The Chronicles of Jerahmeel

I have sworn not to lend anybody this book to take away, with the exception of three, whom I will mention by name, but whoever desires to read it at my house is free to do so. I am the youngest of all my family. I, Elazar, son of Rabbi Asher, the Levite, have set my mind on copying from precious and valuable books outside Scripture, for my spirit lifted me up and filled me with enthusiasm in the days of my youth, when I was easygoing and keen-witted. For I saw many books scattered and dispersed here and there. I then resolved to collect them, and unite them in one book. I then made a collection of the words of the wise and their aphorisms, and wrote them down in a book for the use of those who love parable and history, and for wise men generally who are not otherwise occupied, in order that they may reflect on these things, so that they may see, understand, and know the truth concerning a few of the events which have taken place under the sun, and of a few of the troubles and afflictions which our ancestors endured in their exile, and what changes of fortune they underwent when the storm swept over them, so that they may not be forgotten by their descendants. Therefore I called this book the “Book of Chronicles,” in which may be recorded many varied events. For I have collected in this book records of all events and incidents which have happened from the creation of the world until the present day as it is written in this book, and as I found, so I copied, and I have deftly woven the materials to form one book. I did not write them to make myself a great name, but to the glory of my Creator, who truly knows, and so that this book should be a memorial for future generations; and whoever chooses to add to this book may add, and may blessing fall upon him. I hope that God may make my son worthy of inheriting this Book of Chronicles, which I have collected from many books. I wrote it, and laid aside many affairs for its sake, so as to be able to complete it. The bulk of it I wrote in the fall and winter, for I only had leisure at that time. “In the day the drought consumed me, and the cold at night, and drove my sleep from my eyes.” And many events have happened, and what I was not able to do in the daytime, I did at night, for I neither rested nor took my ease until I had completed its composition. For I gave a long time to it, and I was constantly occupied with its composition, and I was continually busy with it, and I worked and labored vigorously until I had selected each subject and placed it in its proper position, like a pearl in its setting and like a hook in its eye, and if I had done it for payment, no sum would have satisfied me, for I worked on it days and years until I had completed its composition, for I did not always have the books to copy it from, nor did I often have the leisure, while occasionally I was not in the mood, because of many misfortunes that happened to me in my exile. I therefore solemnly charge and command my son—since I bequeath him this Book of Chronicles—to receive it on his promise to fulfilll the solemn conditions that I set for him, as a father for his son. He may not sell it, nor may he give it away nor pledge it, neither he nor his descendants, neither may he exchange it nor substitute anything else for it. For what good will a small amount of money do him, since he could not succeed in purchasing its equal or its like in the whole world, either for a large or small sum of money? For I have searched in many places before I composed it; for this reason rather let a man pledge or sell the cloak from his back before he disposes of this. For I know that nobody can obtain half its worth or value, for no scribe could be found to write it for less than six small pieces of gold, to say nothing of the parchment. And who sells it will soon squander the money on frivolity; then he will immediately regret his transaction, but in vain. Moreover, I can assure him that he will never obtain its like, since I know full well that no man would compose another such work, because of the magnitude of the task; further, I know that nobody is broad-minded enough to resolve to compose and publish such a book as this, for it appears at first sight a collection of tales. Nevertheless, if he wishes to dispose of it to one of his sons or to one of his brothers, he may do so, but the one who acquires it may not override my conditions, but must observe everything as set down here. And he may only bequeath this book to one of his sons, or, if he has no sons, he should bequeath it to one of his brothers, but not to one of his daughters, who have no portion or inheritance in it, that this book may not pass from one tribe to another. And do not, my sons, resolve to divide the work into two or three portions, so that each one of you may have a share in it, but let the one who inherits it receive it in one volume. May the one who ignores my writing, transgresses my command, or does not fulfill my words, be cursed; but blessed be my descendants, and may they be established if they fulfill my wishes. Do not mock me when you notice in what detail I have communicated my wishes concerning this book to my sons, for do you not know that whatever man completes by the labor and toil of his hands he values highly? And I knew that unless I did it myself, unassisted, I would never have completed it. For who can depend on scribes in the case of a book of this kind? Besides, even if I had the will, could I order scribes to be present just as books came to my hand; and where could I get the books from? Therefore I said, “If I do not do it for myself, who, then, will do it for me?” And God enlightened me, and I tightened my belt like a strong man, and composed this Book of Chronicles. May God remember it for me for good!

1 With the help of God I begin writing this book of mine without interruption. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created on the day when the Lord God made heaven and earth. Rabbi Eliezer, son of Hyrcanus, began his teaching this way: “Who can express all the mighty acts of God?” Is there anybody who can possibly describe the mighty deeds of God and proclaim all His praise? Not even the ministering angels can do this. We can only recount part of His mighty deeds, to explain what He has done and what He will do in the future, so that His great name may be praised among the creatures He has created from one end of the world to the other, as it is said, “Every generation will praise Your works.” Before the world was created God and His name alone existed. When He decided to create the world, He drew a plan for a world, but it would not stand. This is like a man who wants to build a palace. Unless he plans out its foundations, its exits and its entrances, he cannot begin building. So God planned the world before Him, but it would not stand until He created repentance. 2 Seven things were created before the creation of the world: the Law, repentance, the throne of glory, the Garden of Eden, Gehinnom, the site of the temple, and the name of the Messiah, and proof for all these things can be found in the Scriptures.

3 Eight things were created on the first day: heaven and earth, light and darkness, what was formless and empty Tohu va-Bohu, air and water. And the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters. Some say that day and night were also included in the first day of creation, as it is said, “And it was evening, and it was morning, one day.” Eight things were also created on the second day: the well of Miriam, manna, the rod of Moses, the rainbow, the letters and the writing, the clothes of Adam and Eve, and demons Maziqim.

4 Ten things were foremost in God’s thoughts at creation: Jerusalem, the spirits of the patriarchs, the ways of the righteous, Gehinnom, the flood, the two stone tablets, the Sabbath, the temple, the ark, and the light of the future world.

5 From what were the heavens created? From the brightness of God’s covering, which He took up and spread like a garment, and the heavens kept expanding until He said to them, “Stop,” and they stopped. 6 From what was the earth created? From the snow beneath the throne of glory. God took it up and scattered it on the waters. Then the waters solidified and became the dust of the earth, as it is said, “For He says to the snow, Become earth.” The boundaries of the heavens touch the waters of the ocean, for the waters of the ocean, Oqeanos, flow around the edges of the heavens and the earth, and the edges of the heavens spread over the waters of the ocean, as it is said, “Who lays the foundation of His upper chambers in the waters.” The heavens rise to an immense height in the form of a tent that is spread out, and people stand beneath it. Its edges are below, and its center is above. This is the shape of the heavens. Their edges are below and their center above, so that all God’s creatures sit beneath it as though in a tent, as it is said, “He spread them out as a tent to live in.”

7 Four winds were created in the world: the winds coming from the east, south, north, and west. From the eastern corner the light of the world comes out. From the south, the dew of blessing falls on the world. From the west come the supplies of snow, hail, cold and heat, and rains for the benefit of the world. He created the northern corner of the world but did not complete it, for He said, “Whoever declares himself to be God, let him come and finish this corner which I have left, and then everyone will know that he is a God.” There the demons, earthquakes, evil spirits, and Shiddim live, and from there they come out into the world, as it is said, “Evil will break out from the north.”Jeremiah 1:14

8 On the second day He created the expanse, the angels, the heat of the living bodies, and the heat of Gehinnom. But weren’t the heavens created on the first day? As it is said, “In the beginning God created the heavens.” What, then, is this heaven that was created on the second day? Rabbi Eliezer says: The expanse above the heads of the four holy creatures, as it is said, “In the likeness of an expanse above the holy creatures.” It appears like frost and consists of precious stones and pearls. It lights up the whole heavens like the light that lights up a house, and like the sun that lights up the world at noon, as it is said, “And light dwells with Him.” Similarly the righteous are destined to light up the world in the future, as it is said, “And the wise will shine as the brightness of the expanse.” And if the expanse had not been created on the second day, the whole world would have been drowned by the waters from above, but the expanse now separates the upper from the lower waters. These angels, which were created on the second day, when sent by God, become winds, as it is said, “He made His angels winds.” When they serve before Him, they become like fire, as it is said, “His serving angels are a flaming fire.”

9 Four groups of angels serve God: the first band, under Michael, on His right, the second, under Gabriel, in front of Him, the third, under Uriel, on His left, and the fourth, under Raphael, behind Him. The divine presence of God sits in the center on a high and lofty throne that is extremely majestic and hangs in the air, and the appearance of its glory is like a red gemstone. One half is like fire, and the other half is like snow. A brilliant crown of glory rests on His head, and on His forehead is written the unutterable name of “God.” His eyes overlook the whole earth. On His right is life, on His left death. A scepter of fire is in His hand. A curtain is spread out before Him, 10 and the seven angels which were created first serve before Him inside the curtain. His footstool is like fire and hail, and beneath the throne of glory, it has the appearance of sapphires. Fire plays around it. Righteousness and justice are the supports of His throne. Clouds of glory surround it, and the wheel, the ophan, the cherub, and the holy creatures sing praises to Him. The throne is like sapphire. It stands on four legs, and four holy creatures are attached to it. On each side are four faces and four wings, as it is said, “There were four faces, which were four angels.”

11 When He speaks from the east, from between the two cherubim, He speaks in the direction of the face of a man. When He speaks from the south, He speaks in the direction of the face of the lion. When from the west, He speaks in the direction of the oxen. When from the north, in the direction of the eagle. And opposite Him are the ophanim and the wheels of the chariot. When He sits on His high and lofty throne and looks around the earth, the noise made by the wheels on His chariot causes lightning and earthquakes in the world. But when He crosses the heavens, He rides on a swift cherub, as it is said, “And He rode on a swift cherub.” When He hurries to do something, He flies on the wings of the wind, as it is said, “And He flew on the wings of the wind.”

12 Two seraphim stand near Him, one on His right side and another on His left, each with six wings. With two, each covers his face to avoid gazing on the Shekinah, and with two they each hide their legs so as not to remember the sin of the golden calf, and with two they fly, joyfully praising His great name and declaring it holy. One answers while another proclaims, and one proclaims while the other answers, and they say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts.” 13 The holy creatures stand with reverence and awe, trembling and shaking, so that the fire of the angels does not consume them. And a fiery river streams down from their faces, as it is said, “And a river of fire flows before Him,” and the holy creatures do not know where His glory is, but answer and exclaim wherever His glory may be, “Blessed is the glory of the Lord in His place.”

1 On the third day the earth was like a plain, and the waters covered the face of the whole earth. When the word of God came, saying, “Let the waters be gathered together,” the mountains were lifted up and scattered over the earth, and deep valleys were dug deep into the earth, into which the waters rolled and were gathered, as it is said, “He called the gathering of waters seas.” The waters then immediately rose violently to a great height and covered the face of the earth as before, until God rebuked them and subdued them, and placed them under the hollow of His feet, and measured them in His palm, so that they could neither decrease nor increase. He surrounded the sea with sand as a fence, just as a man makes a fence for his vineyard. So when the waters approach and see the fence before them, they draw back, as it is said, “Will they not fear My signs, says the Lord?”

2 Before the waters were finally gathered together, the rivers and the springs of the deep were created, for the earth was stretched over the waters like a ship floating in the middle of the sea, as it is said, “To spread out the earth over the waters.”

3 And God opened a gate in the Garden of Eden and brought out all kinds of plants, every kind of tree bearing its own kind of fruit, and every kind of grass. He took their seeds and planted them on the earth, as it is said, “Whose seed is inside itself on the earth.” He prepared food for His creatures before they were created, as it is said, “You prepare a table before me.”

4 All the springs of water rise from the depths. Rabbi Joshua said that the depth of the earth would take sixty years to walk through. There is one spring near Gehinnom that receives and gives out hot water for people’s enjoyment.

5 Rabbi Judah says: Once every month small streams rise from the depths and water the face of the whole earth, as it is said, “And a spray went up from the earth to water the garden.” The thick clouds pass on the sound of the watercourses to the seas, and the seas to the depths, and the depths to each other, and finally rise and give moisture to the clouds, as it is said, “Who causes the vapors to rise at the ends of the earth.”

6 The rains fall on every place the King commands them to, so that the earth immediately flourishes and becomes fertile. But when God wishes to bless the land and make it fertile and prosperous, to feed His creatures, He then opens His storehouse of good things in heaven and sends rain on the earth, so that it immediately becomes fertile and produces the seed of blessing, as it is said, “The Lord will open His treasury of good for you.”

1 On the fourth day He formed two lights, one not larger than the other. They were identical both in their form and in their light, as it is said, “And God made the two lights.” A quarrel broke out between them. One said to the other, “I am greater than you.” So God, to make peace between them, made one larger and the other smaller, as it is said, “And the greater to rule by day.”

2 Rabbi Eliezer said that God spoke one word and the heavens were created to become the dwelling place of the throne of the glory of His kingdom, as it is said, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,” but for the large army of heaven God made a greater effort. He blew with the breath of His mouth, and all the army of heaven were created, as it is said, “And with the breath of His mouth all their army.”

3 All the stars and planets and the two lights were created at the beginning of the fourth night. One came before the other by only a tiny fraction of time. So all the work of the sun is done slowly, while the moon’s work is done quickly. What the sun takes twelve days to do the moon can do in one day. What the sun does during the whole year the moon does in thirty days, as it is explained in the chapters of Rabbi Eliezer.

4 Three letters of the unutterable name of God are written on the heart of the sun, and angels lead it. Those that lead it in the day do not lead it in the night, and those that lead it in the night do not lead it in the day. The sun rises in a chariot, and rides out crowned like a bridegroom, as it is said, “And he comes out from his canopy like a bridegroom.” The horns, the rays, and the fiery face of the sun face the earth in summer. They would consume it with fire if the ice above did not moderate the heat, as it is said, “Nothing is hidden from his heat.” In winter the sun turns his icy face to the earth, and if it were not for the fire that warms the cold, the world would not be able to endure it, as it is said, “Who can stand before his cold?”

5 The sun rises in the east and sets opposite in the west. The Shekinah always lives in the west, and the sun comes into its presence, and, bowing down before the King of kings, says: “Lord of the universe, I have fulfilled all Your commands.” These are some of the ways of the sun.

6 The moon’s dwelling place is between the clouds and the thick darkness, which are like two dishes one above the other. Between them the moon travels. These two clouds turn toward the west, and the moon peeks out from between the two in the form of a little horn. On the first night of the new month one part is visible, on the second night a second portion, and so on until the middle of the month, when the moon is full. From the middle of the month onward these two clouds turn eastward, and that part of the moon which appeared first is the first to be covered by the two clouds: on the first night one part, on the second night a second part, until the end of the month, when it is entirely covered. How do we know that the moon is between two clouds? Because it is said, “The cloud is its clothing, and clouds of darkness its covering.”

1 God created the following seven planets and placed them in order in the expanse for the benefit of the world. Through them people calculate the signs and seasons, make astronomical calculations, and determine the timing of summer, the number of the hours, days and months, periods and festivals, the appointed times, as it is said, “They will be for signs, for seasons, for days and for years.”

2 The seven days of the week are named after the seven planets, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. On the first day Sol, that is, the sun, rules, and this day is called Zondakh. On the second day the moon serves. It is called Luna, so the second day is called Lunedi, that is, Mondakh. On the third day Mars serves. It is called Marṣ, so the day is called Marṣdi, that is, Diensdakh. On the fourth day Mercury, or Marcurios, serves, so it is called Markusdi, that is, Godansdakh. On the fifth day Jupiter serves. It is called Iovis, so the day is called Iovisdi, that is, Donnersdakh. On the sixth day Venus, that is, Veneri, serves, so the day is called Vindredi, that is Vredakh. On the seventh day Saturnus serves, so the day is called Sabbatdi, that is, Satuldakh.

3 In what order are they placed in heaven? They are distributed there as sun and moon and the five planets. The expanse is divided into seven levels, one above the other. There are seven distinct places for these seven planets, and this is their order: 4 The first level is near the earth, and this lowest level is the home of the moon, in which the moon makes a circuit around the expanse. The second level is the home of Mercury, in which it travels around the expanse. The third level is the home of Venus, in which it also travels around the expanse. The fourth level is the middle one, the home of the sun, which completes its circuit of the heaven in twelve months. The fifth level is the home of Mars, which makes its circuit in the expanse. The seventh level is the highest of all, the home of Saturn, which completes its circuit in three years.

5 This is the order of their work: Saturn is appointed over the poor and needy women, over faintness and sickness, diseases of the body, and over death. His appearance is like that of an old man with a sickle in his hand.

6 Mars is appointed over war, bloodshed, and the sword, over the wicked, over slander, over conflict, battle, hatred, jealousy, quarrels, over warriors, wounds, injuries, bruises, over fire, water, and destruction. His appearance is like that of an armed warrior with a sword in his right hand, and he appears like an angry man who stirs up conflict. Wherever he turns, wickedness follows. He looks terrifying in his coat of chain mail and with the spear he carries in his left hand.

7 Jupiter is appointed over life, peace and good, over prosperity, tranquility, joy, pleasant conversation, celebrations, wealth, greatness, sovereignty and majesty. His appearance is like that of a brave and noble-looking man, and his head is that of a ram.

8 Venus is appointed over kindness, favor, love, lust, passion, desire, marriage, the birth of humans and animals, the fruits of the earth and the fruits of the tree. Its form is that of a young girl beautifully dressed and waving a tree branch in her hand. Mercury is appointed over wisdom, discretion, understanding, knowledge, and the active intellect that enables a person to unravel mysteries and devise plans in every kind of work and in the writings of any language. Its form is that of an old man with thin lips. He has wings, and the lower part of the body is like a dragon.

9 The sun is appointed over light, to separate light from darkness, and through it to enable us to calculate the days, months and years, and to do every kind of work, to create work requiring any kind of skill, to walk any distance, and to migrate from city to city and from town to town. The moon holds the key of heaven and earth, and is appointed over morning and evening. She is set over all creatures, to lead them in the right or wrong way, although she has no power in herself either to do good or evil. But everything is done by order and command. Everything was created by means of the word of God.

10 So the rabbis have said that the orbit of the sun and the circuit of the moon, the order of the stars, the arrangement of the planets, the calculation of the circuits, the lengths of the days and the division of the hours, which are at first long and then become gradually shorter, are all the work of God.

1 On the fifth day He brought out from the waters all kinds of winged birds, male and female, all kinds of locusts, and also the Leviathan, a serpent which holds all the inhabitants of the lower waters between his two fins. The center of the earth rests on the huge serpents, which provide food for the Leviathan. Every day he opens his mouth, and a huge serpent comes every day to feed him. It flies and flutters and enters the mouth of Leviathan, while God plays with it, as it is said, “You have created this Leviathan to play with it.”

1 On the sixth day God brought forth from the earth all kinds of animals, male and female, and the Behemoth that lies on a thousand hills, from which it obtains its food every day. In the night, the food grows back again as if the hills had not been touched, as it is said, “Its food is from the produce of the mountains, and it drinks from the waters of the Jordan,” for the waters of the Jordan encompass all the land of Israel, one half of which is above, and the other half below the earth, as it is said, “For He can draw up the Jordan in his mouth.” The Behemoth is preserved for the day it will be brought as a sacrifice at the great banquet for the righteous, as it is said, “Its Maker will approach it with His sword.” 2 Everything in the world was originally created before Adam, who was created last, on the sixth day, on the eve of the Sabbath, so that people could not say that God had a helper in the work of creation.

3 When God wished to create the world, He called the company of angels commanded by the archangel Michael and said to them, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.” They replied, “What is man, that You should remember him, and the son of man, that You should think of him?” At that, God immediately stretched out His little finger among them and destroyed them, so that Michael alone was left. God then called the company of angels under Gabriel and said, “Let us make man in our image.” They also replied, “What is man, that You should remember him?” Again, God stretched out His finger and destroyed them. 4 Then God called Boël and his company and said, “Let us make man in our own image.” Boël said to his associates, “See what happened to those who said, ‘What is man that You should remember him?’ They were all destroyed. If we say the same, He will destroy us too. In the end, He will do His will anyway. It is better if we comply with His wish.” They immediately answered, “Lord of the world, it is good that You have decided to create man. Create him as You will, and we will act as attendants and servants to him and reveal all our secrets to him.” 5 God said to Boël, “From this day forward, you will be called Raphael instead of Boël, because through your advice you have saved your entire company from being consumed like the others.” 6 God then called Gabriel and said, “Go and bring Me dust from the four corners of the earth, and I will create man from it.”⁠a Gabriel went to gather the dust, but the earth drove him away and would not allow him to take any. Gabriel said, “Why, earth, do you not listen to the voice of your Lord, who founded you on the waters without supports and without pillars?” The earth answered, “I am destined to become a curse and to be cursed because of man, and if God Himself does not take dust from me, no one else will either.” 7 When God saw this, He stretched out His hand, took some dust, and created the first man on the sixth day. God created the body of man with four colors: white, black, red, and green. The bones and sinews are white, the intestines black, the blood red, and the skin green, meaning livid. When the soul leaves the body, the body immediately becomes livid. 8 The Torah, the Law, then said to God, “Lord of the universe, this man You have created will be short-lived and will sin before You. What will happen to him?” God replied, “Is it for nothing that I am called slow to anger, abundant in mercy and truth? If he returns to Me in repentance, I will pardon him.” The Torah said, “If so, do Your will.” 9 Why did God create man from the dust of the four corners of the earth and not just from one place? Because man travels to the four corners of the earth, and when he dies, the earth should not be able to say, “You were not made from me, so you will not be buried in me. Go back to where you were made and be buried there.” So wherever a person dies, they will rest there. God created man poor and from dust, and to dust he will return. That is why dust was taken from the four corners of the earth.

10 There are twelve hours in the day: In the first hour, He gathered the dust. In the second, He hardened it. In the third, He formed it into the shape of a man. In the fourth, He thrust the soul into it. In the fifth, the man stood on his legs. In the sixth, he named all the birds and animals. In the seventh, Eve was joined to him. In the eighth, they produced two children. In the ninth, they were commanded concerning the fruit of the trees. In the tenth, he disobeyed the command. In the eleventh, he was judged. In the twelfth, he was driven out, as it is said, “And He drove Adam out of the Garden of Eden.” 11 God kneaded and shaped the dust for man in a pure place, covering it with skin and sinews and giving it human form, but it had no breath or soul yet. What did God do? He breathed with His mouth and put the soul into him, as it is said, “And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” Adam stood up, looked above and below, saw all the creatures God had made, and was filled with wonder. He began to praise and glorify his Creator, saying, “How great are Your works, Lord!” 12 Adam stood on his feet, in the likeness of God. His height extended from east to west, as it is said, “Behind and before You have formed me.” “Behind” means west, and “before” means east. All the creatures saw him and were afraid, thinking he was their creator, and they bowed down before him. Adam said to the animals, “Why do you bow before me? Come, let us all go and crown the One who created us with majesty and strength and make Him our King. If the people do not pledge allegiance to the King, the King claims it for Himself. If they do not praise Him, He causes Himself to be praised.” As soon as Adam spoke, all creatures agreed, clothed their Creator with majesty and strength, and proclaimed Him King, saying, “The Lord, the King, is clothed with majesty.”

13 Adam walked about the Garden of Eden like one of the ministering angels. God said, “Just as I am alone in My world, so is Adam. Just as I have no companion, neither does Adam. Tomorrow the creatures will say, ‘He does not reproduce. He must be our creator.’ It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper for him.” 14 When the earth heard the word “helper,” it shook and trembled and said to its Creator, “Lord of the world, I cannot provide for all of mankind.” God replied, “I will feed all mankind.” God made a covenant with the earth and created the sleep of life. When a person lies down to sleep, they are fed, strengthened, and refreshed. This is the healing and feeding God provides, as it is said, “Then I slept, and then I was refreshed.” God also helps the earth and waters it so it yields its fruits as food for all creatures, yet man still has to work hard and struggle for food.

15 God had pity on Adam. To spare him pain, God caused a deep sleep to fall on him. During this time, God took the bone of one of his ribs and flesh from his heart, and from it made a helper, placing her before him. When Adam awoke and saw her standing there, he said, “This is woman, bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh.” 16 While he was still alone, he was called Adam. Rabbi Joshua ben Qorḥa said his name was Adam because of the flesh and blood he was made from. God said, “You are Adam.” But when a helper was made for him, he was called Living Being, meaning Fiery Being, in Hebrew אש. God added two letters from His own Name to theirs, making the name of man איש, Ish, and the name of woman אשה, Ishah. He said, “If they walk in My ways and observe My commandments, My name will remain with them and deliver them from all trouble. But if not, I will remove My name, and their names will again become אש and אש, fire consuming fire.”

1 God created ten canopies for Adam in the Garden of Eden, and all of them were made of precious stones, of pearls and of gold. Each bridegroom usually has only one canopy, a king has three, but in order to show great honor to the first man He made ten canopies for him in the Garden of Eden, as it is said, “You have been in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, the carnelian, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the red gemstone, and gold. The workmanship of your tambourines and your pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.” These represent the ten canopies. The angels were playing their tambourines and dancing to the pipes, as it is said, “The workmanship of your tambourines and your pipes.”

2 On the day when the first man was created God said to the ministering angels, “Come, let us go down and show kindness to man and his helper, for the world rests on kindness.” He also said, “Kindness is much more acceptable to Me than the burnt offerings that the Israelites will offer to Me on the altar in the future,” as it is said, “For I desire kindness and not sacrifices.” The ministering angels walked before Adam like shepherds who watch the flocks of birds, as it is said, “For He commanded His angels to watch over you in all your ways.” They were like a bride and groom, and God may be compared to a leader in prayer, for just as the prayer leader among the congregation blesses the bridal pair under the canopy, so God blessed man and his helper, as it is said, “And God blessed them, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’” And they did so, as it is said, “And Adam slept with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and said, ‘I have had a son from the Lord.’” Why was Cain given this name? Because he was formed from Adam and his wife and from God.

1 I will now add a description of the formation of a child by these three agents, as it is found in the book called יצירת הולד, Yeṣirath ha-velad. It reads as follows: I will now explain the formation of the fetus which God created when a man sleeps with his wife. God indicates it to the angel appointed over conception, whose name is Lailah. God says, “Know that tonight a woman will conceive. Take this sperm, place it in your hand, and break it on the threshing floor into three hundred and sixty-five particles.” He does so. He then takes the sperm in his hand, brings it to God, and says, “Lord of the world, I have done as You commanded me. Now decide what will become of it.” God then decrees that it will be either strong or weak, male or female, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, tall or short, wicked or righteous.

2 God then signals to the angel appointed over spirits, and says, “Bring me a certain spirit which is hidden in the Garden of Eden, whose name is So-and-so, and whose form is So-and-so.” This applies to all the spirits which are destined to be created, for from the very moment when the world was created all these spirits were prepared for people, as it is said, “What has already been has been called by name.” The angel brings the specified spirit, which, when it comes before God, bows down and falls on its face before Him.

3 At that moment God says to the spirit, “Enter this sperm.” The spirit then opens its mouth, and says, “Lord of the universe, I am satisfied with the world in which I have lived from the day on which You created me. If it pleases You, do not let me enter this impure being, for I am holy and pure.” God replies, “The world I will bring you into is better than the world in which you have lived. And when I created you, I created you only for this purpose.”

4 God then makes it enter this new being against its will. The angel then returns and makes it enter its mother’s womb. Two angels are prepared to watch the embryo during pregnancy. A light shines on the head of the child, by which it sees from one end of the world to the other.

5 In the morning the angel takes it, carries it into the Garden of Eden and shows it the righteous men who sit there in glory with crowns on their heads. The angel then says to the soul, “My child, do you know who these are?” “No,” it replies. The angel then says, “These people you see here were formed like you in their mother’s womb. They went out into the world and kept God’s laws, and so they became worthy of this happiness. Know also that you will leave the world at the end of your days, and if you are considered worthy to listen to the Law and the Commandments, then you too will be worthy of sitting with these people in the place I showed you.”

6 In the evening he carries it into Gehinnom, and shows it the sinners, whom the wicked angels beat with fiery staffs. They cry “How terrible, how terrible!” but they are shown no mercy. The angel then says to the soul, “Do you know, my child, who these burning people are?” “No,” it replies. The angel answers, “These were of the same lowly origin as you. They went out into the world and did not observe the commandments and judgments of God. Therefore they have come to this place of punishment. Know also, child, that you too must eventually leave this world.”

7 The angel walks about with it from morning until evening, and shows it every place it is destined to walk, and the place where it will be buried. After this he shows it the world of the good and the world of the wicked, and in the evening he places it back again in its mother’s womb. God then encloses it within folded doors, as it is said, “And He shut the sea in with doors until it burst out from the womb and became free.” It is also said, “I will put My words in your mouth, and I will protect you in the shadow of My hand.” God then said, “You will go this far, and no further,” and He sustains the child in its mother’s womb for nine months.

8 At the end of that time the same angel comes and says to it, “Come out, for the time has come for you to go out into the world.” It replies, “Have I not already told God that I am satisfied to remain in the place where I used to live? And He replied, ‘The place I will cause you to enter is better than the world you have come from.’ Now that it pleases me to remain here, why do you want to take me away from here?” The angel replies, “You must know that you were formed in your mother’s womb against your will, and now know that against your will you will be born and come out into the world.” He then immediately strikes it, extinguishes the light, and brings it out against its will. It then forgets whatever it had seen. As soon as it comes out into the world, it cries.

9 And why does it cry? Because of the world it has left behind. For at that moment seven new worlds are awaiting it. In the first world it is like a king whose well-being everyone asks about. Everyone wants to see it and embrace it, and kiss it, because it is in the first year. In the second world it is like a pig that wallows in mud. A child does the same until it is two years old. In the third world it is like a young goat that skips and plays in the meadows. In the same way, a child skips about here and there until it is five years of age. In the fourth world it is like a horse which struts proudly. In the same way, a child walks along, proud of his youth, until he is eighteen years old. In the fifth world he is like a donkey on whose shoulders burdens are placed. In the same way, burdens are piled on a man’s shoulders. He is given a wife with whom he has children. He must travel back and forth to get food for them until he is about forty years old. In the sixth stage he is like a dog, disrespectful and wandering about in all places for food: stealing and robbing in one place and enjoying it in another. In the seventh stage he is like an ape, whose appearance is changed in every respect. Everyone in the household curses him and wants him to die. Even the young children make fun of him, and even the smallest bird wakes him from his sleep.

10 Finally, the time arrives for him to leave this world. When that time arrives the same angel comes beside him and says to him, “What is your name?” He replies, “So-and-so. And why have you come to me today?” “To take you away from this world.” When he hears this he weeps, and his voice reaches from one end of the world to the other, but no creature hears his voice except the rooster. “Have I not already told you,” he says, “not to bring me out of the world in which I have lived?” But the angel replies, “Have I not already told you that against your will you were created, against your will you were born, against your will you live, and against your will you will die, also against your will you must give an account and be judged before Him who spoke the world into being?”

11 These are the four divine armies which God showed to Elijah the prophet, as it is said, “And He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before God.’” God then said to Elijah, “These are the four worlds that a person must go through. The great and strong wind is this world. After the wind comes the earthquake, that is, after this world comes death, which makes the whole human body shake. After the earthquake comes the fire, that is, after death comes the judgment of Gehinnom, which is fire, and after the judgment of Gehinnom comes a voice, as it is said, ‘A quiet, soft voice,’ which is the voice of the last judgment. After this follows the judgment of the spirits that move about in the air, and no one is left except God, as it is said, ‘God alone will be honored on that day.’” All this is included in the words of holy tradition spoken by David, king of Israel, who said, “I was made in secret, I was formed in the deepest parts of the earth.”

1 The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Happy is the person whose wisdom is combined with fear. One may be doing more, another less, provided that his heart is turned to heaven.

2 How terrible for anyone whom this world leads astray; how terrible for anyone who does not walk in the ways of God; how terrible for anyone who listens to his evil inclination, or who does not listen to his Creator; how terrible for anyone whose advocate becomes his accuser; how terrible for anyone who does not devote his heart to his Father in heaven; how terrible for anyone whose wheel of life has turned; how terrible for the person who has been righteous and has turned wicked; how terrible for anyone who loses his life’s work in a rash moment, or causes the dishonoring of God’s name.

3 Certain punishments follow immediately after a sin is committed, others come after a time. There are punishments which come one after the other, others simultaneously. Some punishments come on a person while he is asleep, others while he is awake. Some come on him heavily, others lightly. Some affect part of the body, others the whole body. Some, again, come on someone in his youth, while others come in his old age. Some which he anticipates, others which he does not anticipate. Some are open and some are hidden, others, again, are revealed to the whole world. And all the trouble, misery, and shame come on a person because of sin and transgression.

4 Some accept their punishments with love. Some worship God because they fear losing their food or their livelihood, or through the illness of their children, or through the punishment of Gehinnom. Some worship Him with sincerity, in purity, in joy, and some in the hope that they may make others worthy of reward. Some, again, worship Him to guard themselves against punishments, as it is said, “When they are in trouble, they seek Me early.” Everyone is judged while he is in fully conscious, and this applies to the living and the dead alike.

5 When a person is about to leave this world the angel appointed over him says, “Pity this body that goes out of this world without having performed any good actions.” He looks at his two legs, and says, “How terrible for those legs which have not walked in the ways of the Lord. How terrible for those thighs which have not been eager to run after God’s Commandments. How terrible for the stomach which have enjoyed stolen property. How terrible for those hands which have occupied themselves with sin. How terrible for the mouth which has eaten what belonged to others. How terrible for the eyes which have desired the property of strangers. How terrible for those ears which have not listened to correction. How terrible for that proud figure that has not bent in repentance. How terrible for the spirit that has not humbled itself before its Creator.”

6 The angel in anger tells him to stand up for judgment to relate his deeds. He says, “Know where you have come from and where you are going: to a place of dust and worms. Who is the Judge, and before whom are you to give an account and be judged? If you are able to answer, then answer, for no one else can answer for you. There is no remedy except good deeds, as it is written, ‘Your righteousness will go before you.’”

7 What enjoyment can it be for a person to look at sin, since it is like fire to dry stalks, and like a sword to the neck, as an arrow to the liver, as chains to the feet, as darkness to the eyes, as bitter bile to the mouth, and as punishment to the body? Whoever persuades another to turn from the good path is cut off in the middle of his life, and whoever flatters a sinner, his life will be shortened in this world. Whoever scoffs at the Commandments will have no mercy shown to him from heaven.

8 Whoever humiliates another in public will cause the book in which people’s sins are recorded to be opened. Whoever scoffs at the poverty of the poor, he will be brought low, he will go hungry while others eat before him. Whoever commits fraudulent transactions will have no rest on the eve of the Sabbath; all the joys which gladden his heart will be turned into mourning. He will face terrible judgment on the day of reckoning and with much shame by relentless angels in the world to come. Therefore it is said, “And what will you do on the day of punishment?”

9 If he sins with his eyes, those eyes will become dim; if he sins with his mouth, his words will not be heard; if he sins by giving false advice, his own prosperity will vanish; if he sins in his thoughts, his days will be constant distress; if he sins with his tongue, punishment will overtake him; if he sins with his hand will lose his honor; if he sins with his legs, the years of his life will be shortened; whoever sins in his heart will die of grief; whoever sins with his inclination, this very inclination will become his accuser; if he sins and causes others to sin will bury his wife and his children during his lifetime; if he sins deliberately, the decree of divine judgment will be sealed against him; if he sins unknowingly is not in a good moral condition.

10 What does a person gain by sinning? His final end is to leave this world for another, to go from light to darkness, from life to death, from sweet sleep to a sleep that is troubled; he becomes food for the worms; he passes from sweet delicacies to the taste of dust; from beautiful clothes to the shroud in the grave. But this is not all: he also loses his soul. Many rich men have lost their souls through their wealth, such as Dathan and Abiram; and the wisdom of many wise men has brought them to grief, as, for instance, Ahitophel, Doeg the Edomite, and Balaam, the wicked one. Likewise many powerful men have fallen because of their power, as Samson, Abner, Asahel, and Joab. Many also have raised sons, but have had no joy from them, as Aaron, the High Priest, who had no joy from Nadab and Abihu. All this applies equally to the righteous as well as the wicked; death overtakes them all. There were also many beautiful people, whose beauty was the cause of their downfall, such as Absalom and Adonijah son of Haggith. There have been many elders of the community who have died without honor, such as the great Sanhedrin in the time of Zedekiah, who were killed by Nebuchadnezzar. And again, how many young people have been snatched away from their bridal canopy!

11 So what can a person possibly gain by robbing and stealing? Although he may gain some comfort for a time, he must still give an account and be judged before God. What benefit can man’s joy be to him when it brings sorrow and grief on him? What benefit is it for a man to inspire fear, since punishment will overtake him? What does his proud strut gain him if it brings pain on him? What does his evil scheming gain him when it brings many kinds of death? What does his deception gain him, which dashes his prosperity to the ground? Because of this the righteous and the pious have no desire whatever for this world that passes away. But how do we know that this world passes away? Because it is said, “For a wind has passed over it, and it is no more.”

12 On the other hand, a person inherits the future world by staying away from conflict, from evil talk, from causeless hatred, from inciting quarrels, being truly modest, being devoted to prayer, and confessing his sins before God. This is the person God loves. Therefore the righteous have resolved to seek no honors, and to refrain from pleasure. They have therefore restrained their eyes, their mouths, their hands, and their feet, to prevent them from doing evil. The eye which does not sin is worthy to see the face of the divine glory, as it is said, “Your eyes will see the King in his beauty.” The heart that does not sin will be worthy to see the divine glory with abundant joy. The hand that does not sin will be worthy of receiving every reward, as it is said, “The Lord God will come with strength, and give him power in his arm.” The mouth that does not sin will be worthy of singing praises before God, as it is written, “And you will say, ‘On that day I will praise You, God’.”

1 Rabbi Abbahu told the parable of three different men. One cultivates the ground, another works in silver and gold, and the third studies the law. When the time approaches for him who cultivates the ground to die, he says to his household, “Give me some of my work, so that I do not go to the next world empty-handed.” To which they reply, “You are foolish. Haven’t you worked the field? And Scripture has already said, ‘The earth and everything in it belong to God,’ therefore you have nothing of your own to bring.”

2 When the end of him who works in silver and gold arrives, he says to his household, “Give me some of my labor work, so that I do not go to the next world empty-handed.” But they reply, “You are foolish. You have worked in this world in silver and gold. Scripture has already said, ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the Lord,’ therefore you have nothing of your own to bring.”

3 When the time arrives for him who studies the law Torah to leave this world, he says to his household, “Give me some of my labor, so that I do not go to the next world empty-handed.” To him they say, “You devout and righteous man, how can we give you the fruits of your labor? Haven’t you constantly devoted yourself to the law? But God will give you the reward for your work and receive you graciously. The ministering angels will go out to meet you and exclaim, ‘Come in peace,’ and about you Scripture says, ‘Then your light will break out like the morning.’”

4 Rabbi Yose says, “If you want to know the reward of the righteous in the world to come, come here and learn it from what happened to Adam. He was commanded to keep an easy commandment, and because he disobeyed it, God punished him and all subsequent generations with many kinds of death. Therefore the sages have said that, on the contrary, whoever studies and observes the law and performs good deeds will be delivered from the punishment of Gehinnom and the sorrows of the grave.” Rabbi Abbahu mentions one of the proverbial sayings of Rabbi Isaac that the end of a person is death, the end of animals is slaughter, and all are destined to die.

5 Rabbi Yose says, “Come here and see the difference between humans and animals. Animals are killed and skinned and face no judgment. But how many punishments and troubles does a person bear in this world? And after his death, if he is a righteous man, his judgment is delayed. But if he is wicked, he is brought before the court every year between Passover and Shavuot, as it is said, ‘And they will go out and look at the bodies of the men, and it will be at every new moon.’

6 “After a person’s death he is seen by all the other dead, and he appears to each just as they last saw him alive: some see him as a youth, others as an old man, just as each saw him before his own death, so that they should not think that any person lives forever, and say, ‘When we were among the living we saw this or that man, and now how many hundreds of years have passed since we have seen them alive?’

7 “Therefore, when one dies the angel who guards the dead makes his soul take various forms, so that everyone will recognize him by seeing him just as they saw him in life. Then, if someone is later condemned to Gehinnom, he is surrounded by smoke and sulfur, so that one person will not see the other’s punishment, and no one will be shamed in front of another, except those who have publicly put others to shame.”

8 Every person is brought to judgment after death. Even if he belongs among the righteous, his sins are still punished after a time. So Samuel said to Saul, “Tomorrow you will be in my division.” Was not Samuel in Ramah, and Saul in another place? The explanation is that he, Samuel, referred to the soul when he said, “You will be with me in my division.” And we see that after a long time the house of Saul was judged because of Saul and because of the house of blood. So the house of Saul was punished. Although he was called “the chosen of the Lord,” yet his descendants was judged.

1 Rabbi Isaac ben Parnach has said that all a person’s sins are engraved on his bones, as it is said, “Their sins will be on their bones,” and all his merits will be engraved on his right hand, as it is said, “The Lord is your guard and your protection on your right hand.”

2 Rabbi Joshua ben Levi says that testimony about a person’s merits and sins is not given until the day of his death. Even frivolous conversation, which is not counted as a sin, is mentioned only at the time of his death, as it is said, “For He who has formed the mountains and created the wind will tell a person what his conversation has been.”

3 So at his death three ministering angels come to him, one the angel of death, one a scribe, and a third who is appointed to accompany them. They say to him, “Get up, for your end has come.” To which he replies, “I will not get up, for my end has not yet arrived.”

4 Then the scribe begins to count his days and years. At that moment the man opens his eyes and sees the angel of death, who stretches from one end of the world to the other. He trembles violently and falls on his face.

5 From the sole of the angel’s foot to the crown of his head he is full of eyes. His clothing is fire, his covering is fire, he is surrounded by fire, he is all fire. In his hand he carries a fiery blade, from which hangs a bitter drop. This drop causes first death, then decomposition and a bluish discoloration, but a person does not die until he has seen God, as it is said, “For no one will see Me and live.” But when he dies he will see Him, as it is said, “Before Him all those who go down to the dust will bow when he ceases to live.”

6 Then the man confesses everything he has done in the world. His mouth bears witness, and the Lord writes it down. “I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that righteousness will come from My mouth.”

7 If he is a completely righteous man his soul is handed over to its owner. But if he is a completely wicked man, he refuses to bend his neck and allows his evil inclination to overpower him. So the sages have said that a wicked man’s evil inclination overpowers him even at his death.

8 Rabbi Eliezer has said that just as he refuses to bend his neck in this world he will also be at the Day of Judgment, as it is said, “The wicked will see and be angry.”

9 At the death of the righteous man three companies of ministering angels come to him. The first company says, “A righteous man has died and left the earth.” The second company says, “Let him come in peace and rest on their couches.” The third company says, “He walks the straight path.”

10 But at the death of the wicked five angels of destruction come to him and say, “The wicked will return to Sheol.”

1 Rabbi Eliezer’s pupils asked him, “What judgment is there in the grave?” He replied, “When a man leaves this world, the angel of death comes to him and sits by his grave, and beating it with his hands, says, ‘Tell me your name.’ ‘Flesh and blood is my name. It is revealed and known to Him who spoke the world into being. But I do not know what my name is.’ Then immediately the soul reenters his body. He stands up and is brought to judgment.”

2 Rabbi Joshua ben Levi says, “They bring an iron chain, half of it burning like fire, half as cold as ice, and they beat him with it. At the first blow his limbs are separated. At the second, his bones are scattered. Then the ministering angels gather them together, and restoring his body, beat him a third time, and demand that he give an account and be judged, and judge him measure for measure.

3 “On the second day they judge him in the same way.

4 “On the third day they judge him further, and they punish his two eyes, his two hands, his two feet and his two ears, his mouth and his tongue. Why are his eyes punished? Because he looked with them at sinful acts. Why his ears? Because he heard sinful words with them. Why his lips? Because he spoke foolish words with them. And why his tongue? Because he has testified falsely with it. Why his two hands? He committed violence and robbery with them. Why his two legs? Because he hurried with them to sin.” Rabbi Judah says, “Whoever has slept with a married woman will hang in disgrace in Gehinnom; and whoever slanders his neighbor will be suspended by his tongue.”

5 Rabbi Meir, in the name of Rabbi Joshua, says, “The judgment in the grave is more severe than the judgment in Gehinnom, for in Gehinnom only those thirteen years old and older are judged. But in the grave, stillborn children and perfectly righteous men, and even nursing infants, are brought to judgment.” So the sages have said, “He who lives in the land of Israel and dies on Sabbath eve at the time of the blowing of the Shofar, as long as the sun shines he will not see the judgment in the grave; while anyone who loves righteousness and correction, charitable deeds and hospitality to strangers, although not living in the land of Israel, will see neither the judgment of the grave nor the judgment in Gehinnom, as it is said, ‘From the middle of trouble I called to God, and He answered me.’ ‘From my trouble’ refers to the beating in the grave. ‘From the depth of Sheol I cried.’ This refers to the punishment in Gehinnom.”

6 Ben Azzai says, “There are three kinds of punishments, one more severe than the other. They are all inflicted in the presence of God.” “But,” asks Rabbi Akiva, “are they all in God’s presence?” “Indeed the angels inflict the punishment in the grave and also that in Gehinnom, but only the punishment of heaven alone is inflicted in the presence of God!” Three days are given over to the punishment in the grave, three days to that in Gehinnom, and three days to the punishment in heaven. If there is no charge against a man, he is not brought up for judgment. But if there are charges against him, the judgment may last a long time.

7 The punishment of Israelites who sin is twelve months in Gehinnom, as it is said, “And it will happen at the renewal of the new moon and at the renewal of the Sabbath.” Just as the weeks form a cycle, so the months form an annual cycle, and then all people will bow down before God. Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri says, “The time extends from Passover until Shavuot, as it is said, ‘And from one festival to the other,’ during which the sabbaths are counted.” Some sinners are judged in Gehinnom from Passover until Shavuot, after which time they are acquitted; others, again, such as the completely wicked of Israel, have no rest for the whole twelve months; 8 while others who have violated the whole of the law and the commandments and have sinned against the law of God, going the idolatrous way of the nations, will have their bodies and souls burned. Gehinnom vomits them out, and the north wind scatters them, so that they become ashes under the soles of the feet of the righteous, as it is said, “And because of the deeds of the wicked, they will become ashes beneath your feet on the day when I execute judgment.”

9 Further, those who leave the community, the apostates, traitors, renegades, scoffers, those who despise the festivals, deny the resurrection of the dead and the divinity of the law, are swallowed up by Gehinnom; the doors are locked on them, and there they are left to suffer eternal punishment, as it is said, “And they go out and look at the bodies of those that have sinned against Me, for their worm will not die, nor will their fire be put out.”

1 Who can stand before its might, who can withstand the fury of its anger? Rabbi Abbahu began his teaching with the verse: “Aluqah has two daughters called Hab, Hab.” Rabbi Eliezer says that these are the two bands of angels that stand at the gates of Gehinnom and say, “Come! come!” Why is it called Gehinnom Valley of Wailing? Because the voice of its wailing crosses the world from one end to the other. And why is it called “Topheth” Enticer? Because all enter it, enticed by their evil inclination.

2 Rabbi Yoḥanan began his teaching with the verse, “Passing through the valley of weeping, they make it a valley of springs.” This means that the sinner confesses, just as the leper confesses; and he says: “I have committed such and such a sin in that place, on that day, in the presence of So-and-so, in that company.”

3 Hell has three gates: one at the sea, the other in the wilderness, and the third in the inhabited part of the world. The gate at the sea is referred to in Jonah: “I cried out from the belly of Sheol, and You heard my voice.” The gate in the wilderness is referred to in Numbers: “So they and everything that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol.” And the gate in the inhabited part of the world is referred to in Isaiah: “Says the Lord, whose fire is in Zion and His furnace in Jerusalem.”

4 Five different kinds of fire are in hell: one devours and absorbs, another absorbs and does not devour, while another, again, neither devours nor absorbs. There is also fire that devours fire.

5 There are coals big as mountains, and coals big as hills, and coals huge like the Dead Sea, and coals like huge stones. There are rivers of pitch and sulfur flowing and fuming and seething.

6 The punishment of the sinner is like this: the angels of destruction throw him into the flame of hell. It opens its mouth wide and swallows him, as it is said, “Therefore Sheol has increased her appetite and opened her mouth without measure, and their glory and their multitude and their pomp, and the one who celebrates among them, descends into it.” This all happens to him who has not done one single pious act which would tip the balance toward mercy; 7 while the man who has many virtues and good actions and learning, and who has suffered much, is saved from hell, as it is said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff will comfort me.” “Your rod” means the suffering, and “Your staff” signifies the law.

8 Rabbi Yoḥanan began: “The eyes of the wicked will fail, and refuge has vanished from them, and their hope will be to breathe their last.” That means, a body which is never destroyed, and whose soul enters a fire which is never extinguished. The verse also speaks of these, “For their worm will not die, nor will their fire be put out.”

1 Rabbi Joshua, son of Levi, said, “Once I was walking on my way, when I met the prophet Elijah. He said to me, ‘Would you like to be brought to the gate of hell?’ I answered, ‘Yes!’ So he showed me men hanging by their hair; and he said to me, ‘These were the men that let their hair grow to adorn themselves for sin.’ Others were hanging by their eyes; these were those who followed their eyes to sin, and did not set God before them. Others were hanging by their noses; these were those who perfumed themselves to sin. Others were hanging by their tongues; these were those who had slandered. Others were hanging by their hands; these were those who had stolen and robbed. Others were hanging in disgrace; these were those who had committed adultery. Others were hanging by their feet; these were those who had run to sin. He showed me women hanging by their breasts; these were those who uncovered their breasts before men, to make them sin.

2 “He also showed me men that were fed on fiery coals; these were those who had blasphemed. Others were forced to eat bitter gall; these were those who ate on fast days.

3 “He also showed me men eating fine sand; they are forced to eat it, and their teeth are broken; and the Almighty says to them, ‘You sinners! When you used to eat what you stole and robbed it was sweet in your mouth; now you are not able to eat even this,’ as it is said, ‘You have broken the teeth of the wicked.’

4 “He also showed me men who are thrown from fire to snow, and from snow to fire; these were those who abused the poor who came to them for assistance; therefore they are punished this way, as it is said, ‘You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water.’ He showed me others who were driven from mountain to mountain, as a shepherd leads the flock from one mountain to another. The verse speaks of these: ‘They are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd, and the upright will have dominion over them in the morning, and their form will be for Sheol to consume, so that it has no dwelling.’”

5 Rabbi Yoḥanan said, For every sin there is an angel appointed to make atonement for it; one comes first and makes atonement for it, then follows another, and so on until atonement has been made for all the sins. As with a debtor who has many creditors, and who come before the king to claim their debts, and the king delivers him to them, and says, “Take him and divide him between yourselves,” so the soul is also handed over in hell to cruel angels, and they divide it among themselves.

6 Three descend to hell forever, and never come back up: the man who commits adultery, who blames his neighbor in public, and who is guilty of perjury. Others say, Those who seek honor for themselves by slandering their neighbors, and those who plot between husband and wife to cause conflict between them.

7 On the eve of the Sabbath the sinners are led to two mountains of snow, where they are left until the end of the Sabbath, when they are taken back from there and brought again to their former places. An angel comes and pushes them back to their former place in hell. Some of them take, however, snow and hide it in their armpits to cool them during the six days of the week, but the Almighty says to them, “Woe to you who steal even in hell,” as it is said, “Drought and heat consume the snow waters, in Sheol they sin.” That means, “They sin even in Sheol.”

8 Every twelve months the sinners are burned to ashes, and the wind disperses them and carries those ashes under the feet of the righteous, as it is said, “And you will trample down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet.” Afterward, the soul is returned to them, and they come out black as the blackness of a pot, and they acknowledge the righteousice of their punishment, and say, “You have rightly sentenced us and rightly judged us. With You is righteousness and with us shame, as it is with us today.”

1 There are five kinds of punishment in hell, and Isaiah, the son of Amos, saw them all. He entered the first compartment and saw there two men carrying pails full of water on their shoulders, and they pour that water into a pit, which, however, never fills. Isaiah said to God, “You who unveil all that is hidden, unveil to me the secret of this.” And the Spirit of the Lord answered, “These are the men who coveted the property of their neighbors, and this is their punishment.”

2 He entered the second compartment, and he saw two men hanging by their tongues; and he said, “You who unveil the hidden, reveal to me the secret of this.” He answered, “These are the men who slandered, therefore they are punished this way.”

3 He entered the third compartment, and he saw there men hanging by their organs. He said, “You who unveil the hidden, reveal to me the secret of this.” And He answered, “These are the men who neglected their own wives, and committed adultery with the daughters of Israel.”

4 He entered the fourth compartment and saw there women hanging by their breasts, and he said, “You who unveil the hidden, reveal to me the secret of this.” And He answered, “These are the women who uncovered their hair and tore their veil, and sat in the open marketplace to nurse their children, in order to attract the gaze of men and to make them sin; therefore they are punished this way.”

5 He entered the fifth compartment, and found it full of smoke. There were all the princes, chiefs, and great men, and Pharaoh, the wicked, presides over them and watches at the gate of hell, and he says to them, “Why did you not learn from me when I was in Egypt?” So he sits there and watches at the gates of hell.

6 There are seven compartments in hell, and in each of them are 7,000 rooms, in each room 7,000 windows, in each window recess there are 7,000 vessels filled with venom, all destined for slanderous writers and unjust judges. Solomon refers to this when he says, “And you mourn at the end of your life when your flesh and your body are consumed.”

7 The other nations, however, and the idolaters are punished in the seven compartments of hell, in each compartment for twelve months. And the river “Dinur” flows from beneath the throne of glory and falls over the heads of the sinners, and the sound travels from one end of the world to the other.

8 All these punishments are prepared for the apostates, for those who deny the resurrection of the dead, for the renegades, slanderers, and traitors. Of these King Solomon said, “Their end will be as bitter as wormwood.” None of these are saved unless they repent, acquire learning, and perform pious deeds. But at the end the Almighty will have pity on all His creatures, as it is said, “For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry, for the spirit will pass before Me and the souls which I have made.”

1 There are also in every compartment 7,000 holes crevices, and in every hole there are 7,000 scorpions. Every scorpion has 300 slits cavities; in every slit are 7,000 pouches of venom, and from each of these flow six rivers of deadly poison. When a man touches it, he immediately bursts, every limb is torn from him, his body is split apart, and he falls dead on his face. The angels of destruction collect his limbs, put them in order, and revive the man and place him on his feet, and take their revenge on him again. This takes place in the uppermost compartment, which is called Sheol. Its height is 300 years’ journey, the width 300 years’ journey, and its length the same.

2 The second compartment is Beer Shaḥat, of the same height, width, and length. The third is Ṭiṭ-Hayaven, of equal size. The fourth is Shaʿare Mavet, of the same size. The fifth, Abadon, of the same size. The sixth, Shaʿare Ṣalmavet, of the same size. The seventh, Gehinnom, of the same size. Thus the length of hell is altogether 6,300 years’ journey. We also read that the fire of Gehinnom is one-sixtieth of the fire of Shaʿare Ṣalmavet, and so of every consecutive compartment up to the fire of Sheol. Sheol consists half of fire and half of hail ice, and when the sinners in it emerge from the fire they are tortured by the hail ice, and when they emerge from the hail ice the fire burns them, and the angels who preside over them keep their souls within their bodies. As it is said, “For their worm will not die, nor will their fire be put out.”

3 Every day the angel of death comes and drives them on like cattle from mountain to valley and from valley to mountain, as it is said, “They are sent down to Sheol like sheep; death acts like a shepherd to them.” The angels of destruction punish the sinners for twelve months in Gehinnom. After twelve months they revive their bodies and lower them to Shaʿare Mavet, where they are again punished for twelve months. From there they are lowered into Shaʿare Ṣalmavet, and after twelve months’ punishment they are lowered into Ṭiṭ-Hayaven, and again after twelve months’ punishment they are lowered into Beer Shaḥat. From there, after the same lapse of time, to Abadon, and finally, after twelve months’ punishment, they are lowered from there into Sheol, where they are seen by the righteous, who say, “O Lord, who are merciful to all Your creatures, let it be enough for them!” But God answers, “It is not yet enough, for they have destroyed My temple, and have sold My children as slaves among the nations.” From there they are lowered to Arqa, and placed beneath the river of fire that flows from beneath the heavenly throne, and he who is lowered into Arqa never comes back up.

4 Above Arqa is Tehom, and above Tehom is Tohu. Above this is Bohu, and above Bohu is the sea, and above the bottom of the sea are the waters. Above the waters is the inhabited world, on the surface of which rise the mountains and valleys. This earth is inhabited by man and beasts, by the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. In it there is law, charity, and piety, and the fear of the Lord.

5 At the time of judgment 6,000 angels of trembling surround man and lead him to the place of judgment, where they weigh his merit and his guilt in the balance. Then if his guilt turns the scale they lead him to Gehinnom and hand him over to the angels of terror, and these again to the angels of anguish, and these to the angels of trembling; the angels of trembling then to the angels of destruction, who hand him over to the angel of death. He throws him into the depth of Gehinnom, as it is said, “And the angel of the Lord pushes him.”

6 If, however, his merits turn the scale, they lead him to the gates of Paradise and hand him over to the ministering angels, who hand him over to the angels of peace, and these to the angels of mercy, who give him great honor in the Garden of Eden.

1 Rabbi Joshua, son of Levi, says, “Paradise has two gates of carbuncle, and 600,000 of ministering angels keep watch over them. Each of these angels shines with the luster of the heavens. When the righteous man approaches them they remove the clothes in which he had been buried from him, and clothe him with eight cloths, woven out of clouds of glory, and place on his head two crowns, one of precious stones and pearls, and the other of gold, and they place eight myrtles in his hand and praise him, and say to him, ‘Go and eat your bread with joy.’ And they lead him to a place full of rivers waters surrounded by 800 species of roses and myrtles. Each one has a canopy according to his merits, as it is said, ‘For over all the glory will be spread a canopy.’

2 “And through it flow four rivers, one of oil, the other of balsam, the third of wine, and the fourth of honey. Every canopy is overgrown by a vine of gold, and thirty pearls hang down from it, each of them shining like the morning star.

3 “In every canopy there is a table of precious stones and pearls, and sixty angels stand at the head of every righteous man, saying to him, ‘Go and eat with joy of the honey, for you have worked diligently in the law,’ of which it is said, ‘And it is sweeter than honey,’ ‘and drink of the wine preserved from the six days of Creation, for you have worked in the law which is compared with the wine,’ as it is said, ‘I would cause you to drink of spiced wine.’ The least beautiful of them is as beautiful as Joseph and Johanan, and as the grains of the pomegranate lit up by the rays of the sun. There is no night, as it is said, ‘And the light of the righteous is as the shining light.’

4 “And they undergo four transformations according to the four watches of the day. In the first watch the righteous man is changed into a child, and he enters the compartment of children and tastes the joys of childhood. In the second watch he is changed into a youth, and there he enjoys the delights of youth. In the third watch he becomes a middle-aged man and rejoices accordingly. In the fourth watch he is changed into an old man: he enters the compartment of the old and enjoys the pleasures of mature age.

5 “In Paradise there are 800,000 of trees in every corner; the least of them more choice than a garden of spices. In every corner there are 600,000 of angels singing with sweet voices, and the tree of life stands in the middle and overshadows the whole of Paradise; and it has 500 tastes, each different from the others, and its perfumes vary in the same way.

