest become wise, and regulate all
judgments and laws according to they desire; so the king
hearkened to their works, and sent to the Jews upon this
matter, who sent to him this book, for they could not give
unto him the book of the Lord, for they said, we cannot give
the law of the Lord to a stranger. Now when this book came
to the hands of Ptolemy he read it and it please him greatly,
and he searched therein in his wisdom, and he examined it
and found therein what he had desired, and he neglected all
the other books which they had collected for him, and he
blessed him who had advised him to this thing.
After some time the persecutors of Israel became
aware of this, that the Israelites had not sent the book of the
law to the king, and they came and said unto him, O king,
the Israelites have treated thee with contempt, for they did
not send to thee the book of the law which we had
mentioned to thee, but they sent to thee another book which
they had in their hands, therefore send to them that they may
forward unto thee the book of their law, for from that book
thou wilt obtain they desire much more than from the book
which they have sent to thee; so when the king heard their
words he became exceedingly wroth against the Israelites,
and his anger burned within him until he sent again to them
for them to forward to him the book of the law. Fearing that
18
they might still continue to scorn him, he acted prudently
with them and sent to seventy of their elders and placed
them in seventy house, that each should write the book of
the law, so that no alteration might be found in them, and the
divine spirit rested upon them, and they wrote for him
seventy books and they were all of one version, without
addition or diminution. At this the king rejoiced greatly and
he honored the elders, together with all the Jews, and he sent
offerings and gifts to Jerusalem as it is written there.6 At his
death, the Israelites acted cunningly with his son and took
from his treasures the book of the law, but left this book
there and took it not away, in order that every future king
might know the wonders of the Lord, blessed be his name,
and that he had chosen Israel from all nations, and that there
is no God beside him.
This book is therefore in Egypt unto this day, and
from that time it became circulated throughout the earth,
until it reached us in our captivity this day in the city of
Napuli, which is under the rule of the king of Spain. Now
thou wilt find in this book that some of the kings of Edom,
of Chittim and the kings of Africa who were in those days,
are mentioned, although it might appear that such was not
the aim or intent of this book; but the reason of this was to
show to every person obtaining this book the contrast
between the wars of Israel and the wars of the Gentiles, for
the conquest of Gentile kings one over the other was by
accident, which is not so in the conquest of the kings of
Israel over the Gentiles, which is by a miracle from our
blessed Lord as long as the Israelites trust in his exalted
name.
6 In the book of the Asmoneans mentioned above.
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Now the uses of this book are many, all of which lead
us to confidence in God, (whose name be exalted,) and to
our adherence unto him and his ways.
The first use is the additional information it affords us
upon the subjects of the creation of man and the deluge,
recording also the years of the twenty generations and their
misdeeds; also at what period they were born and when they
died, by which means, our hearts may be inclined to adhere
to the Lord, when we see the mighty works which he
performed in days of old.
The second use is in the additional account respecting
the birth of Abraham and how it was that he cleaved to the
Lord, and the transactions that took place between him and
Nimrod; and thus also of the account of the builders of the
tower of Babel,7 how that the Lord drove them to the four
corners of the earth, and how they established the countries
and lands called after their names unto t his day, by which
means we may draw nigh to our Creator.
The third use is the explanation it gives us how the
patriarchs adhered to the Lord, and of their transactions
which convince us of their fear of God.
The fourth use is, in what it records of the affairs of
Sodom and the iniquities of its people, and in what consisted
their sins, as well as their punishment, by which means we
may refrain from all evil doings.
The fifth use is in the account of the faith of Isaac and
Jacob in the Lord, and the prayers and weeping of Sarah at
7 Called hglph rwd because the earth was then divided.
20
the binding of Isaac for a sacrifice, which is of great use in
inclining our hearts to the service of the Lord.
The sixth use is in the information it affords us upon
the subject of the wars of the sons of Jacob with the people
of Shechem and the seven cities of the Amorites. This will
rouse our heart to faith in our God; for how could ten men
destroy seven cities, if their hearts had not been impressed
with faith in the Lord?
The seventh use is, in the information it gives us of all
the events that happened to Joseph in Egypt, with Potiphar
and his wife and with the king of Egypt, for this will also
rouse our hearts to the fear of the Lord, and to remove
ourselves from all sin, so that it may be well with us in the
latter end.
The eighth use is in the account it furnishes us of what
happened to Moses in Cush and in Midian, by which we
may understand the wonders of Lord which he performs for
the righteous, and that we may thereby adhere to him.
The ninth use is in its recording what had happened to
the Israelites in Egypt, and when the commencement of their
servitude took place, and how they served the Egyptians in
all manner of hard work, and to what purpose all this tended – how after this God was favorable to them through their
trusting in him, and there is no doubt of this that he who
reads the events of Egypt from this book on the nights of the
Passover, will receive a great reward, as our Rabbins of
blessed memory says, he that is occupied in relating the exit
from Egypt is to be praised, in which this book is included,
for this is the true narration which ought to be read after the
Hagadah, for such person (reading this) may be assured that
21
he will be greatly rewarded; we do so this day in our
captivity in the countries of Spain, after having finished
reading the Hagadah, we commence reading in this book the
whole affair of Egypt, from the Israelites going down to
Egypt unto their exit, for in this book a person ought to read.
The eleventh8 use is, that some of the comments of
our Rabbies and of other commentators who have explained
the law, thou wilt find illustrated in this book, such as the
account of the messengers who met Jacob9 when he came
from Mesopotamia after they had gone to Esau, also the
account of Gabriel who taught Joseph seventy languages,
also the illustration it affords of him10 who smote Midian the
fields of Moab, and the like.
The twelfth use is, that every person lecturing in
public may bring forward in his discourse, subjects from this
book, which the commentators have not explained, by which
means he may make an impression upon the hearts of his
audience. The thirteenth use is, that all merchants and
travelers, who have an opportunity to study the law, may
read this book and receive their reward, for therein is the
reward of the soul as well as the delight of the body, in the
discovery of new matter not recorded in any other book, and
by these means will man understand to know the Lord and
cleave unto him.
Now because we have seen the merit of this book, and
the great usefulness thereof, we have undertaken to print it
8 The eleventh use.—I cannot see any mention of the tenth use; this must have been
omitted. I think, before the words above, “how after this God was favourable to
them through their trusting in him.”
9 See the latter part of ch. 31.
10 The obscure passage in Genesis, 36:35 in the Bible, is cleared up in Jasher, ch. 62
where it gives a long history of Hadad, the son of Bedad.
22
without addition or diminution, and from this time we have
commenced to print it in a book, that such books may be in
the hands of the members of our covenant, the men of our
captivity in order that it may be farther circulated throughout
every generation, and every city, family and country, so that
they may understand the wonders of the Lord which he
performed for our ancestors, and his bounties toward them
from the days of old, and that he chose us from all nations.
