Book of Jubilees 46, 47

JUBILEES 46

Yacob dies and the children of Yisrael multiply

1 And it came to pass that after Yacob died the children of Yisrael multiplied in the land of Egypt, and they became a great nation, and they were of one accord in heart, so that brother loved brother and every man helped his brother, and they increased abundantly and multiplied exceedingly, ten [2242 A.M.] weeks of years, all the days of the life of Yoseph.
2 And there was no Satan nor any evil all the days of the life of Yoseph which he lived after his father Yacob, for all the Egyptians honored the children of Yisrael all the days of the life of Yoseph.
3 And Yoseph died being a hundred and ten years old; seventeen years he lived in the land of Canaan, and ten years he was a servant, and three years in prison, and eighty years he was under the king, ruling all the land of Egypt.
4 And he died and all his brethren and all that generation.
5 And he commanded the children of Yisrael before he died that they should carry his bones with them when they went forth from the land of Egypt.
6 And he made them swear regarding his bones, for he knew that the Egyptians would not again bring forth and bury him in the land of Canaan, for Makamaron, king of Canaan, while dwelling in the land of Assyria, fought in the valley with the king of Egypt and slew him there, and pursued after the Egyptians to the gates of 'Ermon.
7 But he was not able to enter, for another, a new king, had become king of Egypt, and he was stronger than he, and he returned to the land of Canaan, and the gates of Egypt were closed, and none went out and none came into Egypt.
8 And Yoseph died in the forty-sixth jubilee, in the sixth week, in the second year, and they buried him in the land of Egypt, and [2242 A.M.] all his brethren died after him.
9 And the king of Egypt went forth to war with the king of Canaan [2263 A.M.] in the forty-seventh jubilee, in the second week in the second year, and the children of Yisrael brought forth all the bones of the children of Yacob save the bones of Yoseph, and they buried them in the field in the double cave in the mountain.
10 And the most (of them) returned to Egypt, but a few of them remained in the mountains of Hebron, and Amram your father remained with them.
11 And the king of Canaan was victorious over the king of Egypt, and he closed the gates of Egypt.
12 And he devised an evil device against the children of Yisrael of afflicting them.
13 And he said to the people of Egypt: 'Behold the people of the children of Yisrael have increased and multiplied more than we. Come and let us deal wisely with them before they become too many, and let us afflict them with slavery before war come upon us and before they too fight against us; else they will join themselves unto our enemies and get them up out of our land, for their hearts and faces are towards the land of Canaan.’
14 And he set over them taskmasters to afflict them with slavery; and they built strong cities for Pharaoh, Pithom, and Raamses and they built all the walls and all the fortifications which had fallen in the cities of Egypt.
15 And they made them serve with rigour, and the more they dealt evilly with them, the more they increased and multiplied. And the people of Egypt abominated the children of Yisrael

JUBILEES 47

Pharaoh, king of Egypt kills all male babies born

1 And in the seventh week, in the seventh year, in the forty-seventh jubilee, your father went forth [2303 A.M.] from the land of Canaan, and you were born in the fourth week, in the sixth year thereof, in the [2330 A.M.] forty-eighth jubilee; this was the time of tribulation on the children of Yisrael.
2 And Pharaoh, king of Egypt, issued a command regarding them that they should cast all their male children which were born into the river.
3 And they cast them in for seven months until the day that you were born
4 And your mother hid you for three months, and they told regarding her. And she made an ark for you, and covered it with pitch and asphalt, and placed it in the flags on the bank of the river, and she placed you in it seven days, and your mother came by night and suckled you, and by day Miriam, your sister, guarded you from the birds.
5 And in those days Tharmuth, the daughter of Pharaoh, came to bathe in the river, and she heard your voice crying, and she told her maidens to bring you forth, and they brought you unto her.
6 And she took you out of the ark, and she had compassion on you.
7 And your sister said to her: 'Shall I go and call unto you one of the Hebrew women to nurse and suckle this babe for you?'
8 And she said (unto her): 'Go.' And she went and called your mother Jochebed, and she gave her wages, and she nursed you.
9 And afterwards, when you were grown up, they brought you unto the daughter of Pharaoh, and you didst become her son, and Amram your father taught you writing, and after you had completed three weeks they brought you into the royal court.
10 And you were three weeks of years at court until the time [2351-] when you didst go forth from the royal court and did see an Egyptian smiting your friend who was [2372 A.M.] of the children of Yisrael, and you did slay him and hide him in the sand.
11 And on the second day you did and two of the children of Yisrael striving together, and you did say to him who was doing the wrong: 'Why do you smite your brother?'
12 And he was angry and indignant, and said: 'Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Think you to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' And you did fear and flee on account of these words.

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Book of Jubilees 45

JUBILEES 45

Yisrael went into the land of Goshen

1 And Yisrael went into the country of Egypt, into the land of Goshen, on the new month of the fourth [2172 A.M] month, in the second year of the third week of the forty-fifth jubilee.
2 And Yoseph went to meet his father Yacob, to the land of Goshen, and he fell on his father's neck and wept.
3 And Yisrael said to Yoseph: 'Now let me die since I have seen you, and now may YAHWEH ALMIGHTY of Yisrael be blessed the ALMIGHTY of Abraham and the ALMIGHTY of Yitschaq who has not withheld His mercy and His free unmerited pardon from His servant Yacob.
4 It is enough for me that I have seen your face whilst I am yet alive; yes, true is the vision which I saw at Bethel. Blessed be YAHWEH my Sovereign Ruler forever and ever, and blessed be His NAME.'
5 And Yoseph and his brothers eat bread before their father and drank wine, and Yacob rejoiced with exceeding great joy because he saw Yoseph eating with his brothers and drinking before him, and he blessed the Creator of all things who had preserved him, and had preserved for him his twelve sons.
6 And Yoseph had given to his father and to his brothers as a gift the right of dwelling in the land of Goshen and in Rameses and all the region round about, which he ruled over before Pharaoh. And Yisrael and his sons dwelt in the land of Goshen, the best part of the land of Egypt and Yisrael was one hundred and thirty years old when he came into Egypt.
7 And Yoseph nourished his father and his brethren and also their possessions with bread as much as sufficed them for the seven years of the famine.
8 And the land of Egypt suffered by reason of the famine, and Yoseph acquired all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh in return for food, and he got possession of the people and their cattle and everything for Pharaoh.
9 And the years of the famine were accomplished, and Yoseph gave to the people in the land seed and food that they might sow (the land) in the eighth year, for the river had overflowed all the land of Egypt.
10 For in the seven years of the famine it had (not) overflowed and had irrigated only a few places on the banks of the river, but now it overflowed
11 and the Egyptians sowed the land, and it bore much corn that year. And this was the first year of [2178 A.M.] the fourth week of the forty-fifth jubilee.
12 And Yoseph took of the corn of the harvest the fifth part for the king and left four parts for them for food and for seed, and Yoseph made it an ordinance for the land of Egypt until this day.
13 And Yisrael lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and all the days which he lived were three jubilees, one hundred and forty-seven years, and he died in the fourth [2188 A.M.] year of the fifth week of the forty-fifth jubilee.
14 And Yisrael blessed his sons before he died and told them everything that would befall them in the land of Egypt; and he made known to them what would come upon them in the last days, and blessed them and gave to Yoseph two portions in the land.
15 And he slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the double cave in the land of Canaan, near Abraham his father in the grave which he dug for himself in the double cave in the land of Hebron.
16 And he gave all his books and the books of his fathers to Levi his son that he might preserve them and renew them for his children until this day.

