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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Jasher, Chapter 48

1 In those days, after the death of Yitschaq, YAHWEH commanded and caused a famine upon the whole earth.
2 At that time Pharaoh king of Egypt was sitting upon his throne in the land of Egypt, and lay in his bed and dreamed dreams, and Pharaoh saw in his dream that he was standing by the side of the river of Egypt.
3 And while he was standing he saw and behold seven fat fleshed and well favored kine came up out of the river.
4 And seven other kine, lean fleshed and ill favored, came up after them, and the seven ill favored ones swallowed up the well favored ones, and still their appearance was ill as at first.
5 And he awoke, and he slept again and he dreamed a second time, and he saw and behold seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good, and seven thin ears blasted with the east wind sprang, up after them, and the thin ears swallowed up the full ones, and Pharaoh awoke out of his dream.
6 And in the morning the king remembered his dreams, and his spirit was sadly troubled on account of his dreams, and the king hastened and sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and the wise men, and they came and stood before Pharaoh.
7 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed dreams, and there is none to interpret them; and they said unto the king, relate your dreams to your servants and let us hear them.
8 And the king related his dreams to them, and they all answered and said with one voice to the king, may the king live forever; and this is the interpretation of your dreams.
9 The seven good kine which you didst see denote seven daughters that will be born unto you in the latter days, and the seven kine which you sawest come up after them, and swallowed them up, are for a sign that the daughters which will be born unto you will all die in the life-time of the king.
10 And that which you didst see in the second dream of seven full good ears of corn coming up upon one stalk, this is their interpretation, that you wilt build unto thyself in the latter days seven cities throughout the land of Egypt; and that which you sawest of the seven blasted ears of corn springing up after them and swallowing them up while you didst behold them with your eyes, is for a sign that the cities which you wilt build will all be destroyed in the latter days, in the life-time of the king.
11 And when they spoke these words the king did not incline his ear to their words, neither did he fix his heart upon them, for the king knew in his wisdom that they did not give a proper interpretation of the dreams; and when they had finished speaking before the king, the king answered them, saying, What is this thing that you have spoken unto me? surely you have uttered falsehood and spoken lies; therefore now give the proper interpretation of my dreams, that you may not die.
12 And the king commanded after this, and he sent and called again for other wise men, and they came and stood before the king, and the king related his dreams to them, and they all answered him according to the first interpretation, and the king's anger was kindled and he was very wroth, and the king said unto them, Surely you speak lies and utter falsehood in what you have said.
13 And the king commanded that a proclamation should be issued throughout the land of Egypt, saying, It is resolved by the king and his great men, that any wise man who knows and understands the interpretation of dreams, and will not come this day before the king, shall die.
14 And the man that will declare unto the king the proper interpretation of his dreams, there shall be given unto him all that he will require from the king. And all the wise men of the land of Egypt came before the king, together with all the magicians and sorcerers that were in Egypt and in Goshen, in Rameses, in Tachpanches, in Zoar, and in all the places on the borders of Egypt, and they all stood before the king.
15 And all the nobles and the princes, and the attendants belonging to the king, came together from all the cities of Egypt, and they all sat before the king, and the king related his dreams before the wise men, and the princes, and all that sat before the king were astonished at the vision.
16 And all the wise men who were before the king were greatly divided in their interpretation of his dreams; some of them interpreted them to the king, saying, The seven good kine are seven kings, who from the king's issue will be raised over Egypt.
17 And the seven bad kine are seven princes, who will stand up against them in the latter days and destroy them; and the seven ears of corn are the seven great princes belonging to Egypt, who will fall in the hands of the seven less powerful princes of their enemies, in the wars of our lord the king.
18 And some of them interpreted to the king in this manner, saying, The seven good kine are the strong cities of Egypt, and the seven bad kine are the seven nations of the land of Canaan, who will come against the seven cities of Egypt in the latter days and destroy them.
19 And that which you sawest in the second dream, of seven good and bad ears of corn, is a sign that the government of Egypt will again return to your seed as at first.
20 And in his reign the people of the cities of Egypt will turn against the seven cities of Canaan who are stronger than they are, and will destroy them, and the government of Egypt will return to your seed.
21 And some of them said unto the king, This is the interpretation of your dreams; the seven good kine are seven queens, whom you wilt take for wives in the latter days, and the seven bad kine denote that those women will all die in the lifetime of the king.
22 And the seven good and bad ears of corn which you didst see in the second dream are fourteen children, and it will be in the latter days that they will stand up and fight amongst themselves, and seven of them will smite the seven that are more powerful.
23 And some of them said these words unto the king, saying, The seven good kine denote that seven children will be born to you, and they will slay seven of your children's children in the latter days; and the seven good ears of corn which you didst see in the second dream, are those princes against whom seven other less powerful princes will fight and destroy them in the latter days, and avenge your children's cause, and the government will again return to your seed.
24 And the king heard all the words of the wise men of Egypt and their interpretation of his dreams, and none of them pleased the king.
25 And the king knew in his wisdom that they did not altogether speak correctly in all these words, for this was from YAHWEH to frustrate the words of the wise men of Egypt, in order that Yoseph might go forth from the house of confinement, and in order that he should become great in Egypt.
