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The First Book of Moshe [Moses], called Bereshith [Genesis]






Chapter 1

1 The Beginner created the gods [elohim], the heavens [universe], and the earth. [Jubilees 2:2]

2 The earth was waste and void, darkness was upon the face of the deep. The Spirit of Yahwah moved upon the face of the waters.

3 Yahwah said: Let there be light. And there was light.

4 Yahwah saw the light, that it was good. Yahwah divided the light from the darkness.

5 Yahwah called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. There was evening [night] and there was morning [day], one day.

6 Yahwah said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 Yahwah made the firmament, and divided the waters under the firmament from the waters above the firmament. And it was so.

8 Yahwah called the firmament Heaven. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9 Yahwah said: Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so.

10 Yahwah called the dry land Earth. The gathering together of the waters He called Seas. Yahwah saw it was good.

11 Yahwah said: Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind (with seed within) upon the earth. And it was so.

12 The earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with the seed within, after their kind. Yahwah saw it was good.

13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14 Yahwah said: Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night. Let them be for signs, for seasons, and for days and years.

15 Let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth. And it was so.

16 Yahwah made the two great lights. The greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

17 Yahwah set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. Yahwah saw it was good.

19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20 Yahwah said: Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 Yahwah created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind; and every winged bird after its kind. Yahwah saw it was good.

22 Yahwah blessed them, saying: Be fruitful, multiply, fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.

23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24 Yahwah said: Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind; cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind. And it was so.

25 Yahwah made the beasts of the earth after their kind, the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground after its kind. Yahwah saw it was good.

26 Yahwah said: I will make man in my image, after my likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

27 Yahwah created man in His own image. He created him in the image of Yahwah. He created them male and female.

28 Yahwah blessed them. Yahwah said to them: Be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.

29 Yahwah said: Behold, I give you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. To you it is food.

30 To every beast of the earth, to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, in which there is life, I give every green herb for food. And it was so.

31 Yahwah saw everything He made. Behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Chapter 2

1 The heavens and the earth were finished, all the host of them.

2 On the seventh day Yahwah finished His work He made, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work He made.

3 Yahwah blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it, because in it He rested from all His work Yahwah created and made.

4 Such is the story of the heaven and of the earth when they were created.

Genesis Part Two

4b In the day Yahwah made earth and heaven,

5 no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up, for Yahwah had not caused it to rain upon the earth. There was no man to till the ground.

6 A mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

7 Yahwah formed man of the dust of the ground, breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living creature.

8 Yahwah planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there He put the man He formed.

9 Yahwah made to grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life was in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river went out of Eden to water the garden, from there it was parted, and became four heads.

11 The name of the first is Pishon, that is it which compasses the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

12 The gold of that land is good, [also] there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

13 The name of the second river is Gihon, the same it is [which] compasses the whole land of Cush.

14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel, that is it which goes in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 Yahwah took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it, and to keep it.

16 Yahwah commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.

17 But, you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day you eat thereof you will surely die.

18 Yahwah said: It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper appropriate for him.

19 Out of the ground Yahwah formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name of it.

20 The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field. But for man there was not found a helper suitable for him.

21 Yahwah caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept. He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead.

22 The rib Yahwah took from the man He made into a woman, and brought her to the man.

23 The man said: This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 A man will leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife, and they will be one flesh.

25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Chapter 3

1 The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field Yahwah made. He said to the woman: Indeed. Did Yahwah say: You will not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 The woman said to the serpent: Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat.

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, Yahwah said: Do not eat of it, neither you touch it, unless you die.

4 The serpent said to the woman: You will not surely die.

5 Yahwah knows your eyes will be opened in the day you eat of it, and you will be as a god, knowing good and evil.

6 The woman saw the tree was good for food, it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to make one wise. She took of the fruit, and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 The eyes of them both were opened, and they knew they were naked. They sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8 They heard the voice of Yahwah walking in the garden in the cool of the day. The man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahwah among the trees of the garden.

9 Yahwah called to the man, and said to him: Where are you?

10 He said: I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I am naked. So I hid myself.

11 He said: Who told you you are naked? Did you eat of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?

12 The man said: The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.

13 Yahwah said to the woman: What is this you did? The woman said: The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.

14 Yahwah said to the serpent: Because you did this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. You will go upon your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life. [Isaiah 65:25]

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.

16 To the woman He said: I will greatly multiply your pain and your conception. In pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be to your husband, and he will rule over you.

17 To Adam He said: You hearkened to the voice of your wife. You ate of the tree of which I commanded you, saying: You will not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

18 Thorns and thistles it will bring forth to you. You will eat the herb of the field.

19 In the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. Dust you are, and to dust you will return.

20 The man called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all living.

21 Yahwah made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.

22 Yahwah said: Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. Now, so he can not put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Yahwah sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.

24 So He drove out the man. He placed Cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to protect the way of the tree of life.

Chapter 4

1 The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, bore Cain, and said: I got a man with the help of Yahwah.

2 Again she bore his brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3 In process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to Yahwah.

4 Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. Yahwah had respect to Abel and to his offering.

5 But to Cain and to his offering He did not respect. Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6 Yahwah said to Cain: Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen?

7 If you do well, shall it not be lifted up? And if you do not well, sin waits at the door. To you will be its desire, but you rule over it.

8 Cain told Abel his brother. It came to pass when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and killed him.

9 Yahwah said to Cain: Where is Abel your brother? He said: I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?

10 He said: What did you do? The voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the ground.

11 Now cursed are you from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

12 When you till the ground, it will not yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth.

13 Cain said to Yahwah: My punishment is greater than I can bear.

14 Behold, you drove me out today from the face of the ground, and I will be hid from your face. I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. It will come to pass whosoever finds me will kill me.

15 Yahwah said to him: Whosoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold. Yahwah appointed a sign for Cain, unless any finding him should smite him.

16 Cain went out from the presence of Yahwah, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

17 Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and bore Enoch. Cain built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.

18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begat Mehujael, and Mehujael begat Methushael, and Methushael begat Lamech.

19 Lamech took to him two wives, the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

20 Adah bore Jabal, he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and have cattle.

21 His brother's name was Jubal, he was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.

22 Zillah bore Tubal-cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

23 Lamech said to his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, hearken to my speech. I killed a man [Cain] for wounding me, and a young man for bruising me.

24 If Cain will be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

25 Adam knew his wife again. She bore a son, and called his name Seth. She said: Yahwah appointed me another seed instead of Abel. For Cain killed him.

26 To Seth also there was born a son, and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the Name of Yahwah [An].

Chapter 5

Genesis Part Three

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day Yahwah created man, He made him in the likeness [image] of Yahwah.

2 Male and female He created them, blessed them, and called their name Adam in the day they were created.

3 Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth.

4 After he begat Seth the days of Adam were eight hundred years, and he begat sons and daughters.

5 All the days Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

6 Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enosh.

7 Seth lived after he begat Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

8 All the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

9 Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan.

10 Enosh lived after he begat Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

11 All the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

12 Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalalel.

13 Kenan lived after he begat Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters.

14 All the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

15 Mahalalel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared.

16 Mahalalel lived after he begat Yared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

17 All the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety and five years, and he died.

18 Yared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and begat Enoch.

19 Yared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

20 All the days of Yared were nine hundred sixty and two years, and he died.

21 Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah.

22 Enoch walked with Yahwah after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

23 All the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years.

24 Enoch walked with Yahwah, and he was not, for Yahwah took him.

25 Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech.

26 Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters.

27 All the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years, and he died.

28 Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son.

29 He called his name Noah, saying: This same will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, which comes because of the ground Yahwah cursed.

30 Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters.

31 All the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years, and he died.

32 Noah was five hundred years old. Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Yahphet.

Chapter 6

1 Indeed, it came to pass that mankind defiled and profaned the face of the earth. A great quantity of daughters were born to them.

2 The sons of Yahwah saw the daughters of men, they were fair, and they took wives of all they chose.

3 Yahwah said: My spirit will not strive with man for ever, since he is flesh. His days will be a hundred and twenty years [till the Flood].

4 The nephilim [fallen ones] were in the earth in those days (and also after that) when the sons of Yahwah came to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. The same were the mighty men of old, the men of renown.

5 Yahwah saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 Yahwah regretted that He made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.

7 Yahwah said: I will destroy from the face of the ground man whom I created. Man, and with him the beast, creeping things, and birds of the heavens. It repents me that I made man.

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahwah.

Genesis Part Four

9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations. Noah walked with Yahwah.

10 Noah begat three sons: Shem, Ham, and Yahphet.

11 The earth was corrupt before Yahwah, the earth was filled with violence.

12 Yahwah saw the earth. Behold, it was corrupt. All flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

13 Yahwah said to Noah: The end of all flesh is come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14 Make you an ark of gopher wood. Rooms you will make in the ark, and pitch it within and without with pitch.

15 This is how you will make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

16 A light you will make to the ark, and to a cubit you will finish it upward. Set the door of the ark in the side thereof. With lower, second, and third stories you will make it.

17 Behold, I bring a flood of waters upon this earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life. Everything in the earth will die.

18 I will establish my covenant with you. You will come into the ark. You, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

19 You will bring into the ark two of every sort of every living thing of all flesh, to keep them alive with you. They will be male and female.

20 Of the birds after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive.

21 Take to you of all food that is eaten, and gather it to you. It will be for food for you, and for them.

22 Thus did Noah. According to all Yahwah commanded him, so he did.

Chapter 7

1 Yahwah said to Noah: Come you and all your house into the ark, for you I see righteous before Me in this generation.

2 Of every clean beast you will take to you seven and seven, the male and his female. Of the beasts that are not clean two, the male and his female.

3 Of the birds of the heavens, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

4 In seven days I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights. Every living thing I made I will destroy from off the face of the ground.

5 Noah did according to all Yahwah commanded him.

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

7 Noah went in, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

8 Of clean beasts, of beasts that are not clean, of birds, and of everything that creeps upon the ground,

9 there went in two and two to Noah into the ark, male and female, as Yahwah commanded Noah.

10 It came to pass after the seven days, the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

12 The rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

Genesis Part Five

13 In the selfsame day Noah, Shem, Ham, Yahphet, the sons of Noah, Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ark.

14 They, every beast after its kind, all the cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.

15 They went in to Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh in which is the breath of life.

16 Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as Yahwah commanded him, and shut him in.

17 The flood was forty days upon the earth. The waters increased, bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth.

18 The waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth. The ark went upon the face of the waters.

19 The waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth. All the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.

20 Fifteen cubits upward the waters prevailed, and the mountains were covered.

21 All flesh died that moved upon the earth, both birds, cattle, beasts, every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth, and every man.

22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died.

23 Every living thing was destroyed that was upon the face of the ground: both man, cattle, creeping things, and birds of the heavens. They were destroyed from the earth. Noah only was left, and those who were with him in the ark.

24 The waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

Chapter 8

1 Yahwah remembered Noah, all the beasts, and all the cattle with him in the ark. Yahwah made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters retreated.

2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.

3 The waters returned from off the earth continually. After the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.

4 The ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

5 The waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

6 It came to pass at the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark he made.

7 He sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.

8 He sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground.

9 The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot. She returned to him to the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. He put forth his hand, took her, and brought her in to him into the ark.

10 He stayed another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.

11 The dove came in to him at evening. Lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf plucked off. So Noah knew the waters were abated from off the earth.

12 He stayed yet another seven days, and sent forth the dove. She did not return again to him any more.

13 It came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked. Behold, the face of the ground was dried.

14 In the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, the earth was dry.

15 Yahwah spoke to Noah, saying:

16 Go forth from the ark; you, your wife, your sons, and your sons' wives with you.

17 Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, both birds, cattle, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. They may breed abundantly in the earth, be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

18 Noah went forth, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him.

19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatsoever moves upon the earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark.

20 Noah built an altar to Yahwah. He took of every clean beast, every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar.

21 Yahwah smelled the sweet savor, and said in His heart: I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, even though the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I again smite everything living anymore, as I did.

22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night, will not cease.

Chapter 9

1 Yahwah blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.

2 The fear of you and the dread of you is upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the heavens. All of which the ground teems, and all the fishes of the sea, into your hand they are delivered.

3 Every moving thing that lives is food for you. As the green herb I give you all.

4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, you will not eat.

5 Surely your blood, the blood of your lives, I will require. At the hand of every beast I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man.

6 Whoso sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man. In the image of Yahwah He made man.

7 Be fruitful, and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

8 Yahwah spoke to Noah, and to his sons with him, saying:

9 Behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you.

10 And with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you. Of all that go out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.

11 I establish my covenant with you. Never will all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, never will there be a flood to destroy the earth any more.

12 Yahwah said: This is the token of the covenant I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations.

13 I set my [rain]bow in the cloud, it is for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.

14 It will come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, the [rain]bow will be seen in the cloud.

15 I will remember my covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will not become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 The [rain]bow will be in the cloud. I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between Yahwah and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17 Yahwah said to Noah: This is the token of the covenant I establish between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Yahphet. Ham is the father of Canaan.

19 These three were the sons of Noah, and of these the whole earth was overspread.

20 Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard.

21 He drank of the wine, and was drunken. He was uncovered within his tent.

22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of [sodomized] his father, and told his two brothers outside.

23 Shem and Yahphet took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backward, they did not see their father's nakedness.

24 Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son did to him.

25 He said: Cursed is Canaan. A servant of servants he will be to his brothers.

26 He said: Blessed of Yahwah is Shem, let Canaan be his servant.

27 Yahwah enlarge Yahphet, let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.

28 Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.