May they who devote their hearts to the fear of the Lord, be
rendered meritorious by studying therein whilst we confide
in the Lord, the God of gods, and depend upon him and seek
salvation and assistance from him, in this heavenly work,
and may he prosper us in the right path, and deliver us from
errors, and cleanse us from secret faults, as his anointed said,
“who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from
secret faults.”11 May God teach us the good way and direct
us in a prosperous path for the sake of his mercies and
kindnesses, and may he graciously fulfill the desire of our
hearts, Amen, and so be his will.
11 Psalms, 19:12
23
24
r#yh rps
The Book of Jasher
Parshat B’reshit
This is the Book of the Generations of Man whom Elohim
Created upon the earth on the day when YHWH Elohim
made the Earth and Heaven.
CHAPTER 1
1 And Elohim said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness, and Elohim created man in his own image.
2 And YHWH Elohim formed man from the dust of the
earth, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and
man became a living soul [endowed] with speech.
3 And YHWH said, It is not good for the man to be alone; I
will make him a help meet.
4 And YHWH caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and
he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and he built flesh upon
it, and formed it and brought it to the man, and Adam awoke
from his sleep, and behold a woman was standing before
him.
5 And he said, This is a bone of my bones and it shall be
called woman, because this has been taken from man; and
the man called her name Havah, because she was the mother
of all living.
6 And Elohim blessed them and called their names Adam
[and Havah] in the day that he created them, and YHWH
Elohim said, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
7 And YHWH Elohim took the man and his wife, and he put
them in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it; and he
commanded them and said unto them, Of every tree of the
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garden you may eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat
thereof you shall surely die.
8 And when Elohim had blessed and commanded them, he
went from them, and the man and his wife dwelt in the
garden according to the command which YHWH had
commanded them.
9 And the serpent, which Elohim had created with them in
the earth, came to them to incite them to transgress the
command of Elohim which he had commanded them.
10 And the serpent enticed and persuaded the woman to eat
from the tree of knowledge, and the woman hearkened to the
voice of the serpent, and she transgressed the word of
YHWH, and took from the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, and she ate, and she took from it and gave also to
her husband and he ate.
11 And the man and his wife transgressed against the
command of Elohim which he commanded them, and
Elohim knew it, and his anger was kindled against them and
he cursed them.
12 And YHWH Elohim drove them in that day from the
garden of Eden, to till the earth from which they were taken,
and they went and dwelt at the east of the garden of Eden;
and Adam knew Havah his wife and she bore two sons and
three daughters.
13 And she called the name of the firstborn Kayin, saying, I
have obtained a man from YHWH, and the name of the
second she called Havel, for she said, In vanity we came into
the earth, and in vanity we shall be taken from it.
14 And the boys grew up and their father gave them a
possession in the land; and Kayin was a tiller of the earth,
and Havel a keeper of sheep.
15 And it was at the expiration of days and years, that they
brought an approximating offering to YHWH, and Kayin
26
brought from the fruit of the earth, and Havel brought from
the firstlings of his flock from the fat thereof, and YHWH
turned and inclined to Havel and his offering, and a fire
came down from YHWH from heaven and consumed it.
16 And unto Kayin and his offering YHWH did not turn,
and he did not incline to it, for he had brought from the
inferior fruit of the earth before YHWH, and Kayin was
jealous against his brother Havel on account of this thing,
and he sought a matter to slay him.
17 And in some time after, Kayin and Havel his brother,
went one day into the field to do their work; and they were
both in the field, Kayin was tilling and ploughing his earth,
and Havel feeding his flock; and the flock passed that part
which Kayin had ploughed in the earth, and Kayin was
sorely grieved about this thing.
18 And Kayin approached his brother Havel in anger, and he
said unto him, What is there between me and you, that you
come to dwell and bring your flock to feed in all my land?
19 And Havel also answered his brother Kayin and said unto
him, What is there between me and you, that you shall eat
the flesh of my flock and clothe yourself with their wool?
20 And now therefore, put off the wool of my sheep with
which you have clothed yourself, and recompense me for
their fruit and flesh which you have eaten, and when you
shall have done this matter, then also will I go from your
land as you have said. Either fly in the heavens or eat?
21 And Kayin said to his brother Havel, Surely if I slay you
this day, who will require your blood from me?
22 And Havel answered Kayin, saying, Surely Elohim who
has made us in the earth, he will avenge my cause, and he
will require my blood from you if you should slay me, for
YHWH is the judge and arbiter, and it is he who will requite
man according to his evil, and the wicked man according to
the wickedness that he may do upon earth.
27
23 And now, if you should slay me here, surely Elohim
knows your secrets, and will judge you for the evil which
you did declare to do unto me today.
24 And when Kayin heard the words which Havel his
brother had spoken, afterward the anger of Kayin was
kindled against his brother Havel for declaring this thing.
25 And Kayin hastened and rose up, and took the iron part
of his ploughing instrument, with which he suddenly smote
his brother and he slew him, and Kayin spilt the blood of his
brother Havel upon the earth, and the blood of Havel
streamed before the flock on the earth.
26 And after this Kayin mourned having slain his brother,
and he was sadly grieved, and he wept over him and it vexed
him exceedingly.
27 And Kayin rose up and dug a hole in the field, wherein
he put his brother's body, and he turned the dust over it.
28 And YHWH knew what Kayin had done to his brother,
and YHWH appeared to Kayin and said unto him, Where is
Havel your brother that was with you?
29 And Kayin dissembled, and said, I do not know, am I my
brother's keeper? And YHWH said unto him, What have you
done? The voice of your brother's blood cries unto me from
the earth where you have slain him.
30 For you have slain your brother and have dissembled
before me, and did imagine in your heart saying that I saw
you not, nor knew all your actions which you have done.
31 But you did this thing and did slay your brother for
nothing and because he spoke rightly to you, and now,
therefore, cursed be you from the earth which opened its
mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand, and
which received him in it.
32 And it shall be when you shall till it, it shall no more give
you its strength as in the beginning, for thorns and thistles
shall the earth produce, and you shall be moving and
28
wandering in the earth until the day of your death.
33 And at that time Kayin went out from the presence of
YHWH, from the place where he was, and he went moving
and wandering in the land toward the east of Eden, he and
all belonging to him.
34 And Kayin knew his wife in those days, and she
conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Chanoch,
saying, In that time YHWH began to give him rest and quiet
in the earth.
35 And at that time Kayin also began to build a city: and he
built the city and he called the name of the city Chanoch,
according to the name of his son; for in those days YHWH
had given him rest upon the earth, and he did not move
about and wander as in the beginning.
36 And Irad was born to Chanoch, and Irad begat M'chuyael
and M'chuyael begat M'tushael. And M'tushael begat
Lamech.
CHAPTER 2
1 And it was in the hundred and thirtieth year of the life of
Adam upon the earth, that he again knew Havah his wife,
and she conceived and bare a son in his likeness and in his
image, and she called his name Shet, saying, Because
Elohim has appointed me another seed in the place of Havel,
for Kayin has slain him.
2 And Shet lived one hundred and five years, and he begat a
son; and Shet called the name of his son Enosh, saying,
Because in that time the sons of men began to multiply upon
the face of the earth, and to afflict their souls and hearts by
transgressing and rebelling against Elohim.