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Book of Jubilees 44

JUBILEES 44

Yisrael goes down into Egypt

1 And Yisrael took his journey from Haran from his house on the new month of the third month, and he went on the way of the Well of the Oath, and he offered a sacrifice to YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of his father Yitschaq on the seventh of this month.
2 And Yacob remembered the dream that he had seen at Bethel, and he feared to go down into Egypt.
3 And while he was thinking of sending word to Yoseph to come to him, and that he would not go down, he remained there seven days, if perchance he could see a vision as to whether he should remain or go down.
4 And he celebrated the harvest festival of the first-fruits with old grain, for in all the land of Canaan there was not a handful of seed [in the land], for the famine was over all the beasts and cattle and birds, and also over man.
5 And on the sixteenth YAHWEH appeared to him, and said to him, 'Yacob, Yacob'; and he said, 'Here am I.'
6 And He said to him: 'I am YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of your fathers, the ALMIGHTY of Abraham and Yitschaq; fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of you a great nation I will go down with you, and I will bring you up (again), and in this land shall you be buried, and Yoseph shall put his hands upon your eyes. Fear not; go down into Egypt.'
7 And his sons rose up, and his sons' sons, and they placed their father and their possessions upon wagons.
8 And Yisrael rose up from the Well of the Oath on the sixteenth of this third month, and he went to the land of Egypt.
9 And Yisrael sent Yahudah before him to his son Yoseph to examine the Land of Goshen, for Yoseph had told his brothers that they should come and dwell there that they might be near him.
10 And this was the goodliest (land) in the land of Egypt, and near to him, for all (of them) and also for the cattle.
11 And these are the names of the sons of Yacob who went into Egypt with Yacob their father Reuben, the First-born of Yisrael;
12 And these are the names of his sons Enoch, and Pallu, and Hezron and Carmi-five.
13 Simeon and his sons; and these are the names of his sons: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul, the son of the Zephasite woman-seven.
14 Levi and his sons; and these are the names of his sons: Gershon, and Kohas, and Merari-four. Yahudah and his sons; and these are the names of his sons: Shela, and Perez, and Zerah-four.
15 Issachar and his sons; and these are the names of his sons: Tola, and Phua, and Jasub, and Shimron-five.
17 Zebulon and his sons; and these are the names of his sons: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel-four.
18 And these are the sons of Yacob and their sons whom Leah bore to Yacob
in Mesopotamia, six, and their one sister, Dinah and all the souls of the sons of Leah, and their sons, who went with Yacob their father into Egypt, were twenty- nine, and Yacob their father being with them, they were thirty.
19 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, the wife of Yacob, who bore unto Yacob Gad and Ashur.
20 And there are the names of their sons who went with him into Egypt. The sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi, and Shuni, and Ezbon, (and Eri, and Areli, and Arodi-eight.
21 And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, (and Ishvi), and Beriah, and Serah, their one sister-six.
22 All the souls were fourteen, and all those of Leah were forty-four.
23 And the sons of Rachel, the wife of Yacob: Yoseph and Benjamin.
24 And there were born to Yoseph in Egypt before his father came into Egypt, those whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphar priest of Heliopolis bare unto him, Manasseh, and Ephraim-three.
25 And the sons of Benjamin: Bela and Becher and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, and Ehi, and Rosh, and Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard-eleven. 26 And all the souls of Rachel were fourteen.
27 And the sons of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, the wife of Yacob, whom she bare to Yacob, were Dan and Naphtali.
28 And these are the names of their sons who went with them into Egypt. And the sons of Dan were Hushim, and Samon, and Asudi, and 'Ijaka, and Salomon- six.
29 And they died the year in which they entered into Egypt, and there was left to Dan Hushim alone.
30 And these are the names of the sons of Naphtali Jahziel, and Guni and Jezer, and Shallum, and 'Iv.
31 And 'Iv, who was born after the years of famine, died in Egypt.
32 And all the souls of Rachel were twenty-six.
33 And all the souls of Yacob which went into Egypt were seventy souls. These are his children and his children's children, in all seventy, but five died in Egypt before Yoseph, and had no children.
34 And in the land of Canaan two sons of Yahudah died, Er and Onan, and they had no children, and the children of Yisrael buried those who perished, and they were reckoned among the seventy Gentile nations.

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Book of Jubilees 43

JUBILEES 43

Yoseph reveals himself to his brothers

1 And he did as Yoseph had told him, and filled all their sacks for them with food and put their money in their sacks, and put the cup in Benjamin's sack.
2 And early in the morning they departed, and it came to pass that, when they had gone from there, Yoseph said to the steward of his house: 'Pursue them, run and seize them, saying, "For good you have requited me with evil; you have stolen from me the silver cup out of which my lord drinks." And bring back to me their youngest brother, and fetch (him) quickly before I go forth to my seat of judgment.'
3 And he ran after them and said to them according to these words.
4 And they said to him: 'YAHWEH forbid that your servants should do this thing, and steal from the house of your lord any utensil, and the money also which we found in our sacks the first time, we your servants brought back from the land of Canaan.
5 How then should we steal any utensil? Behold here are we and our sacks search, and wherever you find the cup in the sack of any man amongst us, let him be slain, and we and our asses will serve your lord.'
6 And he said to them: 'Not so, the man with whom I find, him only shall I take as a servant, and you shall return in shalom unto your house.'
7 And as he was searching in their vessels, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest, it was found in Benjamin's sack.
8 And they rent their garments, and laded their asses, and returned to the city and came to the house of Yoseph, and they all bowed themselves on their faces to the ground before him.
9 And Yoseph said to them: 'You have done evil.' And they said: 'What shall we say and how shall we defend ourselves? Our lord has discovered the transgression of his servants; behold we are the servants of our lord, and our asses also.'
10 And Yoseph said to them: 'I too fear YAHWEH; as for you, go you to your homes and let your brother be my servant, for you have done evil. Know you not that a man delights in his cup as I with this cup?
11 And yet you have stolen it from me.' And Yahudah said: 'O my lord, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word in my lord's ear two brothers did your servant's mother bear to our father: one went away and was lost, and has not been found, and he alone is left of his mother, and your servant our father loves him, and his life also is bound up with the life of this (lad).
12 And it will come to pass, when we go to your servant our father, and the lad is not with us, that he will die, and we shall bring down our father with sorrow unto death.
13 Now rather let me, your servant, abide instead of the boy as a bondsman unto my lord, and let the lad go with his brethren, for I became surety for him at the hand of your servant our father, and if I do not bring him back, your servant will hear the blame to our father forever.'
14 And Yoseph saw that they were all accordant in goodness one with another, and he could not refrain himself, and he told them that he was Yoseph.
15 And he conversed with them in the Hebrew tongue and fell on their neck and wept.
16 But they knew him not and they began to weep. And he said to them: 'Weep not over me, but hasten and bring my father to me; and you see that it is my mouth that speaks and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see.
17 For behold this is the second year of the famine, and there are
18 still five years without harvest or fruit of trees or ploughing. Come down quickly you and your households, so that you perish not through the famine, and do not be grieved for your possessions, for YAHWEH sent me before you to set things in order that many people might live.
19 And tell my father that I am still alive, and you, behold, you see that YAHWEH has made me as a father to Pharaoh, and ruler over his house and over all the land of Egypt.
20 And tell my father of all my splendor, and all the riches and splendor that YAHWEH has given me.'
21 And by the command of the mouth of Pharaoh he gave them chariots and provisions for the way, and he gave them all many-colored raiment and silver.
22 And to their father he sent raiment and silver and ten asses which carried corn, and he sent them away.
23 And they went up and told their father that Yoseph was alive, and was measuring out corn to all the nations of the earth, and that he was ruler over all the land of Egypt.
24 And their father did not believe it, for he was beside himself in his mind; but when he saw the wagons which Yoseph had sent, the life of his spirit revived, and he said: 'It is enough for me if Yoseph lives; I will go down and see him before I die.'

