Showing posts with label Shechem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shechem. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Book of Jubilees 30

JUBILEES 30

Son of Hamor defiles Dinah the daughter of Yacob

1 And in the first year of the sixth week [2143 A.M.] he went up to Salem, to the east of Shechem, in shalom, in the fourth month.
2 And there they carried off Dinah, the daughter of Yacob, into the house of Shechem, the son of Hamor, the Hivite, the prince of the land, and he lay with her and defiled her, and she was a little girl, a child of twelve years.
3 And he besought his father and her brothers that she might be given to him to wife. And Yacob and his sons were wroth because of the men of Shechem; for they had defiled Dinah, their sister, and they spoke to them with evil intent and dealt deceitfully with them and beguiled them.
4 And Simeon and Levi came unexpectedly to Shechem and executed judgment on all the men of Shechem, and slew all the men whom they found in it, and left not a single one remaining in it: they slew all in torments because they had dishonored their sister Dinah.
5 And thus let it not again be done from henceforth that a daughter of Yisrael be defiled; for judgment is ordained in heaven against them that they should destroy with the sword all the men of the Shechemites because they had wrought shame in Yisrael
6. And YAHWEH delivered them into the hands of the sons of Yacob that they might exterminate them with the sword and execute judgment upon them, and that it might not thus again be done in Yisrael that a virgin of Yisrael should be defiled.
7 And if there is any man who wishes in Yisrael to give his daughter or his sister to any man who is of the seed of the Gentiles he shall surely die, and they shall stone him with stones; for he has wrought shame in Yisrael; and they shall burn the woman with fire, because she has dishonored the name of the house of her father, and she shall be rooted out of Yisrael.
8 And let not an adulteress and no uncleanness be found in Yisrael throughout all the days of the generations of the earth; for Yisrael is kodesh unto YAHWEH, and every man who has defiled it shall surely die: they shall stone him with stones.
9 For thus has it been ordained and written in the heavenly tablets regarding all the seed of Yisrael: he who defiles it shall surely die, and he shall be stoned with stones.
10 And to this Torah there is no limit of days, and no remission, nor any atonement: but the man who has defiled his daughter shall be rooted out in the midst of all Yisrael, because he has given of his seed to Moloch, and wrought impiously so as to defile it.
11 And do you, Mosheh, command the children of Yisrael and exhort them not to give their daughters to the Gentiles, and not to take for their sons any of the daughters of the Gentiles, for this is abominable before YAHWEH.
12 For this reason I have written for you in the words of the Torah all the deeds of the Shechemites, which they wrought against Dinah, and how the sons of Yacob spoke, saying: 'We will not give our daughter to a man who is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us.'
13 And it is a reproach to Yisrael, to those who live, and to those that take the daughters of the Gentiles; for this is unclean and abominable to Yisrael.
14 And Yisrael will not be free from this uncleanness if it has a wife of the daughters of the Gentiles, or has given any of its daughters to a man who is of any of the Gentiles.
15 For there will be plague upon plague, and curse upon curse, and every judgment and plague and curse will come: if he do this thing, or hide his eyes from those who commit uncleanness, or those who defile the sanctuary of YAHWEH, or those who profane His kodesh NAME, (then) will the whole nation together be judged for all the uncleanness and profanation of this man.
16 And there will be no respect of persons [and no consideration of persons] and no receiving at his hands of fruits and offerings and burnt-offerings and fat, nor the fragrance of sweet savor, so as to accept it: and so fare every man or woman in Yisrael who defiles the sanctuary.
17 For this reason I have commanded you, saying: 'Testify this testimony to Yisrael: see how the Shechemites fared and their sons: how they were delivered into the hands of two sons of Yacob, and they slew them under tortures, and it was (reckoned) unto them for righteousness, and it is written down to them for righteousness.
18 And the seed of Levi was chosen for the priesthood, and to be Levites, that they might minister before YAHWEH, as we, continually, and that Levi and his sons may be blessed forever; for he was zealous to execute righteousness and judgment and vengeance on all those who arose against Yisrael.
19 And so they inscribe as a testimony in his favour on the heavenly tablets blessing and righteousness before the ALMIGHTY of all:
20 And we remember the righteousness which the man fulfilled during his life, at all periods of the year; until a thousand generations they will record it, and it will come to him and to his descendants after him, and he has been recorded on the heavenly tablets as a friend and a righteous man.
21 All this account I have written for you, and have commanded you to say to the children of Yisrael, that they should not commit sin nor transgress the ordinances nor break the covenant which has been ordained for them, (but) that they should fulfill it and be recorded as friends.
22 But if they transgress and work uncleanness in every way, they will be recorded on the heavenly tablets as adversaries, and they will be destroyed out of the book of life, and they will be recorded in the book of those who will be destroyed and with those who will be rooted out of the earth.
23 And on the day when the sons of Yacob slew Shechem a writing was recorded in their favour in heaven that they had executed righteousness and uprightness and vengeance on the sinners, and it was written for a blessing.
