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Book of Jasher Ch 41-60

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THE BOOK OF JASHER

THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF MAN WHOM GOD CREATED UPON THE EARTH ON THE DAY WHEN THE LORD GOD MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.

Jasher Chapter 41

1. And at the revolution of the year the sons of Jacob journeyed from
Shechem, and they came to Hebron, to their father Isaac, and they
dwelt there, but their flocks and herds they fed daily in Shechem,
for there was there in those days good and fat pasture, and Jacob
and his sons and all their household dwelt in the valley of Hebron.
2. And it was in those days, in that year, being the hundred and sixth
year of the life of Jacob, in the tenth year of Jacob’s coming from
Padan-aram, that Leah the wife of Jacob died; she was fifty-one
years old when she died in Hebron.
3. And Jacob and his sons buried her in the cave of the field of
Machpelah, which is in Hebron, which Abraham had bought from the
children of Heth, for the possession of a burial place.
4. And the sons of Jacob dwelt with their father in the valley of
Hebron, and all the inhabitants of the land knew their strength and
their fame went throughout the land.
5. And Joseph the son of Jacob, and his brother Benjamin, the sons of
Rachel, the wife of Jacob, were yet young in those days, and did
not go out with their brethren during their battles in all the
cities of the Amorites.
6. And when Joseph saw the strength of his brethren, and their
greatness, he praised them and extolled them, but he ranked himself
greater than them, and extolled himself above them; and Jacob, his
father, also loved him more than any of his sons, for he was a son
of his old age, and through his love toward him, he made him a coat
of many colors.
7. And when Joseph saw that his father loved him more than his
brethren, he continued to exalt himself above his brethren, and he
brought unto his father evil reports concerning them.
8. And the sons of Jacob seeing the whole of Joseph’s conduct toward
them, and that their father loved him more than any of them, they
hated him and could not speak peaceably to him all the days.
9. And Joseph was seventeen years old, and he was still magnifying
himself above his brethren, and thought of raising himself above
them.
10. At that time he dreamed a dream, and he came unto his brothers and
told them his dream, and he said unto them, I dreamed a dream, and
behold we were all binding sheaves in the field, and my sheaf rose
and placed itself upon the ground and your sheaves surrounded it
and bowed down to it.
11. And his brethren answered him and said unto him, What meaneth this
dream that thou didst dream? dost thou imagine in thy heart to
reign or rule over us?
12. And he still came, and told the thing to his father Jacob, and
Jacob kissed Joseph when he heard these words from his mouth, and
Jacob blessed Joseph.
13. And when the sons of Jacob saw that their father had blessed Joseph
and had kissed him, and that he loved him exceedingly, they became
jealous of him and hated him the more.
14. And after this Joseph dreamed another dream and related the dream
to his father in the presence of his brethren, and Joseph said unto
his father and brethren, Behold I have again dreamed a dream, and
behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.
15. And his father heard the words of Joseph and his dream, and seeing
that his brethren hated Joseph on account of this matter, Jacob
therefore rebuked Joseph before his brethren on account of this
thing, saying, What meaneth this dream which thou hast dreamed, and
this magnifying thyself before thy brethren who are older than thou
art?
16. Dost thou imagine in thy heart that I and thy mother and thy eleven
brethren will come and bow down to thee, that thou speakest these
things?
17. And his brethren were jealous of him on account of his words and
dreams, and they continued to hate him, and Jacob reserved the
dreams in his heart.
18. And the sons of Jacob went one day to feed their father’s flock in
Shechem, for they were still herdsmen in those days; and whilst the
sons of Jacob were that day feeding in Shechem they delayed, and
the time of gathering in the cattle was passed, and they had not
arrived.
19. And Jacob saw that his sons were delayed in Shechem, and Jacob said
within himself, Peradventure the people of Shechem have risen up to
fight against them, therefore they have delayed coming this day.
20. And Jacob called Joseph his son and commanded him, saying, Behold
thy brethren are feeding in Shechem this day, and behold they have
not yet come back; go now therefore and see where they are, and
bring me word back concerning the welfare of thy brethren and the
welfare of the flock.
21. And Jacob sent his son Joseph to the valley of Hebron, and Joseph
came for his brothers to Shechem, and could not find them, and
Joseph went about the field which was near Shechem, to see where
his brothers had turned, and he missed his road in the wilderness,
and knew not which way he should go.
22. And an angel of the Lord found him wandering in the road toward the
field, and Joseph said unto the angel of the Lord, I seek my
brethren; hast thou not heard where they are feeding? and the angel
of the Lord said unto Joseph, I saw thy brethren feeding here, and
I heard them say they would go to feed in Dothan.
23. And Joseph hearkened to the voice of the angel of the Lord, and he
went to his brethren in Dothan and he found them in Dothan feeding
the flock.
24. And Joseph advanced to his brethren, and before he had come nigh
unto them, they had resolved to slay him.
25. And Simeon said to his brethren, Behold the man of dreams is coming
unto us this day, and now therefore come and let us kill him and
cast him in one of the pits that are in the wilderness, and when
his father shall seek him from us, we will say an evil beast has
devoured him.
26. And Reuben heard the words of his brethren concerning Joseph, and
he said unto them, You should not do this thing, for how can we
look up to our father Jacob? Cast him into this pit to die there,
but stretch not forth a hand upon him to spill his blood; and
Reuben said this in order to deliver him from their hand, to bring
him back to his father.
27. And when Joseph came to his brethren he sat before them, and they
rose upon him and seized him and smote him to the earth, and
stripped the coat of many colors which he had on.
28. And they took him and cast him into a pit, and in the pit there was
no water, but serpents and scorpions. And Joseph was afraid of the
serpents and scorpions that were in the pit. And Joseph cried out
with a loud voice, and the Lord hid the serpents and scorpions in
the sides of the pit, and they did no harm unto Joseph.
29. And Joseph called out from the pit to his brethren, and said unto
them, What have I done unto you, and in what have I sinned? why do
you not fear the Lord concerning me? am I not of your bones and
flesh, and is not Jacob your father, my father? why do you do this
thing unto me this day, and how will you be able to look up to our
father Jacob?
30. And he continued to cry out and call unto his brethren from the
pit, and he said, O Judah, Simeon, and Levi, my brethren, lift me
up from the place of darkness in which you have placed me, and come
this day to have compassion on me, ye children of the Lord, and
sons of Jacob my father. And if I have sinned unto you, are you not
the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? if they saw an orphan they
had compassion over him, or one that was hungry, they gave him
bread to eat, or one that was thirsty, they gave him water to
drink, or one that was naked, they covered him with garments!
31. And how then will you withhold your pity from your brother, for I
am of your flesh and bones, and if I have sinned unto you, surely
you will do this on account of my father!
32. And Joseph spoke these words from the pit, and his brethren could
not listen to him, nor incline their ears to the words of Joseph,
and Joseph was crying and weeping in the pit.
33. And Joseph said, O that my father knew, this day, the act which my
brothers have done unto me, and the words which they have this day
spoken unto me.
34. And all his brethren heard his cries and weeping in the pit, and
his brethren went and removed themselves from the pit, so that they
might not hear the cries of Joseph and his weeping in the pit.

Jasher Chapter 42

1. And they went and sat on the opposite side, about the distance of a
bow-shot, and they sat there to eat bread, and whilst they were
eating, they held counsel together what was to be done with him,
whether to slay him or to bring him back to his father.
2. They were holding the counsel, when they lifted up their eyes, and
saw, and behold there was a company of Ishmaelites coming at a
distance by the road of Gilead, going down to Egypt.
3. And Judah said unto them, What gain will it be to us if we slay our
brother? peradventure God will require him from us; this then is
the counsel proposed concerning him, which you shall do unto him:
Behold this company of Ishmaelites going down to Egypt,
4. Now therefore, come let us dispose of him to them, and let not our
hand be upon him, and they will lead him along with them, and he
will be lost amongst the people of the land, and we will not put
him to death with our own hands. And the proposal pleased his
brethren and they did according to the word of Judah.
5. And whilst they were discoursing about this matter, and before the
company of Ishmaelites had come up to them, seven trading men of
Midian passed by them, and as they passed they were thirsty, and
they lifted up their eyes and saw the pit in which Joseph was
immured, and they looked, and behold every species of bird was upon
him.
6. And these Midianites ran to the pit to drink water, for they
thought that it contained water, and on coming before the pit they
heard the voice of Joseph crying and weeping in the pit, and they
looked down into the pit, and they saw and behold there was a youth
of comely appearance and well favored.
7. And they called unto him and said, Who art thou and who brought
thee hither, and who placed thee in this pit, in the wilderness?
and they all assisted to raise up Joseph and they drew him out, and
brought him up from the pit, and took him and went away on their
journey and passed by his brethren.
8. And these said unto them, Why do you do this, to take our servant
from us and to go away? surely we placed this youth in the pit
because he rebelled against us, and you come and bring him up and
lead him away; now then give us back our servant.
9. And the Midianites answered and said unto the sons of Jacob, Is
this your servant, or does this man attend you? peradventure you
are all his servants, for he is more comely and well favored than
any of you, and why do you all speak falsely unto us?
10. Now therefore we will not listen to your words, nor attend to you,
for we found the youth in the pit in the wilderness, and we took
him; we will therefore go on.
11. And all the sons of Jacob approached them and rose up to them and
said unto them, Give us back our servant, and why will you all die
by the edge of the sword? And the Midianites cried out against
them, and they drew their swords, and approached to fight with the
sons of Jacob.
12. And behold Simeon rose up from his seat against them, and sprang
upon the ground and drew his sword and approached the Midianites
and he gave a terrible shout before them, so that his shouting was
heard at a distance, and the earth shook at Simeon’s shouting.
13. And the Midianites were terrified on account of Simeon and the
noise of his shouting, and they fell upon their faces, and were
excessively alarmed.
14. And Simeon said unto them, Verily I am Simeon, the son of Jacob the
Hebrew, who have, only with my brother, destroyed the city of
Shechem and the cities of the Amorites; so shall God moreover do
unto me, that if all your brethren the people of Midian, and also
the kings of Canaan, were to come with you, they could not fight
against me.
15. Now therefore give us back the youth whom you have taken, lest I
give your flesh to the birds of the skies and the beasts of the
earth.
16. And the Midianites were more afraid of Simeon, and they approached
the sons of Jacob with terror and fright, and with pathetic words,
saying,
17. Surely you have said that the young man is your servant, and that
he rebelled against you, and therefore you placed him in the pit;
what then will you do with a servant who rebels against his master?
Now therefore sell him unto us, and we will give you all that you
require for him; and the Lord was pleased to do this in order that
the sons of Jacob should not slay their brother.
18. And the Midianites saw that Joseph was of a comely appearance and
well-favored; they desired him in their hearts and were urgent to
purchase him from his brethren.
19. And the sons of Jacob hearkened to the Midianites and they sold
their brother Joseph to them for twenty pieces of silver, and
Reuben their brother was not with them, and the Midianites took
Joseph and continued their journey to Gilead.
20. They were going along the road, and the Midianites repented of what
they had done, in having purchased the young man, and one said to
the other, What is this thing that we have done, in taking this
youth from the Hebrews, who is of comely appearance and well
favored.
21. Perhaps this youth is stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and why
then have we done this thing? and if he should be sought for and
found in our hands we shall die through him.
22. Now surely hardy and powerful men have sold him to us, the strength
of one of whom you saw this day; perhaps they stole him from his
land with their might and with their powerful arm, and have
therefore sold him to us for the small value which we gave unto
them.
23. And whilst they were thus discoursing together, they looked, and
behold the company of Ishmaelites which was coming at first, and
which the sons of Jacob saw, was advancing toward the Midianites,
and the Midianites said to each other, Come let us sell this youth
to the company of Ishmaelites who are coming toward us, and we will
take for him the little that we gave for him, and we will be
delivered from his evil.
24. And they did so, and they reached the Ishmaelites, and the
Midianites sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of
silver which they had given for him to his brethren.
25. And the Midianites went on their road to Gilead, and the
Ishmaelites took Joseph and they let him ride upon one of the
camels, and they were leading him to Egypt.
26. And Joseph heard that the Ishmaelites were proceeding to Egypt, and
Joseph lamented and wept at this thing that he was to be so far
removed from the land of Canaan, from his father, and he wept
bitterly whilst he was riding upon the camel, and one of their men
observed him, and made him go down from the camel and walk on foot,
and notwithstanding this Joseph continued to cry and weep, and he
said, O my father, my father.
27. And one of the Ishmaelites rose up and smote Joseph upon the cheek,
and still he continued to weep; and Joseph was fatigued in the
road, and was unable to proceed on account of the bitterness of his
soul, and they all smote him and afflicted him in the road, and
they terrified him in order that he might cease from weeping.
28. And the Lord saw the ambition of Joseph and his trouble, and the
Lord brought down upon those men darkness and confusion, and the
hand of every one that smote him became withered.
29. And they said to each other, What is this thing that God has done
to us in the road? and they knew not that this befell them on
account of Joseph. And the men proceeded on the road, and they
passed along the road of Ephrath where Rachel was buried.
30. And Joseph reached his mother’s grave, and Joseph hastened and ran
to his mother’s grave, and fell upon the grave and wept.
31. And Joseph cried aloud upon his mother’s grave, and he said, O my
mother, my mother, O thou who didst give me birth, awake now, and
rise and see thy son, how he has been sold for a slave, and no one
to pity him.
32. O rise and see thy son, weep with me on account of my troubles, and
see the heart of my brethren.
33. Arouse my mother, arouse, awake from thy sleep for me, and direct
thy battles against my brethren. O how have they stripped me of my
coat, and sold me already twice for a slave, and separated me from
my father, and there is no one to pity me.
34. Arouse and lay thy cause against them before God, and see whom God
will justify in the judgment, and whom he will condemn.
35. Rise, O my mother, rise, awake from thy sleep and see my father how
his soul is with me this day, and comfort him and ease his heart.
36. And Joseph continued to speak these words, and Joseph cried aloud
and wept bitterly upon his mother’s grave; and he ceased speaking,
and from bitterness of heart he became still as a stone upon the
grave.
37. And Joseph heard a voice speaking to him from beneath the ground,
which answered him with bitterness of heart, and with a voice of
weeping and praying in these words:
38. My son, my son Joseph, I have heard the voice of thy weeping and
the voice of thy lamentation; I have seen thy tears; I know thy
troubles, my son, and it grieves me for thy sake, and abundant
grief is added to my grief.
39. Now therefore my son, Joseph my son, hope to the Lord, and wait for
him and do not fear, for the Lord is with thee, he will deliver
thee from all trouble.
40. Rise my son, go down unto Egypt with thy masters, and do not fear,
for the Lord is with thee, my son. And she continued to speak like
unto these words unto Joseph, and she was still.
41. And Joseph heard this, and he wondered greatly at this, and he
continued to weep; and after this one of the Ishmaelites observed
him crying and weeping upon the grave, and his anger was kindled
against him, and he drove him from there, and he smote him and
cursed him.
42. And Joseph said unto the men, May I find grace in your sight to
take me back to my father’s house, and he will give you abundance
of riches.
43. And they answered him, saying, Art thou not a slave, and where is
thy father? and if thou hadst a father thou wouldst not already
twice have been sold for a slave for so little value; and their
anger was still roused against him, and they continued to smite him
and to chastise him, and Joseph wept bitterly.
44. And the Lord saw Joseph’s affliction, and Lord again smote these
men, and chastised them, and the Lord caused darkness to envelope
them upon the earth, and the lightning flashed and the thunder
roared, and the earth shook at the voice of the thunder and of the
mighty wind, and the men were terrified and knew not where they
should go.
45. And the beasts and camels stood still, and they led them, but they
would not go, they smote them, and they crouched upon the ground;
and the men said to each other, What is this that God has done to
us? what are our transgressions, and what are our sins that this
thing has thus befallen us?
46. And one of them answered and said unto them, Perhaps on account of
the sin of afflicting this slave has this thing happened this day
to us; now therefore implore him strongly to forgive us, and then
we shall know on whose account this evil befalleth us, and if God
shall have compassion over us, then we shall know that all this
cometh to us on account of the sin of afflicting this slave.
47. And the men did so, and they supplicated Joseph and pressed him to
forgive them; and they said, We have sinned to the Lord and to
thee, now therefore vouchsafe to request of thy God that he shall
put away this death from amongst us, for we have sinned to him.
48. And Joseph did according to their words, and the Lord hearkened to
Joseph, and the Lord put away the plague which he had inflicted
upon those men on account of Joseph, and the beasts rose up from
the ground and they conducted them, and they went on, and the
raging storm abated and the earth became tranquilized, and the men
proceeded on their journey to go down to Egypt, and the men knew
that this evil had befallen them on account of Joseph.
49. And they said to each other, Behold we know that it was on account
of his affliction that this evil befell us; now therefore why shall
we bring this death upon our souls? Let us hold counsel what to do
to this slave.
50. And one answered and said, Surely he told us to bring him back to
his father; now therefore come, let us take him back and we will go
to the place that he will tell us, and take from his family the
price that we gave for him and we will then go away.
51. And one answered again and said, Behold this counsel is very good,
but we cannot do so for the way is very far from us, and we cannot
go out of our road.
52. And one more answered and said unto them, This is the counsel to be
adopted, we will not swerve from it; behold we are this day going
to Egypt, and when we shall have come to Egypt, we will sell him
there at a high price, and we will be delivered from his evil.
53. And this thing pleased the men and they did so, and they continued
their journey to Egypt with Joseph.