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Book of Jubilees 42

JUBILEES 42

Seven years of famine

1 And in the first year of the third week of the forty-fifth jubilee the famine began to come into the [2171 A.M.] land, and the rain refused to be given to the earth, for none whatever fell.
2 And the earth grew barren, but in the land of Egypt there was food, for Yoseph had gathered the seed of the land in the seven years of plenty and had preserved it.
3 And the Egyptians came to Yoseph that he might give them food, and he opened the store-houses where was the grain of the first year, and he sold it to the people of the land for gold.
4 And Yacob heard that there was food in Egypt, and he sent his ten sons that they should procure food for him in Egypt; but Benjamin he did not send, and arrived among those that went (there).
5 And Yoseph recognized them, but they did not recognise him, and he spoke unto them and questioned them, and he said to them; 'Are you not spies and have you not come to explore the approaches of the land?'
6 And he put them in ward. And after that he set them free again, and detained Simeon alone and sent off his nine brothers.
7 And he filled their sacks with corn, and he put their gold in their sacks, and they did not know.
8 And he commanded them to bring their younger brother, for they had told him their father was living and their younger brother.
9 And they went up from the land of Egypt and they came to the land of Canaan; and they told their father all that had befallen them, and how the lord of the country had spoken roughly to them, and had seized Simeon till they should bring Benjamin.
10 And Yacob said: 'Me have you bereaved of my children! Yoseph is not and Simeon also is not, and you will take Benjamin away. On me has your wickedness come.'
11 And he said: 'My son will not go down with you lest perchance he fall sick; for their mother gave birth to two sons, and one has perished, and this one also you will take from me. If perchance he took a fever on the road, you would bring down my old age with sorrow unto death.'
12 For he saw that their money had been returned to every man in his sack, and for this reason he feared to send him.
13 And the famine increased and became sore in the land of Canaan, and in all lands save in the land of Egypt, for many of the children of the Egyptians had stored up their seed for food from the time when they saw Yoseph gathering seed together and putting it in storehouses and preserving it for the years of famine.
14 And the people of Egypt fed themselves thereon during the first year of their famine.
15 But when Yisrael saw that the famine was very sore in the land, and that there was no deliverance, he said to his sons: 'Go again, and procure food for us that we die not.'
16 And they said: 'We shall not go; unless our youngest brother go with us, we shall not go.'
17 And Yisrael saw that if he did not send him with them, they should all perish by reason of the famine
18 And Reuben said: 'Give him into my hand, and if I do not bring him back to you, slay my two sons instead of his soul.'
19 And he said to him: 'He shall not go with you.' And Yahudah came near and said: 'Send him with me, and if I do not bring him back to you, let me bear the blame before you all the days of my life.'
20 And he sent him with them in the second year of this week on the [2172 A.m.] first day of the month, and they came to the land of Egypt with all those who went, and (they had) presents in their hands, stacte and almonds and terebinth nuts and pure honey.
21 And they went and stood before Yoseph, and he saw Benjamin his brother, and he knew him, and said to them: ‘Is this your youngest brother?' And they said to him: 'It is he.' And he said ‘YAHWEH be kind to you, my son!'
22 And he sent him into his house and he brought forth Simeon to them and he made a feast for them, and they presented to him the gift which they had brought in their hands.
23 And they eat before him and he gave them all a portion, but the portion of Benjamin was seven times larger than that of any of theirs.
24 And they eat and drank and arose and remained with their asses.
25 And Yoseph devised a plan whereby he might learn their thoughts as to whether thoughts of shalom prevailed amongst them, and he said to the steward who was over his house: 'Fill all their sacks with food, and return their money unto them into their vessels, and my cup, the silver cup out of which I drink, put it in the sack of the youngest, and send them away.'

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Book of Jubilees 41

JUBILEES 41

The sons of Yacob took wives

1 And in the forty-fifth jubilee, in the second week, (and) in the second year, [2165 A.M.] Yahudah took for his first-born Er, a wife from the daughters of Aram, named Tamar.
2 But he hated, and did not lie with her, because his mother was of the daughters of Canaan, and he wished to take him a wife of the kinsfolk of his mother, but Yahudah, his father, would not permit him.
3 And this Er, the first-born of Yahudah, was wicked, and YAHWEH slew him.
4 And Yahudah said to Onan, his brother 'Go in unto your brother's wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and raise up seed unto your brother.'
5 And Onan knew that the seed would not be his, (but) his brother's only, and he went into the house of his brother's wife, and spilt the seed on the ground, and he was wicked in the eyes of YAHWEH, and He slew him.
6 And Yahudah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law: 'Remain in your father's house as a widow till Shelah my son be grown up, and I shall give you to him to wife.'
7 And he grew up; but Bedsu'el, the wife of Yahudah, did not permit her son Shelah to marry.
8 And Bedsu'el, the wife of Yahudah, died [2168 A.M.] in the fifth year of this week. And in the sixth year Yahudah went up to shear his sheep at Timnah. [2169 A.M.]
9 And they told Tamar: 'Behold your father-in-law goes up to Timnah to shear his sheep.' And she put off her widow's clothes, and put on a veil, and adorned herself, and sat in the gate adjoining the way to Timnah.
10 And as Yahudah was going along he found her, and thought her to be an harlot, and he said to her: 'Let me come in unto you'; and she said to him Come in,' and he went in.
11 And she said to him: 'Give me my hire'; and he said to her: 'I have nothing in my hand save my ring that is on my finger, and my necklace, and my staff which is in my hand.'
12 And she said to him 'Give them to me until you do send me my hire', and he said to her: 'I will send unto you a kid of the goats'; and he gave them to her, and she conceived by him.
13, And Yahudah went unto his sheep, and she went to her father's house.
14 And Yahudah sent a kid of the goats by the hand of his shepherd, an Adullamite, and he found her not; and he asked the people of the place, saying: 'Where is the harlot who was here?'
15 And they said to him; 'There is no harlot here with us.' And he returned and informed him, and said to him that he had not found her: 'I asked the people of the place, and they said to me: "There is no harlot here.'
16 And he said: 'Let her keep them lest we become a cause of derision.' And when she had completed three months, it was manifest that she was with child, and they told Yahudah, saying: 'Behold Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is with child by whoredom.'
17 And Yahudah went to the house of her father, and said to her father and her brothers: 'Bring her forth, and let them burn her, for she has wrought uncleanness in Yisrael.'
18 And it came to pass when they brought her forth to burn her that she sent to her father-in-law the ring and the necklace, and the staff, saying: 'Discern whose are these, for by him am I with child.'
19 And Yahudah acknowledged, and said: 'Tamar is more righteous than I am. And therefore let them burn her not.'
20 And for that reason she was not given to Shelah,
21 And he did not again approach her, And after that she bare two sons, Perez [2170 A.M.] and Zerah, in the seventh year of this second week.
22 And thereupon the seven years of fruitfulness were accomplished, of which Yoseph spoke to Pharaoh.
23 And Yahudah acknowledged that the deed which he had done was evil, for he had lain with his daughter-in-law, and he esteemed it hateful in his eyes, and he acknowledged that he had transgressed and gone astray, for he had uncovered the skirt of his son, and he began to lament and to supplicate before YAHWEH because of his transgression.
24 And we told him in a dream that it was forgiven him because he supplicated earnestly, and lamented, and did not again commit it.
25 And he received forgiveness because he turned from his sin and from his ignorance, for he transgressed greatly before YAHWEH our ALMIGHTY; and every one that acts thus, every one who lies with his mother-in-law, let them burn him with fire that he may burn therein, for there is uncleanness and pollution upon them, with fire let them burn them.
26 And do you command the children of Yisrael that there be no uncleanness amongst them, for every one who lies with his daughter-in-law or with his mother-in-law has wrought uncleanness; with fire let them burn the man who has lain with her, and likewise the woman, and He will turn away wrath and punishment from Yisrael.
27 And unto Yahudah we said that his two sons had not lain with her, and for this reason his seed was established for a second generation, and would not be rooted out.
28 For in singleness of eye he had gone and sought for punishment, namely, according to the judgment of Abraham, which he had commanded his sons, Yahudah had sought to burn her with fire.