26 And the king saw that none amongst all the wise men and magicians of Egypt spoke correctly to him, and the king's wrath was kindled, and his anger burned within him.
27 And the king commanded that all the wise men and magicians should go out from before him, and they all went out from before the king with shame and disgrace.
28 And the king commanded that a proclamation be sent throughout Egypt to slay all the magicians that were in Egypt, and not one of them should be suffered to live.
29 And the captains of the guards belonging to the king rose up, and each man drew his sword, and they began to smite the magicians of Egypt, and the wise men.
30 And after this Merod, chief butler to the king, came and bowed down before the king and sat before him.
31 And the butler said unto the king, May the king live forever, and his government be exalted in the land.
32 You wast angry with your servant in those days, now two years past, and didst place me in the ward, and I was for some time in the ward, I and the chief of the bakers.
33 And there was with us a Hebrew servant belonging to the captain of the guard, his name was Yoseph, for his master had been angry with him and placed him in the house of confinement, and he attended us there.
34 And in some time after when we were in the ward, we dreamed dreams in one night, I and the chief of the bakers; we dreamed, each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
35 And we came in the morning and told them to that servant, and he interpreted to us our dreams, to each man according to his dream, did he correctly interpret.
36 And it came to pass as he interpreted to us, so was the event; there fell not to the ground any of his words.
37 And now therefore my lord and king do not slay the people of Egypt for naught; behold that slave is still confined in the house by the captain of the guard his master, in the house of confinement.
38 If it pleases the king let him send for him that he may come before you and he will make known to you, the correct interpretation of the dream which you didst dream.
39 And the king heard the words of the chief butler, and the king ordered that the wise men of Egypt should not be slain.
40 And the king ordered his servants to bring Yoseph before him, and the king said unto them, Go to him and do not terrify him lest he be confused and will not know to speak properly.
41 And the servants of the king went to Yoseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon, and the king's servants shaved him, and he changed his prison garment and he came before the king.
42 And the king was sitting upon his royal throne in a princely dress girt around with a golden ephod, and the fine gold which was upon it sparkled, and the carbuncle and the ruby and the emerald, together with all the precious stones that were upon the king's head, dazzled the eye, and Yoseph wondered greatly at the king.
43 And the throne upon which the king sat was covered with gold and silver, and with onyx stones, and it had seventy steps.
44 And it was their custom throughout the land of Egypt, that every man who came to speak to the king, if he was a prince or one that was estimable in the sight of the king, he ascended to the king's throne as far as the thirty-first step, and the king would descend to the thirty-sixth step, and speak with him.
45 If he was one of the common people, he ascended to the third step, and the king would descend to the fourth and speak to him, and their custom was, moreover, that any man who understood to speak in all the seventy languages, he ascended the seventy steps, and went up and spoke till he reached the king.
46 And any man who could not complete the seventy, he ascended as many steps as the languages which he knew to speak in.
47 And it was customary in those days in Egypt that no one should reign over them, but who understood to speak in the seventy languages.
48 And when Yoseph came before the king he bowed down to the ground before the king, and he ascended to the third step, and the king sat upon the fourth step and spoke with Yoseph.
49 And the king said unto Yoseph, I dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter to interpret it properly, and I commanded this day that all the magicians of Egypt and the wise men thereof, should come before me, and I related my dreams to them, and no one has properly interpreted them to me.
50 And after this I this day heard concerning you, that you are a wise man, and canst correctly interpret every dream that you hearest.
51 And Yoseph answered Pharaoh, saying, Let Pharaoh relate his dreams that he dreamed; surely the interpretations belong to YAHWEH; and Pharaoh related his dreams to Yoseph, the dream of the kine, and the dream of the ears of corn, and the king left off speaking.
52 And Yoseph was then clothed with the spirit of YAHWEH before the king, and he knew all the things that would befall the king from that day forward, and he knew the proper interpretation of the king's dream, and he spoke before the king.
53 And Yoseph found favor in the sight of the king, and the king inclined his ears and his heart, and he heard all the words of Yoseph. And Yoseph said unto the king, Do not imagine that they are two dreams, for it is only one dream, for that which YAHWEH has chosen to do throughout the land he has shown to the king in his dream, and this is the proper interpretation of your dream:
54 The seven good kine and ears of corn are seven years, and the seven bad kine and ears of corn are also seven years; it is one dream.
55 Behold the seven years that are coming there will be a great plenty throughout the land, and after that the seven years of famine will follow them, a very grievous famine; and all the plenty will be forgotten from the land, and the famine will consume the inhabitants of the land.
56 The king dreamed one dream, and the dream was therefore repeated unto Pharaoh because the thing is established by YAHWEH, and YAHWEH will shortly bring it to pass.
57 Now therefore I will give you counsel and deliver your soul and the souls of the inhabitants of the land from the evil of the famine, that you seek throughout your kingdom for a man very discreet and wise, who knows all the affairs of government, and appoint him to superintend over the land of Egypt.
58 And let the man whom you placest over Egypt appoint officers under him, that they gather in all the food of the good years that are coming, and let them lay up corn and deposit it in your appointed stores.