Jasher Chapter 43

1. And when the sons of Jacob had sold their brother Joseph to the
Midianites, their hearts were smitten on account of him, and they
repented of their acts, and they sought for him to bring him back,
but could not find him.
2. And Reuben returned to the pit in which Joseph had been put, in
order to lift him out, and restore him to his father, and Reuben
stood by the pit, and he heard not a word, and he called out
Joseph! Joseph! and no one answered or uttered a word.
3. And Reuben said, Joseph has died through fright, or some serpent
has caused his death; and Reuben descended into the pit, and he
searched for Joseph and could not find him in the pit, and he came
out again.
4. And Reuben tore his garments and he said, The child is not there,
and how shall I reconcile my father about him if he be dead? and he
went to his brethren and found them grieving on account of Joseph,
and counseling together how to reconcile their father about him,
and Reuben said unto his brethren, I came to the pit and behold
Joseph was not there, what then shall we say unto our father, for
my father will only seek the lad from me.
5. And his brethren answered him saying, Thus and thus we did, and our
hearts afterward smote us on account of this act, and we now sit to
seek a pretext how we shall reconcile our father to it.
6. And Reuben said unto them, What is this you have done to bring down
the grey hairs of our father in sorrow to the grave? the thing is
not good, that you have done.
7. And Reuben sat with them, and they all rose up and swore to each
other not to tell this thing unto Jacob, and they all said, The man
who will tell this to our father or his household, or who will
report this to any of the children of the land, we will all rise up
against him and slay him with the sword.
8. And the sons of Jacob feared each other in this matter, from the
youngest to the oldest, and no one spoke a word, and they concealed
the thing in their hearts.
9. And they afterward sat down to determine and invent something to
say unto their father Jacob concerning all these things.
10. And Issachar said unto them, Here is an advice for you if it seem
good in your eyes to do this thing, take the coat which belongeth
to Joseph and tear it, and kill a kid of the goats and dip it in
its blood.
11. And send it to our father and when he seeth it he will say an evil
beast has devoured him, therefore tear ye his coat and behold his
blood will be upon his coat, and by your doing this we shall be
free of our father’s murmurings.
12. And Issachar’s advice pleased them, and they hearkened unto him and
they did according to the word of Issachar which he had counselled
them.
13. And they hastened and took Joseph’s coat and tore it, and they
killed a kid of the goats and dipped the coat in the blood of the
kid, and then trampled it in the dust, and they sent the coat to
their father Jacob by the hand of Naphtali, and they commanded him
to say these words:
14. We had gathered in the cattle and had come as far as the road to
Shechem and farther, when we found this coat upon the road in the
wilderness dipped in blood and in dust; now therefore know whether
it be thy son’s coat or not.
15. And Naphtali went and he came unto his father and he gave him the
coat, and he spoke unto him all the words which his brethren had
commanded him.
16. And Jacob saw Joseph’s coat and he knew it and he fell upon his
face to the ground, and became as still as a stone, and he
afterward rose up and cried out with a loud and weeping voice and
he said, It is the coat of my son Joseph!
17. And Jacob hastened and sent one of his servants to his sons, who
went to them and found them coming along the road with the flock.
18. And the sons of Jacob came to their father about evening, and
behold their garments were torn and dust was upon their heads, and
they found their father crying out and weeping with a loud voice.
19. And Jacob said unto his sons, Tell me truly what evil have you this
day suddenly brought upon me? and they answered their father Jacob,
saying, We were coming along this day after the flock had been
gathered in, and we came as far as the city of Shechem by the road
in the wilderness, and we found this coat filled with blood upon
the ground, and we knew it and we sent unto thee if thou couldst
know it.
20. And Jacob heard the words of his sons and he cried out with a loud
voice, and he said, It is the coat of my son, an evil beast has
devoured him; Joseph is rent in pieces, for I sent him this day to
see whether it was well with you and well with the flocks and to
bring me word again from you, and he went as I commanded him, and
this has happened to him this day whilst I thought my son was with
you.
21. And the sons of Jacob answered and said, He did not come to us,
neither have we seen him from the time of our going out from thee
until now.
22. And when Jacob heard their words he again cried out aloud, and he
rose up and tore his garments, and he put sackcloth upon his loins,
and he wept bitterly and he mourned and lifted up his voice in
weeping and exclaimed and said these words,
23. Joseph my son, O my son Joseph, I sent thee this day after the
welfare of thy brethren, and behold thou hast been torn in pieces;
through my hand has this happened to my son.
24. It grieves me for thee Joseph my son, it grieves me for thee; how
sweet wast thou to me during life, and now how exceedingly bitter
is thy death to me.
25. that I had died in thy stead Joseph my son, for it grieves me sadly
for thee my son, O my son, my son. Joseph my son, where art thou,
and where hast thou been drawn? arouse, arouse from thy place, and
come and see my grief for thee, O my son Joseph.
26. Come now and number the tears gushing from my eyes down my cheeks,
and bring them up before the Lord, that his anger may turn from me.
27. Joseph my son, how didst thou fall, by the hand of one by whom no
one had fallen from the beginning of the world unto this day; for
thou hast been put to death by the smiting of an enemy, inflicted
with cruelty, but surely I know that this has happened to thee, on
account of the multitude of my sins.
28. Arouse now and see how bitter is my trouble for thee my son,
although I did not rear thee, nor fashion thee, nor give thee
breath and soul, but it was God who formed thee and built thy bones
and covered them with flesh, and breathed in thy nostrils the
breath of life, and then he gave thee unto me.
29. Now truly God who gave thee unto me, he has taken thee from me, and
such then has befallen thee
30. And Jacob continued to speak like unto these words concerning
Joseph, and he wept bitterly; he fell to the ground and became
still.
31. And all the sons of Jacob seeing their father’s trouble, they
repented of what they had done, and they also wept bitterly.
32. And Judah rose up and lifted his father’s head from the ground, and
placed it upon his lap, and he wiped his father’s tears from his
cheeks, and Judah wept an exceeding great weeping, whilst his
father’s head was reclining upon his lap, still as a stone.
33. And the sons of Jacob saw their father’s trouble, and they lifted
up their voices and continued to weep, and Jacob was yet lying upon
the ground still as a stone.
34. And all his sons and his servants and his servant’s children rose
up and stood round him to comfort him, and he refused to be
comforted.
35. And the whole household of Jacob rose up and mourned a great
mourning on account of Joseph and their father’s trouble, and the
intelligence reached Isaac, the son of Abraham, the father of
Jacob, and he wept bitterly on account of Joseph, he and all his
household, and he went from the place where he dwelt in Hebron, and
his men with him, and he comforted Jacob his son, and he refused to
be comforted.
36. And after this, Jacob rose up from the ground, and his tears were
running down his cheeks, and he said unto his sons, Rise up and
take your swords and your bows, and go forth into the field, and
seek whether you can find my son’s body and bring it unto me that I
may bury it.
37. Seek also, I pray you, among the beasts and hunt them, and that
which shall come the first before you seize and bring it unto me,
perhaps the Lord will this day pity my affliction, and prepare
before you that which did tear my son in pieces, and bring it unto
me, and I will avenge the cause of my son.
38. And his sons did as their father had commanded them, and they rose
up early in the morning, and each took his sword and his bow in his
hand, and they went forth into the field to hunt the beasts.
39. And Jacob was still crying aloud and weeping and walking to and fro
in the house, and smiting his hands together, saying, Joseph my
son, Joseph my son.
40. And the sons of Jacob went into the wilderness to seize the beasts,
and behold a wolf came toward them, and they seized him, and
brought him unto their father, and they said unto him, This is the
first we have found, and we have brought him unto thee as thou
didst command us, and thy son’s body we could not find.
41. And Jacob took the beast from the hands of his sons, and he cried
out with a loud and weeping voice, holding the beast in his hand,
and he spoke with a bitter heart unto the beast, Why didst thou
devour my son Joseph, and how didst thou have no fear of the God of
the earth, or of my trouble for my son Joseph?
42. And thou didst devour my son for naught, because he committed no
violence, and didst thereby render me culpable on his account,
therefore God will require him that is persecuted.
43. And the Lord opened the mouth of the beast in order to comfort
Jacob with its words, and it answered Jacob and spoke these words
unto him,
44. As God liveth who created us in the earth, and as thy soul liveth,
my lord, I did not see thy son, neither did I tear him to pieces,
but from a distant land I also came to seek my son who went from me
this day, and I know not whether he be living or dead.
45. And I came this day into the field to seek my son, and your sons
found me, and seized me and increased my grief, and have this day
brought me before thee, and I have now spoken all my words to thee.
46. And now therefore, O son of man, I am in thy hands, and do unto me
this day as it may seem good in thy sight, but by the life of God
who created me, I did not see thy son, nor did I tear him to
pieces, neither has the flesh of man entered my mouth all the days
of my life.
47. And when Jacob heard the words of the beast he was greatly
astonished, and sent forth the beast from his hand, and she went
her way.
48. And Jacob was still crying aloud and weeping for Joseph day after
day, and he mourned for his son many days.