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Book of Jubilees 39, 40

JUBILEES 39

The generations of Yacob

1, And Yacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Yacob. And Yoseph was seventeen years old when they took him down into the land of Egypt, and Potiphar, an eunuch of Pharaoh, the chief cook bought him.
3 And he set Yoseph over all his house and the blessing of YAHWEH came upon the house of the Egyptian on account of Yoseph, and YAHWEH prospered him in all that he did.
4 And the Egyptian committed everything into the hands of Yoseph; for he saw that YAHWEH was with him, and that YAHWEH prospered him in all that he did.
5 And Yoseph's appearance was comely [and very beautiful was his appearance], and his master's wife lifted up her eyes and saw Yoseph, and she loved him and besought him to lie with her.
6 But he did not surrender his soul, and he remembered YAHWEH and the words which Yacob, his father, used to read from amongst the words of Abraham, that no man should commit fornication with a woman who has a husband; that for him the punishment of death has been ordained in the heavens before the Most High YAHWEH, and the sin will be recorded against him in the eternal books continually before YAHWEH.
7 And Yoseph remembered these words and refused to lie with her.
8 And she besought him for a year, but he refused and would not listen.
9 But she embraced him and held him fast in the house in order to force him to lie with her, and closed the doors of the house and held him fast; but he left his garment in her hands and broke through the door and fled without from her presence.
10 And the woman saw that he would not lie with her, and she calumniated him in the presence of his lord, saying 'Your Hebrew servant, whom you love, sought to force me so that he might lie with me; and it came to pass when I lifted up my voice that he fled and left his garment in my hands when I held him, and he brake through the door.'
11 And the Egyptian saw the garment of Yoseph and the broken door, and heard the words of his wife, and cast Yoseph into prison into the place where the prisoners were kept whom the king imprisoned.
12 And he was there in the prison; and YAHWEH gave Yoseph favour in the sight of the chief of the prison guards and compassion before him, for he saw that YAHWEH was with him, and that YAHWEH made all that he did to prosper.
13 And he committed all things into his hands, and the chief of the prison guards knew of nothing that was with him, for Yoseph did every thing, and YAHWEH perfected it.
14 And he remained there two years. And in those days Pharaoh, king of Egypt was wroth against his two eunuchs, against the chief butler, and against the chief baker, and he put them in ward in the house of the chief cook, in the prison where Yoseph was kept.
15 And the chief of the prison guards appointed Yoseph to serve them; and he served before them.
16 And they both dreamed a dream, the chief butler and the chief baker, and they told it to Yoseph.
17 And as he interpreted to them so it befell them, and Pharaoh restored the chief butler to his office and the (chief) baker he slew, as Yoseph had interpreted to them.
18 But the chief butler forgot Yoseph in the prison, although he had informed him what would befall him, and did not remember to inform Pharaoh how Yoseph had told him, for he forgot.

JUBILEES 40

Pharaoh dreamed two dreams

1 And in those days Pharaoh dreamed two dreams in one night concerning a famine which was to be in all the land, and he awoke from his sleep and called all the interpreters of dreams that were in Egypt, and magicians, and told them his two dreams, and they were not able to declare them.
2 And then the chief butler remembered Yoseph and spoke of him to the king, and he brought him forth from the prison, and he told his two dreams before him.
3 And he said before Pharaoh that his two dreams were one, and he said to him: 'Seven years shall come (in which there shall be) plenty over all the land of Egypt, and after that seven years of famine, such a famine as has not been in all the land.
4 And now let Pharaoh appoint overseers in all the land of Egypt, and let them store up food in every city throughout the days of the years of plenty, and there will be food for the seven years of famine, and the land will not perish through the famine, for it will be very severe.'
5 And YAHWEH gave Yoseph favor and mercy in the eyes of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh said to his servants. We shall not find such a wise and discreet man as this man, for the spirit of YAHWEH is with him.'
6 And he appointed him the second in all his kingdom and gave him authority over all Egypt, and caused him to ride in the second chariot of Pharaoh.
7 And he clothed him with byssus garments, and he put a gold chain upon his neck, and (a herald) proclaimed before him ' 'El 'El wa 'Abirer,' and placed a ring on his hand and made him ruler over all his house, and magnified him, and said to him. 'Only on the throne shall I be greater than you.'
8 And Yoseph ruled over all the land of Egypt, and all the princes of Pharaoh, and all his servants, and all who did the king's business loved him, for he walked in uprightness, for he was without pride and arrogance, and he had no respect of persons, and did not accept gifts, but he judged in uprightness all the people of the land.
9 And the land of Egypt was at shalom before Pharaoh because of Yoseph, for YAHWEH was with him, and gave him favour and mercy for all his generations before all those who knew him and those who heard concerning him, and Pharaoh's kingdom was well ordered, and there was no Satan and no evil person (therein).
10 And the king called Yoseph's name Sephantiphans, and gave Yoseph to wife the daughter of Potiphar, the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis, the chief cook.
11 And on the day that Yoseph stood before Pharaoh he was thirty years old [when he stood before Pharaoh].
12 And in that year Yitschaq died. And it came to pass as Yoseph had said in the interpretation of his two dreams, according as he had said it, there were seven years of plenty over all the land of Egypt, and the land of Egypt abundantly produced, one measure (producing) eighteen hundred measures.
13 And Yoseph gathered food into every city until they were full of corn until they could no longer count and measure it for its multitude.

