Book of Jasher
Book of Jasher Chapter 1
THE CREATION AND THE FALL
God created man in His own image, forming Adam from the ground and breathing into him the breath of life, making him a living soul endowed with speech. Deciding it was not good for man to be alone, the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and from one of his ribs, He formed a woman. When Adam awoke, he saw her and said, "This is a bone of my bones and it shall be called woman," and he named her Eve, for she was the mother of all living. God blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply.
He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to care for it, permitting them to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, warning them that on the day they ate of it, they would surely die. However, the serpent, which God had also created, came and persuaded the woman to eat from the forbidden tree. Eve listened to the serpent and ate the fruit, then gave some to her husband, who also ate. When they transgressed God's command, His anger was kindled, and He cursed them. That day, He drove them from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which they were taken, and they went to live east of the garden.
THE FIRST SIBLINGS AND THEIR OFFERINGS
Adam knew his wife Eve, and she bore two sons, Cain and Abel, as well as three daughters. She named her firstborn Cain, saying, "I have obtained a man from the Lord." She named the other Abel, saying, "In vanity we came into the earth, and in vanity we shall be taken from it." The boys grew up and received possessions in the land from their father; Cain became a farmer, and Abel a shepherd.
After a few years, they both brought an offering to the Lord. Cain brought some of the inferior fruit from his harvest, while Abel brought the firstlings and the fat from his flock. God accepted Abel and his offering, sending down a fire from heaven to consume it. But the Lord did not accept Cain or his offering, which made Cain deeply jealous of his brother and caused him to seek a pretext to kill him.
THE MURDER OF ABEL
Sometime later, Cain and Abel were in the field when Abel’s flock strayed onto a part of the ground that Cain had plowed. This grieved Cain, who angrily confronted his brother, demanding to know why Abel’s flock was feeding on his land. Abel responded by asking why Cain ate the flesh and wore the wool of his flock, demanding that Cain remove the wool clothing and compensate him for what he had consumed.
Cain then asked, "Surely if I slay thee this day, who will require thy blood from me?" Abel replied that God, their creator, is the judge and would surely avenge his cause if he were slain, for God knows all secret views and evil intentions. Cain's anger intensified at Abel’s words. He hastened to his plowing instrument, took the iron part, and suddenly struck and killed his brother, spilling Abel’s blood upon the earth in front of the flock.
THE CURSE AND EXILE OF CAIN
After the act, Cain was filled with repentance and grief, and he wept exceedingly. He rose, dug a hole in the field, placed his brother's body inside, and covered it with dust. The Lord knew what Cain had done and appeared to him, asking, "Where is Abel thy brother?" Cain lied, saying, "I do not know, am I my brother's keeper?" The Lord rebuked him for his deception and for slaying his brother for no reason other than that Abel had spoken rightly.
As a result, God cursed Cain from the ground, declaring that it would no longer yield its strength to him but would produce only thorns and thistles. He was condemned to be a wanderer on the earth until his death. Cain and his family then left the Lord's presence and wandered in the land east of Eden. In time, his wife bore him a son whom he named Enoch, saying that the Lord had begun to give him rest. Cain then built a city, also naming it Enoch, and he ceased to wander as he had before. His lineage continued through Enoch’s son Irad, and Irad’s son Mechuyael, who begat Methusael.
Concise Summary
This chapter recounts the creation of humanity, the fall from grace, and the first murder, where Cain kills his brother Abel out of jealousy over God's favor, leading to Cain's curse and the establishment of the first city.
Book of Jasher Chapter 2
THE GENERATION OF SETH AND THE SPREAD OF IDOLATRY
In the hundred and thirtieth year of his life, Adam had another son in his own likeness, whom Eve named Seth, for God had appointed him as another seed in place of the slain Abel. At age one hundred and five, Seth fathered a son named Enosh. It was in the days of Enosh that men began to multiply and rebel against God, afflicting their own souls. They forsook the Lord, creating and serving idols of brass, iron, wood, and stone.
The Lord's anger was kindled by their abominations, and He caused the river Gihon to overflow, destroying a third part of the earth. Yet, the people did not repent. A great famine came upon the land, and any seed they sowed produced only thorns and thistles, as the earth had been cursed since the sin of Adam. As men continued to corrupt their ways, the earth itself became corrupt.