6 “Over it hang seven clouds of glory, and the winds blow from all the four corners and waft its many odors from one end of the world to the other. Underneath sit the scholars and explain the law. These have each two canopies, one of stars and the other of sun and moon, and clouds of glory separate one from the other. Within this is the Eden containing 310 worlds, as it is said, ‘That I may cause those who love Me to inherit Substance’Proverbs 8:21 The numerical value of the Hebrew word יֵשׁ, Substance, is equivalent to 310.

7 “Here are the seven compartments of the righteous. In the first are the martyrs, as, for instance, Rabbi Akiva and his companions. In the second, those who were drowned. In the third, Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai and his disciples. The fourth group consists of those who were covered by the cloud of glory. The fifth group is that of the penitents, for the place occupied by a penitent not even a perfectly righteous man can occupy. The sixth group is that of children who have not yet tasted sin in their lives. The seventh group is that of the poor, who, despite their poverty, studied the law and the Talmud, and had lived a moral life. The verse speaks of these, ‘For all who put their trust in You rejoice, and they shout forever for joy.’

8 “And God Almighty sits in their midst, and expounds to them the law, as it is said, ‘My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me.’ And God has not yet fully unveiled the glory which awaits the pious in the world to come, as it is said, ‘The eye has not seen, O God, besides You, what You do for the one who waits for Him.’”

1 The sages tell that the dead have a large dwelling, in front of which there flows a brook from the Garden of Eden, and by the side of this brook is a field. On every Sabbath eve between the afternoon and evening services the souls of the dead leave their hidden dwelling and eat in this field and drink from this brook, 2 and every Israelite who drinks water between the afternoon and evening services of the Sabbath robs the dead. When the congregation on Sabbath eve exclaim, “Bless the Lord, who is blessed,” they return to their graves, and God revives them, and causes them to stand on their feet alive; 3 and all the dead of Israel rest on the Sabbath, and all stand up alive from their graves, and great multitudes come before God and sing praises to Him on their graves, and going to the synagogues, prostrate themselves before Him, as it is said, “The pious exult in honor, and they sing on their resting places.”

4 Every Sabbath and every new moon they rise from their graves, and coming before the Divine Presence, prostrate themselves before Him, as it is said, “And the people of the earth will worship Me, on Sabbaths and on the new moons.” What is meant by the people of the earth? Those who are hidden in the earth, as it is written, “And it will happen that on each new moon and on each Sabbath all flesh will come to worship Me.”

1 There are nine palaces in the Garden of Eden, and all of them consist of well-built houses with upper chambers, and the length of the houses is 600,000 of miles. Each one of them is presided over by 600,000 of ministering angels, and in each of these houses there are well-arranged canopies made of species of rose and myrtle trees. Every pious man has his place allotted to him according to his deeds, and to their appointed places the ministering angels lead them. There the angels of mercy dance and sing praises before him, as it is mentioned above.

2 In the middle of the Garden of Eden there are 600,000 of species of trees, the fruit of which the pupils of the sages eat. There the light of the righteous is as the light of the sun, and 600,000 of ministering angels attend them and feed them, while 600,000 of angels of mercy sing and dance before them, and they bring spiced wine and the juice of the pomegranates, which they drink with delight.

3 Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said, “I saw in the Garden of Eden ten companies and well-built houses, each one of which was 120,000 of miles in length, 1,100,000 of miles in width, and 1,000,000 of miles in height.

4 “The first house was opposite the first entrance of the Garden of Eden, where those converts who had converted to the Jewish religion out of love lived. Its beams were of white glass, and its walls of cedar wood. When I went to measure it, all the converts stood up and tried to prevent me, when Obadiah immediately rose and said to them, ‘Happy you would be if you were considered worthy to dwell with such a righteous man.’ They then allowed me to measure it.

5 “The second house, corresponding with the second gate, is built of silver and its walls of cedar; the penitent live there, presided over by Manasseh.

6 “The third house is built of gold and silver, where there are all the good things of heaven and earth, and where every kind of food and drink is arranged. In this house Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dwell, as well as those who died in the wilderness—the generation of the wilderness, all the sons of Jacob, and the twelve tribes, with Moses and Aaron presiding over all of them. There also are David and Solomon and Caleb, who is alive, and every generation except those of Absalom and Korah.

7 “I saw there precious stones, beds of gold and of precious stones, and couches and prepared lights. David exclaimed, ‘These are prepared for my children, who dwell in the world from which I have come.’ I then said to him, ‘Are not all the Israelites here?’ At this our ancestor Jacob interjected and said, ‘All Israel are my children, and they are not like the other nations of the world, nor are they like the children of Abraham, my grandfather, nor like the children of Esau, my brother; for whichever of these performs good deeds in the world from which you come is rewarded there, and afterward descends to Gehinnom; but my children, even the wicked among them, though they are punished, it is only during their lifetime, but after death they inherit the Garden of Eden.’

8 “The fourth house is built corresponding to the first man Adam: its walls are of olive wood, and those who dwell there are those who, though they have been punished in this world, have not rebelled against Providence. Why is this house built of olive wood? Because their life had been bitter to them as olive wood.

9 “The fifth house is built of onyx stones and of precious stones. Its walls are of gold, and of fine gold, and it is perfumed with balsam. From there the river Gihon flows and lights up the upper world; a fragrance breathes through it, which is more exquisite than the perfume of Lebanon. There are couches of gold and silver, covered with blue, purple, and vermilion covers woven together. In this place dwells the Messiah, the son of David and Elijah the Tishbite, and there is a palanquin of the wood of Lebanon, which Moses made in the wilderness that is, the Tabernacle, covered, overlaid, with silver. Its floor is of gold and its seat of purple, and in the middle of this palanquin sits the Messiah, the son of David, the beloved one of the daughters of Jerusalem. Elijah takes him by his head, and placing him against his chest, holds him and says, ‘Bear the judgment, O my master, for the end is near.’

10 “And every Monday and Thursday and every Sabbath and holy day the patriarchs and the pious and the tribes, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, and all the kings of the house of David, come to him, and, weeping, take hold of him and say, ‘Oh, bear the judgment of your Master, for the end is near.’ Korah and his company and Absalom come also to him every Thursday, and ask, ‘When is the end to come? When will you return and bring us to life?’ To which he replies, ‘Go to your ancestors and ask them.’ They are then ashamed, and do not go to ask them. When I came before the Messiah, the son of David, he asked and said, ‘What are my children doing in the captivity?’ And I answered, ‘Every day they await you in their captivity among the nations of the world, which oppress them.’ He then lifted up his voice and wept.”

1 “After this I implored him and said, ‘Show me Gehinnom, which I want to see.’ But he would not allow me. And I said to him, ‘Why will you not let me see it?’ To which the Messiah answered and said, ‘It is not appropriate for the righteous to see it, for there are no righteous people in hell.’

2 “I then immediately sent to the angel Qipōd that he might measure hell from beginning to end; but he was not able to do so, because at that time Rabbi Ishmael, Rabbi Shimon, son of Gamliel, and ten other pious men were put to death. I tried, but could not succeed.

3 “After this, I went to the angel Qipōd, who went with me until I came before the fire at the gates of hell. The Messiah also went with me, and when the wicked in hell saw the light of the Messiah, they rejoiced and said, ‘This one will bring us out of this fire.’ They showed me then a compartment in hell, which I entered, and, going around it, I measured it.”

4 Rabbi Joshua said, “When I measured the first compartment of hell, I found it to be one mile in length and width, and there were many open pits in which were lions, and the lions were of fire. There were also two brooks, and when the wicked people fall into them, they are swallowed up, and lions of fire standing above throw them into the fire.

5 “When I measured the second, I found it as the first, and I asked the same questions as I asked about the first, and they made the same reply. There were in it some of the nations of the world, presided over by Absalom, and one nation says to the other, ‘If we have sinned, it is because we did not wish to accept the law; but you, what sin have you committed?’ And they reply, ‘We have committed the same sin as you.’ And they say to Absalom, ‘If you have not listened, your ancestors did. And why have you then been punished in this way?’ ‘Because,’ he replied, ‘I did not listen to the admonitions of my father.’

6 “An angel stands with a rod of fire, and this angel that strikes them is named Qushiel. He orders the other angels to throw them down and to burn them, and one by one they are brought in, and after striking them, they are thrown onto the fire and burned until all the people have been consumed. After this, Absalom is brought in to be struck, when a voice is heard to say, ‘Do not strike him or burn him because he is one of the sons of those whom I love, who said on Mount Sinai, “We will do, and we will hear.”’ After they have finished striking and burning the wicked these emerge from the fire just as if they had not been burned; they are then struck again, and again pushed into the fire, and this is repeated seven times every day and three times every night. But Absalom is saved from all this because he is one of the sons of David.

7 “The third compartment contains seven nations of the world, who are judged in the same way, and Korah and his company are with them. The name of him who strikes them is Shabṭil שבטיל. But Korah and his company are saved from all this, because they exclaimed on Mount Sinai, ‘We will do, and we will hear.’

8 “The fourth compartment contains four nations of the world, with Jeroboam to preside over them, and the one who strikes them is named Maktiel. But Jeroboam is rescued from all these punishments, because he descended from those who exclaimed, ‘We will do, and we will listen.’

9 “In the fifth house they are judged in the same way. It contains seven nations, with Aḥab among them, and he who strikes them is named Ḥushiel. But Aḥab is rescued from all this, because his ancestors said on Mount Sinai, ‘We will do, and we will listen.’

10 “The sixth house, containing ten nations of the world, is judged in the same way, and Micah is among them, and the angel who strikes them is named Parḥiel פרחיאל. But Micah is rescued from all this, because his ancestors also exclaimed on Mount Sinai, ‘We will do, and we will hear.’

11 “The seventh compartment contains six nations of the world, which are judged in the same way, and among them is Elisha ben Abuya; and so in all the compartments. But one cannot see the other because of the darkness, for the darkness that existed before the creation of the world is now there.”

1 Before Adam gave the animals their names God brought them before the angels, and said to them, “Give names to each one.” But they could not. God then brought them before Adam, and he gave them the names by which they were ever afterward known. Then God said to the angels, “Were you not saying, ‘What is man, that You should remember him’? Now his wisdom is greater than yours!” The angels then began to envy him, saying, “Indeed, God will now love him more than He does us; if we can entice him to sin he will be destroyed from the earth.”

2 Immediately Samael, the angel of death, descended and looked at every creature, but he could find none as cunning and malicious as the serpent. The serpent then went to Eve, and began to speak of various things, until he brought up the tree. “Is it true,” he said, “that God commanded you not to eat of any tree in the garden?” “No; He only forbade us the one tree, which stands in the middle of the garden; we are not allowed to eat of its fruit, nor touch it, for on the day that we touch it we will die.”

3 The serpent laughed at her, saying, “It is only out of jealousy that God has said this, for He well knows that if you eat its fruit your eyes will be opened, and you will know how to create the world just as He. Indeed, who can believe that you would die for that? Indeed, I will go and pick some fruit.” The serpent accordingly stood on his feet and shook the tree, so that some of the fruit fell on the ground; and the tree cried, “O wicked one, do not touch me!”

4 When Eve saw the serpent touch the tree and not die, she said to herself, that the words of her husband were false. Therefore, on seeing that the fruit was beautiful, she desired it and ate it. As soon as she had eaten it her teeth were set on edge, and she saw the angel of death with drawn sword standing before her. She then said in her heart, “Woe to me that I have eaten of this death, for now I will die; and Adam, my husband, who has not eaten of it will live forever, and God will join him to another woman. It is better that we die together, for God has created us together even to death.” So when her husband came she gave him some of the fruit to taste.

5 As soon as he had eaten it his teeth were set on edge, and he saw the angel of death standing before him with drawn sword. “What is this evil food,” he said to Eve, “which you have given me to eat? Perhaps you have given me to eat of the tree of which I was forbidden to eat.” He was then deeply distressed. “Why are you so troubled?” she said, “since what has happened was destined to happen.” She then thought, “I and my husband are to die for having eaten of the fruit, while all the other creatures which have not eaten it will live on forever in joy. It is better that we either die together or live together, since our Creator formed us together.” She therefore immediately fed all the creatures of the world with the fruit—beasts, animals, and birds alike—until she came to a certain bird named Ḥōl חול or, as some say, Milḥam so called because it had pity on itself, and refused, in spite of her very strong persuasion, to eat of the fruit or to listen to her voice. Eve said, “Eat of this fruit, just as your companions have done.” But it replied, “Woe to you, afflicted one, who have brought death on yourself, on your husband, and on all the creatures of the world. I alone remained to be killed by you, but I swear that I will never eat of that fruit.”

6 According to another tradition, the bird Milḥam said to Adam and his wife, “You have sinned, and have caused many others to sin; you are not satisfied with having brought death on all the creatures of the world, but you wish me also to sin against God. Indeed, I will not listen to you.”

7 At that moment a voice was heard saying to Adam, “I commanded you not to eat of the fruit, and you have not obeyed My commands, but Milḥam the bird I did not command to keep My ordinances and My decrees, yet he has fulfilled what I commanded you; I will establish him and his descendants for all generations to be an everlasting witness for Israel.” And therefore they live forever, and exist in that city which the angel of death built, and they increase and multiply as all other creatures.

8 The sages say that these birds live forever, and that over the course of a thousand years they become smaller and smaller until they are like very young chickens, so that their feathers fall off, and their limbs are divided. Then God sends two angels, who restore them to their eggs as at first, and they feed them until they are grown up again. This is their natural change from one thousand years to another, so that they become revived like the eagle.

1 Know and understand that, when Adam was separated for 130 years from Eve, he slept alone, and the first Eve—that is, Lilith—found him, and being charmed with his beauty, went and lay by his side, and she gave birth to demons, spirits, and imps in thousands and tens of thousands, and whoever they came upon they injured and killed outright, until Methushelah appeared and begged for the mercy of God. 2 After he had fasted for three days, God gave him permission to write the ineffable name of God on ..., through which he killed 940,000 of them in a minute, 3 until Agrimus, the firstborn of Adam, came to him and pleaded with him to stop; he then handed over to him the names of the demons and imps. And so he placed their kings in iron shackles, while the remainder fled away and hid themselves in the innermost chambers and recesses of the ocean.

4 Hanoch called his son Methushelaḥ, and said to him, “All the men died מתו, and they came into the power שלח of the angel of death.” When Methuselah died מתו, his missile weapon, שלח died with him, and they buried his sword with him.

5 It is said of Methushelah that from every word spoken by the mouth of God he used to make 230 parables in praise of God, and he studied 900 sections of the Mishnah, Traditional Law. When he died, a voice of thunder was heard in the heavens, where the angels made a funeral oration, and they took him up, and the people saw 900 rows of mourners corresponding with the 900 sections of the Mishna, and the tears flowed from the eyes of the holy creatures onto the place where he died.

6 Enosh, the son of Seth, was asked, “Who was your father?” “Seth,” he replied. “Who was the father of Seth?” “Adam.” “And who was Adam’s father?” “He had neither father nor mother, but God formed him, shaped him, from the dust of the earth.” “But man has not the appearance of dust.” “After death man returns to dust, as it is said, ‘He will return to his dust’; but on the day of his creation man was made in the image of God.” “How was the woman created?” He said, “Male and female He created them.” “But how?” they, his questioners, asked. He answered, “God took water and earth and molded it together in the form of man.” They asked, “But how?”

7 Enosh then took six clods of earth, mixed them, and molded them and formed an image of dust and clay. “But,” they said, “this image does not walk, nor does it have any breath of life.” He then showed them how God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. But when He began to breathe into it, Satan entered the image so that it walked, and they went astray after it, saying, “What is the difference between the bowing down before this image and before man?” That is what is meant when it is said, “Then they began to apply the name of the Lord”; that is, they gave this name to other gods. For this reason Enosh is mentioned in Scripture immediately before the word “his image.”

1 And Cain had relations with Qalmana, his wife, and Enoch was born; and he built a city and called it Enoch, after the name of his son, and he used to entice the people, and to rob and plunder them. He built that city, and surrounded it with a wall and dug trenches.

2 He was the first to surround a city with a wall, for he was afraid of his enemies. And this city, called by the name Enoch, is the first of all cities. He was also, the counterpart of Enoch the righteous whom God took to Himself and trained for the day which is entirely Sabbath.

3 Cain dedicated the city to his son’s name. When the city called Enoch was finished, it was inhabited by his children, who were about double the number of those who came out of Egypt. Now the city became very corrupt until the other Enoch will arise, the seventh from Adam, and dedicate it again with a holy dedication, together with the sons of Lemech, who killed Cain in the seventh generation, after Cain had confessed his sin, repented, and his punishment had been suspended until the seventh generation.

4 And Enoch fathered Irad, and Irad fathered Mehuyael, and Mehuyael fathered Metushael, and Metushael fathered Lemech, the seventh from Adam. They were all wicked, for all the descendants of Cain were called the descendants of evildoers, and all his descendants were swallowed up by the flood.

5 The wicked Lemech had two wives, ʿAdah and Ṣillah, and ʿAdah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and feed the cattle. He discovered the work of shepherds, and made tents and pens for the cattle, one for the sheep, and another for the oxen, distinct from each other. He also invented the locks which are made to prevent thieves entering the house, which are like this, χ. And the name of his brother was Jubal, the father of all who play on the harp and the reed pipe.

6 At this time the inhabitants of the earth began to commit violence, to defile each other, and kindle the anger of the Lord. They began to sing with the harp and the reed pipe, and to amuse themselves with all kinds of song corrupting the earth. This Jubal discovered the science of music, from which arose all the tunes for the above two instruments. This art is very great.

7 And when he heard of the judgments which Adam prophesied concerning the two trials to come on his descendants by the flood, the dispersion and fire, he wrote down the science of music on two pillars, one of white marble, and the other of brick, so that if one would melt and crumble away because of the water, the other would be saved.

8 And Sillah gave birth to Tubal Cain, who forged all the iron implements of war, and was a craftsman in all kinds of ironwork. He also discovered the art of joining lead and iron together, in order to temper the iron and to make the blade sharper. He also invented the pincers, the hammer, and the ax, and other instruments of iron. Tubal was a worker in all kinds of tin and lead, iron and copper, silver and gold. Then men began to make carved images for worship. The sister of Tubal Cain was called Naamah. It was she who invented all kinds of instruments used for weaving and sewing silk, wool and flax, and the entire art of the embroiderer and the weaver.

9 In the days of Enosh men began to be called by the names of princes and judges, to be made gods, applying to them the name of the Lord. They also erected temples for them, but in the time of Re’u they were all overthrown.

10 When people began to multiply on the face of the earth, the children of Elohim—that is, the descendants of Seth—looked at the daughters of man—that is, the descendants of Cain—and they took wives from all those they chose, and fathered those giants that peopled the earth in the days of Noah.

11 During the whole lifetime of Adam the sons of Seth had not intermarried with the descendants of Cain, but when Adam died they intermarried. The sons of Seth lived in the mountains by the Garden of Eden, while Cain lived in the fields of Damascus, where Abel was killed. For seven generations the descendants of Seth kept righteous, but from then on they became wicked. It was for this reason that God regretted that He had made man.

12 From the descendants of Seth and Cain came the giants, who, because of their arrogance, fell and became corrupt, and were therefore swept away by the waters of the flood, and therefore they were called “Nefilim” the fallen. They claimed the same pedigree as the descendants of Seth, and compared themselves to princes and to men of noble descent—sons of Elohim, lords and judges. Concerning them it is said, “Therefore you will die like men, and you will fall like princes.”

1 Rabbi Joseph was once asked what was the story of Shemḥazai and Azael, and he replied, “When the generation of Enosh arose and worshiped idols, and when the generation of the flood arose and went astray, God was grieved that He had created man, as it is said, ‘And the Lord regretted that He had made man, and He was grieved at heart.’

2 “Then two angels, whose names were Shemḥazai and ʿAzael, appeared before God, and said, ‘O Lord of the universe, did we not say to You when You created Your world, “Do not create man”?’ as it is said, ‘What is man, that You should remember him?’ ‘Then what will become of the world?’ said God. They replied, ‘We will occupy ourselves with it.’

3 “God said, ‘It is revealed and well known to Me that if perhaps you had lived in that earthly world, the evil inclination would have swayed you just as much as it rules over the sons of man, but you would be more stubborn than they.’ ‘Give us Your permission, then, and let us descend among the creatures, and then You will see how we will sanctify Your name.’ ‘Descend,’ said the Lord, ‘and live among them.’ Immediately He allowed the evil inclination to sway them.

4 “As soon as they descended and saw that the daughters of man were beautiful, they began to amuse themselves with them, as it is said, ‘When the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of man,’ they could not restrain their inclination.

5 “Shemḥazai saw a girl whose name was Esṭirah איסטירה. When he saw her, he said, ‘Listen to my request.’ But she replied, ‘I will not listen to you until you teach me the name by the mention of which you are enabled to ascend to heaven.’ He immediately taught her the Ineffable Name.

6 “She then uttered the Ineffable Name and by doing so ascended to heaven. God said, ‘Since she has departed from sin, go and set her among the stars’—it is she who shines brightly in the middle of the seven stars of Pleiades; so that she might always be remembered God fixed her among the Pleiades.

7 “When Shemḥazai and ʿAzael saw this they took wives and fathered children. The former fathered two children, whose names were Heyya הייא, and Aheyya אהייא. And ʿAzael was appointed chief over all the dyes, and over all kinds of ornaments by which women entice men to thoughts of sin.

8 “God then sent Meṭaṭron a messenger to Shemḥazai, and said to him, ‘God will destroy His world, and bring a flood on it.’ Shemḥazai then raised his voice and wept aloud, for he was deeply troubled about his sons and his own sin. ‘How will my children live, and what will they eat, and if the world is destroyed what will become of my children, for each one of them eats 1,000 camels, 1,000 horses, and 1,000 oxen daily?’

9 “One night the sons of Shemḥazai—Heyya and Aheyyah—dreamed dreams. One dreamed that he saw a great stone spread over the earth like a table, the whole of which was covered with writing. An angel descended from heaven with a knife in his hand and erased all the lines except one, with only four words on it.

10 “The other dreamed that he saw a lovely garden, planted with all kinds of trees and beautiful things. An angel descended from heaven with an ax in his hand, and cut down all the trees, so that there remained only one tree containing three branches.

11 “When they awoke from their sleep they were much confused, and, going to their father, they told their dreams. He said to them, ‘God is about to bring a flood on the world, to destroy it, so that there will remain only one man and his three sons.’ They then cried in anguish, and wept, saying, ‘What will become of us, and how will our names be preserved?’ ‘Do not trouble yourselves about your names. Heyya and Aheyya will never cease from the mouths of creatures, because every time that men raise heavy stones, or ships, or any heavy load or burden, they will sigh and call your names.’ With this his sons were satisfied quieted.

12 “Shemḥazai repented and suspended himself between heaven and earth, head downward, because he dared not appear before God, and he still hangs between heaven and earth.

13 “ʿAzael, however, did not repent. He is appointed over all kinds of dyes which entice man to commit sin, and he still continues to sin. Therefore, when the Israelites used to bring sacrifices on the Day of Atonement, they cast one lot for the Lord that it might atone for the sins of the Israelites, and one lot for Azael that he might bear the burden of Israel’s sin. This is the ʿAzazel that is mentioned in the Scripture.”

1 Adam fathered three sons and three daughters, Cain and his twin wife Qalmana, Abel and his twin wife Deborah, and Seth and his twin wife Nōba.

2 And Adam, after he had fathered Seth, lived 700 years, and there were eleven sons and eight daughters born to him. These are the names of his sons: ʾEli, Shēēl, Ṣurēi, ʿAlmiel, Berokh, Keʿal, Naḥath, Zarḥamah, Ṣisha, Māḥtel, and ʿAnat; and the names of his daughters are: Ḥavah, Giṭsh, Harē, Bikha, Zifath, Hēkhiah, Shaba, and ʿAzin.

3 And Seth lived 105 years and fathered Enosh. After he fathered Enosh, Seth lived 707 years and fathered three sons and two daughters. The names of his sons were: Elideʿah, Funa, and Matath, and the names of his daughters were Melila and Tēla.

4 And Enosh lived 180 years and fathered Qeinan; and after Enosh had fathered Qeinan he lived 715 years, and fathered two sons, Ehor and Aal, and one daughter, Qatēnath.

5 And Qeinan fathered, after Mahalalel, three sons, Hatak, Mōkro, and Lupa, and two daughters, Hannah and Liba.

6 And after Yered, Mahalalel fathered seven sons, namely, Ṭēqa, Māya, Nēkhar, Mēli, Aesh, Uriel, Luriūṭin, and five daughters, ʿAdah, Nōʿah, Yebal, Maʿadah, and Ṣillah.

7 After Enoch, Yered fathered four sons, namely, Lʿeiʿad, ʿAnaq, Sabkhē, Yeter, and two daughters, Zēzēkho and Lēzēkh.

8 After Methuselah, Enoch fathered five sons, namely, ʿAnaz, Lēʿon, ʾAkhaôn, Pĕlēdi, and Elēd, and three daughters, namely, Tēid, Lēfīd, Laēad. Then God desired Enoch and took him away.

9 After Lemech, Methuselah fathered two sons and two daughters, namely, ʿEnab, Rapo, ʿAlumah and ʿAmugah. And Lemech fathered Noah, and said, “This one will comfort us and give rest to the earth and all its inhabitants when God brings disaster on the earth because of the wickedness of the evildoers.”

10 And Noah fathered three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Cain and his wife Temed lived in the land of Nod. And Cain had relations with his wife Tēmēd when he was fifteen years old, and she bore him Enoch, and he built seven cities and called the first Enoch, after the name of his son. The names of the remaining six were: Maōlē, Lēed, Gēzeh, Yeshbah, Qeled, and Yēbab.

12 And after Enoch, Cain fathered three sons, Ulaf, Lēzef, and Fuzal, and two daughters, Ṣēṭa and Maḥat.

13 And Enoch married Nība, the daughter of Shem, and she bore him Zēra, Quʿith, and Maddaf. And Zera fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lemech.

14 And Lemech took two wives. Ada bore Jabal, the father of all those who live in tents, and Jubal, the father of all who play the harp and the reed pipe.

15 Then the inhabitants of the land began to commit violence and to defile the wives of their neighbors, so stirring up the anger of the Lord. And they then began to play the harp and the reed pipe, and to amuse themselves with every kind of song, corrupting the earth. This same Jubal discovered the science of music, from which arose all the melodies for the two above-named instruments. This is a great science, as I have explained in its proper place.

16 And when Jubal heard the prophecy of Adam concerning the two judgments about to come on the world by means of the flood, the dispersion and fire, he wrote down the science of music on two pillars, one of fine white marble and the other of brick, so that in the event of the one melting and being destroyed by the waters, the other would be saved.

17 And Sillah bore Tubal Cain, who used to sharpen all instruments of iron for war, and worked in all kinds of iron. He also invented the art of alloying lead and iron together, so as to temper the iron and to make the blade sharper. He also invented the pincers, the hammer, and the ax, and all instruments of iron.

18 The sister of Tubal Cain was Naʿamah. It was she who invented the art of weaving and sewing silk, wool, and flax, and the whole art of the embroiderer and the weaver. Ṣillah also bore Miza and Tipa. Tubal was a worker in tin, lead, iron, copper, silver, and gold. Then men began to make carved images for their worship.

19 ʿAdah also bore Jabal, who was the father of those who live in tents and attend to the flock. He discovered the work of shepherds, and made tents and pens for the cattle, one for the sheep and another for the oxen, distinct from each other. He also invented the locks, as a safeguard to prevent robbers entering the house, like this, χ.

20 In the time of Enosh men were called princes, judges, and made gods, applying to them the name of God; and temples were made for them, but they were overthrown in the time of Reʿu. And Enoch—who was the author of many writings—walked with God, and was no more, for God had taken him away and placed him in the Garden of Eden, where he will remain until Elijah appears and restore the hearts of the fathers to the children.

21 And the flood took place, and Noah came out of the ark and offered sacrifices, and the Lord, smelling the sweet aroma, said, “I will no longer curse the earth and strike every living being, but if they sin against Me, I will judge them by famine, sword, fire, plague, and earthquake, and I will scatter them here and there. And I will remember this for the inhabitants of the earth until the end. And when the end of the world has arrived, the light will cease and the darkness will weep, and I will revive the dead and awaken those who slumber in the dust, and Sheol will repay its debt, and Abadon return its portion, and I will repay the wicked according to their deeds and judge between the flesh and the soul. And the world will rest in quietness peace, and I will destroy death forever. The grave will close its mouth and the earth will no longer be without produce, nor will its inhabitants be rooted out nor be defiled by unjust judgments, for there will be a new earth and new heavens for an everlasting dwelling.”

1 The sons of Jepheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Yavan, Tubal, Meshekh, and Tiras; and the sons of Gomar were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah; and the sons of Yavan, Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

2 The sons of Gomer were Ṭeled, Lud, Deber, and Led; the sons of Magog, Qashē, Ṭīpa, Paruṭa, ʿAmiel, Pinḥas, Gôlaza, and Samanākh; the sons of Dedan, Shalom, Filôg, and Ṭufliṭa; the children of Tubal, Fantônya and Aṭipa; the children of Tiras, Maakh, Ṭabel, Balʿanah, Shampla, Mēah, and Ēlash; the children of Melech, Aburdad, Horad, and Boṣrah. The children of Ashkenaz were Vekhal, Sardana, and Anakh; the children of Hēri, Eṣudad, Dôʿath, Dēpasēat, and Ḥanokh; the children of Togarmah, Abihud, Shāfaṭ, and Yaftir; the children of Elishah, Zaaq, Qenath, and Mastizrida; the children of Zipthai, Mafshiel, Ṭina, Avla, and Jinôn. The children of Tisai were, Maqôl, Luon, Ṣilagtaba; the children of Dodanim, Iteb, Bēath, and Faneg. And of these the inhabitants of the land of Persia, Media, and those of the islands of the sea were divided.

3 And Faneg, son of Dodanim, was the first to ride the ships of the sea. At that time a third of the land of Romidath was flooded. And his sons subdued Yedid; and the sons of Magog subdued Dēgel, and the sons of Madai subdued Biṭṭo; the sons of Yavan, Ṣēel; the sons of Tubal, Paḥath; the sons of Meshek, Nephṭī; the sons of Tiras, Rôô; the sons of Dinim, Gudah. And Riphath without his sons conquered Gôdô; and the sons of Riphath, Boṣrah; and the sons of Targômah, Phut; the sons of Elishah, Ṭablo; the sons of Tarshish, Meriba; and the sons of Kittim ...; and the sons of Dôdanim, Qaduba. Then men began to cultivate the ground, and when the land was parched, they cried to God, and He sent rain that made the earth fruitful. And when the rain fell, the rainbow was seen in the clouds. When the inhabitants perceived the sign of the covenant, they blessed the Lord.

4 The children of Ham were Cush, Misraim, Put, and Canaan; and these are the children of Cush, Sheba, Tudan, Vabni, Māipôn, Tinôs, Siliô, Ṭiluf, Gilug, Lipukh. The children of Canaan were Ṣidon, Andaïm, Reṣin, Simim, Ôrôin, Nimigim, Ḥamatim, Nipim, Ṭilas, Ilag, and Cushim. Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first giant in pride before God. Misraim fathered Ludim, ʿAnamim, Lehabim, Naftuḥim, Pathrosim, Kasluḥim, and Kaftorim. These began to build the following cities: Sidon and its villages, Risôn, Kiūza, Mazāger, Ashqalon, Debir, Qamo, Tilôn, Lakhish, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Ṣebôim.

5 The children of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arpakhshad, Lud, and Aran. The sons of Ashur were Gezrôn, Ishai; and Arpakhshad fathered Shelaḥ, and Shelaḥ fathered ʿEber. Two sons were born to Eber: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother, Yoqtan, who fathered Almodad, Shalaphtra, Muzam, Riadura, ʿUzim, Diqalbel, Mimôel, Shabethfin, Havilah, Yobab. And the children of Peleg were Reʿu, Rifud, Shafra, Aqôlôn, Zakar, Zifd, Gebi, Shuri, Shzēūr, Palabus, Rafa, Palṭia, Shafdifal, Shayish, Harṭman, Elifaz. These are the children of Peleg, and these are their names. They took wives from the daughters of Yoqtan, by whom were born sons and daughters, so that the whole earth was filled with them.

6 And Reʿu married Malkah, the daughter of Ruth, and fathered Serug. When the days of her pregnancy were drawing to an end, Reʿu said, “From this one a child will descend, in the fourth generation, whose throne will be established on high; he will be called a perfectly righteous man, the father of a multitude of nations. His testimonies will not be forsaken, and his descendants will fill the world.” And Reʿu fathered after Serug seven sons, Abiel, Obed, Shalma, Dedazal, Qīniza, ʿAkur, Nefesh, and five daughters, Qadima, Derifa, Sheifa, Firiṭa, and Tehilah.

7 After Naḥor, Serug fathered four sons, Ṣillah, Diga, Sôba, and Pôra, and three daughters, Gizla, Hôglah, and Shelifa. And after Teraḥ, Naḥor fathered six sons, namely, Rekab, Deriab, Berikhab, Shibalshaf, Nidab, and Qemuel, and eight daughters, Yiskah, Tipa, Berona, Qaniṭa. He married Amtalai, the daughter of Karnabo.

8 And Terah lived seventy years, and fathered Abram, Naḥor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Loṭ.

9 Then the inhabitants of the land began to predict the future by the planets and to become astrologers and to practice divination. They also passed their sons and daughters through fire, but Serug and his sons did not walk in their ways.

1 These are the generations of Noah in their lands, according to their families, and according to their languages. After the flood they were spread over the earth according to their nations. The children of Ham then went and appointed Nimrod to be a prince and a chief over them; while the children of Japheth appointed Pinḥas to be a prince and a chief over them. And the children of Ham appointed for themselves Yoqtan as their prince and chief.

2 These three chiefs came and consulted together to assemble all their people while Noah their father was still alive. And all the people accordingly came to them, and were united as one body, and peace reigned in the land.

3 640 years after Noah went out of the ark, each chief counted his people. Pinḥas counted the children of Japheth and the children of Gomar, and the total number of those which Pinḥas counted was 5,800; that of the children of Magog under him, 6,200; that of Madai under him, 5,700; that of the children of Tubal, 9,400; and the children of Meshech, 7,200; the children of Riphath counted 11,500; those of Togarmah, 14,400; those of Elishah, 14,900; of Tarshish, 12,100; of Kittim, 18,300; of Dodanim, 17,700. The number of the children of Japheth, the men of war and the armor bearers, as Pinḥas their prince had counted them was 142,000, besides women and children.

4 Nimrod the chief counted the children of Ham under his rule, and found them to be 12,600; the children of Misraim under him were, 24,900; the children of Phut, 27,700; of Canaan, 32,900; of Sheba, 4,300; of Ḥavilah, 24,300; of Sabta, 25,300; of Raʿamah, 30,600; of Sabtecha, 46,400. And the number of the children of Ham, according to the count by Nimrod the prince, was 492,000 valiant men who went out to war, besides the women and children.

5 And the number of the children of Noah was 714,100. All these were counted during the lifetime of Noah, and Noah lived after the flood 350 years. And all the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

1 When the inhabitants of the land had already spread out, they gathered together and journeyed from the East, and arrived at a valley in the land of Babylon, where they stayed. Then each man said to his neighbor, “The time is coming when at the end of days man will be separated from his neighbor, and brother from brother, and there will be war between us. Come, therefore, and let us build a city and a tower, the top of which is to reach heaven, and let us make a great name for ourselves on the earth.”

2 And each one said to his neighbor, “Come, and let us make bricks, and let each one write his name on his brick, and let us burn them, and each brick will be to us as a stone and the pitch for mortar.” Each one made his brick and wrote his name on it, with the exception of twelve men, who did not wish to be with them.

3 These are the names of the men who were not part of their plan: Abram, Naḥor, Lot, Reʿu, Tinuto, Ṣeba, Almodad, Jobab, Eṣer, Abïmael, Sheba, and Ofir. The people of the land seized these, and, bringing them to their princes, said, “These are the men who have violated the plan we proposed, and they do not wish to follow our paths.”

4 The princes then said to them, “Why did you refuse to make bricks, the same as the other people of the land?” And they answered, “We will not make bricks nor remain with you, for we know only one God, and Him we serve; even if you burn us in the fire together with the bricks, we will not walk in your ways.”

5 The princes were very angry at this, and said, “As they have spoken, so we will do; for unless they act as we do, you must throw them into the fire together with the bricks.”

6 And Yoqtan, the head of the princes, answered and said, “We will not do this, but we will grant them seven days, and then, if they desire to make the bricks with us, they will live; but if they refuse, they will die by the fire.” For he tried to save them from their hands, as he was the head of the house of their fathers, despite the fact that they served the Lord. So the people did, and placed the transgressors in the prison, in the house of Yoqtan.

7 In the evening Yoqtan the prince called fifty brave men, and commanded them, saying, “Prepare yourselves, and this very night take these men that are imprisoned in my house, place them on ten mules, and, providing both the men and the animals with food, bring them to the mountains, and there remain with them; but if you betray this thing to anyone, you will die by fire.”

8 The men accordingly went out to do as they were commanded. In the night they took them and brought them before Yoqtan the prince. He said to them, “You who remain steadfast in God, trust in Him forever, for He will deliver you and save you. Therefore I have commanded these fifty men to take you to the mountains with fodder and food, and there conceal yourselves in the valleys, for in the valleys there is sufficient water, and stay there for thirty days, for by that time either the thoughts of the people will have passed from you, or the anger of the Lord will be kindled against them so that He will destroy them, for I know that they will not carry out their wicked plan which they devised, for their plan will be frustrated.

9 “And at the end of the seven days, when they seek you, I will say to them, ‘They have broken the door of the prison and fled during the night, and I sent a hundred men to pursue and seek them.’ I will do all this to calm their anger.” And eleven men answered him, saying, “We have found favor in your eyes, for you have saved our lives from the hands of our enemies.”

10 Abram alone was silent, and Yoqtan the prince said to him, “Why do you not answer along with your friends?” And Abram replied, “Today we flee to the mountains to escape from the fire; but if wild beasts rush out of the mountains and devour us, or if food is lacking so that we die by famine, we will be found fleeing before the people of the land and dying by our sins. Now, as the Lord in whom I trust lives, I will not leave this place, where they have imprisoned me, and if I am to die through any sin, then I will die by the will of God according to His desire.”

11 “Your blood be on your own head,” said the prince, “if you will not flee with these men; for if you flee you are sure to be saved.” Abram replied, “I will not flee, but remain.” He was accordingly put into prison again, and the prince sent the eleven men away in charge of fifty others, whom he commanded to remain with them for fifteen days, and to return and say, “We have not been able to find them.” “If you do not do this I will have you burned to death.”

12 At the end of seven days all the people assembled and said to their princes, “Give us the men who refused to follow our plan, and let us burn them in the fire.” They then sent for them, but found only Abram. “Where are those men who were bound in the prison of your house?” asked the chiefs, Pinḥas and Nimrod. Yoqtan replied, “They broke away in the middle of the night and escaped, and I have sent a hundred men after them to discover and to kill them.” And the people exclaimed, “Since we have only found Abram, let us burn him in the fire.”

13 And they took Abram and brought him before the princes, who asked him, saying, “Where are the men whom we imprisoned with you?” “I do not know, for I slept all the night, and when I awoke I did not find them.” So they made a brick kiln, and heated it until the bricks in it glowed fiercely; they then placed Abram in the furnace of fire, and Yoqtan calmed the anger of the people by the burning of Abram.

14 The Lord at that moment caused a great earthquake throughout the land, so that the fire leaped from the furnace and became a huge blaze, which devoured all the men that surrounded it, and the number of men burned on that day was 84,500. But Abram was not burned, and he came out of the furnace of the Chaldees that is, the fire of the Chaldees, and, having escaped, he went to his friends on the mountains and told all that had happened to him. They then returned with him from the mountains, happy and rejoicing in the name of the Lord, nor did the people speak against them any longer. They from then on called the name of that place “The God of Abraham.”

1 After these things, the people did not turn from their evil plans, but coming to their princes, they said, “Will not man be able to conquer the world? Come and let us build for ourselves a city and tower, the top of which will reach heaven, so that it will stand forever.”

2 And it happened, when they began to build, that God saw the city and the tower, and said, “These people have one language; now the earth will not bear them, neither will the heaven support them.

3 “Therefore I will scatter them over the whole earth, and will confuse their language, so that no one will be able to recognize his brother or understand the speech of his neighbor. And I will order them to the clefts, and they will prepare for themselves dwellings made of reeds and straw, and they will dig for themselves caves and holes in the dust, and the beasts of the field will live among them. There they will remain all their days, and will not again plan such a deed. And I will fight them with shields, and I will destroy one portion by water and another by fire, and I will destroy them with thirst, but Abram, My servant, I will choose; I will bring him out of their land to the land on which My eyes have long rested.

4 “And when the people sinned and I brought a flood on them, this land was not destroyed, for I did not cause the flood to descend on it in My anger, and I will bring Abram there, My servant, and will make a covenant with him and his descendants forever, and I will bless him and be to him a God forever.”

5 And when they began to build the tower, God confused their language and changed their form into that of monkeys, so that one could not recognize his own brother nor could one man understand the language of his neighbor, so that when the builders ordered the people to bring stones they brought water, and when they told them to bring water they brought stubble. In this way their evil intentions were frustrated, and they ceased building the tower, and the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

6 For they had said, “Come and let us build for ourselves a city, and let us take axes and break open the firmament so that the water flow from there and descend below, that He may not do to us as He did to the generation of the flood. And let us wage war with those in heaven and establish ourselves there as gods.”

7 But how could they build the city, since they had no stones? They made bricks from clay and pitch, and burned them as a potter burns his pots in the oven and hardens them. In this way they made the bricks, and built the city and the tower extremely high, with seventy steps. The ascent was made from the east and the descent was from the west. If a man fell from it they paid little attention, whereas if a brick fell, they wept bitterly and said, “When, oh, when, will another be brought up?”

8 When Abram saw their wicked ways he cursed them in the name of the Lord, but they did not pay attention to his words. The Lord then descended with the seventy thousand angels that surround His throne, and at that time of the dispersion He confused their language into seventy different languages.

1 These are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Children were born to them after the flood, for from Noah there came 72 families—from Japheth, 15; from Ham, 30; and from Shem, 27. And these 72 families were separated each according to his lineage in his own land, with their several nations, into 72 languages, the Hebrew language in Eber, the Egyptian in Egypt, the Greek in Greece, Latin in Rome, the Aramean in Syria, the Chaldean in Chaldea, etc. The nations which descended from Shem were 406, Briṭania, Qalabra, Tosqana, Luqa, Piqensa, etc. The whole earth was divided into three parts.

2 Shem, the eldest, chose his portion in the land of ʾAsya, that is, the land of Persia, from Baqṭris to Endiana, from the Persian River until the Ocean in the west and the whole Rinôs. They numbered 27 languages, and 406 peoples. Ham took his portion in the land of Afriqia, which comprises Aram, Hamath, and the mountain of Lebanon, in a well-watered land, until the Red Sea and the Sea of Philistia, from Rīnôs as far as Gadaira. The number of their languages was 22, and that of the peoples 394.

3 Japheth chose his portion in the land of Eoropa, that is, in the south from Media to Bodeā, and their boundaries extended from the mountains of Ṭaôrô and Manô, in Syria and Siṣilia, until the river Ṭanais, until Gadaira, that is, the land of Eoropa Europe. The number of their languages was 23, and that of their peoples 300. The land of Shem contained the river Euphrates; Ham, Giḥôn which is called the Nile; Japheth, Hiddeqel Tigris, in Media and Babylon.

4 The children of Japheth are Gomer, that is, Gavathi and Regini; Magog, that is, Sqitē Scythes, from whom arose Gog and Magog. These were the peoples which Alexander of Macedon enclosed in the Caspian Mountains; and from them arose the Guti Goths, Pirāṭi, Nordmani, Bauvēri, Langobardi, Saqsonēi, Gasgonēi. Madai are: Mēdi, Yavan-Greṣi, Armenēi, and Franṣi. The river of the Greṣi is called Yoniū. Tubal are Ibēri and Ispamia; Mēsech are the Qapadôṣes. The name of the city was formerly Mesekhah, and the royal city was Qapadoqia, now called Caesarea Kesari, in the land of Kaftor; Tiras are Trâṣes. The children of Gomer were Ashkenaz, in the land of the Greeks, or Greṣi, Rifath is Paflagronas Paphlagonians. Togarmah are the Frēzes Phryges. The children of Yavan were Elisaʿ, that is, Eōlides, and they are one-fifth of the Greek tongue. Tarshish is Sīlīṣīa—this is the Tarshish in the Book of Jonah—Kittim are Qipres, Dodanim are Rodiē. All these live from the mountain Amone and Ṭaôrô, in Brittania, as far as the sea Oqeanôs. Eliezer the Levite thought fit to add here the chapter, from the beginning of Jossipon the Great’s work, because it is similar to the above; and this is the very beginning of the Book of Jossipon.

6 And the children of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Yavan, Tubal, Mesekh, and Tiras; and these are the names of the countries of the children of Yapheth who were scattered at the time of the dispersion. The children of Gomer were the Frankos, who inhabited the country of the Frankos, in the land of Franselni, on the river Segna. Riphath are the Britanos, who inhabit the land of Riphtania, on the river Lira. The Segna and Lira both flow into the Ocean. Togarmah branched into ten families, who are the Cuzar, Paṣinaq, Alan, Bulgar, Kanbina, Turq, Buz, Zakhukh, Ugar, and Tulmeṣ. All of these live in the North, and the names of their lands are taken from their own names, and they live by the river Hetel; but Ugar, Bulgar, and Paṣinaq live by the great river called Danube, that is, the Dunai.

8 The children of Javan are the Greeks, who live in the land of Nsā and Macedonia.

9 Madai, that is, Edalus, live in the land of Turkhan or Kurasan.

10 Tubal are the Tuscans, who live in the land of Tuscania, by the river Pisa; Mesech, that is, the Saqsoni.

11 Tirus, that is, the Rossi; the Saqsni and the Iglesusi live by the river of the great sea. The Rossi live by the river Kiô or Kiva, which flows into the Gergan Sea.

12 Elisa, that is, Alamania, inhabit the mountains of Iov and Septimo; and from them arose the Lungobardi, who came from the other side of the mountains of Iov and Septimo, and having conquered Italia, lived in it until this very day on the river Pao, and Tiṣio; and from them again arose the Borgonia, who dwell by the river Rodano, and the Bidria, dwelling by the river Rinos, which flows into the Great Sea. And the rivers Tiṣio and Pio flow into the sea Venitiqia.

13 Tarshish, that is, the Trkisiani, who accepted the law of the Macedonians; and from them come Trasos. And when the Ishmaelites captured the land of Trasos, its inhabitants fled to the land of Greece, and fought from there with the Ishmaelites in Trasos.

14 Kittim, that is, the Romans, who live in the valley Kapania, by the river Tiberio. Dodanim, these are the Danisqi, who live in the middle of the tongues of the sea, in the land of Danemarka and Aṣidania, in the Great Sea, who swore not to serve the Romans, and they hid themselves in the middle of the waves of the sea; but they could not withstand them, for the power of Rome extended as far as the end of the islands of the sea.

15 And so the Moraia, Bruti, Sorbin, Lusinin, Liumin, Krākar, and Bazimin are counted among the descendants of the Dodanim. They live by the seashore, from the border of Bulgar until Venitiqia on the sea, and from there they spread as far as the border of Saqsni to the Great Sea; they are called Isqlabi. Some say they are descendants of Canaan, but they trace their descent to the Dodanim. So far the Hebrew of Josippon; from the next sentence beginning, “And it came to pass when the Lord scattered,” etc., I will copy in connection with Esau and the kings of Edom later on. Let us now return to the narrative of Jeraḥmeel.

16 The children of Shem were Elam ʿElamitēṭ, Ashur, that is, Assyria; Arpachshad, that is, Qaldea; Lud, that is, Lydia; and Aram, that is, Syria. The children of Aram were ʿUṣ, where Job was born, Geter, Qarnâni, Menes. These live from the Persian Gulf until the Ocean.

17 The children of Ham were Cush, Misraim, Phut, and Canaan. Cush is called Ethiopia; Miṣraim, Egypta, Phut, Libia; and Canaan the Land of Israel. The children of Cush were Saba, Havilah, Sabta, Raʿamah, and Sabtecha. The children of Raʿamah were Sheba and Dedan. Sheba comprises the Sabeans, Arabians, and Indians; Havilah, that is, Getili; Sabta, that is, Asṭabari; Sabtecha and Raʿamah I have not been able to find. From the children of Raʿamah came the Queen of Sheba, and Dedan is a nation to the east of Cush.

18 And Cush fathered Nimrod. The beginning of his kingdom was Babylon and Erekh, that is, Edessa; Accad, that is, the city of Nisibis, Kalnah, Selevqos gave to the city of Kalna the name of Selevqia; from this land came Ashur, that is, Bel, the son of Nimrod. And Bel fathered Ninus, who built the great city of Nineveh; and Reḥoboth, that is, the wide city; and Misraim fathered Ludim, and ʿAnamim, and Lehabim, and the rest I do not know, for a war broke out between Ethiopia and Egypt, and all these nations were ultimately merged into one, so that they could no longer be distinguished. And I, Eliezer, the scribe, have heard that the Lehabim are the Flaminga, and their appearance is like blazing fire, as it is said, “And their faces are the faces of torches.” And Canaan fathered Sidon, his firstborn, by whose name the city of Sidon is called; it is in the land of Phēniṣe. The Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and Girgashites and Hivites were destroyed by the Israelites. ʿArqi, the city of ʿArqes, near Tripolis; Arvadi is the name of an island, Arvodios; Ṣemari, that is, Edessa, in the land of Syria; Ḥamathi built Ḥamath, that is, Antochia. And the Canaanite boundary extended from Sidon, reaching as far as ʿAzzah, and as far as Lesha, that is, Qaliron. Its waters are warm, and flow into the Salt Sea. These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, their languages, in their countries and provinces.

20 And Cush, the son of Ham, fathered Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter in the land before the Lord. He caught men through his strength, and forced them to bow down to him, to make him a god, and to worship him. He therefore advised the people to erect the city and the tower of Babel, where he established his kingdom, in order to rebel against God; and therefore, according to an ancient proverb, whoever rebelled against the Lord was compared to Nimrod, the mighty hunter before God.

1 I, Jeraḥmeel, have found in the book of Strabon of Caphtor that Nimrod was the son of Shem; and when Noah was one hundred years old a son was born to him in his form and in his image, and he called his name Jonithes. His father, Noah, gave him gifts, and sent him to the land of Itan, of which he took possession as far as the sea of Eliochora. And Nimrod the wicked went to Jonithes to learn of his wisdom, for the spirit of the Lord was with him. But Jonithes foresaw by means of astrology that the wicked Nimrod would come to him to consult him about how to gain power; he gave him the explanation of the four kings whom Daniel saw. And Jonithes said to Nimrod that the descendants of Ashur would reign first, that is, the children of Shem, as it is said, “And the sons of Shem were Elam and Ashur.”

2 The beginning of Nimrod’s reign was in Babylon, and there Nimrod fathered Bel. At the time of the dispersion Nimrod left that place, and allied himself with the children of Ham; therefore it is said, “And Cush fathered Nimrod.”

3 After Nimrod, Bel, his son, succeeded to the kingdom in Babylon, in the days of Serug. And Bel went to the land of Ashur, but did not capture it. When Bel died, Ninus, his son, succeeded him, and, capturing the land of Assur, reigned over it, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth; and the length of the city was a distance of thirty days’ walk; it became the royal residence of Assur. From this land Assur, that is, Ninus, the son of Bel, the son of Nimrod, went out.

4 Ninus defeated Zoroastres the Wise, who discovered the art of Nigromancia, that is, Nagirā. He reigned in Bractia Bactria, and had written down the seven sciences, or arts, on fourteen pillars, seven of brass and seven of brick, so that they would withstand the water—of the flood—and against the fire—of the day of judgment. But Ninus defeated him, and burned the books of wisdom.

5 And Ninus wrote another book of wisdom. When Bel, his father, died, he, Ninus, made an image in the likeness and form of his father, and called it Bel, after the name of his father; and he was always grieving at the loss of his father. He called all the gods Bel, after his name, as it is said, “Nebo bowed, Bel bent down.” Whoever Ninus hated was pardoned when he came in the name of Bel and begged him for mercy. So, all the world honored and worshiped the god Bel, and bowed down to him. Some gods were called Baal, and there is a Baʿal Peʿor and a Baʿal Zebub.

6 In the forty-third year of the reign of Ninus Abraham was born, and on that very day the first King Pharaoh began to reign in Egypt, who was called Tibei; and after him all the kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh until the reign of Ptolemy, the son of Lagos, in Egypt, after whom all the kings of Egypt were called Ptolemy. All the kings of Assyria were called Antiochus; and all the kings of Rome were called Caesar, after the name of Julius Caesar, until this very day.

7 When Abraham was ten years old, Ninus, the son of Bel, died, and his wife, Semēramit, reigned after him in Assyria forty-two years. After her there reigned Shimʿi, the son of Ninus, who built the city of Babylon. At that time all the kings were under the king of Assyria, that is, under Shimʿi, the son of Ninus, and whoever had greater power than his fellow man forced the other to serve him, Shimʿi.

1 As this is simply to be taken as a legend, we will not try to reconcile it with the other, which makes Abraham live in the time of Nimrod the Wicked. According to the latter we find that Nimrod acted as judge over him, since it is related that the whole household of Abraham’s father were idol worshipers, moreover they made idols and sold them in the streets. But when a man approached Abraham to sell him an idol, he would ask him, “How much is this image?” “Three manas,” he would reply. “How old are you?” Abraham would add. “Thirty years.” “You are thirty years old, and yet you worship this idol which we made only today!” The man would depart and go his way. Again, another would come to Abraham, and ask, “How much is this idol?” “Five manas,” he would say. “How old are you?” would Abraham continue. “Fifty years.” “And do you, who are fifty years old, bow down to this idol which we made only today?” With this the man would depart and go his way.

2 When Nimrod heard of Abraham’s utterances, he ordered him to be brought before him, and said, “You son of Terah, make me a beautiful god.” Abraham then entered his father’s house, and said, “Make a beautiful image for me.” They accordingly made it, finished it, and painted it with many colors. He went and brought it to Nimrod. ...

3 And on that day Abraham’s righteousness shone out. It was a cloudy day, and rain fell. Therefore, when they were about to push him into the burning furnace, Nimrod sat down, and all the people of the dispersion did the same. Abraham then entered, and standing in the center, he presented his case. Afterward Nimrod asked, “If not the gods, whom should I serve?” Abraham replied, “The God of gods and Lord of lords, whose kingdom is everlasting in heaven and on earth, and in the heavens of the high heavens.” “I will worship,” said Nimrod, “the god of fire; and I will throw you into it. Let, then, the God to whom you testify deliver you from the burning furnace.”

4 They then immediately bound him strongly and tightly, and placed him on the ground. They then surrounded him with wood on the four sides, 500 cubits thickness to the north, 500 cubits to the south, 500 to the west, and 500 to the east. They then set the pile on fire.

5 The whole house of Terah were worshipers of idols, and until that moment had not recognized their Creator. Their neighbors and fellow citizens assembled, and, beating their heads, said to Terah, “O shame—great shame! Nimrod has burned your son in the fire, the son of whom you said that he would inherit this world and the world to come.”

6 Immediately then God’s mercy was moved, so that He descended from the dwelling of His glory, His greatness, His majesty, and the holiness of His great name, and delivered Abraham, our ancestor, from that shame, from that reproach, and from the burning furnace, as it is said, “I am the Lord who brought you out of the fire of the Chaldeans”; and since a miracle was performed for our forefather Abraham, he and Terah were able to refute the generation of the Dispersion, as it is said, “Be wise, O my son, and let my heart rejoice, and then I will be able to answer those who reproach me.”

1 The sages tell that when our forefather Abraham was born a star appeared, which swallowed up four other stars from the four sides of the heavens. When the astrologers of Nimrod saw this they immediately went to Nimrod and said, “Nimrod, certainly a boy has been born today who is destined to inherit both this world and the world to come. Now, if it is your wish, let us give his father and mother a large sum of money, and then kill him. Whatever his father and mother wish will be given to them.” “What kind of child is he whom you seek to kill?” asked Nimrod. “A boy,” they said, “was born today, and a star appeared which swallowed up four stars of the heavens, and he is destined to inherit this world and the world to come.”

2 Then Terah said, for Terah, the father of Abraham, was present there, “This thing which you suggest is to be compared to a mule, to which man says, ‘I will give you a quantity of barley, as much as a houseful, on condition that I cut off your head.’ The mule replies, ‘You fool; if you cut off my head, of what use will the barley be to me, and who will eat it when you give it to me?’ So I say to you, if you kill the son, who will inherit the goods and the money which you give to his parents?” To this they answered, “From your words we see that a son has been born to you.” “A son has been born to me, but he is now dead.” “But we speak of a living son, and not of one dead,” they added.

3 When Terah heard their words he immediately went home, and hid his son Abraham in a cave for three years. After that time he brought him out. As soon as Abraham saw the rising sun in the east he said to himself, “Certainly this is the lord of the whole world, and to him I pray; he created me and the whole world.” When he saw the moon he said, “This is the lord of the whole world, and to him I will pray; he created me and the whole world.” So when evening came, and the sun had set and the moon had risen, he prayed to the moon the whole night. When, however, the morning came, the moon set and the sun rose. As soon as he saw the sun the next day Abraham said, “Now I know that neither the one nor the other is lord of the world, but that both of them are servants of another Master, and that is the Lord who created the heavens and the earth and the whole world.”

4 Then Abraham immediately asked his father, “Who created this world, the heavens, and the earth?” And Terah, his father, replied, “This great image is our god.” “If this is true,” said Abraham, “I will bring a sacrifice to him, and he will be pleased with me, as he is with other people.” He then went to his father, and said, “Make for me a cake of fine flour that I may offer it to him.” His father, complying with his request, made him a cake of fine flour, which Abraham took and offered before the great idol, saying, “Accept this offering from me.” But he neither took it nor ate it nor drank it.

6 When Abraham saw this he went to his mother, and said, “Make me a meal offering better than this, that I may offer it to the god of my father.” When she made it Abraham took the meal offering to the little image, saying, “Accept this meal offering from my hand, and be pleased with me as you are with other men.” Seeing that he did not reply, Abraham said, “This offering has not been made to his liking.”

7 Then going once more to his mother, he said, “Prepare a meal offering better still than this.” She did so, and Abraham presented the offering to the image. When he perceived that it neither ate nor drank nor answered him a word he went once more to the large image, and said, “I beg you to receive this offering from me; eat and drink and be pleased with me as you are with other men.” But as neither of them replied to him, Abraham grew very angry, and the spirit of prophecy rested on him, and he said, “They have eyes, but do not see; ears, but do not hear; they have hands, but do not move them; and feet, but do not walk; nor do their throats make a sound. Like them are their makers and all those who trust in them.” He then kindled a fire and burned them.

9 When Terah arrived home and found his idols burned, he went to Abraham, and said, “Who has burned my gods?” And Abraham replied, “The large one picked a quarrel with the little ones, and burned them because he was angry with them.” “You fool,” said his father, “how can you say that he who cannot see nor hear nor walk, that he who has no power could burn them?” Then said Abraham to his father, “O my father, hear what your mouth utters; why do you abandon the living God who created the heavens and the earth, and serve gods that neither see nor hear?”

