1 And it was after this that the sons of Esau waged war with the sons of Yacob, and the sons of Esau fought with the sons of Yacob in Hebron, and Esau was still lying dead, and not buried.
2 And the battle was heavy between them, and the sons of Esau were smitten before the sons of Yacob, and the sons of Yacob slew of the sons of Esau eighty men, and not one died of the people of the sons of Yacob; and the hand of Yoseph prevailed over all the people of the sons of Esau, and he took Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, and fifty of his men captive, and he bound them with chains of iron, and gave them into the hand of his servants to bring them to Egypt.
3 And it came to pass when the sons of Yacob had taken Zepho and his people captive, all those that remained were greatly afraid of their lives from the house of Esau, lest they should also be taken captive, and they all fled with Eliphaz the son of Esau and his people, with Esau's body, and they went on their road to Mount Seir.
4 And they came unto Mount Seir and they buried Esau in Seir, but they had not brought his head with them to Seir, for it was buried in that place where the battle had been in Hebron.
5 And it came to pass when the sons of Esau had fled from before the sons of Yacob, the sons of Yacob pursued them unto the borders of Seir, but they did not slay a single man from amongst them when they pursued them, for Esau's body which they carried with them excited their confusion, so they fled and the sons of Yacob turned back from them and came up to the place where their brethren were in Hebron, and they remained there on that day, and on the next day until they rested from the battle.
6 And it came to pass on the third day they assembled all the sons of Seir the Horite, and they assembled all the children of the east, a multitude of people like the sand of the sea, and they went and came down to Egypt to fight with Yoseph and his brethren, in order to deliver their brethren.
7 And Yoseph and all the sons of Yacob heard that the sons of Esau and the children of the east had come upon them to battle in order to deliver their brethren.
8 And Yoseph and his brethren and the strong men of Egypt went forth and fought in the city of Rameses, and Yoseph and his brethren dealt out a tremendous blow amongst the sons of Esau and the children of the east.
9 And they slew of them six hundred thousand men, and they slew amongst them all the mighty men of the children of Seir the Horite; there were only a few of them left, and they slew also a great many of the children of the east, and of the children of Esau; and Eliphaz the son of Esau, and the children of the east all fled before Yoseph and his brethren.
10 And Yoseph and his brethren pursued them until they came unto Succoth, and they yet slew of them in Succoth thirty men, and the rest escaped and they fled each to his city.
11 And Yoseph and his brethren and the mighty men of Egypt turned back from them with joy and cheerfulness of heart, for they had smitten all their enemies.
12 And Zepho the son of Eliphaz and his men were still slaves in Egypt to the sons of Yacob, and their pains increased.
13 And when the sons of Esau and the sons of Seir returned to their land, the sons of Seir saw that they had all fallen into the hands of the sons of Yacob, and the people of Egypt, on account of the battle of the sons of Esau.
14 And the sons of Seir said unto the sons of Esau, You have seen and therefore you know that this camp was on your account, and not one mighty man or an adept in war remaineth.
15 Now therefore go forth from our land, go from us to the land of Canaan to the land of the dwelling of your fathers; wherefore shall your children inherit the effects of our children in latter days?
16 And the children of Esau would not listen to the children of Seir, and the children of Seir considered to make war with them.
17 And the children of Esau sent secretly to Angeas king of Africa, the same is Dinhabah, saying,
18 Send unto us some of your men and let them come unto us, and we will fight together with the children of Seir the Horite, for they have resolved to fight with us to drive us away from the land.
19 And Angeas king of Dinhabah did so, for he was in those days friendly to the children of Esau, and Angeas sent five hundred valiant infantry to the children of Esau, and eight hundred cavalry.
20 And the children of Seir sent unto the children of the east and unto the children of Midian, saying, You have seen what the children of Esau have done unto us, upon whose account we are almost all destroyed, in their battle with the sons of Yacob.
21 Now therefore come unto us and assist us, and we will fight them together, and we will drive them from the land and be avenged of the cause of our brethren who died for their sakes in their battle with their brethren the sons of Yacob.
22 And all the children of the east listened to the children of Seir, and they came unto them about eight hundred men with drawn swords, and the children of Esau fought with the children of Seir at that time in the wilderness of Paran.
23 And the children of Seir prevailed then over the sons of Esau, and the children of Seir slew on that day of the children of Esau in that battle about two hundred men of the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah.
24 And on the second day the children of Esau came again to fight a second time with the children of Seir, and the battle was sore upon the children of Esau this second time, and it troubled them greatly on account of the children of Seir.
25 And when the children of Esau saw that the children of Seir were more powerful than they were, some men of the children of Esau turned and assisted the children of Seir their enemies.
26 And there fell yet of the people of the children of Esau in the second battle fifty-eight men of the people at Angeas king of Dinhabah.
27 And on the third day the children of Esau heard that some of their brethren had turned from them to fight against them in the second battle; and the children of Esau mourned when they heard this thing.