29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Chapter 10

Genesis Part Six

1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah; namely, of Shem, Ham, and Yahphet. Sons were born to them after the flood.

2 The sons of Yahphet: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Yavan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

4 The sons of Yavan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

5 Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one separate tounges after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

6 The sons of Ham [Khem]: Cush, Mizraim [Egypt], Put, and Canaan.

7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan.

8 Cush begat Nimrod [AKA: Amraphel, Izdubar, Lord, Baal, Adonis, Adonai, Saint Nicolas, Santa Claus, etc. Nimrod means: we will rebel. He founded the religion of Babylon, and built the Tower of Babel. His wife was the evil god Easter, who the Babylonians worship to this day]. He began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9 He was a tyrant who deceived, who turned against Yahwah. Therefore it is said: Like Nimrod the tyrant who deceived, who turned against Yahwah.

10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech [Uruk of Gilgamesh], Accad [Akkad], and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [Sumer] (that is, Babylon).

11 After being made strong he went forth out of that land, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah,

12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city).

13 Mizraim begat Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,

14 Pathrusim, Casluhim (whence went forth the Philistines), and Caphtorim.

15 Canaan begat Sidon his first-born, Heth,

16 the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite,

17 the Hivite, the Arkite, the Sinite,

18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were spread abroad.

19 The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, to Gaza (as you go the Promised Land toward Gerar), and to Lasha (as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim).

20 These are the sons of Ham [Khem], after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.

21 To Shem (the father of all the children of Eber), the elder brother of Yahphet, to him also children were born.

22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur [Assyria], Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram [Syria].

23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

24 Arpachshad begat Shelah. Shelah begat Eber [Hebrew means: descendant of Eber].

25 Two sons were born to Eber. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan.

26 Joktan begat Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

30 Their dwelling was from Mesha, as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.

31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. The nations were divided of these in the earth after the Flood.

Chapter 11

Genesis Part Seven

1 The whole earth was of one language, and of one speech [Sumerian].

2 It came to pass as they journeyed east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar [Sumer], and they dwelt there.

3 They said one to another: Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. They had brick for stone, and slime they had for mortar.

4 They said: Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach to heaven. Let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

5 Yahwah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.

6 Yahwah said: Behold, they are one people, they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them which they purpose to do.

7 Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

8 So Yahwah scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

9 The name of it was called Babel, because Yahwah confounded the language of all the earth there, and scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth.

10 These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begat Arpachshad two years after the flood.

11 Shem lived five hundred years after he begat Arpachshad, and begat sons and daughters.

12 Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begat Shelah.

13 Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he begat Shelah, and begat sons and daughters.

14 Shelah lived thirty years, and begat Eber.

15 Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he begat Eber, and begat sons and daughters.

16 Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg.

17 Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he begat Peleg, and begat sons and daughters.

18 Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu.

19 Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he begat Reu, and begat sons and daughters.

20 Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug.

21 Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he begat Serug, and begat sons and daughters.

22 Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor.

23 Serug lived two hundred years after he begat Nahor, and begat sons and daughters.

24 Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah.

25 Nahor lived a hundred and nineteen years after he begat Terah, and begat sons and daughters.

26 Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begat Lot.

28 Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

29 Abram and Nahor took them wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai. The name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

30 Sarai was barren. She had no child.

31 Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. They went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran, and dwelt there.

32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Chapter 12

1 Yahwah said to Abram: Get out of your country [Sumer], from your kindred, and from your father's house, to the land I will show you.

2 I will make a great nation of you. I will bless you, make your name great, and be a blessing to you.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed in you.

4 Abram went as Yahwah spoke to him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

5 Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother's son, all their substance they had gathered, and the souls they got in Haran. They went forth to go into the land of Canaan [child of Ham]. They came into the Promised Land, the land of Canaan [which was already promised to the children of Shem].

6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanite was in the land then.

7 Yahwah appeared to Abram, and said: I give this land to your seed. There he built an altar to Yahwah who appeared to him.

8 He removed from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Ai on the east. He built an altar there to Yahwah, and called upon the Name of Yahwah.

9 Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.

10 There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was sore in the land.

11 It came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife: Behold, I know you are a fair woman to look upon.

12 It will come to pass when the Egyptians shall see you they will say: This is his wife. They will kill me, but they will save you alive.

13 I pray you, say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, that my soul may live because of you.

14 It came to pass when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman, that she was very fair.

15 The princes of Pharaoh saw her, praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

16 He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, he-asses, she-asses, men-servants, maid-servants, and camels.

17 Yahwah plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

18 Pharaoh called Abram, and said: What is this you did to me? Why did you not tell me she is your wife?

19 Why did you say: She is my sister; so that I took her to be my wife? Behold your wife, take her, go your way.

20 Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him. They brought him on the way, his wife, and all he had.

Chapter 13

1 Abram went up out of Egypt into the South, he, his wife, all he had, and Lot with him.

2 Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

3 He went on his journeys from the South even to Beth-el, to the place where his tent was at the beginning, between Beth-el and Ai,

4 to the place of the altar, which he made there at the first. Abram called on the Name of Yahwah there.

5 Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents.

6 The land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together. Their substance was great, so they could not dwell together.

7 There was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt in the land then.

8 Abram said to Lot: Let there be no strife, I pray you, between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.

9 Is the whole land not before you? Separate yourself from me, I pray you. If you will take the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you take the right hand, I will go to the left.

10 Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of the Yordan [Jordan River]. It was well watered everywhere before Yahwah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahwah, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar.

11 So Lot chose him all the Plain of the Yordan. Lot journeyed east. They separated themselves the one from the other.

12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan. Lot dwelt in the cities of the Plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

13 The men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners against Yahwah exceedingly.

14 Yahwah said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him: Lift up your eyes, look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward, and westward.

15 I give to you all the land you see, and to your seed, for ever.

16 I will make your seed as the dust of the earth. If a man can number the dust of the earth, then your seed may also be numbered.

17 Arise, walk through the land, in the length of it, and in the breadth of it. I give it to you.

18 Abram moved his tent, came, dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to Yahwah.

Chapter 14

1 It came to pass in the days of Amraphel [Nimrod] king of Shinar [Sumer], Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of the Goyim [nations],

2 made war with Bera king of Sodom, with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar).

3 All these joined together in the vale of Siddim (now the Salt Sea).

4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer came, and the kings who were with him. He smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,

6 and the Horites in their mount Seir, to Elparan, which is by the wilderness.

7 They returned, and came to En-mishpat (the same is Kadesh), and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon-tamar.

8 There went out the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar). They set the battle in array against them in the vale of Siddim,

9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar [Babylon], and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings against the five.

10 The vale of Siddim was full of asphalt [bitumen] pits. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there. Those who remained fled to the mountain.

11 The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, all their victuals, and went their way.

12 They took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13 One who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew [descendant of Eber]. He dwelt by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and these were also confederate with Abram.

14 When Abram heard his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan.

15 He divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and killed [the four kings and all with] them. He pursued them to Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

16 He brought back all the goods. He also brought back his brother Lot, his goods, the women also, and the people.

17 The king of Sodom went out to meet him at the vale of Shaveh (the same is the King's Vale), after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and the kings who were with him.

18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine. He was priest of An Most High.

19 He blessed him, saying: Blessed is Abram of An Most High, maker of heaven and earth.

20 Blessed is An Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand. He [Abraham] gave him [Melchizedek] a tenth [tithe] of all.

21 The king of Sodom said to Abram: Give me the persons, and take the goods to yourself.

22 Abram said to the king of Sodom: I lifted up my hand to An [YHWH] Most High, possessor of heaven and earth.

23 I will not take a thread, nor a shoe-latchet, nor anything that is yours, so you cannot say: I made Abram rich.

24 Save only that which the young men ate, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their portion.

Chapter 15

1 After these things the Word of Yahwah came to Abram in a vision, saying: Do not fear, Abram. I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward.

2 Abram said: O Yahwah, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, he who will be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?

3 Abram said: Behold, you have given no seed to me. Lo, one born in my house is my heir.

4 Behold, the Word of Yahwah came to him, saying: This man will not be your heir. He who comes forth out of your own bowels will be your heir.

5 He brought him forth abroad, and said: Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. He said to him: So your seed will be.

6 He believed in Yahwah. And He reckoned it to him for righteousness.

7 He said to him: I am Yahwah who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.

8 He said: O Yahwah, how will I know I will inherit it?

9 He said to him: Take me a heifer three years old, a she-goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.

10 He took all these, divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other. But the birds he did not divide.

11 The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

12 When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram. Lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.

13 He said to Abram: Know of a surety your seed will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.

14 I will judge that nation they serve. Afterward they will come out with great substance.

15 You will go to your fathers in peace, you will be buried in a good old age.

16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.

17 It came to pass, the sun went down and it was dark. Behold, a smoking furnace, a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

18 In that day Yahwah made a covenant with Abram, saying: I give this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.

19 The Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite,

20 the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim,

21 the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.

Chapter 16

1 Abram's wife Sarai bore him no children. She had a handmaid, an Egyptian whose name was Hagar.

2 Sarai said to Abram: Behold, Yahwah restrained me from bearing. I pray you, Go in to my handmaid. It may be I will obtain children by her. Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

3 Abram dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.

4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw she conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

5 Sarai said to Abram: My wrong is upon you. I gave my handmaid into your bosom, and when she saw she conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Judge between me and you.

6 Abram said to Sarai: Behold, your maid is in your hand. Do to her that which is good in your eyes. Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.

7 The malak [messenger, servant, angel, god] of Yahwah found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

8 He said: Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, where do you come from? And where do you go? She said: I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai.

9 The malak of Yahwah said to her: Return to your mistress, submit yourself under her hands.

10 The malak of Yahwah said to her: I will greatly multiply your seed, it will not be numbered for multitude.

11 The malak of Yahwah said to her: Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son. You will call his name Ishmael, because Yahwah heard your affliction.

12 He will be as a wild ass among men. His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him. He will dwell over against all his brothers.

13 She called the name of him who spoke to her: El-Who-Is-Seen. She said: Have I even here seen Him who sees me?

14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15 Hagar bore Abram a son. Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

16 Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Chapter 17

1 Yahwah appeared to Abram when Abram was ninety years old and nine, and said to him: I am An Shaddai [Yah Almighty]. Walk before Me, and be perfect.

2 I make my covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.

3 Abram fell on his face. Yahwah talked with him, saying:

4 As for Me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.

5 Neither will your name be called Abram any more, your name will be Abraham. I made you the father of a multitude of nations.

6 I will make you exceeding fruitful. I will make nations of you, kings will come out of you.

7 I establish my covenant between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a Father to you, and to your seed after you.

8 I give the land of your sojournings to you, and to your seed after you, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their Father.

9 Yahwah said to Abraham: As for you, you will keep my covenant, you, and your seed after you throughout their generations.

10 This is my covenant you will keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you will be circumcised.

11 You will be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a token of a covenant between Me and you.

12 He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner that is not of your seed.

13 He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must need to be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off from his people, he broke my covenant.

15 Yahwah said to Abraham: As for Sarai your wife, you will not call her name Sarai. Sarah [Princess] is her name.

16 I will bless her, moreover I will give you a son of her. Yea, I bless her. She will be a mother of nations, kings of peoples will be of her.

17 Abraham fell upon his face, laughed, and said in his heart: Will a child be born to him who is a hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear?

18 Abraham said to Yahwah: Oh that Ishmael might live before you!

19 Yahwah said: Nay, Sarah your wife will bear you a son. You will call his name Yitzchaq [Isaac]. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

20 As for Ishmael, I heard you. Behold, I blessed him, will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

21 I will establish my covenant with Yitzchaq, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time in the next year.

22 He left off talking with him, and Yahwah went up from Abraham.

23 Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin that same day, as Yahwah said to him.

24 Abraham was ninety years old and nine when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25 Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26 In the selfsame day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

27 All the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Chapter 18

1 Yahwah appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.

2 He lifted up his eyes, and looked. Lo, three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth.

3 He said: Yahwah, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass away, I pray you, from your servant.

4 Let a little water be fetched. Wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

5 I will fetch a morsel of bread, and you strengthen your heart. After that you will pass on, forasmuch as you are come to your servant. They said: As you said, do so.

6 Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said: Quickly make three measures of fine meal ready, knead it, and make cakes.

7 Abraham ran to the herd, fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it to the servant. He hasted to dress it.

8 He took butter, milk, and the calf he dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

9 They said to him: Where is Sarah your wife? He said: Behold, in the tent.

10 He said: I will certainly return to you when the season comes round. Lo, Sarah your wife will have a son. Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well stricken in age. It had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12 Sarah laughed within herself, saying: Will I have pleasure after I am turned old, my master being old also?

13 Yahwah said to Abraham: Why did Sarah laugh, saying; Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?

14 Is anything too hard for Yahwah? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son.

15 Then Sarah denied, saying: I did not laugh. For she was afraid. He said: Nay, but you did laugh.

16 The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

17 Yahwah said: Will I hide from Abraham that which I do,

18 seeing Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth are blessed in him?

19 I know him. He will command his children and his household after him to the end, that they keep The Way of Yahwah, to do righteousness and justice; to bring upon Abraham that which He spoke of him.

20 Yahwah said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, their sin is very grievous.

21 I will go down and see whether they did altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to me. If not, I will know.

22 The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom. Abraham stood yet before Yahwah.

23 Abraham drew near, and said: Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?

24 What if there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you consume, and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are there?