24 And they brought Dinah, their sister, out of the house of Shechem, and they took captive everything that was in Shechem, their sheep and their oxen and their asses, and all their wealth, and all their flocks, and brought them all to Yacob their father.
25 And he reproached them because they had put the city to the sword for he feared those who dwelt in the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
26 And the dread of YAHWEH was upon all the cities which are around about Shechem, and they did not rise to pursue after the sons of Yacob; for terror had fallen upon them.


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Thursday, September 12, 2024

Jasher, Chapter 37

Year 2213
1 And in the one hundred and fifth year of the life of Yacob, that is the ninth year of Yacob's dwelling with his children in the land of Canaan, he came from Padan-aram.
2 And in those days Yacob journeyed with his children from Hebron, and they went and returned to the city of Shechem, they and all belonging to them, and they dwelt there, for the children of Yacob obtained good and fat pasture land for their cattle in the city of Shechem, the city of Shechem having then been rebuilt, and there were in it about three hundred men and women.
3 And Yacob and his children and all belonging to him dwelt in the part of the field which Yacob had bought from Hamor the father of Shechem, when he came from Padan-aram before Simeon and Levi had smitten the city.
4 And all those kings of the Canaanites and Amorites that surrounded the city of Shechem, heard that the sons of Yacob had again come to Shechem and dwelt there.
5 And they said, Shall the sons of Yacob the Hebrew again come to the city and dwell therein, after that they have smitten its inhabitants and driven them out? shall they now return and also drive out those who are dwelling in the city or slay them?
6 And all the kings of Canaan again assembled, and they came together to make war with Yacob and his sons.
7 And Jashub king of Tapnach sent also to all his neighboring kings, to Elan king of Gaash, and to Ihuri king of Shiloh, and to Parathon king of Chazar, and to Susi king of Sarton, and to Laban king of Bethchoran, and to Shabir king of Othnay-mah, saying,
8 Come up to me and assist me, and let us smite Yacob the Hebrew and his sons, and all belonging to him, for they are again come to Shechem to possess it and to slay its inhabitants as before.
9 And all these kings assembled together and came with all their camps, a people exceedingly plentiful like the sand upon the sea shore, and they were all opposite to Tapnach.
10 And Jashub king of Tapnach went forth to them with all his army, and he encamped with them opposite to Tapnach without the city, and all these kings they divided into seven divisions, being seven camps against the sons of Yacob.
11 And they sent a declaration to Yacob and his son, saying, Come you all forth to us that we may have an interview together in the plain, and revenge the cause of the men of Shechem whom you slew in their city, and you will now again return to the city of Shechem and dwell therein, and slay its inhabitants as before.
12 And the sons of Yacob heard this and their anger was kindled exceedingly at the words of the kings of Canaan, and ten of the sons of Yacob hastened and rose up, and each of them girt on his weapons of war; and there were one hundred and two of their servants with them equipped in battle array.
13 And all these men, the sons of Yacob with their servants, went toward these kings, and Yacob their father was with them, and they all stood upon the heap of Shechem.
14 And Yacob prayed to YAHWEH for his sons, and he spread forth his hands to YAHWEH, and he said, O YAHWEH, you are an Almighty YAHWEH, you are our father, you didst form us and we are the works of your hands; I pray you deliver my sons through your mercy from the hand of their enemies, who are this day coming to fight with them and save them from their hand, for in your hand is power and might, to save the few from the many.
15 And give unto my sons, your servants, strength of heart and might to fight with their enemies, to subdue them, and make their enemies fall before them, and let not my sons and their servants die through the hands of the children of Canaan.
16 But if it seems good in your eyes to take away the lives of my sons and their servants, take them in your great mercy through the hands of your ministers, that they may not perish this day by the hands of the kings of the Amorites.
17 And when Yacob ceased praying to YAHWEH the earth shook from its place, and the sun darkened, and all these kings were terrified and a great consternation seized them.
18 And YAHWEH hearkened to the prayer of Yacob, and YAHWEH impressed the hearts of all the kings and their hosts with the terror and awe of the sons of Yacob.
19 For YAHWEH caused them to hear the voice of chariots, and the voice of mighty horses from the sons of Yacob, and the voice of a great army accompanying them.
20 And these kings were seized with great terror at the sons of Yacob, and while they were standing in their quarters, behold the sons of Yacob advanced upon them, with one hundred and twelve men, with a great and tremendous shouting.
21 And when the kings saw the sons of Yacob advancing toward them, they were still more panic struck, and they were inclined to retreat from before the sons of Yacob as at first, and not to fight with them.
22 But they did not retreat, saying, It would be a disgrace to us thus twice to retreat from before the Hebrews.
23 And the sons of Yacob came near and advanced against all these kings and their armies, and they saw, and behold it was a very mighty people, numerous as the sand of the sea.
24 And the sons of Yacob called unto YAHWEH and said, Help us O YAHWEH, help us and answer us, for we trust in you, and let us not die by the hands of these uncircumcised men, who this day have come against us.
25 And the sons of Yacob girt on their weapons of war, and they took in their hands each man his shield and his javelin, and they approached to battle.