THE REIGN OF CAINAN
At ninety years old, Enosh fathered Cainan. By the age of forty, Cainan was renowned for his great wisdom and skill, and he reigned over all the sons of men, even ruling over spirits and demons. He led some people back to wisdom and turned them to the service of God. Through his knowledge, Cainan foresaw that God would one day destroy mankind with a great flood for their sins. He recorded these future events on stone tablets, which he placed in his treasures. At seventy years old, Cainan fathered three sons, Mahlallel, Enan, and Mered, and two daughters, Adah and Zillah.
THE SINS OF LAMECH'S GENERATION
Lamech, the son of Methusael, married Cainan's two daughters, Adah and Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal and Jubal, but Zillah remained barren. In those days, men began to transgress God's command to be fruitful, and some caused their wives to drink a potion that would render them barren, merely so that their beautiful appearance would not fade. Husbands became attached only to the barren women, while those who could bear children were considered abominable. Zillah drank this potion along with the others. However, in her old age, the Lord opened her womb, and she conceived and bore a son, Tubal Cain, and a daughter, Naamah.
THE DEATH OF CAIN AND TUBAL CAIN
When Lamech was old and his eyes were dim, his young son Tubal Cain would lead him. One day in the field, Tubal Cain spotted their ancestor Cain from a distance. Mistaking him for an animal, he told his father to draw his bow. Lamech shot an arrow and killed Cain, thus fulfilling God's word that Cain's evil would be requited. When Lamech and Tubal Cain discovered that they had killed their grandfather, Lamech was overcome with grief. In his anguish, he clapped his hands together and accidentally struck and killed his son Tubal Cain.
Hearing of these deaths, Lamech’s wives hated him and sought to kill him, separating from him. Lamech pleaded with them, explaining that due to his age and blindness, he had committed these acts unknowingly. At the advice of their forefather Adam, the wives returned to Lamech but bore him no more children, for they knew God's anger was increasing against mankind and that He planned to destroy them with a flood. The chapter ends by noting the lineage continued through Mahlallel, who fathered Jared, who in turn fathered Enoch.
Concise Summary
This chapter details humanity’s swift decline into idolatry, which prompted a partial destruction of the earth, and chronicles the wise reign of Cainan who prophesied the coming flood. It also tells the tragic story of Lamech, who accidentally killed both his ancestor Cain and his own son, foreshadowing the increasing corruption that would lead to God's judgment.
Book of Jasher Chapter 3
ENOCH'S CALL AND REIGN
At age sixty-five, Enoch fathered Methuselah. Afterward, he walked with God, serving the Lord and despising the evil ways of men. His soul was immersed in divine knowledge, and for many years he lived in seclusion, praying and serving God. Eventually, an angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, commanding him to emerge from his hiding place and teach mankind the ways of God.
Enoch obeyed and went forth, issuing a proclamation for all who wished to learn of the Lord to come to him. All the people assembled, and Enoch reigned over them according to God's word. The spirit of God was upon him, and he taught them wisdom, and all the people served the Lord during his days. One hundred and thirty kings and princes from across the earth heard of his wisdom, came to him, and consented to have him reign over them all. For two hundred and forty-three years, Enoch reigned with justice and righteousness, establishing peace throughout the land. During this time his sons Methuselah, Elisha, and Elimelech, and his daughters Melca and Nahmah, were born.
THE DEATH OF ADAM AND ENOCH'S WITHDRAWAL
In the two hundred and forty-third year of Enoch's reign, Adam died at the age of nine hundred and thirty. Adam's sons, along with Enoch and Methuselah, buried him with the great pomp afforded to kings, giving rise to a custom of great mourning among mankind. After Adam's death, Enoch resolved to again separate himself from the people to serve the Lord.
He began a pattern of gradual withdrawal, initially secluding himself for three days at a time and appearing to teach on the fourth. Over many years, his periods of isolation increased, until he appeared only once a year. The people, including all kings and princes, longed to see him and hear his word, but they became exceedingly afraid to approach him because of the "Godlike awe that was seated upon his countenance," fearing they might die if they looked at him.