10 Then Terah took Abraham, our ancestor, and went with him to Nimrod. And Terah said to Nimrod, “O my lord the king, judge this my son who has burned my gods, and find out who is the God which he makes for himself.” “Who is this man?” said Nimrod. “My son.” Then added Nimrod, “Why have you acted this way and burned the idols?” “I did not do this, nor did I burn them,” said Abraham. “Who, then, did act this way and burn them?” “The great idol burned them,” he said. “You fool,” replied Nimrod. “how can you say that that which cannot stand by itself, cannot hear nor see, nor has any power could burn them?” “Hear, my lord, what your mouth utters. Why do you abandon the living God, who created the heavens and the earth and who created you, and in whose hand is the Spirit of all living, and worship other gods of wood and stone, which do not hear nor see nor speak?”

11 “Who, then,” said Nimrod, “created the heavens and the earth, if not I?” “Are you he?” queried Abraham. “I am,” he replied. “Then by this I will know that you are the creator of everything. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west: if you can by your command cause the sun to rise in the west and to set in the east, I will then know and believe that you created all.” When Nimrod heard Abraham’s words he was dumbfounded; he put his hand to his beard and was struck with wonder at his words.

12 As soon as the astrologers saw Abraham they recognized him at once, and said to Nimrod, “O lord the king, this is the child of whom we spoke on the day of his birth, and whom you wanted to kill. If it is your will, we will bring you wood and burn him to death, and then compensate his parents with a large sum of money. Now, O lord, since he has come into our hands, let us burn him in the fire.” “Then do as you wish,” said Nimrod. They immediately went away, and having heated the furnace for seven whole days, threw him into it.

13 Then said the angels to God, saying, “O Lord of the universe, let us go and deliver this man from the fiery furnace.” At that moment a dispute arose among the angels who said, “Let us descend and deliver this man from the furnace.” One said, “I will go down to deliver him,” and another said, “I will go down to deliver him.” Michael said, “I will go down,” and Gabriel said, “I will go down.” Then said God himself to Gabriel, and said, “I am One in My world, and so is this man, who was the first to declare the unity of My name in the world. It is, therefore, fitting that I the One should go down and rescue him who is also one in his generation. It is pleasing to Me to descend and rescue him from the fiery furnace.” At that moment God descended in His glory and in His strength, and delivered him from the furnace of fire. He brought him out without a blemish. When all the nations saw that Abraham was rescued in this way from the burning furnace, they immediately sanctified the name of God, and some of them became converts through Abraham our ancestor.

1 These are the generations of Terah, etc.: Haran, the firstborn, fathered Lot and Yiskah, that is, Sarai, and Milkah. And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in Ur of the Chaldees. Because of the idols of Terah he died in the fire of the Chaldeans, for the Chaldeans worshiped the fire. Terah used to make the idols of their gods, and Haran, his eldest son, used to sell them. But Abram did not worship them. The Chaldeans came to dip both Haran and Abram in the fire, for they were accustomed to dip them in the fire, just as some nations dip their sons in the water. Abram, who did not worship, and who did not bow down to the idol, was saved from the fire of the Chaldeans and was not burned; but Haran, who feared the idols, who honored them and sold them for worship, was burned in the fire of the Chaldeans and died. When Terah saw that God delivered Abram, he deserted his former faith, and went out with him, Abram, to live in a foreign country; and he gave Milkah, the daughter of Haran, to Nahor, his son, to wife, and Yiskah, that is Sarai, he gave to Abram, his youngest son, after he had weaned her and brought her up in his own house on the death of her father Haran. And he gave Lot, the son of Haran, to Abram as an adopted son, for Sarai was barren. And they went out toward the land of Canaan.

2 When Abram came from Babylon—that is, Ur of the Chaldees—he and his household went to Damascus, and was made king over that city; for Eliezer was then the ruler of Damascus; but when he saw that the Lord was with Abram he presented him with the kingdom and surrendered himself to his service. And I, Jeraḥmeel, have discovered in the Book of Nicolaos of Damascus that there existed a certain neighborhood in Damascus called the dwelling place of Abram. This they greatly honored.

3 And the Lord said to him, Abram, “I am the Lord, who brought you out from the fire of the Chaldeans.” The sages say that when Nimrod the Wicked threw Abram into the fiery furnace, Gabriel said to God, “I will go down and cool the furnace, and deliver this righteous man.” But God replied, “I am One in My world, and he is one in this world; it is therefore proper for the One to deliver the other one.” But since God does not withhold reward from any creature, He added to Gabriel, “You will deliver three of his descendants.” For when Nebuchadnezzar threw Hananya, Mishael, and ʿAzaria, into the burning furnace Laqmi, the angel who rules over hail, said to God, and said, “I will go down and cool the furnace, and so rescue the righteous men.” But Gabriel interjected, and said, “The greatness of God would not be shown in this way, for you are the ruler over hail, and all people know that water quenches fire; but I who am the ruler over fire will go down and cool the inside while I am at the same time heating the outside of the furnace. So I will perform a double miracle.” Then said God to Gabriel, “Descend.” And Gabriel at once exclaimed, “The truth of God is everlasting.”

4 And Abram was rich in cattle, silver, gold, and in all the Hermetic wisdom and astrology which he had acquired in Egypt from Pharaoh’s magicians, so that there was none so wise as he. From Egypt these sciences spread over Greece. And Abram was able to foretell the future by observation of the stars, and was very wise in astrology. He taught his magic science to Zoroastres, the philosopher, and he saw from the planets that the order of the world was not as before, for the order of creation was changed because of the flood and the dispersion. Rabbi Elʿazar, of Modiin, asserted that Abraham was extremely great in magic, so much so that all the kings of the East and West attended him.

5 And the Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre. Josippon relates that Abram used to sit in an oak tree, and that that oak lasted until the reign of Theodosius in Rome, when it withered, and despite the fact that it had dried up, yet its wood was excellent for medicinal purposes, for whoever took of its wood, whether animal or man, did not experience any illness to the day of his death.

6 Then came the destruction of the cities of the plain. And Lot said, “I am not able to flee to the mountain, for I am an old man, and the cold will kill me, and my soul is also weary. There is a little city near to flee to; please let me escape there, for the way is short, and my soul will live.” And the name of the city had formerly been “Belaʿ.” Now, there was a great earthquake; and Lot went and lived in a cave, for he feared the earthquake. And the Lord rained sulfur and fire from heaven on Sodom, so that on the third day all the plain was filled with water. This they now call the Salt Sea, or “Leber Meer.” Neither fish nor fowl are found there. It separates the land of Israel from Arabia. During the whole of the forty years the Israelites were in the wilderness they traveled around this sea. No ships are able to travel on it, because the sea is like pitch, so that nothing can sink in it, but remains on the surface because of the pitch; and if one places a burning torch on the pitch, all the while it floats it burns, but as soon as it is extinguished it sinks to the bottom. And the sea vomits a kind of black pitch with which the things are joined together, for it is good for sticking. Josippon relates that he saw Vespasian throw a man into that sea, and that he hurled him with great force into it so that he should sink, but the sea brought him up again. The sand on the shores of the sea is salty, and one finds there the “salty stones of Sodom” looking like pieces of marble.

7 When Jacob was born Inachus was then the first King of Argos, and reigned for fifty years, and in the third year of his reign a daughter was born to Inachus whose name was Io, and the Egyptians gave her a surname and called her Izides, and worshiped her as a goddess.

8 And in the nineteenth year of Jacob’s life the Egyptians made Apis King of Egypt; they made him a god and called his name Sarapis. And Apis made for himself a calf by means of the magic of his magicians. On the right eye of the calf there was a white mark in the likeness of the moon, and once every day at the fourth hour it used to rise up from the river and fly in the air. And the Egyptians used to worship and pray and sing praises to it with all kinds of instruments, and prostrate themselves before it. And in a moment the calf vanished and was no more, and it was hidden and concealed as before in the river, so that the Egyptians could not see it until the next day at the fourth hour. This the calf repeated every day. The Egyptians called it Sarapis, and for this idol worship the Egyptians were punished by water when they perished in the Red Sea.

9 In the ninety-second year of Jacob’s life Joseph was born, and at that time there was a flood in the land of Achayā, which was a very large kingdom. There reigned in it a king whose name was Ogiges. This king rebuilt the city Akta, and called its name Eliozin Eleusis. At that time there arose a virgin, whose name was Titonide. She was versed in all the seven sciences. They called her Pallas, because she killed a giant called Palante. At that place the city of Palini was built.

1 And a great terror fell on the cities around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob; for they said, “If two sons of Jacob were able to do this thing namely, to exterminate a whole town, how much more would they exterminate the whole world if all the sons of Jacob gathered together?” This terror of them fell on the cities, for the Lord let the terror fall on all the nations, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. The sages say, “They did not pursue them during that same year, but after seven years they pursued them, for they came back and settled there again.” The kings of the Amorites assembled themselves, when they heard that Jacob and his sons had again settled in Shekhem. They came to kill them, saying, “It is not enough for them to have killed all the men of Shekhem, now they come also to take possession of their land.”

2 When Judah saw them coming, he was the first to leap into the middle of their ranks, and was soon engaged in battle with Ishub, King of Tapuaḥ, who was covered with iron and brass from head to foot, standing in the middle of his lines of soldiers. He rode a powerful horse, and he could throw his javelins with both hands from horseback, in front and behind, and never missed his aim even to a hair’s breadth, for he was a mighty and powerful man, and could manage his spear with either hand. Judah was not at all frightened when he saw him, despite his strength, but he picked up a heavy stone from the ground, weighing about sixty shekels, and threw it at him at a distance of two parts of a furlong; that is, 170 cubits and one-third of a cubit. While the king was advancing against Judah, dressed in iron armor and throwing his spears, Judah struck him with the stone on his shield and rolled him off his horse.

3 Judah hurried toward him, in order to kill him before he could get up again from the ground, but the king rallied quickly and jumped to his feet. Now he began to fight with Judah, shield against shield. He drew his sword and tried to strike the head of Judah, but Judah lifted up his shield and received the blow aimed at him; the shield broke into two pieces. Judah then ducked and slashed with his sword at the feet of the king and cut them off at the ankles. The king fell to the ground and his sword slipped out of his hands. Judah sprang on him and cut off his head.

4 While he was busy stripping him of his armor, nine comrades of the dead man attacked him. Judah broke the head of the first who approached him with a stone, and killed him on the spot. He let his shield drop out of his hand, which Judah seized, and defended himself with it against the other eight. His brother Levi came to his rescue and shot the King of Gaʿash with an arrow. Judah succeeded then in killing the eight. Jacob then killed Zehori, King of Shiloh, with an arrow, and they could not stand against the children of Jacob, but all turned and fled, and the sons of Jacob pursued them. And Judah killed on that day a thousand men before sunset.

5 The remaining sons of Jacob came out from Shekhem, from the side where they had been standing, and pursued them among the mountains, until they came to Ḥaṣor. There, before the town of Ḥaṣor, they had to fight more than they had fought in the valley of Shekhem.

6 Jacob shot with his arrows and killed Pirʿathaho, King of Ḥaṣor, and Susi, King of Sartan, and Laban, King of Horan, and Shakir, King of Mahnaim. Judah was the first to climb up the wall of Ḥaṣor. Four warriors attacked Judah and fought with him, until Naphtali came to his rescue, for he followed Judah onto the wall; but before he came up, Judah had killed the four warriors. Judah stood now on the right side of the wall, and Naphtali on the left, and they killed all the people that were there. The other sons of Jacob jumped onto the wall after them, and destroyed it, and on that same day they took the town of Ḥaṣor, and killed all the warriors, and they did not leave one single man. After that they carried away the booty.

7 The following day they went to Sartan. There was a great multitude of people, and the fight was a very heavy one, for it was a town built on a height, with high walls, and it was difficult to approach because of these walls; yet they subdued it on that same day, and got onto the walls. The first to climb them was Judah, on the east, after him came Gad on the west, Simeon and Levi climbed up on the north, and Reuben and Dan on the south, while Naphtali and Issachar set fire to the gates of the town. The fight was very fierce on the walls, and their remaining comrades went up to their assistance. They all stood now against a huge tower where the inhabitants had fled, defying the attackers from there. That was before Judah had taken the tower. But he soon went up to the top of the tower and killed two hundred men on the roof, and the other sons of Israel killed the rest, not leaving one single man, for these were all powerful and valiant warriors. They carried away the whole booty and returned to their places.

8 Now they went against Tapuaḥ, for its inhabitants had tried to rob them of their captured goods. First they killed all the men who had come out for the purpose of robbing them of the booty. Afterward they rested on the waters of Jishub, north of Tapuaḥ. Early in the morning of the third day they marched toward Tapuaḥ. While they were gathering their booty, the inhabitants of Shilo came out and attacked them. But they were all beaten and killed before noon, and they entered with the fugitives into Shilo, and did not allow them to stand up against the sons of Jacob. On that same day they occupied the town and carried away its captured goods. The troop of their company which they had left against Tapuaḥ came now to meet them with the booty from Tapuaḥ.

9 On the fourth day they marched against the camp of Shakir. Some of the camp came out to rob them of the booty. They, the sons of Jacob, had gone down into the valley, and the men from Shakir ran after them, but when they tried to ascend again they were killed. After that the men from the camp of Shakir threw stones at them; but the sons of Jacob occupied the town, and killed all the warriors, and added the booty from this town to the booty they had formerly collected.

10 On the fifth day they went to Mount Gaʿash. There lived a great multitude of the Amorites. Gaʿash was a fortified town of the Amorites. They fought against it, but could not well subdue it because it had three walls, one wall inside the other. And the inhabitants began to defy and taunt the sons of Jacob.

11 Judah grew angry, and he was the first to jump onto the wall. He would have died there if his father Jacob had not come to his rescue. He first bent his bow and shot his arrows with his right hand, then he drew his sword and killed right and left, until Dan sprang onto the wall and assisted Judah. From the right-hand side the inhabitants threw stones at him, and from inside they fought him, and they all tried to push him down the wall. Dan drove them away from the wall. After Dan, Simeon, Levi and Naphtali came up, and they killed so many of the inhabitants that the blood flowed like a river. And when the sun was near its setting they had taken the town and killed all the warriors and they carried away the booty.

12 On the sixth day all the Amorites came without arms and promised to keep peace and friendship, and they gave to Jacob Timnaʿ and the whole land of Hararyah. Then Jacob made peace with them, and the sons of Jacob returned to them all the sheep they had captured from them, and in returning them gave double, two for one. And Jacob built Timnah, and Judah built Zabel. And from that time on they lived in peace with the Amorites. This is what Jacob said to Joseph, ‘I have given you a portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.’

1 And Esau went into a land away from his brother Jacob. He made a contract with him. Some say he went out of shame. The sages say: Esau went away because he had moved his property away, and not because his hatred had subsided, for “he bore his anger perpetually and kept his fury forever.” Although he went away at that time, he came again to fight Jacob afterward. Leah had just died, and Jacob and his sons were sitting in mourning, and some of his children had come to comfort him. At that time Esau came against him with a mighty army, all dressed in iron and brass coats of mail, all armed with shields, and bows, and lances. They were altogether four thousand men, and they surrounded the fortress. Jacob, his sons, his servants, and his cattle, and all that belonged to them, were gathered, for they had all congregated to comfort Jacob during his mourning.

2 So they were all sitting peacefully, and never thought of any attack from any side at all until that army approached the place where Jacob and his sons were living. There were with them in all two hundred servants.

3 When Jacob saw that Esau dared to wage war with him, and that he had come to take the fortress and to kill them, and that he shot arrows against them, Jacob stood on the wall of the tower and spoke to Esau words of peace, friendship and brotherhood. But Esau did not heed them.

4 After that, Judah spoke to his father Jacob, and said to him: “How long will you speak to him words of friendship and love, while he comes against us like an armed enemy, with coats of mail and with bows to kill us?” And immediately Jacob bent the bow, and killed Adoram the Edomite.

5 And again he drew his bow, sent out his arrow, and hit Esau on the right shoulder. Esau became weak from the wound, and so his sons took him up and placed him on a white mule, and they carried him to Adoram, where he died. Others say he did not die there.

6 And then came Judah, and Gad and Naphtali with him, out of the south side of the fortress, and fifty young male servants of their father. And Levi, and Dan, and Asher came out from the east side of the fortress, and fifty servants with them. And Reuben, Issachar and Zebulun came out from the north of the fortress, and with them fifty servants. And Simeon, and Benjamin, and Enoch, the son of Reuben, came out from the west side of the fortress, and fifty servants with them. Joseph was not with them at that time, for he had already been sold.

7 Judah strengthened himself for the battle, and he, Naphtali and Gad first rushed against the army. And they captured the iron tower, and caught on their shields the stones which were hurled at them. The sun was darkened through the stones, and through the arrows which were shot at them, and through the missiles which the catapults hurled at them. And Judah rushed first against the enemy, and killed sixty men. Naphtali and Gad went with him, one kept watch over him to the right, and the other to the left, guarding him so that he would not be killed by the enemy. They also killed two men each, and the fifty servants who were with them helped them, and each of them killed his man, fifty in all.

8 And yet Judah, Naphtali and Gad could not drive away the army from the north side of the fortress, nor even move them from their position. Again they strengthened themselves for the battle, and each of them killed two of his adversaries.

9 And when Judah saw that they still kept their ground and that they could not move them from their place, his anger flared, and he clothed himself with strength, and he killed twenty men, while Naphtali and Gad killed ten men. And when the servants saw that Judah, Naphtali and Gad were standing in the middle of the battle, they came to their assistance, and fought together with them. Judah was killing to the right and left, and Naphtali and Gad killed behind him.

10 At that time they drove the army away from the north side of the city, a distance of a furlong Rīs. And they wanted to bury their dead, but could not do it. When the enemy saw that those who had fought against Judah had been dispersed by Judah and his brothers, they gathered together and strengthened themselves to fight with Judah and his brothers, and they formed their ranks to fight with strength and might. In the same way Levi and those with him, and Simeon and those with him, prepared themselves for battle with those lined up against them, and they were ready to fight for life or death.

11 When Judah saw that the whole army of the enemy had gathered against him, and that all would fight at one time, and that they stood in battle formation, he lifted up his eyes to God imploringly that He might help them, for they were very exhausted from the heavy fight, and they could not by any means fight any longer.

12 At that moment God accepted Judah’s prayer. He saw their trouble, and He helped them, for He sent out a storm from His treasuries, which blew in the faces of the army and filled their eyes with darkness and obscurity, so that they could not see how to fight, while the eyes of Judah and his brothers were clear, as the wind came from behind them. So Judah, Naphtali and Gad began to kill them, and they felled them to the ground, like the harvest cut by the reaper, who binds it into sheaves and heaps them up into stacks. They did this until they had destroyed the whole army which stood against them on the north side of the fortress.

13 Reuben, Simeon and Levi fought on their side with another portion of the army. And after Judah, Naphtali and Gad had killed those who fought with them, they went to the assistance of their brothers. The storm was still blowing, filling the eyes of the enemies with darkness and obscurity. Then Reuben, Simeon and Levi, and those with them, fell on the enemies, and felled them to the ground in heaps, while Judah, Naphtali and Gad were driving them before them, until all those were destroyed who fought against Levi and Reuben; and out of those who fought against Simeon four hundred were killed. The remaining six hundred ran away; with them were the four sons of Esau: Reuel, Yeush, Yaʿalam and Korah. Eliphaz did not accompany them in the war, for Jacob had been his teacher.

14 The sons of Jacob pursued them up to the city Merodio Herodia. There in the citadel of Merodio they left the body of Esau lying on the ground, and they ran away to Mount Seʿïr, to the place leading up to ʿAqrabim. The sons of Jacob entered Merodio and encamped there overnight. Finding there the body of Esau, they buried him out of respect for their father, Jacob. Some say he did not die there, but left Merodio, though ill, and went with his children to Mount Seʿïr. The sons of Jacob armed themselves and pursued them the way leading to ʿAqrabim, where they found the children of Esau, and all those that had fled with them. They all came out, prostrated themselves before the sons of Jacob, and asked for peace. The children of Jacob made peace with them, and required them to pay tribute forever.

1 When Naphtali grew old and came to an old age, and had completed his years of strength, and fulfillled the duty of the earth-born man, he began to command his children, and he said to them, “My children, come and draw near and receive the command of your father.” They answered, and said, “We listen, ready to fulfilll all that you command us.” And he said to them, “I do not command you concerning my silver, nor concerning my gold, nor concerning all my property that I leave to you here under the sun, nor do I command you any difficult thing which you may not be able to accomplish; but I speak to you about a very easy matter, which you can easily fulfill.”

2 His sons answered, and said a second time, “Speak, O father, for we listen.” Then he said to them, “I leave you no command except concerning the fear of God; Him you will serve, to Him you will cling.” They said to him, “What need does He have of our service?” And he answered, “It is not that God has need of any creature, but that all the creatures need Him. Nor has He created the world for nothing, but that His creatures should fear Him, and that none should do to his neighbor what he would not have done to himself.” They then said, “Our father, have you indeed seen us leaving your ways, or from the ways of our fathers, either to the right or to the left?” And he answered, “God and I are witnesses that it is just as you say; but I dread only the future, that you may not stray after the gods of strange nations; that you should not go in the ways of the peoples of the lands, and that you should not join the children of Joseph; only the children of Levi and the children of Judah you should join.”

3 They said to him, “What do you see that makes you command us about it?” He answered, “Because I see that in the future the children of Joseph will depart from the Lord, the God of their fathers, and induce the children of Israel to sin, and will cause them to be banished from the good land into another that is not ours, as we have been exiled through him to slavery in Egypt. I will also tell you the vision I have seen. When I was pasturing the flock I saw my twelve brothers feeding with me in the field; and our father came, and said to us, ‘My children, go, run, and let everyone take hold of anything he can get here before me.’ And we answered, and said, ‘What should we take possession of, as we do not see anything else but the sun, the moon, and the stars?’ And he said, ‘Take hold of them.’ When Levi heard it, he took a staff, rod, in his hands, and jumped onto the sun and rode on it. When Judah saw it, he did in the same way; he also took a rod and jumped onto the moon, and rode on it. So also every one of the nine tribes rode on his star and his planet in the heavens; Joseph alone remained on the earth.

4 “Jacob, our father, said to him, ‘My son, why have you not done as your brothers?’ He answered, ‘What can one born of woman gain in heaven, since in the end he must stand on the earth?’ While Joseph was speaking, there stood near him a mighty bull with wings like the wings of a stork, and his horns were like the horns of the wild ox. And Jacob said to him, ‘Get up, my son Joseph, and ride on him.’ And Joseph got up and mounted the bull. And Jacob left us. For about four hours Joseph took pride in the bull; now he walked and ran, then he flew up with him, until he came near to Judah, and with the staff he had in his hands he began to beat his brother Judah. Judah said to him, ‘My brother, why do you beat me?’ He answered, ‘Because you hold in your hands twelve rods, and I have only one; give them to me, and then there will be peace.’

5 “But Judah refused to give them to him, and Joseph beat him until he had taken from him ten against his will, and had left only two with him. Joseph then said to his ten brothers, ‘Why do you run after Judah and Levi? Depart from them at once!’ When the brothers of Joseph heard his words, they departed from Judah and Levi like one man, and followed Joseph, and there remained with Judah only Benjamin and Levi. When Levi saw this, he descended from the sun full of anger sadness. And Joseph said to Benjamin, ‘Benjamin, my brother, are you not my brother? Come also with me.’ But Benjamin refused to go with Joseph. When the day drew to an end, there arose a mighty storm, which separated Joseph from his brothers, so that no two were left together. When I saw this vision, I told it to my father Jacob, and he said to me, ‘My son, it is only a dream, which will not happen will neither ascend nor descend, for it has not been repeated.’

6 “Not long after that, however, I saw another vision. We were standing all together with our father Jacob, at the shore of the Great Sea. And there was a ship sailing in the middle of the sea without a sailor or a pilot. Our father said to us, ‘Do you see what I am seeing?’ We answered, ‘We see it.’ He then said to us, ‘Look what I am doing, and do the same.’ He took off his clothes, threw himself into the sea, and we all followed him. The first were Levi and Judah and they jumped in to the ship, and Jacob with them. In that ship there was all the goodness of the world. Jacob said, ‘Look at the mast and see what is written on it; for there is no ship on which the name of the master is not written on the mast.’

7 “Levi and Judah looked up, and they saw there was written, ‘This ship and all the good in it belong to the son of Berakhel the one whom God had blessed.’ When Jacob heard that, he rejoiced very much, bowed down and thanked God, and said, ‘Not only have You blessed me on earth, but You have blessed me on the sea too!’ He then said, ‘My children, be men, and whatever each one of you will seize, that will be his share.’ Then Levi ascended the big mast and sat on it; the second after him to ascend the other mast was Judah, and he sat on it. My other brothers then took each his oar, and Jacob our father grasped the two rudders to steer the ship by them. Joseph alone was left, and Jacob said to him, ‘My son Joseph, take your oar too.’ But Joseph refused. When my father saw that Joseph refused to take his oar, he said to him, ‘Come here, my son, and grasp one of the rudders which I hold in my hands, and steer the ship, while your brothers row with the oars until you reach land.’ And he taught each one of us, and he said to us, ‘This is how you will steer the ship, and you will not be afraid of the waves of the sea, nor of the blast of the wind when it rises against you.’

8 “When he had finished speaking, he disappeared from us. Joseph grasped both the rudders, one with the right hand and one with the left, and my other brothers were rowing, and the ship sailed on and floated over the waters. Levi and Judah sat on the mast to look out for the way course the ship was to take. As long as Joseph and Judah were of one mind, so that when Judah showed to Joseph which was the right way, Joseph accordingly directed the ship there, the ship sailed on peaceably without hindrance. After a while, however, a quarrel arose between Joseph and Judah, and Joseph no longer steered the ship according to the words of his father, and to the teaching of Judah; and the ship went wrong, and the waves of the sea dashed it on a rock, so that the ship foundered.

9 “Levi and Judah then descended from the mast to save their lives, and every one of the brothers went to the shore to save himself. There came our father, Jacob, and found us cast about, one here and the other there. He said to us, ‘What is the matter with you, my sons? Have you not steered the ship as it ought to be steered, and as I had taught you?’ We answered, ‘By the life of your servants, we did not depart from anything that you have commanded us, but Joseph transgressed the word sinned in the affair, for he did not keep the ship right according to your command, and as he was told taught by Judah and Levi, for he was jealous of them.’ And he, Jacob, said to us, ‘Show me the place of the ship.’ And he saw, and only the tops of the masts were visible. But the ship floated on the surface of the water. My father whistled, and we gathered around him. He again threw himself into the sea as before, and he healed repaired the ship, and entered it; and he rebuked Joseph, and said, ‘My son, you must no longer deceive your brothers and be jealous of them, for they were nearly lost because of you.’

10 “When I had told this vision to my father he clapped his hands and he sighed, and his eyes shed tears. I waited for a while, but he did not answer. So I took the hand of my father to embrace it, and to kiss it, and I said to him, ‘O servant of the Lord, why do your eyes shed tears?’ He answered, ‘My son, the repetition of your vision has made my heart sink within me, and my body is shaken with tremor because of my son Joseph, for I loved him above you all; and for the wickedness of my son Joseph you will be sent into captivity, and you will be scattered among the nations. For your first and second visions are both one and the same.’ I therefore command you not to unite combine with the sons of Joseph, but only with Levi and Judah. I further tell you that my lot will be in the best of the middle of the land, and you will eat and be satisfied with the choice of its products. But I warn you not to kick in your fatness and not to rebel and not to oppose the will of God, who satisfies you with the best of His earth; and not to forget the Lord your God, the God of your fathers, who was chosen by our father Abraham when the nations of the earth were divided in the time of Phaleg.

11 “At that time the Lord—blessed be He!—came down from His high heavens, and brought down with Him seventy ministering angels, Michael being the first among them. He commanded them to teach the seventy descendants of Noah seventy languages. The angels descended immediately and fulfilled the command of their Creator. The holy language, the Hebrew, remained only in the house of Sem and Eber, and in the house of our father Abraham, who is one of their descendants.

12 “On that day the angel Michael took a message from the Lord, and said to each of the seventy nations separately, ‘You know the rebellion you undertook and the treacherous confederacy into which you entered against the Lord of heaven and earth, now choose today whom you will worship and who will be your Protector in heaven.’ Nimrod, the wicked, answered, ‘I do not know anyone greater than those who taught me and my nation the languages of Kush.’ In the same way answered Put, and Mizraim, and Tubal, and Javan, and Meseh, and Tiras; and every nation chose its own angel, and none of them mentioned the name of the Lord, blessed be He!

13 “But when Michael said to our father Abraham, ‘Abram, whom do you choose, and whom will you worship?’ Abram answered, ‘I choose and I will worship only Him who said and the world was created, Him who has created me in the womb of my mother, body within body, Him who has given to me spirit and soul—Him I choose and to Him will I cling, I and my descendants after me, all the days of the world.’ Then He divided the nations and apportioned to every nation its lot and share; and from that time all the nations separated themselves from the Lord, blessed be He! Only Abraham and his house remained with his Creator to worship Him, and after him Isaac and Jacob and myself. I therefore solemnly urge you not to err and not to worship any other god than that one chosen by your fathers.

14 “For you will know there is no other god like Him, and no other who can do like His works in heaven and on earth, and there is none to do such wondrous and mighty deeds like Him. A portion only of His power you can see in the creation of man; how many remarkable wonders are there not in him! He created him perfect from head to foot; to listen with the ears, to see with the eyes, to understand with his brains, to smell with his nose, to produce the voice with his windpipe, to eat and drink with his gullet, to speak with his tongue, to pronounce with his mouth, to do work with his hands, to think with his heart, to laugh with his spleen, to be angry with his liver, to digest with his belly stomach, to walk with his feet, to breathe with his lungs, to be counseled by his kidneys, and none of his limbs and organs changes its function, but every one remains at its own.

15 “It is therefore proper for man to bear in mind all these things—to remember who has created him, and who it is that has formed him out of a drop in the womb of the woman, and who it is that brings him out into the light of the world, and who has given him the sight of the eyes and the walking of the feet, and who stands him upright and has given him intelligence for doing good deeds, and has breathed into him a living soul and the spirit of purity. Blessed is the man who does not defile the Divine spirit which has been put and breathed into him, and blessed is he who returns it as pure as it was on the day when it was entrusted to him by his Creator.” These are the words of Naphtali, the son of Israel, which he entrusted to his sons; they are sweeter than honey to the palate.

1 After these things the wife of his master raised her eyes to Joseph. Potiphar’s wife, whom he served, used to entice him every day with her words, and used to adorn herself with all kinds of ornaments and dress herself in many dresses in order to find favor in his eyes. But he prevailed over his inclination. It was for this strength of mind that he became worthy of being made king and ruler over Egypt.

2 One day all the Egyptian women assembled together to see Joseph’s beauty. When Joseph was brought before them to serve them, his master’s wife offered each of them an apple and knife to peel it; but when they started peeling their apples they all cut their hands, since they were so much captivated with Joseph’s beauty that they could not take their eyes from him. She Potiphar’s wife then said, “If you do this after seeing him for only one hour, how much more should I be captivated who see him continually?” Here I think it right to return to the book of Josippon at the place where we left, namely, the generations of Noah’s sons. Josippon began to list the generations of Adam, Seth, and Anosh, and gave a list of the names of the families of the children of Japheth, and the boundaries of their lands until Kittim and Dudanim, as I have written above, among the generations of Noah’s sons. Afterward he wrote the following, which I write down here, as it seems to belong to this portion.

1 When the Lord scattered the sons of man all over the surface of the earth, they became separated into different companies. The Kittim formed one company, and encamping in the plain of Kapanya Campania, they lived there by the river Tiberio, while the children of Tubal encamped in Toscana, and their frontier was the river Tiberio. They built a city and called it Sabino, after the name of its builders. And the Kittim also built a city for themselves, and called its name Poṣomanga. Now, the children of Tubal were overbearing to the Kittim, and said, “They will not intermarry among us.” But it happened at the harvest time, when the children of Tubal had gone to their fields, that the young men of the Kittim gathered together, and, going to Sabino, they took their daughters captives, and then climbed the mountain of Kaporiṣio. As soon as the children of Tubal heard of this they formed their ranks for battle against them, but could not prevail over them because of the height of the mountain, so they gathered all the young warriors to the mountain.

2 In the next year the children of Tubal went out again to battle, but the Kittim brought up all the children that were born of their Tubal’s daughters onto the wall which they had built, and said, “You have come to fight against your own sons and daughters; are we not now your own bone and flesh?” At this they ceased fighting, and the Kittim gathered together and built a city by the sea which they called Porto, and another which they called Albano, and yet another which they named Arēṣah.

3 In those days Ṣefo, the son of Eliphaz, fled from Egypt. Joseph had captured him when he went up to Hebron to bury his father. It was then that the children of Esau tried to entice him to evil, but Joseph prevailed over him and capturing Ṣefo from them, brought him to Egypt. After the death of Joseph, Ṣefo fled from Egypt, to Africa, to Agnias, King of Carthage, where he was received with great honor and appointed commander of the army.

4 At the same time there lived a man in the land of the Kittim, in the city of Poṣomanga, named ʿUṣi. He was to the Kittim as a vain god. He died and left no son, but only one daughter, named Iania. She was beautiful and very wise, nor was the like of her beauty to be found in all the land. Agnias sought her for his wife, as did Turnus, King of Benevento; but they, the Kittim, said to the latter, “We cannot give her to you, because Agnias, King of Afriqia, seeks her; we fear that he will wage war against us, and in that case you could not deliver us from his power.”

5 The inhabitants of Poṣomanga then sent a letter to that effect to Agnias. Then he mustered his whole army and came to the island of Sardinia. Palos, his nephew, went out to meet him, and said, “When you ask my father to come to your assistance, ask him to appoint me the head of the army.” Agnias did so, and came into the province of Astiras in ships. Turnus went out to meet him, and a very severe battle ensued in the valley Kapanya Campania, in which Palos, his nephew, fell by the sword. Agnias then embalmed him, and having made a golden human image, placed him inside it. After that he once more set his men in battle array and captured Turnus, King of Benevento, and having killed him, made a mask image of brass, and placed him inside it. He then built a tower in the highway in his honor, and another for Palos, his nephew, and called the one “The tower of Palos,” and the other “The tower of Turnus,” and the two towers were separated by a marble pavement, which remains to this day. They were built between Albano and Rome. Agnias then married Iania and returned to his own country. From that day on Gondalas and the armies of the kings of Afriqia used to ravage the land of the Kittim for captured goods and loot, Ṣefo always accompanying them.

6 When this Ṣefo, the son of Eliphaz, traveled from Afriqia to the Kittim, the inhabitants received him with great honor, and presented him with many gifts so that he became very rich. And the troops of Afriqia spread themselves over all the land of the Kittim, and they having assembled, ascended the mountain of Kaporiṣio because of the troops of Gondalos.

7 One day one of the herd of Ṣefo was missing, and after starting in search of it he heard the bellowing of a bull in the neighborhood of the mountain. On going to the bottom of the mountain, he discovered a cave with a great stone placed at its mouth. When he removed the stone he saw to his surprise a huge animal devouring the bullock. From the middle downward it presented the likeness of man, while from the middle upward that of a goat. Ṣefo instantly sprang on it, and split its head open. The inhabitants of Kittim then said, “What should be done for the man who has killed the beast that continually devoured our cattle?” On a festival day they assembled together and called his name Janus, after the name of the beast. They offered him drink offerings on that day and brought him meal offerings, and from that time they named the day “The festival of Janus.”

8 When the troops of Gondalos once more invaded the land of the Kittim to loot, as before, Janus went out against them, and having struck them and put them to flight, he delivered the land from their raids. The Kittim then assembled and appointed Ṣefo to the throne of the kingdom. The Kittim then went out to subdue the children of Tubal and the nations around them. And Janus their king went before them and subdued them. After this Ṣefo was called Saturnus, in addition to Janus: Janus after the name of the beast, and Saturnus after the name of the star which they worshiped in those days, that is, the planet “Shabtai” Saturnus.

9 He reigned at first in the valley of Kapanya, in the land of the Kittim, and built an extremely large temple there. He then extended his kingdom over the whole of the Kittim, and over all Italy. Janus Saturnus, after a reign of fifty-five years, died and was buried.

10 His successor was Piqos Faunos, who reigned fifty years. He also erected a huge temple in the valley of Kapanya, and soon after died. His successor was named Latinus; it was he who explained the language and its letters. He also built a temple for his dwelling, and many ships. He went to battle with Astrubel, the son of Agnias, whom Iania bore him, in order to take his daughter Yaspiṣi as his wife, as Agnias had done to the Kittim when he took Iania from them in battle. And this woman was very beautiful, so much so that the men of her generation wove her image onto their clothes in honor of her beauty. A fierce battle ensued between Astrubel, King of the Carthaginians, and Latinus, King of Kittim, and Latinus captured the fountain of water which Agnias, when he took Iania, had brought with her to Carthage.

11 For Iania the queen, when arriving there, was taken ill, and Agnias and his servants were deeply distressed. Agnias said to his wise men, “How can I cure Iania’s illness?” His servants replied, “The air of our land is not like that of Kittim, nor our waters like theirs. Therefore the queen is ill through the change of air and water, for in her own land she only drank the water drawn from Forma, which her ancestors drew over bridges aqueducts.” Agnias then ordered his ministers princes to bring water from Forma in Kittim in a vessel. They weighed these waters against all the waters of Africa, and found that only those of Goqar corresponded with them. Agnias then ordered his princes to gather together stonemasons by thousands and tens of thousands. So they cut a vast number of stones for building; and, being in great numbers, they built a bridge an aqueduct from the fountain of the water as far as Carthage. All these waters were for the sole use of Iania, who used them for drinking, baking, washing clothes, ordinary washing, and for watering all the seeds which provided her food. They also brought earth from Kittim in many ships, as well as stones and bricks, and they built with them temples. All this they did for the great love they bore her, for through her wiles she charmed the people, and through her they called themselves blessed, and she was to them as a goddess.

12 Now, it happened when Latinus waged war with Astrubel that he overthrew part of the bridge, so that the troops of Gondalos were extremely furious, and fought desperately. Astrubel being mortally wounded, Latinus by main force captured Yaspiṣi, his daughter, for his wife. He brought her to Kittim and made her queen. And Latinus reigned forty-five years.

13 When Latinus died, Anias reigned in his place for three years, and, after his death, Asqinus Ascanias reigned thirty-eight years. He also built a large temple. After him Seliaqos reigned twenty-nine years, and he built a large temple. After his death Latinus, who reigned for fifty years, succeeded him. This was the king who fought with Almania and Burgunia, the sons of Elisa, whom he took as tribute. He built a temple to “Luṣifer,” that is, Nogah, and closed that of Saturnus, which was “the Temple of Shabbetai.” He passed his priests through the fire on the altar of his temple, dedicated to “Luṣifer.”

14 After the death of Latinus, Anias Trognos Tarquinius reigned in his place thirty-three years. He also erected a temple to Saturn. After him Alba reigned thirty-nine years. When he died, Aviṣianos reigned for twenty-four years, and built a large temple. After him Qapis reigned twenty-eight years, and built a temple. After him Karpitos reigned for twenty-three years, and built a temple. After him Tiberios reigned for eight years. Agrippa reigned after him for forty years. Romulus succeeded him, and reigned nine years, during which time he built several temples. After him Abṭinos reigned for thirty-seven years. This is the king who waged war with the children of Rifath, who lived by the Lira, and with the sons of Turnus, who lived in Toronia by the river Lira. It was they who fled from Agnias, King of Afriqi, and who built Purnus and Anba. These Abṭinos brought to submission. After him Procas reigned twenty-three years; and after him Aemilius reigned for forty-three years.

15 After his death Romulus reigned for thirty-eight years. In his days David struck the land of Syria, so that Hadarezer and his sons fled into the land of the Kittim. He there obtained a place on the seashore and a place on the mountain. He there built a city, and called its name Sorento.

16 At that place there lived a young man, a descendant of the family of Hadarezer, who had fled from David. He built the old city Albano, where his descendants live to this day. But within the city of Sorento a well of oil sprung up, and after some years the city subsided, and the sea swept over it, that is, between Napoli and New Sorento; yet the well did not cease from flowing, for until this very day the oil bubbles and rises on the waters of the sea, while the inhabitants are continually collecting it.

17 Romulus was greatly afraid of David. He therefore built a wall higher than any other wall erected before then by any king that preceded him, and he surrounded all the mountains and hills around it with this wall. Its length was forty-five miles, and he called the name of the city Roma, after the name of Romulus. And they yet continued to be greatly afraid of David. He made the name of the Kittim great, and they called the place Romania, as it is called to this very day. He built a temple in honor of Jovis, that is, “Ṣedek,” and removed that dedicated to “Luṣifer.” And Romulus waged great wars. He also made a covenant with David.

18 After the death of Romulus, Numa Popilios reigned in his place forty-one years. After him Polios reigned for thirty-two years. After him Tarkinos reigned for thirty-seven years. After his death Servios reigned thirty-four years. After him Tarkinos reigned. This Tarkinos was he who fell in love with a Roman woman. But as she was already married, he took her by force. The woman was distressed at this, and she stabbed herself with a dagger and met her death. Her brothers rose up, and, going to the temple of Jovis, they lay in wait for Tarkinos. When he came to pray they fell on him with drawn swords and killed him.

19 On that day the Romans took an oath that no king should reign from then on in Rome. They then selected seventy Roman counselors and appointed them to rule and to guide the kingdom. “The Old Man” and his seven counselors then ruled over them and subdued all the West.

20 After 205 years battles were fought by sea and land between Babylon and Rome, because the Romans assisted Greece when the Greeks fought with Babylon. At that time, when they rebelled, they caused the Tiber to flow into other channels, and laid a floor for the river from one gate of Rome to the other, from its entrance to its exit, a distance of eighteen miles, all of which was covered with brass, from the gate of Rome where it flows into the sea until the gate where it takes its source, a distance of eighteen miles, for three-fourths of the people were on one side of the river and one-fourth on the other side. The river flowed in the middle of the city, and the inhabitants of Rome paved its bed. No ships or boats of the King of Babylon could enter from then on. The Romans feared and trembled, as they had heard that the King of Babylon had captured Jerusalem. They sent him presents by messengers, and made a treaty after that war so that wars ceased between them until the reign of Darius the Mede. So far the narrative of Josippon. After this Josippon wrote of the kingdom of Darius and Cyrus, and the book of the Maccabees, and of the kings who lived during the time of the second temple until its destruction. I will, with the help of God, write it all in its proper place just as it is written in the book of Josippon until the end.

1 I also find that during the First Temple, in the time of Jotham, King of Judah, two brothers, Remus and Romilus, arose who were the first kings of Rome. They reigned thirty-eight years.

2 I also find in “Ṣoḥer Tob” that their mother died from labor pains at their birth, and that God appointed a she-wolf to nurse them until they were grown up. Romulus built the city of Roma. He, the first king, then appointed 100 elders as counselors. He also built a temple in Rome, and erected the walls of Rome.

3 After him, Huma Numa Pompilios reigned for forty-one years. This Huma Pompilios added two months to the year, namely, Januarius and Febrius, for the Romans had originally only ten months to the year. After him Tullus Ostilius reigned for thirty-two years. This Tullus, King of Rome, was the first to clothe himself in purple robes.

4 These are the seven kings that reigned in Rome: 1. Romulus; 2. Numa Pompilius; 3. Tullus Ostilius; 4. Ancus Marcus; 5. Tarquinius Priscus; 6. Servius; 7. Tarquinus. Their rule over Rome lasted altogether 240 years. After them Rome remained without a king for 464 years until the reign of Julius Caesar. Here ends the “Book of Genealogies.” I now begin the “Chronicles of Moses, our Teacher.”

1 From the time that Jacob and his sons came to the land of Goshen, there reigned in it certain shepherds, for the land of Egypt was divided into three kingdoms, namely, the land of Ramses, where the Tibei reigned. This was situated at the extreme end of Egypt. The Israelites built this town, which was afterward called Ramses because of the evil, רע Rá, and the tribute, מס Mas, which were imposed on the Israelites. The former name of the city was Heroēs. Another capital was Mof, that is Menfis, for Apis, King of Egypt, built it, and was made a god because Jovis, the god of Egypt, revealed himself to them in the form of a calf and a ram, and therefore they called him Sarapis. On this account shepherds were the abomination of Egypt in the land of Menfis, Nof, Pathros, and Taḥpanḥes, for the Egyptians did not eat sheep or rams because they worshiped them as gods. But the land of Goshen was the kingdom of the shepherds in honor of Joseph and Jacob and his sons, all of whom were shepherds.

2 Now, a new king arose in Egypt who did not know Joseph and his good deeds. This was Pharaoh Amenofis. In his days there arose in the air the likeness of an ox. On its right side it had a mark resembling the moon, from which sparks came out. When it arose in the morning with the sun, it used to fly in the air of the heaven. All the Egyptians worshiped it, and praised it with every kind of song. When it moved they also moved, and when it stood they also stood. The ox used also to sing hymns. This it did once in each year. It became a festival day in Egypt, and they called it the day of Sarapis. Because of this, the Israelites afterward made the calf in the wilderness, as it is said, “And he passed through the sea of affliction.”

3 Then he, Pharaoh, said to his people, “The people of Israel are becoming mightier and stronger than we; and the Egyptians envy and hate them because of the multitude of their families, the greatness of their riches, and their mighty strength. Come, let us make a plan so that they do not multiply, and let us appoint rulers over Israel, and taskmasters over these rulers from among our own people, for the purpose of subjecting them to harsh slavery, and let us further appoint tax collectors over them that they may be reduced to poverty.” And they built store cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Ramses, great cities which stood on the border of Pithom at the extremity of the land of Egypt, and Ramses at the other extremity. In these two cities were the stores of the king and his implements of war. They were built in such a way that no one could possibly enter or go out of the land of Egypt without the king’s knowledge. And the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites harshly; they appointed taskmasters, who beat them to obtain the taxes. They embittered their lives with harsh slavery, in that they had to dig all the channels in the land of Egypt, and to carry the manure on their shoulders in pots and in baskets to manure the fields, as it is said, “I will remove the burden of manure from his shoulder, and his hands will be removed from the pots.” They had to clean all the channels of the land because of the Nile, which filled them once in forty years.

4 The Egyptians decreed three kinds of punishment against Israel. One was to embitter their lives; the second to impose slavery on them in the field; and the third to throw all their males into the river, for they said to King Pharaoh Amenofis, “We will kill the males that they may not increase, and allow the females to live to be our servants and our wives, and the males we father through them will be our slaves.” Because of this their misery went up before the Lord. And when the women neared the end of their pregnancies, they went out in the field and there gave birth to their children, and they left them in the field. The Lord then sent an angel, who washed the children and placed in their hand two stones, from one of which they sucked milk, and from the other honey. When the children were weaned they returned to their father’s house. When the Egyptians saw the children in the field, they tried to take them away, but the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up. The Egyptians brought their plowshares and plowed the field over them, but could not harm them, for the Lord had saved them.

5 The elders and all the people then gathered together, wept and wailed, saying, “It would have been better had our wives been barren, for the fruit of the womb has now been annihilated. Now let no man sleep with his wife for some time; for it is preferable to die childless than to see our children defiled by the Gentile, until we know what the Lord will do.” Now Amram answered and said, “Are you willing, through stubbornness or with deliberate intent, to destroy the world? But even when misery has reached the bottom of the abyss the descendants of Israel will not be destroyed; for the Lord has sworn to Abraham to afflict his descendants for 400 years, and from the time of the covenant between the pieces which God made with Abraham, 350 years have already passed, and 130 years of these we have been slaves in Egypt. Now I will not follow your advice, to fix a time for God’s intervention, and to prevent my wife from helping to populate the world, for the anger of the Lord will not last forever, nor will He forsake His people forever, nor has He made the covenant with our ancestors in vain, neither has He increased the descendants of Israel to no purpose.

6 “Now I will therefore sleep with my wife according to the commandment of God, and, if it is pleasing to you, act in the same way, and when our wives conceive, they will conceal the fruit of their conception for three months, just as Tamar, our mother, did. She did not deliberately go astray, for she said, ‘It is better for me to die than to mix with the heathen.’ She therefore concealed the fruit of her womb for three months and then confessed. Now let us do the same ourselves. And when the time of bearing comes to an end, we will not withhold the fruit of our womb, for perhaps the Lord will be zealous, and save us from our affliction.”

7 The advice of Amram seemed good in the eyes of God, and He said to him, “Your words are pleasing in My sight. Therefore a son will be born to you who will be My servant forever, who will perform wonders in the house of Jacob, and signs and miracles among the people. And I will show him My glory, and make My ways known to him. In him I will cause My light to burn, and will teach him My statutes and laws. I will lead him on the high places of My righteousness and My judgments, and through him the light of the world will be kindled. I have thought of him from the beginning when I said, ‘My spirit will not struggle any longer with man, since he is to be in the flesh. His days will be 120 years.’”

8 Amram, of the tribe of Levi, went out and married Jochebed, the daughter of Levi. All the people also took wives. And Amram fathered a son and daughter, Aaron and Miriam. And the spirit of the Lord came upon Miriam so that she had a dream in the night. She told her father, saying, “In the night I saw a man clothed in fine linen. ‘Tell your father and mother,’ he said, ‘that whatever is born to you in the night will be thrown onto the waters, and by him the waters will become dry. And through him wonders and miracles will be performed, and he will save My people Israel, and he will be their leader forever.’” This dream Miriam told her father and mother. But they did not believe it.

9 Now, Jochebed had been pregnant for six months, and in the seventh month she bore a son. They could no longer conceal him, for the Egyptians had made houses by which they knew of the birth of a child. They therefore made a little ark, and placed the child among the bulrushes. The elders then said to Amram, “Did we not say to you ‘It is better for us to die childless than to see the fruit of our womb cast into the sea’?” Then said Amram to his daughter Miriam, “Where is your prophecy?” So his sister stood a little distance off to know what would become of the child. And Pharaoh’s daughter went down to wash. And she took the child and adopted him as a son.

1 In the 130th year after the Israelites had gone down to Egypt, Pharaoh dreamed a dream. While he was sitting on the throne of his kingdom he lifted up his eyes, and saw an old man standing before him. In his hand he held a pair of scales as used by merchants. The old man then took the scales and, holding them up before Pharaoh, he laid hold of all the elders of Egypt and its princes, together with all its great men, and, having bound them together, placed them in one pan of the scales. After that he took a dairy goat, and, placing it in the other pan, it outweighed all the others. Pharaoh then awoke, and it was a dream.

2 Rising early next morning, he called all his servants, and told them the dream. They were terribly frightened by it, and one of the king’s eunuchs said, “This is nothing else than a warning of a great disaster about to strike Egypt.” On hearing this the king said to the eunuch, “What will it be?” And the eunuch replied, “A child will be born in Israel, who will destroy all the land of Egypt. If it is pleasing to the king, let the royal command be issued throughout the land of Egypt that every male born among the Hebrews should be killed, so that this disaster is averted from the land of Egypt.”

3 The king did so, and accordingly sent for the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shifrah, and another Puah, and said to them, “When the Hebrew women give birth, and you see on the birth stools that it is a son, kill it; but if a daughter, then let it live.” But the midwives feared God, and did not act according to the king’s word, but let the males live. The king, therefore, summoned the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and kept the males alive?” And the midwives answered Pharaoh, saying, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are like the free animals of the field which do not require midwives; before the midwives come to them the children are born.”

4 When Pharaoh saw that he could not do anything with them, he commanded all his people, saying, “Every male that is born you must throw into the river; but all the females you must keep alive.” When the Israelites heard this command of Pharaoh to throw their males into the river, some of the people separated from their wives, while others remained with them. Around the time of childbirth, the women went out into the field, and the Lord, who swore to their ancestors that He would multiply them, sent them an angel, one of his ministers, who was appointed over childbirth, to wash the child and rub it with salt; and the angel bound it in swaddling clothes, and placed in the child’s hand two smooth stones, from the one of which it sucked milk, and from the other honey. God also caused its hair to grow down to its knees, so as to be well covered by it; and the angel rocked it caressingly.

5 And when God had compassion on them and sought to increase them on the face of the whole land, He commanded the earth to swallow the children up, and protect them until they grew up, after which time it should open its mouth and let them come out so that they should sprout like the grass of the field, and like the young trees of the forest. Then they would return to their families, and to the house of their fathers, where they would remain.

6 Accordingly, it happened that after the earth had swallowed up, through the mercy of God, the males born of the house of Jacob, that the Egyptians went out into the field to plow with teams of oxen and with the plowshare. They worked plowed over them like a raider at harvest time. But no matter how hard they plowed they were unable to injure them, and so they increased abundantly. Another version: At the time of birth they left their children in the field, and the Lord, who swore to their ancestors that He would cause them to inherit the land, tamed for them the beasts of the field, and sustained and reared them, as it is said, “And the beasts of the field were at peace with you.” When the Egyptians saw that they, the Israelites, left their sons in the field, and that the wild beasts helped them, and led them in the forests until they had grown to manhood, they said, “These have surely reared them in the caverns and vaults of the earth,” and each of them brought their plowshare and their plow, and plowed above them, etc.

1 There was a Levite in the land of Egypt whose name was Amram, the son of Qehath, the son of Levi, the son of Jacob. This man betrothed Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, the sister of his father, and she conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and called her name Miriam the bitter, because in those days people began to embitter the lives of the Israelites. She conceived again and gave birth to a son, whose name she called Aaron pregnancy, because during the time of her pregnancy Pharaoh began to shed the blood of their males on the ground, and to throw them into the river of Egypt. When, however, the word of the king and his decree became known about throwing their males into the river, many of God’s people separated from their wives, as did Amram from his wife.

2 After three years the Spirit of God came upon Miriam, so that she went out and prophesied in the house, saying, “A son will be born to my mother and father, and he will rescue the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians.” When Amram heard his young daughter’s prophecy he took back his wife, from whom he had separated because of Pharaoh’s decree to destroy all the male line of the house of Jacob. After three years of separation he slept with her and she conceived. And six months after she conceived, she gave birth to a son. The whole house was at that moment filled with a great light, as the light of the sun and the moon in their splendor. The woman saw that the child was good and beautiful to see, so she hid him in an inner room for three months.

3 At that time the Egyptian women secretly planned together to destroy the Hebrew women; they, therefore, went to the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were carrying their little children who could not speak on their shoulders. The Hebrew women then hid their children from the Egyptians, so that their existence might not become known to them, in order to preserve them from destruction and annihilation. The Egyptian women came in this way to Goshen with their children who could not speak, and when one of them came into the house of the Hebrew she made her own child chatter in the child’s language, and the hidden child, hearing it, replied in the same way. The Egyptian women then went to Pharaoh’s house to tell him of it, and Pharaoh sent his officers to kill those children.

4 After that child Moses had been hidden now for three months and this became known to Pharaoh, the mother took the child and placed it in a little ark of bulrushes, which she coated with bitumen and pitch. She then hurriedly placed the child among the reeds by the river’s edge, while his sister stood at a distance to see what would be done to him.

5 God then sent drought and great heat in the land of Egypt, so that it burned a person’s very flesh just as when the sun is in its strength. The Egyptians were therefore greatly troubled. Pharaoh’s daughter went down by the riverside to bathe, as did all the Egyptian women, because of the heat and the drought. Her female servants and all Pharaoh’s concubines went with her. While doing this, she saw the ark floating on the water, and sent her female servant to fetch it. On opening the box, she discovered the child. It began to cry, and she had pity on it, and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.”

6 At this the Egyptian women by the river came up for the purpose of breastfeeding it, but it refused to take them. God wished to return it to the breast of its mother. The child’s sister Miriam then said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a Hebrew wet nurse to breastfeed the child?” “Yes,” she said. And she immediately called the child’s own mother. Then said Pharaoh’s daughter, “Take this child and breastfeed it for me, and I will give you as a reward a monthly wage of two pieces of silver.” So the woman took the child and nursed it.

7 After two years she brought it to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted it, and she called its name Moses, “for from the waters I drew him.” But his father called him “Ḥeber,” because for his sake he joined his wife again from whom he had separated himself; while his mother called him “Yequtiel,” because “I placed my hope in God the Almighty,” and He returned him to her. His sister called him “Yered,” because she went down to the river after him to know what his end would be; while his brother called him “Abi Zanoaḥ,” saying, “My father separated from my mother, but returned to her because of this child.” Kohath, his grandfather, named him “Abigedor,” because for his sake God closed up the breach of the house of Jacob, so that they no more cast the children into the water. His nurse called him “Abi Sokho,” saying that he was hidden in a tent or box for three months out of fear of the descendants of Ham; and all Israel called him “Ben Nethanel,” because in his days God heard their groaning.

8 In the third year after Moses’ birth, when Pharaoh was sitting at his meal, with his queen on his right, his daughter on his left, and the child in her lap, and all the princes of the kingdom sitting around the table, it happened that the child stretched out his hand, and, taking the crown from the king’s head, placed it on his own. The king and the princes, on seeing this, were confused and extremely astonished.

9 Then Balaam, the sorcerer, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “King, do you remember the dream you had and the interpretation your servant gave it? Now, is this not one of the children of the Hebrews in whom the spirit of God is? By his wisdom he has done this and has chosen for himself the kingdom of Egypt. Abraham did the same, who weakened the power of Nimrod, the King of the Chaldeans, and Abimelech, King of Gerar, and inherited the land of the children of Ḥeth and all the kingdoms of Canaan. He also went down to Egypt, and said of his wife, ‘She is my sister,’ for the purpose of placing a stumbling block in the way of the Egyptians and their king. Isaac did the same in Philistia when he stayed in Gerar. He grew stronger than all the Philistines. Their king he also wished to lead astray when he said of his wife, ‘She is my sister.’ Jacob also went stealthily and took away his only brother’s birthright and his blessing as well. He then went to Padan Aram, to the house of Laban, his maternal uncle, and by his cunning obtained his daughters, his cattle, and all that he had. He then fled to the land of Canaan.

10 “His sons again sold Joseph into Egypt, where he was put in prison for two years, until the Pharaoh before you dreamed dreams. He was then taken from prison and appointed over the princes of Egypt, because of the interpretation of these dreams. When God brought a famine on the land he brought his father and his brothers to Egypt. He maintained them without paying for it, and he bought us as slaves. If, now, it seems good to the king, let us shed the blood of this child, so that when he grows up, he does not take the kingdom from your hands, and Egypt perish.”

11 God at that moment sent one of his angels, named Gabriel, who assumed the form of one of them. “If it pleases the king,” said the angel, “let onyx stones and live coals be brought and placed before the child, and if he reaches out his hand to the coals, then know that he has not done this by his wisdom, and let him live.” This thing being good in the eyes of the king and the princes, they acted according to the word of the angel, and they brought him the onyx and the coals. The angel then placed the child’s hand near the coal so that his fingers touched it. He lifted it to his mouth and burned his lips and his tongue, so that he had trouble speaking. The king and the princes then stopped trying to kill the child.

12 He lived for fifteen years afterward in the king’s palace, clothed in garments of purple, for he was reared together with the king’s sons. When he was in his eighteenth year the lad longed for his parents, and consequently went to them. He went out to his brothers in the field and looked at their burdens. He there saw an Egyptian strike one of his Hebrew brothers. When the man that was beaten saw Moses he ran to him for help, for Moses was a highly honored man in Pharaoh’s house. He said to him, “Sir, this Egyptian came into my house in the night and, binding me with cords, raped my wife in my very presence, and he now seeks my life.” When Moses heard this evil deed he was extremely angry, and, turning this way and that to see that nobody was looking, he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. In this way he saved the Hebrew from the hand of the Egyptian.