26 And Yahudah, the son of Yacob, ran first before his brethren, and ten of his servants with him, and he went toward these kings.
27 And Jashub, king of Tapnach, also came forth first with his army before Yahudah, and Yahudah saw Jashub and his army coming toward him, and Yahudah's wrath was kindled, and his anger burned within him, and he approached to battle in which Yahudah ventured his life.
28 And Jashub and all his army were advancing toward Yahudah, and he was riding upon a very strong and powerful horse, and Jashub was a very valiant man, and covered with iron and brass from head to foot.
29 And while he was upon the horse, he shot arrows with both hands from before and behind, as was his manner in all his battles, and he never missed the place to which he aimed his arrows.
30 And when Jashub came to fight with Yahudah, and was darting many arrows against Yahudah, YAHWEH bound the hand of Jashub, and all the arrows that he shot rebounded upon his own men.
31 And notwithstanding this, Jashub kept advancing toward Yahudah, to challenge him with the arrows, but the distance between them was about thirty cubits, and when Yahudah saw Jashub darting forth his arrows against him, he ran to him with his wrath-excited might.
32 And Yahudah took up a large stone from the ground, and its weight was sixty shekels, and Yahudah ran toward Jashub, and with the stone struck him on his shield, that Jashub was stunned with the blow, and fell off from his horse to the ground.
33 And the shield burst asunder out of the hand of Jashub, and through the force of the blow sprang to the distance of about fifteen cubits, and the shield fell before the second camp.
34 And the kings that came with Jashub saw at a distance the strength of Yahudah, the son of Yacob, and what he had done to Jashub, and they were terribly afraid of Yahudah.
35 And they assembled near Jashub's camp, seeing his confusion, and Yahudah drew his sword and smote forty-two men of the camp of Jashub, and the whole of Jashub's camp fled before Yahudah, and no man stood against him, and they left Jashub and fled from him, and Jashub was still prostrate upon the ground.
36 And Jashub seeing that all the men of his camp had fled from him, hastened and rose up with terror against Yahudah, and stood upon his legs opposite Yahudah.
37 And Jashub had a single combat with Yahudah, placing shield toward shield, and Jashub's men all fled, for they were greatly afraid of Yahudah.
38 And Jashub took his spear in his hand to strike Yahudah upon his head, but Yahudah had quickly placed his shield to his head against Jashub's spear, so that the shield of Yahudah received the blow from Jashub's spear, and the shield was split in too.
39 And when Yahudah saw that his shield was split, he hastily drew his sword and smote Jashub at his ankles, and cut off his feet that Jashub fell upon the ground, and the spear fell from his hand.
40 And Yahudah hastily picked up Jashub's spear, with which he severed his head and cast it next to his feet.
41 And when the sons of Yacob saw what Yahudah had done to Jashub, they all ran into the ranks of the other kings, and the sons of Yacob fought with the army of Jashub, and the armies of all the kings that were there.
42 And the sons of Yacob caused fifteen thousand of their men to fall, and they smote them as if smiting at gourds, and the rest fled for their lives.
43 And Yahudah was still standing by the body of Jashub, and stripped Jashub of his coat of mail.
44 And Yahudah also took off the iron and brass that was about Jashub, and behold nine men of the captains of Jashub came along to fight against Yahudah.
45 And Yahudah hastened and took up a stone from the ground, and with it smote one of them upon the head, and his skull was fractured, and the body also fell from the horse to the ground.
46 And the eight captains that remained, seeing the strength of Yahudah, were greatly afraid and they fled, and Yahudah with his ten men pursued them, and they overtook them and slew them.
47 And the sons of Yacob were still smiting the armies of the kings, and they slew many of them, but those kings daringly kept their stand with their captains, and did not retreat from their places, and they exclaimed against those of their armies that fled from before the sons of Yacob, but none would listen to them, for they were afraid of their lives lest they should die.
48 And all the sons of Yacob, after having smitten the armies of the kings, returned and came before Yahudah, and Yahudah was still slaying the eight captains of Jashub, and stripping off their garments.
49 And Levi saw Elon, king of Gaash, advancing toward him, with his fourteen captains to smite him, but Levi did not know it for certain.
50 And Elon with his captains approached nearer, and Levi looked back and saw that battle was given him in the rear, and Levi ran with twelve of his servants, and they went and slew Elon and his captains with the edge of the sword.

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Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Jasher, Chapter 35

1 And all the kings of the Amorites came and took their stand in the field to consult with their counsellors what was to be done with the sons of Yacob, for they were still afraid of them, saying, Behold, two of them slew the whole of the city of Shechem.
2 And YAHWEH heard the prayers of Yitschaq (Isaac) and Yacob (Jacob), and he filled the hearts of all these kings' advisers with great fear and terror that they unanimously exclaimed,
3 Are you silly this day, or is there no understanding in you, that you will fight with the Hebrews, and why will you take a delight in your own destruction this day?