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Book of Jubilees 33, 34

JUBILEES 33

Reuben laid with Bilhah and he uncovered his father's skirt

1 And Yacob went and dwelt to the south of Magdaladra'ef. And he went to his father Yitschaq, he and Leah his wife, on the new month of the tenth month.
2 And Reuben saw Bilhah, Rachel's maid, the concubine of his father, bathing in water in a secret place, and he loved her.
3 And he hid himself at night, and he entered the house of Bilhah [at night], and he found her sleeping alone on a bed in her house.
4 And he lay with her, and she awoke and saw, and behold Reuben was lying with her in the bed, and she uncovered the border of her covering and seized him, and cried out, and discovered that it was Reuben.
5 And she was ashamed because of him, and released her hand from him, and he fled.
6 And she lamented because of this thing exceedingly, and did not tell it to any one.
7 And when Yacob returned and sought her, she said to him: 'I am not clean for you, for I have been defiled as regards you; for Reuben has defiled me, and has lain with me in the night, and I was asleep, and did not discover until he uncovered my skirt and slept with me.'
8 And Yacob was exceedingly wroth with Reuben because he had lain with Bilhah, because he had uncovered his father's skirt.
9 And Yacob did not approach her again because Reuben had defiled her. And as for any man who uncovers his father's skirt his deed is wicked exceedingly, for he is abominable before YAHWEH.
10 For this reason it is written and ordained on the heavenly tablets that a man should not lie with his father's wife, and should not uncover his father's skirt, for this is unclean: they shall surely die together, the man who lies with his father's wife and the woman also, for they have wrought uncleanness on the earth.
11 And there shall be nothing unclean before YAHWEH our ALMIGHTY in the nation which He has chosen for Himself as a possession.
12 And again, it is written a second time: 'Cursed be he who lies with the wife of his father, for he has uncovered his father's shame'; and all the kodesh ones of YAHWEH said 'So be it; so be it.'
13 And do you, Mosheh, command the children of Yisrael that they observe this word; for it (entails) a punishment of death; and it is unclean, and there is no atonement forever to atone for the man who has committed this, but he is to be put to death and slain, and stoned with stones, and rooted out from the midst of the people of YAHWEH our ALMIGHTY.
14 For to no man who does so in Yisrael is it permitted to remain alive a single day on the earth, for he is abominable and unclean.
15 And let them not say: to Reuben was granted life and forgiveness after he had lain with his father's concubine, and to her also though she had a husband, and her husband Yacob, his father, was still alive.
16 For until that time there had not been revealed the ordinance and judgment and Torah in its completeness for all, but in your days (it has been revealed) as a Torah of seasons and of days, and an everlasting Torah for the everlasting generations.
17 And for this Torah there is no consummation of days, and no atonement for it, but they must both be rooted out in the midst of the nation: on the day whereon they committed it they shall slay them.
18 And do you, Mosheh, write it down for Yisrael that they may observe it, and do according to these words, and not commit a sin unto death; for YAHWEH our ALMIGHTY is judge, who respects not persons and accepts not gifts. And tell them these words of the covenant, that they may hear and observe, and be on their guard with respect to them, and not be destroyed and rooted out of the land; for an uncleanness, and an abomination, and a contamination, and a pollution are all they who commit it on the earth before our Sovereign Ruler.
20 And there is no greater sin than the fornication which they commit on earth; for Yisrael is a kodesh nation unto YAHWEH its Sovereign Ruler, and a nation of inheritance, and a priestly and royal nation and for (His own) possession; and there shall no such uncleanness appear in the midst of the kodesh nation.
21 And in the third year of this sixth week [2145 A.M.] Yacob and all his sons went and dwelt in the house of Abraham, near Yitschaq his father and Rebecca his mother.
22 And these were the names of the sons of Yacob: the first-born Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Yahudah, Issachar, Zebulon, the sons of Leah; and the sons of Rachel, Yoseph and Benjamin; and the sons of Bilhah, Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Gad and Asher; and Dinah, the daughter of Leah, the only daughter of Yacob.
23 And they came and bowed themselves to Yitschaq and Rebecca, and when they saw them they blessed Yacob and all his sons, and Yitschaq rejoiced exceedingly, for he saw the sons of Yacob, his younger son and he blessed them.

JUBILEES 34

Yacob, his sons and servants slew the kings of the Amorites

1 And in the sixth year of this week of this forty-fourth jubilee [2148 A.M.] Yacob sent his sons to pasture their sheep, and his servants with them to the pastures of Shechem.
2 And the seven kings of the Amorites assembled themselves together against them, to slay them, hiding themselves under the trees, and to take their cattle as a prey.
3 And Yacob and Levi and Yahudah and Yoseph were in the house with Yitschaq their father; for his spirit was sorrowful, and they could not leave him: and Benjamin was the youngest, and for this reason remained with his father.
4 And there came the king[s] of Taphu and the king[s] of 'Aresa, and the king[s] of Seragan, and the king[s] of Selo, and the king[s] of Ga'as, and the king of Bethoron, and the king of Ma'anisakir, and all those who dwell in these mountains (and) who dwell in the woods in the land of Canaan.
5 And they announced this to Yacob saying: 'Behold, the kings of the Amorites have surrounded your sons, and plundered their herds.'
6 And he arose from his house, he and his three sons and all the servants of his father, and his own servants, and he went against them with six thousand men, who carried swords. 7 And he slew them in the pastures of Shechem, and pursued those who fled, and he slew them with the edge of the sword, and he slew 'Aresa and Taphu and Saregan and Selo and 'Amanisakir and Ga[ga]'as, and he recovered his herds.
8 And he prevailed over them, and imposed tribute on them that they should pay him tribute, five fruit products of their land, and he built Robel and Tamnatares.
9 And he returned in shalom, and made shalom with them, and they became his servants, until the day that he and his sons went down into Egypt.
10 And in the seventh year of this week [2149 A.M.] he sent Yoseph to learn about the welfare of his brothers from his house to the land of Shechem, and he found them in the land of Dothan.
11 And they dealt treacherously with him, and formed a plot against him to slay him, but changing their minds, they sold him to Ishmaelite merchants, and they brought him down into Egypt, and they sold him to Potiphar, the eunuch of Pharaoh, the chief of the cooks, priest of the city of 'Elew.
12 And the sons of Yacob slaughtered a kid, and dipped the coat of Yoseph in the blood, and sent it to Yacob their father on the tenth of the seventh month.
13 And he mourned all that night, for they had brought it to him in the evening, and he became feverish with mourning for his death, and he said: 'An evil beast has devoured Yoseph'; and all the members of his house [mourned with him that day, and they] were grieving and mourning with him all that day.
14 And his sons and his daughter rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted for his son.
15 And on that day Bilhah heard that Yoseph had perished, and she died mourning him, and she was living in Qafratef, and Dinah also, his daughter, died after Yoseph had perished.
16 And there came these three mournings upon Yisrael in one month. And they buried Bilhah over against the tomb of Rachel, and Dinah also his daughter, they buried there.
17 And he mourned for Yoseph one year, and did not cease, for he said 'Let me go down to the grave mourning for my son'.
18 For this reason it is ordained for the children of Yisrael that they should afflict themselves on the tenth of the seventh month -on the day that the news which made him weep for Yoseph came to Yacob his father- that they should make atonement for themselves thereon with a young goat on the tenth of the seventh month, once a year, for their sins; for they had grieved the affection of their father regarding Yoseph his son.
19 And this day has been ordained that they should grieve thereon for their sins, and for all their transgressions and for all their errors, so that they might cleanse themselves on that day once a year.
20 And after Yoseph perished, the sons of Yacob took unto themselves wives. The name of Reuben's wife is 'Ada; and the name of Simeon's wife is 'Adlba'a, a Canaanite; and the name of Levi's wife is Melka, of the daughters of Aram, of the seed of the sons of Terah; and the name of Yahudah's wife, Betasu'el, a Canaanite; and the name of Issachar's wife, Hezaqa: and the name of Zabulon's wife, Ni'iman; and the name of Dan's wife, 'Egla; and the name of Naphtali's wife, Rasu'u, of Mesopotamia; and the name of Gad's wife, Maka; and the name of Asher's wife, 'Ijona; and the name of Yoseph's wife, Asenath, the Egyptian; and the name of Benjamin's wife, 'Ijasaka.
21 And Simeon repented, and took a second wife from Mesopotamia as his brothers.