13 Moses then returned to the palace, and the Hebrew to his house. When the man returned to his house he told his wife that he wished to divorce her, because it was not right for one of the house of Jacob to lie with his wife after she had been defiled. So the woman went out and told her brothers, who then sought to kill him, but he fled into his house, and so escaped.

14 On the next day Moses went out to his brothers, and, seeing that some were quarreling, he said to the wicked one, “Why do you beat your neighbor?” But one of them retorted, “Who made you to be a prince and judge over us? Will you kill us as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses by this perceived that the thing was already known.

15 Pharaoh immediately got to hear of it, and ordered Moses to be killed. But God sent Michael, the commander of His heavenly army, in the likeness of the chief executioner killer. He then took his sword and severed the head of the chief executioner, for his face was changed to the exact likeness of Moses. The angel then took hold of Moses’ hand, and, bringing him out from Egypt, placed him outside its border, a distance of forty days’ journey. But Aaron still remained in Egypt, who prophesied to the Israelites among the Egyptians, saying, “Throw away the abominations of the Egyptians, and do not defile yourselves with their idols.” But the Israelites rebelled and would not listen. The Lord then said that He would have destroyed them, if He had not remembered the covenant He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the hand of Pharaoh was constantly becoming heavier on the Israelites, so that he persecuted and oppressed them until God sent out His word and redeemed them.

1 At that time a war broke out between Cush on the one side and the people of Qedem East and Syria on the other; for these rebelled against the King of Cush. Qinqanos, King of Cush, then went out to war against the other two nations, and struck Syria and the East. He took many captives and made them submit to Cush.

2 When Qinqanos went out to war against Syria and the people of the East he left behind Balaam the sorcerer, that is, Laban the Aramean, who came from Caphtor, together with his two sons, Janis and Jambris, to guard the city and the poor people. But Balaam advised the people to rebel against Qinqanos, so that he should not be able to come into the city. The people, listening to him, swore to act accordingly. They made him king over them, and appointed his two sons as commanders of the people’s army. On two sides of the city they raised very high walls, while on the third side they dug an innumerable number of pits between the city and the river that surrounds the whole land of Cush, and from there the people drew into them the waters of the river. On the fourth side they collected by their wiles and witchcraft an immense number of serpents, so that no one could approach them.

3 When the king and all the commanders of the army returned from the war and saw the very high walls of the city they were greatly astonished, and said, “While we have been detained at war, they have built walls to the city and strengthened themselves to prevent the Canaanite kings from waging war against them.” But when they came near the city and discovered that the gates were closed, they shouted to the keepers, “Open the gates for us, that we may enter the city.” But they refused to open them, just as Balaam the sorcerer had ordered them, and would not allow them to enter the city. They therefore drew up their line of battle opposite the gate, and fought so that on that day there fell 130 men of Qinqanos’s army. On the second day they fought on the side of the river. But when thirty cavalrymen tried to cross they sank into the pits and were drowned. The king then commanded them to cut some wood, which they were to use as rafts on which to cross, and they did so. When, however, they came to the walls, the rafts rolled from under them like a mill, and on that day 200 men that had gone onto ten rafts were sunk in the wells. On the third day they went on that side of the city where the serpents lay, but they dared not approach. After 170 men had been killed by these serpents they ceased fighting against Cush. They besieged it for nine years, so that no one went out or entered the city.

4 During this siege Moses, having fled from Egypt, came to the camp of Qinqanos, the King of Cush. He was then only eighteen years old. This young man entered their ranks, and was much beloved by the king, the princes, and all the army, because he was mighty and beautiful. His height was like the cedar and his face like the rising sun, and his strength like that of a lion. He was therefore made the king’s counselor. After nine years the Cushite king was seized with an illness by which he died, so that after seven days Qinqanos died. His servants embalmed him, and buried him opposite the gate of the city looking toward Egypt. There they erected a beautiful building and a very high temple, and engraved on the stones his weapons and the record of his mighty deeds.

5 When they had completed the building, they said to each other, “What should we do now? If we try to get into the city and fight there will be many more of us killed than before. If we give up the siege, then all the Syrian kings and those of the East, having heard of the death of our king, will come on us suddenly, and none of us will be left. Now, let us appoint a king over us, and we will then continue the siege until the city falls into our hands.” They then hastily stripped themselves of their garments, and, throwing them on the ground, they made a large platform, on which they placed Moses. They then blew the trumpets, and exclaimed, “Long live the king!” And all the princes and all the people took the oath of obedience to him, and gave him a Cushite wife, the widow of Qinqanos. They then crowned him King of Cush. He was twenty-seven years old when he was made king.

6 On the second day of his reign they all assembled before the king, and said, “If it is pleasing to the king, give us advice what to do. For these last nine years we have not seen our wives nor our sons, but have remained in the siege.” The king then answered the people, saying, “Be certain that the city will be delivered into our hands if you listen to my advice. Now, if we fight with them, many of us will fall as at first, and if we determine to cross the water the same will happen to us. Now, go to the forest, and let each one bring a young stork, which he must keep until it has grown up and which must be trained to hunt like a hawk.” The people immediately hurried to the forest, and, climbing the fir trees, they each brought the young of the stork in their hands according to the king’s word.

7 When the young storks had grown up, the king commanded them to give them no food for two days, and on the third day he said to them, “Let each man put on his armor and harness the horses and mules to the chariots; and when each man has taken his stork in his hand, let us rise and wage war against the city on the side where the serpents are lying.” This they did. When they approached the place, the king said, “Let each send out his young stork.” As soon as they did so the storks flew onto the serpents and devoured them, thus ridding the place of them.

8 When the king and the people saw that the serpents had disappeared they raised a great shout, fought against the city, and captured it, so that each man went to his own house, to his own wife, and to his goods. On that day 1,100 inhabitants were killed, but of the besiegers not one. When Balaam the sorcerer saw that the city was taken, opening the gate, he and his two sons fled away on their horses to Egypt, to Pharaoh, King of Egypt. These were the magicians and the wizards who advised Pharaoh to wipe out the name of Jacob from the face of the earth, as it is written in the “Sefer Hayashar”, the Book of the Just, meaning the Bible.

1 When Pharaoh reigned over Egypt, he changed the statutes of the first kings and their laws, and made the yoke heavy on all the inhabitants of his land, and also on the house of Jacob he had no pity, through the counsel of Balaam the sorcerer and his two sons, for they were then the king’s counselors. The king then consulted his three advisers—one of whom was named Reuel the Midianite, the second Job, and the third Balaam of Petor—and said, “The Israelites are becoming more numerous, and mightier than we. Come, let us act wisely so that they do not grow too numerous, and in the event of a war breaking out they will assemble against us and fight us, and go up from the land.”

2 Then Reuel the Midianite exclaimed, “Long live the king! If it pleases the king, do not reach out your hand against them, because God has chosen them long ago and taken them from all nations of the earth to be His inheritance. For whoever of all the kings of the earth reaches out his hand against them their God will take vengeance on him. When Abraham went down to Egypt, and Pharaoh ordered his wife Sarah to be brought to him, did not the Lord their God send great plagues on him and on his house until he restored Abraham’s wife, and only through Abraham’s prayer was he healed? Also in the case of Abimelech in Gerar. As a punishment all his house was struck with barrenness, even to the animals. In a vision Abimelech learned the cause, and that he must restore Abraham’s wife whom he had taken. After Isaac prayed for him and his household, and pleaded with God on their behalf, they were healed.

3 “When Isaac was separated from his wife all their fountains were dried up, and their fruit-bearing trees did not yield their produce, and the breasts of their wives and the udders of their cows dried up. Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, his pastureland, with Phichol, the commander of his army. They prostrated themselves, and asked him to plead with God for them and pray to Him. When he pleaded with God they were healed. Jacob was an honest man living in tents; by his integrity he was delivered from Esau, and Laban the Aramean, and from all the kings of Canaan. Who can reach out his hand against them without being punished? Was it not your father that promoted Joseph over all the princes of Egypt, for through his wisdom he rescued all the inhabitants from famine, and commanded Jacob and his sons to go down to Egypt that the land of Egypt be saved from further evil through their piety? Now, if it seems good to you, cease destroying them, and if you do not wish to allow them to live in Egypt, send them away, and they will go to the land of Canaan.”

4 Pharaoh was extremely angry with Reuel, so he left the kingdom and went to Midian. He took Jacob’s staff with him. The king then said to Job, “Give your advice. What should be done with these people?” But Job briefly replied, “Are not all the inhabitants of your country in your hand? Do what is pleasing in your eyes.” Then Balaam of Petor spoke to the king, “If you think to diminish them by fire, has not their God delivered Abraham from the furnace of the Chaldeans? And if you think to destroy them by the sword, has not Isaac been tested with it, and a ram been given in his place? Now, King, if you seek to blot out their name, order their babies to be thrown into the sea, because not one of them has yet been put to this test.”

5 This advice pleasing the king, he issued a decree all over Egypt, saying that every male born to the Hebrews should be thrown into the water. And when the males of the house of Jacob were thrown into the river, Moses was one of them. The Lord then sent an angel to deliver them, and so he also was saved through the daughter of Pharaoh. When Moses grew up in the king’s palace Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him as her son, and the whole of Pharaoh’s household was afraid of him.

6 One day it was reported to Balaam that the son of Bityah Pharaoh’s daughter wished to take his life. Balaam the sorcerer and his two sons therefore fled for their lives and escaped to the land of Cush. And when Qinqanos waged war with the peoples of the East and Syria, Balaam revolted against him and did not allow him to enter the city. Cush was therefore besieged for nine years, and during the siege Qinqanos died. The people then crowned Moses the Levite as their king.

7 By his wisdom Moses captured the city, and was placed on the throne of the kingdom with the crown on his head. They also gave him the Cushite wife of the late monarch as his wife. But Moses, fearing the God of his fathers, did not sleep with her, for he remembered the oath which Abraham made Eleazar his servant swear, saying, “You must not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan for my sons.” Isaac said the same to Jacob when he fled because of Esau. “You must not intermarry,” he said, “with the children of Ham, for remember that Noah said, ‘The children of Ham should be servants to the children of Shem and Japheth.’” Therefore Moses feared the Lord, and walked before Him in truth with all his heart. Nor did he deviate from the path where his ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob walked. The kingdom of Cush was firmly established through him, and, going to war with Edom, the East of Palestine, and Syria, he conquered them, and made them submit to Cush. The number of years during which he sat on the throne was forty, and in all his battles he was successful, because the Lord God of his fathers was with him.

8 In the fortieth year of his reign, when he was sitting on the throne with his queen by his side, the queen said to the princes in the presence of the people, “During the whole of the forty years that this king has reigned he has not once slept with me, nor has he worshiped the gods of Cush. Now, listen to me, sons of Cush, do not allow this man to reign over you any longer, but let my son Mobros reign over you, for it is better that you serve the son of your master than a stranger, a servant of the King of Egypt.” The people discussed the matter until the evening. They then rose up early next morning and crowned Mobros, the son of Qinqanos, king over them. But the Cushites feared to lay hands on Moses, for they remembered the oath they took to him. So they gave him valuable gifts and sent him away with great honor. Moses accordingly left that place, and his reign over Cush came to an end in this way.

9 Moses was sixty-seven years old when he went out of Cush; for the thing came from God, as the time had arrived which had been fixed from long ago when the Israelites were to be freed from the children of Ham. Moses then went to Midian, for he feared to return to Egypt for fear of Pharaoh, and stayed by a well of water. When the seven daughters of Reuel the Midianite came out to feed the sheep of their father, they came to the well to draw the water for the sheep. But the Midianite shepherds drove them away, and Moses rose up and assisted them in watering the sheep. Returning to their father, they told him what the man had done for them. Reuel that is, Jethro the Kenite then invited him into the house to take a meal with him. Moses then told him that he hailed from Egypt, and that he had reigned over Cush; that they had wrested the kingdom from him and had sent him away. When Reuel heard this, he said to himself, “I will put this man in prison, by which I will please the Cushites from whom he fled.” Accordingly he put him in prison, where he remained for ten years. But Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel, had pity on him, and fed him with bread and water.

10 At the end of the ten years she said to her father, “Nobody seeks or inquires after this Hebrew whom you have imprisoned these ten years. Now, if it seems good to you, my father, let us send and see whether he is dead or alive.” Her father did not know that she had supplied him with food. Reuel then answered and said, “Is it possible for a man to be imprisoned twelve years without food and yet live?” But Zipporah replied, “Have you not heard, sir, that the God of the Hebrews is great and powerful, and that He works wonders at all times? That he delivered Abraham from the furnace of the Chaldeans, Isaac from the sword, and Jacob from the angel with whom he wrestled by the brook of Jabbok? That even for this man He has done many wonders; that He delivered him from the river of Egypt and from the sword of Pharaoh? He will also be able to deliver him from this place.”

11 This word pleased Reuel, and he acted as she had asked. He therefore sent to the pit to see what had become of him, and found him alive, standing erect, and praying to the God of his ancestors. Having brought him out from the pit, he shaved him, changed his prison garments, and gave him food. The man then went to the garden of Reuel at the back of the palace, and prayed to his God, who had done so many wonders for him. While he was praying, he suddenly saw a staff made of sapphire fixed in the ground in the middle of the garden. When he approached it, he found engraved on it the name of the Lord of Hosts, the ineffable name. He read that name, and pulled up the staff as lightly as a branch is lifted up in a thickly wooded forest, and it was a rod in his hand.

12 This was the same staff that was created in the world among the works of God after He created the heavens and the earth and all their hosts, the seas, rivers, and all their fish. When Adam was driven from the garden of Eden he took the staff with him and tilled the ground from which he was taken. It then came into the hands of Noah son of Lamech, who handed it down to Shem and his descendants until it reached Abraham the Hebrew. He then handed over all his possessions to Isaac, including the staff of wonders, which Isaac also inherited. When Jacob fled to Padan Aram he took it with him, and when he came to his father in Beersheba he did not leave it behind. When he went down to Egypt he handed it over to Joseph as a separate gift above that which he gave to his other sons. After Joseph’s death the princes of Egypt lived in his house, and the staff came into the hand of Reuel the Midianite, who, when he left Egypt, took it away with him and planted it in his own garden. All the mighty men of King Qinqanos who wished to wed his daughter Zipporah tried to uproot it, but without success, so that it remained there in the garden until Moses, to whom it rightly belonged, came and took it away. When Reuel saw the staff in Moses’ hand he was astonished and knew that he was the redeemer of Israel. Reuel then gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.

13 Moses was seventy-seven years old when he came out of prison, and married Zipporah the Midianite. And Zipporah went the ways of the women of Israel; she did not even in the smallest thing fall short of the righteousness of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, the pinnacles of the world. She conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she called Gershon, for he, Moses, said, “I was a wanderer in a strange land”; but by the order of Reuel his father-in-law the child was not circumcised. After three years she conceived again and gave birth to another son. After his circumcision Moses called his name Eleazar, because he said, “The God of my father is my help, and He delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

1 At that time Moses used to tend the flocks of Reuel the Midianite behind the wilderness of Sin, with his staff in his hand. But the Lord was zealous for His people and His inheritance, and, hearing their cry, said He would rescue them from the descendants of Ham, and give them the land of Canaan. He appeared to Moses, His servant, in Horeb, in a burning bush; but the fire did not consume the bush. Then God called him from the middle of the bush, and commanded him to go down to Egypt to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and to ask him to send away His chosen people as free men. He showed him signs and wonders to perform in Egypt that they might believe that the Lord had sent him. God gave him confidence by saying, “Go, and return to Egypt, for those that sought your life are now dead, and they have no power to harm you.”

2 Moses then returned to Midian, and told his father-in-law all that had happened. “Go in peace,” he said. So Moses arose and went away with his wife and sons. They lodged at a certain place, and an angel came down and attacked him for his transgression of the covenant which God made with Abraham His servant, in that he did not circumcise his eldest son, and he wanted to kill him. Zipporah then immediately took one of the sharp flint stones which she found there and circumcised her son, and she rescued her husband from the power of the angel.

3 As Aaron the Levite was walking in Egypt by the river God appeared to him, and said, “Go now, and meet your brother Moses in the wilderness.” He accordingly went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him. On seeing the woman and her children, he said to Moses, “Who are these?” “These are,” he said, “my wife and sons whom God gave me in Midian.” But Aaron was displeased, and he told him to send the woman and her sons back to her father’s house. Moses did this. And Zipporah and her sons remained in the house of Reuel, her father, until the Lord visited His people, and delivered them from Egypt from the hand of Pharaoh.

4 Moses and Aaron then went alone to Egypt to the Israelites, whom they told all that the Lord had spoken. At this the people rejoiced greatly. The next morning they rose up early and went to Pharaoh’s house, taking the staff of God with them.

5 When they came to the gate of the king’s palace they saw there two young lions bound in iron chains. No one could enter or pass out from within unless the king commanded it. The keepers on seeing them loosened the chains, and by charms set the lions free to pounce on them; but Moses hastily waved his wand at them, and Moses and Aaron entered the king’s palace, followed by the young lions playing around them as a dog plays on seeing its master coming home from the field. When Pharaoh saw this he was greatly astonished, and still more confused because of these men, whose appearance was like that of the children of God. The king then said to them, “What do you wish?” And Moses said, “The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent us to you, saying, ‘Send out My people, that they may serve Me.’” Pharaoh was greatly afraid of them, and told them to go away and come again tomorrow, which they did.

6 When they were gone Pharaoh ordered Balaam the sorcerer, and Janis and Jambris, his sons, the wizards, and all the magicians of Egypt to be summoned before him. He then told them what these men had spoken. The magicians then asked, “How did these men pass the lions that were chained at the gate of the palace?” “They waved their staffs at the lions,” said the king, “and they let them loose, and they followed them just as dogs who were pleased to meet them.” “They are nothing else than wizards like ourselves,” said Balaam. “Send now after them and let them come, and we will test them.” The king acted accordingly.

7 Taking the staff, they came before the king, and repeated the words which they had spoken at first. “But how can one believe,” said Pharaoh, “that you are messengers of God, and that by His word you have come here? Give us a sign and we will believe you.” Aaron then threw his staff on the ground, and it was immediately changed into a serpent. The magicians, seeing this, did the same by their incantations, and the staff of each one of them became a serpent; but Aaron’s serpent at that moment lifted its head, and, opening its mouth, swallowed up the serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians. Balaam the wizard, seeing this, said, “This has happened since ancient times: one serpent swallows its neighbor just as fish swallow each other. But change it back to a staff as we will do, and then if your staff is able to swallow ours we will know from this that the Spirit of the Lord is with you; but if it cannot swallow them, then you are a wizard as we are.” Aaron then hastily took hold of the serpent by its tail, and it became a stick again. This the magicians also did. Then Aaron, as previously, threw his staff on the ground, and it swallowed up those of the magicians.

8 Pharaoh then ordered the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Egypt to be brought to him; it contained the names of all the gods of Egypt. When the list was read over to Pharaoh, he said, “I do not find your God written in this book, nor do I know Him.” “The Lord God of gods is His name,” Moses and Aaron replied. “But who is the Lord,” added Pharaoh, “that I should listen to His voice and send Israel out? I do not know Him, and will not allow the Israelites to go.” “From the days of our ancestors He has been called ‘The God of the Hebrews.’ Now give us permission to go a journey of three days in the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord, for ever since we came down to Egypt He has not received from our hands a burnt offering, meal offering, or sacrifice. If, however, you will not let us go out, the Lord will surely grow angry and strike the land of Egypt with plague or with the sword.”

9 “Tell us something of His might and power,” said Pharaoh. “He created the heavens and all their host; the earth and all it contains; the seas with all their fish. He was the one who formed the light and who created the darkness; who caused the rain to fall on the earth to irrigate it. He caused the young plants and the grass to sprout. He created man, animals, the beasts in the forest, the birds in the heavens, and the fish in the seas. Through Him they live, through Him they die. Did He not create you in the womb of your mother, and give you the spirit of life? Did He not make you grow up, and place you on the royal throne of Egypt? He will also take away your spirit and your soul, and return you to the dust from which you were taken.” The anger of Pharaoh was kindled, and he said, “Who is there among all the gods of the people that can do this? I was the one who created the river, and who created myself.” He then drove them out of his presence, and from that day he made the slavery more oppressive than before.

1 The Lord rose in His strength and struck Pharaoh and his people with many great and terrible plagues, and turned all their rivers to blood, so that whenever an Egyptian came to the river to draw water, as soon as he looked into his pitcher, he found it turned to blood. Whether for drinking or for kneading the dough, or for boiling, it always looked like blood.

2 After this all their waters produced frogs, so that whenever an Egyptian drank from them, his stomach became full of frogs, which croaked about in his entrails just as they did in the river. Whether they kneaded or whether they boiled, the water was filled with frogs. Even when they lay down on their beds, their very perspiration was turned into frogs.

3 He then struck their dust so that it became lice two cubits high; on their bodies they lay a handbreadth deep, on the king and queen as well as on the people. Following this, the Lord sent against them the wild beasts of the field to destroy them; serpents, vipers and scorpions to injure them; mice, weasels, lizards, and noxious reptiles; flies, hornets, and other insects to fly into their eyes and ears; fleas, ants, and every species of winged insect to torture them; they filled the innermost recesses of their houses. When the Egyptians tried to hide themselves in order to shut out and to escape the wild beasts, the Lord ordered the sea monster to come up to Egypt. It has arms ten cubits in length, measured in human cubits. Rising to the roof, it uncovered the roof and exposed the rafters; and it then slid its arm inside the house; it wrenched off the bolt and lock, and thus forced open the houses of the Egyptians. In this manner the hordes of wild beasts got into the palace of Pharaoh and his servants, and they mauled them badly.

4 And God sent a plague among the horses, donkeys, camels, cattle and sheep. When the Egyptian rose early in the morning and went out to his pasture, he found his animals lying about dead, with only one in ten remaining alive.

5 The Lord next sent a plague of fever among the Egyptians, which afterward broke out into severe boils, which covered them from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head. They broke, and their flesh was running with streams of pus, until they wasted away and rotted, and 6 the hail devastated all their vines and trees so that not even the bark or the leaves were left: all their produce was dried up, and a burning fiery flame played among it. Even the men and animals found outside were killed by the flame, and all the libraries houses of books were overthrown.

7 Various kinds of locust devoured everything left by the hail; what one species left, the other destroyed. The Egyptians, however, were glad to hunt them and salt them for food. The Lord then raised a very strong wind, which carried them all, including the salted ones, into the Red Sea, so that not a solitary one remained in the whole of Egypt.

8 Darkness then covered the earth for three days, so that one could not see his own hand before his eyes. During this period of darkness many Hebrews who had rebelled against their Creator, rebelled also against Moses and Aaron, saying, “We will not go out for fear that we will die of famine in the desolate wilderness.” God struck them with a plague, and they were buried during these three days, so that the Egyptians would not see them and rejoice at their downfall.

9 All the firstborn of the Egyptians were then killed, from people to animals, even the likeness of their firstborn engraved on the walls of their houses was erased and thrown to the ground. The dogs of Egypt dragged away the bones of their firstborn that were buried in their houses, and, breaking them to pieces, devoured them before the very eyes of the people, so that their descendants cried out in anguish. The people of Egypt then hurried to accompany the servants of God, whom they sent away with great wealth and many gifts, according to the oath which God swore at the Covenant between the pieces.

10 Moses went to Shihor the Nile, and drawing up the coffin of Joseph, took it away with him. The heads of the tribes of Israel each also helped bring up the coffins of his ancestors. Many of the pagans joined them in their departure from Egypt and in their journey of three days in the wilderness.

11 On the third day, however, they said to one another, “Did not Moses and Aaron tell Pharaoh that they wished to make a three-day journey in the wilderness in order to sacrifice to the Lord their God? Now let us rise early tomorrow morning and see if they return to Egypt to our lord; we will know from this that they are to be believed, but if not, we will go to war against them and bring them back by sheer force.” On the fourth day they accordingly rose early, and found Moses and Aaron eating and drinking, and celebrating a festival to their God. The rabble said to them, “Why do you not return to your master?” Moses replied, “Because the Lord has warned us, saying, ‘You will never return to Egypt, but you will go to a land flowing with milk and honey, as I have sworn to your ancestors.’”

12 As soon as the rabble saw that they refused to return, they went to war against the Israelites; but the Israelites prevailed against them, causing great slaughter. The remainder fled to Egypt to inform Pharaoh that the people had fled. And the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was immediately turned against them, so that they pursued them to bring them back to their burdens; for the Egyptians regretted having sent them away. Pursuing them hastily, they eventually overtook them while they were camped by the Red Sea. There the Lord performed many miracles for the Hebrews through Moses, His chosen servant, who extended his staff over the sea, when the waters were immediately divided into twelve openings for the twelve tribes, through which they all crossed with dry feet, just as one passes along the highway. After them came all the Egyptians. But they were all drowned except Pharaoh, King of Egypt, who then offered a thanksgiving offering to the living God, and believed that He was the living God. God then commanded Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel, the heavenly princes, to bring him up from the sea. So they brought him to the land of Nineveh, where he remained for 500 years.

13 The Israelites then journeyed into the wilderness, and Amalek, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, went to war against them. With him there came a countless army of wizards and enchanters. But the Lord delivered them into the hand of Moses His servant and Joshua the son of Nun, the Ephrathite, who killed them with the sword. Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, then came out into the wilderness to Moses, where he was camped by the mountain of God with Zipporah and his sons, and lived with them among the Israelites. Moses next fought against Sihon and Og, and captured their land. He then fought against Midian and killed Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian.

14 He killed Balaam the sorcerer and his two sons with the sword. When Balaam the sorcerer saw Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, and Phinehas his son, commanders of the army of Israel, following him for the purpose of killing him, by means of witchcraft he flew into the air, just as an eagle is seen to fly heavenward. But, uttering the ineffable, revered name of God, they brought him down to the earth, and, capturing him, killed him with the rest of the princes of Midian. The Canaanites who lived in the mountains also descended with the Amalekites to fight against Israel, but the Lord delivered them into the hand of Moses and the Israelites, who completely destroyed them.

15 Moses was eighty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, King of Egypt. Through him the Lord redeemed Israel from Egypt. He reigned over them in the wilderness forty years, during which time the Lord maintained them by His mercy with the bread of the mighty and the birds of the sky, and from the flint rock He brought out fountains of water for them. The cloud of the Lord gently guided them by day like children, and a pillar of fire by night, and during the whole time of their travels in the wilderness neither their clothes nor their shoes wore out, and they lacked nothing good there.

16 After traveling through the wilderness of Sin, they arrived at Mount Sinai on the third day of the third month after their departure from Egypt. The word of the Lord then came to Moses the Levite, saying, “Come up to the mountain, and I will give you the tablets of stone, the Law and the Commandments which I have written to teach the Israelites.” Moses accordingly told the people to sanctify themselves for three days, and on the third day, that is, on the sixth day of the third month, he climbed the mountain. The Lord then gave the Israelites through Moses the 613 commandments refined as silver and tested as gold, accompanied by the sound of the trumpet, by thunderclaps and flashes of lightning. They next erected a tabernacle, with its vessels, for serving God, and the ark for the two tablets and for the scroll of the Law. They also prepared burnt offerings, sacrifices, incense, frankincense, oil for the consecration and for anointing with it the tabernacle with its vessels and the priests of God, that is, Aaron and his sons, who served before God and offered sacrifices and incense for the congregation. They also made for them clothes of honor, and appointed the sons of Levi to guard the tabernacle of the Lord, to assist their fellow priests, and to sing hymns during the sacrifice. They also offered frankincense inside to avert the anger and punishment of the Lord.

17 In the fortieth year of their wanderings, Miriam the prophetess died, on the tenth day of the first month, and was buried in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh. In the same year, on the first day of the fifth month, Aaron the priest died, and was buried on Mount Hor, and Eleazar and Ithamar were appointed to serve in their father’s place. The priesthood has remained in that family as an inheritance throughout all generations.

18 In that same year on the seventh day of the twelfth month, that is, Adar, Moses, the servant of the Lord, died, 120 years old, and was buried in the valley at the lowest part of Mount Abarim, and Joshua the son of Nun, the Ephrathite, was appointed leader of the people. The rest of the words of Moses relating to his power, his military deeds, his pleas and prayers on behalf of his people, are they not written in the “Sefer Hayashar,” which is the Law of our God? Joshua the son of Nun rose up after him. He led the Israelites across the Jordan and divided the land by lots according to the word of God.

1 “A good name is better than precious oil.”Ecclesiastes 7:1 Thus it was with Aaron. God said to Moses, our teacher, “The time has arrived for Aaron to leave this world. Go and tell him that his life is nearing the end.” Moses then rose and prayed the whole night. He said, “Lord of the world, how can I say to Aaron, ‘Your time has arrived to leave this world’?” And God said to Moses, “Give him the message of a great thing and good news, that I will not deliver his soul into the hand of the angel of death.”

2 Moses then determined to change the order of things for that day. It was customary for some of the princes to rise early and wait at the door of Eleazar and Ithamar, and for all the elders to attend to Moses; but on that day the order was reversed, for Moses, Eleazar, and all the princes rose early to attend to Aaron. When Aaron came to the door and saw them all standing, with Moses among them, he asked, “My brother, why have you changed your custom today?” “Because God has told me to tell you something today,” said Moses. “But can you not tell me privately?” “No.” “Speak, please!” “I cannot,” replied Moses, “until we leave this place.” They then immediately went away. On other occasions Moses, Aaron, and Eleazar used to walk together—Moses in the middle, Aaron at his right, Eleazar at his left, and all the Israelites behind them; but on this day Aaron walked in the middle. When the Israelites noticed this they said to each other, “The Holy Spirit has been removed from Moses, and has been given to Aaron.” They all rejoiced, because they loved Aaron more than they loved Moses, because he loved peace and pursued it.

3 “Why,” asked Aaron, “are you giving me this great honor today?” “Because God has commanded me to tell you something.” “And what have you been commanded to tell me?” “Wait until we are seated.” When they were seated Aaron repeated his question, “Now tell me, my brother.” “Wait until we climb the hill.” And he did all this in order not to frighten him too much. The three of them, Moses, Aaron, and Eleazar, then climbed the hill, when Moses said, “My brother Aaron, give back to me what God has entrusted to you.” “Is it the tent of the congregation with all its vessels which is entrusted to me?” “Has he handed over a light to you?” “Yes,” said Aaron; “the lamp with its seven lights has been entrusted to my care.” He did not yet understand that Moses referred to his soul, which is compared to a light, as the verse says, “The light of God is the soul of man, penetrating the innermost chambers of the heart.”Proverbs 20:27 “Aaron, my brother, why did Abraham, our ancestor, die? Was it not because the time had arrived for Isaac’s rule? And Isaac, why did he die?—why, do you think? Because the time had arrived for Jacob’s rule, which was then to be transferred to him.” Still Aaron did not understand the meaning of Moses’ conversation. “Aaron, my brother, if one were to ask you to give twenty years, or ten years, or one year, or even one day of your life to that person, when that day arrived would you deny his claim?”

4 Aaron then finally understood that the time had come for him to die, and he said to Moses, “Moses, the time of my death has arrived.” Moses remained silent and did not reply, for he was inwardly weeping. Aaron then, placing his hands on his head, wept bitterly, saying, “What good is my good name to me, when I am about to leave this world, in which I have always loved peace and pursued it, and made peace between a person and his neighbor, between husband and wife?” While they were sitting in that place, the ground suddenly opened, showing them the cave of Machpelah. After entering it, Moses said, “Aaron, my brother, perhaps this is the cave of Machpelah—that is, the vault of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; you are dressed in your priestly clothes, and they will become defiled. If you are willing, dress your son Eleazar in your own clothes and dress yourself in his, and then you and I will enter this vault.” Aaron immediately stripped himself of his clothes and put them on Eleazar, his son, while he clothed himself in those of Eleazar. When they entered the cave they looked and saw a burning lamp, a prepared bed, and a table set. “Go up, my brother,” said Moses, “and lie on this bed. Stretch out your legs and close your eyes and mouth.” He did so, and his soul departed.

5 When Moses saw this he wished for such a death, saying, “Happy is the man who is born to such a death.” And God replied, “By your life, you will end your days with such a death.” At once Moses went out from the cave, and the mouth of it closed up by itself.

6 Moses and Eleazar then descended the hill. When the Israelites saw Moses and Eleazar without Aaron they said to Moses, “Where is your brother Aaron?” “His time had arrived to die, and he is dead,” answered Moses. Then they tried to stone him, saying, “You have killed him, because we loved him more than you.” At this Moses raised his eyes to heaven and stood in prayer.

7 At that moment God said to the ministering angels, “Lift up Aaron’s coffin, and suspend it in the air so that the Israelites can see it and believe Moses.” They did this, and the Israelites believed. They mourned for him thirty days. The ministering angels also lamented his death, saying, “Wail, you cypresses, for the cedar has fallen.”Zechariah 11:2 Even God himself uttered this verse over him, “The law of truth was in his mouth, wrongdoing was never found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and righteousness, and gave many a place of refuge.”Malachi 2:6 Concerning his death, it is said, “A good name is better than precious oil, and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.”Ecclesiastes 7:1 End of the death of Aaron. May the Lord deliver us on the last day. With the help of God, I, Eleazar the Levite, add here the account of the death of Moses, our teacher.

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Look, the time draws near when you will die.” Rabbi Aybo said that Moses addressed God as follows, “Through the very word with which I praised You in the law in the presence of 600,000 of those who sanctify Your name, You have sentenced me to death,” as it is said, “Look, your days draw near for you to die. All Your gifts and punishments are measured out measure for measure, each one measured out in full. Why now give evil for good?.” And God replied, “Even this word which I told you is a mark of goodness, for example, ‘Look, I send before you an angel.Look, the righteous man will be rewarded in the land.’ ‘Look, I will send to you Elijah, the prophet,’ and just as you have proclaimed Me before 600,000, so I will, in the future, exalt you among 550,000 perfectly righteous people.” Therefore He used the word “look” in Hebrew, הן; the numerical value of הן is 50 and 5, that is, ה = 5, and נ = 50.

2 Rabbi said that the death of Moses is referred to ten times, namely: “Look, the time draws near for you to die.” “He died on the mountain.” “For I am about to die.” “You know that after my death.” “After my death.” “And before his death.” “He was one hundred and twenty years old when he died.” “And Moses, the servant of God, died there.” “And after the death of Moses, the servant of God.” “Moses My servant is dead.” From all these instances we learn that it was decreed ten times that Moses was not to enter the land of Israel. However, this harsh decree was not sealed until the decision of the Great Tribunal was revealed to him.

3 For God said to him, “A decree has been passed that you will not cross into the land of Israel, as it is said, ‘You will not cross this Jordan’.” Moses, however, took this decree lightly, for he said, “The Israelites have committed many serious sins; and whenever I interceded for mercy on their behalf my prayer was accepted, as it is said, ‘Leave Me alone so that I can destroy them’; yet at the same place it is written, ‘And the Lord changed His mind about the disaster.’ At the same place it is further written, ‘And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word.’ Therefore, if I, Moses, who have not sinned from my youth, plead with God on my own behalf, how much more will God hear my words?” When God saw that Moses took the decree lightly, and that he did not turn his mind to prayer, He immediately swore by His great name that he would not enter the land, as it is said, “Therefore you will not bring this congregation.” “Therefore” means nothing else than an oath, as it is similarly said, “Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli.”

4 As soon as Moses became aware that the judgment concerning him was finally decreed, he fasted, and drawing a circle he stood within it and said, “I will not move from this place until that decree has been annulled.” Then he dressed in sackcloth and scattered ashes on his head, and prayed and pleaded before God until heaven and earth and the very creation were moved, and said, “Perhaps the will of God to renew the world is being accomplished.” A divine voice then came, and said, “It is not God’s will to renew the world; in His hand is the soul of every man, and the spirit of all flesh.” “Man” refers to Moses, as it is said, “And the man Moses was very humble.”Numbers 12:3

5 At that moment God made a proclamation at every gate, and in every firmament, and at every door of the Great Tribunal that they should not accept Moses’ prayer. Therefore they did not allow his prayer to reach God as the decree had already been sealed. The angel appointed to carry out this decree was named Akhzariel. God immediately cried out to his ministering angels, “Hurry down and close all those gates of heaven as long as his prayer continues.” For his prayer struggled to penetrate the heavens; like a sword it tore and cut, and nothing impeded it. It drew its strength from the “Ineffable Name,” which Moses learned from Zagzagel, his teacher, who is the scribe of all the heavenly army. The verse refers to this event: “Behind me I heard the sound of a great noise, saying, ‘Blessed be the Lord from His dwelling.’” The voice was the cry of someone pleading, and the word “great” can only be applied to Moses, as it is said, “The man Moses was very great.”Exodus 11:3

6 What is the true meaning of the expression, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His dwelling”? The reply is that when the wheels of the chariot and the seraphim of fire saw that God said, “You must not receive Moses’ prayer, nor show him favor, nor grant him life, nor allow him to enter the land of Israel,” they exclaimed, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His dwelling, who shows no partiality to anyone, small or great.”

7 At that time Moses said to God, “Lord of the universe, it is well known to You what cares and troubles I have undergone for Israel until they became ‘The chosen ones’ to observe Your Law, and how much anxiety I have suffered for them until I established for them the Law and the Commandments. I said, ‘As I saw their evil, may I also look at their good.’ and now that they have reached that state You say to me, ‘You will not cross this Jordan,’ You are making Your law false; for it is said, ‘You must give him his reward on the day due.’ Is this the payment for the forty years’ service during which I have labored, until they, the Israelites, became holy and faithful?” as it is said, “While Judah was still rebelling against God, they became a holy and faithful people.”

8 The angel Samael, the wicked, was the chief of the Satans. Every hour he used to speak at length about the coming death of Moses, saying, “When will the moment arrive when Moses is to die, so that I may go and take away his soul?” Concerning this David said, “The wicked are always watching the righteous, seeking to take their life.”Psalms 37:32 But of all the Satans, Samael was the most wicked, while among the prophets there was no man as righteous as Moses, as it is said, “There has not yet arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses.”Deuteronomy 34:10 This may be compared to a man who is preparing for a wedding feast, and who anxiously asks, “When will your celebration begin, so that I can share in the joy?” So the wicked Samael kept watching for the soul of Moses and saying, “When will Michael begin to weep, and when will my joy be complete?” Michael replied, “I will weep when you rejoice.” Some think that he said, “Do not rejoice, my enemy; although I fall, I rise again, for I fall at the death of Moses, but I will rise again at the prosperity of Joshua, when he conquers thirty-one kings. I sit in darkness at the destruction of the first temple, but afterward the Lord will be my light, the light of the Messiah.” In the meantime one hour had passed.

9 Moses then said to God, “Lord of the universe, if You will not allow me to enter the land of Israel, allow me to live in this world, and not die.” But the Lord replied, “If I do not kill you in this world, how can I bring you to life in the world to come? And, further, by this you would falsify My law, for it is written in My law, ‘No one will deliver him from My hand.’” Up to this point God held back. Moses added, “Lord of the universe, if I am not allowed to enter the land of Israel, allow me to remain as one of the beasts of the field, which eat the grass and drink the water, but live and see the world. Let my soul be like one of them.” God replied, “You ask too much.” Moses continued, “If not, allow me to remain in this world as a bird that flies every day to the four corners of the earth, and in the evening returns to its nest. Let me be like one of them.” God still said, “You ask too much.” “Lord of the universe, then place one of my eyes behind the door, and let them shut the door on it three times in each year, so that I can live and not die.” “It is too much.” “What do you mean, Lord, when You say, ‘It is too much’?” And God replied, “You have spoken too much.”

10 When Moses finally saw that there was no creature that could save him from death, he immediately exclaimed, “The Rock, whose work is perfect.”Deuteronomy 32:4 Then, taking a scroll, he wrote on it the Ineffable Name, and recited his last “Song” until the moment arrived for him to die. Then the Lord said to Gabriel, “Go and bring Me the soul of Moses.” But he replied, “How can I look at the death of the one who is worth 600,000 creatures? And how can I anger someone who speaks such words as he does?” Then God said to Michael, “Go and bring me the soul of Moses.” And he replied, “Lord of the universe, how can I, who was his teacher, look at the death of the one who was my student?”

11 Finally God addressed Samael, the wicked, saying, “Go and bring Me the soul of Moses.” Then, clothing himself with anger, strapping on his sword, and enveloping himself with eagerness, he set out to find Moses. When he saw Moses writing the Ineffable Name, that his radiance was like the sun’s, and that he looked like an angel of the Lord of hosts, Samael was seized with a great fear of Moses, and said, “The angels certainly cannot take away the soul of Moses.” But before Samael appeared Moses knew that he was coming.

12 When he again looked at Moses he was extremely terrified, and trembled like a woman in labor, so that he could find no courage to speak to Moses, until Moses himself said, “Samael, ‘There is no peace for the wicked,’ says the Lord. What are you doing here?” “I have come here to take away your life.” “But who sent you?” “He who formed all creatures,” replied Samael. “You will not take my life,” added Moses. “But the souls of all living beings are entrusted to me.” “And I am,” said Moses, “the son of Amram, who was born circumcised. On the day of my birth I found speech; I walked on my feet, and spoke to my parents; I did not even suck milk. When I was three months old, I prophesied that I would in the future receive the Law on this day, from within the flames of fire. When I went out I entered the king’s palace and took the crown off the king’s head. When I was eighty years old, I performed signs and wonders in Egypt, and brought out 600,000 from there under the very eyes of the Egyptians. I also split the sea into twelve parts; I made the bitter waters sweet; I went up to heaven and walked its path; in the wars of the kings I conquered them; I received the law of fire from the fiery throne, and I was hidden behind a cloud; and I spoke face to face to God, and I conquered the army of heaven, and I revealed hidden mysteries to mankind; I received the law from the right hand of God, and taught it to the Israelites; I went to war with Sihon and Og, the two mightiest warriors of the world, for even at the time of the flood the waters would not reach their knees because of their enormous height; I caused the sun and the moon to stand still on the horizon, while I struck those two kings with the staff that is in my hand and killed them. Who in the world can do such things? Get away, you wicked one. You have no permission to stay here. Leave me, for I will not give you my soul.”

13 Samael accordingly returned and brought back word to God, who again said, “Go out and bring Me the soul of Moses.” Samael immediately drew his sword from its sheath and stood over Moses like this. But Moses became angry with him, and he took the staff of God in his hand, on which the Ineffable Name was engraved, and beat Samael with all his might until he fled before him. Moses ran after him, took away the horn of his glory from him, and deprived him of his sight. This was how far Moses’ power prevailed. The last moment of Moses’ life had then drawn near, when a voice, Bat Kol, was heard to say, “Your last moment, the time of your death, has arrived.” But Moses pleaded as follows, “Lord God of the world, remember the day on which You revealed Yourself to me in the bush, when You said, ‘Go out and I will send you to Pharaoh.’ Remember, Lord, the day when I stood on Mount Sinai, where I remained forty days and forty nights. I beg You not to hand me over to the angel of death.” A voice, Bat Kol, then came and said, “Do not be afraid, for I myself will attend to your burial.”

14 At that moment Moses stood up and sanctified himself like one of the Seraphim. The Holy One, blessed be He, descended from the highest heavens together with Michael, Gabriel, and Zagzael. Michael arranged Moses’ bed, Gabriel spread a garment of fine linen at his head and Zagzael a rug at his feet; Michael stood on one side and Gabriel on the other. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Close your eyes one after the other, and gather up your feet.” Then, addressing the soul of Moses from within his body, He said to it, “My daughter, after I have placed you in Moses’ body for 120 successive years, the time has now arrived for you to go out from it; so leave and do not delay.” The soul of Moses said, “Lord of the universe, I know that You are the Lord God of the spirits of all flesh, and that all souls, both of life and death, are delivered into Your hand. You were the one who created me; You were the one who formed me and placed me in the body of Moses for 120 years; and no human body has ever been purer than the body of Moses, in which no evil germ was seen, no worm or insect, in which there was never any self-importance. Because of all this I love him, and do not wish to leave him.” “Soul,” added God, “leave and do not delay. I will then carry you up into the highest heavens, and place you beneath the throne of My glory, with the Cherubim, Seraphim and Gedudim” troops of angels.

15 Once more pleading with the Lord, it said, “Lord of the universe, from Your divine presence in heaven there once descended two angels, ʿAzah and ʿAzazel, who in their desire for the daughters of the earth, corrupted their way on the earth, until You suspended them between heaven and earth. But from the very day on which You revealed Yourself in the bush, the son of Amram did not approach his wife, as it is said, ‘And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of his wife.’ I beg You, Lord, allow me to remain in the body of Moses.” At that moment, by a kiss of God, the soul of Moses was taken from him, and, as if weeping, God exclaimed, “Who will now rise up to correct the evildoers? Who will now stand up for those who do wrong?” The Spirit of God then wept and said, “There has never yet arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses.”Deuteronomy 34:10 The heavens wept and said, “A devout man has perished from the earth.”Micah 7:2 The earth wept, saying, “There is no upright man left on the earth.”Micah 7:2 When Joshua had looked for his master and could not find him, he also wept, saying, “Save me, Lord, for the devout one is gone, and the faithful have ceased from among men.”Psalms 12:1 The Israelites then wept, saying, “He performed the righteousness of God.”Deuteronomy 33:21 And the angels of every heaven exclaimed, “His judgments are with Israel: the remembrance of the righteous is for a blessing, and his soul returns to everlasting life.”

1 Now, what was the special merit of Moses, that God Himself should attend to his burial? It was for the following reason. When he went down to Egypt and the time for the redemption of Israel had arrived, all the Israelites occupied themselves with the silver and gold, while Moses, for three days and three nights, exhausted himself by walking around the city silently searching for Joseph’s coffin, since they could not leave Egypt without Joseph, for he had made them promise him before his death and swear that they would do it, as it is said, “And Joseph made the children of Israel swear.”Genesis 50:25

2 When Moses was already extremely tired, a woman, Serah, the daughter of Asher, met him, and, seeing him very faint and tired, she said to him, “My lord Moses, why are you faint?” “Because,” he said, “I have been wandering around the city for three days and three nights in search of Joseph’s coffin, but have not yet been able to find it.” “Come with me, and I will show you where it is.” Leading him to a brook in that place, she then told him that the magicians and wizards of Pharaoh had made a coffin of lead for Joseph, weighing 500 talents, and thrown it into the brook. They spoke to Pharaoh, “If it pleases the king, this nation will now be unable to leave this place as it cannot discover Joseph’s coffin.”

3 Standing by the edge of the brook, Moses exclaimed, “Joseph, Joseph, you know how you made Israel swear, saying, ‘The Lord will surely visit you.’ Now give glory to the God of Israel, and do not prevent their redemption. Please beg your Creator to let you rise from these depths.” Immediately after this the coffin rose from the depths, preceded by a bubbling of the waters, floating as lightly as a reed. Lifting it on his shoulders, he carried it along, followed by all the Israelites. They carried the silver and the gold which they took from Egypt, while Moses carried the coffin. Then the Lord said to Moses, “You say that in this you have done a small thing; by your life, the mercy which you have shown is great, since you did not think of the silver and the gold. I will, therefore, show you the same mercy when you leave this life. With My glory I will show kindness to you.”

4 So, when the time had arrived for Moses to leave this world, and God said to him, “Look, the time approaches for you to die,” he exclaimed, “Lord of the universe, after having received the law, and having suffered such weariness, do You tell me, ‘The day of your death draws near’? I will not die, but will live.” “You cannot, for this is the way of humanity.” “Lord of the universe,” pleaded Moses, “I beg You before my death to allow me to enter and search all the gates of the heavens and the depths of the earth, so that they can see there is no one besides You, as it is said, ‘And you must know this day and keep it in your heart that the Lord is God and no one else.’” God said, “You have written of Me: ‘and no one else.’ I say of you there has not yet arisen in Israel anyone like Moses, who knew the Lord face to face.” What is the meaning of the words, “Look, your day draws near to its end”? Rabbi Simon said, “The very day appeared before God, and said, ‘Lord of the universe, I will not move or end, so that Moses may continue to live.’”

5 The sages asked, “What did Moses do as soon as he knew the day on which he was to die?” Rabbi Janai said that on that day he wrote thirteen scrolls, twelve for the tribes, and one he placed in the Ark. If they tried to falsify a word, they could refer to the one in the Ark. Then Moses said, “While I have been occupying myself with the Torah which is living, the day has set and the decree is therefore annulled.” God then immediately made a sign to the heavens, and the day remained at a standstill, saying, “I will not set, so that Moses will live.” Therefore Job uttered, “Did I not weep for the one who was in trouble, whose day was fixed, that is, the day was hardened, fixed, for him?” What is the meaning of the words, “Look, your day draws near”? Just as one man says to his neighbor, “Look, someone has sued you before the King.”

6 He called Joshua, and addressed God as follows, “Lord of the universe, let Joshua, my servant, be the ruler, and I will live.” God replied, “Serve him as he served you.” Moses then rose up and hurried to the house of Joshua, who was greatly afraid, and said, “Moses, my teacher, has come to me.” When he went out Moses walked on Joshua’s left side. When they entered the tent of the congregation, the pillar of cloud descended and separated them; as soon as it departed Moses went up to Joshua, and asked, “What did the Word say to you?” And Joshua replied, “When the Word was revealed to you, I knew what was said to you.” Moses then wept, saying, “Better one hundred deaths, than one jealousy.” Solomon explains it this way, that love was as strong as death, and jealousy as Sheol, that is, the love which Moses bore Joshua, and the jealousy which he showed toward him. When Moses was about to die, God tried to comfort him, saying, “By your life, as you have guarded My children in this world, so in the future world I will make you the leader of My children,” as it is said, “And He will remember the days of old.”Isaiah 63:11

7 This is the blessing with which Moses blessed the children of Israel before his death. What is the meaning of the expression, “Before his death”? The sages say that Moses took hold of the angel of death, and compelled him to go before him while he blessed each one of the twelve tribes. Rabbi Meir says that the angel of death approached Moses, and said to him, “The Lord has sent me to you, because you must leave on this day.” Moses said, “I seek to praise God, as it is said, ‘I will not die, but live to tell of the works of God.’” “But why,” said the angel, “are you so boastful? For there are others who praise Him; the heavens and the earth glorify Him every hour, as it is said, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God.’” “But I will silence them,” continued Moses, “as it is said, ‘Listen, heavens, while I speak.’” For the second time the angel of death approached him, but as soon as Moses uttered the “Shem Hammeforash” Ineffable Name, he fled, as it is said, “When I call on the name of the Lord, give greatness to our God.”Deuteronomy 32:3 When the angel of death approached him the third time, Moses said, “It is now necessary for me to justify the divine judgment against me,” for it is said, “The Rock, whose work is perfect.”Deuteronomy 32:4

8 Rabbi Isaac said that the soul of Moses refused to leave him, so that Moses spoke with it, saying, “Do you claim that the angel of death tried to overcome you?” “God will not do this,” it replied, “for ‘You have rescued my soul from death.’” “Has he caused you to see them crying, and made you weep with them?” “No, for ‘You have rescued my eye from tears.’” “But did he try to make me fall among them, the people?” “‘You have kept my foot,’” it said, “‘from slipping.’” “And where will you walk in the future?” The soul replied, “I will walk before the Lord in the lands of the living.”Psalms 116:9 As soon as Moses heard this, he exclaimed, “Return, my soul, to your rest.”Psalms 116:7 Rabbi Abin said that as soon as they departed the mortals glorified God, saying, “Moses has commanded us a law, an everlasting inheritance to the congregation of Jacob.”Deuteronomy 33:4

1 Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said that when Moses went up to heaven to receive the Law, a cloud appeared before him in a crouching position, so that he did not know whether to ride on it or to take hold of it. However, it soon opened, and when he entered it, the cloud carried him up. Moses then walked along the firmament, just as one walks along the earth, as it is said, “And Moses went into the middle of the cloud.”Exodus 24:18 Kemuel, the angel appointed over 12,000 other angels of destruction, keeping guard at the gates of heaven, met him. When he saw Moses he rebuked him, saying, “You come from a place of defilement, and dare to walk in this place of purity. What are you, who were born of a woman, doing in this place of fire?” “I am Moses, the son of Amram, and have come here to receive the law for Israel.”

2 Moses walked along the firmament just as a man walks along a pathway, until he came to Hadarniel. The sages say of Hadarniel that he stands 60,000 parasangs above his fellow angels, and that every word he utters is accompanied by 12,000 sparks of fire. On seeing Moses, he in his turn rebuked him, saying, “What are you doing in this sublime and holy place?” But as soon as Moses heard the voice of Hadarniel, he became frightened, confused, and trembled greatly in his presence, and the tears flowed from his eyes. He therefore begged the cloud to throw him out; 3 but God’s mercy was moved for Moses, and He addressed Hadarniel as follows, “From the very day that I created you, you have contended before Me; when I wished to create man, all of you became his accusers before Me, saying, ‘What is man, that You should remember him, and the son of man, that You should visit him?’ You gave Me no rest until I consumed many of your companies; and now, seeing that My desire is to give My law to My children, you stand in the way and will not allow My law to descend to My chosen people Israel. Indeed, if it were not for Israel, who are to receive My law, there would be no dwelling in the firmament, either for Me or for you,” as it is said, “If I had not created the day and the night, I would never have decreed the statutes of heaven and earth.”

4 When Hadarniel heard this he rose and prayed and pleaded before God, saying, “Lord of the universe, it is revealed and known before You that I did not know that Moses came here with Your permission. Now that I know it I will act as a messenger to him, I will go before him as a student before his teacher.” Thus humbling himself, he went before Moses as a student before his teacher, until he came to the fire of Sandalphon; 5 and then Hadarniel said, “Moses, go on, for I am not able to stand before the fire of Sandalphon. I fear he will consume me with the breath of his mouth.” When Moses saw Sandalphon, he was confused and trembled, and the tears flowed from his eyes. He then desired to be thrown from the cloud, and begged for the mercy of God. His prayer was answered, for at that moment the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself descended and stood before Moses until he passed the fire of Sandalphon. Concerning this it is said, “And the Lord passed before him and he exclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the God of mercy and kindness.’”

6 Of Sandalphon the sages say that he towers above his fellow angels a distance that would take 500 years to walk, and that he stands in front of the curtain weaving crowns for his Maker. The ministering angels do not know where God dwells, for it is said, “Blessed be the Lord from His dwelling,” and it does not say “in,” but “from,” His dwelling. Sandalphon therefore invokes the Ineffable Name, and the crown leaves to rest by itself on the head of the Almighty. As soon as the crown leaves the hand of Sandalphon, all the heavenly hosts are moved, and the holy creatures, until now silent, roar like lions, and they exclaim with one voice, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is filled with His glory.”Isaiah 6:3 When the crown reaches the throne of God, all the wheels of His chariot and throne begin rolling; the sockets of fire blaze up, and all the heavens are seized with terror. When it passes on to the throne all the heavenly hosts, with their own crowns on, break out in praise of God, saying, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His dwelling.” Come and see the glory and greatness of God. As soon as the crown reaches His head, He strengthens Himself to receive the prayers of His servants. Then all the Hayoth, Ophanim, Seraphim, the wheels of His chariot, the throne of His glory, and the hosts above and below exalt, glorify, and break out in words of praise, honor and glory, and all as if with one mouth proclaim His Sovereignty, saying, “The Lord will reign forever and ever.”Exodus 15:18

7 As soon as Moses passed beyond Sandalphon, he came to Rigion, a river of fire, whose flames burn the angels of fire just as fire consumes a person. Moses, however, was taken across by God.

8 He then met Galizur, an angel to whom is attributed the saying that evil and good come from the mouth of the Most High. Why was his name called Galizur? Because he reveals the secrets of God. His wings are spread out to receive the fiery breath of the holy creatures, for, if he did not do so, no creature would be able to endure it. Galizur is appointed for another kind of work: he prophesies that this year will have a good wheat crop; the barley will ripen, and the wine will be cheap. And yet another kind of work: taking a thick covering of iron and spreading it on the river Rigion, he places certain people on it opposite the angels and princes, so that they can prosper, and that the creatures will come to fear them. God took Moses up and brought him across the river.

9 After this, Moses met a troop of angels of terror that surround the Throne of Glory, and that are mightier and stronger than all the ministering angels. As soon as they saw Moses, they tried to consume him with the breath of their mouths, saying, “What are you doing in this place of glory?” But God immediately spread the glory of His throne around him, as it is said, “He closes in the face of His throne and spreads His cloud over it.”Job 26:9 Strengthened by this, Moses gave the following answer, “What use is the Torah to you? The Exodus from Egypt does not apply to you, nor the worship of foreign gods, nor the taking of oaths.” At this they immediately gave their thanks to God, as it is said, “Our Lord, how mighty is Your name in all the earth! You whose majesty extends over the heavens.”Psalms 8:1 From that moment everyone became Moses’ friend; everyone handed over to him a secret cure, and even the angel of death revealed to him his secret, as it is said, “And he gave the frankincense and atoned for the people.”Numbers 16:47

10 Then, opening the seven firmaments, God showed him the heavenly temple and the four different colors in which the tabernacle was made, as it is said, “And you must set up the tabernacle according to the plan which you saw on the mountain.”Exodus 26:30 “Lord of the universe,” said Moses, “I do not know its form.” Then God said to him, “Turn to the right.” He did so and saw angels dressed in a color like that of the sea. God said, “This is blue.” “Now turn to the left,” said God. He did so and saw angels dressed in white. God said, “This is the fine linen.” Then he turned to look in front of him and saw angels dressed in red. God said, “This is scarlet.” “Now turn behind you.” Turning behind, he saw angels dressed neither in red nor green, and God said, “This is purple.”

11 The Lord then opened the seven doors of the seven heavens, and revealed Himself to Israel face to face in His glory and with His crown. As soon as the Israelites heard the words, “I am the Lord your God” from God’s own mouth, their souls departed immediately, as it is said, “The souls of the Israelites departed when He spoke.”Song of Songs 5:6 The Law went out to Israel and found them all dead. Returning to God, it said, “Lord of the universe, to whom have You given me, to the living or to the dead?” “To the living,” He said. “Have You not applied to me the verse, ‘It will be your life and the length of your days’? And yet here they are all dead.” “Then for your sake I will restore their souls.” And causing that dew to descend which is destined to revive the dead, He brought them to life in this way, as it is said, “You, God, sent a plentiful rain; You strengthened Your inheritance when it was weary.”Psalms 68:9 He then restored their souls, as it is said, “The law of God is perfect, refreshing the soul.”Psalms 19:7

12 There then descended, at the command of God, 1,200,000 ministering angels, of whom a pair went to each of the Israelites, one to place his hand on his heart to prevent his soul from departing, and the other to straighten his neck so that he could see God. But why did God reveal Himself to them face to face? Because He said to them, “Know that I reveal Myself to you in My glory and in My majesty, so that if one of you leads others astray and says to them, ‘Abandon your God and let us go and serve other gods,’ you may then say to him, ‘Is there anyone who, after seeing his Creator in His glory and in His majesty and on the throne of His glory, would go and serve other gods?’”