28 And they said, What shall we do unto our brethren who turned from us to assist the children of Seir our enemies? and the children of Esau again sent to Angeas king of Dinhabah, saying,
29 Send unto us again other men that with them we may fight with the children of Seir, for they have already twice been heavier than we were.
30 And Angeas again sent to the children of Esau about six hundred valiant men, and they came to assist the children of Esau.
31 And in ten days' time the children of Esau again waged war with the children of Seir in the wilderness of Paran, and the battle was very severe upon the children of Seir, and the children of Esau prevailed at this time over the children of Seir, and the children of Seir were smitten before the children of Esau, and the children of Esau slew from them about two thousand men.
32 And all the mighty men of the children of Seir died in this battle, and there only remained their young children that were left in their cities.
33 And all Midian and the children of the east betook themselves to flight from the battle, and they left the children of Seir and fled when they saw that the battle was severe upon them, and the children of Esau pursued all the children of the east until they reached their land.
34 And the children of Esau slew yet of them about two hundred and fifty men and from the people of the children of Esau there fell in that battle about thirty men, but this evil came upon them through their brethren turning from them to assist the children of Seir the Horite, and the children of Esau again heard of the evil doings of their brethren, and they again mourned on account of this thing.
35 And it came to pass after the battle, the children of Esau turned back and came home unto Seir, and the children of Esau slew those who had remained in the land of the children of Seir; they slew also their wives and little ones, they left not a soul alive except fifty young lads and damsels whom they suffered to live, and the children of Esau did not put them to death, and the lads became their slaves, and the damsels they took for wives.
36 And the children of Esau dwelt in Seir in the place of the children of Seir, and they inherited their land and took possession of it.
37 And the children of Esau took all belonging in the land to the children of Seir, also their flocks, their bullocks and their goods, and all belonging to the children of Seir, did the children of Esau take, and the children of Esau dwelt in Seir in the place of the children of Seir unto this day, and the children of Esau divided the land into divisions to the five sons of Esau, according to their families.
38 And it came to pass in those days, that the children of Esau resolved to crown a king over them in the land of which they became possessed. And they said to each other, Not so, for he shall reign over us in our land, and we shall be under his counsel and he shall fight our battles, against our enemies, and they did so.
39 And all the children of Esau swore, saying, That none of their brethren should ever reign over them, but a strange man who is not of their brethren, for the souls of all the children of Esau were embittered every man against his son, brother and friend, on account of the evil they sustained from their brethren when they fought with the children of Seir.
Year 2258
40 Therefore the sons of Esau swore, saying, From that day forward they would not choose a king from their brethren, but one from a strange land unto this day.
41 And there was a man there from the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah; his name was Bela the son of Beor, who was a very valiant man, beautiful and comely and wise in all wisdom, and a man of sense and counsel; and there was none of the people of Angeas like unto him.
42 And all the children of Esau took him and anointed him and they crowned him for a king, and they bowed down to him, and they said unto him, May the king live, may the king live.
43 And they spread out the sheet, and they brought him each man earrings of gold and silver or rings or bracelets, and they made him very rich in silver and in gold, in onyx stones and bdellium, and they made him a royal throne, and they placed a regal crown upon his head, and they built a palace for him and he dwelt therein, and he became king over all the children of Esau.
44 And the people of Angeas took their hire for their battle from the children of Esau, and they went and returned at that time to their master in Dinhabah.
45 And Bela reigned over the children of Esau thirty years, and the children of Esau dwelt in the land instead of the children of Seir, and they dwelt securely in their stead unto this day.
.................... Truth, Lies......... Seek the truth through all the lies.
Monday, September 23, 2024
Jasher, Chapter 57
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Jasher, Chapter 36
1 At that time YAHWEH appeared unto Yacob (Jacob) saying, Arise, go to Bethel and remain there, and make there an altar to YAHWEH who appeares unto you, who delivered you and your sons from affliction.
2 And Yacob rose up with his sons and all belonging to him, and they went and came to Bethel according to the word of YAHWEH.
3 And Yacob was ninety-nine years old when he went up to Bethel, and Yacob and his sons and all the people that were with him, remained in Bethel in Luz, and he there built an altar to YAHWEH who appeared unto him, and Yacob and his sons remained in Bethel six months.
4 At that time died Deborah the daughter of Uz, the nurse of Rebecca, who had been with Yacob; and Yacob buried her beneath Bethel under an oak that was there.
Year 2208
5 And Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel, the mother of Yacob, also died at that time in Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, and she was buried in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth.
6 And the life of Rebecca was one hundred and thirty-three years, and she died and when Yacob heard that his mother Rebecca was dead he wept bitterly for his mother, and made a great mourning for her, and for Deborah her nurse beneath the oak, and he called the name of that place Allon-bachuth.
7 And Laban the Syrian died in those days, for YAHWEH smote him because he transgressed the covenant that existed between him and Yacob.
8 And Yacob was a hundred years old when YAHWEH appeared unto him, and blessed him and called his name Yisrael, and Rachel the wife of Yacob conceived in those days.
9 And at that time Yacob and all belonging to him journeyed from Bethel to go to his father's house, to Hebron.
10 And while they were going on the road, and there was yet but a little way to come to Ephrath, Rachel bare a son and she had hard labor and she died.