25 That is far from you to do after this manner, to kill the righteous with the wicked. Then the righteous would be as the wicked. That is far from you. Shall the Judge of all the earth not do right?

26 Yahwah said: If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake.

27 Abraham answered, and said: Behold, I who am but dust and ashes took upon me to speak to Yahwah.

28 What if there lacks five of the fifty righteous. Will you destroy all the city for lack of five? He said: I will not destroy it, if I find forty and five there.

29 He spoke to Him yet again, and said: What if there are forty found there. He said: I will not do it for the forty's sake.

30 He said: Oh let Yahwah not be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there. He said: I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

31 He said: Behold now, I took upon me to speak to the Creator. What if there are twenty found there. He said: I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.

32 He said: Oh let Yahwah not be angry, and I will speak but yet this once. What if ten are found there. He said: I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.

33 Yahwah went His way, as soon as He left off communing with Abraham. Abraham returned to his place.

Chapter 19

1 The two malaks came to Sodom at evening. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them. He bowed himself with his face to the earth.

2 He said: Behold, my masters, turn aside I pray you, into your servant's house. Wash your feet, and tarry all night. You can rise up early, and go on your way. They said: Nay. We will abide in the street all night.

3 He urged them greatly. They turned in to him, and entered into his house. He made them a feast, baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, both young and old, even the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, all the people from every quarter.

5 They called to Lot, and said to him: Where are the men who came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them [carnally].

6 Lot went out to them to the door, and shut the door after him.

7 He said: I pray you, my brothers, do not so wickedly.

8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known man. I pray you, let me bring them out to you, and you do to them as is good in your eyes. Only do nothing to these men, forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.

9 They said: Stand back. And they said: This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he acts like our judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them. They pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door.

10 The men [malaks] put forth their hand, brought Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.

11 They smote the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so they wearied themselves to find the door.

12 The men said to Lot: Have you here any besides? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomsoever you have in the city, bring them out of the place.

13 We will destroy this place. The cry of them is waxed great before Yahwah, and Yahwah sent us to destroy it.

14 Lot went out, spoke to his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said: Up, get you out of this place. Yahwah will destroy the city. But he seemed to his sons-in-law as one who mocked.

15 When morning arose, the malaks hurried Lot, saying: Arise, take your wife, and your two daughters who are here, unless you are consumed in the iniquity of the city.

16 But he lingered. The men laid hold upon his hand, upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, being merciful to him. They brought him forth, and set him outside the city.

17 It came to pass, when they brought them forth abroad, he said: Escape for your life. Do not look behind you, nor stay in all the Plain. Escape to the mountain, or you will be consumed.

18 Lot said to them: Oh, not so, my lord.

19 Behold, your servant found favor in your sight. You magnified your lovingkindness, which you showed to me in saving my life. I cannot escape to the mountain, unless evil overtake me, and I die.

20 Behold, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one. Oh let me escape there (is it not a little one?), and my soul will live.

21 He said to him: See, I accept you concerning this thing also, I will not overthrow the city of which you speak.

22 Hurry, escape there. I cannot do anything till you come there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came to Zoar.

24 Then Yahwah rained brimstone and fire upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah from Yahwah out of heaven. [Yasher 19:51]

25 He overthrew those cities, all the Plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

26 His [Lot's] wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

27 Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before.

28 He looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld. Lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.

29 It came to pass, when Yahwah destroyed the cities of the Plain, Yahwah remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the middle of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities Lot dwelt in.

30 Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar. He dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

31 The first-born said to the younger: Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth.

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

33 They made their father drink wine that night. The first-born went in, and had sex with her father. He did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose.

34 It came to pass on the morrow, the first-born said to the younger: Behold, I lay lastnight with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. You go in, and have sex with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

35 They made their father drink wine that night also. The younger arose, and lay with him. He did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose.

36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

37 The first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab. The same is the father of the Moabites to this day.

38 The younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Benammi. The same is the father of the children of Ammon to this day.

Chapter 20

1 Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.

2 Abraham said of Sarah his wife: She is my sister. Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

3 Yahwah came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him: Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman you took. She is a man's wife.

4 Now Abimelech did not come near her. He said: Will you kill a righteous nation?

5 Did he not himself say to me: She is my sister? She, even she herself said: He is my brother. I did this in the integrity of my heart, and the innocency of my hands.

6 Yahwah said to him in the dream: Yea, I know you did this in the integrity of your heart, and I withheld you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not allow you to touch her.

7 Now restore the man's wife. He is a prophet, he will pray for you, and you will live. If you do not restore her, know you will surely die, you, and all that are yours.

8 Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. The men were sore afraid.

9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him: What did you do to us? When did I sin against you, that you brought a great sin on me, and on my kingdom? You did deeds to me that ought not be done.

10 Abimelech said to Abraham: What did you see, that you did this thing?

11 Abraham said: I thought surely the fear of Yahwah is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife's sake.

12 Moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

13 It came to pass, when Yahwah caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her: This is your kindness you will show to me. At every place we come, say of me: He is my brother.

14 Abimelech took sheep, oxen, men-servants, and women-servants, gave them to Abraham, and restored to him Sarah his wife.

15 Abimelech said: Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you.

16 He said to Sarah: Behold, I gave your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes to all who are with you. You are righted in respect of all.

17 Abraham prayed to Yahwah. Yahwah healed Abimelech, his wife, and his maid-servants. They bore children.

18 Yahwah had tightly closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

Chapter 21

1 Yahwah visited Sarah as He said, and did to Sarah as He spoke.

2 Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which Yahwah spoke to him.

3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, Yitzchaq [Isaac], whom Sarah bore to him.

4 Abraham circumcised his son Yitzchaq when he was eight days old, as Yahwah commanded him.

5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Yitzchaq was born to him.

6 Sarah said: Yahwah made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me.

7 She said: Who would have said to Abraham, that Sarah should give children suck? I bore him a son in his old age.

8 The child grew, and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day Yitzchaq was weaned.

9 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian mocking, whom she bore to Abraham.

10 Therefore she said to Abraham: Cast out this handmaid and her son. For the son of this handmaid will not be heir with my son, even with Yitzchaq.

11 The thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son.

12 Yahwah said to Abraham: Let it not be grievous in your sight because of the lad, and because of your handmaid. In all Sarah says to you, hearken to her voice. In Yitzchaq your seed is called.

13 Also I will make a nation of the son of the handmaid, because he is your seed.

14 Abraham rose up early in the morning, took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. He gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

15 The water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16 She went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot. She said: Let me not look upon the death of the child. She sat over opposite him, lifted up her voice, and wept.

17 Yahwah heard the voice of the lad. The malak of Yahwah called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her: What ails you, Hagar? Do not fear. Yahwah heard the voice of the lad where he is.

18 Arise, lift up the lad, hold him in your hand. I will make him a great nation.

19 Yahwah opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

20 Yahwah was with the lad, and he grew. He dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer as he grew up.

21 He dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. His mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

22 It came to pass at that time Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spoke to Abraham, saying: Yahwah is with you in all you do.

23 Therefore swear to me here by Yahwah you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. You will do to me according to the kindness I did to you, and to the land wherein you sojourned.

24 Abraham said: I so swear.

25 Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants took away violently.

26 Abimelech said: I do not know who did this thing. You did not tell me, nor have I heard of it, until today.

27 Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech. They two made a covenant.

28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

29 Abimelech said to Abraham: What do these seven ewe lambs which you set by themselves mean?

30 He said: These seven ewe lambs you will take of my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.

31 Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba. Because they swore there both of them.

32 So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba. Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called on the Name of Yahwah there, the Everlasting Father.

34 Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

Chapter 22

1 It came to pass after these things, Yahwah tested Abraham, and said to him: Abraham. He said: Here I am.

2 He said: Take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Yitzchaq, and get you into the land of Moriyah. Offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains I will tell you of.

3 Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his ass, took two of his young men with him, and Yitzchaq his son. He chopped the wood for the burnt-offering, rose up, and went to the place Yahwah told him.

4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

5 Abraham said to his young men: Abide here with the ass. I and the lad will go yonder. We will worship, and come to you again.

6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Yitzchaq his son. He took the fire in his hand, and the knife. They went both of them together.

7 Yitzchaq spoke to Abraham his father, and said: My father. He said: Here I am, my son. He said: Behold, the fire, and the wood. Where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?

8 Abraham said: Yahwah will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering Himself, my son. So they went both of them together.

9 They came to the place Yahwah told him of. Abraham built the altar there, laid the wood in order, bound Yitzchaq his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

10 Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.

11 The malak of Yahwah called to him out of heaven, and said: Abraham, Abraham. He said: Here I am.

12 He said: Do not lay your hand upon the lad, nor do anything to him. Now I know you fear Yahwah, seeing you did not withhold your son, your only son, from Me.

13 Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. Behold, behind him, a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went, took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering instead of his son.

14 Abraham called the name of that place Yireh. As it is said to this day: In the mount of it will be provided.

15 The malak of Yahwah called to Abraham a second time out of heaven.

16 Yahwah said: By myself I swear, because you did this thing, and did not withhold your son, your only son.

17 In blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand upon the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.

18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed in your seed, because you obeyed my voice.

19 Abraham returned to his young men, they rose up, and went together to Beer-sheba. Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

20 It came to pass after these things, it was told Abraham, saying: Behold, Milcah, she bore children to your brother Nahor.

21 Uz his first-born, Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram.

22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

23 Bethuel begat Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.

24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Chapter 23

1 The life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years. These were the years of the life of Sarah.

2 Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

3 Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the children of Heth, saying:

4 I am a stranger, a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

5 The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him:

6 Hear us, my master. You are a prince of Yahwah among us. Bury your dead in the choice of our sepulchres. None of us will withhold his sepulchre from you, that you may bury your dead.

7 Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.

8 He communed with them, saying: If it is your mind I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me. Plead for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. Let him give it to me for the full price in the midst of you for a possession of a burying-place.

10 Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying:

11 Nay, my master, hear me. I give you the field, and the cave that is in it, I give it to you. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.

12 Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land.

13 He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying: But if you will, I pray you, hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.

14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him:

15 My master, hearken to me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.

16 Abraham hearkened to Ephron. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver he named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof round about,

18 were made sure to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

19 After this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan.

20 The field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure to Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the children of Heth.

Chapter 24

1 Abraham was old, well stricken in age. Yahwah blessed Abraham in all things.

2 Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all he had: I pray you, put your hand under my thigh.

3 I make you swear by Yahwah, Master of the heaven and of the earth, you will not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.

4 You will go to my country, to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Yitzchaq.

5 The servant said to him: Maybe the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I bring your son again to the land from where you came?

6 Abraham said to him: Beware, do not bring my son there again.

7 Yahwah of heaven took me from my father's house, from the land of my nativity, spoke to me, and swore to me, saying: I give this land to your seed. He will send His malak before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.

8 If the woman is not willing to follow you, you will be clear from this my oath. Only you will not bring my son there again.

9 The servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 The servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed, having all goodly things of his master's in his hand. He arose, and went to Mesopotamia [Aram-naharain = Syria of the two rivers], to the city of Nahor.

11 He made the camels to kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time women go out to draw water.

12 He said: O, the Father of my master Abraham, I pray you, send me good speed today, show kindness to my master Abraham.

13 Behold, I am standing by the fountain of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14 Let it come to pass, the damsel to whom I say: Let down your pitcher, I pray you, that I may drink. She will say: Drink, and I will give your camels drink also. Let the same be she you appointed for your servant Yitzchaq. By this I will know you showed kindness to my master.

15 It came to pass, before he was done speaking, behold. Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

16 The damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her. She went down to the fountain, filled her pitcher, and came up.

17 The servant ran to meet her, and said: I pray you, give me a little water from your pitcher to drink.

18 She said: Drink, my master. She hasted, let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

19 When she was done giving him drink, she said: I will draw for your camels also, until they are done drinking.

20 She hasted, emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.

21 The man looked stedfastly on her, holding his peace, to know whether Yahwah made his journey prosperous or not.

22 It came to pass, when the camels were done drinking, the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold.

23 He said: Whose daughter are you? Tell me, I pray you. Is there room in your father's house for us to lodge in?

24 She said to him: I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.

25 She said moreover to him: We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

26 The man bowed his head, and worshipped.

27 He said: Blessed is Yahwah, the Father of my master Abraham, who did not forsake His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master. As for me, Yahwah led me in the way to the house of my master's brothers.

28 The damsel ran, and told her mother's house according to these words.

29 Rebekah had a brother, his name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man, to the fountain.

30 (It came to pass, he saw the ring, and the bracelets upon his sister's hands. He heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying: Thus spoke the man to me.) He came to the man. Behold, he was standing by the camels at the fountain.

31 He said: Come in, you blessed of Yahwah. Why do you stand outside? I prepared the house, and room for the camels.

32 The man came into the house, and he ungirded the camels. He gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who were with him.

33 There was food set before him to eat. But he said: I will not eat until I tell my errand. He said: Speak on.

34 He said: I am Abraham's servant.

35 Yahwah blessed my master greatly. He is become great. He gave him flocks and herds, silver and gold, men-servants and maid-servants, camels and asses.

36 Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old. He gave all he has to him.

37 My master made me swear, saying: You will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell.

38 You will go to my father's house, to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.

39 I said to my master: What if the woman will not follow me?

40 He said to me: Yahwah, before whom I walk, will send His malak with you and prosper your way. You will take a wife for my son of my kindred, of my father's house.