Jasher Chapter 44

1. And the sons of Ishmael who had bought Joseph from the Midianites,
who had bought him from his brethren, went to Egypt with Joseph,
and they came upon the borders of Egypt, and when they came near
unto Egypt, they met four men of the sons of Medan the son of
Abraham, who had gone forth from the land of Egypt on their
journey.
2. And the Ishmaelites said unto them, Do you desire to purchase this
slave from us? and they said, Deliver him over to us, and they
delivered Joseph over to them, and they beheld him, that he was a
very comely youth and they purchased him for twenty shekels.
3. And the Ishmaelites continued their journey to Egypt and the
Medanim also returned that day to Egypt, and the Medanim said to
each other, Behold we have heard that Potiphar, an officer of
Pharaoh, captain of the guard, seeketh a good servant who shall
stand before him to attend him, and to make him overseer over his
house and all belonging to him.
4. Now therefore come let us sell him to him for what we may desire,
if he be able to give unto us that which we shall require for him.
5. And these Medanim went and came to the house of Potiphar, and said
unto him, We have heard that thou seekest a good servant to attend
thee, behold we have a servant that will please thee, if thou canst
give unto us that which we may desire, and we will sell him unto
thee.
6. And Potiphar said, Bring him before me, and I will see him, and if
he please me I will give unto you that which you may require for
him.
7. And the Medanim went and brought Joseph and placed him before
Potiphar, and he saw him, and he pleased him exceedingly, and
Potiphar said unto them, Tell me what you require for this youth?
8. And they said, Four hundred pieces of silver we desire for him, and
Potiphar said, I will give it you if you bring me the record of his
sale to you, and will tell me his history, for perhaps he may be
stolen, for this youth is neither a slave, nor the son of a slave,
but I observe in him the appearance of a goodly and handsome
person.
9. And the Medanim went and brought unto him the Ishmaelites who had
sold him to them, and they told him, saying, He is a slave and we
sold him to them.
10. And Potiphar heard the words of the Ishmaelites in his giving the
silver unto the Medanim, and the Medanim took the silver and went
on their journey, and the Ishmaelites also returned home.
11. And Potiphar took Joseph and brought him to his house that he might
serve him, and Joseph found favor in the sight of Potiphar, and he
placed confidence in him, and made him overseer over his house, and
all that belonged to him he delivered over into his hand.
12. And the Lord was with Joseph and he became a prosperous man, and
the Lord blessed the house of Potiphar for the sake of Joseph.
13. And Potiphar left all that he had in the hand of Joseph, and Joseph
was one that caused things to come in and go out, and everything
was regulated by his wish in the house of Potiphar.
14. And Joseph was eighteen years old, a youth with beautiful eyes and
of comely appearance, and like unto him was not in the whole land
of Egypt.
15. At that time whilst he was in his master’s house, going in and out
of the house and attending his master, Zelicah, his master’s wife,
lifted up her eyes toward Joseph and she looked at him, and behold
he was a youth comely and well favored.
16. And she coveted his beauty in her heart, and her soul was fixed
upon Joseph, and she enticed him day after day, and Zelicah
persuaded Joseph daily, but Joseph did not lift up his eyes to
behold his master’s wife.
17. And Zelicah said unto him, How goodly are thy appearance and form,
truly I have looked at all the slaves, and have not seen so
beautiful a slave as thou art; and Joseph said unto her, Surely he
who created me in my mother’s womb created all mankind.
18. And she said unto him, How beautiful are thine eyes, with which
thou hast dazzled all the inhabitants of Egypt, men and women; and
he said unto her, How beautiful they are whilst we are alive, but
shouldst thou behold them in the grave, surely thou wouldst move
away from them.
19. And she said unto him, How beautiful and pleasing are all thy
words; take now, I pray thee, the harp which is in the house, and
play with thy hands and let us hear thy words.
20. And he said unto her, How beautiful and pleasing are my words when
I speak the praise of my God and his glory; and she said unto him,
How very beautiful is the hair of thy head, behold the golden comb
which is in the house, take it I pray thee, and curl the hair of
thy head.
21. And he said unto her, How long wilt thou speak these words? cease
to utter these words to me, and rise and attend to thy domestic
affairs.
22. And she said unto him, There is no one in my house, and there is
nothing to attend to but to thy words and to thy wish; yet
notwithstanding all this, she could not bring Joseph unto her,
neither did he place his eye upon her, but directed his eyes below
to the ground.
23. And Zelicah desired Joseph in her heart, that he should lie with
her, and at the time that Joseph was sitting in the house doing his
work, Zelicah came and sat before him, and she enticed him daily
with her discourse to lie with her, or ever to look at her, but
Joseph would not hearken to her.
24. And she said unto him, If thou wilt not do according to my words, I
will chastise thee with the punishment of death, and put an iron
yoke upon thee.
25. And Joseph said unto her, Surely God who created man looseth the
fetters of prisoners, and it is he who will deliver me from thy
prison and from thy judgment.
26. And when she could not prevail over him, to persuade him, and her
soul being still fixed upon him, her desire threw her into a
grievous sickness.
27. And all the women of Egypt came to visit her, and they said unto
her, Why art thou in this declining state? thou that lackest
nothing; surely thy husband is a great and esteemed prince in the
sight of the king, shouldst thou lack anything of what thy heart
desireth?
28. And Zelicah answered them, saying, This day it shall be made known
to you, whence this disorder springs in which you see me, and she
commanded her maid servants to prepare food for all the women, and
she made a banquet for them, and all the women ate in the house of
Zelicah.
29. And she gave them knives to peel the citrons to eat them, and she
commanded that they should dress Joseph in costly garments, and
that he should appear before them, and Joseph came before their
eyes and all the women looked on Joseph, and could not take their
eyes from off him, and they all cut their hands with the knives
that they had in their hands, and all the citrons that were in
their hands were filled with blood.
30. And they knew not what they had done but they continued to look at
the beauty of Joseph, and did not turn their eyelids from him.
31. And Zelicah saw what they had done, and she said unto them, What is
this work that you have done? behold I gave you citrons to eat and
you have all cut your hands.
32. And all the women saw their hands, and behold they were full of
blood, and their blood flowed down upon their garments, and they
said unto her, this slave in your house has overcome us, and we
could not turn our eyelids from him on account of his beauty.
33. And she said unto them, Surely this happened to you in the moment
that you looked at him, and you could not contain yourselves from
him; how then can I refrain when he is constantly in my house, and
I see him day after day going in and out of my house? how then can
I keep from declining or even from perishing on account of this?
34. And they said unto her, the words are true, for who can see this
beautiful form in the house and refrain from him, and is he not thy
slave and attendant in thy house, and why dost thou not tell him
that which is in thy heart, and sufferest thy soul to perish
through this matter?
35. And she said unto them, I am daily endeavoring to persuade him, and
he will not consent to my wishes, and I promised him everything
that is good, and yet I could meet with no return from him; I am
therefore in a declining state as you see.
36. And Zelicah became very ill on account of her desire toward Joseph,
and she was desperately lovesick on account of him, and all the
people of the house of Zelicah and her husband knew nothing of this
matter, that Zelicah was ill on account of her love to Joseph.
37. And all the people of her house asked her, saying, Why art thou ill
and declining, and lackest nothing? and she said unto them, I know
not this thing which is daily increasing upon me.
38. And all the women and her friends came daily to see her, and they
spoke with her, and she said unto them, This can only be through
the love of Joseph; and they said unto her, Entice him and seize
him secretly, perhaps he may hearken to thee, and put off this
death from thee.
39. And Zelicah became worse from her love to Joseph, and she continued
to decline, till she had scarce strength to stand.
40. And on a certain day Joseph was doing his master’s work in the
house, and Zelicah came secretly and fell suddenly upon him, and
Joseph rose up against her, and he was more powerful than she, and
he brought her down to the ground.
41. And Zelicah wept on account of the desire of her heart toward him,
and she supplicated him with weeping, and her tears flowed down her
cheeks, and she spoke unto him in a voice of supplication and in
bitterness of soul, saying,
42. Hast thou ever heard, seen or known of so beautiful a woman as I
am, or better than myself, who speak daily unto thee, fall into a
decline through love for thee, confer all this honor upon thee, and
still thou wilt not hearken to my voice?
43. And if it be through fear of thy master lest he punish thee, as the
king liveth no harm shall come to thee from thy master through this
thing; now, therefore pray listen to me, and consent for the sake
of the honor which I have conferred upon thee, and put off this
death from me, and why should I die for thy sake? and she ceased to
speak.
44. And Joseph answered her, saying, Refrain from me, and leave this
matter to my master; behold my master knoweth not what there is
with me in the house, for all that belongeth to him he has
delivered into my hand, and how shall I do these things in my
master’s house?
45. For he hath also greatly honored me in his house, and he hath also
made me overseer over his house, and he hath exalted me, and there
is no one greater in this house than I am, and my master hath
refrained nothing from me, excepting thee who art his wife, how
then canst thou speak these words unto me, and how can I do this
great evil and sin to God and to thy husband?
46. Now therefore refrain from me, and speak no more such words as
these, for I will not hearken to thy words. But Zelicah would not
hearken to Joseph when he spoke these words unto her, but she daily
enticed him to listen to her.
47. And it was after this that the brook of Egypt was filled above all
its sides, and all the inhabitants of Egypt went forth, and also
the king and princes went forth with timbrels and dances, for it
was a great rejoicing in Egypt, and a holiday at the time of the
inundation of the sea Sihor, and they went there to rejoice all the
day.
48. And when the Egyptians went out to the river to rejoice, as was
their custom, all the people of the house of Potiphar went with
them, but Zelicah would not go with them, for she said, I am
indisposed, and she remained alone in the house, and no other
person was with her in the house.
49. And she rose up and ascended to her temple in the house, and
dressed herself in princely garments, and she placed upon her head
precious stones of onyx stones, inlaid with silver and gold, and
she beautified her face and skin with all sorts of women’s
purifying liquids, and she perfumed the temple and the house with
cassia and frankincense, and she spread myrrh and aloes, and she
afterward sat in the entrance of the temple, in the passage of the
house, through which Joseph passed to do his work, and behold
Joseph came from the field, and entered the house to do his
master’s work.
50. And he came to the place through which he had to pass, and he saw
all the work of Zelicah, and he turned back.
51. And Zelicah saw Joseph turning back from her, and she called out to
him, saying What aileth thee Joseph? come to thy work, and behold I
will make room for thee until thou shalt have passed to thy seat.
52. And Joseph returned and came to the house, and passed from thence
to the place of his seat, and he sat down to do his master’s work
as usual and behold Zelicah came to him and stood before him in
princely garments, and the scent from her clothes was spread to a
distance.
53. And she hastened and caught hold of Joseph and his garments, and
she said unto him, As the king liveth if thou wilt not perform my
request thou shalt die this day, and she hastened and stretched
forth her other hand and drew a sword from beneath her garments,
and she placed it upon Joseph’s neck, and she said, Rise and
perform my request, and if not thou diest this day.
54. And Joseph was afraid of her at her doing this thing, and he rose
up to flee from her, and she seized the front of his garments, and
in the terror of his flight the garment which Zelicah seized was
torn, and Joseph left the garment in the hand of Zelicah, and he
fled and got out, for he was in fear.
55. And when Zelicah saw that Joseph’s garment was torn, and that he
had left it in her hand, and had fled, she was afraid of her life,
lest the report should spread concerning her, and she rose up and
acted with cunning, and put off the garments in which she was
dressed, and she put on her other garments.
56. And she took Joseph’s garment, and she laid it beside her, and she
went and seated herself in the place where she had sat in her
illness, before the people of her house had gone out to the river,
and she called a young lad who was then in the house, and she
ordered him to call the people of the house to her.
57. And when she saw them she said unto them with a loud voice and
lamentation, See what a Hebrew your master has brought to me in the
house, for he came this day to lie with me.
58. For when you had gone out he came to the house, and seeing that
there was no person in the house, he came unto me, and caught hold
of me, with intent to lie with me.
59. And I seized his garments and tore them and called out against him
with a loud voice, and when I had lifted up my voice he was afraid
of his life and left his garment before me, and fled.
60. And the people of her house spoke nothing, but their wrath was very
much kindled against Joseph, and they went to his master and told
him the words of his wile.
61. And Potiphar came home enraged, and his wife cried out to him,
saying, What is this thing that thou hast done unto me in bringing
a He. brew servant into my house, for he came unto me this day to
sport with me; thus did he do unto me this day.
62. And Potiphar heard the words of his wife, and he ordered Joseph to
be punished with severe stripes, and they did so to him.
63. And whilst they were smiting him, Joseph called out with a loud
voice, and he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and he said, O Lord
God, thou knowest that I am innocent of all these things, and why
shall I die this day through falsehood, by the hand of these
uncircumcised wicked men, whom thou knowest?
64. And whilst Potiphar’s men were beating Joseph, he continued to cry
out and weep, and there was a child there eleven months old, and
the Lord opened the mouth of the child, and he spake these words
before Potiphar’s men, who were smiting Joseph, saying,
65. What do you want of this man, and why do you do this evil unto him?
my mother speaketh falsely and uttereth lies; thus was the
transaction.
66. And the child told them accurately all that happened, and all the
words of Zelicah to Joseph day after day did he declare unto them.
67. And all the men heard the words of the child and they wondered
greatly at the child’s words, and the child ceased to speak and
became still.
68. And Potiphar was very much ashamed at the words of his son, and he
commanded his men not to beat Joseph any more, and the men ceased
beating Joseph.
69. And Potiphar took Joseph and ordered him to be brought to justice
before the priests, who were judges belonging to the king, in order
to judge him concerning this affair.
70. And Potiphar and Joseph came before the priests who were the king’s
judges, and he said unto them, Decide I pray you, what judgment is
due to a servant, for thus has he done.
71. And the priests said unto Joseph, Why didst thou do this thing to
thy master? and Joseph answered them, saying, Not so my lords, thus
was the matter; and Potiphar said unto Joseph, Surely I entrusted
in thy hands all that belonged to me, and I withheld nothing from
thee but my wife, and how couldst thou do this evil?
72. And Joseph answered saying, Not so my lord, as the Lord liveth, and
as thy soul liveth, my lord, the word which thou didst hear from
thy wife is untrue, for thus was the affair this day.
73. A year has elapsed to me since I have been in thy house; hast thou
seen any iniquity in me, or any thing which might cause thee to
demand my life?
74. And the priests said unto Potiphar, Send, we pray thee, and let
them bring before us Joseph’s torn garment, and let us see the tear
in it, and if it shall be that the tear is in front of the garment,
then his face must have been opposite to her and she must have
caught hold of him, to come to her, and with deceit did thy wife do
all that she has spoken.
75. And they brought Joseph’s garment before the priests who were
judges, and they saw and behold the tear was in front of Joseph,
and all the judging priests knew that she had pressed him, and they
said, The judgment of death is not due to this slave for he has
done nothing, but his judgment is, that he be placed in the prison
house on account of the report, which through him has gone forth
against thy wife.
76. And Potiphar heard their words, and he placed him in the prison
house, the place where the king’s prisoners are confined, and
Joseph was in the house of confinement twelve years.
77. And notwithstanding this, his master’s wife did not turn from him,
and she did not cease from speaking to him day after day to hearken
to her, and at the end of three months Zelicah continued going to
Joseph to the house of confinement day by day, and she enticed him
to hearken to her, and Zelicah said unto Joseph, How long wilt thou
remain in this house? but hearken now to my voice, and I will bring
thee out of this house.
78. And Joseph answered her, saying, It is better for me to remain in
this house than to hearken to thy words, to sin against God; and
she said unto him, If thou wilt not perform my wish, I will pluck
out thine eyes, add fetters to thy feet, and will deliver thee into
the hands of them whom thou didst not know before.
79. And Joseph answered her and said, Behold the God of the whole earth
is able to deliver me from all that thou canst do unto me, for he
openeth the eyes of the blind, and looseth those that are bound,
and preserveth all strangers who are unacquainted with the land.
80. And when Zelicah was unable to persuade Joseph to hearken to her,
she left off going to entice him; and Joseph was still confined in
the house of confinement. And Jacob the father of Joseph, and all
his brethren who were in the land of Canaan still mourned and wept
in those days on account of Joseph, for Jacob refused to be
comforted for his son Joseph, and Jacob cried aloud, and wept and
mourned all those days.

Jasher Chapter 45

1. And it was at that time in that year, which is the year of Joseph’s
going down to Egypt after his brothers had sold him, that Reuben
the son of Jacob went to Timnah and took unto him for a wife
Eliuram, the daughter of Avi the Canaanite, and he came to her.
2. And Eliuram the wife of Reuben conceived and bare him Hanoch, Palu,
Chetzron and Carmi, four sons; and Simeon his brother took his
sister Dinah for a wife, and she bare unto him Memuel, Yamin, Ohad,
Jachin and Zochar, five sons.
3. And he afterward came to Bunah the Canaanitish woman, the same is
Bunah whom Simeon took captive from the city of Shechem, and Bunah
was before Dinah and attended upon her, and Simeon came to her, and
she bare unto him Saul.
4. And Judah went at that time to Adulam, and he came to a man of
Adulam, and his name was Hirah, and Judah saw there the daughter of
a man from Canaan, and her name was Aliyath, the daughter of Shua,
and he took her, and came to her, and Aliyath bare unto Judah, Er,
Onan and Shiloh; three sons.
5. And Levi and Issachar went to the land of the east, and they took
unto themselves for wives the daughters of Jobab the son of Yoktan,
the son of Eber; and Jobab the son of Yoktan had two daughters; the
name of the elder was Adinah, and the name of the younger was
Aridah.
6. And Levi took Adinah, and Issachar took Aridah, and they came to
the land of Canaan, to their father’s house, and Adinah bare unto
Levi, Gershon, Kehath and Merari; three sons.
7. And Aridah bare unto Issachar Tola, Puvah, Job and Shomron, four
sons; and Dan went to the land of Moab and took for a wife
Aphlaleth, the daughter of Chamudan the Moabite, and he brought her
to the land of Canaan.
8. And Aphlaleth was barren, she had no offspring, and God afterward
remembered Aphlaleth the wife of Dan, and she conceived and bare a
son, and she called his name Chushim.
9. And Gad and Naphtali went to Haran and took from thence the
daughters of Amuram the son of Uz, the son of Nahor, for wives.
10. And these are the names of the daughters of Amuram; the name of the
elder was Merimah, and the name of the younger Uzith; and Naphtali
took Merimah, and Gad took Uzith; and brought them to the land of
Canaan, to their father’s house.
11. And Merimah bare unto Naphtali Yachzeel, Guni, Jazer and Shalem,
four sons; and Uzith bare unto Gad Zephion, Chagi, Shuni, Ezbon,
Eri, Arodi and Arali, seven sons.
12. And Asher went forth and took Adon the daughter of Aphlal, the son
of Hadad, the son of Ishmael, for a wife, and he brought her to the
land of Canaan.
13. And Adon the wife of Asher died in those days: she had no
offspring; and it was after the death of Adon that Asher went to
the other side of the river and took for a wife Hadurah the
daughter of Abimael, the son of Eber, the son of Shem.
14. And the young woman was of a comely appearance, and a woman of
sense, and she had been the wife of Malkiel the son of Elam, the
son of Shem.
15. And Hadurah bare a daughter unto Malkiel, and he called her name
Serach, and Malkiel died after this, and Hadurah went and remained
in her father’s house.
16. And after the death of the wife at Asher he went and took Hadurah
for a wife, and brought her to the land of Canaan, and Serach her
daughter he also brought with them, and she was three years old,
and the damsel was brought up in Jacob’s house.
17. And the damsel was of a comely appearance, and she went in the
sanctified ways of the children of Jacob; she lacked nothing, and
the Lord gave her wisdom and understanding.
18. And Hadurah the wife of Asher conceived and bare unto him Yimnah,
Yishvah, Yishvi and Beriah; four sons.
19. And Zebulun went to Midian, and took for a wife Merishah the
daughter of Molad, the son of Abida, the son of Midian, and brought
her to the land of Canaan.
20. And Merushah bare unto Zebulun Sered, Elon and Yachleel; three
sons.
21. And Jacob sent to Aram, the son of Zoba, the son of Terah, and he
took for his son Benjamin Mechalia the daughter of Aram, and she
came to the land of Canaan to the house of Jacob; and Benjamin was
ten years old when he took Mechalia the daughter of Aram for a
wife.
22. And Mechalia conceived and bare unto Benjamin Bela, Becher, Ashbel,
Gera and Naaman, five sons; and Benjamin went afterward and took
for a wife Aribath, the daughter of Shomron, the son of Abraham, in
addition to his first wife, and he was eighteen years old; and
Aribath bare unto Benjamin Achi, Vosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord; five
sons.
23. And in those days Judah went to the house of Shem and took Tamar
the daughter of Elam, the son of Shem, for a wife for his first
born Er.
24. And Er came to his wife Tamar, and she became his wife, and when he
came to her he outwardly destroyed his seed, and his work was evil
in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him.
25. And it was after the death of Er, Judah’s first born, that Judah
said unto Onan, go to thy brother’s wife and marry her as the next
of kin, and raise up seed to thy brother.
26. And Onan took Tamar for a wife and he came to her, and Onan also
did like unto the work of his brother, and his work was evil in the
sight of the Lord, and he slew him also.
27. And when Onan died, Judah said unto Tamar, Remain in thy father’s
house until my son Shiloh shall have grown up, and Judah did no
more delight in Tamar, to give her unto Shiloh, for he said,
Peradventure he will also die like his brothers.
28. And Tamar rose up and went and remained in her father’s house, and
Tamar was in her father’s house for some time.
29. And at the revolution of the year, Aliyath the wife of Judah died;
and Judah was comforted for his wife, and after the death of
Aliyath, Judah went up with his friend Hirah to Timnah to shear
their sheep.
30. And Tamar heard that Judah had gone up to Timnah to shear the
sheep, and that Shiloh was grown up, and Judah did not delight in
her.
31. And Tamar rose up and put off the garments of her widowhood, and
she put a vail upon her, and she entirely covered herself, and she
went and sat in the public thoroughfare, which is upon the road to
Timnah.
32. And Judah passed and saw her and took her and he came to her, and
she conceived by him, and at the time of being delivered, behold,
there were twins in her womb, and he called the name of the first
Perez, and the name of the second Zarah.