4 Behold two of them came to the city of Shechem without fear or terror, and they killed all the inhabitants of the city, that no man stood up against them, and how will you be able to fight with them all?
5 Surely you know that their YAHWEH is exceedingly fond of them, and has done mighty things for them, such as have not been done from days of old, and amongst all the gods of nations, there is none can do like unto his mighty deeds.
6 Surely he delivered their father Abraham, the Hebrew, from the hand of Nimrod, and from the hand of all his people who had many times sought to slay him.
7 He delivered him also from the fire in which king Nimrod had cast him, and YAHWEH his ALMIGHTY delivered him from it.
8 And who else can do the like? surely it was Abraham who slew the five kings of Elam, when they had touched his brother's son who in those days dwelt in Sodom.
9 And took his servant that was faithful in his house and a few of his men, and they pursued the kings of Elam in one night and killed them, and restored to his brother's son all his property which they had taken from him.
10 And surely you know the ALMIGHTY of these Hebrews is much delighted with them, and they are also delighted with him, for they know that he delivered them from all their enemies.
11 And behold through his love toward his ALMIGHTY, Abraham took his only and precious son and intended to bring him up as a burnt offering to his ALMIGHTY, and had it not been for YAHWEH who prevented him from doing this, he would then have done it through his love to his YAHWEH.
12 And YAHWEH saw all his works, and swore unto him, and promised him that he would deliver his sons and all his seed from every trouble that would befall them, because he had done this thing, and through his love to his ALMIGHTY stifled his compassion for his child.
13 And have you not heard what their ALMIGHTY did to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to Abimelech king of Gerar, through taking Abraham's wife, who said of her, She is my sister, lest they might slay him on account of her, and think of taking her for a wife? and YAHWEH did unto them and their people all that you heard of.
14 And behold, we ourselves saw with our eyes that Esau, the brother of Yacob, came to him with four hundred men, with the intention of slaying him, for he called to mind that he had taken away from him his father's blessing.
15 And he went to meet him when he came from Syria, to smite the mother with the children, and who delivered him from his hands but his ALMIGHTY in whom he trusted? he delivered him from the hand of his brother and also from the hands of his enemies, and surely he again will protect them.
16 Who does not know that it was their ALMIGHTY who inspired them with strength to do to the town of Shechem the evil which you heard of?
17 Could it then be with their own strength that two men could destroy such a large city as Shechem had it not been for YAHWEH their ALMIGHTY in whom they trusted? he said and did unto them all this to slay the inhabitants of the city in their city.
18 And can you then prevail over them who have come forth together from your city to fight with the whole of them, even if a thousand times as many more should come to your assistance?
19 Surely you know and understand that you do not come to fight with them, but you come to war with YAHWEH their ALMIGHTY who made choice of them, and you have therefore all come this day to be destroyed.
20 Now therefore refrain from this evil which you are endeavoring to bring upon yourselves, and it will be better for you not to go to battle with them, although they are but few in numbers, because their ALMIGHTY is with them.
21 And when the kings of the Amorites heard all the words of their advisers, their hearts were filled with terror, and they were afraid of the sons of Yacob and would not fight against them.
22 And they inclined their ears to the words of their advisers, and they listened to all their words, and the words of the counsellors greatly pleased the kings, and they did so.
23 And the kings turned and refrained from the sons of Yacob, for they durst not approach them to make war with them, for they were greatly afraid of them, and their hearts melted within them from their fear of them.
24 For this proceeded from YAHWEH to them, for he heard the prayers of his servants Yitschaq and Yacob, for they trusted in him; and all these kings returned with their camps on that day, each to his own city, and they did not at that time fight with the sons of Yacob.
25 And the sons of Yacob kept their station that day till evening opposite mount Sihon, and seeing that these kings did not come to fight against them, the sons of Yacob returned home.

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Jasher, Chapter 34

1 And the number of all the males that were circumcised, were six hundred and forty-five men, and two hundred and forty-six children.
2 But Chiddekem, son of Pered, the father of Hamor, and his six brothers, would not listen unto Shechem and his father Hamor, and they would not be circumcised, for the proposal of the sons of Yacob was loathsome in their sight, and their anger was greatly roused at this, that the people of the city had not hearkened to them.
3 And in the evening of the second day, they found eight small children who had not been circumcised, for their mothers had concealed them from Shechem and his father Hamor, and from the men of the city.
4 And Shechem and his father Hamor sent to have them brought before them to be circumcised, when Chiddekem and his six brothers sprang at them with their swords, and sought to slay them.
5 And they sought to slay also Shechem and his father Hamor and they sought to slay Dinah with them on account of this matter.
6 And they said unto them, What is this thing that you have done? are there no women amongst the daughters of your brethren the Canaanites, that you wish to take unto yourselves daughters of the Hebrews, whom ye knew not before, and will do this act which your fathers never commanded you?
7 Do you imagine that you will succeed through this act which you have done? and what will you answer in this affair to your brethren the Canaanites, who will come tomorrow and ask you concerning this thing?
8 And if your act shall not appear just and good in their sight, what will you do for your lives, and me for our lives, in your not having hearkened to our voices?