THE TRANSLATION OF ENOCH
The kings resolved to gather all the people to speak with Enoch on the day he next appeared. When he came forth and taught them, they hailed him as king. Soon after, while Enoch was instructing them, an angel of the Lord called from heaven, announcing that Enoch was to be brought up to heaven to reign over the sons of God as he had reigned over men. Enoch gathered all the earth's inhabitants for his final instruction. As he spoke, the likeness of a great horse descended from the sky and stood before him. Enoch announced that his time had come and that he would be seen no more.
After giving his last divine instructions, he rose up and rode the horse. A great multitude of about eight hundred thousand men followed him for a day's journey. For six days he traveled, each day urging them to return to their tents lest they die. Many turned back, but a number of men refused, vowing that only death would separate them. On the seventh day, Enoch ascended into heaven in a whirlwind, with horses and chariots of fire. Later, the kings sent men to the place of his ascension to find the men who had remained with him. They found the area covered in snow and large stones of snow, but the men were gone, and they could not find Enoch, for he had ascended into heaven.
Concise Summary
This chapter details the righteous life and reign of Enoch, who was called by God from seclusion to rule over all mankind with wisdom and establish peace, and his eventual glorious ascension into heaven, which was witnessed by a great multitude of people.
Book of Jasher Chapter 4
THE REIGN OF METHUSELAH AND THE DECLINE OF MANKIND
After Enoch had lived on earth for three hundred and sixty-five years and ascended into heaven, all the kings of the earth anointed his son Methuselah to reign in his place. Methuselah ruled uprightly, just as his father had taught him, and for his entire life, he instructed the sons of men in wisdom, knowledge, and the fear of God. However, in the latter days of Methuselah, the people turned away from the Lord. They corrupted the earth, robbing and plundering one another, and they rebelled against God and refused to listen to Methuselah.
The Lord's anger was kindled against them, and He caused a curse upon the land so that there was no sowing or reaping. When men tried to plant crops for food, only thorns and thistles grew. Still, they did not turn from their evil ways and continued to provoke the Lord, until God was so angered that He repented of having made man and decided to destroy them. It was during this time, when Lamech son of Methuselah was one hundred and sixty years old, that Seth the son of Adam died at the age of nine hundred and twelve.
THE BIRTH OF NOAH
At the age of one hundred and eighty, Lamech married Ashmua, the daughter of Enoch's son Elishaa. She conceived and, at the turn of the year, bore a son. His grandfather Methuselah called his name Noah, saying, "The earth was in his days at rest and free from corruption." His father Lamech called his name Menachem, saying, "This one shall comfort us in our works and miserable toil in the earth, which God had cursed." The child grew and was weaned, and he walked in the upright ways of his grandfather Methuselah.
UNIVERSAL CORRUPTION AND GOD'S JUDGMENT
As the sons of men multiplied across the earth, they departed from the ways of the Lord, teaching one another evil practices and continuing to sin. Every man made his own god; they robbed and plundered even their own relatives, and the earth was filled with violence. Their judges and rulers took men's wives by force, and they taught the mixing of different animal species in order to provoke the Lord.
God saw that the entire earth was corrupt, for all flesh, both men and animals, had corrupted their ways. The Lord said, "I will blot out man that I created from the face of the earth, yea from man to the birds of the air, together with cattle and beasts that are in the field for I repent that I made them." All the righteous men who walked with the Lord died in those days, a mercy from God so that they would not have to witness the evil He was bringing upon mankind. But Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord, and God chose him and his children to raise up seed from them to repopulate the earth.
Concise Summary
This chapter describes humanity's descent into universal corruption and violence under the righteous but unheeded reign of Methuselah, prompting God's decision to destroy His creation, and concludes with the birth of Noah, who alone found grace in God's eyes.
Book of Jasher Chapter 5
THE CALL TO REPENTANCE
In the course of Noah's life, the righteous patriarchs of old passed away: Enoch the son of Seth died at age nine hundred and five; Cainan at nine hundred and ten; Mahlallel at eight hundred and ninety-five; and Jared at nine hundred and sixty-two. The Lord willed that all who followed Him should die before the great evil He planned to bring upon the earth, so that they would not witness the destruction.