Jasher Chapter 46

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

Jasher Chapter 47

1. And Isaac the son of Abraham was still living in those days in the
land of Canaan; he was very aged, one hundred and eighty years old,
and Esau his son, the brother of Jacob, was in the land of Edom,
and he and his sons had possessions in it amongst the children of
Seir.
2. And Esau heard that his father’s time was drawing nigh to die, and
he and his sons and household came unto the land of Canaan, unto
his father’s house, and Jacob and his sons went forth from the
place where they dwelt in Hebron, and they all came to their father
Isaac, and they found Esau and his sons in the tent.
3. And Jacob and his sons sat before his father Isaac, and Jacob was
still mourning for his son Joseph.
4. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Bring me hither thy sons and I will
bless them; and Jacob brought his eleven children before his father
Isaac.
5. And Isaac placed his hands upon all the sons of Jacob, and he took
hold of them and embraced them, and kissed them one by one, and
Isaac blessed them on that day, and he said unto them, May the God
of your fathers bless you and increase your seed like the stars of
heaven for number.
6. And Isaac also blessed the sons of Esau, saying, May God cause you
to be a dread and a terror to all that will behold you, and to all
your enemies.
7. And Isaac called Jacob and his sons, and they all came and sat
before Isaac, and Isaac said unto Jacob, The Lord God of the whole
earth said unto me, Unto thy seed will I give this land for an
inheritance if thy children keep my statutes and my ways, and I
will perform unto them the oath which I swore unto thy father
Abraham.
8. Now therefore my son, teach thy children and thy children’s
children to fear the Lord, and to go in the good way which will
please the Lord thy God, for if you keep the ways of the Lord and
his statutes the Lord will also keep unto you his covenant with
Abraham, and will do well with you and your seed all the days.
9. And when Isaac had finished commanding Jacob and his children, he
gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people.
10. And Jacob and Esau fell upon the face of their father Isaac, and
they wept, and Isaac was one hundred and eighty years old when he
died in the land of Canaan, in Hebron, and his sons carried him to
the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children
of Heth for a possession of a burial place.
11. And all the kings of the land of Canaan went with Jacob and Esau to
bury Isaac, and all the kings of Canaan showed Isaac great honor at
his death.
12. And the sons of Jacob and the sons of Esau went barefooted round
about, walking and lamenting until they reached Kireath-arba.
13. And Jacob and Esau buried their father Isaac in the cave of
Machpelah, which is in Kireath-arba in Hebron, and they buried him
with very great honor, as at the funeral of kings.
14. And Jacob and his sons, and Esau and his sons, and all the kings of
Canaan made a great and heavy mourning, and they buried him and
mourned for him many days.
15. And at the death of Isaac, he left his cattle and his possessions
and all belonging to him to his sons; and Esau said unto Jacob,
Behold I pray thee, all that our father has left we will divide it
in two parts, and I will have the choice, and Jacob said, We will
do so.
16. And Jacob took all that Isaac had left in the land of Canaan, the
cattle and the property, and he placed them in two parts before
Esau and his sons, and he said unto Esau, Behold all this is before
thee, choose thou unto thyself the half which thou wilt take.
17. And Jacob said unto Esau, Hear thou I pray thee what I will speak
unto thee, saying, The Lord God of heaven and earth spoke unto our
fathers Abraham and Isaac, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this
land for an inheritance forever.
18. Now therefore all that our father has left is before thee, and
behold all the land is before thee; choose thou from them what thou
desirest.
19. If thou desirest the whole land take it for thee and thy children
forever, and I will take this riches, and it thou desirest the
riches take it unto thee, and I will take this land for me and for
my children to inherit it forever.
20. And Nebayoth, the son of Ishmael, was then in the land with his
children, and Esau went on that day and consulted with him, saying.
21. Thus has Jacob spoken unto me, and thus has he answered me, now
give thy advice and we will hear.
22. And Nebayoth said, What is this that Jacob hath spoken unto thee?
behold all the children of Canaan are dwelling securely in their
land, and Jacob sayeth he will inherit it with his seed all the
days.
23. Go now therefore and take all thy father’s riches and leave Jacob
thy brother in the land, as he has spoken.
24. And Esau rose up and returned to Jacob, and did all that Nebayoth
the son of Ishmael had advised; and Esau took all the riches that
Isaac had left, the souls, the beasts, the cattle and the property,
and all the riches; he gave nothing to his brother Jacob; and Jacob
took all the land of Canaan, from the brook of Egypt unto the river
Euphrates, and he took it for an everlasting possession, and for
his children and for his seed after him forever.
25. Jacob also took from his brother Esau the cave of Machpelah, which
is in Hebron, which Abraham had bought from Ephron for a possession
of a burial place for him and his seed forever.
26. And Jacob wrote all these things in the book of purchase, and he
signed it, and he testified all this with four faithful witnesses.
27. And these are the words which Jacob wrote in the book, saying: The
land of Canaan and all the cities of the Hittites, the Hivites, the
Jebusites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, and the Gergashites, all
the seven nations from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates.
28. And the city of Hebron Kireath-arba, and the cave which is in it,
the whole did Jacob buy from his brother Esau for value, for a
possession and for an inheritance for his seed after him forever.
29. And Jacob took the book of purchase and the signature, the command
and the statutes and the revealed book, and he placed them in an
earthen vessel in order that they should remain for a long time,
and he delivered them into the hands of his children.
30. Esau took all that his father had left him after his death from his
brother Jacob, and he took all the property, from man and beast,
camel and ass, ox and lamb, silver and gold, stones and bdellium,
and all the riches which had belonged to Isaac the son of Abraham;
there was nothing left which Esau did not take unto himself, from
all that Isaac had left after his death.
31. And Esau took all this, and he and his children went home to the
land of Seir the Horite, away from his brother Jacob and his
children.
32. And Esau had possessions amongst the children of Seir, and Esau
returned not to the land of Canaan from that day forward.
33. And the whole land of Canaan became an inheritance to the children
of Israel for an everlasting inheritance, and Esau with all his
children inherited the mountain of Seir.

Jasher Chapter 48

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

Jasher Chapter 49

1. After these things the king sent and assembled all his officers and
servants, and all the princes and nobles belonging to the king, and
they all came before the king.
2. And the king said unto them, Behold you have seen and heard all the
words of this Hebrew man, and all the signs which he declared would
come to pass, and not any of his words have fallen to the ground.
3. You know that he has given a proper interpretation of the dream,
and it will surely come to pass, now therefore take counsel, and
know what you will do and how the land will be delivered from the
famine.
4. Seek now and see whether the like can be found, in whose heart
there is wisdom and knowledge, and I will appoint him over the
land.
5. For you have heard what the Hebrew man has advised concerning this
to save the land therewith from the famine, and I know that the
land will not be delivered from the famine but with the advice of
the Hebrew man, him that advised me.
6. And they all answered the king and said, The counsel which the
Hebrew has given concerning this is good; now therefore, our lord
and king, behold the whole land is in thy hand, do that which
seemeth good in thy sight.
7. Him whom thou chooses, and whom thou in thy wisdom knowest to be
wise and capable of delivering the land with his wisdom, him shall
the king appoint to be under him over the land.
8. And the king said to all the officers: I have thought that since
God has made known to the Hebrew man all that he has spoken, there
is none so discreet and wise in the whole land as he is; if it seem
good in your sight I will place him over the land, for he will save
the land with his wisdom.
9. And all the officers answered the king and said, But surely it is
written in the laws of Egypt, and it should not be violated, that
no man shall reign over Egypt, nor be the second to the king, but
one who has knowledge in all the languages of the sons of men.
10. Now therefore our lord and king, behold this Hebrew man can only
speak the Hebrew language, and how then can he be over us the
second under government, a man who not even knoweth our language?
11. Now we pray thee send for him, and let him come before thee, and
prove him in all things, and do as thou see fit.
12. And the king said, It shall be done tomorrow, and the thing that
you have spoken is good; and all the officers came on that day
before the king.
13. And on that night the Lord sent one of his ministering angels, and
he came into the land of Egypt unto Joseph, and the angel of the
Lord stood over Joseph, and behold Joseph was lying in the bed at
night in his master’s house in the dungeon, for his master had put
him back into the dungeon on account of his wife.
14. And the angel roused him from his sleep, and Joseph rose up and
stood upon his legs, and behold the angel of the Lord was standing
opposite to him; and the angel of the Lord spoke with Joseph, and
he taught him all the languages of man in that night, and he called
his name Jehoseph.
15. And the angel of the Lord went from him, and Joseph returned and
lay upon his bed, and Joseph was astonished at the vision which he
saw.
16. And it came to pass in the morning that the king sent for all his
officers and servants, and they all came and sat before the king,
and the king ordered Joseph to be brought, and the king’s servants
went and brought Joseph before Pharaoh.
17. And the king came forth and ascended the steps of the throne, and
Joseph spoke unto the king in all languages, and Joseph went up to
him and spoke unto the king until he arrived before the king in the
seventieth step, and he sat before the king.
18. And the king greatly rejoiced on account of Joseph, and all the
king’s officers rejoiced greatly with the king when they heard all
the words of Joseph.
19. And the thing seemed good in the sight of the king and the
officers, to appoint Joseph to be second to the king over the whole
land of Egypt, and the king spoke to Joseph, saying,
20. Now thou didst give me counsel to appoint a wise man over the land
of Egypt, in order with his wisdom to save the land from the
famine; now therefore, since God has made all this known to thee,
and all the words which thou hast spoken, there is not throughout
the land a discreet and wise man like unto thee.
21. And thy name no more shall be called Joseph, but Zaphnath Paaneah
shall be thy name; thou shalt be second to me, and according to thy
word shall be all the affairs of my government, and at thy word
shall my people go out and come in.
22. Also from under thy hand shall my servants and officers receive
their salary which is given to them monthly, and to thee shall all
the people of the land bow down; only in my throne will I be
greater than thou.
23. And the king took off his ring from his hand and put it upon the
hand of Joseph, and the king dressed Joseph in a princely garment,
and he put a golden crown upon his head, and he put a golden chain
upon his neck.
24. And the king commanded his servants, and they made him ride in the
second chariot belonging to the king, that went opposite to the
king’s chariot, and he caused him to ride upon a great and strong
horse from the king’s horses, and to be conducted through the
streets of the land of Egypt.
25. And the king commanded that all those that played upon timbrels,
harps and other musical instruments should go forth with Joseph;
one thousand timbrels, one thousand mecholoth, and one thousand
nebalim went after him.
26. And five thousand men, with drawn swords glittering in their hands,
and they went marching and playing before Joseph, and twenty
thousand of the great men of the king girt with girdles of skin
covered with gold, marched at the right hand of Joseph, and twenty
thousand at his left, and all the women and damsels went upon the
roofs or stood in the streets playing and rejoicing at Joseph, and
gazed at the appearance of Joseph and at his beauty.
27. And the king’s people went before him and behind him, perfuming the
road with frankincense and with cassia, and with all sorts of fine
perfume, and scattered myrrh and aloes along the road, and twenty
men proclaimed these words before him throughout the land in a loud
voice:
28. Do you see this man whom the king has chosen to be his second? all
the affairs of government shall be regulated by him, and he that
transgresses his orders, or that does not bow down before him to
the ground, shall die, for he rebels against the king and his
second.
29. And when the heralds had ceased proclaiming, all the people of
Egypt bowed down to the ground before Joseph and said, May the king
live, also may his second live; and all the inhabitants of Egypt
bowed down along the road, and when the heralds approached them,
they bowed down, and they rejoiced with all sorts of timbrels,
mechol and nebal before Joseph.
30. And Joseph upon his horse lifted up his eyes to heaven, and called
out and said, He raiseth the poor man from the dust, He lifteth up
the needy from the dunghill. O Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who
trusteth in thee.
31. And Joseph passed throughout the land of Egypt with Pharaoh’s
servants and officers, and they showed him the whole land of Egypt
and all the king’s treasures.
32. And Joseph returned and came on that day before Pharaoh, and the
king gave unto Joseph a possession in the land of Egypt, a
possession of fields and vineyards, and the king gave unto Joseph
three thousand talents of silver and one thousand talents of gold,
and onyx stones and bdellium and many gifts.
33. And on the next day the king commanded all the people of Egypt to
bring unto Joseph offerings and gifts, and that he that violated
the command of the king should die; and they made a high place in
the street of the city, and they spread out garments there, and
whoever brought anything to Joseph put it into the high place.
34. And all the people of Egypt cast something into the high place, one
man a golden ear-ring, and the other rings and ear-rings, and
different vessels of gold and silver work, and onyx stones and
bdellium did he cast upon the high place; every one gave something
of what he possessed.
35. And Joseph took all these and placed them in his treasuries, and
all the officers and nobles belonging to the king exalted Joseph,
and they gave him many gifts, seeing that the king had chosen him
to be his second.
36. And the king sent to Potiphera, the son of Ahiram priest of On, and
he took his young daughter Osnath and gave her unto Joseph for a
wife.
37. And the damsel was very comely, a virgin, one whom man had not
known, and Joseph took her for a wife; and the king said unto
Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and beside thee none shall dare to lift up
his hand or his foot to regulate my people throughout the land of
Egypt.
38. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, and
Joseph went out from before the king, and he became the king’s
second in Egypt.
39. And the king gave Joseph a hundred servants to attend him in his
house, and Joseph also sent and purchased many servants and they
remained in the house of Joseph.
40. Joseph then built for himself a very magnificent house like unto
the houses of kings, before the court of the king’s palace, and he
made in the house a large temple, very elegant in appearance and
convenient for his residence; three years was Joseph in erecting
his house.
41. And Joseph made unto himself a very elegant throne of abundance of
gold and silver, and he covered it with onyx stones and bdellium,
and he made upon it the likeness of the whole land of Egypt, and
the likeness of the river of Egypt that watereth the whole land of
Egypt; and Joseph sat securely upon his throne in his house and the
Lord increased Joseph’s wisdom.
42. And all the inhabitants of Egypt and Pharaoh’s servants and his
princes loved Joseph exceedingly, for this thing was from the Lord
to Joseph.
43. And Joseph had an army that made war, going out in hosts and troops
to the number of forty thousand six hundred men, capable of bearing
arms to assist the king and Joseph against the enemy, besides the
king’s officers and his servants and inhabitants of Egypt without
number.
44. And Joseph gave unto his mighty men, and to all his host, shields
and javelins, and caps and coats of mail and stones for slinging.

Jasher Chapter 50

1. At that time the children of Tarshish came against the sons of
Ishmael, and made war with them, and the children of Tarshish
spoiled the Ishmaelites for a long time.
2. And the children of Ishmael were small in number in those days, and
they could not prevail over the children of Tarshish, and they were
sorely oppressed.
3. And the old men of the Ishmaelites sent a record to the king of
Egypt, saying, Send I pray thee unto thy servants officers and
hosts to help us to fight against the children of Tarshish, for we
have been consuming away for a long time.
4. And Pharaoh sent Joseph with the mighty men and host which were
with him, and also his mighty men from the king’s house.
5. And they went to the land of Havilah to the children of Ishmael, to
assist them against the children of Tarshish, and the children of
Ishmael fought with the children of Tarshish, and Joseph smote the
Tarshishites and he subdued all their land, and the children of
Ishmael dwell therein unto this day.
6. And when the land of Tarshish was subdued, all the Tarshishites ran
away, and came on the border of their brethren the children of
Javan, and Joseph with all his mighty men and host returned to
Egypt, not one man of them missing.
7. And at the revolution of the year, in the second year of Joseph’s
reigning over Egypt, the Lord gave great plenty throughout the land
for seven years as Joseph had spoken, for the Lord blessed all the
produce of the earth in those days for seven years, and they ate
and were greatly satisfied.
8. And Joseph at that time had officers under him, and they collected
all the food of the good years, and heaped corn year by year, and
they placed it in the treasuries of Joseph.
9. And at any time when they gathered the food Joseph commanded that
they should bring the corn in the ears, and also bring with it some
of the soil of the field, that it should not spoil.
10. And Joseph did according to this year by year, and he heaped up
corn like the sand of the sea for abundance, for his stores were
immense and could not be numbered for abundance.
11. And also all the inhabitants of Egypt gathered all sorts of food in
their stores in great abundance during the seven good years, but
they did not do unto it as Joseph did.
12. And all the food which Joseph and the Egyptians had gathered during
the seven years of plenty, was secured for the land in stores for
the seven years of famine, for the support of the whole land.
13. And the inhabitants of Egypt filled each man his store and his
concealed place with corn, to be for support during the famine.
14. And Joseph placed all the food that he had gathered in all the
cities of Egypt, and he closed all the stores and placed sentinels
over them.
15. And Joseph’s wife Osnath the daughter of Potiphera bare him two
sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and Joseph was thirty-four years old
when he begat them.
16. And the lads grew up and they went in his ways and in his
instructions, they did not deviate from the way which their father
taught them, either to the right or left.
17. And the Lord was with the lads, and they grew up and had
understanding and skill in all wisdom and in all the affairs of
government, and all the king’s officers and his great men of the
inhabitants of Egypt exalted the lads, and they were brought up
amongst the king’s children.
18. And the seven years of plenty that were throughout the land were at
an end, and the seven years of famine came after them as Joseph had
spoken, and the famine was throughout the land.
19. And all the people of Egypt saw that the famine had commenced in
the land of Egypt, and all the people of Egypt opened their stores
of corn for the famine prevailed over them.
20. And they found all the food that was in their stores, full of
vermin and not fit to eat, and the famine prevailed throughout the
land, and all the inhabitants of Egypt came and cried before
Pharaoh, for the famine was heavy upon them.
21. And they said unto Pharaoh, Give food unto thy servants, and
wherefore shall we die through hunger before thy eyes, even we and
our little ones?
22. And Pharaoh answered them, saying, And wherefore do you cry unto
me? did not Joseph command that the corn should be laid up during
the seven years of plenty for the years of famine? and wherefore
did you not hearken to his voice?
23. And the people of Egypt answered the king, saying, As thy soul
liveth, our lord, thy servants have done all that Joseph ordered,
for thy servants also gathered in all the produce of their fields
during the seven years of plenty and laid it in the stores unto
this day.
24. And when the famine prevailed over thy servants we opened our
stores, and behold all our produce was filled with vermin and was
not fit for food.
25. And when the king heard all that had befallen the inhabitants of
Egypt, the king was greatly afraid on account of the famine, and he
was much terrified; and the king answered the people of Egypt,
saying, Since all this has happened unto you, go unto Joseph, do
whatever he shall say unto you, transgress not his commands.
26. And all the people of Egypt went forth and came unto Joseph, and
said unto him, Give unto us food, and wherefore shall we die before
thee through hunger? for we gathered in our produce during the
seven years as thou didst command, and we put it in store, and thus
has it befallen us.
27. And when Joseph heard all the words of the people of Egypt and what
had befallen them, Joseph opened all his stores of the produce and
he sold it unto the people of Egypt.
28. And the famine prevailed throughout the land, and the famine was in
all countries, but in the land of Egypt there was produce for sale.
29. And all the inhabitants of Egypt came unto Joseph to buy corn, for
the famine prevailed over them, and all their corn was spoiled, and
Joseph daily sold it to all the people of Egypt.
30. And all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and the Philistines,
and those beyond the Jordan, and the children of the east and all
the cities of the lands far and nigh heard that there was corn in
Egypt, and they all came to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine
prevailed over them.
31. And Joseph opened the stores of corn and placed officers over them,
and they daily stood and sold to all that came.
32. And Joseph knew that his brethren also would come to Egypt to buy
corn, for the famine prevailed throughout the earth. And Joseph
commanded all his people that they should cause it to be proclaimed
throughout the land of Egypt, saying,
33. It is the pleasure of the king, of his second and of their great
men, that any person who wishes to buy corn in Egypt shall not send
his servants to Egypt to purchase, but his sons, and also any
Egyptian or Canaanite, who shall come from any of the stores from
buying corn in Egypt, and shall go and sell it throughout the land,
he shall die, for no one shall buy but for the support of his
household.
34. And any man leading two or three beasts shall die, for a man shall
only lead his own beast.
35. And Joseph placed sentinels at the gates of Egypt, and commanded
them, saying, Any person who may come to buy corn, suffer him not
to enter until his name, and the name of his father, and the name
of his father’s father be written down, and whatever is written by
day, send their names unto me in the evening that I may know their
names.
36. And Joseph placed officers throughout the land of Egypt, and he
commanded them to do all these things.
37. And Joseph did all these things, and made these statutes, in order
that he might know when his brethren should come to Egypt to buy
corn; and Joseph’s people caused it daily to be proclaimed in Egypt
according to these words and statutes which Joseph had commanded.
38. And all the inhabitants of the east and west country, and of all
the earth, heard of the statutes and regulations which Joseph had
enacted in Egypt, and the inhabitants of the extreme parts of the
earth came and they bought corn in Egypt day after day, and then
went away.
39. And all the officers of Egypt did as Joseph had commanded, and all
that came to Egypt to buy corn, the gate keepers would write their
names, and their fathers’ names, and daily bring them in the
evening before Joseph.