9 And if the inhabitants of the land and all your brethren the children of Ham, shall hear of your act, saying,
10 On account of a Hebrew woman did Shechem and Hamor his father, and all the inhabitants of their city, do that with which they had been unacquainted and which their ancestors never commanded them, where then will you fly or where conceal your shame, all your days before your brethren, the inhabitants of the land of Canaan?
11 Now therefore we cannot bear up against this thing which you have done, neither can we be burdened with this yoke upon us, which our ancestors did not command us.
12 Behold tomorrow we will go and assemble all our brethren, the Canaanitish brethren who dwell in the land, and we will all come and smite you and all those who trust in you, that there shall not be a remnant left from you or them.
13 And when Hamor and his son Shechem and all the people of the city heard the words of Chiddekem and his brothers, they were terribly afraid of their lives at their words, and they repented of what they had done.
14 And Shechem and his father Hamor answered their father Chiddekem and his brethren, and they said unto them, All the words which you spoke unto us are true.
15 Now do not say, nor imagine in your hearts that on account of the love of the Hebrews we did this thing that our ancestors did not command us.
16 But because we saw that it was not their intention and desire to accede to our wishes concerning their daughter as to our taking her, except on this condition, so we hearkened to their voices and did this act which you saw, in order to obtain our desire from them.
17 And when we shall have obtained our request from them, we will then return to them and do unto them that which you say unto us.
18 We beseech you then to wait and tarry until our flesh shall be healed and we again become strong, and we will then go together against them, and do unto them that which is in your hearts and in ours.
19 And Dinah the daughter of Yacob heard all these words which Chiddekem and his brothers had spoken, and what Hamor and his son Shechem and the people of their city had answered them.
20 And she hastened and sent one of her maidens, that her father had sent to take care of her in the house of Shechem, to Yacob her father and to her brethren, saying:
21 Thus did Chiddekem and his brothers advise concerning you, and thus did Hamor and Shechem and the people of the city answer them.
22 And when Yacob heard these words he was filled with wrath, and he was indignant at them, and his anger was kindled against them.
23 And Simeon and Levi swore and said, As YAHWEH liveth, the ALMIGHTY of the whole earth, by this time tomorrow, there shall not be a remnant left in the whole city.
24 And twenty young men had concealed themselves who were not circumcised, and these young men fought against Simeon and Levi, and Simeon and Levi killed eighteen of them, and two fled from them and escaped to some lime pits that were in the city, and Simeon and Levi sought for them, but could not find them.
25 And Simeon and Levi continued to go about in the city, and they killed all the people of the city at the edge of the sword, and they left none remaining.
26 And there was a great consternation in the midst of the city, and the cry of the people of the city ascended to heaven, and all the women and children cried aloud.
27 And Simeon and Levi slew all the city; they left not a male remaining in the whole city.
28 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son at the edge of the sword, and they brought away Dinah from the house of Shechem and they went from there.
29 And the sons of Yacob went and returned, and came upon the slain, and spoiled all their property which was in the city and the field.
30 And while they were taking the spoil, three hundred men stood up and threw dust at them and struck them with stones, when Simeon turned to them and he slew them all with the edge of the sword, and Simeon turned before Levi, and came into the city.
31 And they took away their sheep and their oxen and their cattle, and also the remainder of the women and little ones, and they led all these away, and they opened a gate and went out and came unto their father Yacob with vigor.
32 And when Yacob saw all that they had done to the city, and saw the spoil that they took from them, Yacob was very angry at them, and Yacob said unto them, What is this that you have done to me? behold I obtained rest amongst the Canaanitish inhabitants of the land, and none of them meddled with me.
33 And now you have done to make me obnoxious to the inhabitants of the land, amongst the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and I am but of a small number, and they will all assemble against me and slay me when they hear of your work with their brethren, and I and my household will be destroyed.
34 And Simeon and Levi and all their brothers with them answered their father Yacob and said unto him, Behold we live in the land, and shall Shechem do this to our sister? why are you silent at all that Shechem has done? and shall he deal with our sister as with a harlot in the streets?
35 And the number of women whom Simeon and Levi took captives from the city of Shechem, whom they did not slay, was eighty-five who had not known man.
36 And amongst them was a young damsel of beautiful appearance and well favored, whose name was Bunah, and Simeon took her for a wife, and the number of the males which they took captives and did not slay, was forty-seven men, and the rest they slew.
37 And all the young men and women that Simeon and Levi had taken captives from the city of Shechem, were servants to the sons of Yacob and to their children after them, until the day of the sons of Yacob going forth from the land of Egypt.
38 And when Simeon and Levi had gone forth from the city, the two young men that were left, who had concealed themselves in the city, and did not die amongst the people of the city, rose up, and these young men went into the city and walked about in it, and found the city desolate without man, and only women weeping, and these young men cried out and said, Behold, this is the evil which the sons of Yacob the Hebrew did to this city in their having this day destroyed one of the Canaanitish cities, and were not afraid of their lives of all the land of Canaan.