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “My angels are afraid of you because the fire of your lightning flashes is stronger than theirs. Let Michael My archangel go before you, for My great name is engraved on his heart, as it is said, ‘For My name is within him.’ The glory of the heights is on your right hand, and the image of Jacob your ancestor on your left.” Moses was inwardly pleased when he saw the Most High condescending to argue with him. All the inhabitants of the world were confused; the inhabitants of every country were astonished when they saw Moses the son of Amram, who had captured the King’s daughter, the Law, descending with great joy, as it is written, “You went up to heaven; you took captives and received gifts for humanity.”Psalms 68:18 It is further written, “A wise man climbs the city of the mighty, and brings down the strength in which it trusts.”Proverbs 21:22 The mountains and hills skipped like rams when they saw the canopy erected, and the daughter of God as a bride adorned with precious stones. The daughter of God is the Torah, Law, and the precious stones represent the twelve tribes, who said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do and obey.” As soon as they exclaimed, “We will do and we will obey,” there descended 1,200,000 ministering angels, who placed two crowns on every one of the Israelites: one because they said, “We will do,” and the other because they exclaimed, “We will obey.” And the glory of the Lord was revealed from heaven, from His holy dwelling. He gave the Torah to the children of Jacob, His chosen one, and gave them righteous judgments, a true law, statutes and commandments for their good, by which to prolong life, to obliterate the sins, and to sow the seeds of righteousness.

1 The sages say that while the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness they were surrounded by seven clouds of glory, one in front of them, one behind them, two on each side, and one above them to protect them from the sun and the cold. Another cloud went before them, which leveled the high places and raised the lower places so that they would not stumble, as it is said, “And Your cloud stood above them, and in a pillar of cloud You went before them.”Numbers 14:14 This was the one in front of them, and the seventh was that which was placed at the head of the standards, and the light of the divine presence shone brightly in it. But how did it shine there?

2 The Rabbis say that there were four standards, of which the standard of Judah was in the east, and similar in shape to a lion, as it is said, “Judah is a lion’s cub.”Genesis 49:9 On the top of the banner was the form of a lion, out of which hooks of gold protruded, which ended in a sword-like pike, and on this there rested one arm of the seventh cloud, on which the three letters representing the three ancestors were engraved, namely, Alef, Yod, Yod. “Alef” for Abraham, “Yod” for Isaac, and “Yod” for Jacob, איי being the mnemonic sign. These letters were illuminated by the Shekinah.

3 In the south the banner of Reuben was placed. It had the appearance of a man similar to mandrakes, because of the passage, “And he found mandrakes.”Genesis 30:14 On the top of the banner were hooks of gold, which ended in a sword-like pike, and on them rested one arm of the cloud, on which the three letters representing the three ancestors were engraved—“Beth” for Abraham, “Ṣade” for Isaac, and “ʿAyin” for Jacob, בצע being the mnemonic sign. These letters also shone from the splendor of the Shekinah.

4 In the west the banner of Ephraim was encamped, being in appearance like a fish, because of the expression, “And they will multiply abundantly like fish.”Genesis 48:16 On the top of the banner were placed hooks of gold ending in a sword-like pike, on which rested one arm of the cloud, with the three letters representing the three ancestors engraved on it, namely, “Resh” for Abraham, “Heth” for Isaac, and “Qof” for Jacob, the mnemonic sign being רחק. Similarly these letters shone through the splendor of the Shekinah.

5 Lastly, in the north was encamped the banner of Dan, in the form of a serpent, because of the expression, “Dan will be like a serpent beside the road.”Genesis 49:17 On the top of the banner were placed hooks of gold ending in a sword-like pike, above which one arm of the cloud rested, with three letters representing the three ancestors engraved on it, namely, “Mem” for Abraham, “Qof” for Isaac, and “Beth” for Jacob, the mnemonic letters being מקב, which shone through the splendor of the Shekinah.

6 Now, there was one letter remaining, namely, the He of Abraham, which God added to Abram from His own name, which is spelled Yod Hē, יה. With this God created the world, as it is said, “For with ‘Yah’ the Lord created the worlds.”Isaiah 26:4 God placed the pillar of cloud above the ark, which was surrounded by all the banners, as it is said, “They encamped around the tent of the congregation.”Numbers 2:2 On this cloud now those sacred letters Yod, Hē, were fixed, and during the seven days of each week it went around all the camps of Israel, giving light as the sun by day and as the moon by night. In this way they were able to distinguish between day and night.

7 When God wished them to move their camps, the cloud on which the letters Yod, He were engraved moved upward from the ark of the covenant. The four clouds on which were respectively engraved the letters איי, בצע, רחק and מקב followed after them, and as soon as the priests noticed these clouds following in the wake of the pillar of cloud, with the letters יה on it, they blew their trumpets, and the four winds of the earth blew myrrh and frankincense, as it is said, “Who is this coming up from the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense?”Song of Songs 3:6

8 These trumpets were used first for assembling the people together, then as the signal to continue their journey, for war, and also for the Sabbaths and festivals. Every trumpet was hollow and emitted a loud sound. It was one cubit in length and broad at the mouth, and a thin reed was placed in its mouth to receive the breath, and so to play music for the people to hear. When they were used to assemble the people, and to bring the princes together, the sons of Aaron blew one long even sound on one trumpet, teqiʿah תקיעה, and not a tremolo, תרועה. A Teqiʿah, or one long even sound, on two trumpets meant the assembling of the whole congregation, but the same on only one trumpet was the signal for the assembling of the princes. If a tribe required its prince, they blew a Teqiʿah on one trumpet, but not a Teruʿah or tremolo. In the same manner the assembling of all the congregation was sounded.

9 As a signal for continuing their journey they used two trumpets and sounded the Teruʿah. At the first sound the three camps eastward, under the banner of Judah, moved onward; at the second the three camps in the south, under the banner of Reuben; at the third, the three camps in the west, under the banner of Ephraim; and at the fourth sound of the Teruʿah, the three camps in the north, under the banner of Dan, started on their journey. For all these the Teruʿah sound was blown. In war, however, and on a day of rejoicing, or a festival, or a new moon, the sons of Aaron blew the two sounds Teqi‘ah and Teruʿah.

10 These four banners correspond with the four elements of which the world is composed, and the twelve tribes correspond with the twelve stones of the ephod, as it is said, “And the stones will be named after the names of the children of Israel.”Exodus 28:21 The banner of Judah in the east corresponds to one of the four elements, namely, fire, and of the constellations, to Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, which consist of fire, and to the first row of the stones of the ephod, namely, the sardius, topaz and carbuncle.

11 The standard of Reuben in the south corresponded to earth, the second of the four elements; to Taurus, Virgo and Capricornus of the constellations which are of the dust; and to the second row of the stones of the ephod, namely, the emerald, sapphire, and diamond. The banner of Ephraim in the west corresponded to water, the third of the four elements; to Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius of the constellations, which consist of water; and to the third row of the stones of the ephod, namely, the jacinth, agate, and amethyst.

12 The standard of Dan in the north corresponded to air, the fourth of the four elements; to Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces of the constellations, which were created of air; and to the fourth row of the stones of the ephod, namely, the beryl, onyx, and the jasper.

13 Judah’s constellation is Leo and his stone the sardius; Issachar’s is Aries and his stone the topaz; Zebulun’s Sagittarius and his stone the carbuncle, that is, altogether nine corresponding to fire. Reuben’s constellation is Taurus, and his stone the emerald; Simeon’s Virgo and his stone the sapphire; Gad’s Capricornus and his stone the diamond, that is, altogether nine corresponding to dust. Ephraim’s constellation is Gemini and his stone the jacinth; Manasseh’s Libra and his stone the agate; Benjamin’s Aquarius and his stone the amethyst, which are together nine corresponding to air. Dan’s constellation is Cancer and his stone the beryl; Asher’s Scorpio and his stone the onyx; Naphtali’s Pisces and his stone the jasper, which are altogether nine corresponding to water.

14 Each man stood by his standard, together with the emblem of his father’s house, as follows: Reuben, mandrakes; Simeon, the city of Shechem; Judah, the lion’s cub; Issachar, a strong donkey; Zebulun, a ship; Ephraim, an ox; Manasseh, a buffalo, or reʾem; Benjamin, a wolf; Dan, a serpent; Naphtali, a doe; Gad, a troop according to the passage, “a troop will overtake him”; Asher, an olive, because of the passage, “He dipped his foot in oil.” Thus, a sign was given to every banner, according to the deeds and according to the name of the tribe.

15 And these are the four camps of the standards. “Every man by his standard, according to the house of their fathers, will camp around the tent of the congregation.”Numbers 2:2 Between the tabernacle and the camps of the standards there was a very wide space. Three tribes formed under one banner, that is, in three separate camps according to their order, and each camp was like a large city. The camps of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, were placed in the east; Reuben, Simeon and Gad in the south; Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh in the west; and Dan, Asher and Naphtali in the north. The Levites encamped between the tabernacle and the camps, on the four sides of the tabernacle, at a distance from the camps, but near the tabernacle, and kept guard in the tabernacle of the Lord. Moses and Aaron and his sons encamped in the east of the tabernacle, opposite Judah’s standard. The sons of Kohath encamped in the south, opposite Reuben’s banner; the children of Gershon in the west, opposite Ephraim’s banner, and the children of Merari in the north, opposite Dan’s banner. The tent of the congregation stood in the center, surrounded on all sides by the Levites, while the four standards of the Israelites surrounded the Levites, and the clouds of glory surrounded the Israelites. That is the meaning of the verse, “The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him.”Psalms 34:7 The four standards, Moses, Aaron and the tabernacle, which are altogether seven, correspond to the seven planets, namely, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, and the twelve tribes to the twelve constellations.

16 Rabbi Eleazar asked Rabbi Simeon, “When the Israelites went out of Egypt, did they take weavers with them?” “No,” replied Rabbi Simeon. “How, then, did they clothe themselves during the whole of the forty years?” “The ministering angels clothed them, as it is said, ‘And I will clothe you in fine netting.’” “But did not the children grow into men?” he said. “Learn the answer from the purple snail whose shell grows simultaneously with it.” This was how the Israelites fared, and they did not become dirty, for the clouds were cleansing them. Further, they did not emit a bad smell from the sweat of their bodies, although they did not change their clothes.

17 The well caused various kinds of spices and sweet-smelling herbs to grow, on which they lay, as it is said, “He will cause me to lie down in the well-watered pastures,”Psalms 23:2 the perfume of which traveled from one end of the world to the other. The well of Miriam was placed at the entrance of the court near Moses’ tent, and indicated to all the camps where they were to encamp. It showed this in the following way: When the curtains of the court were set up, the twelve pillars by the well sang the “Shirah,” as it is said, “They dug the well with songs.”Numbers 21:17-18 And the waters of the well swelled into rivers, one of which surrounded the camp of the Shekinah. From that river there flowed four other rivers into the four corners of the court, each one of which flowed through the four corners, such as southeast, etc., to the camp of the Israelites. After passing the camp of the Levites, these rivers flowed together into one channel, encompassing first the whole camp of the Levites; and flowing between each family, and surrounding the camp of the Shekinah, many small channels could be seen. Then this great river encompassed the whole camp of the Israelites from outside, forming into smaller rivers running between each tribe. These rivers marked the boundary of each camp, so that one did not encroach on his neighbor. But do not think that they obtained nothing from the waters, because they produced all kinds of delicacies similar to those of the world to come, as it is written, “You are a fountain of gardens.”Song of Songs 4:15 And all kinds of spices grew for them, as it is said, “Your shoots are a garden of pomegranates ... with spikenard and saffron,”Song of Songs 4:13-14 etc.

18 At the end of each camp on the east, west, north and south, there stretched an area of 4,000 cubits. Moses and Aaron and his sons were encamped in the east; the children of Kohath in the south; the children of Gershon in the west; and the children of Merari in the north. Each one of them occupied 100 cubits within the 4,000. In addition to this there were those 4,000 cubits on each side. Thus the Levites occupied one-eighth of the whole area of the tribes. But where did the animals pasture? The whole encampment extended over an area of 12 square miles, comprising the camp of the Shekinah, the camp of the Levites, and the camp of the Israelites. In the corners on each side their cattle pastured, that is, opposite their own encampment. The rivers surrounded them from inside and outside, forming channels for them all around, so that the people had permission to walk on the Sabbath from one camp to the other. The cloud spread over them separated them from their cattle, as it is said, “And the cloud of the Lord rested over them by day.”Numbers 10:34 From the splendor of the blue used in the tabernacle the rivers appeared blue as the blue of the morning and the light of the moon and the sun was reflected in them. When the nations saw them from far away praising God, they said, “Who are these people looking at us from the wilderness?” and fear and dread fell on them all, as it is said, “Fear and dread will fall on them.”Exodus 15:16

1 The sages say that when God brought the plague of the firstborn on the Egyptians, He started first with their gods, as it is said, “I will execute judgment on all the gods of Egypt; I am the Lord.”Exodus 12:12 And what was this striking of their gods, since they were only images of stone? They were broken up into small pieces; every idol of wood rotted and became a heap of dust, and all idols of silver, brass, iron and lead were melted to metal sheets on the ground; and when the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea fire descended on their gods and consumed them, as it is said, “And in the abundance of Your majesty, You will overthrow all those who rise up against You.”Exodus 15:7

2 The sages further say that before the plague of the firstborn descended on them Moses went among the firstborn in Egypt and said to them, “This is what the Lord says: About midnight I will go out among the Egyptians, and all their firstborn will die.”Exodus 11:4-5 Then all the firstborn went to their fathers and said, “All the plagues which Moses foretold have happened; he now says that all the firstborn are to die.” “Go to Pharaoh,” replied their fathers, “for he is a firstborn.” Going to him, they said, “Send this people away, for if you do not, all the firstborn will perish.” Pharaoh immediately ordered his servants to go and strike them, and he said, “I have already declared either my soul will be taken or those of the Israelites, and now you wish them to be sent away.” Each one of them took his sword and killed his father, as it is said, “The striking of the Egyptians by their firstborn.”Psalms 136:10 Still, at midnight, all the firstborn were killed, as it is said, “And the Lord struck all the firstborn of the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh,”Exodus 12:29 that is, his son, who also died. And Pharaoh and his servants got up in the night on that account.

3 If an Egyptian married five wives, having had five sons, the next day these sons were found dead, because they were all firstborn to their mothers. In the same manner, if a woman had married five times and had a son by each husband, all these sons died, because they were all firstborn to their fathers. This fulfilled the statement that “All the firstborn of the land of Egypt should die.” If a house contained no firstborn, the eldest in the house died. In a house where the firstborn had died long before, the dead came out again from the grave and died again within the house, causing great wailing. Therefore it is written, “There was no house into which death did not enter.”Exodus 12:30

4 As soon as Pharaoh saw that his son, the son of his wife, and the sons of his servants were dead, he thought to himself that Moses had never once yet lied to him, and said to his servants, “All the time that he was near me he used to plead for us; and he prayed before his Creator, and we were then healed of all our plagues. But, a little while ago, I was furious against Moses, and said to him, ‘You must no longer see my face.’ Therefore it is my responsibility to go and look for him.” Pharaoh and all his servants accordingly rose from their beds with great weeping, and Pharaoh, going around all the streets, asked, “Where is Moses? Where is Moses? Where does he live?” When the Israelites saw him they laughed, saying to him, “Pharaoh, where are you going, and whom are you looking for?” “I am searching for Moses, your master.” “Here he lives, here he lives,” said the children, all the while laughing at him, until he finally said, “Get up, go out from among my people.” But the Israelites took no notice of him until he went to Moses’ house and said, “Please, my lord, pray to God for us.” But Moses and Aaron and all the Israelites were at that moment in their respective houses, eating their Passover lambs and singing praises to the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, and sitting at home, and no one went out of his house, because God said to the Israelites, “And none of you must go out of his house until the morning.”Exodus 12:22

5 So when Pharaoh came to Moses’ door, Moses said to him from inside his house, “Who are you calling?” “I am Pharaoh,” he said. “Why do you yourself come to me? Surely it is not customary for kings to come to men’s houses, and, moreover, at nighttime.” “Please, go out and pray for us, for there is no man left in Egypt that is not dead.” “But I cannot go out, for I have heard it from the mouth of God, saying, ‘You must not go out.’” “Please,” said Pharaoh, “stand at the window and let me see your pleasant face.” “But,” added Moses, “did you not say to me, ‘You will no longer see my face’?” “I said this to you before the firstborn died, but now they are already dead. You have indeed never lied before me: now, why are they all dead?” And Moses said, “Do you wish them to be brought to life again?” “Yes,” he said.

6 “If so, then raise your voice and say, ‘Children of Israel, look, you are free men; look, you are your own masters. Now get up and go out from among my people. Until now you were the servants of Pharaoh, from now on you are the servants of God.’” Pharaoh repeated these words. “Say them again.” And Pharaoh did so. “Say them a third time.” And Pharaoh said them a third time. When Pharaoh raised his voice, it was heard in all the land of Egypt, a distance of forty days or 400 parasangs.

7 And on that night he called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “Get up, go out from among my people.”Exodus 12:31 “But why are you troubling me the whole night?” said Moses. “Because,” answered Pharaoh, “I am a firstborn, and I fear I will die.” “Do not fear this, because you are destined for greatness.” And the Egyptians forced Pharaoh, and persuaded him to send the Israelites from among them, as it is said, “And the Egyptians strengthened themselves to hurry the people out of their land, for they said, ‘Look, we will all die.’”Exodus 12:33 But God answered them, saying, “By your life you will not all die here, but I will destroy you in the sea.” When the Egyptians were drowned in the sea, fire descended on their gods so that they were consumed.

8 Among these Egyptians there were two wizards whose names were Johanai and Mamre. As soon as they entered the sea and saw that the waters surrounded them, by means of their tricks they flew into the air as high as the firmament. No other nation in the world practiced witchcraft as much as the Egyptians. Thus our sages have said, “Ten measures of witchcraft descended into the world: the Egyptians took nine parts, and one remained for the rest of the world.” Johanai and Mamre were the princes of witchcraft, and, from their great knowledge of it, they ascended to the firmament; nor were Michael and Gabriel able to do anything against them. They therefore cried to God in prayer, saying, “Lord of the universe, these wicked men who oppressed Your children with hard bondage dare to stand here without fear, and not only this, but they dare to defy even You.” How do we know that God Himself descended in Egypt? Because it is said, “I will go down with you to Egypt.”Genesis 46:4 “Now, if it is Your will, Lord of the universe, carry out punishment on behalf of Your children.” At this God immediately ordered Metatron, saying, “Throw them down and throw them to the ground, but be careful that they only fall into the sea.” Metatron accordingly threw them forcibly into the middle of the sea. It was then that the Israelites broke out with the “Shirah,” the song, “And in the abundance of Your majesty You have overthrown those who rise up against You.”Exodus 15:7

9 “The nations heard it and trembled.”Exodus 15:14 The sages say that when the Egyptians pursued the Israelites and saw them, they were seized with great fear and dread, and did not wish to enter into the sea after them. God therefore sent Gabriel to them, and he appeared like a mare entering the sea. Pharaoh’s horse immediately followed into the sea after it, and he was followed by all the Egyptians. Then God spoke to Moses, saying, “Extend your hand over the sea, and the waters will return onto the heads of Pharaoh and his chariot and his riders.”Exodus 14:26 Moses then extended his hand over the sea, which was split apart and torn open. When the nations of the world heard the report of the exodus from Egypt, and the tearing apart of the Red Sea, they trembled, and in terror fled from their homes.

1 And the children of Israel went up from the sea, and they came to the wilderness. While they were journeying in the wilderness a quarrel broke out between Korah and Moses. A certain woman had a ewe lamb which she fed from her bread and gave to drink from her own cup, so that it was like a daughter to her. One day when she sheared the wool of her lamb, Aaron the priest came and took the wool away. Going immediately to Korah, she said to him, “My lord, I am extremely poor; my only possession is one ewe lamb. When I sheared its wool to clothe myself, because I am naked, Aaron the priest came up and took it away by force.”

2 Korah then went up to Aaron and said to him, “Do you not have enough from the tithes and lifted offerings of the Israelites, that you must take away the wool of this poor woman, who is regarded as a dead person?” But Aaron retorted, “You will not die a natural death. I will not annul, for your sake, one letter of the law. It is written in it, ‘The first wool shorn from your flock must be given to me.’”Deuteronomy 18:4 In three months’ time the ewe bore a lamb, and Aaron came and took it away. The woman immediately went again to Korah and complained, “My lord, look, Aaron has no compassion on me, for only yesterday he took away the wool, and today he has taken the firstborn.” And he replied, “The law says that every male firstborn of your cattle and of your sheep must be dedicated to the Lord your God.”

3 The woman then went out and killed the ewe, and Aaron immediately came and took the shoulder, the jaws and the stomach. Seeing this, the woman, deeply distressed, cried, saying, “You have all the meat.” “I take all the meat,” added Aaron, “it has now become our portion, as it is said, ‘The meat of everything that is dedicated belongs to you.’”Numbers 18:18

4 The woman, going to Korah, told all that had happened, and Korah, extremely angry, said to Aaron, “What claim do you have on this poor woman? You first took the wool, then the firstborn, and now the whole ewe itself.” “I will not transgress one letter of the law because of your anger, for it is said, ‘All the meat must be the priest’s.’”Leviticus 7:6

5 Korah was then filled with anger, and when God commanded Moses to tell the children of Israel to make for themselves fringes, Korah got up in the night, and weaving 400 garments of blue, put them on 400 men. Then, standing before Moses, he said to him, “Do these garments require fringes, as they are now made entirely of tekhelet, blue?” Moses replied, “Korah, does a house full of holy books require a Mezuzah?” “Yes,” said Korah. “These garments also require fringes.”

6 In this way the jealousy, or envy, between them grew to such an extent that God said to Moses, “Take the Levites, and this is what you must do to purify them.”Numbers 8:6-7 He then made four decrees concerning the Levites, two of which they accepted and two of which they did not accept. They then said to Moses, “Sprinkle on us the water of the sin offering, and we will also wash our clothes, but we will not submit to the lifting up or the razor.”

7 Moses then forcibly lifted them up from the ground against their will. When it came to the decree to shave their bodies, Moses was not able to attend to them alone, so he said to the Israelites, “A decree has been issued concerning the Levites to pass the razor over their flesh, and they have refused to submit.” Then, all the Israelites stood up, took hold of the Levites by force, and made them submit.

8 At that time the wife of Korah said to her husband, “The King of Life makes both you and Moses subservient to Him, but now that you have passed the razor over your own flesh and over your beards, everyone will scorn and shame you. It is surely better to die than to live.” Concerning this Scripture says, “A woman’s wisdom builds her house, but the hands of the foolish one overthrow it.”Proverbs 14:1

9 “A woman’s wisdom builds her house.”Proverbs 14:1 This refers to the wife of On, the son of Peleth, who, when she saw that the quarrel was coming to a head, said to her husband, “My lord, listen to my advice: whether Korah is the prince and you are the student, or Moses is the prince and you are the student, what good does this quarrel do you? It is surely better to save your soul from the punishment.” “But what should I do now,” he answered, “since I have already sworn to Korah that I will follow his advice?” “Your oath will be fulfilled,” she replied, “if you side with Moses, since all the Israelites are holy.” “May I trust you?” he said. She answered, “Yes.” Then, on the day of punishment, she killed a lamb, and gave him food and drink until he was drunk. She then put him to bed, and while he slept she sat at the door facing the street and uncovered her head, and combed her hair; and whoever came to call for On, the son of Peleth, saw his wife with uncovered head, and being shamed, turned away until the time passed, and in this way On was saved. With reference to this the text says, “Hide yourself for a moment until the anger has passed away.”Isaiah 26:20 “But the foolish woman overthrows it, her house, with her hands.”Proverbs 14:1 This alludes to the wife of Korah, who wickedly advised her husband to quarrel with Moses, and so he perished from this world and from the next as well, as it is said, “And they perished from among the congregation.”Numbers 16:33

10 The sages say that through the shrewd advice of Balaam the Israelites were reduced in number, for the sons of Moab and Midian consulted together, and, gathering all the beautiful women of their land, they made tents for them and placed them inside close by the camp of the Israelites. And the women dwelling within the tents were adorned with all conceivable kinds of ornaments and had every kind of salable garment. At the door of the tent stood an old woman holding a garment for sale. Whenever any Israelite passed by and asked the old woman the price, she placed a very high value on it, but said, “Step inside the tent, and there you can choose what you desire at a low price.” As soon as he entered a beautiful maiden would stand up, beautifully adorned and sprayed with scent, and, looking at him, say, “I will sell you these ornaments at a very low price; and if you desire, I will give you these others for nothing.” Before her was placed excellent strong wine. She would then say to him, “Drink this cup of wine for my love, and I will present you with any precious ornament you may wish.” At this time the wine of the pagans was not yet a prohibited thing. He therefore would accept the offer and drink the wine, and as soon as he had finished it he would be very drunk. She then would take hold of him and begin kissing him, so that the evil inclination should burn within him, and he would lie with her. For the great love that sprang up between them, she would not leave him until eventually she would say to him, “Worship this idol for the love you bore me.” And he would worship it.

11 Thus the Israelites sinned through sexual immorality as it is said, “And the people began to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, who enticed the people to sacrifice to their god; and the people ate of their sacrifices and bowed down to their gods.”Numbers 25:1-2 The Lord was therefore angry with Israel, so that 24,000 men died of a plague.

12 And all the Israelites, and all the princes, and Eleazar, and Phinehas, seeing the angel of destruction among the people, sat down and wept, and did not know how to act. Phinehas saw Zimri publicly going with a Midianite woman, and, burning with zeal, he snatched the spear from Moses. Some say that, raising his spear, he ran after him from behind, and pierced them both, so that it entered the stomach of the woman. Because of this God gave him and his sons the stomach of the animals as his reward, and strengthened his arm. He fixed the spear in the ground, and both were found on the top of it, one above the other. Then Phinehas struck the young men of Israel without remorse, and dragged them, whipping them all the while, through the whole camp of Israel, so that all would see and fear. Rabbi Eleazar of Modai says that Phinehas placed the ban of excommunication on all Israel by means of the secret of the Ineffable Name as written on the tablets of the law—the earthly and heavenly Tribunal sanctioned an excommunication prohibiting every man of Israel from drinking the wine of pagans.

1 When the ten plagues with which the Egyptians were struck began, Cecrops fled from Egypt to the city of Aqtes, in Greece, which he built as the Metropolis. There he established the throne of the kingdom of the Zoanites, and became the first king of the Atinisim Athenians—that is, the Zoanites. Seventeen kings and nineteen princes reigned after him, until the reign of Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, King of Persia.

2 At the end of the Book of Joshua it is written, “So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.”Joshua 24:25 Joseph ben Gorion asserts in his book that when the pagans made a covenant, after shedding the blood of the calf and sprinkling it on the ground, they used to say, “This is how the blood of anyone who breaks this covenant we have made will be shed.” Joshua then issued a decree to the Israelites that they should pour water on the ground instead of blood, to fulfill the command, “You must not act according to their deeds.”Exodus 23:24

3 In those days, in the time of Joshua, there lived a certain man Erichthonius, who was the first to construct a chariot in Greece. And Cadmus, King of Egypt, went from Thebes and came to Tyre and Sidon, and reigned there. Cadmus Europes Tahpanhes also reigned in the land of Greece, and he named the royal city Tahpanhes.

4 Now, Danaus had fifty sons, and they married the fifty daughters of Egisates, their brother. But one day one of the brothers rose up, and, killing all the others, reigned in their place.

5 At that time, in the days of Othniel, Cadmus reigned in Thebes, and the city of Bithynia was built by Tahpanhes. He first introduced the letters of Greek writing. The city of Ephyra, now called Corinth, was also then built by Sisyphus. Minos, the son of Eoripi, reigned then in Crete.

1 Philo, the friend of Joseph, the son of Gorion, has related in his book that after the death of Joshua the Israelites had no friend to lead them. So the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who will go up before us to fight against the Canaanites as in earlier times?” And the Lord replied, “If the heart of this people is perfect with the Lord, let Judah go up, but if not, nobody will go up.” “But how will we know the heart of the people?” they asked further. And the Lord said, “Draw lots according to your tribes, and the tribe which the Lord chooses must assemble according to their families, and in this way you will know the heart of the people.”

2 The people then addressed God, saying, “Lord, appoint over us a head and a chief to assemble us for casting the lots, so that he can take us out and bring us in.” And the angel of God replied, “Cast lots in the tribe of Caleb, and the person selected by lot will be for you the head and the chief.” They did so, and the lot fell on Kenaz. They therefore made him a prince over Israel. Kenaz then said to the people, “Bring me your tribes and listen to the voice of the Lord.” And they came to him.

3 “You know,” he said, “that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you, saying, ‘You must not depart from the way which I commanded you in the Torah, neither to the right nor to the left.’ Joshua has also urged you to do this.

4 “Now, hear and pay attention to my words, for the heart of the people is not with Him, and He has commanded each tribe among us to approach for the lot to be cast. Do not let the Lord’s anger burn against us. If my household and I are caught, then burn us with fire.” “You have spoken well,” answered the people.

5 Accordingly, the tribes assembled before him by lot, and of the tribe of Judah 345 men were taken, of Reuben 540, of Simeon 385, of Levi 350, of Issachar 665, of Zebulun 545, of Gad, 380, of Asher 665, of Manasseh 480, and of Ephraim 468.

6 So, the total number of those that were caught by lot was 6,110, all of whom Kenaz placed in custody to ask for the word of the Lord concerning them, and said, “Moses, the servant of the Lord, spoke of such people when he said, ‘Make sure there is no root among you, a poisonous plant or wormwood,’Deuteronomy 29:18 blessed be the Lord, who reveals our sins to us so that we will not stumble through them.”

7 And Kenaz, and Eleazar the priest, and all the elders of the assembly, prayed to the Lord, saying, “You, Lord, have made known to us the men who did not believe in Your wonders which You performed for our ancestors from the time when You brought them out from the land of Egypt until this very day.”

8 And the Lord replied, “Ask these people now to confess their wrongdoing, and they will be burned with fire.” And Kenaz addressed them as follows, “You know that Achan ben Zabdi sinned by appropriating the dedicated captured goods, was taken by lot and confessed his sin: do you also make a confession to the Lord, that you can live with those whom the Lord will revive at the resurrection of the dead.”

9 And one of them, whose name was Elah, answered, “We will only die once by this fire. Now ask each tribe separately.” Kenaz then began with his own tribe, the tribe of Judah. And they said, “Look, we have chosen to make a calf for ourselves, just as our ancestors did in the wilderness.”

10 Coming next to the tribe of Reuben, he heard them say, “We have chosen to sacrifice to the gods of the nations.” The children of Levi said, “We desired to try and test whether the tabernacle is holy.” The children of Issachar replied, “We desired to ask the idols what will become of us.”

11 And the children of Zebulun, “We wished to eat the flesh of our sons and our daughters, to know whether the Lord loved them.” The children of Dan replied, “We desired to teach our sons what we learned from the Amorites; look, their books are hidden and concealed under the Mount Abarim, where you will find them.” And Kenaz sent for them and found them.

12 Coming next to Naphtali, they answered, “We have done all that the Amorites have done, and hidden them in the tent of Elah, who requested you to ask each tribe separately.” And Kenaz sent for them and found them there.

13 Then the sons of Gad said, “We have slept with the wives of our neighbors.” And the sons of Asher said, “We found seven golden idols, which the Amorites called ‘The holy ones of Ninfe,’ and on them were many precious stones. We hid them beneath Mount Shechem. Send there now and you will find them.” He acted accordingly and found them. These were the idols which informed the Amorites at certain periods the deeds they should perform.

14 Now, these are the names of the seven sinners that made them after the Flood: Canaan, Put, Shelah, Nimrod, Elah, Diul, and Shuah. Their work was not like that of ordinary artisans. They brought the precious stones from Havilah, where the bdellium and the onyx are found. These were the stones used by the Amorites for their idols. In the night they shone like the light of day, and when the blind Amorites kissed the idols and touched their eyes they could see. Kenaz then placed them in custody until he knew what was to become of them.

15 Continuing his questions, Kenaz came to Manasseh, who said, “We have not observed the Sabbath to sanctify it.” Ephraim answered, “We have been pleased to pass our sons and our daughters through the fire, according to the custom of the Amorites.” And Benjamin said, “We desired to test whether the law of God came from God or from Moses.” Kenaz then entered all their replies in a book and recited them before the Lord.

16 And the Lord said, “Take these men, and everything that belongs to them, and bring them down to the river Pishon. There you must burn them with fire.” “Should we also burn,” asked Kenaz, “the precious stones which are priceless or should we dedicate them to You?” And the Lord answered, “If God would take what is under a curse, why then not also man?

17 “Take the books and the precious stones and keep them until I make known to you what you must do with them and how you must destroy them, because fire will not consume them; but the men will be consumed with fire. And they will say to all the people, ‘This is what will be done to the man who turns his heart away from the Lord.’

18 “When they are consumed by the fire, then take the precious stones which fire will not injure, and which iron will not break, and place them on the top of the mountain by the side of the new altar, and there I will command the thick clouds to cause their dew to fall on them and destroy them in this way; and I will command My angels to take these stones and throw them into the depths of the sea, so that they will no longer be seen, and to bring up to Me instead of them twelve stones more precious than those. These you must place in the ephod and in the breastplate, and sanctify them to Me.”

19 Accordingly Kenaz, fetching everything found on these sinners, said to the people, “You have seen the miracles and the wonders which the Lord has shown us until this very day, and how He has made known to us these sinning men so that they have been repaid according to their deeds.

20 “Now, cursed be the man who acts in the same manner in Israel.” And the people answered, “Amen.” In this way those men perished in the flames. After this, Kenaz wished to test the stones in the fire, but the fire was extinguished. He then took the iron and tried to crush them in pieces, but the iron slipped away from them.

21 He even placed the books in water, in order to destroy them, but the water dried up on them. Kenaz then burst out in praise of God, saying, “Blessed be the Lord, for this day He has performed miracles and wonders with human beings, when they sinned and did not deny their guilt.” He then took the stones and the books of the law, and placed them on the mountain by the new altar, just as God had commanded him; and on the altar he offered sacrifices of peace offerings, and all the people ate there together.

22 On that night the Lord did with those stones and books just as He had spoken, and in the morning Kenaz found twelve precious stones, on which were engraved the names of the sons of Israel. And the Lord said, “Take these stones and place them in the ark together with the tablets of the law, until Solomon has built a temple dedicated to My name, and will place them on two cherubim, and it will be to Me as a memorial of the children of Israel.

23 “And when the sin of human beings has reached its full extent by defiling My temple, which they will have made, I will take these stones, together with the tablets of the law, and will put them in the place from which they were taken long ago, and there they will remain until the end of the world, when I will visit the inhabitants of the earth; and then I will take them up, and they will be like an everlasting light to those who love Me and keep My commandments. The moon will be confused and the sun ashamed before that light, for it will be seven times more powerful than either of them.”

24 Then Kenaz said, “Look at the countless good deeds which God has done for humanity, and of which people have been deprived through their sins; now I know that human work is nothing and human life is futile.”

25 When he took the stones from the place where they were put, they lit up the whole earth just as the sun at noon. He put them in the ark of the testimony, together with the tablets of the Covenant, just as the Lord had commanded, and there they remain until this very day.

26 Having chosen 300,000 armed warriors, on the second day he waged war with their enemies and killed 5,000 of them. On the third day the people spoke against Kenaz, saying, “Look, Kenaz stays in his house with his wives and his concubines; while we arm ourselves for battle and destroy our enemies.”

27 The servants of Kenaz, hearing of this, told their master. And he commanded them to summon before him the commanders of groups of fifty, and ordered them to place those thirty-seven men in prison who had spoken maliciously against him; and they acted accordingly.

28 He then said, “When the Lord brings deliverance to His people, I will order the death of these men.” He gave orders to the commanders of the groups of fifty, saying, “Go and choose 300 of my servants and 300 horses. Do not let it become known that we are going to battle, and let them be ready to march with me tonight.”

29 He sent spies to view the position of the Amorites’ encampment, and they saw at once that the Amorites were too mighty for the Israelites to fight against. The spies, therefore, returned and reported to Kenaz.

30 He rose up in the middle of the night, holding a shofar in his hand, and taking with him 300 men. When he approached the camp he said to his servants, “Stay here while I alone go and look at the camp of the Amorites; but as soon as you hear the sound of the shofar, come to me, but if you do not hear it, then return home.”

31 Kenaz then went down to the camp alone, and he prayed to God, saying, “Lord God of our ancestors, You have shown Your servants all the great wonders which You have performed: now also perform Your miracles with Your servant, and I will go to battle against Your enemy, so that all the nations can know that Your hand is not too short to bring deliverance through many or through a few, for You, Lord, are mighty in war.”

32 And Kenaz continued, “Let this be the sign of the deliverance which You will show me this day. If when I draw my sword from its sheath and brandish it so that it glitters in the camp of the Amorites, they know that I am Kenaz, I will then know that You will deliver them into my hand; and if not, then I will know that You have not heard my prayer, but have delivered me into the hand of the enemy for my sins.”

33 After this Kenaz overheard the Amorites say, “Let us get up and fight against the Israelites, for our holy gods Ninfe are in their possession, and they will deliver them into our hands.” At that moment the Spirit of God rested on Kenaz, so that he rose up, and brandished his sword against the Amorites; and when they saw it they exclaimed, “Look, this is the sword of Kenaz, to afflict us with wounds and gashes; but we know that our gods which are with them will deliver them into our hands. Now get up and fight them.”

34 When Kenaz heard their words, he went down to the camp of the Amorites and struck them, and the Lord sent the angel Gabriel to afflict the Amorites with blindness, so that they killed each other. And Kenaz killed 45,000 of them.

35 Now, when Kenaz had finished the slaughter, it happened that his sword stuck to his hand, and, noticing an Amorite fleeing from the camp, he said to him, “Look, you know what I have done to the Amorites; now please tell me how I can separate my sword from my hand.” And the Amorite answered, “Kill a Hebrew and pour his warm blood over your hand, and it will be separated.” Kenaz then killed that Amorite, and pouring his blood on his hand, separated it from his sword. Then returning to his army, he found them all asleep, for a deep sleep had fallen on them, so that they did not know what Kenaz had done in the night. When they awoke from their sleep and saw the whole plain full of dead men they were greatly astonished; and Kenaz said, “Are the ways of God like the ways of man? The Lord has sent deliverance through me to His people; now get up and return to your tents.”

36 As soon as all the Israelites heard of the deliverance which the Lord had brought through the hand of Kenaz, they went out to meet him, saying, “Blessed be the Lord, who appointed you to be the commander of His people, for now we know that the Lord has chosen His people.” And Kenaz replied, “Ask the men who were with me of the work I have done.” On asking them, they replied, “As the Lord lives, we do not know, for we found the plain full of dead bodies.”

37 After this Kenaz ordered the commanders of the groups of fifty to bring out the prisoners, so that they could have a hearing. When they were brought before him he said to them, “Now, what is the complaint you have against me?” And they replied, “Why do you ask us, when the Lord has delivered us into your hands, and commanded that we should be burned, not for our complaint, but in connection with those earlier men who confessed their wrongdoing? We were not detected among the people when we had joined the sinners. It was for this that the Lord has delivered us into your hands.” Kenaz then said, “Since you testify this way against yourselves, why should I hold back your punishment?” They were, therefore, ordered to be burned to death in the flames.

38 Now Kenaz’s life was drawing to a close, and he called the two prophets Phinehas and Jabin, and also Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and said to them, “I know the heart of this people, for they will turn from following the Lord. I therefore testify against them.” And Phinehas said, “Just as Moses and Joshua testified, so do I testify against them; for they prophesied concerning the vineyard, the beautiful plantation of God which did not know its planter, and did not recognize its worker, so that the vineyard was destroyed and did not produce its fruit. These are the words which my father commanded me to tell this people.” Kenaz then raised his voice and wept aloud, as did all the elders and the people until the evening, when they said, “Is it for the wrongdoing of the sheep that the shepherd must perish? May the Lord have compassion for His inheritance so that they will not work in vain.”

39 And the Spirit of the Lord came on Kenaz, so that he prophesied, saying, “I have seen what I had not hoped for, and have looked at what I had not imagined.

40 “Look, I saw a flame which did not burn, and I heard in my dream the noise of the rushing of waters which had no source and no route over the mountains, and no base in the air, but they appeared according to their form. They had no fixed place, and since the eye does not know what to see, how can the heart understand it?

41 “From this flame which was not burning I saw a spark fly out and remain in the air like a shield, like a spider’s web in a beam. Then I saw that this was the base and its source vomited hot foam, and became changed to the foundation of the deep, and ways, or paths, were between the upper and lower bases; the hidden light shone there, and beings, in the form of men, were walking around. “And then I heard a voice saying, ‘Between these foundations, or bases, human beings will live 7,000 years, when the lower foundation will be destroyed, and the upper one which is like hot foam will be the foundation, and the light which is between them and lights up the path of man is Jerusalem, and there the men will live. But when the human beings sin against Me, and the time of their sinning has reached its full extent, then the spark will be extinguished, and the fountain will dry up, and everything will pass away.’”

42 When Kenaz had finished prophesying, the spirit of his soul returned to him, and he no longer knew what he had uttered in his prophecy. He then said to the people, “If this is the rest which the righteous obtain after their death, it would be better for them to die at their birth in this world and not sin.” And Kenaz died, and Othniel his son rose up in his place.

1 Josippon says that the incident of Micah and the concubine of Gibeah occurred between the time of the death of Joshua and Othniel, between the times to which the following verses refer, namely: “And Judah captured Gaza and its boundary, and Ekron and Ashkelon”;Judges 1:18 and the other, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and He delivered them into the hands of the Canaanites. Then the children of Dan built Laish and the mountain.” For the purpose of enabling us to calculate the days of the judges, this portion was placed at the end of the Book of Judges.

2 After Othniel came Ehud. At that time, in the days of Ehud, the city Cinnereth in Libya was built, and many ships were built by Triptolemus, for carrying wheat, for merchandise. Dionysius built the city of Niza, in Media; Troy was built about the same time in Dardania. There a dog killed Pirithous, and attempted to kill Theseus, and Heracles saved him. In the sixty-ninth year of Ehud the city Cyrene in Libya was built.

3 Shamgar succeeded him, and was followed by Deborah and Barak, who fought with Sisera. And the Lord threw into confusion Sisera and all his charioteers and his whole camp with a fierce storm; and He overwhelmed them all with hail, and blinding rain and flashes of lightning and thunderclaps, so that they could no longer stand, but fell by the sword.

4 Sisera then fled on foot to the tent of Jael, who went out to meet him and embraced him. Then she covered him well, and he fell into a deep sleep. And Jael prayed to God, saying, “Please, Lord, strengthen Your servant against Your enemy, and by this I will know that You will deliver him into my hand, that is, if I bring him down from his bed onto the ground, and he does not awake.” She did accordingly. Then, taking a tent peg and a hammer, she drove the peg into his temple, according to Deborah’s prophecy. And Barak captured Hazor and killed its king, and all its inhabitants.

5 Now, when Sisera went out to fight against Israel his mother, Tamar, with her maidens and princesses, by means of their enchantments prophesied, saying that Sisera would bring as captives one or more of the women of Israel with their colored garments, for she saw in her charms that he would lie on the bed of Jael, the wife of Heber, and be covered with a colored embroidered garment. Therefore she said, “A young woman, two young women for every man.”Judges 5:30

6 At that time the kings of Argos, who had reigned for 544 years, were destroyed and exterminated, and their kingdom passed into the hands of Mesenes. In the thirty-ninth year of Deborah’s reign the city of Miletus was built. Gideon succeeded Barak and Deborah. He asked the Lord for a sign from the fleece of wool.

7 I find that Gideon asked for another sign, for he said, “Give me a sign that God has chosen me to deliver Israel just as He gave to Moses, who delivered the Israelites from Egypt.” And the angel replied, “Run and bring me some water from that pool and pour it on this rock. I will then give you a sign.” When Gideon had done as requested, the angel said, “Tell me, should this water be turned into blood or fire?” And Gideon answered, “Let part of it be turned into fire and part into blood.” And so it was: the blood neither quenching the fire, nor the fire drying up the blood.

8 At that time, during the reign of Gideon, Mercurius discovered certain islands called Sirenes; in Ashkenaz they are called Nikes Nix. The inhabitants were like beautiful women, their lower parts resembling fish; and the inhabitants of the forests of the islands were half men and the other half wild animals and horses. The wise man Daedalus, by means of his cunning, made images and idols and birds of gold and brass, and having breathed into them, the idols spoke and the images prophesied while the birds flew about, for he was extremely clever in this art. The city of Tyre was built 240 years before the Temple at Jerusalem.

9 After Gideon, Abimelech, the son of his concubine, succeeded him, and at that time the measure of the Kor and the art of playing on the tambourine were discovered in Greece. Tola, the son of Puah, succeeded Abimelech. During his reign Hercules conquered Antaeus, in Libya, in the water, and destroyed the city of Ilios when Priamus reigned in Troy.

10 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him. He made an altar to Baal, and all the Israelites turned after it and worshiped Baal, except seven righteous men, who did not worship it. These were their names, Daʿal, Abi Yezreʿel, Gutiel, Shalom, Ashchor, Jonadab, and Shimei. These said to Jair, “We remember what Moses commanded Israel, saying, ‘Take care that you do not turn away from following the Lord to worship Baal.’” Jair then commanded his servants to burn those men with fire, because they spoke against Baal. Then, taking the men they cast them into the fire, but the fire swerved from them and burned instead the servants of Jair who cast them into it, together with all his household. And these seven men escaped from the fire and went on their way, for the men around them were struck with blindness so that they could not see them. And the fire reached the house of Jair, who heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “I have promoted you to be a judge over Israel; but you have corrupted the people and caused them to turn aside from following the Lord and to worship Baal, and those who remain steadfast to Me you have burned with fire. But they will live, and you will die by being consumed in the flames which will never be extinguished.” Thus the Lord consumed Jair and all his house, and Baal with 10,000 of his followers; and Jair was buried in Kamon.

11 At that time Theseus captured Helen, but Castor and Pollux, the brothers of Theseus, and his mother, were captured. The city of Carthage Qar Laini was then built. Nizpa invented the Latin alphabet.

1 Jair was succeeded by Jephthah the Gileadite, who delivered the Israelites from the hands of the Ammonites. And Jephthah and all Israel prayed to God in Mizpah, saying, “We pray You, Lord, save us, and do not deliver Your inheritance to the slaughter and Your vineyard to be looted. Remember, we beg You, the vine which You have planted and which You have brought up from Egypt.” Jephthah then sent messengers to Giteal, King of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you want, since you have come to me?” etc.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, and he went out to wage war against the Ammonites; and he made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand, then that which comes out from my house to meet me on my peaceful return from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will offer it to God as a burnt offering.”Judges 11:30-31 And Jephthah struck the Ammonites so that they were humbled before the Israelites. When Jephthah returned to Mizpah, look, all the virgins and women came out with tambourines and dances to meet him, and his daughter, the only child he had, went in front of the others and was the first to greet him.

3 When, however, he saw her, he tore his clothes, saying, “Oh, my daughter, you have deeply grieved and troubled me. Who will put my heart and my flesh in one pan of the scale to see it go down? For you have deeply grieved me at the feast in honor of my victories in battle, for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and now I cannot take it back.”

4 Then his daughter Seila said, “Why do you grieve for my death, since the Lord has taken vengeance for you on your enemies? Remember our ancestors, one of whom offered up his son as a burnt offering, and the one who offered and the one offered were both accepted by God. Therefore, my father, do to me as you have said. “But before I die I will ask you a favor. Grant me two months’ freedom, so that during that time I can pray to Him to whom I return my soul. I will go up on the mountains and stay among the hills; My companions and I will walk through the clefts of the rock and lament my virginity; there I will shed my tears and thus soften the grief of my youth. The trees of the field will weep for me, and the wild beasts of the fields will mourn for me; but I do not grieve for my death, nor do I grieve that I must give up my soul because of the vow which my father made to sacrifice me as a burnt offering to God. The one thing I fear, however, is that the offering of my soul may not be accepted, that my death will have been for nothing.”

5 When her father granted her request, she went out with her maidens and told the sages of her people, but they did not answer a word. She then went up to Mount Tlag, and the Lord remembered her in the night, saying, “Look, I have closed the mouth of the sages of My people, so that they did not answer the daughter of Jephthah; now her soul will be accepted at her request, and her death will be very precious in My sight, for the wisdom of the sage belongs to her.”

6 Seila, the daughter of Jephthah, then fell on her mother’s breast, and went on the mountain of Tlag weeping, and lamented her fate in these words, “Listen, mountains, to the lamentation of my grief; pay attention, hills, to the tears of my eyes; and you clefts of the rocks, testify to the weeping of my soul. Oh, how my soul has been handed over to death! But not in vain; my words will be atoned for in heaven, and my tears will be written on the firmament, for the father who has vowed to sacrifice his daughter did not have compassion on her. He did not listen to his princes, but said that he would confirm his vow by offering his only daughter. “I have not seen my bridal canopy, nor has the crown of my betrothal been completed. I have not been adorned with the lovely ornaments of the bride who sits in her virginity, nor have I been perfumed with the myrrh and the sweet-smelling, fragrant, aloe.

7 “I have not been anointed with the oil of anointment that was prepared for me. “Oh, my mother, you gave me birth in vain. Look, your only one is destined for the bridal chamber of the grave. You have worn yourself out for me to no purpose. The oil with which I was anointed will be wasted, and the moths will eat the white clothes in which I was dressed; the garlands of my crown with which you have exalted me will wither and dry up, and the worm will destroy my finely embroidered clothes in blue and purple. “And now my friends will lament all the days of my mourning; the trees will bend their branches and their shoots and weep for my youth. The beasts of the forest will come together and trample on my virginity, for my years are cut off and the days of my life grow old in darkness.”

8 At the end of two months she returned to her father. He then fulfilled the vow he had made, and the virgins of Israel buried her, and mourned for her, and since ancient times the daughters of Israel have adhered to the custom of devoting four days in the year to Jephthah’s daughter. At the time of the death of Jephthah’s daughter Hercules committed suicide by throwing himself in the fire, and was consumed by the flames.

9 Ibzan, of Bethlehem, succeeded Jephthah, and was followed by Elon the Zebulonite. About this time Alexander captured Helen for his wife.

10 After Elon came Abdon, the son of Hillel the Pirathonite. During his reign the royal city of Troy was captured, and 406 years after its capture began the Olympiad, for after the victory of the Greeks they began to calculate their Olympiad, which consisted of four years, just as we calculate the date from the destruction of the temple. Then Menelaus and Helen came to Egypt, and in the third year after the capture of Troy Agnios reigned over Italy, where Janus, Saturnus, Picus, and Faunus reigned. Three years after the capture of Troy—some say eight years—Aeneas ruled the empire, and during his reign there arose the city of Rome—that is, the Latini, so called because the inhabitants spoke the Latin language. In the reign of Ahaz, King of Judah, two twin brothers were born, Remus and Romulus, who founded the great city. They were the first kings of Rome, and reigned in Rome thirty-eight years.

11 In the “Shoher Tov” I have found it related that at the birth of these twins their mother died from the pains of labor, and that God prepared a young she-wolf to nurse them until they were grown up. Romulus was the one who built the city of Rome. At the end of the reign of Hezekiah, King of Judah, Numa Pompilius succeeded Romulus and reigned forty-one years. He added two months to the calendar year, namely, January and February, which were not included in the Roman year, which originally consisted of ten months. At the end of the reign of Manasseh, King of Judah, Tullus Hostilius succeeded Numa, and reigned for thirty-two years. This Tullus, King of Rome, was the first person to clothe himself in purple robes.

12 We now return to the judges. Many people say that the incidents of Gibeah and Micah occurred in the days of Abdon, the son of Hillel the Pirathonite. Micah acted just as his mother told him. He made for himself three images of man, and three of calves, and the likeness of an eagle, lion, and serpent. Whoever desired to obtain sons had to pray to the images of man; whoever desired wealth had to petition the eagle; whoever wished for strength had to petition the lion; whoever desired sons and daughters had to petition the calves; whoever desired long life had to petition the serpent; and whoever desired something of everything had to petition the dove. Thus all the Israelites went astray, abandoned the Lord, and worshiped these idols, so that the Lord sold them to the nations of the earth; but when they at intervals repented the Lord visited them.

13 When the Israelites, because of the concubine who was found dead in Gibeah, waged war against the tribe of Dan, they were struck by the Danites, so that on that day 22,000 of their men were destroyed. The Israelites, then going up, wept before the Lord until the evening, and said, “Let us ask the Lord, saying, ‘What is this wrongdoing through which we have stumbled?’” So they asked the Lord, saying, “Should we still continue to wage war against Benjamin our brother?”Judges 20:23 And the Lord replied, “Go up, and I will afterward make known to you how you have stumbled.” On the second day they accordingly went out again to battle with Benjamin, and 18,000 more Israelites fell. The Israelites then went up to Bethel, for there the ark of the Lord was placed, and on that day they wept and fasted until the evening, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.

14 Then Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, prayed to God, saying, “Lord God, if what we have done was considered right in Your eyes, why have You caused us to fall into the hands of our brother? And if what these men have done was evil in Your sight, why have we fallen before them? Please, tell Your servant who is guilty of this wrongdoing and we will set it right, for, look, I remember what I have done. In my jealousy I pierced Zimri with the sword, and You delivered me from his people, and killed 24,000 men. Now You said to the tribes of Israel, ‘Go up and fight with Benjamin.’”

15 The Lord heard the plea of Phinehas, and said, “The Israelites showed their zeal for Me in this wickedness which was committed in Gibeah, but they do not show it against Micah and his idols, who caused all the Israelites to go astray after them. Therefore, I was jealous, and wreaked my vengeance on them, for they were astounded at the one sin of the concubine and wanted to root it out, but they did not root out the worshipers of Micah’s idols. Now, let the Israelites go up once more against Benjamin, and tomorrow I will deliver him into their hands.”

16 In this way the Lord struck Benjamin before the Israelites, so that 18,000 men fell. The total number of the Benjaminites that were killed was 25,000; 600 of them fled to the cleft of Rimmon and escaped. The Israelites then had pity for their brother Benjamin, and made peace with those that remained, restoring them to their inheritance, where they built cities and lived there; and the Israelites went each one to his tribe and his inheritance.

17 Now the time drew near for Phinehas to die, and the Lord said to him, “Today you are 120 years old, which are the years of a man’s life; now get up and go to My mountain, where you will remain many days. I will command the ravens and the eagles to feed you, but do not go down until the end has arrived. Then you will close the heavens, and at your command they will again be opened. And then you will be lifted up to the Divine place, where your ancestors have been before you, and there you will remain until I remember the world.” And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, did as God had commanded him.

1 From the time our ancestors were brought out of Egypt until the destruction of the first temple they were exiled eight times. This happened on the following occasions: Sennacherib banished them four times, and Nebuchadnezzar four times. The first time Sennacherib, King of Assyria, going up to Jerusalem, sent the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile, and captured the golden calf which Jeroboam had placed in Dan; and the children of Gad and Reuben had brought it up from Dan, and made a holy temple, a sanctuary, for it. For this they were exiled from the land of their possession to another land until this very day. When Sennacherib banished them he made them live in Lahlah, Habor, the river Gozan, and the cities of Media. At that time Pekah, the son of Remaliah, reigned over Israel. When Hoshea, the son of Elah, saw that the armies of Pekah were greatly reduced, he went out to war against him and killed him. He reigned over Israel, in Samaria, five years. This was the first exile.

2 When Sennacherib heard of this he went up against Hoshea, the son of Elah, and fought against him, and Hoshea, the son of Elah, going to Sennacherib, gave him a present of silver and gold and brought him the golden calf, which Jeroboam had placed in Bethel. After this Sennacherib exiled the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Issachar, because they refused to allow Hoshea, the son of Elah, to reign over them. He then appointed Hoshea, the son of Elah, over Samaria, and thus fulfilled the scriptural passage, “This is what the Lord says: Just as the shepherd delivers two legs, or the tip of the ear, from the clutches of the lion, so the Israelites who sit in Samaria will be rescued in the corner of a couch, and in Damascus on a bed.”Amos 3:12 And Hoshea, the son of Elah, reigned over Israel, and Ahaz over Judah. This was the second exile.

3 When this king died Hezekiah reigned over the whole of Judah, and at the beginning of the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign Sennacherib went up against Samaria and besieged it for three years, in the third year of Hezekiah’s reign, and he exiled the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh from Samaria. This was the third exile.

4 After an interval of five years he gathered together the Babylonians, Cuthites, Avim, the sons of Hamath, and the Sepharvaim, and then going against Judah, besieged all the fortified cities in Judah, among the 150 places in which were the tribes of Judah and Simeon. He besieged them and took them captive, and tried to bring them to Lahlah and Habor, to the other tribes. Hearing that Tirhakah, King of Ethiopia, whose land was near Egypt, had rebelled against him, he took with him the tribes of Judah and Simeon, and ascended the mountains of Ethiopia to wage war with the Ethiopian king, and to test the strength of the tribes of Judah and Simeon. He then took these tribes and concealed them behind the mountains of darkness on the other side of the rivers of Ethiopia. Concerning them the prophetess ʿAthrai, the daughter of Pusai, prophesied, “They will bring my offering.”Zephaniah 3:10 This was the fourth captivity brought about by Sennacherib, King of Assyria.

5 130,000 people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained in Jerusalem, over whom the righteous Hezekiah reigned. Sennacherib, King of Assyria, now once more became proud, and setting his face toward the holy city of Jerusalem, he assembled all his army, numbering 40,000 and 2,590,000 warriors, and went up to besiege Jerusalem. When Hezekiah saw the great multitude he was greatly afraid, and, praying to the Lord, he called on the people of Judah and Benjamin to proclaim a fast. Then, covering themselves with sackcloth, they went into the house of the Lord, and, repenting with all their heart, they cried to the Lord, and He heard the prayer of the righteous Hezekiah, and sent His angel who struck the Assyrian camp, killing 185,000 men, together with the kings and princes. Not one of the kings and princes of his army remained except Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar. Thus Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled, who said, “On that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired, the parts beyond the river of Ethiopia, even the King of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet; and it will also consume the beard.”Isaiah 7:20 The head represents the kings, the hair of the feet represents the armies, and the beard the wicked Sennacherib, whose two sons killed him. 107 years passed from the fall of Sennacherib to the time of Nebuchadnezzar.

6 In the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim the decree was sealed because of the sins of the Israelites, and the survivors who were rescued from the mouth of the lion and the mouth of the bear, the survivors of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people that remained of the tribes were banished by Nebuchadnezzar during his first captivity. He banished 3,023 from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and 7,000 from the remaining tribes. All these were warriors skilled in the art of battle, but their sin weighed heavily on them, and he exiled them to Babylon. This was the first captivity brought about by Nebuchadnezzar.

7 After an interval of seven years he went up to Jerusalem for the second time, and besieging it, he captured it, and exiled 4,600 men from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and 10,000 from the remaining tribes, together with the free and the imprisoned, that is, the kings and queens. Others explain the words חרש and מסגר to refer to the students of the sages who study the Torah, and thus open and shut the books. In the time of David these people were called Cherethites and Pelethites. Yet another explanation makes the words refer to the mighty men of Judah and their children. All these were banished through Jeconiah and his sons. This constituted the second captivity of Nebuchadnezzar.

8 He made Zedekiah King of Judah, and he reigned over Judah and Jerusalem for eleven years. In the nineteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, while he was still seated on the throne of his kingdom, he sent Nebuzaradan, his commander of the guard, against Jerusalem. Having besieged it, he caught Zedekiah, and bringing him to Riblah, to the King of Babylon, he executed his judgment on him. He then took the pillars, the sea of brass, and all the vessels of the house of the Lord, and the bases which Solomon had made, and the treasures found in Jerusalem, and carried them to Babylon. In Jerusalem he killed 940,000 men, besides those he killed in avenging the blood of Zechariah.