Jasher Chapter 51

1. And Jacob afterward heard that there was corn in Egypt, and he
called unto his sons to go to Egypt to buy corn, for upon them also
did the famine prevail, and he called unto his sons, saying,
2. Behold I hear that there is corn in Egypt, and all the people of
the earth go there to purchase, now therefore why will you show
yourselves satisfied before the whole earth? go you also down to
Egypt and buy us a little corn amongst those that come there, that
we may not die.
3. And the sons of Jacob hearkened to the voice of their father, and
they rose up to go down to Egypt in order to buy corn amongst the
rest that came there.
4. And Jacob their father commanded them, saying, When you come into
the city do not enter together in one gate, on account of the
inhabitants of the land.
5. And the sons of Jacob went forth and they went to Egypt, and the
sons of Jacob did all as their father had commanded them, and Jacob
did not send Benjamin, for he said, Lest an accident might befall
him on the road like his brother; and ten of Jacob’s sons went
forth.
6. And whilst the sons of Jacob were going on the road, they repented
of what they had done to Joseph, and they spoke to each other,
saying, We know that our brother Joseph went down to Egypt, and now
we will seek him where we go, and if we find him we will take him
from his master for a ransom, and if not, by force, and we will die
for him.
7. And the sons of Jacob agreed to this thing and strengthened
themselves on account of Joseph, to deliver him from the hand of
his master, and the sons of Jacob went to Egypt; and when they came
near to Egypt they separated from each other, and they came through
ten gates of Egypt, and the gate keepers wrote their names on that
day, and brought them to Joseph in the evening.
8. And Joseph read the names from the hand of the gate-keepers of the
city, and he found that his brethren had entered at the ten gates
of the city, and Joseph at that time commanded that it should be
proclaimed throughout the land of Egypt, saying,
9. Go forth all ye store guards, close all the corn stores and let
only one remain open, that those who come may purchase from it.
10. And all the officers of Joseph did so at that time, and they closed
all the stores and left only one open.
11. And Joseph gave the written names of his brethren to him that was
set over the open store, and he said unto him, Whosoever shall come
to thee to buy corn, ask his name, and when men of these names
shall come before thee, seize them and send them, and they did so.
12. And when the sons of Jacob came into the city, they joined together
in the city to seek Joseph before they bought themselves corn.
13. And they went to the walls of the harlots, and they sought Joseph
in the walls of the harlots for three days, for they thought that
Joseph would come in the walls of the harlots, for Joseph was very
comely and well favored, and the sons of Jacob sought Joseph for
three days, and they could not find him.
14. And the man who was set over the open store sought for those names
which Joseph had given him, and he did not find them.
15. And he sent to Joseph, saying, These three days have passed, and
those men whose names thou didst give unto me have not come; and
Joseph sent servants to seek the men in all Egypt, and to bring
them before Joseph.
16. And Joseph’s servants went and came into Egypt and could not find
them, and went to Goshen and they were not there, and then went to
the city of Rameses and could not find them.
17. And Joseph continued to send sixteen servants to seek his brothers,
and they went and spread themselves in the four corners of the
city, and four of the servants went into the house of the harlots,
and they found the ten men there seeking their brother.
18. And those four men took them and brought them before him, and they
bowed down to him to the ground, and Joseph was sitting upon his
throne in his temple, clothed with princely garments, and upon his
head was a large crown of gold, and all the mighty men were sitting
around him.
19. And the sons of Jacob saw Joseph, and his figure and comeliness and
dignity of countenance seemed wonderful in their eyes, and they
again bowed down to him to the ground.
20. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but they knew him
not, for Joseph was very great in their eyes, therefore they knew
him not.
21. And Joseph spoke to them, saying, From whence come ye? and they all
answered and said, Thy servants have come from the land of Canaan
to buy corn, for the famine prevails throughout the earth, and thy
servants heard that there was corn in Egypt, so they have come
amongst the other comers to buy corn for their support.
22. And Joseph answered them, saying, If you have come to purchase as
you say, why do you come through ten gates of the city? it can only
be that you have come to spy through the land.
23. And they all together answered Joseph, and said, Not so my lord, we
are right, thy servants are not spies, but we have come to buy
corn, for thy servants are all brothers, the sons of one man in the
land of Canaan, and our father commanded us, saying, When you come
to the city do not enter together at one gate on account of the
inhabitants of the land.
24. And Joseph again answered them and said, That is the thing which I
spoke unto you, you have come to spy through the land, therefore
you all came through ten gates of the city; you have come to see
the nakedness of the land.
25. Surely every one that cometh to buy corn goeth his way, and you are
already three days in the land, and what do you do in the walls of
harlots in which you have been for these three days? surely spies
do like unto these things.
26. And they said unto Joseph, Far be it from our lord to speak thus,
for we are twelve brothers, the sons of our father Jacob, in the
land of Canaan, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the Hebrew,
and behold the youngest is with our father this day in the land of
Canaan, and one is not, for he was lost from us, and we thought
perhaps he might be in this land, so we are seeking him throughout
the land, and have come even to the houses of harlots to seek him
there.
27. And Joseph said unto them, And have you then sought him throughout
the earth, that there only remained Egypt for you to seek him in?
And what also should your brother do in the houses of harlots,
although he were in Egypt? have you not said, That you are from the
sons of Isaac, the son of Abraham, and what shall the sons of Jacob
do then in the houses of harlots?
28. And they said unto him, Because we heard that Ishmaelites stole him
from us, and it was told unto us that they sold him in Egypt, and
thy servant, our brother, is very comely and well favored, so we
thought he would surely be in the houses of harlots, therefore thy
servants went there to seek him and give ransom for him.
29. And Joseph still answered them, saying, Surely you speak falsely
and utter lies, to say of yourselves that you are the sons of
Abraham; as Pharaoh liveth you are spies, therefore have you come
to the houses of harlots that you should not be known.
30. And Joseph said unto them, And now if you find him, and his master
requireth of you a great price, will you give it for him? and they
said, It shall be given.
31. And he said unto them, And if his master will not consent to part
with him for a great price, what will you do unto him on his
account? and they answered him, saying, If he will not give him
unto us we will slay him, and take our brother and go away.
32. And Joseph said unto them, That is the thing which I have spoken to
you; you are spies, for you are come to slay the inhabitants of the
land, for we heard that two of your brethren smote all the
inhabitants of Shechem, in the land of Canaan, on account of your
sister, and you now come to do the like in Egypt on account of your
brother.
33. Only hereby shall I know that you are true men; if you will send
home one from amongst you to fetch your youngest brother from your
father, and to bring him here unto me, and by doing this thing I
will know that you are right.
34. And Joseph called to seventy of his mighty men, and he said unto
them, Take these men and bring them into the ward.
35. And the mighty men took the ten men, they laid hold of them and put
them into the ward, and they were in the ward three days.
36. And on the third day Joseph had them brought out of the ward, and
he said unto them, Do this for yourselves if you be true men, so
that you may live, one of your brethren shall be confined in the
ward whilst you go and take home the corn for your household to the
land of Canaan, and fetch your youngest brother, and bring him here
unto me, that I may know that you are true men when you do this
thing.
37. And Joseph went out from them and came into the chamber, and wept a
great weeping, for his pity was excited for them, and he washed his
face, and returned to them again, and he took Simeon from them and
ordered him to be bound, but Simeon was not willing to be done so,
for he was a very powerful man and they could not bind him.
38. And Joseph called unto his mighty men and seventy valiant men came
before him with drawn swords in their hands, and the sons of Jacob
were terrified at them.
39. And Joseph said unto them, Seize this man and confine him in prison
until his brethren come to him, and Joseph’s valiant men hastened
and they all laid hold of Simeon to bind him, and Simeon gave a
loud and terrible shriek and the cry was heard at a distance.
40. And all the valiant men of Joseph were terrified at the sound of
the shriek, that they fell upon their faces, and they were greatly
afraid and fled.
41. And all the men that were with Joseph fled, for they were greatly
afraid of their lives, and only Joseph and Manasseh his son
remained there, and Manassah the son of Joseph saw the strength of
Simeon, and he was exceedingly wroth.
42. And Manassah the son of Joseph rose up to Simeon, and Manassah
smote Simeon a heavy blow with his fist against the back of his
neck, and Simeon was stilled of his rage.
43. And Manassah laid hold of Simeon and he seized him violently and he
bound him and brought him into the house of confinement, and all
the sons of Jacob were astonished at the act of the youth.
44. And Simeon said unto his brethren, None of you must say that this
is the smiting of an Egyptian, but it is the smiting of the house
of my father.
45. And after this Joseph ordered him to be called who was set over the
storehouse, to fill their sacks with corn as much as they could
carry, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give
them provision for the road, and thus did he unto them.
46. And Joseph commanded them, saying, Take heed lest you transgress my
orders to bring your brother as I have told you, and it shall be
when you bring your brother hither unto me, then will I know that
you are true men, and you shall traffic in the land, and I will
restore unto you your brother, and you shall return in peace to
your father.
47. And they all answered and said, According as our lord speaketh so
will we do, and they bowed down to him to the ground.
48. And every man lifted his corn upon his ass, and they went out to go
to the land of Canaan to their father; and they came to the inn and
Levi spread his sack to give provender to his ass, when he saw and
behold his money in full weight was still in his sack.
49. And the man was greatly afraid, and he said unto his brethren, My
money is restored, and lo, it is even in my sack, and the men were
greatly afraid, and they said, What is this that God hath done unto
us?
50. And they all said, And where is the Lord’s kindness with our
fathers, with Abraham, Isaac, end Jacob, that the Lord has this day
delivered us into the hands of the king of Egypt to contrive
against us?
51. And Judah said unto them, Surely we are guilty sinners before the
Lord our God in having sold our brother, our own flesh, and
wherefore do you say, Where is the Lord’s kindness with our
fathers?
52. And Reuben said unto them, Said I not unto you, do not sin against
the lad, and you would not listen to me? now God requireth him from
us, and how dare you say, Where is the Lord’s kindness with our
fathers, whilst you have sinned unto the Lord?
53. And they tarried over night in that place, and they rose up early
in the morning and laded their asses with their corn, and they led
them and went on and came to their father’s house in the land of
Canaan.
54. And Jacob and his household went out to meet his sons, and Jacob
saw and behold their brother Simeon was not with them, and Jacob
said unto his sons, Where is your brother Simeon, whom I do not
see? and his sons told him all that had befallen them in Egypt.

Jasher Chapter 52

1. And they entered their house, and every man opened his sack and
they saw and behold every man’s bundle of money was there, at which
they and their father were greatly terrified.
2. And Jacob said unto them, What is this that you have done to me? I
sent your brother Joseph to inquire after your welfare and you said
unto me. A wild beast did devour him.
3. And Simeon went with you to buy food and you say the king of Egypt
hath confined him in prison, and you wish to take Benjamin to cause
his death also, and bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the
grave on account of Benjamin and his brother Joseph.
4. Now therefore my son shall not go down with you, for his brother is
dead and he is left alone, and mischief may befall him by the way
in which you go, as it befell his brother.
5. And Reuben said unto his father, Thou shalt slay my two sons if I
do not bring thy son and place him before thee; and Jacob said unto
his sons, Abide ye here and do not go down to Egypt, for my son
shall not go down with you to Egypt, nor die like his brother.
6. And Judah said unto them, refrain ye from him until the corn is
finished, and he will then say, Take down your brother, when he
will find his own life and the life of his household in danger from
the famine.
7. And in those days the famine was sore throughout the land, and all
the people of the earth went and came to Egypt to buy food, for the
famine prevailed greatly amongst them, and the sons of Jacob
remained in Canaan a year and two months until their corn was
finished.
8. And it came to pass after their corn was finished, the whole
household of Jacob was pinched with hunger, and all the infants of
the sons of Jacob came together and they approached Jacob, and they
all surrounded him, and they said unto him, Give unto us bread, and
wherefore shall we all perish through hunger in thy presence?
9. Jacob heard the words of his son’s children, and he wept a great
weeping, and his pity was roused for them, and Jacob called unto
his sons and they all came and sat before him.
10. And Jacob said unto them, And have you not seen how your children
have been weeping over me this day, saying, Give unto us bread, and
there is none? now therefore return and buy for us a little food.
11. And Judah answered and said unto his father, If thou wilt send our
brother with us we will go down and buy corn for thee, and if thou
wilt not send him then we will not go down, for surely the king of
Egypt particularly enjoined us, saying, You shall not see my face
unless your brother be with you, for the king of Egypt is a strong
and mighty king, and behold if we shall go to him without our
brother we shall all be put to death.
12. Dost thou not know and hast thou not heard that this king is very
powerful and wise, and there is not like unto him in all the earth?
behold we have seen all the kings of the earth and we have not seen
one like that king, the king of Egypt; surely amongst all the kings
of the earth there is none greater than Abimelech king of the
Philistines, yet the king of Egypt is greater and mightier than he,
and Abimelech can only be compared to one of his officers.
13. Father, thou hast not seen his palace and his throne, and all his
servants standing before him; thou hast not seen that king upon his
throne in his pomp and royal appearance, dressed in his kingly
robes with a large golden crown upon his head; thou hast not seen
the honor and glory which God has given unto him, for there is not
like unto him in all the earth.
14. Father, thou hast not seen the wisdom, the understanding and the
knowledge which God has given in his heart, nor heard his sweet
voice when he spake unto us.
15. We know not, father, who made him acquainted with our names and all
that befell us, yet he asked also after thee, saying, Is your
father still living, and is it well with him?
16. Thou hast not seen the affairs of the government of Egypt regulated
by him, without inquiring of Pharaoh his lord; thou hast not seen
the awe and fear which he impressed upon all the Egyptians.
17. And also when we went from him, we threatened to do unto Egypt like
unto the rest of the cities of the Amorites, and we were
exceedingly wroth against all his words which he spoke concerning
us as spies, and now when we shall again come before him his terror
will fall upon us all, and not one of us will be able to speak to
him either a little or a great thing.
18. Now therefore father, send we pray thee the lad with us, and we
will go down and buy thee food for our support, and not die through
hunger. And Jacob said, Why have you dealt so ill with me to tell
the king you had a brother? what is this thing that you have done
unto me?
19. And Judah said unto Jacob his father, Give the lad into my care and
we will rise up and go down to Egypt and buy corn, and then return,
and it shall be when we return if the lad be not with us, then let
me bear thy blame forever.
20. Hast thou seen all our infants weeping over thee through hunger and
there is no power in thy hand to satisfy them? now let thy pity be
roused for them and send our brother with us and we will go.
21. For how will the Lord’s kindness to our ancestors be manifested to
thee when thou sayest that the king of Egypt will take away thy
son? as the Lord liveth I will not leave him until I bring him and
place him before thee; but pray for us unto the Lord, that he may
deal kindly with us, to cause us to be received favorably and
kindly before the king of Egypt and his men, for had we not delayed
surely now we had returned a second time with thy son.
22. And Jacob said unto his sons, I trust in the Lord God that he may
deliver you and give you favor in the sight of the king of Egypt,
and in the sight of all his men.
23. Now therefore rise up and go to the man, and take for him in your
hands a present from what can be obtained in the land and bring it
before him, and may the Almighty God give you mercy before him that
he may send Benjamin and Simeon your brethren with you.
24. And all the men rose up, and they took their brother Benjamin, and
they took in their hands a large present of the best of the land,
and they also took a double portion of silver.
25. And Jacob strictly commanded his sons concerning Benjamin, Saying,
Take heed of him in the way in which you are going, and do not
separate yourselves from him in the road, neither in Egypt.
26. And Jacob rose up from his sons and spread forth his hands and he
prayed unto the Lord on account of his sons, saying, O Lord God of
heaven and earth, remember thy covenant with our father Abraham,
remember it with my father Isaac and deal kindly with my sons and
deliver them not into the hands of the king of Egypt; do it I pray
thee O God for the sake of thy mercies and redeem all my children
and rescue them from Egyptian power, and send them their two
brothers.
27. And all the wives of the sons of Jacob and their children lifted up
their eyes to heaven and they all wept before the Lord, and cried
unto him to deliver their fathers from the hand of the king of
Egypt.
28. And Jacob wrote a record to the king of Egypt and gave it into the
hand of Judah and into the hands of his sons for the king of Egypt,
saying,
29. From thy servant Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham the Hebrew,
the prince of God, to the powerful and wise king, the revealer of
secrets, king of Egypt, greeting.
30. Be it known to my lord the king of Egypt, the famine was sore upon
us in the land of Canaan, and I sent my sons to thee to buy us a
little food from thee for our support.
31. For my sons surrounded me and I being very old cannot see with my
eyes, for my eyes have become very heavy through age, as well as
with daily weeping for my son, for Joseph who was lost from before
me, and I commanded my sons that they should not enter the gates of
the city when they came to Egypt, on account of the inhabitants of
the land.
32. And I also commanded them to go about Egypt to seek for my son
Joseph, perhaps they might find him there, and they did so, and
thou didst consider them as spies of the land.
33. Have we not heard concerning thee that thou didst interpret
Pharaoh’s dream and didst speak truly unto him? how then dost thou
not know in thy wisdom whether my sons are spies or not?
34. Now therefore, my lord and king, behold I have sent my son before
thee, as thou didst speak unto my sons; I beseech thee to put thy
eyes upon him until he is returned to me in peace with his
brethren.
35. For dost thou not know, or hast thou not heard that which our God
did unto Pharaoh when he took my mother Sarah, and what he did unto
Abimelech king of the Philistines on account of her, and also what
our father Abraham did unto the nine kings of Elam, how he smote
them all with a few men that were with him?
36. And also what my two sons Simeon and Levi did unto the eight cities
of the Amorites, how they destroyed them on account of their sister
Dinah?
37. And also on account of their brother Benjamin they consoled
themselves for the loss of his brother Joseph; what will they then
do for him when they see the hand of any people prevailing over
them, for his sake?
38. Dost thou not know, O king of Egypt, that the power of God is with
us, and that also God ever heareth our prayers and forsaketh us not
all the days?
39. And when my sons told me of thy dealings with them, I called not
unto the Lord on account of thee, for then thou wouldst have
perished with thy men before my son Benjamin came before thee, but
I thought that as Simeon my son was in thy house, perhaps thou
mightest deal kindly with him, therefore I did not this thing unto
thee.
40. Now therefore behold Benjamin my son cometh unto thee with my sons,
take heed of him and put thy eyes upon him, and then will God place
his eyes over thee and throughout thy kingdom.
41. Now I have told thee all that is in my heart, and behold my sons
are coming to thee with their brother, examine the face of the
whole earth for their sake and send them back in peace with their
brethren.
42. And Jacob gave the record to his sons into the care of Judah to
give it unto the king of Egypt.