41 Then you will be clear from my oath, when you come to my kindred. If they do not give her to you, you will be clear from my oath.

42 I came today to the fountain, and said: O, the Father of my master Abraham, prosper my way where I go.

43 Behold, I am standing by the fountain of water. Let it come to pass, the maiden who comes forth to draw, to whom I say: I pray you, give me a little water to drink from your pitcher.

44 She will say to me: Drink, I will also draw for your camels. Let the same be the woman Yahwah appointed for my master's son.

45 Before I was done speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder. She went down to the fountain, and drew. I said to her: Let me drink, I pray you.

46 She made haste, let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said: Drink. I will give your camels drink also. So I drank, and she made the camels drink also.

47 I asked her, and said: Whose daughter are you? She said: The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him. I put the ring upon her nose, and the bracelets upon her hands.

48 I bowed my head, worshipped, and blessed Yahwah, the Father of my master Abraham, who led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son.

49 If you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. If not, tell me. I will turn to the right hand, or to the left.

50 Laban and Bethuel answered, and said: The thing proceeds from Yahwah. We cannot speak to you bad or good.

51 Behold, Rebekah is before you, take her, and go. Let her be your master's son's wife, as Yahwah spoke.

52 It came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth to Yahwah.

53 The servant brought forth jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

54 They ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and tarried all night. They rose up in the morning, and he said: Send me away to my master.

55 Her brother and her mother said: Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten. After that she will go.

56 He said to them: Do not hinder me, seeing Yahwah prospered my way. Send me away, that I may go to my master.

57 They said: We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.

58 They called Rebekah, and said to her: Will you go with this man? She said: I will go.

59 They sent away Rebekah their sister, with her nurse, Abraham's servant, and his men.

60 They blessed Rebekah, and said to her: Our sister, be you the mother of thousands of ten thousands, let your seed possess the gate of those who hate them.

61 Rebekah and her damsels arose, they rode upon the camels, and followed the man. The servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

62 Yitzchaq came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi. For he dwelt in the land of the South.

63 Yitzchaq went out to meditate in the field in the evening. He lifted up his eyes, and saw. Behold, there were camels coming.

64 Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Yitzchaq, she alighted from the camel.

65 She said to the servant: What man is this who walks in the field to meet us? The servant said: It is my master. She took her veil, and covered herself.

66 The servant told Yitzchaq all the things he did.

67 Yitzchaq brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her. Yitzchaq was comforted after his mother's death.

Chapter 25

1 Abraham took another wife, her name was Keturah.

2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

3 Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

4 The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

5 Abraham gave all he had to Yitzchaq.

6 Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines he had [Hagar and Keturah]. He sent them away from Yitzchaq his son, while he yet lived, eastward, to the east country.

7 These are the days of the years of Abraham's life he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen years.

8 Abraham gave up the spirit, and died in a good old age, an old man, full of years, and was gathered to his people.

9 Yitzchaq and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre.

10 That field Abraham purchased from the children of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.

11 It came to pass after the death of Abraham, Yahwah blessed Yitzchaq his son. Yitzchaq dwelt by Beer-lahai-roi.

Genesis Part Eight

12 These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bore to Abraham.

13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the first-born of Ishmael, Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

16 These are the sons of Ishmael. These are their names by their villages, and by their encampments. Twelve princes according to their nations.

17 These are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years. He gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people.

18 They dwelt from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He abode over against all his brothers.

19 These are the generations of Yitzchaq, Abraham's son. Abraham begat Yitzchaq.

20 Yitzchaq was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan-aram [Mesopotamia, Syria], the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife.

21 Yitzchaq entreated for his wife, because she was barren. He was entreated of Him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

22 The children struggled together within her. She said: If it is so, why do I live? She went to inquire of Yahwah.

23 Yahwah said to her: Two nations are in your womb, two peoples will be separated from your bowels. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger.

24 When her days were fulfilled to be delivered, behold, there were twins in her womb.

25 The first came forth red all over like a hairy garment. They called his name Esau.

26 After that his brother came forth, his hand had hold on Esau's heel. His name was called Yaacob [Jacob]. Yitzchaq was threescore years old when she bore them.

27 The boys grew. Esau was a skilful hunter, a man of the field. Yaacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.

28 Yitzchaq loved Esau, because he ate of his venison. Rebekah loved Yaacob.

29 Yaacob boiled pottage. Esau came in from the field, and he was faint.

30 Esau said to Yaacob: I pray you, feed me with that same red pottage. For I am faint. Therefore his name was called Edom.

31 Yaacob said: Sell me your birthright first.

32 Esau said: Behold, I am about to die. What profit is the birthright to me?

33 Yaacob said: Swear to me first. He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Yaacob.

34 Yaacob gave Esau bread, and pottage of lentils. He ate, drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.

Chapter 26

1 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Yitzchaq went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

2 Yahwah appeared to him, and said: Do not go down into Egypt. Dwell in the land I tell you of.

3 Sojourn in this land. I will be with you, and will bless you. I give all these lands to you, and to your seed. I establish the oath I swore to Abraham your father.

4 I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and give all these lands to your seed. All the nations of the earth will be blessed in your seed,

5 because Abraham obeyed my voice, kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

6 Yitzchaq dwelt in Gerar.

7 The men of the place asked him of his wife. He said: She is my sister. He feared to say: My wife. He said: Maybe the men of the place will kill me for Rebekah. Because she was fair to look upon.

8 It came to pass, when he was there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window, and saw. Behold, Yitzchaq was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

9 Abimelech called Yitzchaq, and said: Behold, of a surety she is your wife. How do you say: She is my sister? Yitzchaq said to him: Because I said, unless I die because of her.

10 Abimelech said: What is this you did to us? One of the people might easily have had sex with your wife, and you would have brought guiltiness upon us.

11 Abimelech charged all the people, saying: He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.

12 Yitzchaq sowed in that land, and found in the same year a hundredfold. Yahwah blessed him.

13 The man waxed great, and grew more and more until he became very great.

14 He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.

15 The Philistines stopped and filled with earth all the wells his father's servants dug, in the days of Abraham his father.

16 Abimelech said to Yitzchaq: Go from us. You are much mightier than we.

17 Yitzchaq departed there, camped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18 Yitzchaq dug again the wells of water they dug in the days of Abraham his father. The Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. He called their names after the names his father called them.

19 Yitzchaq's servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

20 The herdsmen of Gerar contended with Yitzchaq's herdsmen, saying: The water is ours. He called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.

21 They dug another well, and they contended for that also. He called the name of it Sitnah.

22 He removed from there, and dug another well. They did not strive for that. He called the name of it Rehoboth. He said: Yahwah made room for us, we will be fruitful in the land.

23 He went up from there to Beer-sheba.

24 Yahwah appeared to him the same night, and said: I am the Father of Abraham your father. Do not fear. I am with you. I bless you, and multiply your seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

25 He built an altar there, called upon the Name of Yahwah, and pitched his tent there. Yitzchaq's servants dug a well there.

26 Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his host.

27 Yitzchaq said to them: Why are you come to me, seeing you hate me, and sent me away from you?

28 They said: We plainly see Yahwah is with you. We said: Let there be an oath between us, even between us and you, let us make a covenant with you.

29 You will do us no hurt, as we did not touch you, and as we did nothing but good to you, and sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of Yahwah.

30 He made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

31 They rose up in the morning, and swore one to another. Yitzchaq sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32 It came to pass the same day, Yitzchaq's servants came and told him concerning the well they dug, and said to him: We found water.

33 He called it Shibah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35 They were a grief of mind to Yitzchaq and to Rebekah.

Chapter 27

1 It came to pass, Yitzchaq was old. His eyes were dim, so he could not see. He called Esau his elder son, and said to him: My son. He said to him: Here I am.

2 He said: Behold, I am old, I do not know the day of my death.

3 I pray, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow. Go out to the field, and take me venison.

4 Make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat. So my soul may bless you before I die.

5 Rebekah heard Yitzchaq speak to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, to bring it.

6 Rebekah spoke to Yaacob her son, saying: Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother.

7 He said: Bring me venison. Make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before before my death.

8 My son, obey my voice according to what I command you.

9 Go now to the flock, fetch me two good kids of the goats from there. I will make them savory food for your father, such as he loves.

10 You will bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he will bless you before his death.

11 Yaacob said to Rebekah his mother: Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

12 My father might feel me, and I will seem to him as a deceiver. I will bring a curse upon me, not a blessing.

13 His mother said to him: Your curse is upon me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go fetch me the kids.

14 He went, fetched, and brought them to his mother. His mother made savory food, such as his father loved.

15 Rebekah took the goodly garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Yaacob her younger son.

16 She put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck.

17 She gave the savory food and the bread, which she prepared, into the hand of her son Yaacob.

18 He came to his father, and said: My father. He said: Here I am. Who are you, my son?

19 Yaacob said to his father: I am Esau your first-born. I did according as you bade me. Arise, I pray you, sit, and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me.

20 Yitzchaq said to his son: How is it you found it so quickly, my son? He said: Because Yahwah helped me.

21 Yitzchaq said to Yaacob: Come near, I pray you, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are my very son Esau or not.

22 Yaacob went near to Yitzchaq his father. He felt him, and said: The voice is Yaacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

23 He did not discern him, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him.

24 He said: Are you my very son Esau? He said: I am.

25 He said: Bring it near to me. I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless you. He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank.

26 His father Yitzchaq said to him: Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

27 He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, blessed him, and said: See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Yahwah blessed.

28 Yahwah give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, plenty of grain, and new wine.

29 Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brothers, let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed is everyone who curses you, and blessed is everyone who blesses you.

30 It came to pass, as soon as Yitzchaq made an end of blessing Yaacob, and Yaacob was yet barely gone out from the presence of Yitzchaq his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31 He also made savory food, and brought it to his father. He said to his father: Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that your soul may bless me.

32 Yitzchaq his father said to him: Who are you? He said: I am your son, your first-born, Esau.

33 Yitzchaq trembled very exceedingly, and said: Who then is he who took venison, and brought it to me? I ate of all before you came, and blessed him. Yea, and he is blessed.

34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said to his father: Bless me, even me also, O my father.

35 He said: Your brother came with guile, and took away your blessing.

36 He said: Is he not rightly named Yaacob? He supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. Behold, now he took away my blessing. He said: Have you not reserved a blessing for me?

37 Yitzchaq answered, and said to Esau: Behold, I made him your master, and I gave all his brothers to him for servants. I sustained him with grain and new wine. What will I do for you, my son?

38 Esau said to his father: Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

39 Yitzchaq his father answered, and said to him: Behold, your dwelling will be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above.

40 You will live by your sword, you will serve your brother. It will come to pass you will break loose, you will shake his yoke from off your neck.

41 Esau hated Yaacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart: The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Yaacob.

42 The words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah. She sent, called Yaacob her younger son, and said to him: Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself as touching you, purposing to kill you.

43 My son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother, to Haran.

44 Tarry with him a few days, until your brother's fury turn away.

45 Your brother's anger will turn away from you, and he'll forget what you did to him. Then I will send, and fetch you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?

46 Rebekah said to Yitzchaq: I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Yaacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?

Chapter 28

1 Yitzchaq called Yaacob, blessed him, charged him, and said to him: You will not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father. Take a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.

3 Yahwah Shaddai bless you, make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples.

4 May He give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you. May you inherit the land of your sojournings, which Yahwah gave to Abraham.

5 Yitzchaq sent Yaacob away. He went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Yaacob's and Esau's mother.

6 Esau saw Yitzchaq bless Yaacob and send him away to Paddan-aram, to take a wife from there. As he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying: You will not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

7 Yaacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram.

8 Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please Yitzchaq his father.

9 Esau went to Ishmael, and besides the wives he had, took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

10 Yaacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.

11 He lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set. He took one of the stones of the place, put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12 He dreamed. Behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. Behold, the malaks of Yahwah ascending and descending on it.

13 Behold, Yahwah stood above it, and said: I am Yahwah, the Father of Abraham your father, and the Father of Yitzchaq. I give the land on which you lie to you, and to your seed.

14 Your seed will be as the dust of the earth. You will spread abroad to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. All the families of the earth will be blessed in you and in your seed.

15 Behold, I am with you. I will keep you, wheresoever you go, and will bring you into this land again. I will not leave you until I do what I spoke to you of.

16 Yaacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said: Surely Yahwah is in this place. And I did not know it.

17 He was afraid, and said: How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of Yahwah, this is the gate of heaven.

18 Yaacob rose up early in the morning, took the stone he had under his head, set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

19 He called the name of that place Beth-el. But the name of the city was Luz at the first.

20 Yaacob vowed a vow, saying: If Yahwah will be with me, will keep me in this way that I go, will give me bread to eat, clothes to put on,

21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and will be my Father,

22 then this stone I set up for a pillar will be Yahwah's house. Of all you give me I will surely give the tenth to you.

Chapter 29

1 Yaacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.

2 He looked. Behold, a well in the field. Lo, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. Out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone upon the well's mouth was great.

3 All the flocks were gathered there. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in its place.

4 Yaacob said to them: My brothers, where are you from? They said: We are of Haran.

5 He said to them: Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? They said: We know him.

6 He said to them: Is it well with him? They said: It is well. Behold, Rachel his daughter comes with the sheep.

7 He said: Lo, it is yet high day, it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, go and feed them.

8 They said: We cannot. Until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep.

9 While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep. For she kept them.

10 It came to pass, Yaacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother. Yaacob went near, rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

11 Yaacob kissed Rachel, lifted up his voice, and wept.

12 Yaacob told Rachel he was her father's brother, he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

13 It came to pass, Laban heard the tidings of Yaacob his sister's son. He ran to meet him, embraced him, kissed him, and brought him to his house. He told Laban all these things.