11 And Yacob buried her in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, and he set a pillar upon her grave, which is there unto this day; and the days of Rachel were forty-five years and she died.
12 And Yacob called the name of his son that was born to him, which Rachel bare unto him, Benjamin, for he was born to him in the land on the right hand.
13 And it was after the death of Rachel, that Yacob pitched his tent in the tent of her handmaid Bilhah.
14 And Reuben was jealous for his mother Leah on account of this, and he was filled with anger, and he rose up in his anger and went and entered the tent of Bilhah and he thence removed his father's bed.
15 At that time the portion of birthright, together with the kingly and priestly offices, was removed from the sons of Reuben, for he had profaned his father's bed, and the birthright was given unto Yoseph, the kingly office to Yahudah, and the priesthood unto Levi, because Reuben had defiled his father's bed.
16 And these are the generations of Yacob who were born to him in Padan-aram, and the sons of Yacob were twelve.
17 The sons of Leah were Reuben the first born, and Simeon, Levi, Yahudah, Issachar, Zebulun, and their sister Dinah; and the sons of Rachel were Yoseph and Benjamin.
18 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, were Gad and Asher, and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, were Dan and Naphtali; these are the sons of Yacob which were born to him in Padan-aram.
19 And Yacob and his sons and all belonging to him journeyed and came to Mamre, which is Kireath-arba, that is in Hebron, where Abraham and Yitschaq sojourned, and Yacob with his sons and all belonging to him, dwelt with his father in Hebron.
20 And his brother Esau and his sons, and all belonging to him went to the land of Seir and dwelt there, and had possessions in the land of Seir, and the children of Esau were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land of Seir.
21 And these are the generations of Esau that were born to him in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Esau were five.
22 And Adah bare to Esau his first born Eliphaz, and she also bare to him Reuel, and Ahlibamah bare to him Jeush, Yaalam and Korah.
23 These are the children of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Eliphaz the son of Esau were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz and Amalex, and the sons of Reuel were Nachath, Zerach, Shamah and Mizzah.
24 And the sons of Jeush were Timnah, Alvah, Jetheth; and the sons of Yaalam were Alah, Phinor and Kenaz.
25 And the sons of Korah were Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Eram; these are the families of the sons of Esau according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir.
26 And these are the names of the sons of Seir the Horite, inhabitants of the land of Seir, Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishan, Ezer and Dishon, being seven sons.
27 And the children of Lotan were Hori, Heman and their sister Timna, that is Timna who came to Yacob and his sons, and they would not give ear to her, and she went and became a concubine to Eliphaz the son of Esau, and she bare to him Amalek.
28 And the sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam, and the sons of Zibeon were Ajah, and Anah, this was that Anah who found the Yemim in the wilderness when he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.
29 And while he was feeding his father's asses he led them to the wilderness at different times to feed them.
30 And there was a day that he brought them to one of the deserts on the sea shore, opposite the wilderness of the people, and while he was feeding them, behold a very heavy storm came from the other side of the sea and rested upon the asses that were feeding there, and they all stood still.
31 And afterward about one hundred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where the asses were, and they placed themselves there.
32 And those animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the likeness of the keephas, with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like the tails of the ducheephath, and these animals came and mounted and rode upon these asses, and led them away, and they went away unto this day.
33 And one of these animals approached Anah and smote him with his tail, and then fled from that place.
34 And when he saw this work he was exceedingly afraid of his life, and he fled and escaped to the city.
35 And he related to his sons and brothers all that had happened to him, and many men went to seek the asses but could not find them, and Anah and his brothers went no more to that place from that day following, for they were greatly afraid of their lives.
36 And the children of Anah the son of Seir, were Dishon and his sister Ahlibamah, and the children of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Cheran, and the children of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan, and the children of Dishon were Uz and Aran.
37 These are the families of the children of Seir the Horite, according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir.
38 And Esau and his children dwelt in the land of Seir the Horite, the inhabitant of the land, and they had possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly, and Yacob and his children and all belonging to them, dwelt with their father Yitschaq in the land of Canaan, as YAHWEH had commanded Abraham their father.
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Monday, September 9, 2024
Jasher, Chapter 32
1 And at that time Yacob sent messengers to his brother Esau toward the land of Seir, and he spoke to him words of supplication.
2 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say to my lord, to Esau, Thus saith your servant Yacob, Let not my lord imagine that my father's blessing with which he did bless me has proved beneficial to me.
3 For I have been these twenty years with Laban, and he deceived me and changed my wages ten times, as it has all been already told unto my lord.
4 And I served him in his house very laboriously, and YAHWEH afterward saw my affliction, my labor and the work of my hands, and he caused me to find free unmerited love and favor and favor in his sight.
5 And I afterward through YAHWEH's great mercy and kindness acquired oxen and asses and cattle, and men servants and maid servants.