3 And it was in the days of Enosh that the sons of men
continued to rebel and transgress against Elohim, to increase
29
the anger of YHWH against the sons of men.
4 And the sons of men went and they served other gods, and
they forgot YHWH who had created them in the earth: and
in those days the sons of men made images of brass and
iron, wood and stone, and they bowed down and served
them.
5 And every man made his god and they bowed down to
them and the sons of men forsook YHWH all the days of
Enosh and his children; and the anger of YHWH was
kindled on account of their works and abominations which
they did in the earth.
6 And YHWH caused the waters of the river Gihon to
overwhelm them, and he destroyed and consumed them, and
he destroyed the third part of the earth, and notwithstanding
this, the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and
their hands were yet extended to do evil in the eyes of
YHWH.
7 And in those days there was neither sowing nor reaping in
the earth; and there was no food for the sons of men and the
famine was very great in those days.
8 And the seed which they sowed in those days in the earth
became thorns, thistles and briers; for from the days of
Adam was this word concerning the earth, of the curse of
Elohim, which he cursed the earth, on account of the sin
which Adam sinned before YHWH.
9 And it was when the sons of men continued to rebel and
transgress against Elohim, and to corrupt their ways, that the
earth also became corrupt.
10 And Enosh lived ninety years and he begat Kayinan;
11 And Kayinan grew up and he was forty years old, and he
became wise and had knowledge and skill in all wisdom,
and he reigned over all the sons of men, and he led the sons
of men in wisdom and in knowledge; for Kayinan was a
very wise man and had understanding in all wisdom, and by
30
his wisdom he ruled over spirits and over shadim;
12 And Kayinan knew by his wisdom that Elohim would
destroy the sons of men for having sinned upon earth, and
that YHWH would in the latter days bring upon them the
waters of the flood.
13 And in those days Kayinan wrote upon tablets of stone,
what was to take place in time to come, and he put them in
his treasures.
14 And Kayinan reigned over all the earth, and he turned
some of the sons of men to serve Elohim.
15 And when Kayinan was seventy years old, he begat three
sons and two daughters.
16 And these are the names of the children of Kayinan; the
name of the firstborn Mahalal'el, the second Enan, and the
third Mered, and their sisters were Adah and Zillah; these
are the five children of Kayinan that were born to him.
17 And Lamech, the son of M'tushael, became related to
Kayinan by marriage, and he took his two daughters for his
wives, and Adah conceived and bare a son to Lamech, and
she called his name Yaval.
18 And she again conceived and bare a son, and called his
name Yuval; and Zillah, her sister, was barren in those days
and had no offspring.
19 For in those days the sons of men began to trespass
against Elohim, and to transgress the commandments which
he had commanded to the man, to be fruitful and multiply in
the earth.
20 And some of the sons of men caused their wives to drink
a draught that would render them barren, in order that they
might retain their figures and whereby their beautiful
appearance might not fade.
21 And when the sons of men caused some of their wives to
drink, Zillah drank with them.
22 And the child-bearing women appeared abominable in
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the eyes of their husbands as widows, while their husbands
lived, for to the barren ones only they were attached.
23 And in the end of many days and years, when Zillah
became old, YHWH opened her womb.
24 And she conceived and bare a son and she called his
name Tuval Kayin, saying, After I had withered away have I
obtained him from El Shadai.
25 And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and she
called her name Naamah, for she said, After I had withered
away have I obtained pleasure and delight.
26 And Lamech was old and advanced in days, and his eyes
were dim that he could not see, and Tuval Kayin, his son,
was leading him and it was one day that Lamech went into
the field and Tuval Kayin his son was with him, and while
they were walking together in the field, Kayin the son of
Adam advanced towards them; for Lamech was very old and
could not see much, and Tuval Kayin his son was very
young lad.
27 And Tuval Kayin told his father to draw his bow, and
Lamech drew his bow, and with the arrows he smote Kayin,
who was yet far off, and he slew him, for he appeared to
them to be an animal.
28 And the arrows entered Kayin's body although he was
distant from them, and he fell to the ground and died.
29 And YHWH requited Kayin's evil according to his
wickedness, which he had done to his brother Havel,
according to the word of YHWH which he had spoken.
30 And it came to pass when Kayin had died, that Lamech
and Tuval Kayin his son went to see the animal which they
had slain, and they saw, and behold Kayin their elder was
fallen dead upon the earth.
31 And Lamech was very much grieved at having done this
thing, and in clapping his hands together he struck his son
with his hands and caused his death.
32
32. And the wives of Lamech heard the thing which Lamech
had done, and they sought to kill him.
33 And the wives of Lamech hated him from that day,
because he slew Kayin and Tuval Kayin, and the wives of
Lamech separated from him, and would not hearken to him
in those days.
34 And Lamech came to his wives, and he pressed them to
listen to him about this matter.
35 And he said to his wives Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice
O wives of Lamech, attend to my words, for now you have
imagined and said that I slew a man with my wounds, and a
child with my stripes for their having done no violence, but
surely know that I am old and grey-headed, and that my eyes
are heavy through age, and I did this thing unknowingly.
36 And the wives of Lamech listened to him in this matter,
and they returned to him with the advice of their father
Adam, but they bore no children to him from that time,
knowing that anger, even [the anger of] YHWH goes forth
and is great in those days against the sons of men, to destroy
them with the waters of the flood for their evil doings.
37 And Mahalal'el the son of Kayinan lived sixty-five years
and he begat Yared; and Yared lived sixty-two years and he
begat Chanoch.
CHAPTER 3
1 And Chanoch lived sixty-five years and he begat
Metushelach; and Chanoch walked with Elohim after having
begot Metushelach, and he served YHWH, and despised the
evil ways of the sons of men12.
2 And the soul of Chanoch was wrapped up in the
instruction of YHWH, in knowledge and in understanding;
12 or "despised the ways of the sons of the men of evil"
33
and he knew the ways of YHWH, and he wisely retired from
the sons of men, and secreted himself from them for many
days.
3 And it was at the end of many days and years, while he
was serving before YHWH, and praying before YHWH in
[his] house and in [his] chamber, that an angel of YHWH
called to him from Heaven saying: Chanoch, Chanoch, and
he said, Here am I.
4 And he said, Rise, go forth from your house and from your
hiding place, and rule over all the sons of men, in order that
you may teach them the way in which they should go and
the work which they must do to go in the ways of YHWH.
5 And Chanoch rose up according to the word of YHWH,
and went forth from his house, from his place and from the
chamber in which he was concealed; and he went to the sons
of men and taught them the ways of YHWH, and at that time
assembled the sons of men and acquainted them with the
instruction of the YHWH.
6 And he ordered it to be proclaimed in all places of the sons
of men, saying, Who is the man who wishes to know the
ways of YHWH and good works? let him come to Chanoch.
7 And all the sons of men then assembled to him, for all who
desired this thing went to Chanoch, and Chanoch reigned
over the sons of men according to the word of YHWH, and
they came and bowed to him and they heard his word.