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Book of Jubilees 29

JUBILEES 29

After Rachel had borne Yoseph, Yacob leaves Laban secretly

1 And it came to pass when Rachel had borne Yoseph, that Laban went to shear his sheep; for they were distant from him a three days' journey.
2 And Yacob saw that Laban was going to shear his sheep, and Yacob called Leah and Rachel, and spoke kindly unto them that they should come with him to the land of Canaan.
3 For he told them how he had seen everything in a dream, even all that He had spoken unto him that he should return to his father's house, and they said: 'To every place where you go we will go with you.'
4 And Yacob blessed YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of Yitschaq his father, and the ALMIGHTY of Abraham his father's father, and he arose and mounted his wives and his children, and took all his possessions and crossed the river, and came to the land of Gilead, and Yacob hid his intention from Laban and told him not.
5 And in the seventh year of the fourth week Yacob turned his face toward Gilead in the first month, on the twenty-first thereof. [2135 A.M.] And Laban pursued after him and overtook Yacob in the mountain of Gilead in the third month, on the thirteenth thereof.
6 And YAHWEH did not suffer him to injure Yacob; for he appeared to him in a dream by night.
7 And Laban spoke to Yacob. And on the fifteenth of those days Yacob made a feast for Laban, and for all who came with him, and Yacob swore to Laban that day, and Laban also to Yacob, that neither should cross the mountain of Gilead to the other with evil purpose.
8 And he made there a heap for a witness; wherefore the name of that place is called: 'The Heap of Witness,' after this heap.
9 But before they used to call the land of Gilead the land of the Rephaim; for it was the land of the Rephaim, and the Rephaim were born (there), giants whose height was ten, nine, eight down to seven cubits.
10 And their habitation was from the land of the children of Ammon to Mount Hermon, and the seats of their kingdom were Karnaim and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, and Misur, and Beon.
11 And YAHWEH destroyed them because of the evil of their deeds; for they were very malignant, and the Amorites dwelt in their stead, wicked and sinful, and there is no people to-day which has wrought to the full all their sins, and they have no longer length of life on the earth.
12 And Yacob sent away Laban, and he departed into Mesopotamia, the land of the East, and Yacob returned to the land of Gilead.
13 And he passed over the Jabbok in the ninth month, on the eleventh thereof. And on that day Esau, his brother, came to him, and he was reconciled to him, and departed from him to the land of Seir, but Yacob dwelt in tents.
14 And in the first year of the fifth week in this jubilee [2136 A.M.] he crossed the Jordan, and dwelt beyond the Jordan, and he pastured his sheep from the sea of the heap unto Bethshan, and unto Dothan and unto the forest of Akrabbim.
15 And he sent to his father Yitschaq of all his substance, clothing, and food, and meat, and drink, and milk, and butter, and cheese, and some dates of the valley.
16 And to his mother Rebecca also four times a year, between the times of the months, between ploughing and reaping, and between autumn and the rain (season) and between winter and spring, to the tower of Abraham.
17 For Yitschaq had returned from the ‘Well of the Oath’ and gone up to the tower of his father Abraham, and he dwelt there apart from his son Esau.
18 For in the days when Yacob went to Mesopotamia, Esau took to himself a wife Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, and he gathered together all the flocks of his father and his wives, and went up and dwelt on Mount Seir, and left Yitschaq his father at the ‘Well of the Oath’ alone.
19 And Yitschaq went up from the ‘Well of the Oath’ and dwelt in the tower of Abraham his father on the mountains of Hebron,
20 And thither Yacob sent all that he did send to his father and his mother from time to time, all they needed, and they blessed Yacob with all their heart and with all their soul.

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Jasher, Chapter 59

1 And these are the names of the sons of Yisrael who dwelt in Egypt, who had come with Yacob, all the sons of Yacob came unto Egypt, every man with his household.
2 The children of Leah were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Yahudah, Issachar and Zebulun, and their sister Dinah.
3 And the sons of Rachel were Yoseph and Benjamin.
4 And the sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah, were Gad and Asher.
5 And the sons of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, were Dan and Naphtali.
6 And these were their offspring that were born unto them in the land of Canaan, before they came unto Egypt with their father Yacob.
7 The sons of Reuben were Chanoch, Pallu, Chetzron and Carmi.
8 And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zochar and Saul, the son of the Canaanitish woman.
9 And the children of Levi were Gershon, Kehath and Merari, and their sister Jochebed, who was born unto them in their going down to Egypt.
10 And the sons of Yahudah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zarach.
11 And Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Perez were Chezron and Chamul.
12 And the sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job and Shomron.
13 And the sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon and Jachleel, and the son of Dan was Chushim.
14 And the sons of Naphtali were Jachzeel, Guni, Jetzer and Shilam.
15 And the sons of Gad were Ziphion, Chaggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
16 And the children of Asher were Jimnah, Jishvah, Jishvi, Beriah and their sister Serach; and the sons of Beriah were Cheber and Malchiel.
17 And the sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim and Ord.
18 And the sons of Yoseph, that were born unto him in Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim.
19 And all the souls that went forth from the loins of Yacob, were seventy souls; these are they who came with Yacob their father unto Egypt to dwell there: and Yoseph and all his brethren dwelt securely in Egypt, and they ate of the best of Egypt all the days of the life of Yoseph.
20 And Yoseph lived in the land of Egypt ninety-three years, and Yoseph reigned over all Egypt eighty years.
21 And when the days of Yoseph drew nigh that he should die, he sent and called for his brethren and all his father's household, and they all came together and sat before him.
22 And Yoseph said unto his brethren and unto the whole of his father's household, Behold I die, and YAHWEH will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land which he swore to your fathers to give unto them.
23 And it shall be when YAHWEH shall visit you to bring you up from here to the land of your fathers, then bring up my bones with you from here.
24 And Yoseph made the sons of Yisrael to swear for their seed after them, saying, YAHWEH will surely visit you and you shall bring up my bones with you from here.
Year 2309
25 And it came to pass after this that Yoseph died in that year, the seventy-first year of the Yisraelites going down to Egypt.
26 And Yoseph was one hundred and ten years old when he died in the land of Egypt, and all his brethren and all his servants rose up and they embalmed Yoseph, as was their custom, and his brethren and all Egypt mourned over him for seventy days.
27 And they put Yoseph in a coffin filled with spices and all sorts of perfume, and they buried him by the side of the river, that is Sihor, and his sons and all his brethren, and the whole of his father's household made a seven day's mourning for him.
28 And it came to pass after the death of Yoseph, all the Egyptians began in those days to rule over the children of Yisrael, and Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who reigned in his father's stead, took all the laws of Egypt and conducted the whole government of Egypt under his counsel, and he reigned securely over his people.