6 And now I am coming to my land and my home to my father and mother, who are in the land of Canaan; and I have sent to let my lord know all this in order to find favor in the sight of my lord, so that he may not imagine that I have of myself obtained wealth, or that the blessing with which my father blessed me has benefited me.
7 And those messengers went to Esau, and found him on the borders of the land of Edom going toward Yacob, and four hundred men of the children of Seir the Horite were standing with drawn swords.
8 And the messengers of Yacob told Esau all the words that Yacob had spoken to them concerning Esau.
9 And Esau answered them with pride and contempt, and said unto them, Surely I have heard and truly it has been told unto me what Yacob has done to Laban, who exalted him in his house and gave him his daughters for wives, and he begat sons and daughters, and abundantly increased in wealth and riches in Laban's house through his means.
10 And when he saw that his wealth was abundant and his riches great he fled with all belonging to him, from Laban's house, and he led Laban's daughters away from the face of their father, as captives taken by the sword without telling him of it.
11 And not only to Laban has Yacob done thus but also unto me has he done so and has twice supplanted me, and shall I be silent?
12 Now therefore I have this day come with my camps to meet him, and I will do unto him according to the desire of my heart.
13 And the messengers returned and came to Yacob and said unto him, We came to your brother, to Esau, and we told him all your words, and thus has he answered us, and behold he comes to meet you with four hundred men.
14 Now then know and see what you shall do, and pray before YAHWEH to deliver you from him.
15 And when he heard the words of his brother which he had spoken to the messengers of Yacob, Yacob was greatly afraid and he was distressed.
16 And Yacob prayed to YAHWEH his ALMIGHTY, and he said, O YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of my fathers, Abraham and Yitschaq, you didst say unto me when I went away from my father's house, saying,
17 I am YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of your father Abraham and the ALMIGHTY of Yitschaq, unto you do I give this land and your seed after you, and I will make your seed as the stars of heaven, and you shall spread forth to the four sides of heaven, and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
18 And you didst establish your words, and didst give unto me riches and children and cattle, as the utmost wishes of my heart didst you give unto your servant; you didst give unto me all that I asked from you, so that I lacked nothing.
19 And you didst afterward say unto me, Return to your parents and to your birth place and I will still do well with you.
20 And now that I have come, and you didst deliver me from Laban, I shall fall in the hands of Esau who will slay me, yea, together with the mothers of my children.
21 Now therefore, O YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY, deliver me, I pray you, also from the hands of my brother Esau, for I am greatly afraid of him.
22 And if there is no righteousness in me, do it for the sake of Abraham and my father Yitschaq.
23 For I know that through kindness and mercy have I acquired this wealth; now therefore I beseech you to deliver me this day with your kindness and to answer me.
24 And Yacob ceased praying to YAHWEH, and he divided the people that were with him with the flocks and cattle into two camps, and he gave the half to the care of Damesek, the son of Eliezer, Abraham's servant, for a camp, with his children, and the other half he gave to the care of his brother Elianus the son of Eliezer, to be for a camp with his children.
25 And he commanded them, saying, Keep yourselves at a distance with your camps, and do not come too near each other, and if Esau come to one camp and slay it, the other camp at a distance from it will escape him.
26 And Yacob tarried there that night, and during the whole night he gave his servants instructions concerning the forces and his children.
27 And YAHWEH heard the prayer of Yacob on that day, and YAHWEH then delivered Yacob from the hands of his brother Esau.
28 And YAHWEH sent three heavenly messengers of the heavenly messengers of heaven, and they went before Esau and came to him.
29 And these heavenly messengers appeared unto Esau and his people as two thousand men, riding upon horses furnished with all sorts of war instruments, and they appeared in the sight of Esau and all his men to be divided into four camps, with four chiefs to them.
30 And one camp went on and they found Esau coming with four hundred men toward his brother Yacob, and this camp ran toward Esau and his people and terrified them, and Esau fell off the horse in alarm, and all his men separated from him in that place, for they were greatly afraid.
31 And the whole of the camp shouted after them when they fled from Esau, and all the warlike men answered, saying,
32 Surely we are the servants of Yacob, who is the servant of YAHWEH, and who then can stand against us? And Esau said unto them, O then, my lord and brother Yacob is your lord, whom I have not seen for these twenty years, and now that I have this day come to see him, do you treat me in this manner?
33 And the heavenly messengers answered him saying, As YAHWEH liveth, were not Yacob of whom you speaks your brother, we had not let one remaining from you and your people, but only on account of Yacob we will do nothing to them.
34 And this camp passed from Esau and his men and it went away, and Esau and his men had gone from them about a league when the second camp came toward him with all sorts of weapons, and they also did unto Esau and his men as the first camp had done to them.
35 And when they had left it to go on, behold the third camp came toward him and they were all terrified, and Esau fell off the horse, and the whole camp cried out, and said, Surely we are the servants of Yacob, who is the servant of YAHWEH, and who can stand against us?
36 And Esau again answered them saying, O then, Yacob my lord and your lord is my brother, and for twenty years I have not seen his countenance and hearing this day that he was coming, I went this day to meet him, and do you treat me in this manner?