9 He also besieged sixty cities of the Levites, the sons of Moses, in which there were 600,000 men, as we know from the verses, “And the sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer; and of the sons of Eliezer the eldest was Rehabiah,”1 Chronicles 23:15-17 and it is said, “And the children of Rehabiah continually increased, that is, increased beyond the number of 600,000 men.”1 Chronicles 23:17 The total number of those exiled from Jerusalem was 802,000, all of whom were the young people of Judah and Benjamin. Concerning them the prophet says, “And he exiled the flower of Judah,” so that only the poor of the people remained in Jerusalem, as it is said, “The people of the land which Nebuzaradan left were vile,” etc. He made the son of Ahikam king over them and gave the land over to him, and the exiles were carried to Babylon, which constituted the third exile.

10 When Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, of royal descent, heard that Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, was appointed over the remnant of the people, he came secretly and killed him and all his men. The Israelites were extremely afraid of this and fled to Egypt, in the twenty-seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, when he besieged Tyre, and capturing it, killed all its inhabitants and sent its king into captivity. On his return he went to Egypt, captured it, and reduced it to desolation, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Scripture, “Egypt will be a desolation.”Joel 3:19 He then killed all the Jews found in Ammon and Moab, and in the surrounding parts of Egypt. There, in Egypt, he discovered the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch, the son of Neriah, and carried them to Babylon. When the Israelites living in Egypt heard that Nebuchadnezzar had announced his intention to come there, in fear and trembling they fled to Amon, a little fortified city in Egypt, near the Salt Sea. This was the fourth captivity through Nebuchadnezzar.

11 When Jeremiah saw that scarcely any of the Israelites were left, he raised his heart in prayer to God, saying, “Why do You cause me to see grief and wrongdoing? Why have You caused the flock of Your chosen people to fall into the hands of their enemy? I am deeply grieved and my soul is crushed within me, and my eye sheds tears without stopping, I am hurt by the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eye weeps with my soul, and for this I weep day and night. Therefore I pour out my prayer before You, asking You to take my soul from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” A voice was immediately heard to say, “By your life, wait and see the downfall of Babylon. Afterward I will preserve you until I build the everlasting building.” Immediately after these words, God hid him.

1 The banishment brought about by Titus, Vespasian, and Hadrian, occurred on the eve of the ninth of Av, on the end of the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year. The Levites were then occupied with their service, and, with their harps in their hands, were singing their hymns. But Scripture says, “He has brought their own wrongdoing on them, and will cut them off in their own evil.”Psalms 94:23 The words “He will cut them off” were not yet fully uttered before their enemies came on them, slaughtered many of them, and sent the rest into exile. Thus, also, when Nebuchadnezzar the wicked sent them into exile it fell on the eve of the ninth of Av, the end of the Sabbatical year and the Sabbath, when the Levites were standing on their platform, being 600,000 in number, who were, moreover, descendants of Moses our teacher. While the harps were in their hands, the verse “He has brought their own wrongdoing on them, and will cut them off in their own evil,”Psalms 94:23 was not yet fully uttered, before the enemy came and exiled them to Babylon. When they arrived in Babylon, their enemies and captors said to them, “Sing us a song of Zion.”Psalms 137:3 And they replied, “How can we sing a song of Zion on foreign ground?”Psalms 137:4

2 “Now,” retorted their captors, “you will sing by force.” But they at once cut off their fingers with their teeth, and threw them before them. And they replied, “How can those fingers which struck the strings of the harps in the temple strike them here in a strange land?” And God exclaimed, “If I forget Jerusalem, My right hand will be forgotten.”Psalms 137:5

3 A cloud then descended, and lifting all the children of Moses, with their sheep and cattle, brought them to the east of Havilah. In the night they were let down, and on that same night they heard a great noise surrounding them, like that of a river, without seeing a drop of water descending, but heard only the rolling of stones and sand, where there had never been a river. This river then rolled great stones, and the sand, without any water, made a noise like a great earthquake, so that if anyone came near that river, he was dashed to pieces. This continued until the Sabbath. They called the river Sabbatyon or Sabbatianus. In some places the river is less than sixty cubits in width; there the people stand and speak with those on the other side. On the Sabbath it ceases to flow, and on the eve of Sabbath a cloud descends full of smoke. No one is able to approach them, and they do not approach us. There are no wild beasts, no unclean animals, nor any reptiles or creeping things; nothing except their flocks and herds.

4 They reap and sow, and they ask the others, and thus they learned of the destruction of the second temple. Behind the sons of Moses we do not know who may be living; but Naphtali, Gad, and Asher came to Dan after the destruction of the second temple; for Issachar, who lived at the mountains of the deep, quarreled with them and called them “the sons of the handmaids.” Eventually, being afraid that they might come to battle, those three tribes left until they came to Dan, and these four tribes were thus living in one place.

1 The Levites, the sons of Moses, made ten journeys and encamped on the other side of the river Sabbatyon. Our sages say that when the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, and came to the Euphrates, as it is said, “We sat by the waters of Babylon,”Psalms 137:1 etc., they said to them, “Levites, stand up before our gods, and sing a song just as you sang in the temple.” But they replied, “You fools, if we had sung a song of thanksgiving for every miracle which God performed for us, we should not have been exiled from our land, but would, on the contrary, have added honor on honor; and should we now sing a song to your idols?” Being angered at this reply, they immediately rose up and killed the Jews in heaps, and although the slaughter was so great, yet their joy had ceased, because the Jews did not worship idols. Therefore it is said, “Their joy was turned into wailing.” The remaining Levites then cut off their fingers so that they could avoid playing on their harps; so that when they were told to play and sing on their harps, just as they had done in the temple, they showed them their mutilated fingers.

2 When night fell a cloud covered them, together with their wives, and sons, and daughters, and the Lord gave them light by a pillar of fire, which showed them the way the whole night until dawn, and brought them to the seashore. When the sun rose the cloud departed as well as the pillar of fire. And the Lord extended the length of the river Sabbatianus, so that it surrounded them completely. It hems them in so that no one can cross over to them, and He extended it all around to a distance of nine months’ journey. The river surrounds them from three sides, and on the fourth is the sea. The depth of the river is 200 cubits, and it is full of sand and stones. The noise is that of an earthquake, and reaches the distance of half a day’s journey, and causes the sand and stones to roll all the six days of the week.

3 But on the Sabbath it rests, and immediately a fire bursts out from the western side, which lasts from the eve of Sabbath until the end. Its flames shoot out in every direction, so that one cannot approach nearer the river than a distance of thirty-four miles, and this fire burns all around and consumes everything. No unclean animal or bird, and no creeping thing, is seen among them, but only their flocks and herds. There are six springs, which flow together and form one pool. From these they water the land and obtain in abundance all kinds of clean fish, and all kinds of birds and fruits. They sow one seed and reap a hundredfold. They are men of faith, students of the Law, the Scripture, Mishnah and Aggadah. They are devout and pure and never swear falsely. They attain the ripe old age of 120 years, nor does a son or daughter die in the lifetime of their father.

4 They see three successive generations and build houses for themselves; they sow and plow themselves, because they have no male or female servants. They do not close their houses in the nighttime, and a young child walks fearlessly with the cattle for many days, without having any fear either of robbers or of any possible injury, because they are holy and remained in the holiness of Moses our teacher. Therefore God gave them all this and chose them. They do not see any man, nor does any of the sons of men see them, except the four tribes, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, all of whom live on the other side of the rivers of Kush, with the Sabbatyon between them, and there they will remain until the end of the world. Concerning them it is said, “To say to the captives ‘Go out,’”Isaiah 49:9 that is, referring to those behind the river Sabbatyon.

5 There the tribes of Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, were enclosed. Our sages have answered the question of how they arrived at that place as follows: When Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, sinned, and caused Israel to sin, and the house of David became separated from the ten tribes of Israel, he said to the people, “Go out and fight with Rehoboam and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” But they said, “Why should we go to war against our brothers, against the house of our master, David, King of Israel and Judah?” And the elders of Israel said to him, “In all the land of Israel there do not exist such mighty warriors and men so trained to battle as those of the tribe of Dan.” Then, when he commanded them immediately to wage war with Judah, they said, “By the life of Dan, our ancestor, we will never go to battle with our brothers, and we will not shed their blood without any cause.” And immediately afterward the sons of Dan, taking up their swords and spears and bows, determined to fight to the death with Jeroboam, but God saved them from the crime of shedding the blood of their brothers.

6 They spread the news then throughout the whole tribe of Dan, and the sons of Dan consulted together about leaving from Canaan and to go down to Egypt to destroy it and kill all its inhabitants. But their princes asked, “Why will you go to Egypt? Is it not written in the Torah, ‘You will never again see them’?” At this they gave way, but again consulted about Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites. When, however, they heard that God had withheld Israel from fighting them they again gave up their intentions, until the Lord advised them better what to do. So they went to the brook of Pishon, and journeyed on their camels until they arrived at the other side of the river Pishon. There they discovered that the country was fruitful and extensive, containing fruitful fields and gardens. The sons of Dan therefore determined to live there, and made a covenant with the inhabitants, the sons of Kush, who paid them tribute, and also lived among them until they increased and multiplied greatly.

7 On the death of Sennacherib the three tribes of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali left the country, and traveled until they arrived near the border of that tribe, when they slaughtered the Kushites over a distance of four days’ journey. They wage war against six Kushite kings, which every tribe continues to do for three months in the year until this very day, each tribe separately, but the descendants of Simeon go with those of Dan.

8 The Levites journeyed and encamped in Havilah, which abounds in gold, that is as common as stones, also in sheep, cattle, camels, donkeys, and horses. There they sow and reap, and live in tents made of skin. They journey from one border to another, a distance of four days each way; and no man dares enter where they camp, and they only stay in the fields and vineyards, and punish in accordance with the different kinds of capital punishments meted out by the Jewish Law. Concerning them it is said, “Those on the other side of the mountains of Kush,” etc.

9 The tribe of Issachar lives on the mountains of the great deep in the lowest parts of Media and Persia, and there they fulfill the commandment, “The book of the Torah must not depart from their mouth.”Joshua 1:8 Nor do they take on themselves the yoke of any earthly kingdom, but only the yoke of Heaven and the yoke of the Law. They have many commanders of the army, but never fight with man, but discuss the Torah. They live in peace and tranquility, and no rebellious thought or evil of any kind enters their minds. They possess a country whose area covers land of ten days’ journey, and they have an abundance of cattle, camels, and servants, but do not breed horses, nor do they possess any weapons of war, except knives for preparing food, and to kill the animals for that purpose. They are men of great faith, hating oppression or robbery. If even their servant finds money by the road they will not reach out their hand to take it.

10 But their wicked neighbors worship fire, and marry their mothers and sisters. They neither work the soil, nor reap, nor gather in the harvest, but they purchase it for money. They have a judge and a chief who metes out the four capital punishments. They speak the Hebrew and Persian languages, and that of Kedar.

11 The children of Zebulun encamp on the mountains of Paran, and pitch tents made of the hair of Armania and stretch as far as the Euphrates. The tribe of Reuben dwells opposite them behind the mountains of Paran, and between them there is love, unity, and peace. They prey on travelers on the roads leading to Mecoth and the way to Babylon. They divide all their captured goods equally among themselves, and food is so cheap that two camel-loads can be bought for two drachmas. They speak among themselves the language of Kedar, and possess the Bible, Mishnah, Talmud, and Aggadot. But every Sabbath a lecture is given in Hebrew, and interpreted in the language of Kedar.

12 The tribe of Ephraim and half the tribe of Manasseh dwells opposite the city of Meyuqa. They have to work hard for their living by the sweat of their brow, and are hard-hearted. They are horse riders who prey on travelers on the roads and have pity on no one. They possess no money, but only the captured goods they acquire from their enemies. They are a distance of six months’ march from the temple, and their numbers are incalculable and without number. They exact tribute from twenty-five kingdoms, as well as from a portion of Ishmael, but the tribes of Judah and Benjamin are scattered over the whole world. “May the Rock of Israel gather together our dispersed brothers. Amen.”

1 The story of Elhanan. Elhanan, the son of Joseph, was a merchant with a large export business, and owned many vessels. He hailed from the province of the tribe of Dan, and was extremely wise and devout. He spent the day praying, supporting the poor, and giving a helping hand to orphan boys and girls. By means of his great skill he made a ship containing sixty chambers, of which each one of his servants made one for himself and his goods. In the center of the vessel he constructed a tower which enabled him to see all his servants and their chambers. All the rooms were placed far away from his, and his servants could also not easily enter their neighbor’s compartment, nor plot to take his property.

2 Elhanan himself was a mighty warrior, as were also his sons, being altogether four in the tower. The ship was loaded with 10,000 talents’ worth of pepper, 10,000 talents’ worth of frankincense, 10,000 of calamus and cinnamon, 1,000 liters of machik, which they call saffron, and every other kind of spice, filling the whole vessel from top to bottom. Some of the servants appointed to guard the merchandise were Jews and others Ishmaelites. Besides these, there were, of course, the sailors. He had with him also 10,000 talents of silver to buy beautiful clothes in various parts of the world.

3 He acted as captain himself. His intention was to travel to a large kingdom, but was overtaken by a severe storm, which resulted in his ship drifting onto the sand in the Sea of Havilah.

4 There Rabbi Elhanan came across a certain people who spoke Hebrew. “Who are you?” he said. “We are descendants of Dan,” they answered. And they immediately invited him among them, and did very great honor to him, for Rabbi Elhanan was beautiful and majestic in appearance. He then told them all his trouble and everything that had happened to him, and asked them many questions how they came to that place. Then they told him all their adventures. At the time when Jeroboam reigned, he said to the Israelites, “Go and wage war with Rehoboam, the son of David.” And then the elders told him that among all the tribes of Israel there is not one containing such mighty warriors and men so trained to battle as the tribe of Dan, and that they should therefore go to battle with Rehoboam and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Then Jeroboam said to them, “Get up, sons of Dan, and fight the men of Judah.” But they replied, “By the life of our father, Dan, we will never go against our brothers the house of David and against the King of Judah, and why should we shed innocent blood?” “If that is so,” he said, “then leave this land of Canaan.” For Jeroboam had made two calves of gold, by which he caused Israel to sin, so that the kingdom of the house of David was divided from that time.

5 They then consulted together against the Egyptians to destroy their land and kill its inhabitants. But their chiefs said to them, “Is it not written in the Torah, ‘You will no longer see them?’ How can we therefore go down to Egypt?” They then made plans, or consulted together, against Edom, Ammon and Moab, but found it stated in the Torah that God had forbidden Israel to inherit their borderland. But God gave them good advice, and they left the land and marched until they reached the brook of Pishon, a journey of seven years from Canaan. Then, journeying on camels, they came to Kush, that is, Havilah, a land both rich and fertile, abounding in fields, vineyards, gardens and palaces. There they lived by the sea, where there were Ethiopians without number.

6 When the news of their arrival reached the king’s ears, they gathered themselves together as one man, and said, “It is better for us to die all on one day than little by little by the hand of this foreign nation.” The Kushite kings, numbering sixty-five, encamped on the one side of the brook of Pishon, facing the others, the town being between the two armies. The descendants of Dan, consisting of 200,000 infantry, took their bows in their hands and crossed the brook, and a battle took place by the water, in which twenty-five Ethiopian kings were killed. Each one of these kings possessed 1,000 horsemen and 80,000 infantry.

7 Soon after this, the descendants of Dan, while they were in their camp, heard a great shouting and a loud noise of trumpets. Almost immediately they set up a great shouting themselves, for about 300,000 men of the tribes of Naphtali, as well as of Gad and Asher, had come to their assistance on their horses, and said, “Brothers, you must be tired now; rest until tomorrow, and we will join you.” Accordingly, the next day they killed all the kings of Kush, and, taking all the captured goods, divided it by lot, the silver and gold being as plentiful as stones. The land of Havilah measured a distance of a square, one side of which would take four months to travel, each of the four tribes occupying one side. There they live now securely. Concerning them it is written, “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together.”Psalms 133:1 A king is appointed over them, and they have an abundance of sheep and oxen, silver and gold, horses, camels and donkeys; and they sow and gather in the harvest. The king and the judges appointed by themselves fight every day against the kings of Kush and to foreign kingdoms.

8 These are the names of the kingdoms: Zaqlah the first or the eastern, Batuah, Qelalah, Arirah, ʿAdirah, Zeridah, Zaryonah, Latusqah, Tiraʿh, Tiqunah, Qomah, Qalmah, Ahalah, Aholibah, Riphtah, Saqvah, Qadvah, also called Qadovah, and Horiyah. They converse with each of these peoples in their own language, and, having made a covenant with them, they live by the rivers of Kush called “Zahab Tob,” which is on the border of the land of Havilah.

9 After these four tribes had fought these foreign kings, the kings brought them presents. Concerning this it is written, “Othri, the daughter of Puṣi, will bring them gifts...” They possess vineyards and large fields, and live in tents made of hair, and no stranger can enter the land of Havilah. There also lives their king, Abiel, the son of Shaphat, and also the commander of the army, Abihail, the son of Shaphat, both of them of the tribe of Dan. When the trumpeter sounds the trumpet, the commander of the army comes out with the armies, consisting of 173 banners, under each one serving 1,500 men of each tribe, and just as they go out, so they return.

10 Then the second tribe comes out, each of the four tribes serving three months. Each tribe keeps its own captured goods, and they converse with each other in Hebrew, and in the language of Kedar, and they are all of them devout men. I lived among them for twelve months.

11 They inflict the four capital punishments in accordance with the decisions of the Beth Din. The tribe of Moses is also among them, as it is said, “And all the children of Levi gathered to him.”Exodus 32:26 They encamp by the brook of Kidron, together with scattered remnants of the exiles. The brook is called Sambatyon, which encompasses them with a radius of two months’ walk. They sleep in houses built like towers, nor is any unclean bird or animal found among them, not even flies, or gnats, or vermin, but only their flocks and herds, which breed twice every year. Nor is there any scorpion or serpent. They reap a hundredfold for every measure of grain they sow, and they possess all kinds of fruits, herbs, spelt, leeks, melons, onions and garlic. They are living together as one nation, and possess many wells, from the waters of which all the lands are irrigated. They also possess all kinds of spices, and all kinds of clean birds fly around them. The river, the sand and stones continue in a whirl during the six days of the week, but on the Sabbath they rest. On the eve of every Sabbath a flaming fire ascends from one side of the river, so that no one can approach it until the Sabbath has come to an end. No man has ever seen these flames of the river Sambatyon except the descendants of Dan, Asher, Gad and Naphtali. They alone communicate with them, and with reference to them it is said, “To say to those that are bound, Go out,”Isaiah 49:9 etc.

12 They have an abundance of silver and gold; they sow and reap, and grow the worms that make the crimson color, and they make for themselves beautiful garments and robes, and they are more numerous than they were when they left Egypt. Concerning these four tribes it is written, “Ah! the land of the rustling of wings which is beyond the rivers of Kush.”Isaiah 18:1 The river Sambatyon is four cubits wide, as far as a bowshot reaches. The noise it makes is extremely loud, like the waves of the sea and like a mighty storm, and in the nighttime the sound is heard at a distance of half a day’s journey. If sand from that river is placed in a flask, it whirls about during the six days of the week, but on the Sabbath it rests.

13 The four tribes, together with their cattle, go near the river Sambatyon to shear their flock, for the land is plain and smooth, where neither thorns nor herbs grow. When the descendants of Moses see them, they assemble at the side of the brook, and, raising their voices, say, “Children of Dan, show us a camel, or donkey, or dog.” And they exclaim, “How long is this camel! And see the length of its neck! How short its ear is! It is very ugly!” These men are devout and charitable, as well as being well versed in the Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud. When they study they usually say, “We have received this by tradition from Joshua and Moses, our teachers, and from God.” They do not know the other sages and their traditions are written down in the language in which our teacher Moses delivered them to them. The laws of the killing of animals are according to the words of the sages. They never swore by the name of God.

14 But the children of Dan did so, and the children of Levi said to them, “Why do you take the name of God in vain? For has He not given you bread to eat and water to drink? Why do you therefore do this thing? Know now that your sons and your daughters will die in their youth because of your wrongdoing, but as for us, no son or daughter will die in the lifetime of their father, but will live to the ripe age of 120.” These people do not possess any male or female servants, since they are themselves skilled workmen and merchants. They have shutters with which to close their shops, but never do so because there are no thieves. It is usual for a child to go a distance of several days with the cattle, without any fear of wild beasts, evil spirits, demons or harmful beings, since they are pure and still sanctified with the holiness of Moses our teacher, as it is said, “For they will eat the fruit of their actions.”Isaiah 3:10

15 The children of Issachar are as numerous as the sand of the sea, without number. They live on the mountains of the deep, behind the land of the Medes and Persians, and a distance of four months’ journey from those who live by the brook of Pishon. The law does not depart from their mouth, thus fulfilling the command, “The Torah must not depart from your mouth; you must meditate on it day and night.”Joshua 1:8 They accepted no earthly yoke, but only the yoke of the kingdom of heaven, and do not fight with their fellow human beings, but discuss the Talmud and the Torah. They live in peace and tranquility, with no harmful thought or evil of any kind to tempt them, and live on an area of thirteen days’ journey in each direction. They have plenty of silver and gold, servants, camels, flocks and herds, but they breed none. The only weapons of war they use are knives for killing the sheep, oxen and birds. They receive a tribute from the pagan kingdoms, of all produce, a fourth, and of the oxen and sheep a fifth every year. From this tribute they accumulate immense wealth. They have judges and they inflict the four capital punishments according to the decisions of the Beth Din. They converse in the Hebrew language and in that of Kedar.

16 I lived among them for a period of two months, and then, taking my departure on board ship, I came among the tribe of Zebulun, who live on the mountains of Paran, in tents of hair, in the land of Lud and Pul. Entering their land, I found them to be farmers, working the ground and reaping the harvest. They possess all kinds of delicacies and are brave men. For four months they go out to plunder, fighting and robbing people of their wealth. They possess the Torah, the Talmud and Mishnah, and are men of great faith, who observe all the Commandments. They are also good riders, having innumerable servants, horses, sheep and oxen, as well as camels and donkeys. They live in peace and tranquility, where no man can intrude.

17 From there, after six days’ journey, I came to the tribe of Reuben, opposite them, between Paran and Bethel, where they live without war. Concerning them it is written, “And I will cause the wild beast to cease from the land, and no sword will pass over their land.”Leviticus 26:6 In the middle of the mountains of darkness they possess a fertile and fruitful land, the stones of which are iron, and from the mountains of which copper is mined. It is a land in which one could eat his bread without any danger, for no man passes among them. They watch the roads and capture captured goods without end. They live safely in tents of hair, and speak the Hebrew language and another foreign one.

18 From there I came to an extensive land by way of Shinar, through Elam; it was the kingdom of Mehumat on the border of Madia, a distance of four months’ journey from the city of Medinat. I saw the river Gozan, and a part of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who were harsh and hard-hearted. They also are good riders, watching the roads, and having pity on no man. All their possessions were captured goods. They are brave men and skilled in war; one of them alone could strike down a thousand men. Among themselves a large amount of food could be obtained for two pieces of silver, and grapes could be obtained in the same way. Concerning them it is said, “Five of you will pursue 100, and 100 of you 10,000.”Leviticus 26:8

19 A half of the tribe of Simeon lives together with the tribe of Judah in the land of the Chaldeans, near Jerusalem, a distance of four months’ journey. They are countless and innumerable, and their faces are like lions’ faces. They are all of them proficient riders, archers, spearsmen, and swordsmen, and live in tents made of hair, in a wilderness the extent of which is a journey of two months each way. They receive tribute from twenty-five kings, all of whom are white, some belonging to the Ishmaelites and others to the descendants of Keturah. They wage war with pagan kingdoms, always seeking battle. They journey the way of Mathol, and the way of Babylon, until the city of the madman; in all directions they journey with their cattle from border to border, and nobody ever dares speak to them. Among themselves they speak Hebrew and Greek, and are men of faith, skilled in the Torah, Talmud, Mishnah, and Aggadah, and also spoke the language of Togarmah.

20 I lived among the sons of Judah and Simeon for three years, until merchants from the land of the Danites came to buy the captured goods of which they had great quantities, and also spices captured from merchants on the way, and which they had acquired for nothing. I traveled with them on board ship until we came to Elam, after a journey of four months. After ten years from the day I departed from the Danites I returned. Those pagans whose land I passed through, and among whom the tribes live, were some of them worshipers of the earth, while some worshiped fire, and others worshiped a white horse and were cannibals. End of the words of Rabbi Elhanan the Danite. I have heard that this Rabbi Elhanan was blameless and upright, avoiding evil, and fearing God. He came from the land of India.

1 “This is what the Lord says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely in My name: Look, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes. All the exiles of Judah and Israel in Babylon will use a curse based on them, saying, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the King of Babylon “roasted” in the fire.’”Jeremiah 29:21-22 It is not said, “They were burned,” but “roasted.” Rabbi Johanan, in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai, said, “We learn from the above that He made them like roasted ears of grain.” “Because they committed an abomination in Israel, they committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors, and spoke falsely in My name that which I had not commanded them, even I who know and testify against them, says the Lord.”Jeremiah 29:23

2 Ahab went to the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, and said to her, “The Lord said, ‘Listen to Zedekiah, and there will come from you kings and prophets who will prophesy against Israel.’” Hearing this, Zedekiah also went to her, and said, “In the same manner as Ahab has said about me, so also listen to him, and there will come from you kings and prophets who will prophesy against Israel.” When she heard this, she immediately went to her father and told him all that had happened, saying, “This is what Ahab and Zedekiah said to me.” And her father replied, “The God of these men hates sexual immorality. As soon as they come to you a second time send them to me.” When they came, she accordingly said to them, “I cannot do anything without my father’s knowledge; therefore, go to my father, and, presenting your request to him, listen to his reply.”

3 Going to Nebuchadnezzar, they repeated what they had told his daughter. And he replied, “Why is it that your God did not tell this prophecy to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah? Are they not prophets?” And they said, “He did not command Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to do anything, but it was us He commanded to do this thing.” At this Nebuchadnezzar retorted, “I asked Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, saying, ‘Is this thing which you ask my daughter prohibited or permitted?’ ‘It is prohibited,’ they said.” “But we are prophets,” answered Zedekiah and Ahab, “just as they are. He commanded us to do this, and He did not command them.”

4 “I desire, then, to test you as I tested Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, that is, in the fiery furnace.” “But they were three, and we are only two,” they added. “Then choose anyone you wish to be tried with you.” And they said, “We desire Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.” They knew that his merit was so great that he would protect them also. Accordingly the three of them were brought and thrown into the fiery furnace. Ahab and Zedekiah were consumed by the fire, but Joshua, the high priest, was not touched by it; his clothes merely smelled of fire, as it is said, “He showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to tempt him.”Zechariah 3:1 It is further written, “And the Lord said to Satan, ‘May the Lord rebuke you, Satan; the Lord who chose Jerusalem will rebuke you. Is this not a burning stick pulled out of the fire?’”Zechariah 3:2

5 “I know now,” said Nebuchadnezzar, “that you are very righteous, but how is it that your clothes were touched a little by the fire, while in the case of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah the fire did not touch them at all?” “Because,” said Joshua, “they were three and I was alone.” “But,” he said, “Abraham was also alone.” “True, but there were no wicked people in his company, and the Lord therefore did not allow the fire to touch him; but with me there were two wicked men, and because of this the Lord allowed the fire to touch me a little.” This is the parable of the two dry torches and one damp torch, where the two dry ones burn the damp one.

1 A man named Jehoiachin lived in Babylon, and he took a wife whose name was Susanna, a woman who feared the Lord. She was the daughter of righteous and good parents, who brought her up in the ways of the Lord, according to the commandments of the law of Moses. Now, this man Jehoiachin was greater and more respected than any of his generation. All the Jews came to him daily, for no one like him was found among God’s people. He had a beautiful garden adjoining his house, where his wife Susanna used to withdraw to bathe.

2 At this time two judges were appointed over the people, who came in the early morning and evening to Jehoiachin’s house to deliver judgment to the people. But when they saw the beautiful Susanna their lust for her burned. They renounced their hope in heavenly reward, and, while separating themselves from the righteous, neither one revealed to the other the evil thought of his heart. But when the crowd had dispersed to their homes, they spoke to each other, and then, confessing their lust to each other, they consulted together about how they could lead her astray, and, watching closely every day to violate her, they never stopped their sin or took a rest from it.

3 One day when all the people had departed to their homes they remained behind according to custom, and they did not put away the evil in their hearts, but lay in wait to commit evil. When Susanna entered the garden accompanied by her maids to wash herself because of the heat, she sent them to bring her some oil with which to anoint herself, at the same time telling them to close the door behind them. When they went out they accordingly bolted the doors after them, but the old men were concealed in the beautiful garden, and when she stripped to wash they ran out of their hiding place, and, taking hold of her, said, “Sleep with us, for if you will not consent we will testify against you that a young man has slept with you.” In fear and trembling she then said, “What am I to do? I cannot escape these men. It is better for me to resign myself to the Lord, the righteous, the good, the great, the mighty, and the awe-inspiring God, the Deliverer, Savior, and mighty Redeemer, whose name is the Lord of Hosts.”

4 Then, raising her voice, she cried, “Save me, Lord my God, from the hands of the wicked who rebel against You.” But they also cried aloud, and bore false witness against her. At their cry the men of her house came out, and, entering the garden, saw the elders bearing this testimony against her, and they and all their relatives were astonished, since they knew that nothing like this had ever been seen or heard of her.

5 The next day all the people gathered together to the house of Jehoiachin according to their custom, and with them the elders who rose up and testified that they had seen this woman enter the garden with her two maids, and that a young man came and slept with her. “We then took hold of the young man, but he slipped from our hands.” The people believed their words, for the elders were held to be good and God-fearing men.

6 Then, sending for the woman, they brought her, and there came with her her relatives, friends, and acquaintances; but she was very delicate, and came there with her face covered. But the elders cried angrily from their evil desires, “Remove the veil from her face!” so that they could satisfy the wickedness of their eyes, and, condemning her to death, they led her out. Then, raising her eyes to heaven, she said, “Truthful and righteous Judge, faithful Witness, look at me and save me from a death through false witnesses; do not let me be found a sinner in the sight of all these people; and do not let the words of these wicked men be fulfilled against me.”

7 And the Lord heard her cry and sent a helper, for the Lord aroused the spirit of Daniel, who raised his voice, and said, “Lord God, clear us of blame for the death of this righteous woman.” Hearing this, the people asked, “Who are you who is speaking?” And they replied, “The voice is that of Daniel.” He was then a young man in the king’s household and a court official in his palace. “But why are you speaking this way?” And he said, “Will you condemn someone in Israel to death without an investigation? Will you kill the innocent and the righteous in a way that is against the law? Return to me, so that I can investigate the matter.”

8 The woman and all the people then returned, and the elders who bore witness against her said to him, “Why does my lord say, she is not to die, since she has done such and such a thing?” And Daniel said to the people, “Sit down.” And they sat down. “Now separate these elders one from the other.” Then, interrogating one of them, he said, “Sinful old man, you are surely condemned to death, and the angel stands over you to cut you in two. Under what tree did you find her?” “Under the oak.” And Daniel said to the people, “Look, this man will die, for there is no such tree in the garden.”

9 He was accordingly taken away, and the second one brought. And he said to him, “You descendant of Kenan, who are not of Judah. This is how you acted in our land. You enticed beautiful young women by your false testimony, so that we became a curse and a disgrace, we were taken captive and became captured property; look, you are destined to be killed, and no soul will be left in you. Tell me, before the people, under what tree did you find her?” “Under a vine trellis.” Then Daniel said, “Look, the angel stands over you with a drawn sword in his hand to saw you in two at the waist, for there is no such tree in the garden.”

10 They went and found that it was the truth. Then Daniel appeared to the people in all his wisdom, and it was done to those judges just as they planned against their sister. From that day Daniel was honored by the people of Judah, and they gave thanks and praises to the Lord God of their ancestors, as did Shealtiel, the father of Susanna, and her mother, as well as all her relatives and acquaintances, and her husband Jehoiachin.

1 Nebuchadnezzar was not very different in his nature from other men, but only in his appearance, in his mind, and in his language. He appeared to men like an ox as far as his navel, or stomach, and from his navel to his feet like a lion. At first he ate the herbs that other men eat, to show that he chewed his food like an ox, and finally became like a lion, in that he killed all the wicked. Many people went out to see him, but Daniel did not, because, during the time of his change, he was praying for him, so that the seven years became seven months. For forty days he roamed about among the wild beasts, and for the next forty days his heart became like that of any other man, and he wept because of his sins. Again, for forty days he wandered about in caves, and for yet another forty days he roamed among the wild beasts until the seven months were completed.

2 When, however, the Lord restored him to his former position he no longer reigned alone, but appointed seven judges, one for each year until the end of the seven years. And during this time, while he was repenting for his sins, he neither ate meat nor bread, nor drank any wine, but his food consisted of herbs and seed, according to Daniel’s advice. When, after the seven years of his punishment, he sat once more on the throne of his kingdom, he wished to make Daniel an heir among his sons, but Daniel said, “I would never give up my ancestors’ inheritance for the inheritance of the uncircumcised.”

3 On the death of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, his son of the same name succeeded him. He built a temple to Bel in Babylon, and completed the city of Babylon. He surrounded it with the river, so that the enemy could not prevail against it. He enlarged the city and the temple of Bel tenfold, and added glory and honor, and in fifteen days the building was complete.

4 The king then, having placed a huge stone on a mountain, planted a garden on it, which was raised to a great height so as to enable his wife to gaze at Media, the land of her birth, for she longed to see it. This was the king who besieged Tyre for three years and ten months. When Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, died, Evil Merodach reigned in his place.

5 Now, in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, King of Judah, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, Evil Merodach, King of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, rescued Jehoiachin, King of Judah, from prison, and raised his throne above that of any other king in Babylon, and, changing his prison clothes, he provided for him as long as he lived. He did this because Nebuchadnezzar the Great did not keep his faith with him, for Evil Merodach was really his eldest son; but he made Nebuchadnezzar the Younger king, because he had humbled the wicked. They slandered him to his father, who placed Evil Merodach in prison together with Jehoiachin, where they remained together until the death of Nebuchadnezzar, his brother, after whom he reigned.

6 “I fear my father Nebuchadnezzar,” he said, “because he might rise from his grave, for just as he was changed back from an animal to a man, so in the same manner he may rise up from death to life.” But Jehoiachin advised him to take the corpse out of the grave, and, cutting it into 300 pieces, to give it to 300 vultures, and he said to him, “Your father will not rise up until these vultures have brought back the flesh of your father, which they have eaten.” Evil Merodach had three sons, whose names were Regosar, Lebuzer-Dukh, and Nabar, who was Belshazzar, with whom the Chaldean kingdom came to an end.

1 Here begins the book of Joseph ben Gorion, except for the first two pages, which contain a list of the families and ancient kings, which I have written above in its proper place in the Book of the Generations. When God had carried out against Babylon all that He had said to His servants Isaiah and Jeremiah, the prophets, on behalf of Jerusalem, He raised up against them two mighty kings: Darius, King of Media, and Cyrus, King of Persia. And Cyrus entered into close friendship with Darius by marrying his daughter, so that they jointly rebelled against Belshazzar, King of the Chaldeans. This was the beginning of many fierce battles. At the outset the Chaldeans were victorious; but many fell on either side, and as the Chaldeans fled, Cyrus and Darius pursued them to within one day’s journey of Babylon, and struck them and cut them to pieces. There Cyrus and Darius encamped with all their armies, and when the king Belshazzar saw them he sent out the whole army of his mighty warriors—a thousand nobles and the troops that were in the temple, a large and powerful force. At twilight all these marched out of Babylon, continuing their march during the whole night. But at the break of morning they began to attack the camp of Darius and Cyrus, which at the onset became bewildered, and the camp of Media fled in confusion; but Cyrus and his men readied themselves to fight against the Chaldeans, and prevented them from following the Median camp. In the night, when the battle had ceased, the dead among the Medes and Persians were found to be very numerous.

2 On that same day, as the nobles of Belshazzar saw that they had gained a victory, they came before King Belshazzar filled with triumph and strength. The king made a great feast for them, and many presents of silver and gold were given to them; and the king rejoiced with his 1,000 nobles, and sat down to eat and drink with them. They prolonged the banquet until night. Now, Belshazzar had drunk too much, and while he was drunk he ordered the golden vessels which had been in the temple of our God at Jerusalem to be brought to him—that is, those holy vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had seized when he exiled the Jews from Jerusalem to Babylon. He then defiled the holy vessels by drinking wine out of them, together with his 1,000 nobles, his wives, and his concubines.

3 But when our God saw this profanation, He was angry and jealous, or zealous, for His vessels, so He sent from His throne a scribe to write a severe rebuke for the king, and to inform him of the judgment which our God had decreed concerning his life and his kingdom. The scribe accordingly wrote the following on the wall in red ink beside the king’s lamp: “He counted, He weighed, He divided.”Daniel 5:25-28 It was written in Hebrew characters, but the language was Aramaic. When the king saw the fingers writing—the other parts of the body he did not see, for the fingers were terrifying and beautiful—he became bewildered and very much afraid, so that every limb of his body, his heart, and his very bones trembled.

1 Daniel was then brought before the king to read and interpret the writing, and he said to the king, “You have acted very foolishly, because you have defiled the vessels of the temple of our God. Therefore our God, being zealous for His children and for His sanctuary, sent an angel to write these words. And these are the words which he has written: ‘Shekel’—that is, the enemy of the Lord has been weighed in the balance and been found lacking. He will therefore tear the kingdom from His enemy, and will give it to Darius and Cyrus, who have fought you. Between them the kingdom will be divided.”

2 And the king’s nobles heard Daniel’s explanation and his reprimand to the king: “Please listen to me, King Belshazzar, and pay attention to and understand my words. Did you not know that the Lord God of the heavens made your father great, and raised him over all the kingdoms of the earth; that He caused him to rule, in His greatness, over the Holy Land, over the kingdom of priests and the holy nation; and that Nebuchadnezzar treated them with great cruelty; that he shed their blood as water, burned the holy temple with fire, and sent the whole of God’s inheritance into captivity to Babylon? “Did you not know that his heart then grew strong and his spirit proud, so that he said, ‘My hand is exalted, and my power has stood by me’; that he did not remember that the God of the world, who exalts and humbles, had delivered all these things into his hands; and he did not think of this until the Lord humbled him by making him wander among the wild beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; and not until he believed that the Lord God of heaven is He who kills and brings to life was he restored again to his palace? “And you, Belshazzar, have received your father’s kingdom by the will of the God of heaven, and reign over all the land in the same manner as your father.

3 “When your two vassals, Darius and Cyrus, rebelled and made a conspiracy against you, and went to battle against your mighty army, you sent out your warriors to subdue them, and they returned to you greatly elated with strength and glory; but you did not give thanks to your Creator, who gave you the very breath of your life, but to your idols of silver and gold, of iron and brass, of clay and earthenware, which cannot rescue nor save, which can do neither evil nor good. And you lit the lamp brightly for your 1,000 warriors and nobles. Then you sent for the holy vessels, which were sanctified to the God of heaven, who breathed into you the breath of life, and in whose hand is your spirit, to kill or to keep alive. And you defiled His vessels by drinking out of them, together with all your servants, nobles, wives, and concubines, and sang praises to your idols. “Because of this the Lord’s anger began to burn against you and your people, since you have foolishly done this. He therefore sent His scribe to write down on the wall of your house your end, and the end of your kingdom. “Look, it is written in Hebrew characters, but the language is Aramaic. The words are ‘Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin,’Daniel 5:25 which means that God has ‘numbered’ the years of your kingdom and found that they have ended; the seventy years of the captivity have come to an end. You have been ‘weighed,’ and been found lacking. Therefore your kingdom will be ‘taken away’ from you, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

4 When the king, the nobles and the dignitaries of the kingdom heard this interpretation from Daniel, they were all greatly afraid, every one of them, their hearts beat violently, and they were alarmed and trembled, and the king, being seized with dreadful pains through Daniel’s words, fell on his bed, sad and troubled, and mourning bitterly, while the rest of the nobles returned to their houses in fear. When they went out through the gate they were in their excitement crushed and trampled on, and the king remained alone with his messengers and his household, and, being in great excitement and bewildered, he fell into a deep sleep, and slumbered like one of the dead through his fright and trembling.

5 Now, there was in the bedroom of the king a doorkeeper, one of the old servants of Nebuchadnezzar, who was much honored and respected. Thinking in his heart, he said, “Did not Daniel interpret all Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams? And did not all his words come true, so that nothing he prophesied failed to be realized? Now he has told the king what is decreed concerning him, for the spirit of God is with him, and he does not lie. Why, therefore, should I not go, and, severing Belshazzar’s head, run with it to Cyrus and Darius, the Kings of Media and Persia, and so win their favor?” And as he thought, so he did. Rising hastily in the twilight, he drew the sword from beneath the king’s pillows, and with it struck Belshazzar, severing his head. He wandered all through the night until daybreak, and then went to the two kings with the head of Belshazzar in his hand.

6 But when they saw it, both they and all the men trembled and gazed in fear at each other, as well as all the army. When they asked the man for an explanation, he told all that Daniel had told Belshazzar, how he had defiled the holy vessels of the temple, and so set the anger of the God of the heavens burning, who sent a messenger to write on the wall in red ink opposite the lampstand. “When I heard Daniel tell these things, I knew that it was all true and that everything would happen. Because of this I planned and hurried to perform this deed which your eyes now see.”

7 When the two kings heard the words of the servant they feared the anger of the God of heaven, and consequently humbled themselves, lay prostrate, and bowed before the Lord of all things, saying, “We know that You alone are God over all the armies of heaven and over all the kingdoms of the earth, who removes and appoints kings, and who does whatever You wish. You know that this Belshazzar, the wicked grandson of the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, acted wickedly, and You have therefore brought destruction on him in the fury of Your anger because he defiled the vessels of Your holy sanctuary. You handed him over to be slaughtered by this court official so that his head could be brought before us. “We now give thanks to You, God of the heavens, for the wonders which You have performed. “If You hand over his land and its brave, mighty men to us, we will take vengeance on them to satisfy the fury of Your anger. Then You will help us to free Your servants from their captivity, to build Your holy temple in Jerusalem, and to gather together the outcasts of Your people, so that they can once again worship You alone.” Having said this, they made a feast and rejoiced for three days.

8 Then, marching into Babylon, they captured it, and, overthrowing the fortresses, killed the warriors at the edge of the sword, ripped open their pregnant women, slaughtered their old men in the streets, strangled their young men with ropes and dragged them with their horses along the streets, they trampled their virgins to death, and they smashed their young children against the rocks.

9 Thus God avenged the blood of His servants that was shed by the Babylonians and Chaldeans, and took vengeance for His city and His temple. These two kings overran all the streets with their mighty army, and, overthrowing all their palaces, burned their most precious things, and, blowing on their trumpets, raised a loud cry so that the earth was split apart at their noise, and they said, “Where are you, mighty men of Babylon, and you brave men, you sinners of the whole earth? The battle is no longer yours.” They then set fire to everything that came before them until they made the whole of Babylon a waste land, like Sodom and Gomorrah, according to the word which God said to His servants the prophets.

10 After this the two kings divided the whole kingdom of the Chaldeans by lot, so that Darius took Babylon as his share, with all its inhabitants, and the great temple of the palace which Nebuchadnezzar had built; and Darius sat on the throne of Belshazzar. Thus, while great Babylon, with all its inhabitants, together with the land of Media, was assigned by lot to Darius, the land of the Chaldeans, Assyria and Persia was assigned by lot to Cyrus.

1 Now, when Darius was firmly seated on the throne of his kingdom in Babylon, he ordered Daniel to be brought before him, and placed a throne for him, and Daniel sat before Darius. Then the king said, “Are you Daniel?” “I am,” he said. “Then give me advice about what to do, for the spirit of the God of heaven is with you; do not withhold it from me, for I am old now and lacking strength. My active life wears me out, and constant wars make me feel faint; and now that my old age has begun, I am no longer able to bear the burden of my people, to judge between one person and another, to reward the righteous and punish the wicked, for the thing is too heavy for me.”

2 And Daniel replied, “Let my lord the king appoint three brave and truthful officers to take on themselves part of the responsibility, and let them judge between one person and another in order to relieve you of the heaviness of the burden, and let the king rest in his palace. Then every matter that is too weighty for the judges will be brought before the king, who will decide. Thus the king and his throne will be pure.” He did as he was advised, for he appointed two commanders of his army, with Daniel in authority over them, to judge the people, while he himself remained peaceably in his palace.

3 Darius issued a decree throughout all his kingdom, saying, “The God of the heavens has given me all these kingdoms of the earth, and the burden is too great for me to bear, for my soul is weary from old age. I have therefore taken Daniel’s advice, who has given me sound advice, and I have listened to him. I will now rest in my palace so that the heaviness of the burden will be taken off my shoulders. “Now give honor to the God of Daniel and believe in Him. Get up early and seek Him, for He is the great God over all other gods. You should know that I have done this on Daniel’s advice. “I have appointed over all my kingdom two commanders of the army, whose decisions all the people must follow in all disputes, so that the burden is made lighter for me; and I have appointed Daniel to supervise these two commanders, who are to obey him and to listen to all that he teaches them, and not to change his words, but to carry out everything he commands them, for I have appointed him as my deputy, with the two commanders of the army under him, and whoever violates this decree of the king will lose his life.” All the people obeyed this decree, and the nobles, governors, commanders and rulers of the provinces honored Daniel, for the holy Spirit was with him.

1 Soon after this, however, the commanders of the army, as well as the other chiefs, governors and dignitaries of the kingdom envied Daniel, and, meeting to consult, they looked for a pretext by which they could overthrow Daniel. So they resolved to make a decree and a covenant that every man, old or young, among the rulers or nobles, who during the next thirty days petitions any god or makes a request of any being, except from the king alone, will be given as food to lions, nor can he be rescued by the king’s hand or ransomed with his great wealth to cancel the decree. Daniel was unaware of their schemes, for they cunningly kept their secret from him, saying, “If we do not trap him in a religious matter we will not be able to overthrow him.” But they did not know that, as Daniel was faithful to his God, so would his God prove faithful to him.

2 After the men wrote down what they had decided to do, each one of them signed it and sealed it with his seal, in order to give it greater authority. They then went to the king with their document, who took it and read it in good faith without suspecting that it was a secret plot cunningly devised against Daniel. Therefore he confirmed the decree by sealing it with the king’s seal, and giving it to his scribes to guard for the appointed time.

3 One day the men went to Daniel’s house to spy, and, finding a girl playing across from the entrance of his house, they asked, “Where is Daniel, and what is he doing?” And she replied, “Look, he is in the upper room of his house, praying near the window which looks toward the holy temple at Jerusalem, and uttering praises and words of thanksgiving to his God.” Believing her, they went to the upper room, and found him on his knees with his hands spread toward heaven, for Daniel prayed earnestly to God three times during the day.

4 When these men came into Daniel’s room he was not frightened, nor did he tremble at the sound of their voices, and he finished his prayer, when they all immediately seized him and brought him to the king. But when the king saw Daniel in the hands of the nobles he shook violently, and was astounded, for he then knew that it was against Daniel they had made and established such a decree. Then the king said to the nobles, “What have you done to Daniel, and what business do you have with him?”

5 And they replied, “Have we not written down and sealed the decree in accordance with the law of Media and Persia, which cannot be changed or overturned, that whoever bows down before any being other than the king during this entire month will be given as food for the lions? Look, Daniel was found in his house praying to his God, and thus this decree of the King of Media and Persia has been violated, and that cannot be allowed. Now, since Daniel has mocked us in trying to ignore our laws, give him into our hands, and we will throw him into the den of lions, so that no other person will attempt such a thing again in opposition to the laws of Media and Persia.” And the king answered the nobles, saying, “You have devised this plan against Daniel to attack him because of your envy. Now, stop pursuing him, for he is a Jew, and his God is revered, glorious and mighty, who may punish you in His anger, and destroy you.” But the nobles seized Daniel with their hands, ready to destroy him by throwing him into the den of lions. The king, therefore, exerted all his strength to rescue him, but not one of them helped the king to save Daniel, for they were all eager for his downfall, and refused, therefore, to release him. But the king would not listen to the nobles, and they struggled with each other, the nobles and the king, until sunset.

6 When, however, they saw that the king was with him, they all said, “King, know this and pay close attention: if you do not hand him over to us, we will know that you are overturning the laws of Media and Persia.” As soon as the king saw that they were all of them bent on conspiring against him because of Daniel, he let him go, delivering him into their power, and saying to them, “Tell me, if God delivers him from the mouth of the lions, how will you hide your disgrace and your shame, for you will certainly be thrown to the lions as food.” And they all replied, “So it will be.” The king, having struggled with the nobles until it was late, said to Daniel, “Look, the nobles have determined to throw you into the den of lions, but the Lord God of the heavens, who has given you His holy Spirit, will close their mouths and prevent them from injuring you; but I am innocent before your God, for I tried to rescue you, but could not.” Then, bringing Daniel out, they threw him into the den in which ten lions were enclosed. Their daily food consisted of ten sheep and ten human bodies. But they starved them, depriving them of their food, giving them nothing to eat, so that they would rush to devour Daniel. When Daniel had, however, descended to the den of lions they showed him a friendly face, licked him, wagged their tails, and were as glad to meet him as dogs are to see their master arrive home from the field. The nobles rolled a great stone over the mouth of the pit, which the king sealed with his ring and with the nobles’ rings, and they each went their way.

7 Daniel, in the meantime, praised the name of his God all night until the next morning, singing and voicing his thanks, while the lions crouched around him, eager to listen to his song. But the king went to his house grieved and bitterly sad, eating no food, and drinking neither wine nor water. He forbade the playing of musical instruments in his presence, and did not take off his clothes, for his heart was full of grief for Daniel; his sleep also left him, for he was saddened at the nobles’ plot against Daniel. Then, turning over on his side and sighing, he said, “If only it were morning, to see what has become of Daniel.”

8 On that same day, and at the same time as Daniel was thrown into the den, look, the prophet Habakkuk, in the land of Judah, returned that evening from harvesting, and prepared a large dish to feed the reapers. While he was carrying his burden in his hand to supply the reapers with food, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go with this food to My servant Daniel, in the land of the Chaldeans, to the den of lions, where he has been thrown.” “But, Lord God, who will lead me there,” he said, “at this time, since the distance is so great for me?” And immediately an angel of God lifted him by the lock of his hair, together with his food, and placed him in the middle of Daniel’s den, where he put down the food. The angel then brought him out from there, and returned him home, to the place from which he had been taken before the reapers had had their meal. And Daniel uttered thanksgiving and praises to his God, whom he trusted to save him, for whoever pleads with his God speaks with Him just as someone who studies His law does, and he has no reason to lose hope in His kindness.

9 On the following morning at daybreak the king got up and quickly went to the den, and when he heard Daniel’s voice singing and the beauty of his praises, he was not able to speak to him, for his voice was stifled by his sobbing. But, strengthening himself, he called out, “Daniel, Daniel, has God kept you safe from the mouths of the lions, and have you not been torn to pieces?” And Daniel replied, “Indeed, God has kept me safe from the mouths of the lions, and has closed their mouths, and prevented them from injuring me. They, on the contrary, rejoiced to meet me, just as my own household would rejoice, for my God, in whom I trust, has commanded it this way, and yesterday food was even given to me through Habakkuk, through the spirit of my God; but, my lord the king, I have not sinned against you, nor will any wrongdoing be found in me.”

10 The king then sending for the nobles, Daniel’s enemies, they came to him as he was standing by the den. “Take note,” he said, “and look at the seals of your rings; are they as you sealed them, and has there been any tampering?” And examining the seals, they said, “They are untouched and just as we have sealed them.” Then, commanding the stone to be rolled away from the mouth of the pit, they brought Daniel out, healthy and whole, without any blemish or injury. The bystanders, being struck with wonder at the miracles of the God of Daniel, with a loud voice shouted, “The God of Daniel is greater than all other gods.” The king then ordered his servants to seize those nobles, Daniel’s enemies, together with their wives and children, and to throw them into the den of lions, and before they reached the floor of the den, the lions, who had not eaten any food since yesterday, roared at them, and, tearing them, crushed their bones and ground them to dust. They then continued roaring from their den so that the noise could be heard far off, and all the people trembled, and said, “The lions have escaped from their den.”

1 The king then returned to his palace with Daniel, and the Lord showered Daniel with honor and greatness, and the king looked on him with favor and kindness. A command was then issued in the kingdom, saying, “In all the land there is no god like the God of Daniel who performs miracles and wonders. May his God be with all the people of His inheritance, and cause them to prosper; and let the great temple of God be built in Judah, and I will give silver and gold from my treasures for the building until it is completed.”

2 He then issued orders to all the cities in the land under his rule, using messengers on foot and on horseback, to permit the Jews to go up to Jerusalem to build the temple of God. This happened in the first year of Cyrus’s reign over the Chaldeans. Letters of the king were also sent to all the nobles on the other side of the river and to the governors, so that they would be ready to assist the Jews by attending to all their needs for the building, such as the supply of wood, stones, wheat, oil, and wine, until the building was completed, and rams and lambs for their sacrifices.

3 All the Jews whose hearts were willing then rose to go up to the house of God. They numbered about 40,000, with Ezra the priest and scribe at their head, as well as Eliakim the priest, Jeshua, Mordecai, and the other heads of ancestral families belonging to Judah and Benjamin; and, journeying, they came to the other side of the river, and arrived at Jerusalem, where they began to lay the foundation of the house of God. When this was finished, the work prospered. Then some wicked men appeared, enemies of the Jews, from the remnant of the nations, for example, Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, all of whom wrote evil against the Jews. They sent a letter to the Kings of Media and Persia, saying, “You should know that if you build the city of Jerusalem it will be a trap for you, a great evil, and a great conspiracy will arise against you; for in earlier days the Jews who lived there were strong and very fierce, and destroyed the whole country. It was for this reason that Nebuchadnezzar, their enemy, exiled them to Babylon. Then the kings had rest, and each lived peacefully in his own place. “Therefore we send to inform you of it, as we are loyal, for we have eaten at the table of the king, and we would never let the kingdom fall.” As soon as the letter reached the King of Persia, the work was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius.

1 Now, when Darius was seated on the throne of his kingdom, he sent for Daniel, the servant of God, to test his wisdom and to obtain his advice. When Daniel came before him, the king tested and examined him, and found him seven times as wise as the report about him had said. He was therefore very pleased with him, and loved him, and appointed him to be his adviser, as Darius had done before him.

2 One day Darius held a feast in honor of Bel, the god of Babylon, and the king accordingly prepared an offering to be brought before Bel, the god of Babylon. The prescribed daily offering consisted of 1 young bull, 10 rams, 10 sheep, 100 doves, 70 loaves of bread, and 10 barrels of wine, for the table of the god. On that day they arranged the table before Bel, and the king said to Daniel, “If only you believed in the glory of our god Bel, who consumes what is laid on this table.”

3 And Daniel replied, “The king’s heart must not be deceived and led astray, for it is worthless. There is no breath in it, but it is simply the work of the craftsman. How can it therefore eat or drink anything? It is the priests of Bel who eat the contents of this table, as well as the grain offering and burnt offering. Now, if you listen to me and hand these priests over to me, I will show you the deceit they practice on you and your people, which causes you to bow down to what is worthless and empty.” “Let it be as you have said,” said the king. Daniel then commanded the gatekeepers of Bel to lock the temple and all its gates, except the one which the king and Daniel entered.

4 Then the king said, “Bring me some ashes.” When they were brought he scattered them on the floor of the house, and the priests were kept in ignorance of Daniel’s advice. As soon as they had done this, the king and Daniel went out with their young men by the same gate, and, locking the door, the king sealed it with his own seal and with that of Daniel, and then both of them went back to the palace, and went to bed for the night.

5 On the following morning the king sent for Daniel, to let him see and know what Bel had done. Coming to the gate of the temple, they found the seals just as they had been left; and the king said, “Has there been any tampering with these seals?” And Daniel said “No,” and commanded the seals to be removed. They then opened the gate, and saw that the contents of the table which they had arranged, from the bread all the way to the meat and wine, had all been consumed.

6 As soon as the king saw this, he fell facedown before Bel, and exclaimed, “Bel, your name is great in the world, and who is like you in power among all the other gods?” But Daniel answered, “The king must not say that, for Bel is only clay, earthenware, and brass, and cannot eat or drink. Just look at the ashes which we have spread on the floor, and around the temple and the table, and see whose footprints these are, for they are the tracks of those who ate from Bel’s table.” The king looked, and saw the footprints of men, women, and children; 7 and sending immediately for these seventy priests and ministers of Bel, he swore to them, saying, “If you will not tell me the truth, you will certainly die.” They then showed him the secret entrances through which they came in and went out at night, to eat the contents of the table.

1 The dragon smelled the ashes and the sacrifice, and he rejoiced to go out and see the offering, and it opened its mouth, according to custom, and they threw it in. After swallowing it, it raised itself up high, and turned to enter the cave again, when the nobles said to the king, “Is Daniel also able to destroy this god, which is a living god, just as he destroyed Bel and his priests and his altar, thus putting an end to his worship? Why does he not fight this god, for, if he does, then we will be avenged for the destruction of Bel and his temple.”

2 Then the king said to Daniel, “Please listen to me and pay attention to what I say. Can you turn your thoughts also against this great and mighty serpent god, and subdue him as you did Bel, in which there was no life? This, however, is mighty and strong, and who would dare rise up against it to harm it?” But Daniel replied, “The king must not be mistaken about this too, for it is only a beast, and can be subdued by the hand of man. It has no spirit, and now, if my lord the king will permit me to go against this dragon, I will kill it without either sword or stick or any weapon of war, for it is only a reptile that crawls on the earth, and the Lord set the fear of man in every beast, insect, and reptile, for He made man in the image of God.Genesis 9:6 I will therefore destroy it just as I destroyed one of the carved images, but do not give your nobles power to harm me.” “Go and do what you can,” replied the king. The nobles were, however, very glad when the king told Daniel to fight the dragon, for they said, “Now Daniel will certainly perish, for it is impossible for him to make a stand against the dragon.”

3 Daniel then went from the king, and making iron instruments like wool combs, he joined them together back to back, with the points outward, forming a circle of hard and sharp points. This he rolled in all kinds of poisonous fat and grease and other fatty substances, and beneath it he placed pitch and sulfur, until the points of the brass and the other piercing metals were concealed. Then, making it in the shape of an offering, Daniel threw it into the dragon’s mouth. The dragon hastily and greedily swallowed it, and seemed to enjoy it. But when it entered its mouth, and passed into the intestines in its belly, the fat melted off the iron prongs, so the sharp spikes pierced its intestines, and caused it such agony that it died the next day.

4 Three days after its death the Chaldeans and Babylonians came, as was their daily custom, to appease the dragon with an offering, but it was not visible; only a horrible stench came from the cave. When they searched the cave they found that their god had been killed, swollen up, and decaying. They became very grieved and full of anger against Daniel, and they said, “Look at what this Daniel has done to the two gods! For he has destroyed Bel and struck down the dragon. Now if the king hands him over to us, he will certainly be killed; and if not, it must be made known to the king that he too will certainly not live.” When it reached the ears of the king that the people had made a conspiracy against him, a command was issued to strike down the leaders and nobles, as well as those that rose up against Daniel, with the edge of the sword.