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Jasher, Chapter 58

Year 2270
1 And it came to pass in the thirty-second year of the Yisraelites going down to Egypt, that is in the seventy-first year of the life of Yoseph, in that year died Pharaoh king of Egypt, and Magron his son reigned in his stead.
2 And Pharaoh commanded Yoseph before his death to be a father to his son, Magron, and that Magron should be under the care of Yoseph and under his counsel.
3 And all Egypt consented to this thing that Yoseph should be king over them, for all the Egyptians loved Yoseph as of heretofore, only Magron the son of Pharaoh sat upon, his father's throne, and he became king in those days in his father's stead.
4 Magron was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and forty years he reigned in Egypt, and all Egypt called his name Pharaoh after the name of his father, as it was their custom to do in Egypt to every king that reigned over them.
5 And it came to pass when Pharaoh reigned in his father's stead, he placed the laws of Egypt and all the affairs of government in the hand of Yoseph, as his father had commanded him.
6 And Yoseph became king over Egypt, for he superintended over all Egypt, and all Egypt was under his care and under his counsel, for all Egypt inclined to Yoseph after the death of Pharaoh, and they loved him exceedingly to reign over them.
7 But there were some people amongst them, who did not like him, saying, No stranger shall reign over us; still the whole government of Egypt devolved in those days upon Yoseph, after the death of Pharaoh, he being the regulator, doing as he liked throughout the land without any one interfering.
8 And all Egypt was under the care of Yoseph, and Yoseph made war with all his surrounding enemies, and he subdued them; also all the land and all the Philistines, unto the borders of Canaan, did Yoseph subdue, and they were all under his power and they gave a yearly tax unto Yoseph.
9 And Pharaoh king of Egypt sat upon his throne in his father's stead, but he was under the control and counsel of Yoseph, as he was at first under the control of his father.
10 Neither did he reign but in the land of Egypt only, under the counsel of Yoseph, but Yoseph reigned over the whole country at that time, from Egypt unto the great river Perath.
11 And Yoseph was successful in all his ways, and YAHWEH was with him, and YAHWEH gave Yoseph additional wisdom, and honor, and splendor, and love toward him in the hearts of the Egyptians and throughout the land, and Yoseph reigned over the whole country forty years.
12 And all the countries of the Philistines and Canaan and Zidon, and on the other side of Yardan, brought presents unto Yoseph all his days, and the whole country was in the hand of Yoseph, and they brought unto him a yearly tribute as it was regulated, for Yoseph had fought against all his surrounding enemies and subdued them, and the whole country was in the hand of Yoseph, and Yoseph sat securely upon his throne in Egypt.
13 And also all his brethren the sons of Yacob dwelt securely in the land, all the days of Yoseph, and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land, and they served YAHWEH all their days, as their father Yacob had commanded them.
14 And it came to pass at the end of many days and years, when the children of Esau were dwelling quietly in their land with Bela their king, that the children of Esau were fruitful and multiplied in the land, and they resolved to go and fight with the sons of Yacob and all Egypt, and to deliver their brother Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, and his men, for they were yet in those days slaves to Yoseph.
15 And the children of Esau sent unto all the children of the east, and they made peace with them, and all the children of the east came unto them to go with the children of Esau to Egypt to battle.
16 And there came also unto them of the people of Angeas, king of Dinhabah, and they also sent unto the children of Ishmael and they also came unto them.
17 And all this people assembled and came unto Seir to assist the children of Esau in their battle, and this camp was very large and heavy with people, numerous as the sand of the sea, about eight hundred thousand men, infantry and cavalry, and all these troops went down to Egypt to fight with the sons of Yacob, and they encamped by Rameses.
Year 2288
18 And Yoseph went forth with his brethren with the mighty men of Egypt, about six hundred men, and they fought with them in the land of Rameses; and the sons of Yacob at that time again fought with the children of Esau, in the fiftieth year of the sons of Yacob going down to Egypt, that is the thirtieth year of the reign of Bela over the children of Esau in Seir.
19 And YAHWEH gave all the mighty men of Esau and the children of the east into the hand of Yoseph and his brethren, and the people of the children of Esau and the children of the east were smitten before Yoseph.
20 And of the people of Esau and the children of the east that were slain, there fell before the sons of Yacob about two hundred thousand men, and their king Bela the son of Beor fell with them in the battle, and when the children of Esau saw that their king had fallen in battle and was dead, their hands became weak in the combat.
21 And Yoseph and his brethren and all Egypt were still smiting the people of the house of Esau, and all Esau's people were afraid of the sons of Yacob and fled from before them.
22 And Yoseph and his brethren and all Egypt pursued them a day's journey, and they slew yet from them about three hundred men, continuing to smite them in the road; and they afterward turned back from them.
23 And Yoseph and all his brethren returned to Egypt, not one man was missing from them, but of the Egyptians there fell twelve men. 24 And when Yoseph returned to Egypt he ordered Zepho and his men to be additionally bound, and they bound them in irons and they increased their grief.
25 And all the people of the children of Esau, and the children of the east, returned in shame each unto his city, for all the mighty men that were with them had fallen in battle.
26 And when the children of Esau saw that their king had died in battle they hastened and took a man from the people of the children of the east; his name was Jobab the son of Zarach, from the land of Botzrah, and they caused him to reign over them instead of Bela their king.
27 And Jobab sat upon the throne of Bela as king in his stead, and Jobab reigned in Edom over all the children of Esau ten years, and the children of Esau went no more to fight with the sons of Yacob from that day forward, for the sons of Esau knew the valor of the sons of Yacob, and they were greatly afraid of them.
28 But from that day forward the children of Esau hated the sons of Yacob, and the hatred and enmity were very strong between them all the days, unto this day.
Year 2297
29 And it came to pass after this, at the end of ten years, Jobab, the son of Zarach, from Botzrah, died, and the children of Esau took a man whose name was Chusham, from the land of Teman, and they made him king over them instead of Jobab, and Chusham reigned in Edom over all the children of Esau for twenty years.
30 And Yoseph, king of Egypt, and his brethren, and all the children of Yisrael dwelt securely in Egypt in those days, together with all the children of Yoseph and his brethren, having no hindrance or evil accident and the land of Egypt was at that time at rest from war in the days of Yoseph and his brethren.

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Jasher, Chapter 57

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.