14 Laban said to him: Surely you are my bone and my flesh. He abode with him the space of a month.

15 Laban said to Yaacob: You are my brother, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?

16 Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

17 Leah's eyes were tender [shy, autistic]. Rachel was beautiful, and well favored.

18 Yaacob loved Rachel. He said: I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.

19 Laban said: It is better that I give her to you, than I give her to another man. Abide with me.

20 Yaacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

21 Yaacob said to Laban: Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.

22 Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

23 It came to pass in the evening, he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.

24 Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

25 It came to pass in the morning, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban: What is this you did to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why did you beguile me?

26 Laban said: It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.

27 Fulfil the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service you will serve with me yet seven other years.

28 Yaacob did so, and fulfilled her week (honeymoon). He gave him Rachel his daughter to wife.

29 Laban gave Bilhah his handmaid to Rachel his daughter to be her handmaid.

30 He went in also to Rachel. He loved Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

31 Yahwah saw Leah was hated, and he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren.

32 Leah conceived, bore a son, and she called his name Reuben. She said: Yahwah looked upon my affliction. Now my husband will love me.

33 She conceived again, bore a son, and said: Yahwah heard I am hated, therefore He gave me this son also. She called his name Simeon.

34 She conceived again, bore a son, and said: Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I bore him three sons. His name was called Levi.

35 She conceived again, bore a son, and she said: This time I will praise. Therefore she called his name Yahudah [Judah]. She left off bearing.

Chapter 30

1 Rachel saw she bore Yaacob no children. Rachel envied her sister. She said to Yaacob: Give me children, or else I die.

2 Yaacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said: Am I in Yahwah's stead, who withheld the fruit of the womb from you?

3 She said: Behold, my maid Bilhah, go in to her. She may bear upon my knees, and I may obtain children by her.

4 She gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife, and Yaacob went in to her.

5 Bilhah conceived, and bore Yaacob a son.

6 Rachel said: Yahwah judged me. He heard my voice, and gave me a son. She called his name Dan.

7 Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again, and bore Yaacob a second son.

8 Rachel said: I wrestled with my sister with mighty wrestlings, and prevailed. She called his name Naphtali.

9 Leah saw she left off bearing. She took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Yaacob to wife.

10 Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Yaacob a son.

11 Leah said: Fortunate! She called his name Gad.

12 Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Yaacob a second son.

13 Leah said: Happy am I! The daughters will call me happy. She called his name Asher.

14 Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah: I pray you, give me your son's mandrakes.

15 She said to her: Is it a small matter you took away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also? Rachel said: He will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes.

16 Yaacob came from the field in the evening. Leah went out to meet him, and said: You must come in to me. I surely hired you with my son's mandrakes. He lay with her that night.

17 Yahwah hearkened to Leah, she conceived, and bore Yaacob a fifth son.

18 Leah said: Yahwah gave me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. She called his name Issachar.

19 Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Yaacob.

20 Leah said: Yahwah endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will dwell with me, because I bore him six sons. She called his name Zebulun.

21 Afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

22 Yahwah remembered Rachel. Yahwah hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

23 She conceived, and bore a son, and said: Yahwah took away my reproach.

24 She called his name Yahusef [Joseph], saying: Add to me another son.

25 It came to pass, when Rachel bore Yahusef, Yaacob said to Laban: Send me away, that I may go to my own place, to my country.

26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I served you, and let me go. You know my service with which I have served you.

27 Laban said to him: If now I have found favor in your eyes, tarry. I divine Yahwah blessed me for your sake.

28 He said: Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.

29 He said to him: You know how I served you, and how your cattle fared with me.

30 You had little before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. Yahwah blessed you wheresoever I turned. When will I provide for my own house also?

31 He said: What will I give you? Yaacob said: You will not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will feed your flock again, and keep it.

32 I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. Of such will be my hire.

33 So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, will be counted stolen if found with me.

34 Laban said: Behold, I want it to be according to your word.

35 He removed that day the he-goats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

36 He set three days' journey between himself and Yaacob. Yaacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

37 Yaacob took him rods of fresh poplar, of the almond, and of the plane-tree. He peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

38 He set the rods he peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink.

39 The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted.

40 Yaacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked, and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart, and did not put them to Laban's flock.

41 It came to pass, whensoever the stronger of the flock conceived, Yaacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

42 When the flock were feeble, he did not put them in. So the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Yaacob's.

43 The man increased exceedingly. He had large flocks, maid-servants, men-servants, camels, and asses.

Chapter 31

1 He heard the words of Laban's sons, saying: Yaacob took away all that was our father's. He got all this glory of what was our father's.

2 Yaacob beheld the countenance of Laban. Behold, it was not toward him as beforetime.

3 Yahwah said to Yaacob: Return to the land of your fathers, and to your kindred. I will be with you.

4 Yaacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock.

5 He said to them: I see your father's countenance, it is not toward me as beforetime, but the Father of my father is with me.

6 You know I served your father with all my power.

7 Your father deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but Yahwah did not allow him to hurt me.

8 If he said thus: The speckled are your wages. Then all the flock bore speckled. If he said thus: The ringstreaked are your wages. Then all the flock bore ringstreaked.

9 Yahwah took away the cattle of your father, and gave them to me.

10 It came to pass at the time the flock conceive, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream. Behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled.

11 The malak of Yahwah said to me in the dream: Yaacob. I said: Here I am.

12 He said: Lift up your eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I saw all Laban does to you.

13 I am Yahwah of Beth-el, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to Me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your nativity.

14 Rachel and Leah answered, and said to him: Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

15 Are we not accounted by him as foreigners? He sold us, and quite devoured our money.

16 All the riches Yahwah took away from our father is ours and our children's. Now then, do whatsoever Yahwah said to you.

17 Yaacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels.

18 He carried away all his cattle, all his substance he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to Yitzchaq his father to the land of Canaan.

19 Laban was gone to shear his sheep. Rachel stole the teraphim [idols] that were her father's.

20 Yaacob stole away unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him he fled.

21 He fled with all he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

22 On the third day it was told Laban that Yaacob was fled.

23 He took his brothers with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.

24 Yahwah came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said to him: Take heed to yourself that you not speak to Yaacob either good or bad.

25 Laban came up with Yaacob. Yaacob had pitched his tent in the mountain. Laban encamped in the mountain of Gilead with his brothers.

26 Laban said to Yaacob: What did you do? You secretly stole away from me, and carried away my daughters as captives of the sword?

27 Why did you flee secretly, steal away from me, and did not tell me, that I might send you away with mirth, with songs, with tabret, and with harp?

28 You did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? You did foolishly.

29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt. But the Father of your father spoke to me lastnight, saying: Take heed to yourself you not speak to Yaacob either good or bad.

30 You want to be gone, because you long sorely after your father's house, yet why did you steal my gods?

31 Yaacob answered, and said to Laban: Because I was afraid. I said: Unless you take your daughters from me by force.

32 With whomsoever you find your idols, he will not live. Our brothers can find what is yours with me, and take it to you. Yaacob did not know Rachel stole them.

33 Laban went into Yaacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants, but he did not find them. He went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.

34 Rachel took the teraphim, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat upon them. Laban felt about all the tent, but did not find them.

35 She said to her father: Let my master not be angry that I cannot rise up before you. The manner of women is upon me. He searched, but did not find the teraphim.

36 Yaacob was angry, and teased Laban. Yaacob answered, and said to Laban: What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you hotly pursued after me?

37 You felt about all my stuff, what did you find of all your household stuff? Set it here before my brothers and your brothers, that they may judge between us two.

38 These twenty years I was with you. Your ewes and your she-goats did not cast their young, and I did not eat the rams of your flocks.

39 That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

40 Thus I was. The drought consumed me in the day, the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

41 These twenty years I was in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. You changed my wages ten times.

42 Except the Father of my father, the Father of Abraham, and the Fear of Yitzchaq, was with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty. Yahwah saw my affliction, the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.

43 Laban answered, and said to Yaacob: The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all you see is mine. What can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children they bore?

44 Come, let us make a covenant, I and you. Let it be for a witness between me and you.

45 Yaacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

46 Yaacob said to his brothers: Gather stones. They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap.

47 Laban called it Jegar-saha-dutha, but Yaacob called it Galeed.

48 Laban said: This heap is witness between me and you today. The name of it was called Galeed,

49 and Mizpah, for he said: Watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.

50 If you afflict my daughters, and if you take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us. See, Yahwah is witness between me and you.

51 Laban said to Yaacob: Behold this heap, behold the pillar I set between me and you.

52 This heap is witness, and the pillar is witness. I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

53 The Father of Abraham, the Father of Nahor, the Father of their father, judge between us. Yaacob swore by the Father of his father Yitzchaq.

54 Yaacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brothers to eat bread. They ate bread, and tarried all night in the mountain.

55 Laban rose up early in the morning, kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed, and returned to his place.

Chapter 32

1 Yaacob went on his way, and the malaks of Yahwah met him.

2 When he saw them Yaacob said: This is Yahwah's host. He called the name of that place Mahanaim.

3 Yaacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.

4 He commanded them, saying: Thus you say to my master Esau; Thus says your servant Yaacob; I sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now.

5 I have oxen, asses, flocks, men-servants, and maidservants. I sent to tell my master, that I may find favor in your sight.

6 The messengers returned to Yaacob, saying: We came to your brother Esau. He comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him.

7 Yaacob was greatly afraid, and was distressed. He divided the people who were with him, the flocks, the herds, and the camels, into two companies.

8 He said: If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the company which is left can escape.

9 Yaacob said: O Father of my father Abraham, and Father of my father Yitzchaq. O Yahwah, you said to me: Return to your country, and to your kindred, I will do you good.

10 I am not worthy of the least of all the lovingkindnesses, and of all the truth, which you showed to your servant. I passed over this Yordan with my staff, and now I am become two companies.

11 I pray, deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau. I fear him, unless he come and smite me, the mother with the children.

12 You said: I will surely do you good, and make your seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

13 He lodged there that night, and took of what he had with him a present for Esau his brother.

14 Two hundred she-goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams,

15 thirty milch camels, their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty she-asses, and ten foals.

16 He delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants: Pass over before me, put a space between drove and drove.

17 He commanded the foremost, saying: When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, saying; Whose are you? Where do you go? Whose are these before you?

18 You say: They are your servant Yaacob's. It is a present sent to my master Esau. Behold, he is behind us.

19 He commanded also the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying: In this manner speak to Esau, when you find him.

20 You say: Behold, your servant Yaacob is behind us. He said: I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Maybe he will accept me.

21 So the present passed over before him, he himself lodged in the company that night.

22 He rose up that night, took his two wives, his two handmaids, his eleven children, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok.

23 He took them, sent them over the stream, and sent over what he had.

24 Yaacob was left alone. A man wrestled with him there until the breaking of the day.

25 When He saw He did not prevail against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh. The hollow of Yaacob's thigh was strained, as He wrestled with him.

26 He said: Let me go, the day breaks. He said: I will not let you go, except you bless me.

27 He said to him: What is your name? He said: Yaacob.

28 He said: Your name is not Yaacob [Jacob] anymore, but Yisrayah [Israel]. You contended with Yahwah, and with men, and prevailed.

29 Yaacob asked Him, and said: I pray you, tell me your Name. He said: Why is it you ask after my Name? He blessed him there.

30 Yaacob called the name of the place Peniel. He said: I saw Yahwah face to face, and my life is preserved.

31 The sun rose upon him as he passed over Penuel, and he limped upon his thigh.

32 Therefore the children of Yisrayah do not eat the sinew of the hip which is upon the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because He touched the hollow of Yaacob's thigh in the sinew of the hip.

Chapter 33

1 Yaacob lifted up his eyes, and looked. Behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children to Leah, to Rachel, and to the two handmaids.

2 He put the handmaids and their children foremost, Leah and her children after, with Rachel and Yahusef in the rear.

3 He passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

4 Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.

5 He lifted up his eyes, saw the women and the children, and said: Who are these with you? He said: The children Yahwah graciously gave your servant.

6 The handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

7 Leah and her children also came near, and bowed themselves. Yahusef and Rachel came near, and they bowed themselves.

8 He said: What do you mean by all this company I met? He said: To find favor in the sight of my master.

9 Esau said: I have enough, my brother. Let what you have be yours.

10 Yaacob said: Nay, I pray you. If I found favor in your sight, receive my present at my hand. Forasmuch as I see your face as one sees the face of Yahwah, and you were pleased with me.

11 I pray you, take my gift that is brought to you. Yahwah dealt graciously with me, I have enough. He urged him, and he took it.

12 He said: Let us take our journey, let us go, and I will go before you.

13 He said to him: My master knows the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with me have their young. If they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.

14 Let my master pass over before his servant, I pray you. I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me, and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my master to Seir.

15 Esau said: Let me leave with you some of the folk that are with me. He said: Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my master.

16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

17 Yaacob journeyed to Succoth, built a house, and made booths for his cattle. The name of the place is called Succoth.

18 Yaacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and camped before the city.

19 He bought the parcel of ground where he spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money.

20 He erected an altar there, and called it Yahwah the Father of Yisrayah.

Chapter 34

1 Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Yaacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

2 Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, raped her, and humbled her.

3 His soul clave to Dinah the daughter of Yaacob. He loved the damsel, and spoke kindly to the damsel.

4 Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying: Get me this damsel to wife.

5 Yaacob heard he defiled Dinah his daughter. His sons were in the field with his cattle. Yaacob held his peace until they came.

6 Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Yaacob to commune with him.

7 The sons of Yaacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry. He wrought folly in Yisrayah in raping Yaacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done.

8 Hamor communed with them, saying: The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. I pray you, give her to him to wife.

9 Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to you.

10 You will dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Dwell and trade therein, get possessions therein.

11 Shechem said to her father, and to her brothers: Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give what you say to me.

12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as you say to me. But give me the damsel to wife.

13 The sons of Yaacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with guile, because he defiled Dinah their sister, and spoke,

14 and said to them: We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that is a reproach to us.

15 Only on this condition will we consent to you, if you are as we are, that every male of you is circumcised.

16 Then we will give our daughters to you, we will take your daughters to us, we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

17 If you will not hearken to us, to be circumcised, we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.

18 Their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.

19 The young man did not delay to do the thing, because he had delight in Yaacob's daughter. He was honored above all the house of his father.

20 Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying:

21 These men are peaceable with us. Let them dwell in the land, and trade therein. Behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

22 Only on this condition will the men consent to us to dwell with us, to become one people, if every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised.

23 Shall their cattle, their substance, and all their beasts, not be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.

24 All who went out of the gate of his city hearkened to Hamor, and to Shechem his son. Every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

25 It came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Yaacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took each man his sword, came upon the city unawares, and killed all the males.

26 They killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went forth.

27 The sons of Yaacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they defiled their sister.

28 They took their flocks, their herds, and their asses. What was in the city, and what was in the field.

29 All their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, they took captive and made a prey, even all that was in the house.

30 Yaacob said to Simeon and Levi: You troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I being few in number, they will gather themselves together against me, and smite me. I will be destroyed, I and my house.

31 They said: Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?

Chapter 35

1 Yahwah said to Yaacob: Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there. Make an altar to Yahwah, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.

2 Yaacob said to his household, and to all who were with him: Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.

3 Let us arise, and go up to Beth-el. I will make an altar there to Yahwah, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way I went.

4 They gave to Yaacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and the rings in their ears. Yaacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5 They journeyed. A terror of Yahwah was upon the cities round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Yaacob.

6 So Yaacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (the same is Beth-el), he and all the people who were with him.

7 He built an altar there, and called the place: Yahwah-beth-Yah [Bethel]. Yahwah was revealed to him there when he fled from the face of his brother.

8 Deborah Rebekah's nurse died. She was buried below Bethel under the oak, and the name of it was called Allon-bacuth.

9 Yahwah appeared to Yaacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.

10 Yahwah said to him: Your name is Yaacob. Your name will not be called Yaacob [Jacob] any more. Yisrayah is your name. He called his name Yisrayah [Israel].

11 Yahwah said to him: I am Yahwah Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be of you, kings will come out of your loins.

12 I give to you the land I gave to Abraham and Yitzchaq, and I will give the land to your seed after you.

13 Yahwah went up from him in the place where He spoke with him.

14 Yaacob set up a pillar in the place where He spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink-offering thereon, and poured oil thereon.

15 Yaacob called the name of the place where Yahwah spoke with him Bethel.

16 They journeyed from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath. Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor.

17 It came to pass, when she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her: Do not fear, you have another son.

18 It came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died), she called his name Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

19 Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem).

20 Yaacob set up a pillar upon her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

21 Yisrayah journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 It came to pass, while Yisrayah dwelt in that land, Reuben went and had sex with Bilhah his father's concubine. Yisrayah heard of it. Now the sons of Yaacob were twelve.

23 The sons of Leah: Reuben, Yaacob's first-born, Simeon, Levi, Yahudah [Judah], Issachar, and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel: Yahusef [Joseph] and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphtali.

26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Yaacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27 Yaacob came to Yitzchaq his father to Mamre, to Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), where Abraham and Yitzchaq sojourned.

28 The days of Yitzchaq were a hundred and fourscore years.

29 Yitzchaq gave up the spirit, died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. His sons Esau and Yaacob buried him.

Chapter 36

1 Now these are the generations of Esau (the same is Edom).

2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite,

3 and Basemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth.

4 Adah bore to Esau: Eliphaz. Basemath bore: Reuel.

5 Oholibamah bore: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the souls of his house, his cattle, all his beasts, and all his possessions he gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Yaacob.

7 Their substance was too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle.

8 Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.

9 These are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir.

10 These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.

11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

12 Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son. She bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.

13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.

14 These were the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

15 These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the first-born of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,

16 chief Korah, chief Gatam, chief Amalek. These are the chiefs that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah.

17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These are the chiefs that came of Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.

18 These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These are the chiefs that came of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.

19 These are the sons of Esau, and these are their chiefs. The same is Edom.

20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs that came of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.

22 The children of Lotan were Hori and Heman. Lotan's sister was Timna.

23 These are the children of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24 These are the children of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.

25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah.

26 These are the children of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

27 These are the children of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

28 These are the children of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

29 These are the chiefs that came of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah,

30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan. These are the chiefs that came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

31 These are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Yisrayah.

32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33 Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.

34 Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.

35 Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead. The name of his city was Avith.

36 Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.

37 Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River reigned in his stead.

38 Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.

39 Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.

40 These are the names of the chiefs that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,

41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon,

42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,

43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esau, the father of the Edomites.

Chapter 37

Genesis Part Nine

1 Yaacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Yaacob. Yahusef, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a lad with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. Yahusef brought the evil report of them to their father.

3 Yisrayah loved Yahusef more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. He made him a coat of many colors.

4 His brothers saw their father loved him more than all his brothers. They hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

5 Yahusef dreamed a dream, and told it to his brothers. They hated him yet the more.

6 He said to them: I pray you, hear this dream I dreamed.

7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field. Lo, my sheaf arose, and stood upright. Behold, your sheaves came round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

8 His brothers said to him: Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed have dominion over us? They hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

9 He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers. He said: Behold, I dreamed yet a dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars made obeisance to me.

10 He told it to his father, and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him: What is this dream you dreamed? Will I, your mother, and your brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to you to the earth?

11 His brothers envied him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

12 His brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

13 Yisrayah said to Yahusef: Are your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them. He said to him: Here I am.

14 He said to him: Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock. Bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15 A certain man found him. Behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, saying: What do you seek?

16 He said: I am seeking my brothers. I pray you, tell me where they are feeding the flock.

17 The man said: They are departed from here. I heard them say: Let us go to Dothan. Yahusef went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.

18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.

19 They said one to another: Behold, this dreamer comes.

20 Come, let us kill him, and cast him into one of the pits. We will say: An evil beast devoured him. We will see what becomes of his dreams.

21 Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand. He said: Let us not take his life.

22 Reuben said to them: Shed no blood. Cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him. He thought to deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.

23 It came to pass, Yahusef came to his brothers. They stripped Yahusef of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him.

24 They took him, and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty, there was no water in it.

25 They sat down to eat bread. They lifted up their eyes, and looked. Behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery, balm, and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

26 Yahudah said to his brothers: What profit is it if we kill our brother, and conceal his blood?

27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, do not let our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh. His brothers hearkened to him.

28 There passed by Midianites, merchantmen. They drew and lifted up Yahusef out of the pit, and sold Yahusef to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Yahusef into Egypt.

29 Reuben returned to the pit. Behold, Yahusef was not in the pit. He tore his clothes.

30 He returned to his brothers, and said: The child is not. I, where will I go?

31 They took Yahusef's coat, killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.

32 They sent the coat of many colors, they brought it to their father, and said: We found this. Know now whether it is your son's coat, or not.

33 He knew it, and said: It is my son's coat. An evil beast devoured him. Yahusef is without doubt torn in pieces.

34 Yaacob tore his garments, put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned many days for his son.

35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said: I will go down to the grave to my son mourning. His father wept for him.

36 The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard.

Chapter 38

1 It came to pass at that time, Yahudah went down from his brothers, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2 Yahudah saw a daughter of a certain Canaanite there whose name was Shua. He took her, and went in to her.

3 She conceived, and bore a son. He called his name Er.

4 She conceived again, and bore a son. She called his name Onan.

5 She bore a son yet again, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib, when she bore him.

6 Yahudah took a wife for Er his first-born, her name was Tamar.

7 Er, Yahudah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of Yahwah. Yahwah killed him.

8 Yahudah said to Onan: Go in to your brother's wife, perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and raise up seed to your brother.

9 Onan knew the seed would not be his. It came to pass, when he went in to his brother's wife, he spilled it on the ground, instead of giving seed to his brother.

10 The thing he did was evil in the sight of Yahwah. He killed him also.

11 Yahudah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law: Remain a widow in your father's house, till Shelah my son is grown up. He said: Unless he also die, like his brothers. Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

12 In process of time Shua's daughter, the wife of Yahudah, died. Yahudah was comforted, and went up to his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13 It was told Tamar, saying: Behold, your father-in-law goes up to Timnah to shear his sheep.

14 She put the garments of her widowhood off from her, covered herself with her veil, wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah. She saw Shelah was grown up, and she was not given to him to wife.

15 When Yahudah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot, for she covered her face.

16 He turned to her by the way, and said: Come, I pray you, let me come in to you. He did not know she was his daughter-in-law. She said: What will you give me, that you may come in to me?

17 He said: I will send you a kid of the goats from the flock. She said: Will you give me a pledge, till you send it?

18 He said: What pledge will I give you? She said: Your signet, your cord, and your staff in your hand. He gave them to her, came in to her, and she conceived by him.

19 She arose, went away, put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 Yahudah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand. But he did not find her.

21 He asked the men of her place, saying: Where is the prostitute that was at Enaim, by the wayside? They said: There was no prostitute here.

22 He returned to Yahudah, and said: I did not find her. Also the men of the place said: There was no prostitute here.

23 Yahudah said: Let her take it to her, unless we are put to shame. Behold, I sent this kid, and you did not find her.

24 It came to pass about three months later, it was told Yahudah, saying: Tamar your daughter-in-law played the harlot. Behold, she is with child by whoredom. Yahudah said: Bring her forth, let her be burnt.

25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: I am with child by the man whose these are. She said: I pray you, discern whose these are: the signet, the cords, and the staff.

26 Yahudah acknowledged them, and said: She is more righteous than I. I did not give her to Shelah my son. He knew her again no more.

27 It came to pass in the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb.

28 It came to pass, when she travailed, one put out a hand. The midwife took and bound a scarlet thread upon his hand, saying: This came out first.

29 It came to pass, he drew back his hand. Behold, his brother came out. She said: Why did you make a breach for yourself? Therefore his name was called Perez.

30 Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread upon his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

Chapter 39

1 Yahusef was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, who brought him down there.

2 Yahwah was with Yahusef, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

3 His master saw Yahwah was with him, and made all he did to prosper in his hand.

4 Yahusef found favor in his sight, and he ministered to him. He made him overseer over his house, all he had he put into his hand.

5 It came to pass from the time he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, Yahwah blessed the Egyptian's house for Yahusef's sake. The blessing of Yahwah was upon all he had, in the house, and in the field.

6 He left all he had in Yahusef's hand. He did not know anything that was with him, save the bread he ate. Yahusef was comely, and well-favored.

7 It came to pass after these things, his master's wife cast her eyes upon Yahusef, and she said: Have sex with me.

8 He refused, and said to his master's wife: Behold, my master does not know what is with me in the house. He put all he has into my hand.

9 He is not greater in this house than I. Neither did he keep back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against Yahwah?

10 It came to pass, she spoke to Yahusef day by day. He did not hearken to her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

11 It came to pass about this time, he went into the house to do his work. There was none of the men of the house there within.

12 She caught him by his garment, saying: Lie with me. He left his garment in her hand, fled, and got him out.

13 It came to pass, she saw he left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth.

14 She called to the men of her house, and spoke to them, saying: See, he brought in a Hebrew to us to mock us. He came in to me to have sex with me, and I cried with a loud voice.

15 It came to pass, when he heard me lift up my voice and cry, he left his garment by me, fled, and got him out.

16 She laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.

17 She spoke to him according to these words, saying: The Hebrew servant, whom you brought to us, came in to me to mock me.

18 It came to pass, I lifted up my voice, and cried. He left his garment by me, and fled out.

19 It came to pass, his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying: After this manner your servant did to me. His anger was kindled.

20 Yahusef's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound. He was there in the prison.

21 Yahwah was with Yahusef, showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

22 The keeper of the prison committed to Yahusef's hand all the prisoners in the prison. Whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

23 The keeper of the prison did not look to anything that was under his hand, because Yahwah was with him. What he did, Yahwah made it prosper.

Chapter 40

1 It came to pass after these things, the butler of the king of Egypt, and his baker, offended their master the king of Egypt.

2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, with the chief of the butlers, and with the chief of the bakers.

3 He put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Yahusef was bound.

4 The captain of the guard charged Yahusef with them, and he ministered to them. They continued a season in ward.

5 They dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.

6 Yahusef came in to them in the morning, and saw them. Behold, they were sad.

7 He asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in ward in his master's house, saying: Why do you look so sad today?

8 They said to him: We dreamed a dream, and there is none who can interpret it. Yahusef said to them: Do interpretations not belong to Yahwah? Tell it to me, I pray you.

9 The chief butler told his dream to Yahusef, and said to him: In my dream, behold, a vine was before me.

10 In the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded, and its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes.

11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand. I took the grapes, pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

12 Yahusef said to him: This is the interpretation of it. The three branches are three days.

13 Within yet three days Pharaoh will lift up your head, and restore you to your office. You will give Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when you were his butler.

14 Have me in your remembrance when it is well with you. I pray you, show kindness to me. Make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.

15 I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I did nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.

16 When the chief baker saw the interpretation was good, he said to Yahusef: I also was in my dream. Behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head.

17 In the uppermost basket was of all manner of baked food for Pharaoh, and birds ate them out of the basket upon my head.

18 Yahusef answered, and said: This is the interpretation thereof. The three baskets are three days.

19 Within yet three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you, hang you on a tree, and birds will eat your flesh from off you.

20 It came to pass the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast to all his servants. He lifted up the head of the chief butler, and the head of the chief baker, among his servants.

21 He restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

22 He hanged the chief baker, as Yahusef interpreted to them.

23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Yahusef, but forgot him.

Chapter 41

1 It came to pass at the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed. Behold, he stood by the river.

2 Behold, there came up seven cows out of the river, well-favored and fat-fleshed, and they fed in the reed-grass.

3 Behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other cows upon the brink of the river.

4 The ill-favored and lean-fleshed cows ate up the seven well-favored and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.

5 He slept, and dreamed a second time. Behold, seven ears of grain came up upon one stalk, rank and good.

6 Behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

7 The thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. Pharaoh awoke. Behold, it was a dream.

8 It came to pass in the morning his spirit was troubled. He sent, called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: I do remember my faults today.

10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker.

11 We dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

12 There was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard. We told him, and he interpreted our dreams to us. To each man according to his dream he did interpret.

13 It came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was. Me he restored to my office, and him he hanged.

14 Pharaoh sent, called Yahusef, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh.

15 Pharaoh said to Yahusef: I dreamed a dream, and there is none who can interpret it. I heard say of you, when you hear a dream you can interpret it.

16 Yahusef answered Pharaoh, saying: It is not in me, Yahwah will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

17 Pharaoh spoke to Yahusef: In my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink of the river.

18 Behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, fat-fleshed and well-favored, and they fed in the reed-grass.

19 Behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor, very ill-favored, lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness.

20 The lean and ill-favored cows ate up the first seven fat cows.

21 When they ate them up, it could not be known they ate them. They were still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

22 I saw in my dream. Behold, seven ears came up upon one stalk, full and good.

23 Behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

24 The thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. I told it to the magicians, but there was none who could declare it to me.

25 Yahusef said to Pharaoh: The dreams of Pharaoh are one. Yahwah declared to Pharaoh what He is about to do.

26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years. The dreams are one.

27 The seven lean and ill-favored cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind. They are seven years of famine.

28 That is the thing I spoke to Pharaoh. Yahwah showed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.

29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.

30 There will arise after them seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land.

31 The plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows, for it will be very grievous.

32 The dream was given twice to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by Yahwah, and Yahwah will shortly bring it to pass.

33 Let Pharaoh find a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.

34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.

35 Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.

36 The food will be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt, that the land not perish through the famine.

37 The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

38 Pharaoh said to his servants: Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the spirit of Yahwah?

39 Pharaoh said to Yahusef: Forasmuch as Yahwah showed you all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as you.

40 You will be over my house, all my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.

41 Pharaoh said to Yahusef: See, I set you over all the land of Egypt.

42 Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, put it upon Yahusef's hand, arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.

43 He made him to ride in the second chariot he had. They cried before him: Bow the knee. He set him over all the land of Egypt.

44 Pharaoh said to Yahusef: I am Pharaoh. Without you no man will lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.

45 Pharaoh called Yahusef's name Zaphenath-paneah. He gave him Asenath to wife, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. Yahusef went out over the land of Egypt.

46 Yahusef was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Yahusef went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

47 The earth brought forth by handfuls in the seven plenteous years.

48 He gathered up all the food of the seven years in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities. The food of the field, which was round about every city, he laid up in the same.

49 Yahusef laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left off numbering. It was without number.

50 Two sons were born to Yahusef before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.

51 Yahusef called the name of the first-born Manasseh. He said: Yahwah made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.

52 The name of the second he called Ephrayim. Yahwah made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.

53 The seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to an end.

54 The seven years of famine began to come, according as Yahusef had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians: Go to Yahusef. What he says to you, do.

56 The famine was over all the face of the earth. Yahusef opened all the store-houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was sore in the land of Egypt.

57 All countries came into Egypt to Yahusef to buy grain, because the famine was sore in all the earth.

Chapter 42

1 Yaacob saw there was grain in Egypt, and Yaacob said to his sons: Why do you look one upon another?

2 He said: Behold, I heard there is grain in Egypt. Get you down there, and buy for us from there, that we may live, and not die.

3 Yahusef's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

4 Yaacob did not send Yahusef's brother Benjamin with his brothers. He said: Unless maybe he is harmed.

5 The sons of Yisrayah came to buy among those that came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6 Yahusef was the governor over the land. He it was who sold to all the people of the land. Yahusef's brothers came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth.

7 Yahusef saw his brothers, and he knew them, but made himself strange to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them: Where do you come from? They said: From the land of Canaan to buy food.

8 Yahusef knew his brothers, but they did not know him.

9 Yahusef remembered the dreams he dreamed of them, and said to them: You are spies. You are come to see the nakedness of the land.

10 They said to him: Nay, my master, your servants come to buy food.

11 We are all one man's sons. We are true men, your servants are no spies.

12 He said to them: Nay, you are come to see the nakedness of the land.

13 They said: We your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. Behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is not.

14 Yahusef said to them: That is it what I spoke to you, saying; You are spies.

15 By this you will be proved: by the life of Pharaoh you will not go forth from here, except your youngest brother come here.

16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother. You are bound, that your words may be proved, whether there is truth in you. Or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.

17 He put them all together into ward three days.

18 Yahusef said to them the third day: This do, and live, for I fear Yahwah.

19 If you are true men, let one of your brothers be bound in our prison-house, but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.

20 Bring your youngest brother to me. Your words will be verified, and you will not die. And so they did.

21 They said one to another: We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we would not hear. That is why this distress is come upon us.

22 Reuben answered them, saying: Did I not speak to you, saying; Do not sin against the child? And you would not hear. Therefore, behold, his blood is required.

23 They did not know Yahusef understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.

24 He turned himself about from them, and wept. He returned to them, spoke to them, took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

25 Then Yahusef commanded to fill their vessels with grain, to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provisions for the way. Thus was it done to them.

26 They laded their asses with their grain, and departed there.

27 As one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the lodging-place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.

28 He said to his brothers: My money is restored. Lo, it is even in my sack. Their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying: What is this Yahwah did to us?

29 They came to Yaacob their father to the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell them, saying:

30 The man, the master of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

31 We said to him: We are true men, we are no spies.

32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is not, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.

33 The man, the master of the land, said to us: By this I will know you are true men. Leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.

34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know you are no spies, you are true men. I will deliver you your brother, and you will traffic in the land.

35 It came to pass they emptied their sacks. Behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

36 Yaacob their father said to them: You bereaved me of my children. Yahusef is not, Simeon is not, and you will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.

37 Reuben spoke to his father, saying: Kill my two sons, if I do not bring him to you. Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to you again.

38 He said: My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead, and he only is left. If he is harmed in the way in which you go, you will bring down my gray hairs to the grave with sorrow.

Chapter 43

1 The famine was sore in the land.

2 It came to pass, they ate up the grain they brought out of Egypt. Their father said to them: Go again, buy us a little food.

3 Yahudah spoke to him, saying: The man did solemnly protest to us, saying; You will not see my face, except your brother is with you.

4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down, and buy you food.

5 If you will not send him, we will not go down. The man said to us: You will not see my face, except your brother is with you.

6 Yisrayah said: Why did you deal so ill with me, as to tell the man you have another brother?

7 They said: The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying; Is your father yet alive? Have you another brother? We told him according to the tenor of these words. Could we in any way know he would say: Bring your brother down?

8 Yahudah said to Yisrayah his father: Send the lad with me, we will arise, and go. We may live, and not die; both we, you, and also our little ones.

9 I will be surety for him. Of my hand you will require him. If I do not bring him to you, and set him before you, let me bear the blame for ever.

10 Except we lingered, surely we had now returned a second time.

11 Their father Yisrayah said to them: If it is so, do this. Take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels. Carry the man down a present, a little balm, a little honey, spicery, myrrh, nuts, and almonds.

12 Take double money in your hand. The money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry again in your hand, maybe it was an oversight.

13 Take also your brother, arise, go again to the man.

14 Yahwah Shaddai give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother, and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

15 The men took that present, they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin. They rose up, went down to Egypt, and stood before Yahusef [yah-wah-sef].

16 Yahusef saw Benjamin with them. He said to the steward of his house: Bring the men into the house. Kill, and make ready, for the men will dine with me at noon.

17 The man did as Yahusef asked. The man brought the men to Yahusef's house.

18 The men were afraid, because they were brought to Yahusef's house. They said: We are brought in because of the money returned in our sacks the first time, that he may seek occasion against us, fall upon us, take us for bondmen, and our asses.

19 They came near to the steward of Yahusef's house. They spoke to him at the door of the house,

20 and said: Oh, my master, indeed we came down the first time to buy food.

21 It came to pass, we came to the lodging-place, we opened our sacks, and behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. We brought it again in our hand.

22 And other money we brought down in our hand to buy food. We do know not who put our money in our sacks.

23 He said: Peace be to you, do not fear. Your Father, the Father of your father, gave you treasure in your sacks. I had your money. He brought Simeon out to them.

24 The man brought the men into Yahusef's house, gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave their asses provender.

25 They made ready the present against Yahusef's coming at noon, for they heard they should eat bread there.

26 When Yahusef came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down themselves to him to the earth.

27 He asked them of their welfare, and said: Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?

28 They said: Your servant our father is well, he is yet alive. They bowed the head, and made obeisance.

29 He lifted up his eyes, saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and said: Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? He said: Yahwah be gracious to you, my son.

30 Yahusef made haste, for his heart yearned over his brother, and he sought where to weep. He entered into his chamber, and wept there.

31 He washed his face, and came out. He refrained himself, and said: Set on bread.

32 They set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves. Egyptians do not eat bread with Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

33 They sat before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth. The men marvelled one with another.

34 He took and sent messes to them from before him. Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. They drank, and were merry with him.

Chapter 44

1 He commanded the steward of his house, saying: Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

2 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his grain money. He did according to the word Yahusef spoke.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4 When they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Yahusef said to his steward: Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, say to them: Why do you reward evil for good?

5 Is this not the cup in which my master drinks, and indeed by which he divines? You did evil in so doing.

6 He overtook them, and he spoke to them these words.

7 They said to him: Why does my master speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants they should do such a thing.

8 Behold, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan the money we found in our sacks' mouths. How then should we steal out of your master's house silver or gold?

9 With whomsoever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my master's bondmen.

10 He said: Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom it is found shall be my bondman, you will be blameless.

11 They hasted, every man took down his sack to the ground, and every man opened his sack.

12 He searched, and began at the eldest, and left off at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 They tore their clothes, loaded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

14 Yahudah and his brothers came to Yahusef's house. He was still there, and they fell before him on the ground.

15 Yahusef said to them: What deed is this you did? Do you not know a man such as I can indeed divine?

16 Yahudah said: What can we say to my master? What will we speak? How can we clear ourselves? Yahwah found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my master's bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.

17 He said: Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he is my bondman. As for you, get you up in peace to your father.

18 Yahudah came near to him, and said: Oh, my master, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word in my master's ears. Let your anger not burn against your servant, for you are even as Pharaoh.

19 My master asked his servants, saying: Have you a father, or a brother?

20 We said to my master: We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother. His father loves him.

21 You said to your servants: Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him.

22 We said to my master: The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

23 You said to your servants: Except your youngest brother come down with you, you will see my face no more.

24 It came to pass we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my master.

25 Our father said: Go again, buy us a little food.

26 We said: We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down. We may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother is with us.

27 Your servant my father said to us: You know my wife bore me two sons.

28 The one went out from me, and I said: Surely he is torn in pieces. I have not seen him since.

29 If you take this one from me also, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hairs to the grave with sorrow.

30 When I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us,

31 it will come to pass, when he sees the lad is not with us, he will die, seeing his life is bound up in the lad's life. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father to the grave with sorrow.

32 Your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying: If I do not bring him to you, I bear the blame to my father for ever.

33 I pray you, let your servant abide a bondman to my master instead of the lad. Let the lad go up with his brothers.

34 How will I go up to my father, if the lad is not with me? I would see the evil that comes on my father.

Chapter 45

1 Yahusef could not refrain himself before all those who stood before him. He cried: Cause every man to go out from me. There stood no man with him, while Yahusef made himself known to his brothers.

2 He wept aloud. The Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.

3 Yahusef said to his brothers: I am Yahusef. Does my father yet live? His brothers could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence.

4 Yahusef said to his brothers: Come near to me, I pray you. They came near. He said: I am Yahusef your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

5 Do not be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here. Yahwah sent me before you to preserve life.

6 The famine was in the land these two years, and there are yet five years when there will be neither plowing nor harvest.

7 Yahwah sent me before you to preserve a remnant in the earth, to save you alive by a great deliverance.

8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but Yahwah. He made me a father to Pharaoh, master of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

9 Hurry, go up to my father, and say to him: Thus says your son Yahusef; Yahwah made me master of all Egypt. Come down to me, do not tarry.

10 You will dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me. You, your children, your children's children, your flocks, your herds, and all you have.

11 I will nourish you there, or you will come to poverty, for there are yet five years of famine. You, your household, and all you have.

12 Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, it is my mouth that speaks to you.

13 Tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all you see. You will hurry, bring my father down here.

14 He fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

15 He kissed all his brothers, and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.

16 The report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying: Yahusef's brothers are come. It pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

17 Pharaoh said to Yahusef: Say to your brothers; Load your beasts, and go, get you to the land of Canaan.

18 Get your father, your households, and come to me. I give you the good of the land of Egypt, you will eat the fat of the land.

19 You are commanded, take wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives. Bring your father, and come.

20 Do not regard your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.

21 The sons of Yisrayah did so. Yahusef gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

22 To all of them he gave each man changes of clothes. But to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of clothes.

23 He sent after this manner to his father: ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with grain, bread, and provision, for his father by the way.

24 He sent his brothers away, and they departed. He said to them: See that you not fall out by the way.

25 They went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan to Yaacob their father.

26 They told him, saying: Yahusef is still alive, he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. His heart fainted, for he did not believe them.

27 They told him all the words of Yahusef, what he said to them. When he saw the wagons Yahusef sent to carry him, the spirit of Yaacob their father revived.

28 Yisrayah [Yaacob] said: It is enough. Yahusef my son is yet alive, I will go and see him before I die.

Chapter 46

1 Yisrayah took his journey with all he had, came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the Father of his father Yitzchaq.

2 Yahwah spoke to Yisrayah in the visions of the night, and said: Yaacob, Yaacob. He said: Here I am.

3 He said: I am Yahwah, the Father of your father. Do not fear to go down into Egypt, for I will make a great nation of you there.

4 I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again. Yahusef will put his hand upon your eyes.

5 Yaacob rose up from Beer-sheba. The sons of Yisrayah carried Yaacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons Pharaoh sent to carry him.

6 They took their cattle, their goods they got in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt. Yaacob, and all his seed with him.

7 His sons, his sons' sons with him, his daughters, his sons's daughters, and all his seed he brought with him into Egypt.

8 These are the names of the children of Yisrayah, who came into Egypt, Yaacob and his sons. Reuben, Yaacob's first-born.

9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12 The sons of Yahudah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.

14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Yaacob in Paddan-aram [Syria], with his daughter Dinah. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.

16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

17 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriyah, and Serah their sister. The sons of Beriyah: Heber, and Malchiel.

18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. She bore these to Yaacob, even sixteen souls.

19 The sons of Rachel Yaacob's wife: Yahusef and Benjamin.

20 In the land of Egypt Manasseh and Ephrayim were born to Yahusef, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.

21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Yaacob. All the souls were fourteen.

23 The sons of Dan: Hushim.

24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she bore to Yaacob. All the souls were seven.

26 All the souls that came with Yaacob into Egypt, that came out of his loins, besides Yaacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six.

27 The sons of Yahusef were born to him in Egypt, two souls. All the souls of the house of Yaacob, that came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

28 He sent Yahudah before him to Yahusef, to learn the way before him to Goshen. They came into the land of Goshen.

29 Yahusef made his chariot ready, and went up to Goshen to meet Yisrayah his father. He presented himself to him, fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

30 Yisrayah said to Yahusef: Now let me die, since I see your face, that you are still alive.

31 Yahusef said to his brothers, and to his father's house: I will go up, tell Pharaoh, and say to him; My brothers, and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come to me.

32 The men are shepherds, for they are keepers of cattle. They brought their flocks, their herds, and all they have.

33 It will come to pass, Pharaoh will call you, and say: What is your occupation?

34 You say: Your servants are keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers. Then you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.

Chapter 47

1 Yahusef went in, told Pharaoh, and said: My father, my brothers, their flocks, their herds, and all they have, are come out of the land of Canaan. Behold, they are in the land of Goshen.

2 He took five men from among his brothers, and presented them to Pharaoh.

3 Pharaoh said to his brothers: What is your occupation? They said to Pharaoh: Your servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.

4 They said to Pharaoh: We are come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks. The famine is sore in the land of Canaan. We pray you, let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

5 Pharaoh spoke to Yahusef, saying: Your father and your brothers are come to you.

6 The land of Egypt is before you. In the best of the land make your father and your brothers to dwell, in the land of Goshen let them dwell. If you know any able men among them, make them rulers over my cattle.

7 Yahusef brought in Yaacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh. Yaacob blessed Pharaoh.

8 Pharaoh said to Yaacob: How many are the days of the years of your life?

9 Yaacob said to Pharaoh: The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years. Few and evil were the days of the years of my life, and they did not attain to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

10 Yaacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.

11 Yahusef placed his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh commanded.

12 Yahusef nourished his father with bread, also his brothers, and all his father's household, according to their families.

13 There was no bread in all the land, for the famine was very sore. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

14 Yahusef gathered up all the money found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain they bought. Yahusef brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

15 When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Yahusef, and said: Give us bread, why should we die in your presence? Our money fails.

16 Yahusef said: Give your cattle. I will give you for your cattle, if money fails.

17 They brought their cattle to Yahusef. Yahusef gave them bread in exchange for the horses, for the flocks, for the herds, and for the asses. He fed them with bread in exchange for all their cattle for that year.

18 When that year ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him: We will not hide from my master, how our money is all spent, and the herds of cattle are my master's. There is nothing left in the sight of my master, but our bodies, and our lands.

19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that we may live, and not die, so the land is not desolate.

20 So Yahusef bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine was sore upon them, and the land became Pharaoh's.

21 As for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end of it.

22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy. The priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and ate their portion Pharaoh gave them. They did not sell their land.

23 Yahusef said to the people: Behold, today I bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Lo, here is seed for you, sow the land.

24 It will come to pass at the ingatherings, you will give a fifth to Pharaoh. Four parts will be your own, for seed of the field, for your food, for those of your households, and for food for your little ones.

25 They said: You saved our lives. Let us find favor in the sight of my master, we will be Pharaoh's servants.

26 Yahusef made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, Pharaoh should have the fifth. Only the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's.

27 Yisrayah dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. They got possessions there, were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.

28 Yaacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Yaacob, the years of his life, were a hundred forty and seven years.

29 The time drew near that Yisrayah must die. He called his son Yahusef, and said to him: If I found favor in your sight, I pray you, put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. I pray you, Do not bury me in Egypt.

30 Carry me out of Egypt when I sleep with my fathers, and bury me in their burying-place. He said: I will do as you said.

31 He said: Swear to me. He swore to him. Yisrayah bowed himself upon the bed's head.

Chapter 48

1 It came to pass after these things, one said to Yahusef: Behold, your father is sick. He took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephrayim.

2 One told Yaacob, and said: Behold, your son Yahusef comes to you. Yisrayah strengthened himself, and sat up on the bed.

3 Yaacob said to Yahusef: Yahwah Shaddai appeared to me at Luz [Bethel] in the land of Canaan, and blessed me.

4 He said to me: Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you. I will make a company of peoples of you, and will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession.

5 Your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, are mine. Ephrayim and Manasseh are mine, even as Reuben and Simeon.

6 Your issue you beget after them is yours. They will be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some distance to come to Ephrath. I buried her there in the way to Ephrath (the same is Bethlehem).

8 Yisrayah beheld Yahusef's sons, and said: Who are these?

9 Yahusef said to his father: They are my sons, whom Yahwah gave me here. He said: I pray you, bring them to me, I will bless them.

10 Now the eyes of Yisrayah were dim with age, so he could barely see. He brought them near to him. He kissed them, and embraced them.

11 Yisrayah said to Yahusef: I had not thought to see your face. Lo, Yahwah let me see your seed also.

12 Yahusef brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

13 Yahusef took them both, Ephrayim in his right hand toward Yisrayah's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Yisrayah's right hand, and brought them near to him.

14 Yisrayah stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephrayim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly, for Manasseh was the first-born.

15 He blessed Yahusef, and said: My fathers Abraham and Yitzchaq walked before Yahwah. Yahwah fed me all my life long to this day.

16 The malak who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. Let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Yitzchaq. Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

17 Yahusef saw his father lay his right hand upon the head of Ephrayim, and it displeased him. He held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephrayim's head to Manasseh's head.

18 Yahusef said to his father: Not so, my father. This is the first-born, put your right hand upon his head.

19 His father refused, and said: I know it, my son, I know it. He will also become a people, and he will also be great. However his younger brother will be greater than he, and his seed will become a multitude of nations.

20 He blessed them that day, saying: In you the nation will bless, saying; Yahwah make you as Ephrayim, and as Manasseh. He set Ephrayim before Manasseh.

21 Yisrayah said to Yahusef: Behold, I die. Yahwah will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers.

22 Moreover I gave you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.

Chapter 49

1 Yaacob called to his sons, and said: Gather yourselves together, I will tell you what will befall you in the latter days.

2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Yaacob. Hearken unto Yisrayah your father.

3 Reuben, you are my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength. The pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

4 Boiling over as water, you do not have the pre-eminence, because you went up to your father's bed. Then you defiled it. He went up to my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers, their swords are weapons of violence.

6 O my soul, come you not into their council. My glory, do not be united to their assembly. They killed a man in their anger, and they hocked an ox in their self-will.

7 Cursed is their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Yaacob, and scatter them in Yisrayah.

8 Yahudah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, your father's sons will bow down before you.

9 Yahudah is a lion's whelp. You are gone up from the prey, my son. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness. Who can rouse him up?

10 The sceptre will not depart from Yahudah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [peace] comes. The obedience of the peoples will be to him [to Yahudah].

11 Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass's colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are red with wine, his teeth white with milk.

13 Zebulun dwells at the haven of the sea. He is for a haven of ships. His border is upon Sidon.

14 Issachar is a strong ass, couching down between the sheepfolds.

15 He saw a resting-place that was good, and land that was pleasant. He bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant under taskwork.

16 Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Yisrayah.

17 Dan will be a serpent in the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse's heels, so his rider falls backward.

18 I wait for your salvation, O Yahwah.

19 Gad, a troop will press upon him, but he will press upon their heel.

20 Out of Asher his bread will be fat, and he will yield royal dainties.

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose, he gives goodly words.

22 Yahusef is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a fountain, his branches run over the wall.

23 The archers grieve him sorely, shoot at him, and persecute him.

24 But his bow abides in strength. The arms of his hands are made strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Yaacob (the Shepherd, the Stone of Yisrayah),

25 even by the Father of your father, who will help you, and by the Shaddai [An Almighty], who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that couches beneath, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

26 The blessings of your father prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They will be on the head of Yahusef, on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

27 Benjamin is a wolf that ravens. In the morning she devours the prey, and at even he divides the spoil.

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Yisrayah. This is it which their father spoke to them and blessed them, every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29 He charged them, and said to them: I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.

30 The cave is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place.

31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Yitzchaq and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.

32 The field and the cave that is in it was purchased from the children of Heth.

33 Yaacob made an end of charging his sons. He gathered up his feet into the bed, yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.

Chapter 50

1 Yahusef fell upon his father's face, wept upon him, and kissed him.

2 Yahusef commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. The physicians embalmed Yisrayah.

3 Forty days were fulfilled for him, for so are fulfilled the days of embalming. The Egyptians wept for him three-score and ten days.

4 When the days of weeping for him were past, Yahusef spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying: If I found favor in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh. Say:

5 My father made me swear, saying; Lo, I die. Bury me in my grave I dug for me in the land of Canaan. Now let me go up, I pray you, and bury my father, and I will come again.

6 Pharaoh said: Go up and bury your father, according as he made you swear.

7 Yahusef went up to bury his father. All the servants of Pharaoh went up with him, the elders of his house, all the elders of the land of Egypt,

8 all the house of Yahusef, his brothers, and his father's house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

9 There went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company.

10 They came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Yordan, and there they lamented with a very great and sore lamentation. He made a mourning for his father seven days.

11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said: This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians, so the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Yordan.

12 His sons did to him according as he commanded them.

13 His sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a burying-place, of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

14 After he buried his father Yahusef returned into Egypt, he, his brothers, and all that went up with him to bury his father.

15 When Yahusef's brothers saw their father was dead, they said: It may be Yahusef will hate us, and will fully requite us all the evil we did to him.

16 They sent a message to Yahusef, saying: Your father commanded before he died, saying;

17 Say to Yahusef: I pray you now, Forgive the transgression of your brothers, and their sin, for they did evil to you. We pray you, forgive the transgression of the servants of the Father of your father. Yahusef wept when they spoke to him.

18 His brothers also went and fell down before his face. They said: Behold, we are your servants.

19 Yahusef said to them: Do not fear, am I in the place of Yahwah?

20 As for you, you meant evil against me. But Yahwah meant it for good, as it is today, to bring to pass to save many people alive.

21 Do not fear. I will nourish you, and your little ones. He comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.

22 Yahusef dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house. Yahusef lived a hundred and ten years.

23 Yahusef saw Ephrayim's children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Yahusef's knees.

24 Yahusef said to his brothers: I die. Yahwah will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land He swore to Abraham, to Yitzchaq, and to Yaacob.

25 Yahusef took an oath of the children of Yisrayah, saying: Yahwah will surely visit you, and you will carry up my bones from here.

26 Yahusef died, being a hundred and ten years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.









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