Jasher Chapter 53

1. And the sons of Jacob rose up and took Benjamin and the whole of
the presents, and they went and came to Egypt and they stood before
Joseph.
2. And Joseph beheld his brother Benjamin with them and he saluted
them, and these men came to Joseph’s house.
3. And Joseph commanded the superintendent of his house to give to his
brethren to eat, and he did so unto them.
4. And at noon time Joseph sent for the men to come before him with
Benjamin, and the men told the superintendent of Joseph’s house
concerning the silver that was returned in their sacks, and he said
unto them, It will be well with you, fear not, and he brought their
brother Simeon unto them.
5. And Simeon said unto his brethren, The lord of the Egyptians has
acted very kindly unto me, he did not keep me bound, as you saw
with your eyes, for when you went out from the city he let me free
and dealt kindly with me in his house.
6. And Judah took Benjamin by the hand, and they came before Joseph,
and they bowed down to him to the ground.
7. And the men gave the present unto Joseph and they all sat before
him, and Joseph said unto them, Is it well with you, is it well
with your children, is it well with your aged father? and they
said, It is well, and Judah took the record which Jacob had sent
and gave it into the hand of Joseph.
8. And Joseph read the letter and knew his father’s writing, and he
wished to weep and he went into an inner room and he wept a great
weeping; and he went out.
9. And he lifted up his eyes and beheld his brother Benjamin, and he
said, Is this your brother of whom you spoke unto me? And Benjamin
approached Joseph, and Joseph placed his hand upon his head and he
said unto him, May God be gracious unto thee my son.
10. And when Joseph saw his brother, the son of his mother, he again
wished to weep, and he entered the chamber, and he wept there, and
he washed his face, and went out and refrained from weeping, and he
said, Prepare food.
11. And Joseph had a cup from which he drank, and it was of silver
beautifully inlaid with onyx stones and bdellium, and Joseph struck
the cup in the sight of his brethren whilst they were sitting to
eat with him.
12. And Joseph said unto the men, I know by this cup that Reuben the
first born, Simeon and Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun are
children from one mother, seat yourselves to eat according to your
births.
13. And he also placed the others according to their births, and he
said, I know that this your youngest brother has no brother, and I,
like him, have no brother, he shall therefore sit down to eat with
me.
14. And Benjamin went up before Joseph and sat upon the throne, and the
men beheld the acts of Joseph, and they were astonished at them;
and the men ate and drank at that time with Joseph, and he then
gave presents unto them, and Joseph gave one gift unto Benjamin,
and Manasseh and Ephraim saw the acts of their father, and they
also gave presents unto him, and Osnath gave him one present, and
they were five presents in the hand of Benjamin.
15. And Joseph brought them out wine to drink, and they would not
drink, and they said, From the day on which Joseph was lost we have
not drunk wine, nor eaten any delicacies.
16. And Joseph swore unto them, and he pressed them hard, and they
drank plentifully with him on that day, and Joseph afterward turned
to his brother Benjamin to speak with him, and Benjamin was still
sitting upon the throne before Joseph.
17. And Joseph said unto him, Hast thou begotten any children? and he
said, Thy servant has ten sons, and these are their names, Bela,
Becher, Ashbal, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord,
and I called their names after my brother whom I have not seen.
18. And he ordered them to bring before him his map of the stars,
whereby Joseph knew all the times, and Joseph said unto Benjamin, I
have heard that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom, dost
thou know anything of this?
19. And Benjamin said, Thy servant is knowing also in all the wisdom
which my father taught me, and Joseph said unto Benjamin, Look now
at this instrument and understand where thy brother Joseph is in
Egypt, who you said went down to Egypt.
20. And Benjamin beheld that instrument with the map of the stars of
heaven, and he was wise and looked therein to know where his
brother was, and Benjamin divided the whole land of Egypt into four
divisions, and he found that he who was sitting upon the throne
before him was his brother Joseph, and Benjamin wondered greatly,
and when Joseph saw that his brother Benjamin was so much
astonished, he said unto Benjamin, What hast thou seen, and why art
thou astonished?
21. And Benjamin said unto Joseph, I can see by this that Joseph my
brother sitteth here with me upon the throne, and Joseph said unto
him, I am Joseph thy brother, reveal not this thing unto thy
brethren; behold I will send thee with them when they go away, and
I will command them to be brought back again into the city, and I
will take thee away from them.
22. And if they dare their lives and fight for thee, then shall I know
that they have repented of what they did unto me, and I will make
myself known to them, and if they forsake thee when I take thee,
then shalt thou remain with me, and I will wrangle with them, and
they shall go away, and I will not become known to them.
23. At that time Joseph commanded his officer to fill their sacks with
food, and to put each man’s money into his sack, and to put the cup
in the sack of Benjamin, and to give them provision for the road,
and they did so unto them.
24. And on the next day the men rose up early in the morning, and they
loaded their asses with their corn, and they went forth with
Benjamin, and they went to the land of Canaan with their brother
Benjamin.
25. They had not gone far from Egypt when Joseph commanded him that was
set over his house, saying, Rise, pursue these men before they get
too far from Egypt, and say unto them, Why have you stolen my
master’s cup?
26. And Joseph’s officer rose up and he reached them, and he spoke unto
them all the words of Joseph; and when they heard this thing they
became exceedingly wroth, and they said, He with whom thy master’s
cup shall be found shall die, and we will also become slaves.
27. And they hastened and each man brought down his sack from his ass,
and they looked in their bags and the cup was found in Benjamin’s
bag, and they all tore their garments and they returned to the
city, and they smote Benjamin in the road, continually smiting him
until he came into the city, and they stood before Joseph.
28. And Judah’s anger was kindled, and he said, This man has only
brought me back to destroy Egypt this day.
29. And the men came to Joseph’s house, and they found Joseph sitting
upon his throne, and all the mighty men standing at his right and
left.
30. And Joseph said unto them, What is this act that you have done,
that you took away my silver cup and went away? but I know that you
took my cup in order to know thereby in what part of the land your
brother was.
31. And Judah said, What shall we say to our lord, what shall we speak
and how shall we justify ourselves, God has this day found the
iniquity of all thy servants, therefore has he done this thing to
us this day.
32. And Joseph rose up and caught hold of Benjamin and took him from
his brethren with violence, and he came to the house and locked the
door at them, and Joseph commanded him that was set over his house
that he should say unto them, Thus saith the king, Go in peace to
your father, behold I have taken the man in whose hand my cup was
found.