37 And they answered him, and said unto him, As YAHWEH liveth, were not Yacob your brother as you didst say, we had not left a remnant from you and your men, but on account of Yacob of whom you speak being your brother, we will not meddle with you or your men.
38 And the third camp also passed from them, and he still continued his road with his men toward Yacob, when the fourth camp came toward him, and they also did unto him and his men as the others had done.
39 And when Esau beheld the evil which the four heavenly messengers had done to him and to his men, he became greatly afraid of his brother Yacob, and he went to meet him in peace.
40 And Esau concealed his hatred against Yacob, because he was afraid of his life on account of his brother Yacob, and because he imagined that the four camps that he had lighted upon were Yacob's servants.
41 And Yacob tarried that night with his servants in their camps, and he resolved with his servants to give unto Esau a present from all that he had with him, and from all his property; and Yacob rose up in the morning, he and his men, and they chose from amongst the cattle a present for Esau.
42 And this is the amount of the present which Yacob chose from his flock to give unto his brother Esau: and he selected two hundred and forty head from the flocks, and he selected from the camels and asses thirty each, and of the herds he chose fifty kine.
43 And he put them all in ten droves, and he placed each sort by itself, and he delivered them into the hands of ten of his servants, each drove by itself.
44 And he commanded them, and said unto them, Keep yourselves at a distance from each other, and put a space between the droves, and when Esau and those who are with him shall meet you and ask you, saying, Whose are you, and whither do you go, and to whom belongs all this before you, you shall say unto them, We are the servants of Yacob, and we come to meet Esau in peace, and behold Yacob comes behind us.
45 And that which is before us is a present sent from Yacob to his brother Esau.
46 And if they shall say unto you, Why doth he delay behind you, from coming to meet his brother and to see his face, then you shall say unto them, Surely he comes joyfully behind us to meet his brother, for he said, I will appease him with the present that goes to him, and after this I will see his face, peradventure he will accept of me.
47 So the whole present passed on in the hands of his servants, and went before him on that day, and he lodged that night with his camps by the border of the brook of Jabuk, and he rose up in the midst of the night, and he took his wives and his maid servants, and all belonging to him, and he that night passed them over the ford Jabuk.
48 And when he passed all belonging to him over the brook, Yacob was left by himself, and a man met him, and he wrestled with him that night until the breaking of the day, and the hollow of Yacob's thigh was out of joint through wrestling with him.
49 And at the break of day the man left Yacob there, and he blessed him and went away, and Yacob passed the brook at the break of day, and he halted upon his thigh.
50 And the sun rose upon him when he had passed the brook, and he came up to the place of his cattle and children.
51 And they went on till midday, and while they were going the present was passing on before them.
52 And Yacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold Esau was at a distance, coming along with many men, about four hundred, and Yacob was greatly afraid of his brother.
53 And Yacob hastened and divided his children unto his wives and his handmaids, and his daughter Dinah he put in a chest, and delivered her into the hands of his servants.
54 And he passed before his children and wives to meet his brother, and he bowed down to the ground, yea he bowed down seven times until he approached his brother, and YAHWEH caused Yacob to find free unmerited love and favor in the sight of Esau and his men, for YAHWEH had heard the prayer of Yacob.
55 And the fear of Yacob and his terror fell upon his brother Esau, for Esau was greatly afraid of Yacob for what the heavenly messengers of YAHWEH had done to Esau, and Esau's anger against Yacob was turned into kindness.
56 And when Esau saw Yacob running toward him, he also ran toward him and he embraced him, and he fell upon his neck, and they kissed and they wept.
57 And YAHWEH put fear and kindness toward Yacob in the hearts of the men that came with Esau, and they also kissed Yacob and embraced him.
58 And also Eliphaz, the son of Esau, with his four brothers, sons of Esau, wept with Yacob, and they kissed him and embraced him, for the fear of Yacob had fallen upon them all.
59 And Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women with their offspring, the children of Yacob, walking behind Yacob and bowing along the road to Esau.
60 And Esau said unto Yacob, Who are these with you, my brother? are they your children or your servants? and Yacob answered Esau and said, They are my children which YAHWEH hath graciously given to your servant.
61 And while Yacob was speaking to Esau and his men, Esau beheld the whole camp, and he said unto Yacob, Whence didst you get the whole of the camp that I met yesternight? and Yacob said, To find favor in the sight of my lord, it is that which YAHWEH graciously gave to your servant.
62 And the present came before Esau, and Yacob pressed Esau, saying, Take I pray you the present that I have brought to my lord, and Esau said, Wherefore is this my purpose? keep that which you hast unto thyself.
63 And Yacob said, It is incumbent upon me to give all this, since I have seen your face, that you still live in peace.
64 And Esau refused to take the present, and Yacob said unto him, I beseech you my lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, for I have therefore seen your face, as though I had seen a god-like face, because you wast pleased with me.
65 And Esau took the present, and Yacob also gave unto Esau silver and gold and bdellium, for he pressed him so much that he took them.
66 And Esau divided the cattle that were in the camp, and he gave the half to the men who had come with him, for they had come on hire, and the other half he delivered unto the hands of his children.
