Book of Jubilees

Book of Jubilees 23

XXIII. And he placed two fingers of Jacob on his eyes,8 and he blessed the God of gods, and he covered his face and stretched out his feet 4 and slept the sleep of eternity,5 and was gathered to his fathers. 2. And notwithstanding all this Jacob was lying in his bosom, and knew not that Abraham, his father's father, was dead. 3. And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and behold Abraham was cold as ice, and he said: "Father, father!"; but there was none that spake, and he knew that he was dead. 4. And he arose from his bosom and ran and told Rebecca, his mother ; and Rebecca went to Isaac in the night and told him ; and they went together, and Jacob with them, and a lamp was in his hand, and when they had gone in they found Abraham lying dead. 5. And Isaac fell on the face of his father, and wept and kissed him/ 6. And the voices were heard in the house of Abraham, and Ishmael his son arose, and went to Abraham his father, and wept over 1 Cf. Num. vi. 26. 1 Cf. 1 Kings viii. 29, 52; Dan. ix. 18. • Cf. Gen. xlvi. 4. The closing of the eyes (by the eldest son) should strictly only be done after death, according to Jewish tradition. 4 Cf. Gen. xlix. 33 (of the death of Jacob). s Cf. Jer. li. 39, 57. • Cf. Gen. 1. 1. 128 THE BOOK OF JUBILEES [chap, xxiii Abraham his father, he and all the house of Abraham, and they wept with a great weeping. 7. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the double cave,1 near Sarah his wife, and they wept for him forty days, all the men of his house, and Isaac and Ishmael, and all their sons, and all the sons of Ketu«ah in' their places; and the days of weeping for Abraham were ended. 8. And he lived tnree jubilees and four weeks of years, one hundred and seventy-five years, and completed the days of his life, being old and full of days. The decreasing Years and increasing Corrup- tion of Mankind (xxiii. 9-17). 9. For the days of the forefathers, of their life, were nineteen jubilees; and after the Flood they began to grow less than nineteen jubilees, and to decrease in jubilees, and to grow old quickly, and to be full of their days by reason of manifold tribula- tion and the wickedness of their ways, with the exception of Abraham.1 10. For Abraham was per- fect in all his deeds with the Lord, and well-pleasing in righteousness all the days of his life ; and behold, he did not complete four jubilees in his life, when he had grown old by reason of the wickedness,8 and was full of his days. 11. And all the generations which will arise from this time until the day of the great judgment will grow old quickly, before they complete two jubilees, and their knowledge will forsake them by reason of their old age [and all their knowledge will vanish away].4 12. And-in those days, if a man live a jubilee and a half of years, they will say regarding him : "He hath lived long, and the greater part of his days are pain and sorrow and 1 i. e. Machpelah; cf. Gen. xxv. 9. • Man's years grow less as mankind grows more corrupt; cf. for a similar idea 4 Ezra v. 50-55. • Even Abraham grew prematurely old owing to the universal wickedness. 4 Bracketed words a ditto graph. chap, xxm] THE BOOK OF JUBILEES 129 tribulation,1 and there is no peace : 13. For calamity followeth on calamity, and wound on wound, and tribulation on tribulation, and evil tidings on evil tidings, and illness on illness, and all evil judgments such as these, one with another, illness and over- throw, and snow and frost and ice, and fever, and chills, and torpor, and famine, and death, and sword, and captivity, and all kinds of calamities and pains." * 14. And all these will come on an evil generation, which transgresseth on the earth : their works are uncleanness and fornication, and pollution and abominations.8 15. Then they will say : " The days of the forefathers were many (even), unto a thousand years, and were good ; but, behold, the days of our life, if a man hath lived many, are three score years and ten, and, if he is strong, four score years, and those evil,4 and there is no peace in the days of this evil generation." 16. And in that generation the sons will convict their fathers and their elders of sin and unrighteousness,5 and of the words of their mouth and the great wickednesses which they per- petrate, and concerning their forsaking the covenant • which the Lord made between them and Him, that they should observe and do all His commandments and His ordinances and all His laws, without depart- ing either to the right hand or to the left.7 17. For all have done evil,8 and every mouth speaketh iniquity* and all their works are an uncleanness and an abom- ination, and all their ways are pollution, uncleanness and destruction. 1 Cf. Ps. xc. 10. ■ ? a picture of contemporary misfortunes (200 B.C. and following years). • Cf. vii. 21, xx. 3< xxii. 16. • Cf. Ps. xc. 10. • ? the protest of the Hasidim (" the pious ") against the Hellenizers; cf. I Mace. ii. 42 IT. • Cf. 1 Mace. i. 15. 7 Cf. 1 Mace. ii. 21 f. (Deut. v. 31-32, xxvin.,!^)., *<. • Cf. 1 Mace. i. 52-53. • Cf. 1 Mace. ii. 0. 130 THE BOOK OF JUBILEES [chap, xxni The Messianic Woes (xxiii. 18-25). [Eschatological partly.] 18. Behold the earth will be destroyed on account of all their works, and there will be no seed of the vine, and no oil; for their works are altogether faith^ss, (and they will all perish together, beasts and cattle arid birds, and all the fish of the sea,1 on account 01 the children of men. 19. And they will strive one with another, the young with the old, and the old with the young, the poor with the rich, and the lowly with the great, and the beggar with the prince,* on account of the law and the cove- nant; 8 for they have forgotten commandment, and covenant, and feasts, and months, and Sabbaths, and jubilees, and all judgments. 20. And they will stand (with bows and) swords and war to turn them back into the way ; 4 but they will not return until much blood hath been shed on the earth, one by another.5 21. And those who have escaped will not return from their wickedness to the way of righte- ousness, but they will all exalt themselves to deceit and wealth, that they may each take all that is his neighbour's, and thev will name the great name, but not in truth and not in righteousness, and they will defile the holy of holies with their uncleanness and the corruption of their pollution.6 22. And a great punishment will befall the deeds of this generation 1 Cf. 4 Ezra v. 7 (Ezek. xxxviii. 20). 1 Internecine strife is a standing feature in such eschato- logical passages; cf. 4 Ezra vi. 24; Matt. xxiv. 10; Ap. Bar., lxx. 3-4. • Here the writer passes to a description of what is happening in his own time. • " Way " here = the true path of religion; cf. Isa. xxx. 21 ; Acts ix. 2, etc. 1 The conflicts between the early Maccabeans (at the head of the national party in Judah) and the Helienizers seem to be referred to. • Probably the machinations of the Hellenizing party under the High Priest Alcimus are referred to; cf. 1 Mace. ix. 54. Chap. Xxm] THE BOOK OF JUBILEES 131 from the Lord, and He will give them over to the sword and to judgment and to captivity, and to be plundered and devoured. 23. And He will wake up against them the sinners of the Gentiles, who have neither mercy nor compassion r and who will respect the person of none, neither old nor young, nor any one) for they are more wicked and strong to $0 evil than all the children of men. And they will use violence against Israel and transgression against Jacob, ' And much blood will be shed upon the earth, And there will be none to gather and none to bury.1. 24. In those days they will cry aloud, And call and pray that they may be saved from the hand of the sinners, the Gentiles ; ■ But none will be saved. 25. And the heads of the children will be white with grey hair,3 And a child of three weeks will appear old like a man of one hundred years, And their stature will be destroyed by tribulation and oppression. Renewed Study of the Law followed by a Re- newal of Mankind. The Messianic King- dom and the Blessedness of the Righteous (xxiii. 26-32 ; cf. Isa. lxv. 17ft). [Eschatological.] 26. And in those days the children will begin to study the laws, And to seek the commandments, And to return to the path of righteousness. 27. And the days will begin to grow many and increase amongst those children of men, 1 The sufferings of the nation up to (but not including) Simon's High Priesthood (142-135 b.c.) may be referred to. For the last line cf. Jer. viii. 2. ■ Cf. Gal. ii. 15. • Cf. Sibylline Oracles, ii. 155 ("children With" gre^ hair on their temples born ") — one of the signs of the coming in of the Messianic age. 132 THE BOOK OF JUBILEES [chap, xxm Till their days draw nigh to one thousand years,1 And to a greater number of years than (before) was the number of the days. 28. And there will be no old man Nor one who is not satisfied with his days, For all will be (as) children and youths.1 29. And all their days they will complete and live in peace and in joy,8 And there will be no Satan 4 nor any' evil destroyer ; For all their days will be days of blessing and healing,* 30. And at that time the Lord will heal His servants, And they will rise up 8 and see 7 great peace, And drive out their adversaries. And the righteous will see and be thankful, And rejoice with joy for ever and ever, And will see all their judgments and all their curses on their enemies. 31. And their bones will rest in the earth, And their spirits will have much joy,8 And they will know that it is the Lord who executeth judgment, And showeth mercy to hundreds and thousands and to all that love Him.9 32. And do thou, Moses, write down these words; for thus are they written, and they record (them) on the heavenly tables for a testimony for the generations . for ever. 1 The span of life originally designed for mankind. Adam fell short of this because of his sin. 1 Cf. Isa. lxv. 20. • Cf. Isa. bcv. 14. • Cf. Assumpt. Moses x. 1. • Cf. i. 29. • Probably there is no reference here to a resurrection. Apparently the Messianic kingdom depicted is a temporary one. The eschatology harmonizes with that of 1 Enoch xci.-civ. 1 i. e. enjoy. • ». t. they will enjoy a blessed immortality (with no bodily resurrection) ; cf. 1 Enoch ciii. 3-4. • Cf. 4 Ezra vii. 131 fl, chap, xxiv] THE BOOK OF JUBILEES 133 Isaac at the Well of Vision : Esau sells his Birthright (xxiv. 1-7; cf. Gen. xxv. 11, 29-34).