After many years, in the four hundred and eightieth year of Noah's life, when only Methuselah was left from that righteous generation, God spoke to them. He commanded them to proclaim a final message to the sons of men, offering a period of one hundred and twenty years for them to repent. If they turned from their evil ways, God would relent from the promised destruction. Day after day, Noah and Methuselah preached this message, but the people were stiffnecked and would not listen or incline their ears to their words.
THE FAMILY OF NOAH
Believing that God would surely destroy the earth, Noah refrained from taking a wife, questioning the purpose of having children. But Noah was a just and perfect man, and the Lord chose him to raise up a new seed on the face of the earth. God commanded him to take a wife and have children, for He had seen Noah's righteousness.
So, at the age of four hundred and ninety-eight, Noah married Naamah, the daughter of Enoch, who was five hundred and eighty years old. She bore him a son whom he named Japheth, and then another son whom he named Shem, saying, "God has made me a remnant, to raise up seed in the midst of the earth." The boys grew up and were taught by Noah and Methuselah to follow the ways of the Lord. During this time, Noah's father, Lamech, died at the age of seven hundred and seventy years.
THE BUILDING OF THE ARK
After the people again refused to hearken to the declarations of Noah and Methuselah, the Lord told Noah, "The end of all flesh is come before me, on account of their evil deeds, and behold I will destroy the earth." God commanded him to build a large ark of gopher wood, three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. It was to have a door in the side and be sealed within and without with pitch.
Noah was instructed to gather into the ark two of every living thing, male and female, along with sufficient food for them and for his own household. He was also told to select three maidens as wives for his sons. Noah obeyed all that God had commanded. In his five hundred and ninety-fifth year, he began to build the ark, and he completed it in five years. He then took the three daughters of Eliakim, son of Methuselah, as wives for his sons. It was at that time that Methuselah, the son of Enoch, died at the age of nine hundred and sixty.
Concise Summary
This chapter details the final one-hundred-and-twenty-year warning preached by Noah and Methuselah to a rebellious world, Noah's marriage and the birth of his sons at God's command, and the Lord's instructions to build the ark to preserve life from the coming destruction.
Book of Jasher Chapter 6
THE GATHERING OF THE ANIMALS
After the death of Methuselah, the Lord commanded Noah to enter the ark with his household. God then gathered every animal, beast, and fowl of the earth, and they came in great multitudes and surrounded the ark. Noah was instructed to sit by the door and admit any creature that crouched before him, while leaving any that remained standing. Noah did so, bringing in two of every kind of living creature, and seven couples of every clean animal and clean fowl.
In a curious incident, a lioness with her two whelps approached and crouched, but the two whelps then rose up and drove their mother away before returning to their place and crouching again. Noah, wondering at this, took the two whelps into the ark. For seven days after the animals were gathered, the rain did not yet begin.
THE ONSET OF THE FLOOD
On the seventh day, the Lord sent a terrifying prelude to the flood to give mankind one last chance to repent. The whole earth shook, the sun darkened, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the foundations of the world raged as all the fountains of the earth broke open in a way never before seen. Still, the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways.
At the end of those seven days, in the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, the flood began. The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were opened, and rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. Noah and his household, along with all the living creatures, entered the ark, and the Lord shut him in.
THE LAST PLEAS OF THE WICKED
As the waters grew more violent, the remaining people on earth, about seven hundred thousand men and women, became exhausted and gathered at the ark. They cried out to Noah, "Open for us that we may come to thee in the ark--and wherefore shall we die?" Noah answered with a loud voice, reminding them how they had rebelled against the Lord for one hundred and twenty years and refused to listen to his warnings.
The people pleaded, "We are ready to return to the Lord; only open for us that we may live and not die." But Noah rebuked them, saying that their repentance came only because of the trouble of their souls and that the Lord would not listen to them now. Desperate to escape the unbearable rain, the men attempted to break into the ark by force. In response, the Lord sent the beasts and animals that were still standing outside the ark; they overpowered the crowd and drove them away, scattering them across the face of the earth.