67 And the silver and gold and bdellium he gave in the hands of Eliphaz his eldest son, and Esau said unto Yacob, Let us remain with you, and we will go slowly along with you until you come to my place with me, that we may dwell there together.
68 And Yacob answered his brother and said, I would do as my lord speaks unto me, but my lord knows that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with their young who are with me, go but slowly, for if they went swiftly they would all die, for you know their burdens and their fatigue.
69 Therefore let my lord pass on before his servant, and I will go on slowly for the sake of the children and the flock, until I come to my lord's place to Seir.
70 And Esau said unto Yacob, I will place with you some of the people that are with me to take care of you in the road, and to bear your fatigue and burden, and he said, What needs it my lord, if I may find free unmerited favor in your sight?
71 Behold I will come unto you to Seir to dwell there together as you hast spoken, go you then with your people for I will follow you.
72 And Yacob said this to Esau in order to remove Esau and his men from him, so that Yacob might afterward go to his father's house to the land of Canaan.
73 And Esau hearkened to the voice of Yacob, and Esau returned with the four hundred men that were with him on their road to Seir, and Yacob and all belonging to him went that day as far as the extremity of the land of Canaan in its borders, and he remained there some time.
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Sunday, September 8, 2024
Jasher, Chapter 30
1 And Yacob went forth continuing his road to Haran, and he came as far as mount Moriah, and he tarried there all night near the city of Luz; and YAHWEH appeared there unto Yacob on that night, and he said unto him, I am YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of Abraham and the ALMIGHTY of Yitschaq your father; the land upon which you lie I will give unto you and your seed.
2 And behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you goest, and I will multiply your seed as the stars of Heaven, and I will cause all your enemies to fall before you; and when they shall make war with you they shall not prevail over you, and I will bring you again unto this land with joy, with children, and with great riches.
3 And Yacob awoke from his sleep and he rejoiced greatly at the vision which he had seen; and he called the name of that place Bethel.
4 And Yacob rose up from that place quite rejoiced, and when he walked his feet felt light to him for joy, and he went from there to the land of the children of the East, and he returned to Haran and he set by the shepherd's well.
5 And he there found some men; going from Haran to feed their flocks, and Yacob made inquiries of them, and they said, We are from Haran.
6 And he said unto them, Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor? and they said, We know him, and behold his daughter Rachel is coming along to feed her father's flock.
7 Whilst he was yet speaking with them, Rachel the daughter of Laban came to feed her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
8 And when Yacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, he ran and kissed her, and lifted up his voice and wept.
9 And Yacob told Rachel that he was the son of Rebecca, her father's sister, and Rachel ran and told her father, and Yacob continued to cry because he had nothing with him to bring to the house of Laban.
10 And when Laban heard that his sister's son Yacob had come, he ran and kissed him and embraced him and brought him into the house and gave him bread, and he ate.
11 And Yacob related to Laban what his brother Esau had done to him, and what his son Eliphaz had done to him in the road.
12 And Yacob resided in Laban's house for one month, and Yacob ate and drank in the house of Laban, and afterward Laban said unto Yacob, Tell me what shall be your wages, for how canst you serve me for nought?
13 And Laban had no sons but only daughters, and his other wives and handmaids were still barren in those days; and these are the names of Laban's daughters which his wife Adinah had borne unto him; the name of the elder was Leah and the name of the younger was Rachel; and Leah was tender-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well favored, and Yacob loved her.
14 And Yacob said unto Laban, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter; and Laban consented to this and Yacob served Laban seven years for his daughter Rachel.
Year 2187
15 And in the second year of Yacob's dwelling in Haran, that is in the seventy ninth year of the life of Yacob, in that year died Eber the son of Shem, he was four hundred and sixty-four years old at his death.
16 And when Yacob heard that Eber was dead he grieved exceedingly, and he lamented and mourned over him many days.
17 And in the third year of Yacob's dwelling in Haran, Bosmath, the daughter of Ishmael, the wife of Esau, bare unto him a son, and Esau called his name Reuel.
18 And in the fourth year of Yacob's residence in the house of Laban, YAHWEH visited Laban and remembered him on account of Yacob, and sons were born unto him, and his first born was Beor, his second was Alib, and the third was Chorash.
19 And YAHWEH gave Laban riches and honor, sons and daughters, and the man increased greatly on account of Yacob.
20 And Yacob in those days served Laban in all manner of work, in the house and in the field, and the blessing of YAHWEH was in all that belonged to Laban in the house and in the field.
21 And in the fifth year died Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri, the wife of Esau, in the land of Canaan, and she had no sons but daughters only.
22 And these are the names of her daughters which she bare to Esau, the name of the elder was Marzith, and the name of the younger was Puith.
23 And when Jehudith died, Esau rose up and went to Seir to hunt in the field, as usual, and Esau dwelt in the land of Seir for a long time.
24 And in the sixth year Esau took for a wife, in addition to his other wives, Ahlibamah, the daughter of Zebeon the Hivite, and Esau brought her to the land of Canaan.