8 And the spirit of Elohim was upon Chanoch, and he taught
all his men the wisdom of Elohim and his ways, and the sons
of men served YHWH all the days of Chanoch, and the sons
of men came to hear his wisdom.
9 And also all the kings of the sons of men, the first and the
last, and their princes and their judges, came to Chanoch
when they heard of his wisdom, and they bowed down to
him, and they also required of Chanoch to reign over them,
and he consented to this thing.
34
10 And they assembled in all, one hundred and thirty kings
and princes, and they made Chanoch king over them and
they were all under his power and under his word.
11 And Chanoch taught them wisdom and knowledge and
the way of YHWH; and he made peace among them all, and
peace was throughout the earth in the days of Chanoch.
12 And Chanoch reigned over all the sons of men two
hundred and forty-three years, and he did justice and
righteousness to all his people, and he led them in the ways
of the YHWH.
13 And these are the generations of Chanoch, Metushelach,
Elishah, and Elimelekh, three sons; and their sisters were
Milkah and Nahmah, and Metushelach lived eighty-seven
years and he begat Lamech.
14 And it was in the fifty-sixth year of the life of Lamech
when Adam died; nine hundred and thirty years old was he
at his death, and his two sons, with Chanoch and
Metushelach his son, buried him with great pomp, as at the
burial of kings, in the cave which YHWH had told him.
15 And in that place all the sons of men made a great
mourning and weeping on account of Adam; it has therefore
become a custom among the sons of men to this day.
16 And Adam died because he ate of the tree of knowledge;
he and his children after him, as YHWH had spoken to
them.
17 And it was in the year of Adam's death which was the
two hundred and forty-third year of the reign of Chanoch, in
that time Chanoch resolved to separate himself from the
sons of men and to secret himself as at first in order to serve
YHWH.
18 And Chanoch did so, but did not entirely secret himself
from them, but kept away from the sons of men three days
and then went to them for one day.
19 And during the three days that he was in his chamber, he
35
prayed to, and praised YHWH his Elohim, and the day on
which he went and appeared to his subjects he taught them
the ways of YHWH, and all they asked him [about YHWH]
he told them.
20 And he did in this manner for many years, and he
afterward concealed himself for six days, and appeared to
his people one day in seven; and after that once in a month,
and then once in a year, until all the kings, princes and sons
of men sought for him, and desired again to see the face of
Chanoch, and to hear his word; but they could not, as all the
sons of men were greatly afraid of Chanoch, and they feared
to approach him because the awe of Elohim was upon his
countenance; therefore no man could look at him, fearing he
might be punished and die.
21 And all the kings and princes resolved to assemble the
sons of men, and to come to Chanoch, thinking that they
might all speak to him at the time when he should come
forth among them, and they did so.
22 And the day came when Chanoch went forth and they all
assembled and came to him, and Chanoch spoke to them all
the words [of YHWH] and he taught them wisdom and
knowledge, and he taught them the fear of YHWH. And all
the sons of men feared him greatly and they were astonished
by him concerning his wisdom. And all the land bowed to
his face and they said, May the king live! May the king live!
23 And it came to pass in some days after, when all the
kings and all the princes and all the sons of man were
speaking with Chanoch, and Chanoch was teaching them the
ways of YHWH, and an angel of YHWH called unto
Chanoch from heaven at this time, and saying to bring him
up [to] the heavens to make him reign there over the sons of
Elohim in Heaven, as he had reigned over the sons of man
upon earth.
24 At that time Chanoch heard this word and he went and
36
assembled to himself all the inhabitants of the earth, and
taught them wisdom and knowledge and the instruction of
YHWH, and he said to them, I have been asked to ascend
[to] the heavens, I therefore do not know the day of my
going.
25 And now therefore I will teach you wisdom and
knowledge and instruction to do on the earth, before I leave
you, whereby you may live; and he did so.
26 And he taught them wisdom and knowledge, and
instruction, and he reproved them, and he placed before
them statutes and judgments to do upon earth, and he
established peace among them, and he taught them
everlasting life, and dwelt with them some days and was
teaching and was instructing them all these words.
27 And it came to pass at that time, and the sons of man
were with Chanoch, and Chanoch was speaking to them, and
they lifted up their eyes and saw and behold, the likeness of
a great horse descended from the heavens, and the horse
walked in the air13 of the earth;
28 And they told Chanoch what they had seen, and Chanoch
said to them, On my account does this horse descend upon
earth; for the time is come and the days when I must go from
you and I shall no more be seen by you.
29 And the horse descended at that time and stood before
Chanoch, and all the sons of men that were with Chanoch
saw him.
30 And Chanoch then again ordered at that time a voice to
be proclaimed, saying, Who is the man who delights to
know the ways of YHWH his Elohim, let him come this day
to Chanoch before he is taken from us.
31 And all the sons of man assembled and came to Chanoch
in that day; and also all the kings of the earth with their
princes and counselors remained with him that day; and
13 or “in the spirit”
37
Chanoch then taught all the sons of man wisdom and
knowledge, and the instruction of YHWH in that day; and he
bade them serve YHWH and walk in his ways all the days of
their lives, and he continued to make peace among all of
them.
32 And it was after this that he rose up and rode upon the
horse; and he went forth and all the sons of man went after
him, about eight hundred thousand men; and they went with
him one day's journey.
33 And the second day he said to them, Return home to your
tents, why will you go? perhaps you may die; and some of
them went from him, and those that remained went with him
six day's journey; and Chanoch said to them every day,
Return to your tents, lest you may die; but they were not
willing to return, and they went with him.
34 And it came to pass on the sixth day, and again spoke
Chanoch to them saying, Return to your tents, for tomorrow
I shall ascend to the heavens and it will be that all the
remnant of you shall die. And they returned again on the
sixth day and some of the men remained and clung to him,
and they said to him, We will go with you to the place where
you go; as YHWH lives, death only shall separate us.
35 And they urged so much to go with him, that he ceased
speaking to them; and they went after him and would not
return;
36 And these kings returned and caused a census to be
taken, in order to know the number of remaining men that
went after Chanoch; and it was upon the seventh day that
Chanoch ascended into heaven in a whirlwind, with horses
of fire and chariots of fire.
37 And on the eighth day all the kings that had been with
Chanoch sent to bring back the number of men that were
with Chanoch, in that place from which he ascended into
heaven.
38
38 And all those kings went to the place and they found the
earth filled with snow in that place, and upon the snow were
large stones of snow, and one said to the other, Come, let us
break through this snow and see, perhaps the men that
remained with Chanoch are dead, and are now under the
stones of snow, and they searched but could not find him,
for he had ascended into heaven.
CHAPTER 4
1 And all the days that Chanoch lived upon earth, were three
hundred and sixty-five years.
2 In the one hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Lemech
the son of Metushelach, Chanoch ascended to the heavens.
And when Chanoch had ascended into heaven, all the kings
of the earth rose and took Metushelach his son and anointed
him, and they caused him to reign over them in the place of
his father.