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Jasher, Chapter 56

Year 2255
1 And Yacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the days of Yacob, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty seven years.
2 At that time Yacob was attacked with that illness of which he died and he sent and called for his son Yoseph from Egypt, and Yoseph his son came from Egypt and Yoseph came unto his father.
3 And Yacob said unto Yoseph and unto his sons, Behold I die, and YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of your ancestors will visit you, and bring you back to the land, which YAHWEH sware to give unto you and unto your children after you, now therefore when I am dead, bury me in the cave which is in Machpelah in Hebron in the land of Canaan, near my ancestors.
4 And Yacob made his sons swear to bury him in Machpelah, in Hebron, and his sons swore unto him concerning this thing.
5 And he commanded them, saying, Serve YAHWEH your ALMIGHTY, for he who delivered your fathers will also deliver you from all trouble.
6 And Yacob said, Call all your children unto me, and all the children of Yacob's sons came and sat before him, and Yacob blessed them, and he said unto them, YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of your fathers shall grant you a thousand times as much and bless you, and may he give you the blessing of your father Abraham; and all the children of Yacob's sons went forth on that day after he had blessed them.
7 And on the next day Yacob again called for his sons, and they all assembled and came to him and sat before him, and Yacob on that day blessed his sons before his death, each man did he bless according to his blessing; behold it is written in the book of the law of YAHWEH appertaining to Yisrael.
8 And Yacob said unto Yahudah, I know my son that you are a mighty man for your brethren; reign over them, and your sons shall reign over their sons forever.
9 Only teach your sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies.
10 And Yacob again commanded his sons on that day, saying, Behold I shall be this day gathered unto my people; carry me up from Egypt, and bury me in the cave of Machpelah as I have commanded you.
11 Howbeit take heed I pray you that none of your sons carry me, only yourselves, and this is the manner you shall do unto me, when you carry my body to go with it to the land of Canaan to bury me,
12 Yahudah, Issachar and Zebulun shall carry my bier at the eastern side; Reuben, Simeon and Gad at the south, Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin at the west, Dan, Asher and Naphtali at the north.
13 Let not Levi carry with you, for he and his sons will carry the ark of the covenant of YAHWEH with the Yisraelites in the camp, neither let Yoseph my son carry, for as a king so let his splendor be; howbeit, Ephraim and Manasseh shall be in their stead.
14 Thus shall you do unto me when you carry me away; do not neglect any thing of all that I command you; and it shall come to pass when you do this unto me, that YAHWEH will remember you favorably and your children after you forever.
15 And you my sons, honor each his brother and his relative, and command your children and your children's children after you to serve YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of your ancestors all the days.
16 In order that you may prolong your days in the land, you and your children and your children's children for ever, when you do what is good and upright in the sight of YAHWEH your ALMIGHTY, to go in all his ways.
17 And you, Yoseph my son, forgive I pray you the prongs of your brethren and all their misdeeds in the injury that they heaped upon you, for YAHWEH intended it for your and your children's benefit.
18 And O my son leave not your brethren to the inhabitants of Egypt, neither hurt their feelings, for behold I consign them to the hand of YAHWEH and in your hand to guard them from the Egyptians; and the sons of Yacob answered their father saying, O, our father, all that you hast commanded us, so will we do; may YAHWEH only be with us.
19 And Yacob said unto his sons, So may YAHWEH be with you when you keep all his ways; turn not from his ways either to the right or the left in performing what is good and upright in his sight.
20 For I know that many and grievous troubles will befall you in the latter days in the land, yea your children and children's children, only serve YAHWEH and he will save you from all trouble.
21 And it shall come to pass when you shall go after YAHWEH to serve him and will teach your children after you, and your children's children, to know YAHWEH, then will YAHWEH raise up unto you and your children a servant from amongst your children, and YAHWEH will deliver you through his hand from all affliction, and bring you out of Egypt and bring you back to the land of your fathers to inherit it securely.
22 And Yacob ceased commanding his sons, and he drew his feet into the bed, he died and was gathered to his people.
23 And Yoseph fell upon his father and he cried out and wept over him and he kissed him, and he called out in a bitter voice, and he said, O my father, my father.
24 And his son's wives and all his household came and fell upon Yacob, and they wept over him, and cried in a very loud voice concerning Yacob.
25 And all the sons of Yacob rose up together, and they tore their garments, and they all put sackcloth upon their loins, and they fell upon their faces, and they cast dust upon their heads toward the heavens.
26 And the thing was told unto Osnath Yoseph's wife, and she rose up and put on a sack and she with all the Egyptian women with her came and mourned and wept for Yacob. 27 And also all the people of Egypt who knew Yacob came all on that day when they heard this thing, and all Egypt wept for many days.
28 And also from the land of Canaan did the women come unto Egypt when they heard that Yacob was dead, and they wept for him in Egypt for seventy days.
29 And it came to pass after this that Yoseph commanded his servants the doctors to embalm his father with myrrh and frankincense and all manner of incense and perfume, and the doctors embalmed Yacob as Yoseph had commanded them.
30 And all the people of Egypt and the elders and all the inhabitants of the land of Goshen wept and mourned over Yacob, and all his sons and the children of his household lamented and mourned over their father Yacob many days.
31 And after the days of his weeping had passed away, at the end of seventy days, Yoseph said unto Pharaoh, I will go up and bury my father in the land of Canaan as he made me swear, and then I will return.
32 And Pharaoh sent Yoseph, saying, Go up and bury your father as he said, and as he made you swear; and Yoseph rose up with all his brethren to go to the land of Canaan to bury their father Yacob as he had commanded them.
33 And Pharaoh commanded that it should be proclaimed throughout Egypt, saying, Whoever goes not up with Yoseph and his brethren to the land of Canaan to bury Yacob, shall die.
34 And all Egypt heard of Pharaoh's proclamation, and they all rose up together, and all the servants of Pharaoh, and the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt went up with Yoseph, and all the officers and nobles of Pharaoh went up as the servants of Yoseph, and they went to bury Yacob in the land of Canaan.
35 And the sons of Yacob carried the bier upon which he lay; according to all that their father commanded them, so did his sons unto him.
36 And the bier was of pure gold, and it was inlaid round about with onyx stones and bdellium; and the covering of the bier was gold woven work, joined with threads, and over them were hooks of onyx stones and bdellium.
37 And Yoseph placed upon the head of his father Yacob a large golden crown, and he put a golden scepter in his hand, and they surrounded the bier as was the custom of kings during their lives.
38 And all the troops of Egypt went before him in this array, at first all the mighty men of Pharaoh, and the mighty men of Yoseph, and after them the rest of the inhabitants of Egypt, and they were all girded with swords and equipped with coats of mail, and the trappings of war were upon them.
39 And all the weepers and mourners went at a distance opposite to the bier, going and weeping and lamenting, and the rest of the people went after the bier.
40 And Yoseph and his household went together near the bier barefooted and weeping, and the rest of Yoseph's servants went around him; each man had his ornaments upon him, and they were all armed with their weapons of war.
41 And fifty of Yacob's servants went in front of the bier, and they strewed along the road myrrh and aloes, and all manner of perfume, and all the sons of Yacob that carried the bier walked upon the perfumery, and the servants of Yacob went before them strewing the perfume along the road.
42 And Yoseph went up with a heavy camp, and they did after this manner every day until they reached the land of Canaan, and they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which was on the other side of Yardan, and they mourned an exceeding great and heavy mourning in that place.
43 And all the kings of Canaan heard of this thing and they all went forth, each man from his house, thirty- one kings of Canaan, and they all came with their men to mourn and weep over Yacob.
44 And all these kings beheld Yacob's bier, and behold Yoseph's crown was upon it, and they also put their crowns upon the bier, and encircled it with crowns.
45 And all these kings made in that place a great and heavy mourning with the sons of Yacob and Egypt over Yacob, for all the kings of Canaan knew the valor of Yacob and his sons.
46 And the report reached Esau, saying, Yacob died in Egypt, and his sons and all Egypt are conveying him to the land of Canaan to bury him.
47 And Esau heard this thing, and he was dwelling in mount Seir, and he rose up with his sons and all his people and all his household, a people exceedingly great, and they came to mourn and weep over Yacob.
48 And it came to pass, when Esau came he mourned for his brother Yacob, and all Egypt and all Canaan again rose up and mourned a great mourning with Esau over Yacob in that place
49 And Yoseph and his brethren brought their father Yacob from that place, and they went to Hebron to bury Yacob in the cave by his fathers.
50 And they came unto Kireath-arba, to the cave, and as they came Esau stood with his sons against Yoseph and his brethren as a hindrance in the cave, saying, Yacob shall not be buried therein, for it belongs to us and to our father.
51 And Yoseph and his brethren heard the words of Esau's sons, and they were exceedingly wroth, and Yoseph approached unto Esau, saying, What is this thing which they have spoken? surely my father Yacob bought it from you for great riches after the death of Yitschaq, now five and twenty years ago, and also all the land of Canaan he bought from you and from your sons, and your seed after you.
52 And Yacob bought it for his sons and his seed after him for an inheritance for ever, and why speak you these things this day?
53 And Esau answered, saying, You speak falsely and utter lies, for I sold not anything belonging to me in all this land, as you sayest, neither did my brother Yacob buy aught belonging to me in this land.
54 And Esau spoke these things in order to deceive Yoseph with his words, for Esau knew that Yoseph was not present in those days when Esau sold all belonging to him in the land of Canaan to Yacob.
55 And Yoseph said unto Esau, Surely my father inserted these things with you in the record of purchase, and testified the record with witnesses, and behold it is with us in Egypt.
56 And Esau answered, saying unto him, Bring the record, all that you wilt find in the record, so will we do.
57 And Yoseph called unto Naphtali his brother, and he said, Hasten quickly, stay not, and run I pray you to Egypt and bring all the records; the record of the purchase, the sealed record and the open record, and also all the first records in which all the transactions of the birth-right are written, fetch you.
58 And you shall bring them unto us hither, that we may know from them all the words of Esau and his sons which they spoke this day.
59 And Naphtali hearkened to the voice of Yoseph and he hastened and ran to go down to Egypt, and Naphtali was lighter on foot than any of the stags that were upon the wilderness, for he would go upon ears of corn without crushing them.
60 And when Esau saw that Naphtali had gone to fetch the records, he and his sons increased their resistance against the cave, and Esau and all his people rose up against Yoseph and his brethren to battle.
61 And all the sons of Yacob and the people of Egypt fought with Esau and his men, and the sons of Esau and his people were smitten before the sons of Yacob, and the sons of Yacob slew of Esau's people forty men.
62 And Chushim the son of Dan, the son of Yacob, was at that time with Yacob's sons, but he was about a hundred cubits distant from the place of battle, for he remained with the children of Yacob's sons by Yacob's bier to guard it.
63 And Chushim was dumb and deaf, still he understood the voice of consternation amongst men.
64 And he asked, saying, Why do you not bury the dead, and what is this great consternation? and they answered him the words of Esau and his sons; and he ran to Esau in the midst of the battle, and he slew Esau with a sword, and he cut off his head, and it sprang to a distance, and Esau fell amongst the people of the battle.
65 And when Chushim did this thing the sons of Yacob prevailed over the sons of Esau, and the sons of Yacob buried their father Yacob by force in the cave, and the sons of Esau beheld it.
66 And Yacob was buried in Hebron, in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the sons of Heth for the possession of a burial place, and he was buried in very costly garments.
67 And no king had such honor paid him as Yoseph paid unto his father at his death, for he buried him with great honor like unto the burial of kings.
68 And Yoseph and his brethren made a mourning of seven days for their father.

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