59 And let them keep that food for the seven years of famine, that it may be found for you and your people and your whole land, and that you and your land be not cut off by the famine.
60 Let all the inhabitants of the land be also ordered that they gather in, every man the produce of his field, of all sorts of food, during the seven good years, and that they place it in their stores, that it may be found for them in the days of the famine and that they may live upon it.
61 This is the proper interpretation of your dream, and this is the counsel given to save your soul and the souls of all your subjects.
62 And the king answered and said unto Yoseph, Who says and who knows that your words are correct? And he said unto the king, This shall be a sign for you respecting all my words, that they are true and that my advice is good for you.
63 Behold your wife sits this day upon the stool of delivery, and she will bear you a son and you wilt rejoice with him; when your child shall have gone forth from his mother's womb, your first born son that has been born these two years back shall die, and you wilt be comforted in the child that will be born unto you this day.
64 And Yoseph finished speaking these words to the king, and he bowed down to the king and he went out, and when Yoseph had gone out from the king's presence, those signs which Yoseph had spoken unto the king came to pass on that day.
65 And the queen bare a son on that day and the king heard the glad tidings about his son, and he rejoiced, and when the reporter had gone forth from the king's presence, the king's servants found the first born son of the king fallen dead upon the ground.
66 And there was great lamentation and noise in the king's house, and the king heard it, and he said, What is the noise and lamentation that I have heard in the house? and they told the king that his first born son had died; then the king knew that all Yoseph's words that he had spoken were correct, and the king was consoled for his son by the child that was born to him on that day as Yoseph had spoken.

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Jasher, Chapter 46

1 In those days Yoseph was still confined in the prison house in the land of Egypt.
2 At that time the attendants of Pharaoh were standing before him, the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers which belonged to the king of Egypt.
3 And the butler took wine and placed it before the king to drink, and the baker placed bread before the king to eat, and the king drank of the wine and ate of the bread, he and his servants and ministers that ate at the king's table.
4 And while they were eating and drinking, the butler and the baker remained there, and Pharaoh's ministers found many flies in the wine, which the butler had brought, and stones of nitre were found in the baker's bread.
5 And the captain of the guard placed Yoseph as an attendant on Pharaoh's officers, and Pharaoh's officers were in confinement one year.
6 And at the end of the year, they both dreamed dreams in one night, in the place of confinement where they were, and in the morning Yoseph came to them to attend upon them as usual, and he saw them, and behold their countenances were dejected and sad.
7 And Yoseph asked them, Why are your countenances sad and dejected this day? and they said unto him, We dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it; and Yoseph said unto them, Relate, I pray you, your dream unto me, and YAHWEH shall give you an answer of peace as you desire.
8 And the butler related his dream unto Yoseph, and he said, I saw in my dream, and behold a large vine was before me, and upon that vine I saw three branches, and the vine speedily blossomed and reached a great height, and its clusters were ripened and became grapes.
9 And I took the grapes and pressed them in a cup, and placed it in Pharaoh's hand and he drank; and Yoseph said unto him, The three branches that were upon the vine are three days.
10 Yet within three days, the king will order you to be brought out and he will restore you to your office, and you shall give the king his wine to drink as at first when you wast his butler; but let me find favor in your sight, that you shall remember me to Pharaoh when it will be well with you, and do kindness unto me, and get me brought forth from this prison, for I was stolen away from the land of Canaan and was sold for a slave in this place.
11 And also that which was told you concerning my master's wife is false, for they placed me in this dungeon for naught; and the butler answered Yoseph, saying, If the king deal well with me as at first, as you last interpreted to me, I will do all that you desirest, and get you brought out of this dungeon.
12 And the baker, seeing that Yoseph had accurately interpreted the butler's dream, also approached, and related the whole of his dream to Yoseph.
13 And he said unto him, In my dream I saw and behold three white baskets upon my head, and I looked, and behold there were in the upper-most basket all manner of baked meats for Pharaoh, and behold the birds were eating them from off my head.
14 And Yoseph said unto him, The three baskets which you didst see are three days, yet within three days Pharaoh will take off your head, and hang you upon a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh from off you, as you sawest in your dream.
15 In those days the queen was about to be delivered, and upon that day she bare a son unto the king of Egypt, and they proclaimed that the king had gotten his first born son and all the people of Egypt together with the officers and servants of Pharaoh rejoiced greatly.
16 And upon the third day of his birth Pharaoh made a feast for his officers and servants, for the hosts of the land of Zoar and of the land of Egypt.
17 And all the people of Egypt and the servants of Pharaoh came to eat and drink with the king at the feast of his son, and to rejoice at the king's rejoicing.
18 And all the officers of the king and his servants were rejoicing at that time for eight days at the feast, and they made merry with all sorts of musical instruments, with timbrels and with dances in the king's house for eight days.
19 And the butler, to whom Yoseph had interpreted his dream, forgot Yoseph, and he did not mention him to the king as he had promised, for this thing was from YAHWEH in order to punish Yoseph because he had trusted in man.
20 And Yoseph remained after this in the prison house two years, until he had completed twelve years.

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