39 And these men left the city and went to the city of Tapnach, and they came there and told the inhabitants of Tapnach all that had befallen them, and all that the sons of Yacob had done to the city of Shechem.
40 And the information reached Jashub king of Tapnach, and he sent men to the city of Shechem to see those young men, for the king did not believe them in this account, saying, How could two men lay waste such a large town as Shechem?
41 And the messengers of Jashub came back and told him, saying, We came unto the city, and it is destroyed, there is not a man there; only weeping women; neither is any flock or cattle there, for all that was in the city the sons of Yacob took away.
42 And Jashub wondered at this, saying, How could two men do this thing, to destroy so large a city, and not one man able to stand against them?
43 For the like has not been from the days of Nimrod, and not even from the remotest time, has the like taken place; and Jashub, king of Tapnach, said to his people, Be courageous and we will go and fight against these Hebrews, and do unto them as they did unto the city, and we will avenge the cause of the people of the city.
44 And Jashub, king of Tapnach, consulted with his counsellors about this matter, and his advisers said unto him, Alone you wilt not prevail over the Hebrews, for they must be powerful to do this work to the whole city.
45 If two of them laid waste the whole city, and no one stood against them, surely if you wilt go against them, they will all rise against us and destroy us likewise.
46 But if you wilt send to all the kings that surround us, and let them come together, then we will go with them and fight against the sons of Yacob; then wilt you prevail against them.
47 And Jashub heard the words of his counsellors, and their words pleased him and his people, and he did so; and Jashub king of Tapnach sent to all the kings of the Amorites that surrounded Shechem and Tapnach, saying,
48 Go up with me and assist me, and we will smite Yacob the Hebrew and all his sons, and destroy them from the earth, for thus did he do to the city of Shechem, and do you not know of it?
49 And all the kings of the Amorites heard the evil that the sons of Yacob had done to the city of Shechem, and they were greatly astonished at them.
50 And the seven kings of the Amorites assembled with all their armies, about ten thousand men with drawn swords, and they came to fight against the sons of Yacob; and Yacob heard that the kings of the Amorites had assembled to fight against his sons, and Yacob was greatly afraid, and it distressed him.
51 And Yacob exclaimed against Simeon and Levi, saying, What is this act that you did? why have you injured me, to bring against me all the children of Canaan to destroy me and my household? for I was at rest, even I and my household, and you have done this thing to me, and provoked the inhabitants of the land against me by your proceedings.
52 And Yahudah (Judah) answered his father, saying, Was it for naught my brothers Simeon and Levi killed all the inhabitants of Shechem? Surely it was because Shechem had humbled our sister, and transgressed the command of our ALMIGHTY to Noah and his children, for Shechem took our sister away by force, and committed adultery with her.
53 And Shechem did all this evil and not one of the inhabitants of his city interfered with him, to say, Why wilt you do this? surely for this my brothers went and smote the city, and YAHWEH delivered it into their hands, because its inhabitants had transgressed the commands of our ALMIGHTY. Is it then for naught that they have done all this?
54 And now why are you afraid or distressed, and why are you displeased at my brothers, and why is your anger kindled against them?
55 Surely our YAHWEH who delivered into their hand the city of Shechem and its people, he will also deliver into our hands all the Canaanitish kings who are coming against us, and we will do unto them as my brothers did unto Shechem.
56 Now be tranquil about them and cast away your fears, but trust in YAHWEH our ALMIGHTY, and pray unto him to assist us and deliver us, and deliver our enemies into our hands.
57 And Yahudah called to one of his father's servants, Go now and see where those kings, who are coming against us, are situated with their armies.
58 And the servant went and looked far off, and went up opposite Mount Sihon, and saw all the camps of the kings standing in the fields, and he returned to Yahudah and said, Behold the kings are situated in the field with all their camps, a people exceedingly numerous, like unto the sand upon the sea shore.
59 And Yahudah said unto Simeon and Levi, and unto all his brothers, Strengthen yourselves and be sons of valor, for YAHWEH our ALMIGHTY is with us, do not fear them.
60 Stand forth each man, girt with his weapons of war, his bow and his sword, and we will go and fight against these uncircumcised men; YAHWEH is our ALMIGHTY, He will save us.
61 And they rose up, and each girt on his weapons of war, great and small, eleven sons of Yacob, and all the servants of Yacob with them.
62 And all the servants of Yitschaq who were with Yitschaq in Hebron, all came to them equipped in all sorts of war instruments, and the sons of Yacob and their servants, being one hundred and twelve men, went towards these kings, and Yacob also went with them.
63 And the sons of Yacob sent unto their father Yitschaq the son of Abraham to Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, saying,
64 Pray we beseech you for us unto YAHWEH our ALMIGHTY, to protect us from the hands of the Canaanites who are coming against us, and to deliver them into our hands.
65 And Yitschaq the son of Abraham prayed unto YAHWEH for his sons, and he said, O YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY, you didst promise my father, saying, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and you didst also promise me, and establish you your word, now that the kings of Canaan are coming together, to make war with my children because they committed no violence.