LIFE AND TRIBULATION IN THE ARK
The rain continued for forty days and forty nights, and the waters prevailed until all flesh on earth—men, animals, beasts, creeping things, and birds—had died. Only Noah and those with him in the ark remained. The waters lifted the ark high, tossing it so violently that all the living creatures inside were "turned about like pottage in a cauldron," and the ark itself seemed ready to break.
Great anxiety seized every living thing; the lions roared, the oxen lowed, and each creature lamented in its own language, their voices reaching a great distance. Noah and his sons wept in their terror, believing they had reached the gates of death. Noah cried out to the Lord, pleading for help and deliverance from the overwhelming waves and terrifying torrents.
THE WATERS RECEDE
The Lord heard Noah’s prayer and remembered him. He caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters became still. The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, the rain was restrained, and the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. After a full year of dwelling in the ark had passed, the waters were dried from the earth. On the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was dry, but Noah and his family did not exit until the Lord commanded them. When the day came, they all went out from the ark. Noah and his sons served the Lord all their days, and God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and fill all the earth; become strong and increase abundantly in the earth and multiply therein."
Concise Summary
This chapter details the gathering of animals into the ark, the terrifying onset of the flood, and the final, futile pleas for mercy from the wicked, who are driven away by beasts before being consumed by the waters. It vividly portrays the turmoil and terror aboard the ark before the waters recede, culminating in God's deliverance and new blessing upon Noah and his family.
Book of Jasher Chapter 7
THE GENERATIONS OF NOAH'S SONS
After the flood, children were born to Noah’s sons—Japheth, Ham, and Shem—who had taken wives before the flood.
The descendants of Japheth numbered about four hundred and sixty men in those days. His sons were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. From these came their own children: Gomer’s sons were Askinaz, Rephath, and Tegarmah; Magog’s sons were Elichanaf and Lubal; Madai’s sons were Achon, Zeelo, Chazoni, and Lot; Javan’s sons were Elisha, Tarshish, Chittim, and Dudonim; Tubal’s sons were Ariphi, Kesed, and Taari; Meshech’s sons were Dedon, Zaron, and Shebashni; and Tiras’s sons were Benib, Gera, Lupirion, and Gilak.
The descendants of Ham numbered about seven hundred and thirty men. His sons were Cush, Mitzraim, Phut, and Canaan. Cush’s sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama (who fathered Sheba and Dedan), and Satecha. Mitzraim’s sons were Lud, Anom, Pathros, Chasloth, and Chaphtor. Phut’s sons were Gebul, Hadan, Benah, and Adan. Canaan’s sons were Zidon, Heth, Amori, Gergashi, Hivi, Arkee, Seni, Arodi, Zimodi, and Chamothi.
The descendants of Shem numbered about three hundred men. His sons were Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. Their children were: Elam’s sons, Shushan, Machul, and Harmon; Ashur’s sons, Mirus and Mokil; Arpachshad’s sons, Shelach, Anar, and Ashcol; Lud’s sons, Pethor and Bizayon; and Aram’s sons, Uz, Chul, Gather, and Mash. From Shem’s line came Arpachshad, who fathered Shelach, who fathered Eber. Eber had two sons: Peleg, named because in his day the earth and its people were divided, and Yoktan, whose name signified that men’s lives were being diminished. The line continued from Peleg to Terah, who at thirty-eight years old fathered Haran and Nahor.
THE RISE OF NIMROD
In his old age, Cush the son of Ham had another son, whom he loved exceedingly. He was named Nimrod, for it was at this time that men began again to rebel against God. Cush possessed the garments of skin which God had made for Adam and Eve. These garments had been passed down from Adam to Enoch, then to Methuselah, and finally to Noah, who brought them into the ark. After the flood, Ham stole the garments from his father and later gave them in secret to his own son, Cush.
Cush kept them hidden until he gave them to his favored son, Nimrod. At the age of twenty, Nimrod put on these garments and became mighty, for God gave him strength. He became a great hunter, building altars and making offerings to the Lord. He strengthened himself and fought his brethren's battles against all their enemies, and God prospered him and delivered them into his hands. His success became so famous that it gave rise to a common saying: "Like God did to Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter... so may God strengthen us and deliver us this day."