3 And Metushelach acted uprightly in the eyes of YHWH, as
in all that his father Chanoch had taught him, and he also
during the whole of his life taught the sons of men wisdom,
knowledge and the fear of YHWH, and he did not turn from
the good way either to the right or to the left.
4 But in the latter days of Metushelach, the sons of man
turned from [following] after YHWH, they corrupted the
earth, they robbed and plundered each other, and they
rebelled against Elohim and they transgressed, and they
corrupted their ways, and would not hearken to the voice of
Metushelach, but rebelled against him.
5 And the YHWH was exceedingly wroth against them, and
YHWH continued to destroy the seed in those days, and
there was neither sowing nor reaping on the earth.
6 And it came to pass when they sowed the ground in order
39
that they might obtain food for their support, behold, thorns
and thistles were produced which they did not sow.
7 And in all this the sons of men did not turn from their evil
ways, and their hands were still extended to do evil in the
eyes of YHWH, and they provoked YHWH with their evil
ways, and YHWH was very wroth, and mourned because he
had made man.
8 And he was saying to destroy and annihilate them and he
did so.
9 In those days when Lamech the son of Metushelach was
one hundred and sixty years old, Shet the son of Adam died.
10 And all the days that Shet lived, were nine hundred and
twelve years, and he died.
11 And it came to pass Lamech was one hundred and eighty
years old when he took Ashmua, the daughter of Elishah the
son of Chanoch his uncle, and she conceived.
12 And at that time the sons of man sowed the ground, and a
little food was produced by the ground, yet the sons of man
did not turn from their evil ways, and they trespassed and
rebelled against the ground14.
13 And the wife of Lemech conceived and bare him a son at
that time, at the revolution15 of the year.
14 And Metushelach called his name Noach, saying, The
ground was in his days at rest and free from corruption, and
Lamech his father called his name Menachem, saying, This
one shall comfort us in our works and miserable toil from
the ground, which YHWH had cursed.
15 And the child grew up and was weaned, and he went in
the ways of his father Metushelach, and was perfect and
upright with YHWH.
16 And all the sons of man departed from the ways of
YHWH in those days as they multiplied upon the face of the
14 Moses Samuel wrongly renders “against God” in place of “with the ground”.
15 tpwqt (Strong’s 8622) “revolution, course, circuit, end, equinox”.
40
ground with sons and daughters, and they taught one another
their evil ways and they continued sinning against YHWH.
17 And every man made unto himself his god, and they
robbed and plundered every man his neighbor as well as his
relative, and they corrupted the earth, and the earth was
filled with violence.
18 And their judges16 and rulers17 went to all the daughters
of man and took their wives by force from their husbands
from all that they chose, and the sons of man in those days
took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and
the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one
species with the other, to provoke YHWH by this thing; and
Elohim saw all the earth and behold it was corrupt, for all
flesh had corrupted its ways upon earth, all men and all
animals.
19 And YHWH said, I will blot out man that I created from
upon the face of the ground, yea from man to the birds of the
heavens, together with cattle and beasts that are in the field
for I mourn because I made them.
20 And all men who walked in the ways of YHWH, died in
those days, before YHWH brought the evil upon man which
he had declared, for this was from YHWH, that they should
not see the evil which YHWH spoke of concerning the sons
of man.
21 And Noach found grace in the eyes of YHWH, and
YHWH chose him and his children to raise up seed from
them upon the face of all the earth.
16 Mhy+pw#
17 Mhyr+w#
41
Parshat Noach
CHAPTER 5
1 And it came to pass in the eighty-fourth year of the life of
Noach, that Chanoch the son of Shet died, he was nine
hundred and five years old at his death.
2 And in the one hundred and seventy ninth year of the life
of Noach, Kayinan the son of Enosh died, and all the days of
Kayinan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
3 And in the two hundred and thirty fourth year of the life of
Noach, Mahalal'el the son of Kayinan died, and the days of
Mahalal'el were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he
died.
4 And Yered the son of Mahalal'el died in those days, in the
three hundred and thirty-sixth year of the life of Noach; and
all the days of Yered were nine hundred and sixty-two years,
and he died.
5 And also all the men who followed after YHWH died in
those days, before they saw the evil which YHWH declared
to do upon all the earth.
6 And after the lapse of many years, in the four hundred and
eightieth year of the life of Noach, when all those men, who
followed after YHWH had died away from among the sons
of men, and only Metushelach was then left, YHWH said
unto Noach and Metushelach, saying,
7 Speak you, and proclaim to the sons of men, saying, Thus
says YHWH, return from your evil ways and forsake your
works, and YHWH will repent of the evil that he declared to
do to you, so that it shall not come to pass.
8 For thus says YHWH, Behold I give you a period of one
hundred and twenty years; if you will turn to me and forsake
your evil ways, then will I also turn away from the evil
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which I told you, and it shall not exist, says YHWH.
9 And Noach and Metushelach spoke all the words of
YHWH to all the sons of man, day after day, speaking every
day to them.
10 But the sons of men would not hearken to them, nor
incline their ears to their words, and they were stiffnecked.
11 And YHWH granted them a period of one hundred and
twenty years, saying, If they will return, then will YHWH
repent of the evil, so as not to destroy the earth.
12 Noach the son of Lemech refrained from taking a wife in
those days, to beget children, for he said, Surely now
YHWH will destroy the earth, wherefore then shall I beget
children?
13 And Noach was a just man, he was perfect in his
generation, and YHWH chose him to raise up seed from his
seed upon the face of all the earth.
14 And YHWH said unto Noach, Take unto you a wife, and
beget children, for I have seen you righteous before me in
this generation.
15 And you shall raise up seed, and your children with you,
in the midst of the earth; and Noach went and took a wife,
and he chose Naamah the daughter of Chanoch, and she was
five hundred and eighty years old.
16 And Noach was four hundred and ninety-eight years old,
when he took Naamah for a wife.
17 And Naamah conceived and bare a son, and he called his
name Yefet, saying, Elohim has enlarged me in the earth;
and she conceived again and bare a son, and he called his
name Shem, saying, Elohim has made me a remnant, to raise
up seed in the midst of the earth.
18 And Noach was five hundred and two years old when
Naamah bare Shem, and the boys grew up and went in the
ways of YHWH, in all that Metushelach and Noach their
father taught them.
43
19 And Lemech the father of Noach, died in those days; yet
verily he did not go with all his heart in the ways of his
father, and he died in the hundred and ninety-fifth year of
the life of Noach.
20 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and
seventy years, and he died.
21 And also all the sons of man who knew YHWH, died in
that year before YHWH brought evil upon the sons of man;
for YHWH willed them to die,
so the man who knew YHWH would not see the evil that
would brought upon their brothers and relatives, which
YHWH had so declared to do.
22 In that time, YHWH said to Noach and Metushelach,
Stand forth and proclaim to all the sons of men all the words
that I spoke to you in those days, peradventure they may
turn the sons of man from their evil ways, and I will then
repent of the evil and will not bring it.