Jasher Chapter 54

1. And when Judah saw the dealings of Joseph with them, Judah
approached him and broke open the door, and came with his brethren
before Joseph.
2. And Judah said unto Joseph, Let it not seem grievous in the sight
of my lord, may thy servant I pray thee speak a word before thee?
and Joseph said unto him, Speak.
3. And Judah spoke before Joseph, and his brethren were there standing
before them; and Judah said unto Joseph, Surely when we first came
to our lord to buy food, thou didst consider us as spies of the
land, and we brought Benjamin before thee, and thou still makest
sport of us this day.
4. Now therefore let the king hear my words, and send I pray thee our
brother that he may go along with us to our father, lest thy soul
perish this day with all the souls of the inhabitants of Egypt.
5. Dost thou not know what two of my brethren, Simeon and Levi, did
unto the city of Shechem, and unto seven cities of the Amorites, on
account of our sister Dinah, and also what they would do for the
sake of their brother Benjamin?
6. And I with my strength, who am greater and mightier than both of
them, come this day upon thee and thy land if thou art unwilling to
send our brother.
7. Hast thou not heard what our God who made choice of us did unto
Pharaoh on account of Sarah our mother, whom he took away from our
father, that he smote him and his household with heavy plagues,
that even unto this day the Egyptians relate this wonder to each
other? so will our God do unto thee on account of Benjamin whom
thou hast this day taken from his father, and on account of the
evils which thou this day heapest over us in thy land; for our God
will remember his covenant with our father Abraham and bring evil
upon thee, because thou hast grieved the soul of our father this
day.
8. Now therefore hear my words that I have this day spoken unto thee,
and send our brother that he may go away lest thou and the people
of thy land die by the sword, for you cannot all prevail over me.
9. And Joseph answered Judah, saying, Why hast thou opened wide thy
mouth and why dost thou boast over us, saying, Strength is with
thee? as Pharaoh liveth, if I command all my valiant men to fight
with you, surely thou and these thy brethren would sink in the
mire.
10. And Judah said unto Joseph, Surely it becometh thee and thy people
to fear me; as the Lord liveth if I once draw my sword I shall not
sheathe it again until I shall this day have slain all Egypt, and I
will commence with thee and finish with Pharaoh thy master.
11. And Joseph answered and said unto him, Surely strength belongeth
not alone to thee; I am stronger and mightier than thou, surely if
thou drawest thy sword I will put it to thy neck and the necks of
all thy brethren.
12. And Judah said unto him, Surely if I this day open my mouth against
thee I would swallow thee up that thou be destroyed from off the
earth and perish this day from thy kingdom. And Joseph said, Surely
if thou openest thy mouth I have power and might to close thy mouth
with a stone until thou shalt not be able to utter a word; see how
many stones are before us, truly I can take a stone, and force it
into thy mouth and break thy jaws.
13. And Judah said, God is witness between us, that we have not
hitherto desired to battle with thee, only give us our brother and
we will go from thee; and Joseph answered and said, As Pharaoh
liveth, if all the kings of Canaan came together with you, you
should not take him from my hand.
14. Now therefore go your way to your father, and your brother shall be
unto me for a slave, for he has robbed the king’s house. And Judah
said, What is it to thee or to the character of the king, surely
the king sendeth forth from his house, throughout the land, silver
and gold either in gifts or expenses, and thou still talkest about
thy cup which thou didst place in our brother’s bag and sayest that
he has stolen it from thee?
15. God forbid that our brother Benjamin or any of the seed of Abraham
should do this thing to steal from thee, or from any one else,
whether king, prince, or any man.
16. Now therefore cease this accusation lest the whole earth hear thy
words, saying, For a little silver the king of Egypt wrangled with
the men, and he accused them and took their brother for a slave.
17. And Joseph answered and said, Take unto you this cup and go from me
and leave your brother for a slave, for it is the judgment of a
thief to be a slave.
18. And Judah said, Why art thou not ashamed of thy words, to leave our
brother and to take thy cup? Surely if thou givest us thy cup, or a
thousand times as much, we will not leave our brother for the
silver which is found in the hand of any man, that we will not die
over him.
19. And Joseph answered, And why did you forsake your brother and sell
him for twenty pieces of silver unto this day, and why then will
you not do the same to this your brother?
20. And Judah said, the Lord is witness between me and thee that we
desire not thy battles; now therefore give us our brother and we
will go from thee without quarreling.
21. And Joseph answered and said, If all the kings of the land should
assemble they will not be able to take your brother from my hand;
and Judah said, What shall we say unto our father, when he seeth
that our brother cometh not with us, and will grieve over him?
22. And Joseph answered and said, This is the thing which you shall
tell unto your father, saying, The rope has gone after the bucket.
23. And Judah said, Surely thou art a king, and why speakest thou these
things, giving a false judgment? woe unto the king who is like unto
thee.
24. And Joseph answered and said, There is no false judgment in the
word that I spoke on account of your brother Joseph, for all of you
sold him to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver, and you all
denied it to your father and said unto him, An evil beast has
devoured him, Joseph has been torn to pieces.
25. And Judah said, Behold the fire of Shem burneth in my heart, now I
will burn all your land with fire; and Joseph answered and said,
Surely thy sister-in-law Tamar, who killed your sons, extinguished
the fire of Shechem.
26. And Judah said, If I pluck out a single hair from my flesh, I will
fill all Egypt with its blood.
27. And Joseph answered and said, Such is your custom to do as you did
to your brother whom you sold, and you dipped his coat in blood and
brought it to your father in order that he might say an evil beast
devoured him and here is his blood.
28. And when Judah heard this thing he was exceedingly wroth and his
anger burned within him, and there was before him in that place a
stone, the weight of which was about four hundred shekels, and
Judah’s anger was kindled and he took the stone in one hand and
cast it to the heavens and caught it with his left hand.
29. And he placed it afterward under his legs, and he sat upon it with
all his strength and the stone was turned into dust from the force
of Judah.
30. And Joseph saw the act of Judah and he was very much afraid, but he
commanded Manassah his son and he also did with another stone like
unto the act of Judah, and Judah said unto his brethren, Let not
any of you say, this man is an Egyptian, but by his doing this
thing he is of our father’s family.
31. And Joseph said, Not to you only is strength given, for we are also
powerful men, and why will you boast over us all? and Judah said
unto Joseph, Send I pray thee our brother and ruin not thy country
this day.
32. And Joseph answered and said unto them, Go and tell your father, an
evil beast hath devoured him as you said concerning your brother
Joseph.
33. And Judah spoke to his brother Naphtali, and he said unto him, Make
haste, go now and number all the streets of Egypt and come and tell
me; and Simeon said unto him, Let not this thing be a trouble to
thee; now I will go to the mount and take up one large stone from
the mount and level it at every one in Egypt, and kill all that are
in it.
34. And Joseph heard all these words that his brethren spoke before
him, and they did not know that Joseph understood them, for they
imagined that he knew not to speak Hebrew.
35. And Joseph was greatly afraid at the words of his brethren lest
they should destroy Egypt, and he commanded his son Manasseh,
saying, Go now make haste and gather unto me all the inhabitants of
Egypt, and all the valiant men together, and let them come to me
now upon horseback and on foot and with all sorts of musical
instruments, and Manasseh went and did so.
36. And Naphtali went as Judah had commanded him, for Naphtali was
lightfooted as one of the swift stags, and he would go upon the
ears of corn and they would not break under him.
37. And he went and numbered all the streets of Egypt, and found them
to be twelve, and he came hastily and told Judah, and Judah said
unto his brethren, Hasten you and put on every man his sword upon
his loins and we will come over Egypt, and smite them all, and let
not a remnant remain.
38. And Judah said, Behold, I will destroy three of the streets with my
strength, and you shall each destroy one street; and when Judah was
speaking this thing, behold the inhabitants of Egypt and all the
mighty men came toward them with all sorts of musical instruments
and with loud shouting.
39. And their number was five hundred cavalry and ten thousand
infantry, and four hundred men who could fight without sword or
spear, only with their hands and strength.
40. And all the mighty men came with great storming and shouting, and
they all surrounded the sons of Jacob and terrified them, and the
ground quaked at the sound of their shouting.
41. And when the sons of Jacob saw these troops they were greatly
afraid of their lives, and Joseph did so in order to terrify the
sons of Jacob to become tranquilized.
42. And Judah, seeing some of his brethren terrified, said unto them,
Why are you afraid whilst the grace of God is with us? and when
Judah saw all the people of Egypt surrounding them at the command
of Joseph to terrify them, only Joseph commanded them, saying, Do
not touch any of them.
43. Then Judah hastened and drew his sword, and uttered a loud and
bitter scream, and he smote with his sword, and he sprang upon the
ground and he still continued to shout against all the people.
44. And when he did this thing the Lord caused the terror of Judah and
his brethren to fall upon the valiant men and all the people that
surrounded them.
45. And they all fled at the sound of the shouting, and they were
terrified and fell one upon the other, and many of them died as
they fell, and they all fled from before Judah and his brethren and
from before Joseph.
46. And whilst they were fleeing, Judah and his brethren pursued them
unto the house of Pharaoh, and they all escaped, and Judah again
sat before Joseph and roared at him like a lion, and gave a great
and tremendous shriek at him.
47. And the shriek was heard at a distance, and all the inhabitants of
Succoth heard it, and all Egypt quaked at the sound of the shriek,
and also the walls of Egypt and of the land of Goshen fell in from
the shaking of the earth, and Pharaoh also fell from his throne
upon the ground, and also all the pregnant women of Egypt and
Goshen miscarried when they heard the noise of the shaking, for
they were terribly afraid.
48. And Pharaoh sent word, saying, What is this thing that has this day
happened in the land of Egypt? and they came and told him all the
things from beginning to end, and Pharaoh was alarmed and he
wondered and was greatly afraid.
49. And his fright increased when he heard all these things, and he
sent unto Joseph, saying, Thou hast brought unto me the Hebrews to
destroy all Egypt; what wilt thou do with that thievish slave? send
him away and let him go with his brethren, and let us not perish
through their evil, even we, you and all Egypt.
50. And if thou desirest not to do this thing, cast off from thee all
my valuable things, and go with them to their land, if thou
delightest in it, for they will this day destroy my whole country
and slay all my people; even all the women of Egypt have miscarried
through their screams; see what they have done merely by their
shouting and speaking, moreover if they fight with the sword, they
will destroy the land; now therefore choose that which thou
desirest, whether me or the Hebrews, whether Egypt or the land of
the Hebrews.
51. And they came and told Joseph all the words of Pharaoh that he had
said concerning him, and Joseph was greatly afraid at the words of
Pharaoh and Judah and his brethren were still standing before
Joseph indignant and enraged, and all the sons of Jacob roared at
Joseph, like the roaring of the sea and its waves.
52. And Joseph was greatly afraid of his brethren and on account of
Pharaoh, and Joseph sought a pretext to make himself known unto his
brethren, lest they should destroy all Egypt.
53. And Joseph commanded his son Manasseh, and Manasseh went and
approached Judah, and placed his hand upon his shoulder, and the
anger of Judah was stilled.
54. And Judah said unto his brethren, Let no one of you say that this
is the act of an Egyptian youth for this is the work of my father’s
house.
55. And Joseph seeing and knowing that Judah’s anger was stilled, he
approached to speak unto Judah in the language of mildness.
56. And Joseph said unto Judah, Surely you speak truth and have this
day verified your assertions concerning your strength, and may your
God who delighteth in you, increase your welfare; but tell me truly
why from amongst all thy brethren dost thou wrangle with me on
account of the lad, as none of them have spoken one word to me
concerning him.
57. And Judah answered Joseph, saying, Surely thou must know that I was
security for the lad to his father, saying, If I brought him not
unto him I should bear his blame forever.
58. Therefore have I approached thee from amongst all my brethren, for
I saw that thou wast unwilling to suffer him to go from thee; now
therefore may I find grace in thy sight that thou shalt send him to
go with us, and behold I will remain as a substitute for him, to
serve thee in whatever thou desirest, for wheresoever thou shalt
send me I will go to serve thee with great energy.
59. Send me now to a mighty king who has rebelled against thee, and
thou shalt know what I will do unto him and unto his land; although
he may have cavalry and infantry or an exceeding mighty people, I
will slay them all and bring the king’s head before thee.
60. Dost thou not know or hast thou not heard that our father Abraham
with his servant Eliezer smote all the kings of Elam with their
hosts in one night, they left not one remaining? and ever since
that day our father’s strength was given unto us for an
inheritance, for us and our seed forever.
61. And Joseph answered and said, You speak truth, and falsehood is not
in your mouth, for it was also told unto us that the Hebrews have
power and that the Lord their God delighteth much in them, and who
then can stand before them?
62. However, on this condition will I send your brother, if you will
bring before me his brother the son of his mother, of whom you said
that he had gone from you down to Egypt; and it shall come to pass
when you bring unto me his brother I will take him in his stead,
because not one of you was security for him to your father, and
when he shall come unto me, I will then send with you his brother
for whom you have been security.
63. And Judah’s anger was kindled against Joseph when he spoke this
thing, and his eyes dropped blood with anger, and he said unto his
brethren, How doth this man this day seek his own destruction and
that of all Egypt!
64. And Simeon answered Joseph, saying, Did we not tell thee at first
that we knew not the particular spot to which he went, and whether
he be dead or alive, and wherefore speaketh my lord like unto these
things?
65. And Joseph observing the countenance of Judah discerned that his
anger began to kindle when he spoke unto him, saying, Bring unto me
your other brother instead of this brother.
66. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Surely you said that your
brother was either dead or lost, now if I should call him this day
and he should come before you, would you give him unto me instead
of his brother?
67. And Joseph began to speak and call out, Joseph, Joseph, come this
day before me, and appear to thy brethren and sit before them.
68. And when Joseph spoke this thing before them, they looked each a
different way to see from whence Joseph would come before them.
69. And Joseph observed all their acts, and said unto them, Why do you
look here and there? I am Joseph whom you sold to Egypt, now
therefore let it not grieve you that you sold me, for as a support
during the famine did God send me before you.
70. And his brethren were terrified at him when they heard the words of
Joseph, and Judah was exceedingly terrified at him.
71. And when Benjamin heard the words of Joseph he was before them in
the inner part of the house, and Benjamin ran unto Joseph his
brother, and embraced him and fell upon his neck, and they wept.
72. And when Joseph’s brethren saw that Benjamin had fallen upon his
brother’s neck and wept with him, they also fell upon Joseph and
embraced him, and they wept a great weeping with Joseph.
73. And the voice was heard in the house of Joseph that they were
Joseph’s brethren, and it pleased Pharaoh exceedingly, for he was
afraid of them lest they should destroy Egypt.
74. And Pharaoh sent his servants unto Joseph to congratulate him
concerning his brethren who had come to him, and all the captains
of the armies and troops that were in Egypt came to rejoice with
Joseph, and all Egypt rejoiced greatly about Joseph’s brethren.
75. And Pharaoh sent his servants to Joseph, saying, Tell thy brethren
to fetch all belonging to them and let them come unto me, and I
will place them in the best part of the land of Egypt, and they did
so.
76. And Joseph commanded him that was set over his house to bring out
to his brethren gifts and garments, and he brought out to them many
garments being robes of royalty and many gifts, and Joseph divided
them amongst his brethren.
77. And he gave unto each of his brethren a change of garments of gold
and silver, and three hundred pieces of silver, and Joseph
commanded them all to be dressed in these garments, and to be
brought before Pharaoh.
78. And Pharaoh seeing that all Joseph’s brethren were valiant men, and
of beautiful appearance, he greatly rejoiced.
79. And they afterward went out from the presence of Pharaoh to go to
the land of Canaan, to their father, and their brother Benjamin was
with them.
80. And Joseph rose up and gave unto them eleven chariots from Pharaoh,
and Joseph gave unto them his chariot, upon which he rode on the
day of his being crowned in Egypt, to fetch his father to Egypt;
and Joseph sent to all his brothers’ children, garments according
to their numbers, and a hundred pieces of silver to each of them,
and he also sent garments to the wives of his brethren from the
garments of the king’s wives, and he sent them.
81. And he gave unto each of his brethren ten men to go with them to
the land of Canaan to serve them, to serve their children and all
belonging to them in coming to Egypt.
82. And Joseph sent by the hand of his brother Benjamin ten suits of
garments for his ten sons, a portion above the rest of the children
of the sons of Jacob.
83. And he sent to each fifty pieces of silver, and ten chariots on the
account of Pharaoh, and he sent to his father ten asses laden with
all the luxuries of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and
bread and nourishment for his father, and to all that were with him
as provisions for the road.
84. And he sent to his sister Dinah garments of silver and gold, and
frankincense and myrrh, and aloes and women’s ornaments in great
plenty, and he sent the same from the wives of Pharaoh to the wives
of Benjamin.
85. And he gave unto all his brethren, also to their wives, all sorts
of onyx stones and bdellium, and from all the valuable things
amongst the great people of Egypt, nothing of all the costly things
was left but what Joseph sent of to his father’s household.
86. And he sent his brethren away, and they went, and he sent his
brother Benjamin with them.
87. And Joseph went out with them to accompany them on the road unto
the borders of Egypt, and he commanded them concerning his father
and his household, to come to Egypt.
88. And he said unto them, Do not quarrel on the road, for this thing
was from the Lord to keep a great people from starvation, for there
will be yet five years of famine in the land.
89. And he commanded them, saying, When you come unto the land of
Canaan, do not come suddenly before my father in this affair, but
act in your wisdom.
90. And Joseph ceased to command them, and he turned and went back to
Egypt, and the sons of Jacob went to the land of Canaan with joy
and cheerfulness to their father Jacob.
91. And they came unto the borders of the land, and they said to each
other, What shall we do in this matter before our father, for if we
come suddenly to him and tell him the matter, he will be greatly
alarmed at our words and will not believe us.
92. And they went along until they came nigh unto their houses, and
they found Serach, the daughter of Asher, going forth to meet them,
and the damsel was very good and subtle, and knew how to play upon
the harp.
93. And they called unto her and she came before them, and she kissed
them, and they took her and gave unto her a harp, saying, Go now
before our father, and sit before him, and strike upon the harp,
and speak these words.
94. And they commanded her to go to their house, and she took the harp
and hastened before them, and she came and sat near Jacob.
95. And she played well and sang, and uttered in the sweetness of her
words, Joseph my uncle is living, and he ruleth throughout the land
of Egypt, and is not dead.
96. And she continued to repeat and utter these words, and Jacob heard
her words and they were agreeable to him.
97. He listened whilst she repeated them twice and thrice, and joy
entered the heart of Jacob at the sweetness of her words, and the
spirit of God was upon him, and he knew all her words to be true.
98. And Jacob blessed Serach when she spoke these words before him, and
he said unto her, My daughter, may death never prevail over thee,
for thou hast revived my spirit; only speak yet before me as thou
hast spoken, for thou hast gladdened me with all thy words.
99. And she continued to sing these words, and Jacob listened and it
pleased him, and he rejoiced, and the spirit of God was upon him.
100. Whilst he was yet speaking with her, behold his sons came to him
with horses and chariots and royal garments and servants running
before them.
101. And Jacob rose up to meet them, and saw his sons dressed in royal
garments and he saw all the treasures that Joseph had sent to them.
102. And they said unto him, Be informed that our brother Joseph is
living, and it is he who ruleth throughout the land of Egypt, and
it is he who spoke unto us as we told thee.
103. And Jacob heard all the words of his sons, and his heart
palpitated at their words, for he could not believe them until he
saw all that Joseph had given them and what he had sent him, and
all the signs which Joseph had spoken unto them.
104. And they opened out before him, and showed him all that Joseph had
sent, they gave unto each what Joseph had sent him, and he knew
that they had spoken the truth, and he rejoiced exceedingly an
account of his son.
105. And Jacob said, It is enough for me that my son Joseph is still
living, I will go and see him before I die.
106. And his sons told him all that had befallen them, and Jacob said,
I will go down to Egypt to see my son and his offspring.
107. And Jacob rose up and put on the garments which Joseph had sent
him, and after he had washed, and shaved his hair, he put upon his
head the turban which Joseph had sent him.
108. And all the people of Jacob’s house and their wives put on the
garments which Joseph had sent to them, and they greatly rejoiced
at Joseph that he was still living and that he was ruling in Egypt,
109. And all the inhabitants of Canaan heard of this thing, and they
came and rejoiced much with Jacob that he was still living.
110. And Jacob made a feast for them for three days, and all the kings
of Canaan and nobles of the land ate and drank and rejoiced in the
house of Jacob.

Jasher Chapter 55

1. And it came to pass after this that Jacob said, I will go and see
my son in Egypt and will then come back to the land of Canaan of
which God had spoken unto Abraham, for I cannot leave the land of
my birth-place.
2. Behold the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Go down to Egypt
with all thy household and remain there, fear not to go down to
Egypt for I will there make thee a great nation.
3. And Jacob said within himself, I will go and see my son whether the
fear of his God is yet in his heart amidst all the inhabitants of
Egypt.
4. And the Lord said unto Jacob, Fear not about Joseph, for he still
retaineth his integrity to serve me, as will seem good in thy
sight, and Jacob rejoiced exceedingly concerning his son.
5. At that time Jacob commanded his sons and household to go to Egypt
according to the word of the Lord unto him, and Jacob rose up with
his sons and all his household, and he went out from the land of
Canaan from Beersheba, with joy and gladness of heart, and they
went to the land of Egypt.
6. And it came to pass when they came near Egypt, Jacob sent Judah
before him to Joseph that he might show him a situation in Egypt,
and Judah did according to the word of his father, and he hastened
and ran and came to Joseph, and they assigned for them a place in
the land of Goshen for all his household, and Judah returned and
came along the road to his father.
7. And Joseph harnessed the chariot, and he assembled all his mighty
men and his servants and all the officers of Egypt in order to go
and meet his father Jacob, and Joseph’s mandate was proclaimed in
Egypt, saying, All that do not go to meet Jacob shall die.
8. And on the next day Joseph went forth with all Egypt a great and
mighty host, all dressed in garments of fine linen and purple and
with instruments of silver and gold and with their instruments of
war with them.
9. And they all went to meet Jacob with all sorts of musical
instruments, with drums and timbrels, strewing myrrh and aloes all
along the road, and they all went after this fashion, and the earth
shook at their shouting.
10. And all the women of Egypt went upon the roofs of Egypt and upon
the walls to meet Jacob, and upon the head of Joseph was Pharaoh’s
regal crown, for Pharaoh had sent it unto him to put on at the time
of his going to meet his father.
11. And when Joseph came within fifty cubits of his father, he alighted
from the chariot and he walked toward his father, and when all the
officers of Egypt and her nobles saw that Joseph had gone on foot
toward his father, they also alighted and walked on foot toward
Jacob.
12. And when Jacob approached the camp of Joseph, Jacob observed the
camp that was coming toward him with Joseph, and it gratified him
and Jacob was astonished at it.
13. And Jacob said unto Judah, Who is that man whom I see in the camp
of Egypt dressed in kingly robes with a very red garment upon him
and a royal crown upon his head, who has alighted from his chariot
and is coming toward us? and Judah answered his father, saying, He
is thy son Joseph the king; and Jacob rejoiced in seeing the glory
of his son.
14. And Joseph came nigh unto his father and he bowed to his father,
and all the men of the camp bowed to the ground with him before
Jacob.
15. And behold Jacob ran and hastened to his son Joseph and fell upon
his neck and kissed him, and they wept, and Joseph also embraced
his father and kissed him, and they wept and all the people of
Egypt wept with them.
16. And Jacob said unto Joseph, Now I will die cheerfully after I have
seen thy face, that thou art still living and with glory.
17. And the sons of Jacob and their wives and their children and their
servants, and all the household of Jacob wept exceedingly with
Joseph, and they kissed him and wept greatly with him.
18. And Joseph and all his people returned afterward home to Egypt, and
Jacob and his sons and all the children of his household came with
Joseph to Egypt, and Joseph placed them in the best part of Egypt,
in the land of Goshen.
19. And Joseph said unto his father and unto his brethren, I will go up
and tell Pharaoh, saying, My brethren and my father’s household and
all belonging to them have come unto me, and behold they are in the
land of Goshen.
20. And Joseph did so and took from his brethren Reuben, Issachar
Zebulun and his brother Benjamin and he placed them before Pharaoh.
21. And Joseph spoke unto Pharaoh, saying, My brethren and my father’s
household and all belonging to them, together with their flocks and
cattle have come unto me from the land of Canaan, to sojourn in
Egypt; for the famine was sore upon them.
22. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Place thy father and brethren in the
best part of the land, withhold not from them all that is good, and
cause them to eat of the fat of the land.
23. And Joseph answered, saying, Behold I have stationed them in the
land of Goshen, for they are shepherds, therefore let them remain
in Goshen to feed their flocks apart from the Egyptians.
24. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Do with thy brethren all that they
shall say unto thee; and the sons of Jacob bowed down to Pharaoh,
and they went forth from him in peace, and Joseph afterward brought
his father before Pharaoh.
25. And Jacob came and bowed down to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed
Pharaoh, and he then went out; and Jacob and all his sons, and all
his household dwelt in the land of Goshen.
26. In the second year, that is in the hundred and thirtieth year of
the life of Jacob, Joseph maintained his father and his brethren,
and all his father’s household, with bread according to their
little ones, all the days of the famine; they lacked nothing.
27. And Joseph gave unto them the best part of the whole land; the best
of Egypt had they all the days of Joseph; and Joseph also gave unto
them and unto the whole of his father’s household, clothes and
garments year by year; and the sons of Jacob remained securely in
Egypt all the days of their brother.
28. And Jacob always ate at Joseph’s table, Jacob and his sons did not
leave Joseph’s table day or night, besides what Jacob’s children
consumed in their houses.
29. And all Egypt ate bread during the days of the famine from the
house of Joseph, for all the Egyptians sold all belonging to them
on account of the famine.
30. And Joseph purchased all the lands and fields of Egypt for bread on
the account of Pharaoh, and Joseph supplied all Egypt with bread
all the days of the famine, and Joseph collected all the silver and
gold that came unto him for the corn which they bought throughout
the land, and he accumulated much gold and silver, besides an
immense quantity of onyx stones, bdellium and valuable garments
which they brought unto Joseph from every part of the land when
their money was spent.
31. And Joseph took all the silver and gold that came into his hand,
about seventy two talents of gold and silver, and also onyx stones
and bdellium in great abundance, and Joseph went and concealed them
in four parts, and he concealed one part in the wilderness near the
Red sea, and one part by the river Perath, and the third and fourth
part he concealed in the desert opposite to the wilderness of
Persia and Media.
32. And he took part of the gold and silver that was left, and gave it
unto all his brothers and unto all his father’s household, and unto
all the women of his father’s household, and the rest he brought to
the house of Pharaoh, about twenty talents of gold and silver.
33. And Joseph gave all the gold and silver that was left unto Pharaoh,
and Pharaoh placed it in the treasury, and the days of the famine
ceased after that in the land, and they sowed and reaped in the
whole land, and they obtained their usual quantity year by year;
they lacked nothing.
34. And Joseph dwelt securely in Egypt, and the whole land was under
his advice, and his father and all his brethren dwelt in the land
of Goshen and took possession of it.
35. And Joseph was very aged, advanced in days, and his two sons,
Ephraim and Manasseh, remained constantly in the house of Jacob,
together with the children of the sons of Jacob their brethren, to
learn the ways of the Lord and his law.
36. And Jacob and his sons dwelt in the land of Egypt in the land of
Goshen, and they took possession in it, and they were fruitful and
multiplied in it.