NIMROD'S REIGN AND THE BIRTH OF ABRAM
At the age of forty, Nimrod led the sons of Cush and their allies to victory against the children of Japheth. Upon his triumphant return, his brethren and followers assembled and made him their king, placing a royal crown upon his head. He established a government with princes and judges and appointed Terah, the son of Nahor, as the prince of his host, elevating him above all his other princes.
Nimrod then built a large city for his palace in a valley to the east, naming it Shinar. He reigned securely from Shinar, and as his fame and power grew, all nations and tongues came to him with offerings, bowed down, and accepted him as their king. He reigned over all the sons of Noah, and the whole earth had one language. But Nimrod did not walk in the ways of the Lord; he was more wicked than any man since the flood. He made and worshiped idols of wood and stone and taught his wicked ways to all the people. His son, Mardon, was even more wicked than he, leading to the proverb, "From the wicked goeth forth wickedness." During this time, Terah remained greatly esteemed by the king. When Terah was seventy years old, his wife Amthelo bore him a son, whom he named Abram, because the king had raised and dignified him.
Concise Summary
This chapter details the genealogies of Noah's descendants after the flood and describes the rise of Nimrod, who gains immense power from Adam's sacred garments, becoming the world's first king and establishing a wicked, idolatrous empire where Abram is born to his highest-ranking officer, Terah.
Book of Jasher Chapter 8
THE PORTENTOUS SIGN AND THE KING'S DECREE
On the night of Abram's birth, all of Nimrod’s wise men and conjurors were feasting at the house of his chief officer, Terah. As they departed, they looked to the stars and witnessed a great sign: one very large star came from the east and swallowed four other stars from the four sides of the heavens. The sages understood this to mean that the child just born to Terah would grow up to be fruitful, multiply, possess the whole earth, slay great kings, and inherit their lands.
Fearing they would be put to death for concealing such a matter, the wise men went to King Nimrod the next morning. They reported the birth and the celestial sign, interpreting it as a great threat to the king. They advised Nimrod to purchase the child from Terah and kill him before he could grow up and bring evil upon them. The counsel pleased the king, who immediately summoned Terah and offered to fill his house with silver and gold in exchange for the child, so that he could be slain.
TERAH'S PARABLE
Terah, thinking quickly to save his son, presented the king with a parable. He told Nimrod that a man had offered him a great sum of silver and gold for the beautiful horse the king had given him, and he asked for the king's advice. Nimrod's anger was kindled, and he called Terah a fool for even considering trading such a unique and valuable horse for mere silver and gold.
Terah then turned the king’s logic back on him, asking, "What is this which thou didst say unto me, saying, 'Give thy son that we may slay him, and I will give thee silver and gold for his value?' What shall I do with silver and gold after the death of my son? Who shall inherit me?" The king was greatly grieved and vexed by this answer, and his anger burned within him.
THE DECEPTION AND ABRAM'S CONCEALMENT
Seeing the king's fury, Terah relented and asked for three days to consult with his family. The king granted the request but on the third day sent a message threatening to destroy Terah’s entire household if he did not hand over his son for the price offered. Acting with urgency, Terah took a child born that same day to one of his handmaids and presented him to the king.
Terah received the payment, and the king, believing the infant to be Abram, dashed the child's head to the ground. The Lord was with Terah in this deception so that Abram would not be killed. The king soon forgot the matter, and Terah secretly took his son Abram, along with his mother and a nurse, and concealed them in a cave. He brought them provisions every month, and the Lord was with Abram as he grew up in the cave for ten years, all while the king and his sages believed he was dead.
Concise Summary
This chapter details how a celestial sign at Abram's birth revealed his destiny to King Nimrod, prompting a death decree. Abram's father, Terah, cleverly used a parable to expose the king's flawed logic and then deceived him with a substitute infant, allowing Abram to be safely hidden in a cave for ten years.
Book of Jasher Chapter 9
ABRAM'S EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
During the time Abram was hidden, his oldest brother Haran took a wife and fathered a son, Lot, and two daughters, Milca and Sarai. Sarai was born in the tenth year of Abram’s life. In that same year, the king and his subjects having forgotten the affair of the prophesied child, ten-year-old Abram, his mother, and his nurse came out from the cave.