23 And Noach and Metushelach stood forth, and said in the
ears of the sons of man, all which YHWH had declared to
them.
24 But the sons of men would not hearken, neither would
they incline their ears to all their declarations.
25 And it was after this that YHWH said to Noach, The end
of all flesh is come before me, on account of their evil
deeds, and behold I will destroy the earth.
26 And do you take unto you gopher wood, and go to a
certain place and make a large ark, and place it in that spot.
27 And thus shall you make it; three hundred cubits its
length, fifty cubits broad and thirty cubits high.
28 And you shall make unto you a door, open at its side, and
to a cubit you shall finish above, and cover it within and
without with pitch.
29 And behold I will bring the flood of waters upon the
earth, and all flesh be destroyed, from under the heavens all
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that is upon earth shall perish.
30 And you and your house shall go and gather two couple
of all living things, male and female, and shall bring them to
the ark, to raise up seed from them upon earth.
31 And also from all food that is eaten by all the animals,
that there may be food for you and for them.
32 And you shall choose for your sons three maidens, from
the daughters of men, and they shall be wives to your sons.
33 And Noach rose up, and he made the ark, in the place
where YHWH had commanded him, and Noach did all He
had ordered him.
34 In his five hundred and ninety-fifth year Noach
commenced to make the ark, and by the six hundredth year
all the ark according to all the his words and all his
judgments. And he made the ark in five years, as YHWH
had commanded.
35 Then Noach took the three daughters of Eliakim, son of
Metushelach, for wives for his sons, as YHWH had
commanded Noach.
36 And it was at that time Metushelach the son of Chanoch
died, nine hundred and sixty years old was he, at his death.
CHAPTER 6
1 And it came to pass at that time Metushelach died the son
of Chanoch,
and was nine hundred sixty nine years old at his death. At
that time after the death of Metushelach, YHWH said to
Noach, Go you with your house into the ark; behold I will
gather to you all the animals of the earth, the beasts of the
field and the fowls of the heavens, and they shall all come
and surround the ark.
2 And you shall go and seat yourself by the doors of the ark,
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and all the beasts, the animals, and the fowls, shall assemble
and place themselves before you, and such of them as shall
come and crouch before you, shall you take and deliver into
the hands of your sons, who shall bring them to the ark, and
all that will stand before you, you shall leave.
3 And YHWH brought this thing about on the morrow, and
animals, beasts and fowls came in great multitudes and
surrounded the ark.
4 And Noach went and seated himself by the door of the ark,
and of all flesh that crouched before him, he brought into the
ark, and all that stood before him he left upon earth.
5 And a lioness came, with her two whelps, male and
female, and the three crouched before Noach, and the two
whelps rose up against the lioness and smote her, and made
her flee from her place, and she went away, and they
returned to their places, and crouched upon the earth before
Noach.
6 And the lioness ran away, and stood in the place of the
lions.
7 And Noach saw this, and wondered greatly, and he rose
and took the two whelps, and brought them into the ark.
8 And Noach brought into the ark from all living creatures
that were upon earth, so that there was none left but which
Noach brought into the ark.
9 Two and two came to Noach into the ark, but from the
clean animals, and clean fowls, he brought seven couples, as
Elohim had commanded him.
10 And all the animals, and beasts, and fowls, were in that
place, and they surrounded the ark here and there, and the
rain had not descended till seven days after.
11 And on that day, YHWH caused all the earth to shake,
and the sun darkened, and the foundations of the world
raged, and all the earth was moved violently, and the
lightning flashed, and the thunder roared, and all the
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fountains in the earth were broken up, such as was not
known to the inhabitants before; and YHWH did this mighty
act, in order to terrify the sons of man, that there might be no
more evil upon earth.
12 And still the sons of man would not return from their evil
ways, and they increased the anger of YHWH at that time,
and did not even direct their hearts to all this.
13 And at the end of seven days, in the six hundredth year of
the life of Noach, the waters of the flood were upon the
earth.
14 And all the fountains of the deep were broken up, and the
windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was upon the
earth forty days and forty nights.
15 And Noach and his house, and all the living creatures that
were with him, came into the ark on account of the waters of
the flood, and YHWH shut him in.
16 And all the sons of man that were left upon the earth,
became exhausted through evil on account of the rain, for
the waters were coming more violently upon the earth, and
the animals and beasts were still surrounding the ark.
17 And the sons of men assembled together, about seven
hundred thousand men and women, and they came unto
Noach to the ark.
18 And they called to Noach, saying, Open for us that we
may come to you in the ark--and wherefore shall we die?
19 And Noach, with a loud voice, answered them from the
ark, saying, Have you not all rebelled against YHWH, and
said that he does not exist? and therefore YHWH brought
upon you this evil, to destroy and cut you off from the face
of the ground.
20 Is not this the thing that I spoke to you of one hundred
and twenty years back, and you would not hearken to the
voice of YHWH, and now do you desire to live upon earth?
21 And they all said to Noach, We are all ready to return to
47
YHWH; only open for us that we may live and not die.
22 And Noach answered them, saying, Behold now that you
see the trouble of your souls, you wish to return to YHWH;
why did you not return during these hundred and twenty
years, which YHWH granted you as the determined period?
23 But now you come and tell me this on account of the
troubles of your souls, now also YHWH will not listen to
you, neither will he give ear to you on this day, so that you
will not now succeed in your wishes today.
24 And the sons of men approached in order to break into
the ark, to come in on account of the rain, for they could not
bear the rain upon them.
25 And YHWH sent all the beasts and all the animals that
stood round the ark. And the beasts overpowered them and
they arose and they fled from before the ark, and many of
them were killed by the beasts, and they drove them from
that place, and every man went his way and they again
scattered themselves upon the face of the earth.
26 And the rain was still descending upon the earth, and it
descended forty days and forty nights, and the waters
prevailed greatly upon the earth; and all flesh that was upon
the earth or in the waters died, whether men, animals, beasts,
creeping things or birds of the heavens, and there only
remained Noach and those that were with him in the ark.
27 And the waters prevailed and they greatly increased upon
the earth, and they lifted up the ark and it was raised from
the earth.
28 And the ark floated upon the face of the waters, and it
was tossed upon the face of the waters so that all the living
creatures within were turned about like pottage in a
cauldron.
29 And it came to pass great anxiety seized all the living
creatures that were in the ark, and the ark was like to be
broken.
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30 And all the living creatures that were in the ark were
terrified, and the lions roared, and the oxen lowed, and the
wolves howled, and every living creature in the ark spoke
and lamented in its own language, and their voices18 reached
to a great distance, and also Noach and his sons cried and
wept in their troubles; they were greatly afraid that they had
reached the gates of death.
31 And Noach prayed unto YHWH, and cried unto him on
account of this, and he said, O YHWH help us, for we have
no strength to bear this evil that has encompassed us, for the
waves of the waters have surrounded us, mischievous
torrents have terrified us, the snares of death have come
before us; answer us, O YHWH, answer us, light up your
countenance toward us and be gracious to us, redeem us and
deliver us.