25 And Ahlibamah conceived and bare unto Esau three sons, Yeush, Yaalan, and Korah.
26 And in those days, in the land of Canaan, there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Esau and the herdsmen of the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, for Esau's cattle and goods were too abundant for him to remain in the land of Canaan, in his father's house, and the land of Canaan could not bear him on account of his cattle.
27 And when Esau saw that his quarreling increased with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, he rose up and took his wives and his sons and his daughters, and all belonging to him, and the cattle which he possessed, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and he went away from the inhabitants of the land to the land of Seir, and Esau and all belonging to him dwelt in the land of Seir.
28 But from time to time Esau would go and see his father and mother in the land of Canaan, and Esau intermarried with the Horites, and he gave his daughters to the sons of Seir, the Horite.
29 And he gave his elder daughter Marzith to Anah, the son of Zebeon, his wife's brother, and Puith he gave to Azar, the son of Bilhan the Horite; and Esau dwelt in the mountain, he and his children, and they were fruitful and multiplied.
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Jasher, Chapter 29
1 And Yitschaq (Isaac) the son of Abraham became old and advanced in days, and his eyes became heavy through age; they were dim and could not see.
2 At that time Yitschaq called unto Esau his son, saying, Get I pray you your weapons, your quiver and your bow, rise up and go forth into the field and get me some venison, and make me savory meat and bring it to me, that I may eat in order that I may bless you before my death, as I have now become old and gray- headed.
3 And Esau did so; and he took his weapon and went forth into the field to hunt for venison, as usual, to bring to his father as he had ordered him, so that he might bless him.
4 And Rebecca heard all the words that Yitschaq had spoken unto Esau, and she hastened and called her son Yacob (Jacob), saying, Thus did your father speak unto your brother Esau, and thus did I hear, now therefore hasten you and make that which I shall tell you.
5 Rise up and go, I pray you, to the flock and fetch me two fine kids of the goats, and I will get the savory meat for your father, and you shall bring the savory meat that he may eat before your brother shall have come from the chase, in order that your father may bless you.
6 And Yacob hastened and did as his mother had commanded him, and he made the savory meat and brought it before his father before Esau had come from his chase.
7 And Yitschaq said unto Yacob, Who are you, my son? And he said, I am your first born Esau, I have done as you didst order me, now therefore rise up I pray you, and eat of my hunt, in order that your soul may bless me as you didst speak unto me.
8 And Yitschaq rose up and he ate and he drank, and his heart was comforted, and he blessed Yacob and Yacob went away from his father; and as soon as Yitschaq had blessed Yacob and he had gone away from him, behold Esau came from his hunt from the field, and he also made savory meat and brought it to his father to eat thereof and to bless him.
9 And Yitschaq said unto Esau, And who was he that has taken venison and brought it me before you came and whom I did bless? And Esau knew that his brother Yacob had done this, and the anger of Esau was kindled against his brother Yacob that he had acted thus toward him.
10 And Esau said, Is he not rightly called Yacob? for he has supplanted me twice, he took away my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing; and Esau wept greatly; and when Yitschaq heard the voice of his son Esau weeping, Yitschaq said unto Esau, What can I do, my son, your brother came with subtlety and took away your blessing; and Esau hated his brother Yacob on account of the blessing that his father had given him, and his anger was greatly roused against him.
Year 2171
11 And Yacob was very much afraid of his brother Esau, and he rose up and fled to the house of Eber the son of Shem, and he concealed himself there on account of his brother, and Yacob was sixty-three years old when he went forth from the land of Canaan from Hebron, and Yacob was concealed in Eber's house fourteen years on account of his brother Esau, and he there continued to learn the ways of YAHWEH and his commandments.
12 And when Esau saw that Yacob had fled and escaped from him, and that Yacob had cunningly obtained the blessing, then Esau grieved exceedingly, and he was also vexed at his father and mother; and he also rose up and took his wife and went away from his father and mother to the land of Seir, and he dwelt there; and Esau saw there a woman from amongst the daughters of Heth whose name was Bosmath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and he took her for a wife in addition to his first wife, and Esau called her name Adah, saying the blessing had in that time passed from him.
13 And Esau dwelt in the land of Seir six months without seeing his father and mother, and afterward Esau took his wives and rose up and returned to the land of Canaan, and Esau placed his two wives in his father's house in Hebron.
14 And the wives of Esau vexed and provoked Yitschaq and Rebecca with their works, for they walked not in the ways of YAHWEH, but served their father's gods of wood and stone as their father had taught them, and they were more wicked than their father.
15 And they went according to the evil desires of their hearts, and they sacrificed and burnt incense to the Baalim, and Yitschaq and Rebecca became weary of them.
16 And Rebecca said, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Yacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good then is life unto me?
Year 2173
17 And in those days Adah the wife of Esau conceived and bare him a son, and Esau called the name of the son that was born unto him Eliphaz, and Esau was sixty-five years old when she bare him.