66 Now therefore, O YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY, YAHWEH of the whole earth, pervert, I pray you, the counsel of these kings that they may not fight against my sons.
67 And impress the hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons and bring down their pride, and that they may turn away from my sons.
68 And with your strong hand and outstretched arm deliver my sons and their servants from them, for power and might are in your hands to do all this.
69 And the sons of Yacob and their servants went toward these kings, and they trusted in YAHWEH their ALMIGHTY, and while they were going, Yacob their father also prayed unto YAHWEH and said, O YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY, powerful and exalted YAHWEH, who has reigned from days of old, from thence till now and forever;
70 You are He who stirs up wars and causes them to cease, in your hand are power and might to exalt and to bring down; O may my prayer be acceptable before you that you may turn to me with your mercies, to impress the hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons, and terrify them and their camps, and with your great kindness deliver all those that trust in you, for it is you who canst bring people under us and reduce nations under our power.

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Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Jasher, Chapter 33

1 And in some time after Yacob went away from the borders of the land, and he came to the land of Shalem, that is the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, and he rested in front of the city.
2 And he bought a parcel of the field which was there, from the children of Hamor the people of the land, for five shekels.
3 And Yacob there built himself a house, and he pitched his tent there, and he made booths for his cattle, therefore he called the name of that place Succoth.
4 And Yacob remained in Succoth a year and six months.
5 At that time some of the women of the inhabitants of the land went to the city of Shechem to dance and rejoice with the daughters of the people of the city, and when they went forth then Rachel and Leah the wives of Yacob with their families also went to behold the rejoicing of the daughters of the city.
6 And Dinah the daughter of Yacob also went along with them and saw the daughters of the city, and they remained there before these daughters while all the people of the city were standing by them to behold their rejoicings, and all the great people of the city were there.
7 And Shechem the son of Hamor, the prince of the land was also standing there to see them.
8 And Shechem beheld Dinah the daughter of Yacob sitting with her mother before the daughters of the city, and the damsel pleased him greatly, and he there asked his friends and his people, saying, Whose daughter is that sitting amongst the women, whom I do not know in this city?
9 And they said unto him, Surely this is the daughter of Yacob the son of Yitschaq the Hebrew, who has dwelt in this city for some time, and when it was reported that the daughters of the land were going forth to rejoice she went with her mother and maid servants to sit amongst them as you seest.
10 And Shechem beheld Dinah the daughter of Yacob, and when he looked at her his soul became fixed upon Dinah.
11 And he sent and had her taken by force, and Dinah came to the house of Shechem and he seized her forcibly and lay with her and humbled her, and he loved her exceedingly and placed her in his house.
12 And they came and told the thing unto Yacob, and when Yacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, Yacob sent twelve of his servants to fetch Dinah from the house of Shechem, and they went and came to the house of Shechem to take away Dinah from there.
13 And when they came Shechem went out to them with his men and drove them from his house, and he would not suffer them to come before Dinah, but Shechem was sitting with Dinah kissing and embracing her before their eyes.
14 And the servants of Yacob came back and told him, saying, When we came, he and his men drove us away, and thus did Shechem do unto Dinah before our eyes.
15 And Yacob knew moreover that Shechem had defiled his daughter, but he said nothing, and his sons were feeding his cattle in the field, and Yacob remained silent till their return.
16 And before his sons came home Yacob sent two maidens from his servants' daughters to take care of Dinah in the house of Shechem, and to remain with her, and Shechem sent three of his friends to his father Hamor the son of Chiddekem, the son of Pered, saying, Get me this damsel for a wife.
17 And Hamor the son of Chiddekem the Hivite came to the house of Shechem his son, and he sat before him, and Hamor said unto his son, Shechem, Is there then no woman amongst the daughters of your people that you wilt take an Hebrew woman who is not of your people?
18 And Shechem said to him, Her only must you get for me, for she is delightful in my sight; and Hamor did according to the word of his son, for he was greatly beloved by him.
19 And Hamor went forth to Yacob to commune with him concerning this matter, and when he had gone from the house of his son Shechem, before he came to Yacob to speak unto him, behold the sons of Yacob had come from the field, as soon as they heard the thing that Shechem the son of Hamor had done.
20 And the men were very much grieved concerning their sister, and they all came home fired with anger, before the time of gathering in their cattle.
21 And they came and sat before their father and they spoke unto him kindled with wrath, saying, Surely death is due to this man and to his household, because YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of the whole earth commanded Noah and his children that man shall never rob, nor commit adultery; now behold Shechem has both ravaged and committed fornication with our sister, and not one of all the people of the city spoke a word to him.
22 Surely you know and understand that the judgment of death is due to Shechem, and to his father, and to the whole city on account of the thing which he has done.
23 And while they were speaking before their father in this matter, behold Hamor the father of Shechem came to speak to Yacob the words of his son concerning Dinah, and he sat before Yacob and before his sons.