32 And YHWH hearkened to the voice of Noach, and
YHWH remembered him.
33 And a wind19 passed over the earth, and the waters were
still and the ark rested.
34 And the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven
were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
35 And the waters decreased in those days, and the ark
rested upon the mountains of Ararat.
36 And at that time Noach opened the windows of the ark,
and Noach still called out to YHWH at that time and he said,
O YHWH Elohi of all the land and the seas20 and all that are
therein, bring forth our souls from this confinement, and
from the prison wherein you have placed us, for I am much
wearied with sighing.
37 And YHWH hearkened to the voice of Noach, and said to
18 or “sounds”
19 or “spirit”
20 Moses Samuel misread this word as “and heaven” (Mym#hw) however the text
actually reads “and the seas” (Mymyhw)
49
him, When though shall have completed a full year you shall
then go forth.
38 And at the revolution21 of the year, when a full year was
completed to Noach's dwelling in the ark, the waters were
dried from off the earth, and Noach put off the covering of
the ark.
39 At that time, on the twenty-seventh day of the second
month, the earth was dry, but Noach and his sons, and those
that were with him, did not go out from the ark until YHWH
told them.
40 And it came to pass in that day came that YHWH told
them to go out, and they all went out from the ark.
41 And they went and returned each man to his way and
each man to his place, and Noach and his sons dwelt in the
land that YHWH had told them, and they served YHWH all
their days, and YHWH blessed Noach and his sons on their
going out from the ark.
42 And YHWH said to them, Be fruitful and fill all the
earth; become strong and increase abundantly in the earth
and multiply therein.
CHAPTER 7
1 And these are the names of the sons of Noach: Yafet, Ham
and Shem; and children were born to them after the flood,
for they had taken wives before the flood.
2 These are the sons of Yafet; Gomer, Magog, Madai,
Yavan, Tuval, Meshekh, and Tiras, seven sons.
3 And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Rifat and
Togarmah.
4 And the sons of Magog were Elichanaf and Luval.
5 And the children of Madai were Achon, Zila, Choni and
21 or “equinox”
50
Lot.
6 And the sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Chittim and
Dudonim.
7 And the sons of Tuval were Arifi, Chesed and Taari.
8 And the sons of Meshech were R’don, Z’don and
Shebashni.
9 And the sons of Tiras were Benib, Gera, Chiz’yon
,Lupirion and Gilak; these are the sons of Yafet according to
their families, and their numbers in those days were about
four hundred and sixty men.
10 And these are the sons of Ham; Kush, Mitzraim, Put and
Kanaan, four sons; and the sons of Kush were Seba,
Havilah, Sabta, Raama and Satecha, and the sons of Raama
were Sheba and Dedan.
11 And the sons of Mitzraim were Lud, Enam, Lahav and
Naf’toch, Pat’ros Chasloch and Caf’tor.
12 And the sons of Put were G’bal, Chadan, Caneh and
Eden.
13 And the sons of Kanaan were Tzidon, Chet, Emori,
Ger’gashi, Chivi, Ar’ki, Sini, Ar’vadi, Tz’mari and Chamati.
14 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families,
and their numbers in those days were about seven hundred
and thirty men.
15 And these are the sons of Shem; Elam, Ashur,
Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, five sons; and the sons of Elam
were Shushan, Machul and Harmon.
16 And the sons of Ashur were Mirus and Mokil, and the
sons of Arpachshad were Shelach, Anar and Ashkol.
17 And the sons of Lud were Petor and Azyon, and the sons
of Aram were Utz, Chul, Geter and Mash.
18 These are the sons of Shem, according to their families;
and their numbers in those days were about three hundred
and seventy men.
19 These are the generations of Shem; Shem begat
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Arpachshad and Arpachshad begat Shelach, and Shelach
begat Ever and to Ever were born two children, the name of
one was Peleg, for in his days the sons of men were divided,
and in the latter days, the earth was divided.
20 And the name of the second was Yoktan, meaning that in
his day the lives of the sons of man were diminished and
lessened.
21 These are the sons of Yoktan; Almodad, Shelaf,
Chatzarmovet, Yerach, Hadurom, Ozel, Diklah, Oval,
Avimael, Sheba, Ofir, Havilah and Yovav; all these are the
sons of Yoktan.
22 And Peleg his brother begat Ro, and Ro begat Serug, and
Serug begat Nachor and Nachor begat Terach, and Terach
was thirty-eight years old, and he begat Charan and Nachor.
23 And Kush the son of Ham, the son of Noach, took a wife
in those days in his old age, and she bare a son, and they
called his name Nimrod, saying, At that time the sons of
man again began to rebel and transgress against Elohim, and
the child grew up, and his father loved him exceedingly, for
he was the son of his old age.
24 And the garments of skin which Elohim made for Adam
and his wife, when they went out of the garden, were given
to Kush.
25 For after the death of Adam and his wife, the garments
were given to Chanoch, the son of Yared, and when
Chanoch was taken up to Elohim, he gave them to
Metushelach, his son.
26 And at the death of Metushelach, Noach took them and
brought them to the ark, and they were with him until he
went out of the ark.
27 And in their going out, Ham stole those garments from
Noach his father, and he took them and hid them from his
brothers.
28 And when Ham begat his firstborn Kush, he gave him the
52
garments in secret, and they were with Kush many days.
29 And Kush also concealed them from his sons and
brothers, and when Kush had begotten Nimrod, he gave him
those garments through his love for him, and Nimrod grew
up, and when he was twenty years old he put on those
garments.
30 And Nimrod became strong when he put on the garments,
and Elohim gave him might and strength, and he was a
mighty hunter in the earth, yea, he was a mighty hunter in
the field, and he hunted the animals and he built altars, and
he offered upon them the animals before YHWH.
31 And Nimrod strengthened himself, and he rose up from
among his brothers, and he fought the battles of his brothers
against all their enemies round about.
32 And YHWH delivered all the enemies of his brothers in
his hands, and YHWH prospered him from time to time in
his battles, and he reigned upon earth.
33 Therefore it became current in those days, when a man
ushered forth those that he had trained up for battle, he
would say to them, Like Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter
in the earth, and who succeeded in the battles that prevailed
against his brothers, that he delivered them from the hands
of their enemies, [so may God strengthen us and deliver us
this day.]
34 And when Nimrod was forty years old, at that time there
was a war between his brothers and the children of Yafet,
and it happened that his brothers were in the hand of their
enemies.
35 And Nimrod went forth at that time, and he assembled all
the sons of Kush and their families, about four hundred and
sixty men, and he hired also from some of his friends and
acquaintances about eighty men, and be gave them their
hire, and he went with them to battle, and when he was on
the road, Nimrod strengthened the hearts of all the people
53
that went with him.
36 And he said to them, Do not fear, neither be alarmed, for
all our enemies will be delivered into our hands, and you
may do with them what seems good in your eyes.