Year 2172
18 And Ishmael the son of Abraham died in those days, in the sixty-forth year of the life of Yacob, and all the days that Ishmael lived were one hundred and thirty-seven years and he died.
19 And when Yitschaq heard that Ishmael was dead he mourned for him, and Yitschaq lamented over him many days.
Year 2185
20 And at the end of fourteen years of Yacob's residing in the house of Eber, Yacob desired to see his father and mother, and Yacob came to the house of his father and mother to Hebron, and Esau had in those days forgotten what Yacob had done to him in having taken the blessing from him in those days.
21 And when Esau saw Yacob coming to his father and mother he remembered what Yacob had done to him, and he was greatly incensed against him and he sought to slay him.
22 And Yitschaq the son of Abraham was old and advanced in days, and Esau said, Now my father's time is drawing nigh that he must die, and when he shall die I will slay my brother Yacob.
23 And this was told to Rebecca, and she hastened and sent and called for Yacob her son, and she said unto him, Arise, go and flee to Haran to my brother Laban, and remain there for some time, until your brother's anger be turned from you and then shall you come back.
24 And Yitschaq called unto Yacob and said unto him, Take not a wife from the daughters of Canaan, for thus did our father Abraham command us according to the word of YAHWEH which he had commanded him, saying, Unto your seed will I give this land; if your children keep my covenant that I have made with you, then will I also perform to your children that which I have spoken unto you and I will not forsake them.
25 Now therefore my son hearken to my voice, to all that I shall command you, and refrain from taking a wife from amongst the daughters of Canaan; arise, go to Haran to the house of Bethuel your mother's father, and take unto you a wife from there from the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.
26 Therefore take heed lest you shouldst forget YAHWEH your ALMIGHTY and all his ways in the land to which you goest, and shouldst get connected with the people of the land and pursue vanity and forsake YAHWEH your ALMIGHTY.
27 But when you come to the land serve there YAHWEH, do not turn to the right or to the left from the way which I commanded you and which you didst learn.
28 And may the Almighty YAHWEH grant you favor in the sight of the people of the earth, that you may take there a wife according to your choice; one who is good and upright in the ways of YAHWEH.
29 And may YAHWEH give unto you and your seed the blessing of your father Abraham, and make you fruitful and multiply you, and may you become a multitude of people in the land whither you goest, and may YAHWEH cause you to return to this land, the land of your father's dwelling, with children and with great riches, with joy and with pleasure.
30 And Yitschaq finished commanding Yacob and blessing him, and he gave him many gifts, together with silver and gold, and he sent him away; and Yacob hearkened to his father and mother; he kissed them and arose and went to Padan-aram; and Yacob was seventy-seven years old when he went out from the land of Canaan from Beersheba.
31 And when Yacob went away to go to Haran Esau called unto his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke unto him, saying, Now hasten, take your sword in your hand and pursue Yacob and pass before him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with your sword in one of the mountains, and take all belonging to him and come back.
32 And Eliphaz the son of Esau was an active man and expert with the bow as his father had taught him, and he was a noted hunter in the field and a valiant man.
33 And Eliphaz did as his father had commanded him, and Eliphaz was at that time thirteen years old, and Eliphaz rose up and went and took ten of his mother's brothers with him and pursued Yacob.
34 And he closely followed Yacob, and he lurked for him in the border of the land of Canaan opposite to the city of Shechem.
35 And Yacob saw Eliphaz and his men pursuing him, and Yacob stood still in the place in which he was going, in order to know what this was, for he did not know the thing; and Eliphaz drew his sword and he went on advancing, he and his men, toward Yacob; and Yacob said unto them, What is to do with you that you have come hither, and what means it that you pursue with your swords.
36 And Eliphaz came near to Yacob and he answered and said unto him, Thus did my father command me, and now therefore I will not deviate from the orders which my father gave me; and when Yacob saw that Esau had spoken to Eliphaz to employ force, Yacob then approached and supplicated Eliphaz and his men, saying to him,
37 Behold all that I have and which my father and mother gave unto me, that take unto you and go from me, and do not slay me, and may this thing be accounted unto you a righteousness.
38 And YAHWEH caused Yacob to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and his men, and they hearkened to the voice of Yacob, and they did not put him to death, and Eliphaz and his men took all belonging to Yacob together with the silver and gold that he had brought with him from Beersheba; they left him nothing.
39 And Eliphaz and his men went away from him and they returned to Esau to Beersheba, and they told him all that had occurred to them with Yacob, and they gave him all that they had taken from Yacob.
40 And Esau was indignant at Eliphaz his son, and at his men that were with him, because they had not put Yacob to death.
41 And they answered and said unto Esau, Because Yacob supplicated us in this matter not to slay him, our pity was excited toward him, and we took all belonging to him and brought it unto you; and Esau took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Yacob and he put them by in his house.
42 At that time when Esau saw that Yitschaq had blessed Yacob, and had commanded him, saying, You shall not take a wife from amongst the daughters of Canaan, and that the daughters of Canaan were bad in the sight of Yitschaq and Rebecca,
43 Then he went to the house of Ishmael his uncle, and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife.