Book of Jasher — 1840 English Edition

Book of Jasher — 1840 English Edition 36

CHAPTER XXXVI 1. At that time the Lord appeared unto Jacob saving, arise, go to Bethel and remain there, and make there an altar to the Lord who appeareth unto thee, who delivered thee and all thy sons from affliction. 2. And Jacob rose up with his sons and all belonging to him, and they went and came to Bethel ac- cording to the word of the Lord. 3. And Jacob was ninety nine years old when he went up to Bethel, and Jacob and his sons and all the people that were with him, remained in Bethel in Luz, and he there built an altar to the Lord who appeared unto him, and Jacob and his sons re- mained in Bethel six months. 4. At that time died Deborah the daughter of Uz, the nurse of Re- becca, who had been with Jacob ; and Jacob buried her beneath Bethel under an oak that was there. 5. And Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel, the mother of Jacob, also died at that time in Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, and she was buried in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth. 6. And the hfe of Rebecca was one hundred and thirty three years, and she died and when Jacob heard THE BOOK OP JASHER. 107 that his mother Rebecca was dead he wept bitterly for his mother, and made a great mourning for lier, and for Deborah her nurse beneatli the oak, and he called the name of that place Allon-bachulh. 7. And Laban the Syrian died in those days, for God smole him be- cause he transgressed the covenant that existed between him and Jacob. 8. And Jacob was a hundred years old when the ]jord appeared unto him, and blessed him and called his name Israel, and Rachel the wife of Jacob conceived in those days. 9. And at that time Jacob and all belonging to him journeyed from Bethel to go to his father's house, to Hebron. 10. And whilst they were going on the road, and there was yet but a little way to come to Ephrath, Rachel bare a son and she had hard labour and she died. 11. And Jacob buried her in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, and he set a pillar upon lier grave, tuhich is there unto this day ; and the days of Rachel were forty five years and she died. 12. And Jacob called the name of his son that was born to him, which Rachel bare unto him, Benjamin, for he was born to him in the land on the right hand. 13. And it was after the death of Rachel, that Jacob pitched his tent in the tent of her hand maid Bilhah. 14. And Reuben was jealous for his mother Leah on account of this, and he was filled with anger, and he rose up in his anger and went and entered the tent of Bilhah and he thence removed his father's bed. 15. At that time the portion of birth right, together with the kingly and priestly offices, was removed from the sons of Reuben, for he had profaned iiis father's bed, and the birthright was given unto Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood unto Levi, because Reu- ben had defiled his fathers bed. 16. And these are the generations of Jacob who were born to him in Padan-aram, and the sons of Jacob were twelve. 17. The sons of Leah ivere Reu- ben the first born, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and their sister Dinah ; and the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 18. The sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, were Gad and Asher, and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, were Dan and Naphtali; these are the sons of Jacob which were born to him in Padan-aram. 19. And Jacob and his sons and all belonging to him journeyed and came to Mamre, wJiich is Kireath- arba, that is in Hebron, where Abra- ham and Isaac sojourned, and Jacob with his sons and all belonging to him, dwelled with his father in Hebron. 20. And his brother Esau and his sons, and all belonging to him went to the land of Seir and dwelt there, and had possessions in the land of Seir, and the children of Esau were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land of Seir. 21. And these are the generations of Esau that were born to him in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Esau were five. 22. And Adah bare to Esau his first born Eliphaz, and she also bare to him Reuel, and Ahlibamah bare to him Jeush, Yaalam and Korah. 23. These are the children of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan ; and the sons of Eliphaz 108 THE BOOK OF JASHER. the son of Esau were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz and Amalex, and the sons of Reuel were Nachath, Zerach, Shamah and Mizzah. 24. And the sons of Jeush were Timnah, Alvah, Jetheth ; and the sons of Yaalam were Alah, Phinor and Kenaz. 25. And the sons of Korah were Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Eram ; these are the famihes of the sons of Esau according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir. 26. And these are the names of the sons of Seir the Horite, inhab- itants of the land of Seir, Lotan, Shobal, Zibean, Anah, Dishan, Ezer and Dishon, being seven sons. 27. And the children of Lotan were Hori, Heman and their sister Timna , that is Timna who came to Jacob and his sons, and they would not give ear to her, and she went and became a concubine to Eliphaz the son of Esau, and she bare to him Amalek. 28. And the sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam, and the sons of Zibeon were Ajah, and Anah, this tvas that Anah who found the Yemim in the wilder- ness when he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. 29. And whilst he was feeding his father's asses he led them to the wilderness at different times to feed them. 30. And there was a day that he brought them to one of the deserts on the sea shore, opposite the wilder- ness of the people, and whilst he was feeding them, behold a very heavy storm came from the other side of the sea and rested upon the asses that were feeding there, and they all stood still. 31. And afterward about one hun- dred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where the asses were, and they placed them- selves there. 32. And those animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the like- ness of the keephas, with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like the tails of the ducheephath, and these animals came and mounted and rode upon these asses, and led them away, and they went away unto this day. 33. And one of these animals ap proached Anah and smote him with his tail, and then fled from that place. 34. And when he saw this work he was exceedingly afraid of his life, and he fled and escaped to the city. 3.5. And he related to his sons and brothers all that had happened to him, and many men went to seek the asses but could not find them, and Anah and his brothers went no more to that place from that day following, for they were greatly afraid of their lives. 36. And the children of Anah the son of Seir, were Dishon and his sis- ter Ahlibamah, and the children of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ith- ran and Cheran, and the children of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan, and the children of Dishan were Uz and Aran. 37. These are the families of the children of Seir the Horite, accord- ing to their dukedoms in the land of Seir. 38. And Esau and his children dwelt in the land of Seir the Horite, the inhabitant of the land, and they THE BOOK OF JASHER. 109 had possessions in it and were fruit- ful and multiplied exceedingly, and Jacob and his children and all belong- ing to them, dwelt with their father Isaac in the land of Canaan as the Lord had commanded Abraham their father.