37 And all the men that went were about five hundred, and
they fought against their enemies, and they destroyed them,
and subdued them, and Nimrod placed standing officers over
them in their respective places.
38 And he took some of their children as security, and they
were all servants to Nimrod and to his brothers, and Nimrod
and all the people that were with him turned homeward.
39 And when Nimrod had joyfully returned from battle,
after having conquered all his enemies, all his brothers,
together with those who knew him before, assembled to
make him king over them, and they placed the crown of
kingship upon his head.
40 And he set over his subjects and over all his people,
princes, judges, and rulers, as is the judgment of kings.
41 And he placed Terach the son of Nachor the prince of his
host, and he dignified him and elevated him above all his
princes.
42 And while he was reigning according to all his soul, after
having conquered all his enemies around, he advised with
his counselors to build a city for his palace, and they did so.
43 And they found a large valley opposite to the east, and
they built him a large and extensive city, and Nimrod called
the name of the city that he built Shinar, for YHWH had
vehemently shaken his enemies and destroyed them.
44 And Nimrod dwelt in Shinar, and he reigned securely,
and he fought with his enemies and he subdued them, and he
prospered in all his battles, and all his kingdom became very
great.
45 And all nations and tongues heard of his fame, and they
gathered themselves to him, and they bowed down to the
54
earth, and they brought him offerings, and he became their
lord and king, and they all dwelt with him in the city at
Shinar, and Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons of
Noach, and they were all under his power and counsel.
46 And all the earth was of one tongue and words of union,
but Nimrod did not go in the ways of YHWH, and he was
more wicked than all the men that were before him, from the
days of the flood until those days.
47 And he made gods of wood and stone, and he bowed
down to them, and he rebelled against YHWH, and taught
all his subjects and the people of the earth all his wicked
ways; and also Mardon his son was more wicked than his
father.
48 And every one that heard of the acts of Mardon the son of
Nimrod would say, concerning him, From the wicked goes
forth wickedness; therefore it became a proverb in all the
earth, saying, From the wicked goes forth wickedness, and it
was current in the words of men from that time to this.
49 And Terach the son of Nachor, prince of Nimrod's host,
was in those days very great in the eyes of the king and in
the eyes of all his subjects, and the king and princes loved
him, and they elevated him very high.
50 And Terach took a wife and her name was Amat’lai the
daughter of Karn’vo; and the wife of Terach conceived and
bare him a son in those days.
51 Terach was seventy years old when he begat him, and
Terach called the name of his son that was born to him
Avram, because the king had raised him in those days, and
dignified him above all his princes that were with him.
CHAPTER 8
1 And it was in the night that Avram was born, that all the
55
servants of Terach, and all the wise men of Nimrod, and his
magicians22 came and ate and drank in the house of Terach,
and they rejoiced with him on that night.
2 And it came to pass that all the wise men and magicians
went out from the house of Terach, they lifted up their eyes
toward heaven that night to look at the stars, and they saw,
and behold one very large star came from the east and ran in
the heavens, and he swallowed up the four stars from the
four sides of the heavens.23
3 And all the wise men of the king and all his magicians
were astonished, and the wise men understood this matter,
and they knew its import.
4 And they said to each man to his neighbor, This only
betokens the child that has been born to Terach this night,
who will grow up and be fruitful, and multiply, and possess
all the earth, he and his children for ever, and he and his
seed will slay great kings, and inherit their lands.
5 And all the wise men and all the magicians went home that
night, and in the morning all these wise men and magicians
rose up early, and assembled in an appointed house.
6 And they spoke and said to each man to his neighbor,
Behold the sight that we saw last night is hidden from the
king, it has not been made known to him.
7 And should this thing become known to the king in the
latter days, he will say to us, Why have you concealed this
matter from me, and then we shall all suffer death; therefore,
now let us go and tell the king the sight which we saw, and
the interpretation thereof, and we shall then remain clear.
8 And they did so, and they all went to the king and bowed
down to him to the ground, and they said, May the king live,
may the king live.
9 We heard that a son was born to Terach the son of Nachor,
22 wym+rx (Strong’s 2748)
23 Compare with the visions recorded in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7.
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the prince of your host, and we last night came to his house,
and we ate and drank and rejoiced with him that night.
10 And when your servants went out from the house of
Terach, to go to our respective homes to abide there for the
night, we lifted up our eyes to heaven, and we saw a great
star coming from the east, and the same star ran with great
speed, and swallowed up four great stars, from the four sides
of the heavens.
11 And your servants were astonished at the sight which we
saw, and were greatly terrified, and we made our judgment
upon the sight, and knew by our wisdom the proper
interpretation thereof, that this thing applies to the child that
is born to Terach, who will grow up and multiply greatly,
and become powerful, and kill all the kings of the earth, and
inherit all their lands, he and his seed forever.
12 And now our lord the king, behold we have truly
acquainted you with what we have seen concerning this
child concerning his being established.
13 If it seems good to the king to give his father value for
this child, we will slay him before he shall grow up and
increase in the land, and his evil
increase against us, that we and our children perish through
his evil.
14 And the king heard their words and they seemed good in
his eyes, and he sent and called for Terach, and Terach came
before the king.
15 And the king said to Terach, I have been told that a son
was last night born to you, and after this manner was
observed in the heavens at his birth.
16 And now therefore give me the child, that we may slay
him before his evil springs up against us, and I will give you
for his value, your house full of silver and gold.
17 And Terach answered the king and said to him: My lord
the king, I have heard your words, all which my lord the
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king desires shall his servant do.
18 But my lord and king, I will tell you what happened to
me last night, that I may see what advice the king will give
his servant, and then I will answer the king upon what he has
just spoken; and the king said, Speak.
19 And Terach said to the king, for Ayon, son of Morad,
came to me last night, saying,
20 Give unto me the great and beautiful horse that the king
gave you, and I will give you a price of silver and gold, and
straw and provender; and I said to him, Wait till I see the
king concerning your words, and behold whatever the king
says, that will I do.
21 And now my lord the king, behold I have made this thing
known to you, and it shall come to pass, the advice which
my king will give unto his servant, that will I follow.
22 And the king heard the words of Terach, and his anger
was kindled and he considered him in the light of a fool.
23 And the king answered Terach, and he said to him, Are
you so silly, ignorant, or deficient in understanding, to do
this thing, to give your beautiful horse for silver and gold or
even for straw and provender?
24 Are you so short of silver and gold, that you should do
this thing, because you can not obtain straw and provender
to feed your horse? and what is silver and gold to you, or
straw and provender, that you should give away that fine
horse which I gave you, like which there is none to be had in
all the earth?
25 And the king left off speaking, and Terach answered the
king, saying, Like unto this has the king spoken to his
servant;
26 I beseech you, my lord and king, what is this which you
did say unto me, saying, Give your son that we may slay
him, and I will give you a price of silver and gold; what
shall I do with silver and gold after the death of my son?
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who shall inherit after me? And it shall come to pass at my
death, the silver and gold will return to my lord the king who
gave it.
27 And when the king heard the words of Terach, and the
parable which he brought concerning
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