1 Daniel, having grown old, came one day to the king, and bowing down before him, said, “O my lord the king, old age has crept up on me, and I no longer have the strength to stand and walk back and forth. The lawless men of your people have humbled me through their enmity, and have thrown me twice into the den of lions, but God, in whom I put my trust, has delivered me. They planned to take my soul, to deprive me of my life, through their zeal on behalf of their gods, but my God kept me from being destroyed by them. They also threw my three friends into the fiery furnace to be burned, and yet after all this we have not forsaken our God. Now, my lord the king, please allow me to go back to my native city and to my house, to worship the God of my fathers for the remainder of my days, for I am old and no longer have the power to restrain the multitude of your army.” And the king answered Daniel, saying, “How can I listen to your request to send you away, since you are a man of the God of heaven? If you leave me and depart from my side, how can my kingdom remain intact? I am indeed aware that you are an old man, and that you no longer have the strength for active life which the rulers of the kingdom ought to have; therefore, if you will give me from among your people a man of wisdom and understanding, and also filled with the spirit of your God as you are, to remain with me in your place, then I will send you away in peace to rest in your own house, although I know there is none esteemed your equal among the people of your nation.”

2 Daniel then went out from the presence of the king to the assembly of the exiles, and, finding there Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Jeconiah, King of Judah, he selected him from among the people, and taking him by the hand, led him to the king, and said, “Here before you is the man who is to take my place. He is esteemed my equal, and is descended from Judah and from the heads of the royal family. He is also a man of courage, filled with the spirit of God, with knowledge and wisdom like me, falling short of nothing that is in me, and he will be, as I have been, a faithful adviser to you. And now, give me permission to depart for my native place for the short time I have to live.” The king, being confident of the truth of everything Daniel told him, gave him permission to depart. Daniel then bowed down, and the king embraced and kissed him, and having ordered many gifts to be presented to him, he sent him away.

3 So Zerubbabel took the place of Daniel, who gave all that the king presented him with to the suffering exiles, and then left for Shushan, his native place, in the land of Elam. There he worshiped the Lord among his fellow exiles until the day of his death.

4 Now, Zerubbabel was a man of courage, young and prosperous, understanding and wise, filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Daniel had put his hand on him. He found favor in the eyes of the king, who loved him and appointed him chief of all the nobles, and overseer of the two captains of the army and guardians of the king.

5 One day, according to custom, all the nobles assembled before the king, and the king said to them, “Have you seen in the whole of this land a man as wise and as full of understanding, in whom is the spirit of Daniel, as this man Zerubbabel?” And they answered, “The king has spoken the truth.”

6 Now, about noon, after they had all eaten, the king, as usual, lay on his bed and slept. The two nobles and guardians of the king then got up, as was customary, and Zerubbabel with them, and stood around the king’s bedside until he awoke. On this occasion the king slept deeply, for he was drunk with wine; and the three young men, being tired of standing, proposed to test each other’s wisdom by means of riddles, each one according to his intelligence, and they said, “Let us write them down in a book, and place the book under the head of the king until he wakes from his sleep,” when he would see the book, and understand its meaning.

7 “Then the man whose words appear wiser than his two colleagues, and whose riddles are superior to those of his companions, should be made the king’s deputy, and should also sit on the royal throne and in the royal chariot; he should have free access to the presence of the king; the vessels at his table should be of silver, and the reins of his horse of gold. The deputy’s crown should be placed on his head; he should receive the deputy’s portion from the hand of the king; every request should be granted him, and he should be a friend of the king.” To this they all agreed, and, making a covenant to that effect, they established it according to the laws of Media and Persia, which can never be altered.

8 Then, bringing the pen and the scroll, they cast lots as to who should be the first to write. The first wrote, “On the earth there is no one so powerful as a king.” The second wrote, “Wine is the strongest thing on earth.” And Zerubbabel, who was the third, wrote, “There is nothing on the earth so powerful as woman.” When they had finished writing their words of wisdom, they placed the scroll under the king’s pillow, but the king was awake, for though his eyes were closed yet he heard their whispers; and when they placed the scroll under his pillow the king got up as if he had just woken from his sleep, and, rubbing his eyes with his two hands, he looked under his pillow, and saw the scroll which the three young men had written. Then opening it, he read it, and was perplexed about it, until all the nobles, pashas, chiefs, governors, and heads of the provinces came to him. Then calling the three young men, he said, “Each of you, bring me what you have written, and let me listen to the interpretation of your riddles; then I will fulfill for the wisest of you three everything that is stated in the scroll to honor and exalt him.”

9 The first one then approached to read what he had written, and said, “Listen to my words, O king and nobles. There is nobody on earth so powerful as a king.” The second, approaching the king, said, “There is nothing on earth so powerful as wine.” And the third, namely, Zerubbabel, exclaimed, “There is nothing on earth so powerful as woman.” At this the king and the nobles said, “We have listened to your hidden sayings; now tell us the explanation, and we will listen.”

1 And the first answered and said, “O my lord the king, nobles and mighty men, do you not know the power of the king and the strength of his dominion over all the earth, over the sea, the islands, and over all languages, to kill or to keep alive? If he commands an army to march out, they march out armed; they do not turn their heads, though they may stand face to face with death. If he commands them to overthrow cities, they overthrow them; if to cut down mountains, or to pull down walls, they obey. If he commands them to plow for him, they plow; they sow and reap his produce, for they fear the anger of the king, who is mighty and lord over all, and no one dares defy his word; therefore believe my words that there is no one on earth so powerful as a king.” All the bystanders were astonished at his speech.

2 The second now replied, saying, “Though you know the power of a king and the strength of his might, for he has dominion and rules over the land, yet wine is stronger than a king. It is true he has great power, but as soon as he drinks freely of wine, it overpowers him and turns his heart to other things. He sings, plays and dances, for his heart is turned by the wine, so that he rejects his relatives, approaches strangers, kills his friends, and confers honor on strangers, and respects neither his father nor mother.

3 “Do you not know that such is the power of wine, when a man is drunk he cannot learn, but is rather prone to singing; he whispers to his neighbor and reveals secrets, and hidden things drop out of his mouth. Men full of sorrow the wine makes glad, and even if mourners and those whose hearts are grieved drink it, they rejoice and are joyful. The drunken one draws his sword against his neighbor, and he gets fierce, and shy men it makes bold. But when the wine has disappeared from them, they have forgotten all, and say, ‘We have not done this thing.’ Is wine therefore not stronger than a king, as it rules over him? It makes a man walk crookedly; he cannot see straight, and he continues babbling things which he has not learned. Do you not think that wine is therefore more powerful than a king, since it does such things?” At this the men were greatly surprised.

4 After that the king summoned Zerubbabel, and said, “Tell me, please, your riddle and its interpretation, as your friends have done.” And he answered and said, “Pay attention and listen to me, O king and nobles, governors and rulers, and all you who stand here. Indeed, the king is stronger and greater than all; it is true that wine weakens the king through its strength, as my friends have said. Thus the power of both the king and wine cannot be denied; but woman is even more powerful than either king or wine or any other strong drink. For why should she not be more powerful than the king? Did she not give birth to him, nurse him, sustain him, raise him, clothe him, wash him, and sometimes discipline him? Did she not rule over him as a mother does the child of her womb? When she was angry with him, did he not fear her rebuke? Did she not sometimes beat him and at other times reprimand him? If she lifted the rod to him, did he not run away from her in fear of her? Moreover, when he grows up to be a young man, he cannot forget his teacher, nor will he rebel against her call. He always respects her as a son honors her who conceived him.

5 “Then looking around, he sees a beautiful woman and desires her beauty, wanting to enjoy intimacy with her. His heart inclines toward her, and he will not exchange his love for her for all the riches. It is then that he leaves his father and mother, forsaking them for her love and her beauty, and many have been led astray through the love of woman; many have acted foolishly, and become mad for her sake; and many have met their death for the sake of woman, and have fallen for her pride down into hell. Wise men also have been caught in her net, and the frivolous woman has caused much hatred among brothers. Do you not know and understand that if a man sees a beautiful woman, and he carries in his hands fine things, will not his eyes gaze upon her, for his heart inclines toward her? If she answers him when he speaks to her on account of her beauty, will he not leave everything that he keeps in his hands to speak to her? For his heart is drawn near to her.

6 “Who is there that will not believe this, and acknowledge the truth of this power of woman? Tell me, for whom do you steal, for whom do you rob, and for whom do you arm yourselves—is it not for woman? Is it not for her that you buy all the precious ornaments? Is not the myrrh and the aloe for her? Are not all the spices, perfumed oils, and frankincense for her? If a man breaks into a house, if he watches the highways, goes on the sea, on dry land, on the mountains; if he fights, commits murder, robs, plunders, and sheds blood, to whom will he bring his captured goods, if not to woman? Have I not seen the concubine of the King Apumaṣia, the daughter of Abyaush of Makeden, take the crown of honor off the king’s head and place it on her own head, while he was seated on the throne beside her, and the king was pleased with her? But when she became angry, did not the king then hurry to appease her, and to restore peace with her, and remove her anger?

7 “Who, then, is there that will not believe that woman’s power is stronger than everything? She subdued Samson, enticed David, and inclined the heart of Solomon toward her. Many are her captives, and countless are those who are killed through her, and their number increases. And even if there is one man who rules the whole world, and before whose anger all people tremble and shake, since he would be supreme, and although man is appointed to be the chief, ruler, and king over her, and she is given desire for him, yet not even he would be able to conquer her and to rule over her. Even Adam, the father of all humanity, was persuaded by his wife to disobey the word of God, by which she destined him and his offspring to death. Also, in the days of Noah, the heavenly angels were led astray and took women for themselves. Who does not believe that this is known from the very beginning of the world, and will last to the end unchanged? This is the truth that I speak.

8 “Now, finally, let it be known to the king and to all my hearers that all is futility here—the king who rules the earth, the wine that rules the king, and woman with her wickedness, who rules the three; but truth reigns supreme in heaven and on earth; in the seas and in the depths truth prevails before God and man; for where truth lives, wickedness cannot remain, for the heavens and the earth are founded on truth, and the Lord our God is true forever.”

9 After this all the people assembled there before the king exclaimed, “It is true.” Then the king said to Zerubbabel, “Come near to me.” When he approached, the king kissed him and embraced him in the presence of all the people, and said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Zerubbabel, who has given him the spirit of truth, for there is nothing like God’s truth; everything else is futility.” And the nobles also exclaimed, “Indeed, truth is greater than all things; nor can one stand up against it since it lives in the heaven and in the earth, and everything is based on it. True is the God of Zerubbabel, who has given him the spirit of truth to praise and to glorify truth before God and man.”

1 The king then commanded all the honors written in the scroll to be carried out for Zerubbabel, for he had found great favor in the eyes of the king and the two nobles, his colleagues. And the king further said to Zerubbabel, “Ask, in addition to what is written in the scroll, whatever your soul desires and I will grant it, even to half the kingdom.” And Zerubbabel answered and said, “Remember, my lord the king, the vow which you and King Cyrus made to the God of heaven, namely, to build His house, and to restore His holy vessels, and to allow His captive people to worship Him in the temple that is called by His name, that they may pray to the great God of heaven for the welfare of your reign, for you must not delay the vow which you made to the heavenly God.”

2 The king then commanded the scribes to hurry and write down Zerubbabel’s request, to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem. He then sent a message to Cyrus, King of Persia, to join hands with him in this work, and thus to fulfill their vow by establishing the house of God in Jerusalem. And Cyrus issued a proclamation throughout his kingdom, saying, “Everyone of God’s people whose heart prompts him to go up to Jerusalem to lay the foundation of the temple and to build it, let him go, and I will give everyone the pay of his labor from my treasuries until the building is completed.”

3 The king’s scribes then wrote down this proclamation on behalf of Darius, King of Media, and Cyrus, King of Persia, to the nobles, governors, and rulers on the other side of the river, and to the Arameans, Tyrians, Samaritans, and to Asaph, governor of the garden of Lebanon, “You should know that it is our pleasure to send back to God’s holy city the captives of His people, whom Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, sent into exile; to restore the vessels of the great and holy temple which is called by the name of the God of heaven; to build His altar, and to sacrifice on it every day; to build the temple, and the Holy of Holies; to establish the palace according to its old form; and to restore the walls of Jerusalem.

4 “When this edict reaches you, make every effort to help them by supplying all their needs in silver and gold, brass, wood, and stones for the builders and stonecutters until the building is finished, and to give them whatever they ask for, wheat, barley, oil, or wine, and whatever they want for the buildings. For re-establishing the sacrifices on the altar you must give them oxen, calves, rams, sheep, male goats, doves, flour, oil, salt, to enable them to re-establish the altar, and to finish the whole work.”

5 The Edomites were also commanded by these two kings to contribute their share in the service of the house of the Lord, because they had helped the Chaldeans to overthrow it; they were to give a yearly tribute of five talents of gold for repairing the breach in the house, to rebuild the temple and the holy city. The Sidonians, Tyrians, and Edomites, as well as the servants of the king in the Lebanon, under the command of Asaph, keeper of the garden, were ordered to cut the timber from the Lebanon, and to drag it to the sea from the Lebanon and from there to the Sea of Joppa, to complete the work of the house of God. No one was to obstruct them until everything was completed. Having written down all these details as the two kings commanded, the scribes sealed it, and handed it over to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and to Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah.

1 About this time Darius, King of Media, became very ill, and, being about to die, he called Cyrus, King of Persia, his son-in-law, his daughter’s husband, and made him king in his place, so that the kingdoms of Media and Persia were united into one; and when Darius the Mede was gathered to his people, Cyrus reigned over Media and Persia and the remainder of the country. He then issued a proclamation in all his kingdom, saying, “Whoever of you among the people of the Lord God of heaven is willing to go up to Jerusalem to the footstool of the great and mighty God, to build His house and His temple which the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, who was more wicked than all his predecessors, overthrew, let him go up and assist in the building, and may His God be with everyone whose heart prompts him to do so. And I, Cyrus, servant of the living God, who set me on this throne, will provide from my riches and my treasury all the needs of the house of this mighty God who made me King of Media and Persia, and who helped me to destroy the kingdom of the Chaldeans.”

2 Thus all the elders of the exiles, Ezra the scribe, Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah, with the other leaders of the exiles and the priests, went up to Jerusalem and built the temple of God and His altar, and arranged the wood and placed the meat of the sacrifice on the altar.

3 Then they lifted up their voices and wept, while Ezra and Nehemiah, with the other leaders of the exiles, prayed to God, and said, “O Lord of the whole universe, You have put it into the heart of the King of Persia to do honor to Your house, and to send Your servants and priests to make sacrifices to You and to offer Your burnt offerings as Your servants, our pious ancestors, did before You. See, we, also Your servants, have come to this place, and have rebuilt Your altar after the same pattern, and we offer sacrifices to You, and arrange the wood beneath the burnt offering. But how can it be pleasing to You, O God, since we offer strange fire, for the holy fire is gone, since it has been hidden by Jeremiah the prophet, Your servant, and the other leaders of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar sent into exile. What should we do, O God of heaven? Give us advice and help, for to You belongs dominion, to help us and to strengthen our hands.”

4 Now, it happened while they were praying to the Lord in this way, a very old man about 100 years of age, belonging to those priests who were exiled in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, was heard calling. Being rather deaf because of old age, he summoned his six sons before him, and said, “O my sons, if I have found favor in your eyes, carry me near the altar and place me opposite it that I may inhale the sweet-smelling frankincense of the altar, for I have not been deemed worthy of that pleasure for many years now. Let your kindness be extended to me that you may listen to me this once, that I may be enabled to smell it once more before I die. You will be rewarded by the holy God, for I have been a great burden to you.”

5 His sons immediately carried him among the assembled priests opposite the altar. When he heard the noise of the multitude and the priests crying to God for the holy fire, the old man said to his sons, “What is troubling the people that they cry out?” And they replied, “The priests are seeking the holy fire which is no longer to be found, as it has been hidden from them.” “Carry me, then, near the priests and the heads of the ancestral families, and I will tell them where it is, and where Jeremiah the prophet and the other priests who went into exile had concealed it.”

6 His sons carried him among the heads of the ancestral families, who asked him about it, and he told them where it was. Then, carrying the old man, and crossing the Brook of Kidron and the Valley of Hinnom, they climbed the Mount of Olives; and during their descent, when they faced the valley in the plain, the old man showed them a large stone sunk in the earth. Digging up the dust around the stone, they rolled the stone away, and removing the lime beneath it, they opened the pit.

7 Then he said to the young priests, “Go down there and take the fire, for there it was placed.” He repeated his command, so they went down, and found there at the bottom of the pit something like oil sediment, and like mud and honey. When they related this to Ezra and the priests, they replied, “Bring up whatever you find, and let no stranger touch you until you come to the altar. Then place what you have carried away on the altar, on the burnt offering, and on the wood.” They went down and did as they were commanded.

8 And as soon as they did this a great fire suddenly burned on the altar, and grew into such huge flames that the priests and the people fled from it, for they could not endure it. It licked the burnt offering, and, traveling around the temple, cleansed it, after which it got considerably smaller, so that it remained only on the altar, as usual. From that day onward a continual fire burned on the altar, as they placed the wood regularly on it until the second captivity.

9 But the ark was not there, because Jeremiah took the ark with all the curtains which Moses, the servant of God, made in the wilderness, and he carried them up to Mount Nebo and placed them in a cave. The priests of that time followed him to find out the place of the ark, and of the tablets, of the curtains of the tabernacle, and of the tent of meeting. When Jeremiah looked behind him and saw the priests, he became angry with them, and swore to them, “You will never discover the place you desired to know until I and Elijah appear. Then we will restore the tabernacle and the tent of meeting to its original place, as well as the ark of the testimony and the two stone tablets which it contains. Then we will enter the Holy of Holies.”

10 From that day our ancestors offered their sacrifices and burnt offerings and continual offerings every day, for the kings of Persia had helped them with gold and silver, with wheat, oil and wine, with oxen, sheep and rams, everything that they desired, year after year, for the kings of Persia loved the temple of our God, and its sanctuary they greatly honored.

1 And Cyrus reigned over all the kingdoms of the earth, for our God strengthened his right hand so that he subdued many nations. He, God, opened before him the gates of iron and broke the doors of brass, and revealed to him hidden treasures, just as He had told through Isaiah the prophet to his people, the servants of Jacob and Israel whom He had chosen. And the hand of Cyrus was strengthened, and, going to battle, he captured all the land, all the fords of India, as well as those in the south, the whole land of Ethiopia, all the nations dwelling in the lands of the south, Arabia, and in the west as far as Sefarad, and in the north, the land of Moqedon, and all the land of Kaftor and Ararat, the whole of Alan, Alasar, and the mountains of Alaf, that is, the mountains of darkness, as far as the Snow Mountains, which are impassable. The rest of his mighty deeds and his battles, are they not written in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia, and in the book of Joseph ben Gorion, the anointed priest of battle, who was exiled from Jerusalem in the reign of Vespasian, and in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Rome?

2 Cyrus the king ended his days in battle, and died in the land of the Shittim; but this need not cause surprise, for we know that Saul, the anointed of the Lord, also died in battle, as well as King Josiah, the beloved of God.

3 When Cyrus went to the land of Shittim, he struck down their king with the sword, together with his warriors, because they raised their hands against the king, meaning Cyrus himself. And when they fell, the Shittites fled with their queen, Tamirah, and her son until they came to their fortresses, and there they shut themselves in. As soon as Cyrus saw that they had shut themselves in their castles and that no one went out or in, he enticed them out by a ruse, for he departed with all his camp as if seeking to find an escape, after which the Shittites, with Tamirah’s son, came out of their castles to pursue them. When they had come out into the plain, Cyrus suddenly turned on them, and struck down 300,000 of their warriors, and among the dead was found the son of their queen Tamirah. Cyrus then took all the Shittites prisoners, except those who had escaped to the mountains with the warriors. When Tamirah saw that her son had been killed with the other soldiers, she was deeply grieved, and went wandering about the mountains and valleys of the Shittites, lying in ambush. When Cyrus left the land of the Shittites, he being confident of his victory, never thought of any possible ambush; therefore his army passed on before him, and, being left behind with a few followers, he encamped between two mountains and lay down there to sleep.

4 On the same night he was attacked by the woman, who was like a wild beast, like a lioness bereaved of her cubs, and like a bereaved bear. She struck down the whole camp of Cyrus, numbering 200,000 mighty men of Persia, together with their king. Then, strengthening herself, she went to the dead body of Cyrus, and, cutting off his head and placing it in a leather bottle, which she filled with the blood of the slain, she said, “Drink and satisfy yourself with the blood which you have been so fond of shedding these thirty years without tiring.”

5 Cyrus being thus gathered to his people, Cambisa, his son, reigned in his place. As soon as he was enthroned he went to Shittim and destroyed the remainder of its inhabitants, together with their queen, Tamirah, and all her offspring. After him, Ahasuerus rose to power and stopped all the work of the temple, for the enemies of the Jews had increased, and had written accusations at the beginning of Ahasuerus’ reign. Thus the service of the temple was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius, King of Persia.

1 But our ancestors served the kings of Media and Persia with great loyalty, for they neither did them harm nor oppressed them. It was only in the time of Ahasuerus that the memory of Judah was nearly destroyed through the enmity of Haman the Amalekite, because Mordecai, a descendant of Saul, who struck down the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, a distance of several days, would not rise before him. He killed more than 500,000 Amalekites, and put to the sword their men, women, and children, to the number of thousands of thousands. It was for this reason that Haman, who was descended from them, harbored that hatred against the people of Judah, and especially against the tribe of Benjamin.

2 Now, in the days of Ahasuerus, when Mordecai was sitting at the gate of the king he discovered a secret plot of two Persian nobles, Bigthan and Teresh, whom he heard whispering and plotting to sever the head of the king while he lay in his bed, in order to carry it to the Macedonian king, for at that time the Macedonian empire was warring against the Persian kingdom. This plot Mordecai revealed to Esther, and she in her turn to the king, who commanded this act of loyalty on the part of Mordecai to be noted down in the Book of Chronicles, as well as the reward due to him. When, however, these two court officials were hanged it aroused Haman’s anger, for they were his advisers, and he, therefore, sought to wipe out the name of Judah from under the heavens. But Mordecai discovered this plan of his and remembered the dream he had in the second year of the reign of Ahasuerus.

3 It was the following: There was a great earthquake, accompanied by a noise and the sound of wailing in the land, so that fear and terror fell upon all the inhabitants, and two immense dragons with terrible noise went against each other in battle, after which all the inhabitants ran toward the spot. Living among them was a small nation, and all the nations around it rose up to destroy their memory from the face of the earth. On that day everywhere it was thick darkness, and the small nation, being much oppressed, cried out to the Lord. The dragons continued to fight furiously and nobody could separate them; then suddenly Mordecai saw a small brook of water passing between the two dragons, which separated them, for the brook soon grew into an overflowing river, like the overflowing of the Great Sea, so that it flooded the whole earth. The sun then shone on the earth, and the small nation was raised to greatness, while the proud ones were humbled, and peace and truth were restored in the world.

4 Mordecai from that day always kept that dream in his heart, and when Haman oppressed him, he said to Esther, “Remember the dream I told you in the days of your youth. Now get up, and, begging the Lord for mercy, go into the presence of Ahasuerus; stand before him in all your beauty, and plead the cause of your people and your relatives.” And Mordecai pleaded with God, saying, “It is well known and revealed to the throne of Your glory, O Lord of the universe, that it was not from pride or haughtiness I refused to bow down to this Amalekite, but on account of the reverence I have for You I opposed him, refusing to bow down, for I fear You alone, O Lord of the universe, and would not, therefore, give Your honor to flesh and blood; therefore, I would bow down before no being except Your holy presence. And who am I that would not bow down to Haman? Yet for Israel’s salvation I would lick the shoe on his foot, and the dust on which he walks.

5 “O Lord, deliver them from his hand, that he may fall into the pit which he has dug for us, and be caught in the net which he has spread hidden under the feet of Your pious men, that they may in this way know that You have not forgotten the oath You swore; for You did not deliver us into captivity because You were not able to save us, but because of our sins and our wrongdoings, for we have sinned against You. But You, our God, are mighty in salvation; therefore save us, O Lord, from his hand; in our distress we call on You to protect us, and to stand up among us to fight those who rise up against us. Remember, we beg You, that we are Your portion; for in ancient times, when You gave the nations their inheritance, and when You separated the human beings, we were Your portion; the lot which You cast fell on us to be chosen for Your name.

6 “Why, O God, should our enemies say we have no God? Why should they open wide their mouth to swallow up Your portion and praise their idols and worthless things? We beg You, O Lord, send salvation to us; let them be ashamed of their idols and worthless things, and let them place their hand on their mouth and see Your salvation, O Lord. Have mercy on Your people, and on Your inheritance. Do not close the mouths of those who praise You and proclaim Your unity evening and morning continually. Turn our sorrow to joy and gladness, that we may live and give You thanks for the blessed salvation by which You will save us.” And all Israel cried out to the Lord for the trouble and sorrow which had come on them.

1 And Esther fled to the Lord, for she feared the evil which was growing; and, stripping herself of her royal garments and the ornaments of her majesty, she clothed herself in sackcloth, and disheveling the hair of her head, she put dust and ashes on it. Then, afflicting her soul with fasting, she fell facedown in prayer, saying, “O Lord God of Israel, who are the King of kings, who are to be feared, who created the world, and who rule over us, help Your female servant in her desolation, for she has no savior except You. See, I live in the king’s palace alone, without father or mother. Like an afflicted orphan begging charity from house to house, so do I beg for Your mercy, from one window to the other in the palace of King Ahasuerus, and have done so from the time I was brought here until this present day.

2 “O Lord, if it is pleasing to You, take my soul from my own hand; and if not, then deliver, I beg You, the flock of Your pasture from those lions who have risen up against them; for my father taught me that You redeemed our ancestors from Egypt, and killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians. You brought Your people out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and caused them to pass over the sea like a horse on dry land. You gave them food from heaven, water from the cleft of the rock, and meat in plenty. You struck down great and mighty kings before them, and caused them to inherit the good land. But when our ancestors sinned against Your great name, then You delivered them into captivity; and here we are in exile to this day. My father further told me that, through Moses Your servant, You said, ‘Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will never forsake them.’Leviticus 26:44

3 “Now, O Lord, Father of the fatherless, stand at the right hand of this orphan, who trusts in You, and grant me mercy when I am in the presence of King Ahasuerus, for I fear him as a young goat fears the lion. Humble all his advisers, that he may be humbled and subdued before the grace and beauty You have given me. O my God, cause his heart to hate our enemies and to love Your servants, for the heart of kings is in Your hand. O You mighty, revered, and exalted God, deliver me from the fear and trembling which have taken hold of me, that I may go into his presence in Your name, and come out in peace.”

4 On the third day Esther accordingly clothed herself in royal garments, and, accompanied by her two female attendants, came before the king, who was sitting on the throne. On one of them she placed her right hand, and leaned on her, according to the royal custom, while the other attendant followed behind her to hold up her train, that the gold and precious stones should not touch the ground. Before him were seated all the powerful men of the kingdom, who said to one another, “This woman is sure to be killed, since she has entered here without an appointed time.” One said, “I will then take her royal garments”; another, “I will take the ornaments on her feet”; and another, “I will take the ornaments on her hands.” When Esther heard these remarks, she kept her face serene, and concealed the grief of her soul.

5 The king, then raising his eyes to her, was much enraged that she had broken the law by coming into his presence without being called. When Esther noticed the king’s anger and fury, she trembled, and, feeling faint, placed her head on the attendant at her right; but our Lord saw the oppression of His people, and had pity on Israel and on the trouble of the orphan who trusted in Him, and He made her find favor in the eyes of the king, for the Lord added beauty to her beauty and majesty to her majesty, and the king, rising in haste from his throne, ran toward Esther, and embraced and kissed her, and, taking her in his arms, said to her, “What is this fear, O Queen Esther? For this decree of ours does not apply to you, since you are the queen, my friend and companion”; and, taking up the golden scepter, he placed it into her hand, and added, “Why do you not speak to me?” And Esther replied, “When I saw you, O lord, my soul trembled before your honor, and on account of the greatness of your glory.”

6 She then leaned her head once more on her female attendant, for she was faint from fasting and from trouble. The king, however, was now very much alarmed at this, and wept before his wife, while all his ministers begged her to speak to the king, in order to calm his soul. And the Lord brought about that great salvation through Queen Esther and Mordecai. Haman and his sons were hanged on the gallows, and all those who devised evil against Israel were killed with the sword, and Mordecai from that day onward was honored in the king’s palace.

1 This is the letter which Haman sent to the nations, for the purpose of causing the house of Jacob to perish. “I, Haman, who am great before the king, and second to him, who am the chief of the powerful men, and seventh among the nobles, and who am the most favored in the kingdom—I, Haman, write with the consent of all the prefects, eparchs, governors, rulers, and of all the kings of the East who lend their aid, and with the consent of all the royal nobles. “We all with one consent, with one mouth, with one speech, and in one language, write down, with the permission of King Ahasuerus, and seal it with his ring, so that it cannot be retracted, concerning the great eagle, whose wings were spread over the whole world, so that no bird, beast, or animal was able to stand before it, until the great Mede arose and struck it with one great blow, by which its wings were broken, its feathers plucked out, and its legs cut off, thus giving the whole world rest, peace, and tranquility, from the time it wandered from its nest until this very day. “We now see that it wishes to grow and to increase its feathers and to spread out its wings again to cover us and the whole world, and to tear us to pieces in the same manner as it tore apart our ancestors who preceded us.

2 “On this account all the great men of Media and Persia have here assembled, and with the permission of the king we all of us with one purpose write to you to spread out nets to catch this eagle, whose strength again increases, and bring her back to her nest, to pluck out her feathers and to break her wings, to give her flesh to the birds of the heaven, to destroy her seed, to crush her young, and to root out her memory from the world. Our plan is not like Pharaoh’s, who decreed only concerning the males, leaving the females; nor as Esau’s, who said, ‘Now that the days of my father’s mourning draw near, I will kill my brother Jacob,Genesis 27:41 and make his sons my servants’; nor like Amalek’s, who pursued Israel, and killed the weak, but let the strong remain; nor like Nebuchadnezzar’s, who exiled them, and, giving them rest, promoted some to the throne of the kingdom; nor like Sennacherib’s, who brought them to a land like their own;

3 “But with a united wish, we have decided to destroy and to wipe out all the Jews, young and old, women and children, and all on one day, so that there will be no offspring left in the world, that their children do not act as they did to our ancestors, to our fathers, and our great men, for those who did good to them they rewarded with evil. “We would be justified even if we took only revenge for Pharaoh, who did many good deeds for them, for he made Joseph, a servant, king over them and over all Egypt, and when his father and brothers came to him, he gave them the very best part of the land to live in, and supported them during the years of famine, so that his people increased and multiplied in the land, and a prophet arose among them, Moses by name, the son of Amram. He was a wizard, and brought on Pharaoh, on his household, and on his land, great plagues, terrible and extraordinary. “The people then rose up in the middle of the night like thieves, and, after robbing their neighbors, went out of the land. But Pharaoh, with his army, pursued them for their property, and they entered the sea through the enchantments of the Israelites; but they did not know by what means they had entered, and they were all drowned in the sea, thus returning evil for good.

4 “When they arrived in the wilderness, a certain old man, a descendant of Esau, offered them a feast in honor of their ancestor Jacob, and after they had eaten and drunk and enjoyed his feast—Joshua their wizard did not stop his enchantments—but they spread their hands and whispered with their lips, until our ancestors became weak through him, as it is said, ‘And Joshua weakened them’;Exodus 17:13 nor was this alone sufficient for them, but they made a decree that our name should be blotted out, as it is said, ‘You must destroy the memory of Amalek.’Deuteronomy 25:19 “They did likewise to the kings of Midian who lived there, for they plundered and killed the Midianite kings, their prophets and their priest they killed with the sword, and had no mercy on them, as it is said, ‘And Balaam, the son of Beor, they killed with the sword,Joshua 13:22 also Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings.’ Also the thirty-one kings and seventy elders. Then arose their king, Saul, who destroyed all the offspring of Amalek, and had not our ancestor Agag been preserved, there would not have been one single survivor. “They strengthened themselves against our kingdom, and destroyed us, not by means of the spear or the sword, but, having built a large house, they entered it, and when they came out, they caused the nations to fall down before their words by means of their tricks.”

5 When the nations of the world read this writing, they sent back word to Haman, saying, “Whatever you have written we know, but we fear that they do the same to us as they did to our forebears and our ancestors, for we will perish at their hands. Leave them alone, therefore, for whoever touches them touches the apple of God’s eye, for they are called ‘The people near to Him,’ as it is said, ‘And the children of Israel are the people near to Him;Psalms 148:14 they are His beloved, His treasure, and His inheritance.’ Now, Haman, what will you do? For see what happens to those who pursue them, see how the mighty men of the world have fallen beneath them. We therefore do not wish to lay a hand on them, for their God has called them the stone of foundation, and whenever it is moved He will replace it.”

6 Haman once more wrote to them, saying, “Their God, whom you fear so much, does not fight their battles, nor does He avenge their wrongs; He only did so in His youth, but now He has become weak, and has no more power to wreak vengeance; for if He had, why did He not deliver them from Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed His house, burned His temple, and killed His young men, and before whom He had no power, for the remnant was then exiled to his land, Babylon. “And now though they are prisoners in our hands, we wish to intermarry with them, but they do not wish it. They, on the contrary, despise us, and regard us as reptiles and creeping things; if a fly happens to fall into one of their cups, he throws it out and drinks the wine, and if one of us happens to touch the cup of one of them, he throws it on the ground and breaks it. If we ask them for anything, although we desire to return them double, in order to unite them to us, they do not wish it, but despise us and our kingdom. “It is therefore our desire, with the king’s consent, as well as the consent of the nobles, rulers, governors, and pashas, to destroy them utterly from the world, both young and old, women and children, in one day, as it is said, ‘Come, and let us destroy them.’”Psalms 83:4

7 As soon as the surrounding nations heard this, with one accord they consented to destroy the Israelites, as it is said, “Those kings consulted together,” etc. One day when Haman was walking along, with the nobles of the kingdom following him, Mordecai, while walking in front of them, met three children just coming from school, and said to them, “Tell me each of you what lesson you have learned today.” The first one replied, “Do not be hastily terrified.”Proverbs 3:25 The second replied, “Take counsel together, and it will come to nothing”;Isaiah 8:10 and the third said, “Until old age I am He.”Isaiah 46:4 On hearing these replies Mordecai rejoiced, and gave thanks to God. When Haman met him, he said, “What did these children tell you?” And he replied, “They told me good news.” At this Haman’s anger was kindled, and he commanded the children to be captured, saying, “I will stretch out my hand first against these children.” End of the letter.

1 Rabbi Isaac Nappaha said Haman worked cunningly against Israel, for it is written, “And when these days were fulfilled, the king made a feast for all the people.”Esther 1:5 “The people” here referred to is Israel. Haman said to Ahasuerus, “The God of these people hates sexual immorality, for it is written in the Torah, ‘You must not commit adultery.’”Exodus 20:14 He, therefore, brought together sexually immoral women, and making the banquet for them, decreed that they should comply with any man’s wish, so as not to give the accused the excuse of saying that they had been forced to do such a thing by a decree of the king. As soon, however, as Mordecai noticed this, he said to the people, “Do not go to this banquet, that you may not be led into temptation.” But the Jews disregarded Mordecai’s advice, and went.

2 Rabbi Levi said that 18,560 men went to this banquet, and ate and drank until they were intoxicated with the wine. Our sages say that while they were at the table of this wicked man, Satan appeared before God, and accused Israel in these words, “O Lord of the universe, how long will You cling to this nation, who turn their hearts from You, who forsake You, and separate themselves from You? Moreover, they do not turn to You in repentance, although the verse has been fulfilled in which it is written, ‘I will scatter you among the nations.’Leviticus 26:33 Therefore, if it is Your will, let them perish from the world.” But God asked, “What will become of My law?” And he replied, “Let it remain for the higher beings.” Then the Holy One said, blessed be He, “I am resolved to destroy Israel.”

3 At that moment He wished to wipe Israel out of the world, as it is said, “I will cease to remember humanity.”Deuteronomy 32:26 “What is this nation to Me,” said the Lord, “for whom My sorrow increases every day?” And God said to Satan, “Go, and bring Me a scroll, that I may write on it their destruction.” When Satan went out to fetch the scroll, he came face to face with the Law, which came out to meet him in widow’s garments groaning and weeping, and at the voice of her weeping the ministering angels cried, saying, “If the Israelites are to be destroyed, what is the use of us?” And they wept aloud, as it is said, “The Arēlīm cried out outside, and the angels of peace wept bitterly.”Isaiah 33:7 As soon as the sun, moon, stars, and planets heard it they clothed themselves with sackcloth, and lifted up their voice in lamentation, as it is said, “The heavens and the earth clothed themselves in blackness, and dressed themselves in sackcloth”; as it is said, “I will clothe the heavens with blackness, and make sackcloth their garment.”Isaiah 50:3 Then they all exclaimed, “O Lord of the universe, shall Israel be destroyed, who go from door to door wishing to study the law, observe the Sabbath, circumcision, and the commandments, and for whose sakes we were created? As it is said, ‘If not for My covenant, the day and the night and the ordinances of heaven and earth would not have been founded,’Jeremiah 33:25 and now shall they perish from the world?”

4 At that moment Elijah went to plead with the righteous men of the past, the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and said to them, “O patriarchs, do you not know that the heavens and the earth and all the heavenly army weep in the day, and cry in the night, and that the whole world is now like a woman in labor, while you remain silent?” “But why is this?” they said. “Because Israel has been handed over to the slaughterer like sheep, to be wiped out from the face of the earth, and their name is to perish, as it is said, ‘Come, and let us destroy them.’”Psalms 83:4 Then Moses said to Elijah, “Is there a righteous man in this generation?” And he replied, “Yes, there is one, and his name is Mordecai, the son of Jair.” “Then go, and tell him to plead continually for mercy, and I will do likewise.” “But,” said Elijah, “Moses, O faithful shepherd, against your flock the decree has already been written down, and now they desire to put the seal on it.”

5 “Notice,” Moses then said to Elijah, “whether it has been sealed with clay, for then our prayers may still be heard; but if it is sealed with blood, then what has been decreed will happen.” After this conversation Elijah, of blessed memory, immediately went to Mordecai, as it is said, “And Mordecai knew all that had happened,”Esther 4:1 and when he heard this, he tore his clothes, as it is said, “And Mordecai tore his clothes.”Esther 4:1 Then Mordecai said before God, “O Lord of the universe, You have sworn to our ancestors to make their offspring as numerous as the stars of the heavens, and now we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants.”

6 Then, gathering all the children of the school together, he afflicted them by depriving them of bread and water, and, clothing them in sackcloth, he placed them on ashes, so that they cried day and night, while the wicked Haman went to his house rejoicing, as it is written, “And on that day Haman went home rejoicing, and with a joyful heart, and calling his friends, said, ‘Queen Esther has done this and that.’ And he told them of his greatness, adding, ‘But all this is not enough for me.’ And Zeresh, his wife, said to him to erect gallows for Mordecai, and it pleased him, and he erected a gallows.” Cutting down a cedar from his garden, 50 cubits high and 15 cubits wide, he brought it out, and fixed it near his door, all the while singing praises and songs, and thinking in his heart that at the time of the reading of the Shemaʿ he would hang Mordecai on it. On the same day that he fixed it, it fell on him; but Gabriel replaced it in its position, saying to him, “To you belongs this beautiful tree, and for you was it established from the creation.”

7 Haman then went out to seek Mordecai, and found him sitting at the head of the children, while they sat on ashes dressed in sackcloth, lamenting and crying. Having beaten them with chains of iron, he appointed guards over them, saying, “First these will be killed, and afterward I will hang Mordecai the Jew.” Their mothers then brought them bread and water, saying to them, “Eat and drink, my children, before you die”; but they refused, and, swearing by the life of Mordecai, they placed their hands on their books, and said, “We will not eat anything at all, but will die while fasting.”

8 After rolling up his scroll, each one of them placed it at his heart, and when the hours of the night passed by their lamentation and the supplications of the patriarchs were heard on high. The Holy One said, “I hear the voices of young goats and goats”; at which Moses replied, “O Lord God of the universe, Father of the fatherless, and Judge of the widows, these are not young goats and goats, but the young of Your people of the house of Israel, who sit fasting now for three days and three nights, bound in chains of iron; but tomorrow they are to be slaughtered like young goats and goats, while the heart of the enemy rejoices.” The mercy of God was then moved for them, so that He broke the seals, tore up the decree, and foiled the counsel of Haman and his plans, causing the salvation of Israel and Mordecai to spring up, thus fulfilling what is written, “I will cut off the horns of the wicked; but the horns of the righteous will be raised on high.”Psalms 75:10

1 It is written, “On that same night the sleep of the king was disturbed.”Esther 6:1 God at that time said to the patriarchs, “They have been condemned to destruction”; they replied, “O Lord of the universe, for what reason?” “Because in the time of Nebuchadnezzar they did not sanctify My name, and made Me to be one who has no power to deliver.” After this they replied, “Now, O Lord, do to them what seems good to You.” But as soon as God saw that they bowed to justice, He rose from His throne of justice, and sat on the throne of mercy. Then the heavenly army addressed God, saying, “Did You not create the whole world for the sake of the Torah, which You gave to Israel? Do not all things exist for their sake? As it is said, ‘If not for My covenant I would not have created day and night.’Jeremiah 33:25 Therefore, if You destroy this nation, what will become of us?” But God replied, “My children have not done well.” “O Lord of the world,” they added, “it is revealed and known to You that they did this from fear.”

2 The Lord was then filled with mercy for Israel, and, calling to the trees of the creation, He said, “Who of you will be willing to serve as gallows for the wicked?” And the fig tree replied, “I am ready to be the gallows to hang that wicked man; for from me the Israelites brought the first ripe fruits into the temple, and not only this, but they were compared to me,” as it is said, “I saw your fathers as the first ripe fruit on the fig tree in its bud.”Hosea 9:10 The vine also said, “I will offer myself, for from me they obtained the drink offering for the temple; and, moreover, to me they were compared,” as it is said, “Israel is a budding vine.”Hosea 10:1

3 Then the pomegranate said, “I will offer myself, for the Israelites were compared to me,” as it is said, “Like the heart of a pomegranate is your temple.”Song of Songs 4:3 And the walnut said, “I will offer myself, for the Israelites were compared to me,” as it is said, “I went down to the garden of nuts.”Song of Songs 6:11 The citron also exclaimed, “I will offer myself, for the Israelites praised God through me,” as it is said, “And you must take for yourselves the fruit of fine trees.”Leviticus 23:40 The willows of the brook said, “They were compared to me,” as it is said, “And they will spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses.”Isaiah 44:4 The olive said, “I will offer myself, for from me they kindled the lights in the temple,” as it is said, “And they will take to me pure olive oil”;Exodus 27:20 “they were, moreover, compared to me,” as it is said, “His majesty is like the olive,Hosea 14:6 and, further, the green olive whose fruit is beautiful to look at.”Jeremiah 11:16

4 The apple also said, “I will offer myself, for the Israelites were compared to me,” as it is said, “And the sweet smell of your breath is like apples.”Song of Songs 7:8 The cedar said, “I will offer myself, for from me the holy temple was built, besides which the Israelites were compared to me,” as it is said, “He will grow like the cedar in Lebanon.”Psalms 92:12 The thorn next said, “I will serve as gallows, for the wicked were compared to me,” as it is said, “But the ungodly will all be like thorns to be cast away.”2 Samuel 23:6

5 As soon as the thorn had offered itself, the Lord silenced all the trees of the creation, saying, “Since you offer yourself, this wicked man, who desires to destroy My children, will be hanged on you.” And at that moment that wicked man, summoning his wise men, said to them, “I will erect a tree, to hang Mordecai on it, 50 cubits high, that all the surrounding countries may see him hanging.” “But there is no tree as high as that, except in your own house.” This wicked man then destroyed the hall of his own house in order to obtain the materials required for the gallows, and taking the beam of thorn from his house, he fixed it; but it fell on him, and thus took his measurement. Then Gabriel exclaimed, “This tree has been prepared for you from the creation.”

6 The sages say that Michael came to the bedside of Ahasuerus in the night, and disturbed his sleep, for he knocked him on the ground 366 times. When he got up, in great anger, he saw three groups before him, one of butchers, one of bakers, and the third of butlers, and said to them, “You have given me poison, and you seek to kill me and to wipe me out from the world.” But they answered, “The same bread that Queen Esther and Haman ate you ate, and the wine they drank you also drank. Let us see Esther and Haman, and if they are as you are, then you are acting rightly; but if not, then why should we be killed?”

7 When they found that Esther and Haman had suffered no harm, the king ordered the Book of Chronicles to be brought before him. On that same night Gabriel appeared in his dream before Ahasuerus, in the likeness of Haman, with a drawn sword in his hand, seeking to kill him. Rising confusedly from his sleep he exclaimed, “Who is in the court?” And the young court officials of the king replied, “Haman is in the court.” Then he thought, and said,“The dream I have dreamed is true, and he has come here for no other reason than to kill me.” Then, commanding Haman to come into his presence, he said, “I know that you are a man of thought, and whoever follows your advice never fails. What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” Turning this over in his mind, Haman thought, “Whom can the king desire to honor more than me?”

8 He therefore said to the king, “Let the man whom the king desires to honor be clothed in the royal garments, and let one of the greatest men of the kingdom walk in front of him and proclaim aloud these words, ‘Whoever will not bend himself or bow down before him will be killed,’ and in addition, let the king’s daughter be given him.” Then the king said to Haman, “Go and do likewise to Mordecai the Jew who sits in the gate of the king.” “But there are many Mordecais who sit in the king’s gate, and is not a small province sufficient for him?” asked Haman. The king said, “Let no word fail from all that you have said.” Everything from Haman’s letter to this point comes from a Midrash and is absent from the Book of Josippon.

1 “In those days, when Ahasuerus sat on the throne.”Esther 1:2 The word כשבת can only be understood as meaning “sitting on a throne,” as it is said, “When Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom”;Esther 1:2 but with reference to Solomon, it is said, “And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king over Israel.”1 Chronicles 29:23 It is related that the assembly of Israel said to God, “O Lord of the universe, this wicked man sits in the same place where Solomon has been sitting; do not defile the throne of Your glory.” In the third year of his reign—for he worked on this throne for three years—he sent for workers to make a throne like that of Solomon, but they were unable to do so.

2 And what was the throne of Solomon? The sages say that Solomon mounted his throne by six different routes, each route having steps. On each step there were two lions, one on the right and the other on the left, who did not remain still, but moved. And what did they do? When Solomon went up on the first step, the lions on the right stretched out their paws on which a writing was engraved. He could not place his foot on the second step until he had read what was written on the lions’ paws. It was, “You must not show partiality in judgment.”Deuteronomy 1:17 Turning now to the left, he read what the other lions had written on their paws, “You must not accept any bribe.”Deuteronomy 16:19

3 Thus at every step he had to read some portion of the law of judgment. All the steps were set with precious stones and pearls, red, white and green. Kinds of trees and species of the palm trees were fixed on both sides of each step, and on their branches there nestled all kinds of eagles, peacocks and birds. On the highest step were two huge pillars of ivory on the heads of the lions, and two golden hollow vines fragrant with every kind of perfume, which they exhaled whenever Solomon climbed onto the throne. The throne itself was made of ivory, overlaid with the gold of Ophir, and surrounded with precious stones and pearls. On either side of the throne a golden seat of honor was placed, one for Gad the seer, and the other for Nathan the prophet.

4 And seventy other seats of gold for the seventy judges of the Sanhedrin formed a circle around the central throne. In front of it was a lamp of gold, with its wick trimmers and incense burners and other fittings; and on one side of this lamp were seen in sculptured work the seven patriarchs of the world, namely, Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Job, while on the other side were the seven pious men of the world, namely, Kohath, Amram, Moses, Aaron, Eldad, Medad and Hur, and on the top the form of a priest was seen kindling the light.

5 On the steps approaching the throne were placed as many unclean animals as clean, all facing each other, on the first step the ox was placed opposite the lion; on the second, the goat opposite the wolf; on the third ...; on the fourth, the bear opposite the stag; on the fifth, the eagle opposite the dove; and on the sixth, the hawk opposite the turtledove. The ascent to the throne was made between these animals. As soon as Solomon placed his foot on the first step he turned around, and the lion immediately stretched out its paw on the right and the eagle its talon on the left. On these he leaned, and was spared the trouble of climbing up himself because the same thing was done by the different animals and birds on each until he arrived at the top.

6 Then all the birds of every species began to chirp and sing, and the peacocks to shriek, and all the trees emitted their fragrant perfumes. A snake of gold then encircled him, and, having seated him on his throne, crept down beneath his feet. The eagles, nestling on the vines after wafting breezes of perfume with their wings, placed the crown on his head, and, this done, all the beasts and birds with one accord exclaimed, “Long may the kingdom of the house of David be established.”

7 After this a dove of gold opposite the throne brought a scroll of the law and placed it on his knees. Then, laying it on a golden reading desk just by the throne, he read it to fulfill what is written, “And it will remain with him, and he will read from it all the days of his life.”Deuteronomy 17:19 Every step on the throne contained some verse in praise of the law. On the first was written, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.”Psalms 19:7 On the second, “The testimony of the Lord is faithful, making the foolish, the inexperienced, wise.”Psalms 19:7 On the third, “The precepts of the Lord are just, rejoicing the heart.”Psalms 19:8 On the fourth, “The commandment of the Lord He created as an enlightenment to the eyes.”Psalms 19:8 On the fifth, “The fear of the Lord is pure, lasting forever.”Psalms 19:9 On the sixth, “The judgments of the Lord are true, and are righteous, all of them.”Psalms 19:9

8 When the people approached Solomon for judgment, the wheels of his throne turned, the oxen lowed, the lions roared, the bears howled, the lambs bleated, the eagles cried, the pearoosters shrieked, the roosters crowed, the hawks screamed, and all the birds chirped, to terrify the plaintiffs and the witnesses, so that they did not plead wrong cases, and the witnesses were not testifying falsely. On account of all this, it is said, “Its like will never be made in any kingdom.”1 Kings 10:20 When Ahasuerus was king, he tried for three years to have a throne made like that of Solomon, but without success. End of the throne of Solomon.

1 In the first year of his reign, Cyrus tried to build the temple, but when Ahasuerus rose to power he prohibited it, and attempted to uproot the vineyard of the Lord, but God exterminated him and the wicked Haman from the world, and he died. His son succeeded him. These are the kings mentioned, “Darius,” “Cyrus,” and “Artaxerxes.” Then the people believed the prophets and were prosperous. In the second year of his reign he allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to erect the holy temple and repair Jerusalem without obstruction. This was, indeed, a complete redemption. Then Ezra, Zerubbabel, and his company went up for the second time to Jerusalem with another generation of the exiles, and they rebuilt Jerusalem and its walls. The towers they erected were very high and strong, and the temple contained more than did the first one, so that the first temple was deemed insignificant in comparison to it. The people on this account served Cyrus loyally for thirty-four years.

2 After the rebuilding of the temple, Zerubbabel returned to Babylon and there died. His son, Meshullam, succeeded him, and in his days, in the fifty-second year of the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, the kingdom was formed. The last prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, died at that time, and from that day prophecy ceased to exist in Israel, and the Echo of the Heavenly Voice, Bat Kol, took its place, and after that they had to consult the sages, until the Messiah will come and show us the right way.

3 Thirty-four years after the rebuilding of the temple, Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, reigned, until Alexander the Macedonian, and first King of Greece, rose up against him in battle, and having killed him, took his kingdom. He reigned over Israel two years and captured every kingdom; he made the whole world subservient to him, for at that time, thirty-four years after the rebuilding of the temple, Alexander the Great was crowned, the son of Philip, King of Macedon, for he made the name of the Macedonian nation great, and struck down the whole country. When he waged war against Darius he struck down the land of Egypt, and killed in Alexandria double as many Jews as went out of Egypt. After conquering Edom, he marched along the seashore until he came to Acco, which he conquered, as well as Ashkelon and Gaza. He then turned to go up to Jerusalem to strike it down, because the Jews had made a covenant with Darius. After journeying with all his camp some distance, he arrived at a lodge, where he and his army encamped.

4 On the same night, while he was lying in his bed in his tent, he opened his eyes and saw a man standing over him, clothed in white linen, and with a drawn sword in his hand. The appearance of the sword was like lightning on a rainy day. When he lifted the sword over the head of the king, he was greatly afraid, and said, “Why will my lord strike his servant?” And the man replied, “God has sent me to conquer kings and many nations before you, and I will go before you to help you, but know now that you will certainly be killed, because your heart is set on going to Jerusalem in order to injure God’s priests and God’s people.” “I beg you, O lord,” replied the king, “pardon the sin of your servant, and if it is evil in your eyes, I will return to my home.” “Do not be afraid,” said the man; “go your way to Jerusalem, and when you come before the gate of the city and see a man clothed in white like me, having an appearance and form like mine, immediately bow down to him and bow to the ground before him; do whatever he tells you and do not disobey his word, for the very day that you rebel against his word you will be killed.”

5 The king accordingly got up and went on his way to Jerusalem. When the High Priest heard that the king was coming against Jerusalem in great anger, he was extremely afraid, as were all the people, and he with the people went out at the gate of the city, and he stood before them clothed in white linen. As soon as Alexander saw the priest, quickly dismounting from his chariot, he fell facedown and bowed down to him. But the generals of Alexander became very angry at this, and said, “Why do you bow down to a man who has no strength for battle?” And the king replied, “Because the man that goes in front of me to subdue all the nations before me is in appearance and form like this man. I therefore bow down to him.”

6 Then, going into our holy temple, he said to the priest, “I will have my statue erected here, and will give much gold to the workers, that it may be a memorial of me. And they will erect it between the Holy of Holies and the temple, so that my image will be a memorial in this great house of God.” But the priest replied, “Present the gold for the maintenance of God’s priests and the poor of His people, and I will cause you to be remembered for good, as you wish. All the children of the priests that are born this year will be called by your name, Alexander, and you will be remembered when they worship in this house; but it is not permitted to place a carved image or any likeness in the house of our God.” The king then gave the gold according to the priest’s request.

7 He asked him to inquire of God on his behalf whether he should go to war with Darius, or abandon the plan. And the priest replied, “He will surely be delivered into your hand.” Then, bringing the Book of Daniel, he showed him the passage concerning the ram that gores on all sides, and the young goat which runs up to him and tramples on him. “You,” he added, “are the young goat and Darius is the ram. You will therefore trample on him and seize his kingdom.” Then Alexander went to battle, and having killed Darius, captured all his kingdom, so that the Persian kingdom ceased to exist. Alexandria in Egypt was made the royal city.

8 He ruled over all the nations just as a shepherd rules over his flock. He soon went over to India, traveling right across the country to its farthest end, and extended his dominion, as we learn from the Talmud. Rabbi Jose said, “For six years he reigned in Elam, and afterward spread his kingdom over the whole world.” He reigned altogether twelve years, and when he was on his way home to his house he died. Before his death, he divided his kingdom among his four chieftains. He made Ptolemy, the son of Lagi, King of Egypt; Philip his brother King of Macedon, and Seleucus and Nicanor Kings of Syria and Babylon respectively; lastly, he made Antiochus, the great enemy of the Jews, King of Asia. Daniel prophesied this event when he said that the goat would gore the ram and break down his kingdom, which would be given to the four winds of the heaven.

1 When Seleucus reigned over Macedonia, a very wicked, rebellious man of our own people, Simeon of the tribe of Benjamin, went to Seleucus, and, slandering the Jews, informed him of the riches contained in the temple at Jerusalem, saying that the treasures were heaped up in the treasury in endless quantities, and an abundance of gold and precious stones, and that it would be preferable to have it all placed in the treasury of Seleucus. The king then sent for Heliodorus, the commander of his army, and told him to go to Jerusalem with his armies. On his arrival, Onias the priest said to him, “Why has my lord come to his servants?” “Because of the vast amount of gold and precious stones which, the king has been informed, is contained in the treasury of your temple.” “The only gold in the treasury,” said the priest, “is that which King Seleucus and other kings presented to us, for the maintenance of orphans, widows and the poor. For this, we pray to God to grant long life to the king and his sons.”

2 Heliodorus, however, would not listen to the priest, but placed guards around the temple until the following day, when the city was in great uproar through the lamentation and cries of the people. The priests also called on their God, and the old men and women and nobles covered themselves with ashes and afflicted their souls with fasting. They withheld food from even the young, and milk from the nursing infants. They cried to God to guard the treasury and the riches deposited there. Even the young virgins spread out their hands through the windows of their houses, and begged the Lord for protection. And as to Onias the priest, he afflicted his soul by fasting, and having stripped himself of his garments of honor, clothed himself in sackcloth and ashes, for he was grief-stricken, and, from his appearance, one could imagine the sorrow that was in his heart.

3 On the next day the enemy came with all his troops and went into the temple shouting, but the Lord caused a strong and mighty sound of thunder to be heard, together with an earthquake, and a storm that overthrew mountains and shattered rocks. On hearing this, all his troops fled, and hid themselves wherever they could, so that he, Heliodorus, remained alone, and, lifting up his eyes, he saw an awe-inspiring man clothed in gold, adorned with precious stones, and equipped with weapons of war. He was riding a splendid horse, that was plunging and rearing, trotting and galloping in the temple. Heliodorus immediately ran away, but the horse felled him to the ground, standing over him. The man then commanded his two young servants, clothed in white linen, with staffs in their hands, to strike Heliodorus very severely; and the two young men at his command stood one on each side of him, and beat him mercilessly until he became unconscious and hovered between life and death.

4 Young priests came then, and lifting him on their shoulders, carried him into his tent and placed him in his bed, where he lay motionless and unable to speak. He could neither speak nor eat any food. When the elders of Macedon saw him in this state, they came to Onias the priest, and, crying, begged him as follows, “O my lord, we beg you, pray for your servant Heliodorus and all his servants who have come with him, that we may live and not die, for we know that there is no other God except yours, since all the gods of the nations are futility and emptiness, while yours is the God that created the world, and in whose hand is the soul of every living being.”

5 The priest, then praying to God, offered up burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the two young men that struck Heliodorus by the temple appeared to him and said, “Get up, go to Onias the priest, and bow down to his feet, since for his sake the Lord has had mercy on you.” Heliodorus accordingly got up, and, going to the priest, bowed down, and blessing the Lord and the priest, gave much gold and silver to the treasury of the house of the Lord. Then hurrying to Macedonia, he went to Seleucus the king, who asked, “What of Jerusalem?” And Heliodorus replied, “If you have any enemies that seek your life, send them at once to Jerusalem, and let them go into the temple, where they will surely be killed, for the great God reigns in that place, and destroys all the enemies of Jerusalem and Judah.” He then told the king all that he had witnessed. And Seleucus no longer sent his army to Jerusalem to do evil, but, on the contrary, every year until his death he sent a present to the temple, and the kings of the land loved to send their offerings to honor the temple at Jerusalem.

1 Now, Ptolemy the Macedonian, who was made King of Egypt, was a wise and clever king, who took great delight in books. He, therefore, commanded his two officers to collect very many of them. The names of these nobles were Aristios and Andrios. Having collected together many Median and Persian books, besides others in all kinds of languages, the king said to them, “How many books have you obtained?” “Nine hundred and fifty,” they replied. Ptolemy laughed at this, and said, “Go and add another fifty to make a thousand.”

2 But Aristios and Andrios replied, “O my lord, we exhaust ourselves in vain to obtain these books, since they are useless. Now, if it pleases the king, let him write to the priest at Jerusalem, and he will send you some wise men of that place, familiar with the Greek language, who will explain to you their law, which is the holy writing, but the books we have copied are of no use.”

3 Acting on their advice, the king made such a request of the priest serving in those days, and the high priest sent him seventy priests with Eleazar as their chief, the same Eleazar who was afterward tried during the reign of Antiochus, and who died a martyr’s death for his God.