24 And Hamor spoke unto them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; I pray you give her unto him for a wife and intermarry with us; give us your daughters and we will give you our daughters, and you shall dwell with us in our land and we will be as one people in the land.
25 For our land is very extensive, so dwell ye and trade therein and get possessions in it, and do therein as you desire, and no one shall prevent you by saying a word to you.
26 And Hamor ceased speaking unto Yacob and his sons, and behold Shechem his son had come after him, and he sat before them.
27 And Shechem spoke before Yacob and his sons, saying, May I find favor in your sight that you will give me your daughter, and whatever you say unto me that will I do for her.
28 Ask me for abundance of dowry and gift, and I will give it, and whatever you shall say unto me that will I do, and whoever he be that will rebel against your orders, he shall die; only give me the damsel for a wife.
29 And Simeon and Levi answered Hamor and Shechem his son deceitfully, saying, All you have spoken unto us we will do for you.
30 And behold our sister is in your house, but keep away from her until we send to our father Yitschaq concerning this matter, for we can do nothing without his consent.
31 For he knows the ways of our father Abraham, and whatever he says unto us we will tell you, we will conceal nothing from you.
32 And Simeon and Levi spoke this unto Shechem and his father in order to find a pretext, and to seek counsel what was to be done to Shechem and to his city in this matter.
33 And when Shechem and his father heard the words of Simeon and Levi, it seemed good in their sight, and Shechem and his father came forth to go home.
34 And when they had gone, the sons of Yacob said unto their father, saying, Behold, we know that death is due to these wicked ones and to their city, because they transgressed that which YAHWEH had commanded unto Noah and his children and his seed after them.
35 And also because Shechem did this thing to our sister Dinah in defiling her, for such vileness shall never be done amongst us.
36 Now therefore know and see what you will do, and seek counsel and pretext what is to be done to them, in order to kill all the inhabitants of this city.
37 And Simeon said to them, Here is a proper advice for you: tell them to circumcise every male amongst them as we are circumcised, and if they do not wish to do this, we shall take our daughter from them and go away.
38 And if they consent to do this and will do it, then when they are sunk down with pain, we will attack them with our swords, as upon one who is quiet and peaceable, and we will slay every male person amongst them.
39 And Simeon's advice pleased them, and Simeon and Levi resolved to do unto them as it was proposed.
40 And on the next morning Shechem and Hamor his father came again unto Yacob and his sons, to speak concerning Dinah, and to hear what answer the sons of Yacob would give to their words.
41 And the sons of Yacob spoke deceitfully to them, saying, We told our father Yitschaq all your words, and your words pleased him.
42 But he spoke unto us, saying, Thus did Abraham his father command him from ALMIGHTY YAHWEH of the whole earth, that any man who is not of his descendants that should wish to take one of his daughters, shall cause every male belonging to him to be circumcised, as we are circumcised, and then we may give him our daughter for a wife.
43 Now we have made known to you all our ways that our father spoke unto us, for we cannot do this of which you spoke unto us, to give our daughter to an uncircumcised man, for it is a disgrace to us.
44 But herein will we consent to you, to give you our daughter, and we will also take unto ourselves your daughters, and will dwell amongst you and be one people as you have spoken, if you will hearken to us, and consent to be like us, to circumcise every male belonging to you, as we are circumcised.
45 And if you will not hearken unto us, to have every male circumcised as we are circumcised, as we have commanded, then we will come to you, and take our daughter from you and go away.
46 And Shechem and his father Hamor heard the words of the sons of Yacob, and the thing pleased them exceedingly, and Shechem and his father Hamor hastened to do the wishes of the sons of Yacob, for Shechem was very fond of Dinah, and his soul was riveted to her.
47 And Shechem and his father Hamor hastened to the gate of the city, and they assembled all the men of their city and spoke unto them the words of the sons of Yacob, saying,
48 We came to these men, the sons of Yacob, and we spoke unto them concerning their daughter, and these men will consent to do according to our wishes, and behold our land is of great extent for them, and they will dwell in it, and trade in it, and we shall be one people; we will take their daughters, and our daughters we will give unto them for wives.
49 But only on this condition will these men consent to do this thing, that every male amongst us be circumcised as they are circumcised, as YAHWEH their ALMIGHTY commanded them, and when we shall have done according to their instructions to be circumcised, then will they dwell amongst us, together with their cattle and possessions, and we shall be as one people with them.
50 And when all the men of the city heard the words of Shechem and his father Hamor, then all the men of their city were agreeable to this proposal, and they obeyed to be circumcised, for Shechem and his father Hamor were greatly esteemed by them, being the princes of the land.
51 And on the next day, Shechem and Hamor his father rose up early in the morning, and they assembled all the men of their city into the middle of the city, and they called for the sons of Yacob, who circumcised every male belonging to them on that day and the next.
52 And they circumcised Shechem and Hamor his father, and the five brothers of Shechem, and then every one rose up and went home, for this thing was from YAHWEH against the city of Shechem, and from YAHWEH was Simeon's counsel in this matter, in order that YAHWEH might deliver the city of Shechem into the hands of Yacob's two sons.

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