Jasher Chapter 56

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

Jasher Chapter 57

1. And it was after this that the sons of Esau waged war with the sons
of Jacob, and the sons of Esau fought with the sons of Jacob in
Hebron, and Esau was still lying dead, and not buried.
2. And the battle was heavy between them, and the sons of Esau were
smitten before the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Jacob slew of the
sons of Esau eighty men, and not one died of the people of the sons
of Jacob; and the hand of Joseph prevailed over all the people of
the sons of Esau, and he took Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, the son of
Esau, and fifty of his men captive, and he bound them with chains
of iron, and gave them into the hand of his servants to bring them
to Egypt.
3. And it came to pass when the sons of Jacob had taken Zepho and his
people captive, all those that remained were greatly afraid of
their lives from the house of Esau, lest they should also be taken
captive, and they all fled with Eliphaz the son of Esau and his
people, with Esau’s body, and they went on their road to Mount
Seir.
4. And they came unto Mount Seir and they buried Esau in Seir, but
they had not brought his head with them to Seir, for it was buried
in that place where the battle had been in Hebron.
5. And it came to pass when the sons of Esau had fled from before the
sons of Jacob, the sons of Jacob pursued them unto the borders of
Seir, but they did not slay a single man from amongst them when
they pursued them, for Esau’s body which they carried with them
excited their confusion, so they fled and the sons of Jacob turned
back from them and came up to the place where their brethren were
in Hebron, and they remained there on that day, and on the next day
until they rested from the battle.
6. And it came to pass on the third day they assembled all the sons of
Seir the Horite, and they assembled all the children of the east, a
multitude of people like the sand of the sea, and they went and
came down to Egypt to fight with Joseph and his brethren, in order
to deliver their brethren.
7. And Joseph and all the sons of Jacob heard that the sons of Esau
and the children of the east had come upon them to battle in order
to deliver their brethren.
8. And Joseph and his brethren and the strong men of Egypt went forth
and fought in the city of Rameses, and Joseph and his brethren
dealt out a tremendous blow amongst the sons of Esau and the
children of the east.
9. And they slew of them six hundred thousand men, and they slew
amongst them all the mighty men of the children of Seir the Horite;
there were only a few of them left, and they slew also a great many
of the children of the east, and of the children of Esau; and
Eliphaz the son of Esau, and the children of the east all fled
before Joseph and his brethren.
10. And Joseph and his brethren pursued them until they came unto
Succoth, and they yet slew of them in Succoth thirty men, and the
rest escaped and they fled each to his city.
11. And Joseph and his brethren and the mighty men of Egypt turned back
from them with joy and cheerfulness of heart, for they had smitten
all their enemies.
12. And Zepho the son of Eliphaz and his men were still slaves in Egypt
to the sons of Jacob, and their pains increased.
13. And when the sons of Esau and the sons of Seir returned to their
land, the sons of Seir saw that they had all fallen into the hands
of the sons of Jacob, and the people of Egypt, on account of the
battle of the sons of Esau.
14. And the sons of Seir said unto the sons of Esau, You have seen
andtherefore you know that this camp was on your account, and not
one mighty man or an adept in war remaineth.
15. Now therefore go forth from our land, go from us to the land of
Canaan to the land of the dwelling of your fathers; wherefore shall
your children inherit the effects of our children in latter days?
16. And the children of Esau would not listen to the children of Seir,
and the children of Seir considered to make war with them.
17. And the children of Esau sent secretly to Angeas king of Africa,
the same is Dinhabah, saying,
18. Send unto us some of thy men and let them come unto us, and we will
fight together with the children of Seir the Horite, for they have
resolved to fight with us to drive us away from the land.
19. And Angeas king of Dinhabah did so, for he was in those days
friendly to the children of Esau, and Angeas sent five hundred
valiant infantry to the children of Esau, and eight hundred
cavalry.
20. And the children of Seir sent unto the children of the east and
unto the children of Midian, saying, You have seen what the
children of Esau have done unto us, upon whose account we are
almost all destroyed, in their battle with the sons of Jacob.
21. Now therefore come unto us and assist us, and we will fight them
together, and we will drive them from the land and be avenged of
the cause of our brethren who died for their sakes in their battle
with their brethren the sons of Jacob.
22. And all the children of the east listened to the children of Seir,
and they came unto them about eight hundred men with drawn swords,
and the children of Esau fought with the children of Seir at that
time in the wilderness of Paran.
23. And the children of Seir prevailed then over the sons of Esau, and
the children of Seir slew on that day of the children of Esau in
that battle about two hundred men of the people of Angeas king of
Dinhabah.
24. And on the second day the children of Esau came again to fight a
second time with the children of Seir, and the battle was sore upon
the children of Esau this second time, and it troubled them greatly
on account of the children of Seir.
25. And when the children of Esau saw that the children of Seir were
more powerful than they were, some men of the children of Esau
turned and assisted the children of Seir their enemies.
26. And there fell yet of the people of the children of Esau in the
second battle fifty-eight men of the people at Angeas king of
Dinhabah.
27. And on the third day the children of Esau heard that some of their
brethren had turned from them to fight against them in the second
battle; and the children of Esau mourned when they heard this
thing.
28. And they said, What shall we do unto our brethren who turned from
us to assist the children of Seir our enemies? and the children of
Esau again sent to Angeas king of Dinhabah, saying,
29. Send unto us again other men that with them we may fight with the
children of Seir, for they have already twice been heavier than we
were.
30. And Angeas again sent to the children of Esau about six hundred
valiant men, and they came to assist the children of Esau.
31. And in ten days’ time the children of Esau again waged war with the
children of Seir in the wilderness of Paran, and the battle was
very severe upon the children of Seir, and the children of Esau
prevailed at this time over the children of Seir, and the children
of Seir were smitten before the children of Esau, and the children
of Esau slew from them about two thousand men.
32. And all the mighty men of the children of Seir died in this battle,
and there only remained their young children that were left in
their cities.
33. And all Midian and the children of the east betook themselves to
flight from the battle, and they left the children of Seir and fled
when they saw that the battle was severe upon them, and the
children of Esau pursued all the children of the east until they
reached their land.
34. And the children of Esau slew yet of them about two hundred and
fifty men and from the people of the children of Esau there fell in
that battle about thirty men, but this evil came upon them through
their brethren turning from them to assist the children of Seir the
Horite, and the children of Esau again heard of the evil doings of
their brethren, and they again mourned on account of this thing.
35. And it came to pass after the battle, the children of Esau turned
back and came home unto Seir, and the children of Esau slew those
who had remained in the land of the children of Seir; they slew
also their wives and little ones, they left not a soul alive except
fifty young lads and damsels whom they suffered to live, and the
children of Esau did not put them to death, and the lads became
their slaves, and the damsels they took for wives.
36. And the children of Esau dwelt in Seir in the place of the children
of Seir, and they inherited their land and took possession of it.
37. And the children of Esau took all belonging in the land to the
children of Seir, also their flocks, their bullocks and their
goods, and all belonging to the children of Seir, did the children
of Esau take, and the children of Esau dwelt in Seir in the place
of the children of Seir unto this day, and the children of Esau
divided the land into divisions to the five sons of Esau, according
to their families.
38. And it came to pass in those days, that the children of Esau
resolved to crown a king over them in the land of which they became
possessed. And they said to each other, Not so, for he shall reign
over us in our land, and we shall be under his counsel and he shall
fight our battles, against our enemies, and they did so.
39. And all the children of Esau swore, saying, That none of their
brethren should ever reign over them, but a strange man who is not
of their brethren, for the souls of all the children of Esau were
embittered every man against his son, brother and friend, on
account of the evil they sustained from their brethren when they
fought with the children of Seir.
40. Therefore the sons of Esau swore, saying, From that day forward
they would not choose a king from their brethren, but one from a
strange land unto this day.
41. And there was a man there from the people of Angeas king of
Dinhabah; his name was Bela the son of Beor, who was a very valiant
man, beautiful and comely and wise in all wisdom, and a man of
sense and counsel; and there was none of the people of Angeas like
unto him.
42. And all the children of Esau took him and anointed him and they
crowned him for a king, and they bowed down to him, and they said
unto him, May the king live, may the king live.
43. And they spread out the sheet, and they brought him each man
earrings of gold and silver or rings or bracelets, and they made
him very rich in silver and in gold, in onyx stones and bdellium,
and they made him a royal throne, and they placed a regal crown
upon his head, and they built a palace for him and he dwelt
therein, and he became king over all the children of Esau.
44. And the people of Angeas took their hire for their battle from the
children of Esau, and they went and returned at that time to their
master in Dinhabah.
45. And Bela reigned over the children of Esau thirty years, and the
children of Esau dwelt in the land instead of the children of Seir,
and they dwelt securely in their stead unto this day.

Jasher Chapter 58

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

Jasher Chapter 59

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

Jasher Chapter 60

1. And when the year came round, being the seventy-second year from
the Israelites going down to Egypt, after the death of Joseph,
Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, fled from Egypt, he and
his men, and they went away.
2. And he came to Africa, which is Dinhabah, to Angeas king of Africa,
and Angeas received them with great honor, and he made Zepho the
captain of his host.
3. And Zepho found favor in the sight of Angeas and in the sight of
his people, and Zepho was captain of the host to Angeas king of
Africa for many days.
4. And Zepho enticed Angeas king of Africa to collect all his army to
go and fight with the Egyptians, and with the sons of Jacob, and to
avenge of them the cause of his brethren.
5. But Angeas would not listen to Zepho to do this thing, for Angeas
knew the strength of the sons of Jacob, and what they had done to
his army in their warfare with the children of Esau.
6. And Zepho was in those days very great in the sight of Angeas and
in the sight of all his people, and he continually enticed them to
make war against Egypt, but they would not.
7. And it came to pass in those days there was in the land of Chittim
a man in the city of Puzimna, whose name was Uzu, and he became
degenerately deified by the children of Chittim, and the man died
and had no son, only one daughter whose name was Jania.
8. And the damsel was exceedingly beautiful, comely and intelligent,
there was none seen like unto her for beauty and wisdom throughout
the land.
9. And the people of Angeas king of Africa saw her and they came and
praised her unto him, and Angeas sent to the children of Chittim,
and he requested to take her unto himself for a wife, and the
people of Chittim consented to give her unto him for a wife.
10. And when the messengers of Angeas were going forth from the land of
Chittim to take their journey, behold the messengers of Turnus king
of Bibentu came unto Chittim, for Turnus king of Bibentu also sent
his messengers to request Jania for him, to take unto himself for a
wife, for all his men had also praised her to him, therefore he
sent all his servants unto her.
11. And the servants of Turnus came to Chittim, and they asked for
Jania, to be taken unto Turnus their king for a wife.
12. And the people of Chittim said unto them, We cannot give her,
because Angeas king of Africa desired her to take her unto him for
a wife before you came, and that we should give her unto him, and
now therefore we cannot do this thing to deprive Angeas of the
damsel in order to give her unto Turnus.
13. For we are greatly afraid of Angeas lest he come in battle against
us and destroy us, and Turnus your master will not be able to
deliver us from his hand.
14. And when the messengers of Turnus heard all the words of the
children of Chittim, they turned back to their master and told him
all the words of the children of Chittim.
15. And the children of Chittim sent a memorial to Angeas, saying,
Behold Turnus has sent for Jania to take her unto him for a wife,
and thus have we answered him; and we heard that he has collected
his whole army to go to war against thee, and he intends to pass by
the road of Sardunia to fight against thy brother Lucus, and after
that he will come to fight against thee.
16. And Angeas heard the words of the children of Chittim which they
sent to him in the record, and his anger was kindled and he rose up
and assembled his whole army and came through the islands of the
sea, the road to Sardunia, unto his brother Lucus king of Sardunia.
17. And Niblos, the son of Lucus, heard that his uncle Angeas was
coming, and he went out to meet him with a heavy army, and he
kissed him and embraced him, and Niblos said unto Angeas, When thou
askest my father after his welfare, when I shall go with thee to
fight with Turnus, ask of him to make me captain of his host, and
Angeas did so, and he came unto his brother and his brother came to
meet him, and he asked him after his welfare.
18. And Angeas asked his brother Lucus after his welfare, and to make
his son Niblos captain of his host, and Lucus did so, and Angeas
and his brother Lucus rose up and they went toward Turnus to
battle, and there was with them a great army and a heavy people.
19. And he came in ships, and they came into the province of Ashtorash,
and behold Turnus came toward them, for he went forth to Sardunia,
and intended to destroy it and afterward to pass on from there to
Angeas to fight with him.
20. And Angeas and Lucus his brother met Turnus in the valley of
Canopia, and the battle was strong and mighty between them in that
place.
21. And the battle was severe upon Lucus king of Sardunia, and all his
army fell, and Niblos his son fell also in that battle.
22. And his uncle Angeas commanded his servants and they made a golden
coffin for Niblos and they put him into it, and Angeas again waged
battle toward Turnus, and Angeas was stronger than he, and he slew
him, and he smote all his people with the edge of the sword, and
Angeas avenged the cause of Niblos his brother’s son and the cause
of the army of his brother Lucus.
23. And when Turnus died, the hands of those that survived the battle
became weak, and they fled from before Angeas and Lucus his
brother.
24. And Angeas and his brother Lucus pursued them unto the highroad,
which is between Alphanu and Romah, and they slew the whole army of
Turnus with the edge of the sword.
25. And Lucus king of Sardunia commanded his servants that they should
make a coffin of brass, and that they should place therein the body
of his son Niblos, and they buried him in that place.
26. And they built upon it a high tower there upon the highroad, and
they called its name after the name of Niblos unto this day, and
they also buried Turnus king of Bibentu there in that place with
Niblos.
27. And behold upon the highroad between Alphanu and Romah the grave of
Niblos is on one side and the grave of Turnus on the other, and a
pavement between them unto this day.
28. And when Niblos was buried, Lucus his father returned with his army
to his land Sardunia, and Angeas his brother king of Africa went
with his people unto the city of Bibentu, that is the city of
Turnus.
29. And the inhabitants of Bibentu heard of his fame and they were
greatly afraid of him, and they went forth to meet him with weeping
and supplication, and the inhabitants of Bibentu entreated of
Angeas not to slay them nor destroy their city; and he did so, for
Bibentu was in those days reckoned as one of the cities of the
children of Chittim; therefore he did not destroy the city.
30. But from that day forward the troops of the king of Africa would go
to Chittim to spoil and plunder it, and whenever they went, Zepho
the captain of the host of Angeas would go with them.
31. And it was after this that Angeas turned with his army and they
came to the city of Puzimna, and Angeas took thence Jania the
daughter of Uzu for a wife and brought her unto his city unto
Africa.

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