4 When Eleazar and these seventy priestly interpreters came to Egypt, Ptolemy, having put them in seventy different houses, one distinct from the other, provided each one with a scribe, and the priests interpreted the whole twenty-four books of the law, which these seventy elders then translated from Hebrew into Greek. As soon as it was finished, Eleazar brought the various copies to the king, who, after reading each one of them, found that they were all of one mind, and that the interpretations of all were identical.

5 The king rejoiced greatly at this, and, presenting Eleazar and the seventy elders with much money, sent them back to Jerusalem. He further gave 150,000 men of Judah their freedom. He also presented each of them with fifty drachmas of gold, and gave the temple a table of pure gold weighing 1,000 talents. On it he engraved the land of Egypt, and the course of the river Nile in Egypt, by which the country is watered, and inlaid it with precious stones, so that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land. King Ptolemy sent this as a present to the temple of the great and awe-inspiring God of the whole world.

6 A long time after this, Antiochus was made King of Macedonia, while Ptolemy, King of Egypt, was gathered to his people, and another Ptolemy succeeded him. But Antiochus rose up against him, and having killed him, captured the whole land of Egypt, over which he reigned.

7 In those days fierce battles began to be fought against the people of Judah, for after Antiochus had struck down Egypt he became very proud, and issued a proclamation to every people, commanding them to bow down to the image of the king. And all the nations obeyed. But the godless men of our people, Menelaus, Simeon, Alcimus, and others, incited Antiochus to do evil to the Israelites. At this time a great miracle was seen in Jerusalem. Forty men were seen riding between heaven and earth on what seemed like horses of fire. The riders carried in their hands partly golden weapons of war, with which they fought against one another for forty days. At this the wicked men of our people went to King Antiochus, and said, “Look, we have seen a miracle in Jerusalem, and the people say that Antiochus the king is dead, and are rejoicing at the downfall of our lord.”

8 The king was greatly angered at this, and immediately went to Jerusalem and struck them down with the sword, so that there was a great slaughter in the city. A great multitude were sent into exile, and the assembly of the Hasidim scattered. They fled to the forest, and ate grass like animals, and hid themselves in the forest like wild beasts, for Antiochus was not satisfied with killing many, but he sent many more into captivity, and when he left the land of Judah, he left his officers to afflict the people, and he left Philip the Pelusian. They are Phrygians, and so are also the Trojans, from whom the Romans are descended. Philip belonged to that race. The king left him there to oppress the Israelites, commanding him thus, “Whoever is willing to bow down to the image I set up, and to eat of the meat of pigs, will live, but all who refuse will be killed without mercy. Prohibit also this people from observing the Sabbath, and from circumcising their children.”

1 The king then returned to Macedonia, and, having left Philip in the land of Judah, he, Philip, acted according to the word of the king, and prohibited the people of Judah from studying the Torah and from performing the service of their God. He supported the wicked and the rebellious of our people, and killed many of the congregation of the Hasidim.

2 At that time two women were discovered who had circumcised their children. They hanged them by their breasts, and hurled them with their children from the top of a tower; they burst open and died.

3 After this Eleazar, the chief of the priests, of whom we have spoken as having gone to Egypt in the days of Ptolemy, was captured and brought to Philip. And Philip said to him, “Eleazar, you are a wise man and a man of understanding, now, do not disobey the command of the king, but eat of the meat of his sacrifice.” But Eleazar replied, “May I never set aside the command of my God in order to carry out the command of the king.” Then Philip called him aside and said, “You know that I have loved you now for many years, therefore I have pity for your soul and for your old age. Now let a portion of the meat of your own sacrifices which you are allowed to eat be brought to you, and eat it before the people so that they will say you are eating of the meat of the king’s sacrifice. By this means you can save your life and not die.”

4 When Eleazar heard this he thought of the greatness of his honor and of the sanctity of his glory, and said to Philip, “I am now ninety years old, and have never yet served my God with deceit, nor is it right for me now to do so and to deceive people, for then the young men will say, ‘Since Eleazar, although ninety years of age, has violated the law of his God, we can also do so,’ and they will thus bring destruction on themselves. Now, may I never defile my holiness, to taint the purity of my old age, and to cause these young men with me to waver, and give them the pretext for saying, ‘Eleazar, although ninety years of age, has sinned against his God, and has chosen to serve the worthless idols of the nations; let us do likewise.’ For even if I escape from your hands today, I cannot escape God, for no one can, either living or dead, since His dominion extends over the living to bring death on them, and over the dead to bring them to life. I will therefore die true to my faith, and will leave my power behind to my people and my young men, so that when they see me give up my life so readily, they will desire to follow my example, and thus keep their Torah precious, and will choose a worthy death.”

5 As soon, however, as Philip heard these words, he turned extremely cruel, and commanded his men to bind the pious old man and to beat him. They then struck him with all kinds of weapons without pity, and he groaned, saying, “O Lord my God, who have caused me to reach this old age, You know that I was able to deliver my soul from such a death, but did not wish to do so on account of my love for You. Now they strike so cruelly and fiercely that I would not be able to bear it were it not for my fear of You, which makes them as nothing in my eyes, and I endure them willingly.” While he was still speaking these words his life ended, and he left might to his people and power to his young men.

1 Seven brothers with their mother were then seized and sent to the king, for the king had not yet departed from Jerusalem, and because the pork was loathed by the Jews and stank and was despised by them, therefore the cruelties against them were increased, and he tore their flesh as that of an ox.

2 When the first son was brought before the king, he said, “Why waste words to teach us, for we have already been taught by our ancestors? We are prepared to suffer death for the Lord and His law.” The king was furious at this, and, ordering a pan of brass to be brought, placed it on the fire. Then, ordering his tongue to be cut out, his hands and legs and the skin of his head to be cut off, he placed them all in the frying pan in the sight of his brothers; the rest of his body they threw into a large brass pot placed on the hot coals. When he was near death the king commanded the fire to be removed from under the pot so that he should not die too quickly, so as to terrify his brothers and his mother. But they, on the contrary, encouraged each other and strengthened each other when they saw that their brother gave up his life for the Lord and His Torah, and said to each other, “See what Moses, the servant of the Lord, said in his song, ‘He will be comforted in His servants.’Deuteronomy 32:36 Even now the Lord is comforted in us for all the evil which He has planned to do to His people, and He will have compassion on them.”

3 As soon as the first died, the second brother was brought. They said to him, “Listen to the command of the king. Why die in great torture as your brother?” And he replied, “Hurry with the sword and with the fire, and do not do any less to me than you did to my brother, for I do not fall short of my brother in piety and the fear of God.” Every limb was then commanded to be cut off and placed in the frying-pan on the fire. He then said, “Hear me, you cruel king: are you able to bind up these our souls which you rob us of? See, they will walk to God, who has given them to us—to the light that is with the Lord. We will yet live a life that has no limit or end when He awakens the dead of His people and His servants who have been killed.”

4 Thus died the second brother. When the third was brought, he looked at the king, and, stretching out his right hand toward the king, said, “What business of yours is it to destroy us, O you enemy and foe? All this comes from Heaven, and we receive it with love, but your tortures are despicable in our eyes, as nothing before us, since we expect honor and favor from Heaven. He will grant us the reward of our actions.” The king and all his nobles were astonished at the bravery of the youth.

5 After his death the fourth brother was brought. “What,” said he, “have I to do with you, O you wicked man? We die for the Lord, and He will again bring us back to life, but you will never rise again.”

6 When the fifth was brought, he said, “Do not imagine that God has forsaken us, for because of His great love He has brought us to this honor. You reviler and blasphemer, the Lord hates you and stirs you up to do to us whatever you wish, but a great vengeance will be taken on you and your offspring, and His anger will be kindled against you and all your household.”

7 After his death the sixth brother was brought before the king, and he said, “We know our wickedness, for we have sinned against the Lord, and now our souls are given over to death as an atonement for our people; but now because your heart prompts you to do this thing to the servants of our God and to fight against God, look, He will fight against you and uproot you from the face of the earth.”

8 The seventh and last brother was only a young boy, yet the mother, who had seen her seven sons killed on one day, neither feared nor trembled, but, standing upright by the corpses of her sons, she lifted up her voice and cried, saying, “O my son! O my son! I do not know how you were formed in my womb, nor did I give you the breath and soul which you had, nor bring you out of my womb, nor raise you, nor make you grow, or your flesh which is now offered as a sacrifice; God formed it. He wove the sinews and covered it with skin, and caused hair to grow on it. He then breathed in your nostrils the breath of life. And since you give up all this for His sake, He will restore them to you, and will renew your body. He will give you the reward of your actions, and happy are you, my sons, for all this.”

9 At this the king was very much taken aback, in that the woman had subdued him. “Bring me the seventh one,” he said, “and perhaps, as he is only a young boy, I may be able to entice him with soft words to do our will, but do not let this woman boast over me, saying, ‘I have conquered King Antiochus in urging my sons to die for our God.’”

10 According to the king’s command, the seventh boy was brought, and the king implored him, and took an oath to enrich him with silver and gold, with cattle and many servants, to make him the king’s deputy, and to let him rule over the whole kingdom. But when the boy despised the words of the king, the king summoned the mother to him, and said, “O good woman, have pity on this child, and be merciful to the fruit of your womb; persuade him to perform my will and to escape.” And the woman answered, “Give him to me, and I will entice him with kind words.” This being done, she led him aside, and having kissed him, and rejoiced at the king’s shame and confusion, said, “O my son, you whom I carried in my womb for nine months, and whom I nursed for three years, after which I sustained you with food until this very day, give up all this offered honor, and fear the God of whom I taught you.

11 “Now, O my son, look toward the heaven, and look at the land, the sea, the waters, and the fire, which by the word of the Lord were created. But a human being is merely flesh and blood and as nothing before Him. Do not fear this cruel man, but give up your life for the sake of the Lord. Go the same way as your brothers. If only I could now see where your brothers are, and the greatness of their glory before the Lord. My son, hold fast to your brothers, and your lot will be cast in their glory. I will go there with you, and rejoice with you as on the days of your marriage. I will be with you in your righteousness.”

12 While she was still speaking the boy answered, and said, “Why do you delay me and refuse to let me go and join my holy brothers? I will not listen to the king, but to the law of our God, which He has given through the hand of Moses to the people of Israel, which this cruel enemy of God has put to shame and reviled. Woe to you, woe to you! Where will you go? Where will you flee? Where will you run? And where will you hide from our God, O enemy, foe, and wicked man, for He still keeps us alive, and has glorified and exalted us over all nations? But you who are insolent enough to stretch out your hand against His servants, it would be better if you had not been born. You wicked fool Antiochus, who were born of tainted folly, have committed evil against yourself, but you have done good to us, and if we endure and bear these tortures in this world, we will be taken to the life and light of the world where there is no darkness, but eternal life without death.

13 “But you will be the abomination of all creatures, and will be loathed by our God when He takes vengeance on you. You will die an unnatural death, plagued with dreadful plagues. You will descend to the bottom of hell. You will be drawn into darkness, where there is no life or light, but darkness and shadows; where there is no quiet or rest, but trouble, sorrow, sulfur, and fire. This will be your portion from the Lord and your lot from our God, O man of blood and wicked man. But God will have mercy on His people. Until now His anger has rested on us, but from now on He will no longer be angry with His people, but will relent over what He has done to us at the beginning, although He did so in truth and in righteousness, for we acted wickedly. He will return and have mercy on us, and will grant us eternal life.” King Antiochus now became extremely angry because he would not perform his will, and therefore increased the tortures, and acted much more cruelly to him than he had done to the others. Thus died the seventh.

14 The mother then stood by the corpses of her sons, and, spreading out her hands, she said, “O exalted and awe-inspiring God, O God of the universe, now I will come; now I will die with my sons in the place which You have prepared for them.” While she was still speaking, she finished her days on earth: she fell on the dead bodies of her sons, her spirit departed, and she died with them.

1 The king then went on his way to Macedon, and commanded Philip and the commanders whom he had left in the land of Judah, saying, “Wipe out the very memory of Judah from the face of the earth, and let anyone who merely mentions the name ‘Jew’ be killed; but let all those live who are willing to be assimilated with our people, and be called ‘Javan.’”

2 Accordingly Philip and the commanders with him destroyed all whom he discovered observing the Torah, with the exception of those who fled with Mattathiah, the son of Johanan to Modʿaith. For Mattathiah would not bear the reproach of the uncircumcised, but was zealous for his God, and, weeping, he said, “Woe to me, O my mother, that you gave me birth to see the breach of my people.”

3 Then he sent his son Judah secretly to say to the Jews, “Whoever of you are on the side of the Lord, come to me.” A large assembly of Hasidim gathered to him, and Mattathiah addressed them as follows, “Why multiply words? The only thing that remains for us to do is to pray and to fight. Let us strengthen ourselves and die in battle, but not as sheep led to slaughter.” When they heard these words they all of them took courage, steeled themselves, and said each one to his neighbor, “To your tent, O Judah. Rule again over your own land. It is enough, King Antiochus. Now sharpen your sword, O people of Judah, and watch out for your life, O nation of Macedon.” From that day the Macedonian yoke was broken apart from the shoulders of Judah.

4 When Philip and the king’s commanders heard these words they went against them with a large army. When they were going against them, they found on the way men, women, and children of Judah in a cave all observing the Sabbath. Coming to the entrance of the cave, they said to them, “Come out and profane the Sabbath, and perform the command of the king and live, and do not allow yourselves to die.” But they said, “We will not come out nor will we profane the Sabbath day. Let the heavens and the earth be witness that we die in our integrity.” Philip then commanded fire to be brought and placed at the mouth of the cave. Then, placing some wood on it, he filled the cave with smoke, so that they were all suffocated.

5 The king’s commanders then marched against Mattathiah, to the mount of Modʿaith, and found him, his sons, his brothers, and a few of his people of the assembly of the Hasidim fully armed for war, for they had brought their wives and children to that mountain. The king’s commanders approached Mattathiah with words of peace, saying, “O honored among your people, perform the command of the king and live and do not die.”

6 But Mattathiah answered very proudly, saying, “I obey the command of my King; do you obey the command of yours.” At this the commanders were confused, and, being silent, did not say another word; for they wondered at Mattathiah, and were thinking how they could capture and kill him as they had killed the other pious men.

7 But suddenly one of the renegade Jews among the king’s commanders said, “I am astonished at the king’s commanders and his army. How long will you remain silent and not perform the command of the king by rising up against Mattathiah, who was insolent enough to refuse to obey the king’s command?” And after he had said this he unsheathed his sword, and, cutting off the head of a pig, he took it in his hand and carried it to the altar which they had built to sacrifice to the king’s worthless idols. Then, placing the head of the pig on the altar, he offered it with frankincense to the idols of Antiochus.

8 When Mattathiah saw this he was extremely angry, and his fury burned within him. Then, drawing his sword, he leaped on the sacrificing Jew, and, severing his head from his body, he held it up on high before the king’s commander who approached Mattathiah, while the body fell down from the altar on which he stood. He also killed the king’s commander, and put the rest of them to flight, leveling to the ground a number of the crowd. Then, sounding the shofar, he gave the signal for war.

9 He was the first one to raise his hand against the Macedonian kingdom. He also commanded us to fight on the Sabbath, and he will stand by us to defend us in this matter. It is written in the book of Joseph ben Gorion the priest.

10 Mattathiah with his sons and brothers then marched out, and with them a large band of the Hasidim. They pursued those who had hidden themselves, and struck down and defeated them, until not one remained in the whole land of Judah. They then circumcised their sons. Thus, great salvation was brought about by the Lord through Mattathiah.

1 Now, the days of Mattathiah were drawing to a close, so, calling his five sons to his bedside, he encouraged them and urged them, saying, “I know that now fierce battles will be waged in the land of Judah, since we have been stirred up to fight for our people. Now, my sons, be zealous for your God, for His sanctuary, and for His people. Fight, and do not be afraid of death; if you die in battle, you will be received among your brothers, and their portion will be shared with you, for to all our ancestors who have been zealous for God, God has given honor and favor. Did not our ancestor Phinehas receive the everlasting covenant, and did not our other ancestors who were zealous for the Lord receive their reward from the Lord?”

2 Then, addressing Simeon his son, he said, “I know the wisdom that God has put in your heart; do not, then, withhold your advice from this people, and be to your brothers as a father, and they will listen to you and to all your advice, since our God has given you might and wisdom.”

3 Next Mattathiah called his son Judah, who came and stood before him; and he said, “O my son Judah, who are called Maccabee on account of your power, I know, my son, that you are a warrior, and that God has given you strength and might, and a heart like a lion’s that flees from nothing. Now, my son, honor the Lord with all the strength the Lord has granted you; fight His battles without stopping; do not be reluctant to travel to the four corners of the land—east, west, south and north—to capture the country from the power of the uncircumcised; be to them the commander of their army and the anointed for battle.” Then, bringing out a horn of oil, he poured it on his head, and thus anointed him for battle, while all the people raised a shout, and, blowing on their trumpets, exclaimed, “Long live the anointed!”

4 When he had finished his appeal to his sons, he died and was gathered to his people, and Judah his son, known as Maccabee, rose in his place. He had the assistance of his brothers, his father’s household, and all the assembly of the Hasidim. And Judah was glad to fight the battles of Israel. Having clothed himself in a coat of chain mail as a warrior, and equipped himself with the weapons of war, he looked like one of the sons of Anak. He protected the camp of Israel with his sword, and, pursuing the enemy, he crushed the life out of them. He burned the sinners with the fire of his mouth, bewildered the wicked with terror, and confused all the evildoers through fear of him, for he appeared to them just as a roaring lion seeking prey appears to cattle. Jacob rejoiced at his deeds and was glad at his actions, for he threw great kings into confusion, so that his name rang from one end of the world to the other, and people continually spoke of the wars he waged. Blessed be his name among the people of Israel; peace and quiet be on his righteous couch, and blessing on his holy bed, for he has not withheld his soul from death to defend Israel, God’s people, and has killed all the wicked of the people of Judah who led the Israelites astray.

1 When Apollonius, the commander of the Macedonian army, heard these things, he said, “Who is it that dared to rebel against our lord the king?” And he gathered to him a large and strong multitude of Macedonian warriors, and marched forward to fight against Israel. Judah went out to meet him, and a very fierce battle broke out between the Macedonians and the assembly of the Hasidim. During the battle Judah saw Apollonius standing in the middle of the Macedonian company, and ran toward him in the fury of his anger into the valley, and, striking right and left and in front of him, he cut down the mighty men of Greece just as the reaper cuts down the sheaves and the grain of his harvest. Then, approaching Apollonius, he struck him with the sword and felled him to the ground. Then he put the Greeks and Macedonians to flight, and they fled in haste, and Judah and the assembly of the Hasidim pursued them and struck them with a very great slaughter, and, having taken their captured goods, Judah seized Apollonius’s sword and fought with it all his life.

2 When Seron, the commander of the army of Syria, heard this he said, “I will go and fight against Judah, and thus make a name for myself.” Then, summoning all his people, he went to Beth Horon. Judah, becoming aware of this, said to his men, “There is no time for delay; let us go out to them, although our brothers the Hasidim have gone away from us; for if we wait until they return, our enemies will say we are afraid of them.” Therefore Judah marched all night long; at daybreak, when the people suddenly saw in the distance a strong and mighty army, they said to Judah, “How can we who are so few go to war against this great multitude?” But Judah replied, “Cry to heaven, and you will be saved, for the battle is in the hands of the Lord to deliver the many into the hands of the few; it is in His power to save either with a multitude or with a few.”

3 Judah then approached the enemy’s camp from the side, and suddenly leaping on them, he struck terror into them, and thus Seron with all his men were put in confusion. Judah pursued him, and, overtaking him, struck him. On that day as many as 800 corpses of the Syrians were found piled up in heaps on the field. Those that remained fled into the land of the Philistines, and the fear of Judah fell on all the nations.

4 Now, as soon as Antiochus heard these things, he was very much angered, and gathering together all his people and all the nations under his rule, mustered a strong and mighty army, and divided it into two portions. With one half he went to Persia, for the Persians had revolted from the Macedonian rule when they saw that the people of Judah had rebelled. The other half he handed over to Lysias, one of his own relatives, and of royal Macedonian descent, saying to him, “You know all that Judah, the son of Mattathiah, has done to my two commanders, Apollonius and Seron, and to all their army. Therefore, go now and strike down all the inhabitants of Judah, and my son Eupator will go with you. I myself will go to Persia and uproot the nation that rebelled against me.”

5 Accordingly, Antiochus the king went to Persia, and left Lysias in command to wage war against Judah and look after his son. Lysias chose for himself Tolmios, who is Ptolemy, Nicanor, and Gorgias, men of courage, sending with them 40,000 young warriors on foot and 7,000 horsemen, and the entire armies of both Syria and Philistia joined them in marching against Judah to destroy it. When Judah and all the elders of Israel heard this they proclaimed a fast, and clothed themselves in sackcloth, and placing dust on their heads, cried to the Lord.

6 After the fast Judah numbered his people, and appointed over them commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, and commanders of tens. Then marching into the field, he issued an order in the camp, saying, “Whoever has planted a vineyard or built a house, and whoever is engaged to be married or fainthearted, let him return home”; and many of them returned. There thus remained 7,000 brave men, chosen warriors, of whom one would not have run away before a hundred enemies.

7 Judah then marched on to meet Nicanor, who had brought many merchants with him, for he intended to sell to them the young men and the young women whom he would capture and carry into captivity from Judah. He went into the valley to meet Judah. Judah, coming out of the assembly of the Hasidim who were with him, called on the Lord, saying, “O exalted God, who have ruled from the creation until this time, who cause battles to cease, and in whose hands is power and might to exalt or to humble, subdue and humble this nation before the lowly of Your people, for You will subdue nations under us and peoples under our feet.” After his prayer, the priests blew their holy trumpets, and all the people raised a shout. Then Judah leaped into battle, and struck the camp of Nicanor with heavy slaughter, so that they fled before him. Pursuing them with his army, he continued to kill them in their flight. The number of those killed was 9,000. They then returned and took their captured goods, and the gold which the merchants had brought with them to purchase the Israelite youths. This they distributed among the poor, and then rested in that place, for the battle was fought on the sixth day.

1 Departing from there, Judah went to Bakires and Timothy, and a severe battle broke out between them, in which he himself killed on that day twenty Macedonian warriors. Bakires and Timothy fled, and Judah pursued them, but did not overtake them, for they went to Ashtaroth Karnaim. But he captured Philip, the man who had done so much evil in Judah. When Judah approached him he turned from the way he was going into a house nearby. Judah then ordered his men to overthrow the house on him, and to burn him to death in that place. He thus avenged the death of Eleazar and the blood of those pious men which Philip had shed. They then returned to strip the dead and they sent the captured goods to Jerusalem.

2 Nicanor fled from there and escaped, for he had stripped himself of his purple coat, and dressed himself in a poor man’s coat, so that he could not be recognized. In this way he came to Macedon and related to Lysias all that had happened.

3 At that time King Antiochus returned from Persia, ashamed in that the Persians had made him flee the country of Ecbatana, and when he was informed of all Judah had done to his commanders, and how he had struck down them, he was filled with anger and fury. He reviled and blasphemed, and said, “I will go to Jerusalem, and make it a burial ground, and will fill it with the bodies of the dead.” He then summoned together all his people, his charioteers and horsemen, a large and mighty multitude.

4 But the Lord jealously cared for His people, for His city, and His temple, and remembering all the evil Antiochus did to His people, He demanded that Antiochus answer for the blood of those pious men, and therefore plagued him with boils and with an internal disease. Yet he was not humbled through this, but said, “Press on, you charioteers; press on, you horsemen; press on, you soldiers. I will go to Jerusalem, and will carry out my intention, for who can stand before me? Are not the sea and the dry land mine, to change their being according to my will? Can I not transform the earth into sea and the sea into earth?” When he had finished saying this he mounted his chariot, and went with his huge army in the direction of Jerusalem. With him were many elephants, and his camp was enormous.

5 Now, while on the journey, his chariot happened to pass in front of one of the elephants, and it trumpeted. At this the horses took fright, and slipping down, overturned the chariot, and threw Antiochus out of it. As a result of the fall, his bones were broken, for he was a fat and very heavy man. The Lord, however, heaped up plagues on him, and his flesh stank. The stench of his body was like that of a dead man thrown onto the field in the height of the summer. As soon as his servants lifted him on their shoulders, they had to throw him back again to the ground and run away, for they could not possibly approach him or carry him on account of the dreadful stench of the flesh of that reviler, and blasphemer, and enemy of God.

6 Now, when his army became tired, and he also became deathly sick from the stench arising from his body, he knew then that the hand of the Lord had touched him, and being humbled and made lowly, he exclaimed, “The Lord is righteous, who humbles the proud and humiliates the wicked like me, for I have done all this wickedness to His people and to His pious men. It is for this that all these evils have overtaken me.” He then made a vow, saying, “If the Lord will heal me from this disease, I will go to Jerusalem and fill it with silver and gold; I will spread carpets of purple in all the streets, and will give all the wealth in my treasury to the temple of the great God. I will circumcise my foreskin, and will go about the whole land exclaiming in a loud voice, ‘There is no God in the whole world like the God of Israel.’”

7 But the Lord did not listen to his prayer, nor did He pay attention to him, for all the way Antiochus the Cruel was traveling his flesh fell off from his bones, until finally his very intestines fell out on the ground. Thus his life came to an end. He died in shame and disgrace and in a foreign land. Eupator, his son, succeeded him.

1 Judah, the son of Mattathiah, and with him the assembly of the Hasidim, now went up to Jerusalem, and overthrowing the altars which the uncircumcised had built, they cleansed the temple of the abominations of the nations, and building a new altar, they placed on it the meat of the sacrifice, and arranged the wood, but the holy fire they could not find. Then, when they called on the Lord in prayer, fire came out from a stone on the altar, and they placed the wood on it. This fire remained with them until the time of the third captivity. On the 25th of Kislev they dedicated the altar, and placing the showbread in its place and kindling the lights, they praised the name of the Lord by reading the “Hallel Psalms” for eight days.

2 After this dedication, Judah marched to the land of Edom, and Gorgias came to meet him with a huge multitude of men, but Judah struck Gorgias and his camp, and put them all to flight. Pursuing them, Judah’s men left on the field 20,000 of the enemy slain. Gorgias then fled to Arabia to Timothy. And Timothy, marching out with 120,000 men of the Macedonian and Arabian armies, went into the land of Gad and Gilead, and killed many of the Jews, so that they sent a letter to Judah, saying, “Come up and save us, for the sword of Timothy is consuming us.” Again another letter arrived, saying, “The sword of Tyre and Sidon is destroying us, and the men of Macedonia who live there.”

3 As soon as Judah heard these words, he cried to the Lord in fasting and prayer, and selecting all the brave men and the Hasidim, he hurried to cross the Jordan. Simeon also took with him 3,000 men of Judah, and hurrying to Galilee, engaged in a fierce battle, in which he killed 8,000 men, and thus delivered his brothers in Galilee. Then, taking the captured goods of the dead, he returned to Jerusalem.

4 Judah the Anointed for battle, having crossed the Jordan, arrived at Gilead, where they found Timothy attacking the city on Mount Gilead. He prepared himself for the fight, and a fierce battle broke out. The two armies stood opposite each other, that of Timothy being mighty and strong, while Judah’s army was few in number. And in the middle of the fight Judah cried to the Lord, when he suddenly saw five young horsemen, clothed in gold. Two of them stood in front of Judah, and then, placing themselves one on each side of him, protected him with their shields, while the other three fought against the camp of Timothy. As soon as Judah saw them, he at once knew that they were sent from heaven to help the pious, and, encouraging his men, he pressed hard on Timothy’s army and struck down 20,500 of his men. Timothy himself and his army fled from there toward the Jordan, but Judah was after him, making havoc among them all the time until they came to Aza.

5 Here Timothy recruited his men and prepared again for battle, for the whole army of Philistia had now joined his ranks. When Judah arrived at that place he leaped on them as a lion on a flock of sheep. Timothy fled, and his whole army was scattered in confusion. The Hasmoneans pursued them and cut them to pieces until there were none left. Timothy fled to Aza, and there took refuge within the closed gates of the city, from the high walls of which he still fought. For five days Judah and his men besieged it.

6 On the fifth day the men of Timothy, climbing the high tower, cursed and defied the Anointed for battle, and taunted them all with words of insolence. Finally twenty Hasmoneans, becoming furious because of the insults, took their shields in their left hands and their swords in their right hands, and, running toward the wall, scaled it one after another by means of a ladder. Then, striking those on the wall, they made room for their companions, all of whom likewise scaled the wall. The twenty men then went into the marketplace of the city, shouting and killing many of the enemy. Then, going toward the gate, they attacked it from inside, while the whole army of the Hasmoneans approached it from outside, and set fire to it, after which the gate fell to the ground. In this way the city of Aza was captured. Then, seizing the men who defied the Anointed for battle, they burned them to death, and put the inhabitants to the sword. For two whole days they did not cease from their deadly work of slaughter.

7 Timothy, fleeing, hid himself in one of the pits and could not be found. But they discovered his brothers, Birean and Apollopanis, and brought them to Judah, who ordered their heads to be cut off. They carried the captured goods of the city to Jerusalem with songs, praises and thanksgivings, and sang the Psalms of David, King of Israel, to the Lord, whose mercy endures forever.

1 Now, when word reached Antiochus Eupator, son of Antiochus called Epiphanes, who had done such evil in Jerusalem, who killed the pious men, and who ultimately died from the severe plagues inflicted on him, as we have stated above, 2 this Antiochus Eupator sent Lysias, his cousin, with an army of 80,000 horsemen and eighty elephants, a mighty army. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and fought at Bethter; digging a ditch around the city, he began to attack the city with a battering ram and with stones, while Judah and the whole army of the Hasmoneans lived in the forests and on the mountains away from the Greek army. Judah said to his men, “Come, let us approach the Lord our God in fasting and in pleading prayer, and then let us march against the Greek army of Javan, who are attacking Bethter.”

3 After the fast he blew the shofar, and then gave the signal for battle, and he and all his men went to help their brothers in Bethter. When they came to Jerusalem they entered the temple, offered peace offerings, sacrificed burnt offerings, and cried to the Lord. Then, departing from Jerusalem to go to Bethter to the Macedonian camp, Judah said to his men, “Be strong and take courage; for the people of the Lord and for our brothers, let us rather perish together in the fight than see any evil fall on our people.”

4 When he had finished speaking, he lifted up his eyes and saw between heaven and earth a man, well dressed, riding on a horse like a flame of fire, and in his hand a spear. His back was turned toward the Hasmoneans and his face to the camp of the Greeks, with his hand stretched out ready to strike it. Judah then exclaimed, “Blessed be He who has sent His messenger to save His people and strike the camp of His enemies.” Hurrying from there, they went to Bethter, and, springing on the Macedonian camp, they put them into confusion, and slaughtered 11,000 foot soldiers and 1,600 horsemen. Lysias and his men fled for their lives in shame and disorder, and Lysias then knowing that God was fighting against the enemies of Israel, made a covenant with Judah.

5 The following is the letter which Lysias sent to the people of Judah: “Lysias, chief of the king’s army and deputy of Antiochus, to Judah the Anointed for battle and to all his people, greetings! You should know that I have received letters you sent through your messengers, Johanan and Absalom, and that I have carried out whatever they told me. I read the letter with good feeling and have fulfilled everything contained in it. I have told the king the message on your behalf, and have given an answer to Johanan and Absalom. I have further entrusted the messengers I sent to you with words of peace.”

6 These are the contents of the letter which the king sent to Lysias, his cousin: “King Antiochus to Lysias my brother, greetings! You should know that we have received the letter you sent us concerning the Jews, and that we have read it with every good feeling. My father has gone the way of all flesh; he is no longer with human beings and has been taken with angels; but I seek the welfare of all my kingdom, to stop wars, and to establish peace. I have heard that the Jews refused to obey my father by violating their law, and that they have therefore conquered by the sword and killed the chief men and the most honored of my father’s kingdom. Now give them your right hand, and make a covenant with them that they may know it to be my will and my heartfelt desire that they live in peace and observe their law according to their own wish.”

7 And these are the contents of the letter which the king sent to Judah: “King Antiochus Eupator to Judah the Anointed for battle and to the rest of the people, greetings! You should know that I have issued a decree throughout all my cities and to all the peoples subjected to my rule, that they should not oppress the Jews, but leave them to keep and to observe your law. Pardon whatever actions my father did in error, and if we have also erred we send you Menelaus to speak to you words of peace.”

1 In those days the Lord began to make the fourth kingdom more powerful than the third, that is the kingdom of Rome, which was stirred up against the kingdom of Greece. The name of the Roman was exalted over all the empires of the world. That was the fourth animal which Daniel, that greatly beloved man, saw in a vision. Just as that animal devoured, crushed and trampled on everything, so this nation of Romans devoured and crushed all the other nations. It was they who fought with Antiochus, King of Greece, his 120 elephants and a strong and powerful army of infantry and cavalry, whom they conquered in the battle, and compelled to pay the Romans tribute.

2 They also humbled the pride of Hannibal, King of Africa, who reigned over the city whose name was Carthage. Hannibal entered the field with an army as mighty and as numerous as the sand on the seashore. With him were all the armies of Ethiopia, Put and Lud, and other mighty nations. Having crossed the narrow sea between Africa and Sefarad, he humbled the pride of the nation of the Goths. Journeying from there, he arrived in the land of Germania by the sea Oceanus. From there he came to Italy and engaged in battle with the Romans, who went out to meet him. It was a long and fierce contest, in which the Romans were utterly routed.

3 The Romans, however, continued to fight, and in ten years no fewer than eighteen battles were fought with Hannibal, but they could not stand against him. Finally, they again mustered all their warriors, at the head of whom were two brave men, Aemilius and Varro. They arranged their men in line of battle by the river Eopiros, and the battle was fought at Canusi, a large city. Here a fierce and desperate battle was fought, in which 90,000 Romans met their death.

4 Among them was Aemilius, one of the Roman commanders. Varro, however, managed to escape to Venosia, a city situated between the mountains and the plain. Of Hannibal’s men, 40,000 were killed in that battle. Having pursued the Romans up to the gates of the city, he besieged the city for eight days, and building turrets in front of the city, fought against it.

5 Then the Roman advisers said to each other, “Let us open the gate and come and make a covenant with Hannibal, that we may live and not be put to death.” They decided to do this, when a young man, whose name was Scipio, stood up, and said to the 320 advisers of the city, “May we never subject ourselves to Hannibal.” “But what can we do,” they answered, “since we have not been able to make a stand against Hannibal for the last eighteen years?” “Then,” said Scipio, “come, let us discuss a plan. Give me about five legions of men, and I will go to the land of Africa and attack and destroy his land. As soon as Hannibal hears this, he will hurry away from Rome to deliver his own land from my hands, and in this way you will obtain rest.”

6 After they consented to his proposal, he took with him 30,000 Romans, and marching to Africa, the country of Hannibal, he engaged in battle, in which Hasdrubal, Hannibal’s brother, was killed. Scipio cut off his head and brought it to Rome, and, mounting the wall, he cried out to Hannibal, “Why are you so eager for our land, and do you not go to deliver your own land from my hands, which I am destroying?” He then sent Hannibal his brother’s head. When he recognized it he steeled himself, and hardening his heart, swore not to leave the city until he had taken it, and he besieged it for several days more.

7 Scipio then returned to Africa and entirely destroyed it. From there he went to Carthage and besieged it. And the men of Carthage sent Hannibal a letter to Rome, saying, “Why do you desire a foreign land, when your own land is taken from you? If you will not hurry here and deliver us from the hand of Scipio, we will open the gate and give the city of Carthage with your palace into his hands.”

8 When he read this letter he wept, and immediately lifted the siege, and going to Epirus, where his ships lay, there he killed countless Romans, men, women and children who were taken prisoners. He then went to Africa with all his army.

9 But Scipio went out to meet him, and a fierce war broke out between them, in which Hannibal was conquered and about 50,000 of his men killed. He was likewise conquered in three pitched battles with Scipio. After that Hannibal fled to Egypt, but Scipio followed him, and Ptolemy the king delivered him into Scipio’s hands. He was brought to Africa in great honor, and there he drank poison and died and was buried. Scipio then captured the whole land of Africa, and the place that abounds in gold and silver. Thus Rome was exalted above all the other nations.

1 The following are the contents of the letter which the Romans sent to Judah, the son of Mattathiah: “Qinṣius Minios, Scipio and Menelaus, nobles of Rome, to Judah the Anointed for battle, and to the elders of Judah, greetings to you! For we have heard of your power and of your battles, and are glad about them, as well as about what Antiochus and Lysias have given you and what they wrote concerning the Jews. Now we also write to ask you whether you will become our associates and friends, but not the friends of the Greeks, who have afflicted you. We are now going to war against Antiochia; therefore hurry to let us know who are your enemies and who your friends.”

2 The following is the text of the covenant made between the Romans and the Jews: “Whether on the sea or on land, whenever war is declared against the Romans, the Jews are to help them with all their power. They are not to supply Rome’s enemies with either weapons of war, wheat, or any other food, according to the decree of the Consul and the 320 advisers. And if, on the other hand, war is declared against the Jews, the Romans in their turn are to help the Jews with all their power, and are not to provide the enemies of the Jews with either weapons of war, or wheat or food of any kind. They should themselves not take any food from them unless in trouble. Further, neither party is to add to or diminish what has been decreed by the Consul and the 320 advisers.” After that the land had rest for about eight months. At that time Judah began to judge his people, and to weed out the wicked from his people.

3 At that time the Jews lived in all the cities on the seacoast, extending from Aza until Acco; but the Macedonian nation and the people of Joppa and Jabneh brought about great evil, for they persuaded the Jews living among them to board their ships, together with their wives and children, to go and enjoy themselves on the sea. The Jews, trusting them, consented to go with them, but when they reached the open sea they were thrown into the water and drowned, to the number of 200 souls.

4 When Judah was informed of it he wept and proclaimed a fast. Then, hurrying to Joppa, he besieged it, and God delivered it into his hands. After separating the Jews, he struck the city with the sword, man, woman, child and nursing infant, and burned the city to the ground. He did the same to Jabneh, besides burning the ships of both cities. The burning and conflagration could be seen as far as Jerusalem, a distance of 240 stadia. He thus avenged the blood of the women and children that were drowned in the sea. Journeying from there, he went to the Arabian desert, and having struck down many Arabs, imposed a tribute on them.

5 He then returned to the land of ... and during the journey had to pass a certain city by name Kaspon. It was very strongly fortified, for nations of all kinds lived there. Relying on their strongholds, they cursed Judah, and uttered countless slanders about Judah’s people. At this Judah exclaimed, “O Almighty God, at the sound of the trumpet You delivered the city of Jericho by the hands of Your servant Joshua; now deliver this city into our hands, that I may avenge the reproach they have cast on the people of God.”

6 Then, taking his shield in his left hand and unsheathing his sword, he marched bravely onward, followed by the Hasmoneans, at a very quick pace until they reached the gate of the city. After coating it with pitch, and placing bushes and thorns of the desert on it, they set fire to it and it fell to the ground. God delivered the city into his hands, and he carried out a slaughter such as has never yet been known, for the pool of blood which flowed from the city as a pool of water was two stadia in length and two in width.

7 Journeying from that place, he traveled a distance of 750 stadia. And Timothy came out to meet him with 120,000 foot soldiers and 1,000 horsemen. After offering up his plea to God, Judah marched out against Timothy with about 10,000 chosen men. A very fierce battle broke out, in which Judah slaughtered 30,000 of Timothy’s army. Timothy immediately tried to escape, but Dostios, or Dositheus, the commander of Judah’s army, and Sosipater, a brave warrior of Israel, pursued him and brought him back to Judah, who ordered his head to be cut off. But Timothy wept bitterly, and implored him, saying, “O my lord Judah, do not kill me, for there are many Jews living in my land, and I swear that I will do good to them all the days of my life.” And he took an oath. Judah had pity on him and did not kill him, but allowed him to go his way, and Timothy did no more evil to the Jews all the days of his life, for he kept the oath he had taken.

8 Journeying from there, Judah marched in the direction of the wilderness, and, meeting the army of the king that had come into Arabia, he struck them, and, pursuing them further, killed 25,000 of their men. He next journeyed to Ephron, a large city, and besieged it, and the Lord delivered it into his hands. He killed 20,000 in the contest.

9 Marching onward a journey of 600 stadia, he came to a city the name of which was Scythopolis; and the inhabitants of Scythopolis being terribly afraid of them, came out to meet them with pleas and tears, saying, “O lord, the Anointed for battle, please ask the Jews who live among us whether we have treated them kindly or not. Moreover, in the time of the cruel Antiochus many Jews made their escape to us and we supported them.” To the truth of this the Jews among them testified. As soon as Judah heard this he blessed them, and refrained from attacking them, and he returned to Jerusalem, arriving there three days before the festival of Pentecost.

1 When the festival was at an end he marched out to Gorgias, the commander of the army of Edom, with 3,000 foot soldiers and 4,000 horsemen. A fierce battle took place between their two armies, in which some Hasmoneans were killed, and among them was Dostios, the commander of the army, who was severely wounded on the shoulders; some of the Hasmonean warriors were nearly thrown back. When Judah realized what had happened, he then prayed to the Lord, and, encouraging his men, leaped forward into the camp of Gorgias and slaughtered many of his men. He then shouted out, “Now for you, Gorgias!” and stretched out his right hand to strike him, but Gorgias stepped back and thus escaped the blow, and throwing down his weapons, fled and made his escape, nor has he ever since been seen or recognized alive or dead. Some hold the opinion that he fled to the desert of Maresha, in the wilderness of Edom, and there died.

2 Judah now returned to Edom, and, after destroying all their cities, took all the inhabitants prisoners. At this time carved images of the nations were discovered under the clothes of those Hasmoneans that were killed in battle. Judah then knew that they had fallen through their wickedness, and said, “Blessed be the Lord, who discovers that which is hidden, and who revealed these secrets.” He then urged the people to serve the Lord in holiness and purity, and returned to Jerusalem.

3 Now, when Antiochus Eupator heard of all the battles Judah had waged and of the cities he had captured, he broke the covenant he had made with Judah, and marched out against him with an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore, together with Lysias, his cousin, who also marched out at the head of a huge army. Having arrived in the land of Judah, he laid siege to Bethter.

4 Seeing this, Judah and all the elders of Israel called on the Lord in fasting, tears, and in pleading prayer. They also sacrificed burnt offerings and offered peace offerings. On that night Judah mustered all his chosen men of the Hasmoneans, and, dividing them around the camp of the king, he killed 4,000 men and the largest elephant. In the morning the king arranged his men in line of battle opposite Judah, and a very fierce engagement took place.

5 Judah suddenly noticed an elephant coated with armor of gold, and as it was greater than all the other elephants, he thought the king must be riding it, and shouted out to his men, “Who of you are with me?” And immediately Eleazar, one of the young Hasmoneans, sprang forward and faced the elephant, felling to the ground all who came in his way, and, striking out right and left, the dead fell on either side of him; then, rushing in the thick of the fight, and placing himself between the elephant’s legs, he pierced its belly with his sword, and it fell on him, so that he died, having sacrificed his life for the Lord and for his people, and left a name after him, and courage to all who heard it. It was a day of mourning to his people. There fell in battle on that day 800 of the king’s nobles, besides the other people that were killed among them.

6 The king then ceased fighting, and returned to his tent. Soon after his return, he was informed that Philip had revolted against him, and that Demetrius, the son of Seleucus the king, was coming from Rome with a large army, in order to wrest the kingdom from his hands. Being terribly frightened, the king made peace, and made a covenant with Judah, embracing and kissing him, and ratified it by an oath, in which Lysias joined, saying, “We will never as long as we live go to war against Jerusalem.” The king then brought out much gold from his treasury, and gave it as a present to the house of God in Jerusalem.

7 He took Menelaus, a Judean, prisoner, who brought Antiochus to Jerusalem, and caused him to do evil, and also Eupator. The king, being very angry with him, ordered him to be carried to a high tower, fifty cubits in height, and near it there was dust and ashes in immense quantities. Then, commanding him to be bound hand and foot, they threw him into the ashes, and buried him beneath them, so that he died in torment, through his wickedness, for he had committed many abominations before the altar of the Lord with the sacred dust and ashes. Thus this wicked man died, suffocated with the very ashes with which he committed abominations. The Lord is just, who repays a person according to his deeds and the fruit of his actions.

1 After this the king went his way to Macedon, and Judah judged his people, and did righteousness and justice. At that time Demetrius, the son of Seleucus the king, with a Roman army, engaged in battle with Antiochus Eupator, in which Antiochus and Lysias were killed, and he held the reins of government in Antiochia in Macedon.

2 Now, Alcimus the priest, a worthless man, who ate pork during the reign of Antiochus, came to Demetrius, and said, “Long live King Demetrius! How long will you remain inactive on behalf of your servants in the land of Judah, who have fallen by the sword of Judah, the son of Mattathiah, and his people the Jews, who are called Hasidim? He kills us because we refuse to comply with many precepts of their law.”

3 Demetrius, stirred to anger by this, sent Nicanor, the commander of his army, with a strong army, and chariots, horsemen, elephants, and foot soldiers without number. Arriving at Jerusalem, he sent word professing his friendship, and said, “Come and let us see each other, and consult in a friendly manner.” Judah, fearing no treachery, went to meet him. When Nicanor met him, he embraced him, and asked after his welfare. Then, placing seats for both of them, they sat down and conversed. Judah, however, had commanded his young Hasmoneans to remain armed and ready for battle, in case the enemy suddenly attacked them. Accordingly, his men stood near him, ready at any moment for the fight, as Judah had ordered. Judah and Nicanor eventually rose from their seats, and went into their respective tents, and they both lived in Jerusalem, there being no war between them. On the contrary, Nicanor was very fond of Judah, and said to him, “Would it not be appropriate for a man like you to take a wife and have children?” Judah married, and had children.

4 When Alcimus recognized the love Judah and Nicanor bore each other, he again went to the king, and informed him what had taken place. The king then sent a letter to Nicanor, saying, “If you will not send me Judah, son of Mattathiah, bound in chains, know that you will certainly be killed.” Judah soon became aware of this, and, leaving the city by night, he sounded the trumpet call and gave the battle signal, and when all the brave Hasidim and Hasmoneans had mustered in full force, he went to Samaria, and remained there.

5 In the meantime Nicanor went to the temple of the Lord, and said to the priests, “Bring out the man who fled from me, that I may send him to the king bound in chains.” But the priests swore to him, saying, “He has not been here, nor have we seen him since the day before yesterday.” At this reply, Nicanor spoke blasphemously of the temple, and, spitting on it, stretched out his right hand, and, baring his arm for slaughter, he said, “I will overthrow this temple, and will not leave one single stone in its place, and I will dig up and overturn all its foundations.” With this, he departed in anger, and the priests went about crying between the porch and the altar, and said, “O God, whose dwelling place has long been in this temple, now continue to rest here, for here is Your throne, and here is Your footstool, and all Your service. The heart of Nicanor was filled with blasphemy toward Your house and toward Your dwelling. He acted treacherously against the temple of Your glory, and has committed abomination; therefore let him die as an abomination.”

6 Nicanor searched all the houses of Jerusalem for Judah, and sent 500 troops to the house of Daqsios, the Elder of Hasidim, who was tested in Antiochus’s reign and found blameless, for he had suffered many tortures, and was called “Father of the Jews and Judge in Jerusalem.”

7 And as Nicanor was trying to show his bitter hatred of the Jews, he sent a messenger to fetch the old man, while his men surrounded the house to catch him; but the old man, unsheathing his sword and piercing his intestines, ran on the wall, and threw himself on Nicanor’s troops, who made room for him, and he fell to the ground. But he soon rose up again, and went toward the troops. He stood on a large stone, and from the great loss of blood which was rapidly flowing from him, he became delirious, and took part of his intestines and threw it at the troops. Then, calling on the Lord in prayer, he died, and was gathered to his people.

8 When Judah heard these things, he became furious, and sent a message to Nicanor, saying, “Why do you delay? Come into the field, and I will show you the man you have been seeking in the chamber. Look, he is here waiting for you in the valley and in the plain.” Nicanor then gathered all his forces, and went to meet the Jews on a Sabbath. The Jews that were with him said, “O my lord, we beg you, do not act presumptuously; grant Him honor who gave the Sabbath.” “And who, indeed, gave the Sabbath?” asked Nicanor. “The God whose dwelling is in heaven,” they answered, “and whose dominion extends over the whole world.” Nicanor then spoke such words of blasphemy as are not fit to be written down.

9 Judah heard of this, and said to his men, “How long will we be idle, and refuse to fight this reviler and blasphemer? For who is this dead dog and outcast that defies the strength and glory of Israel?”

10 He then marched in great anger and zeal to attack Nicanor, who came to meet him with a huge and powerful army. And Judah cried to the Lord, saying, “O Lord my God, You sent a messenger into the camp of Sennacherib, whose men stood up outside the city and blasphemed You, and You struck his multitude by killing 175,000 men; we counted the dead, but did not see the one who killed them. Now, how much more deserving of death is this man, who has stood up against Your temple, and has blasphemed Your might and Your glory?”

11 On that day a very fierce and bloody battle was fought. When Judah saw Nicanor with drawn sword, he cried out, “Now for you, Nicanor!” and then ran against him in the fury of his anger. And Nicanor turned his back to flee, but Judah seized him, and, cutting him in two, threw him to the ground. There fell on that day 30,000 men of the Macedonian army. The remainder fled, but were pursued by Judah’s men, who all the while were sounding the shofar. All the cities of Judah turned out to meet the enemy, and struck them, cutting them to pieces, so that not one of them remained alive. Then, proceeding to strip the dead, they found abundance of gold, precious stones, and purple garments. They cut off the head of Nicanor and the arm that he had stretched out against God’s temple, and hung them up before the gate, which has from that time until this very day been called “The gate of Nicanor.” The people then rejoiced greatly, and sang the Psalms of David, King of Israel, concluding, “For He is good, and His mercy endures forever.”Psalms 136:1

12 Ever since that time the Jews celebrate this day as a feast and a holiday, on which wine is drunk—namely, the 13th day of Adar, one day before “Purim.” And Judah judged all his people, and did justice and righteousness in the land.

1 At the end of the year, the days of Judah drew to a close, and the Lord ordained that Judah end his days, and be gathered to his people the Hasidim. At this time Bacchides suddenly came upon Judah with 30,000 men of the Macedonian army, while he was in Laish ... The 3,000 men that were with him fled as one man, and the only ones that remained were himself, his brothers, and 800 chosen men of Israel, who did not stir from their places. All these men were Judah’s associates, tried veterans in all the wars that Judah had waged with the nations.

2 Bacchides then brought forward 15,000 men, and arranged them in line of battle on the right of Judah, while on his left he placed another army to the number of 15,000. There was a great shouting, both on the right and left of Judah; but when he saw that the battle was very fierce, and that Bacchides stood on his right—for all the warriors of Bacchides remained on the right, and that the right wing was with him—he shouted and leaped forward followed by his brothers, and the few Hasmoneans.

3 He ran in the direction of Bacchides, and a fierce and terrible battle broke out, at the beginning of which heaps of Macedonians were killed. As soon as Judah saw Bacchides standing in the middle of the people, he ran toward him in the strength of his anger, and struck down many of his warriors. He struck out right and left at all who came in his way, killing enemies without number, until he had no place to walk except on the dead. On these he made his way.

4 He then came face to face with Bacchides, with sword unsheathed and steeped in blood. As soon as Bacchides saw Judah’s face, it appeared to him like that of a lion robbed of its prey, and fear and trembling seized him. Turning his back, he attempted to flee in the direction of Ashdod, but Judah pursued him, and put all his men, 15,000, to the sword.

5 Bacchides succeeded in escaping to Ashdod, and his army, which was behind him, finding Judah weak and tired, fell on him. Bacchides came out from the city, and war was waged on every side, and many more were killed, Judah being among the number, falling on those he had killed. His brothers Simeon and Jonathan took him and buried him on Mount Modʿaith, and all Israel mourned for him many days. The number of years during which Judah, known as Maccabee, served Israel was six years, and the Lord caused him to prosper all the days of his life. End of the Book of the Maccabee.

1 And the three went into the furnace of burning fire, praising and blessing the Lord. And Azariah stood up to pray, and he prayed in this way; and he opened his mouth and said,

2 “Blessed be He, the God of our fathers, and may His name be praised and glorified forevermore.

3 “For You are true in all that You have done to us, for all Your works are true, and Your ways established, and all Your judgments faithful. 4 Yes, You have carried out true judgment in all the things that You have brought on us, and on Jerusalem the holy city of our fathers, for You have brought true judgments on us, because of our sins. 5 We have sinned, and we have committed wickedness, and we have departed, withdrawn, from You. 6 And we have turned away from all the commandments You commanded us, transgressing them, as we have not been willing to keep and to observe them, that it might go well with us. 7 And because we have not carried out or observed Your commandments and statutes, 8 You have carried out true judgment in that You have delivered us into the hands of lawless enemies, and into the hands of wicked and lawless kings in all the lands.

9 “And now we cannot open our mouths, for Your servants who cling to You have become a shame. 10 And we beg You not to deliver us up entirely, for the sake of Your great and holy name, nor to forget Your covenants. 11 And do not cause Your mercy to depart from us, for the sake of Abraham Your beloved, and Your servant Isaac, and Your holy Israel. 12 To whom You had said that You would multiply their children as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that lies on the seashore. 13 And now we have become less than any other nation, as we are miserable, poor, today in all the lands because of our sins. 14 And at this time we have neither a leader nor prophets, neither governors nor deputies, neither burnt offerings nor sacrifices, nor offerings, as there is no place to bring all these before You in order to find mercy.

15 “But with a contrite heart and humble spirit let us be accepted like burnt offerings and sacrifices of rams and bulls, and like thousands of fat lambs. 16 Thus may our sacrifice today be acceptable in Your sight. For those who put their trust in You will not be put to shame.

17 “And now we desire with all our heart to fear You. 18 And we pray to You not to put us to shame, but to deal with us according to Your loving kindness, and according to the multitude of Your mercy. 19 Deliver us and give glory to Your name, O Lord; and let all those who harm Your servants be ashamed. 20 And let them be put to shame despite all their power, and despite their strength, let them be broken. 21 And they will know that You alone are ruler over all the lands.”

22 And now the servants of the king and his attendants, that threw the three men into the furnace, took naphtha, pitch and loose flax fibers, and made balls, 23 in order to increase the flame of the fire 49 cubits above the furnace.

24 And the fire and the flame streamed out and burned them and every one of the Chaldeans that were standing by the side of the furnace.

25 And the angel of the Lord came down into the oven with Azariah and his companions, and the fire of the oven cooled down. 26 And he made the middle of the furnace like a wind blowing dew, and none of the fire touched them, nor were they hurt in any way.

27 Then those three with one mouth praised, and glorified and blessed God in the middle of the burning furnace, and said,

28 “Blessed is the Lord God of our fathers, and to be praised and exalted forever and ever. 29 And blessed be Your great and glorious and holy name, and praised and exalted over all the world. 30 Blessed are You in Your holy temple, and to be praised and glorified over all the worlds. 31 Blessed are You on the throne of Your glorious kingdom, and to be praised and exalted forever and ever. 32 Blessed are You, who have lowered the abyss and sit on the cherubim and may You be praised and glorified in all the worlds. 33 Blessed are You in the firmament of heavens, and may You be exalted and praised forever.

34 “O all you works, bless the Lord God, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

35 “All you angels, bless the Lord God, praise Him and exalt Him over the world.

36 “O you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

37 “All you armies of God, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

38 “O you stars of heaven, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

39 “O you rain and dew, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

40 “All you winds of God, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

41 “O you fire and heat, bless the Lord, O you cold and warmth, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

42 “O you thunder and lightning, bless the Lord, O you ice and frost, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

43 “O you vapors and clouds, bless the Lord, O you nights and days, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

44 “O you light and darkness, bless the Lord, O you dusk and dawn, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

45 “O you lands, bless the Lord, O you mountains and little hills, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

46 “O all you things that grow in the earth, bless the Lord, O you deep springs, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

47 “O you seas and rivers, bless the Lord, O you fish and all that move in the waters, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

48 “O all you birds of the heavens, bless the Lord, O all you beasts and cattle, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

49 “O all you human beings, bless the Lord, O Israel, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

50 “O you priests of God, bless the Lord ... praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

51 “O you spirits and souls of the righteous, bless the Lord, O you holy and humble in heart, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.

52 “O you Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, bless the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him in the world, for He has delivered us from Sheol and saved us from the hand of death; for He delivered us from the furnace of burning fire, and He has saved us from burning fire and flames.

53 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, as His mercies endure forever, and bless the Lord of the World, He is God, praise Him and exalt Him in the world.”

1 And in that place there was a great and mighty dragon, which all the Babylonians worshiped.

2 And the king said to Daniel, “Now you cannot say that this is not a living god; therefore pray to him.”

3 And Daniel answered and said to the king, “I pray only to the Lord God of my fathers, for He is a living God, mighty and awe-inspiring. 4 But if you, O king, will give me permission, I will kill this dragon without lance or sword.”

5 And the king said to Daniel, “I now give you permission to do to it all that you wish.”

6 And Daniel went and took pitch and fat and flax and hair, and rolled them into one lump, and he made for himself iron hatchets, and rolled all that around and around the hatchets, and he threw it into the dragon’s mouth.

7 And when the dragon had swallowed it and it had gone down into his stomach, the fat and pitch melted away from the hatchets, and the dragon was injured by the points, the spurs, of the hatchet, and died. And Daniel said, “Look, this is your god, whom you worshiped.”

8 And when the people of Babylon saw that the dragon was dead, they were all furious, and they gathered together and went up before the king, and they spoke, saying, “Now we know that you are like one of the Jews, for look! You have destroyed Bel, and you have killed the dragon, and you have destroyed the priests of Bel, together with his temple. 9 And now, if you do not deliver Daniel into our hands, we will kill you even in your house.”

10 Now when the king saw that they were all furious so that they wanted to kill him, he delivered Daniel to them. 11 And they threw Daniel into the lions’ pit, and he was there seven days.

12 For there was a pit in that place, in which there were seven lions, and they used to give them every day two carcasses, and two sheep; and on that day they were not given to them, so that they might devour Daniel.

13 The prophet Habakkuk was then in the land of Israel, and he cooked a stew to feed the harvesters, and placed bread in his sack, and went to bring it to the harvesters in the field.

14 And look, the angel of the Lord appeared, and spoke to Habakkuk the prophet, saying, “Go now and carry this stew that you have made to the city of Babylon, and give it to Daniel, who is in the lions’ pit.”

15 And the prophet Habakkuk answered and said to the angel, “My lord, I have never seen the city of Babylon, neither do I know the lions’ pit.”

16 And the angel of the Lord took him by the neck and carried him by a lock of his hair, and he set him with the food that he had in his hands over the mouth of the lions’ pit which was in Babylon.

17 And when he recovered his breath, Habakkuk called Daniel, and said, “Now take this food which your God has sent you.”

18 And Daniel praised and prayed, and said, “O Lord God, You have remembered me, and You have not forsaken all those who love You.”

19 And Daniel got up and ate; and the angel of the Lord carried Habakkuk back to his place in one hour.

20 And on the seventh day the king got up and went to the lions’ pit to see Daniel, and he saw Daniel sitting in the den.

21 And the king cried with a loud and mighty voice, and said, “The Lord God of Daniel, He is great and glorious.”

22 And the king ordered Daniel to be drawn out from the lions’ pit, and the king ordered those men who had slandered Daniel to be thrown in there. And they threw them in the lions’ pit, and the lions devoured them in a moment.