Abram was then sent to the house of Noah and his son Shem to learn the instruction and ways of the Lord. He remained there in secret for thirty-nine years, serving them and growing in greatness, for the Lord was with him. Though he had known God from the age of three, it was under the teaching of Noah and Shem that he matured in his faith, walking in the Lord's ways for the rest of his life.
THE UNIVERSAL IDOLATRY
In those days, the whole world, with the exception of Noah and his household, had turned away from God. Mankind rebelled, and every person made for themselves gods of wood and stone which could not speak, hear, or deliver. King Nimrod and his court, including Abram’s own father Terah, were the first to serve these idols. Terah had twelve large gods, one for each month of the year, to which he made monthly offerings. The entire generation was wicked and had forsaken the creator.
ABRAM'S SEARCH FOR GOD
While living with Noah, the Lord gave Abram an understanding heart, and he perceived that the works of that generation and their gods were vain. He began to reason, seeking the true God. He first observed the sun and thought, "Surely now this sun that shines upon the earth is God," and he served it for a day. But when evening came and the sun set, Abram said to himself, "Surely this cannot be God?"
That night, he saw the moon and stars and concluded they must be God with his servants around him, so he served the moon and prayed to it. When morning came and the sun rose again, he understood his error. He realized that these celestial bodies were not gods who made the earth, but were merely the servants of God. It was through this process, combined with the teaching in Noah's house, that Abram came to truly know the Lord and his ways.
THE TOWER OF BABEL
While Abram grew in wisdom, King Nimrod reigned securely over the entire earth, which at that time had one language and unity of words. The king's princes and great men—including the families of Phut, Mitzraim, Cush, and Canaan—counseled together to build a city with a strong tower whose top would reach heaven. Their goal was to make a great name for themselves, reign over the whole world, and prevent being scattered.
The king agreed, and about six hundred thousand men assembled in a valley in the land of Shinar. They began to make bricks and build the city and tower. However, their project was a transgression and a sin, for they imagined in their hearts that they would ascend to heaven and make war against God himself. The builders became so obsessed that if a brick fell and broke, they would all weep, but if a man fell from the tower and died, no one would even look at him. To further deceive them, the Lord caused arrows they shot toward the sky to fall back filled with blood, leading them to believe they had successfully slain those in heaven.
THE JUDGMENT ON THE BUILDERS
The people who built the tower were divided into three groups based on their wicked intentions. The first group said, "We will ascend into heaven and fight against him." The second said, "We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them." The third said, "We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears."
After many years of their building, God said to the seventy angels before Him, "Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor." They did so, and the people could no longer communicate. In the ensuing chaos, builders would kill one another when given the wrong materials. The Lord then punished each of the three divisions according to their evil designs: those who wanted to serve their own gods in heaven were made to become like apes and elephants; those who wanted to smite heaven with arrows were made to kill each other; and those who wanted to fight God were scattered by the Lord throughout the earth.
Those who remained forsook the project, and the building ceased. The place was named Babel, for there the Lord confounded the language of the whole earth. As for the tower itself, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed one-third of it, a fire from heaven burned another third, and the final third remains to this day, its circumference a three days' walk.
Concise Summary
This chapter contrasts the spiritual journey of Abram, who secretly learns of and seeks the one true God while hidden with Noah, with the rebellion of Nimrod's generation, whose attempt to build the Tower of Babel to challenge heaven results in the confusion of their language and their scattering across the earth.
Book of Jasher Chapter 10
THE DISPERSION OF MANKIND
In the forty-eighth year of the life of Abram, Peleg the son of Eber died. Following the scattering of mankind from the tower, the sons of men spread out into many divisions and were dispersed to the four corners of the earth. Each family was separated according to its own language, land, and city. In the places where they went, they built many cities, naming them after themselves, their children, or significant events that had occurred.
THE SETTLEMENTS OF JAPHETH'S DESCENDANTS
The sons of Japheth and their families were divided into many nations and languages. The descendants of his son Gomer, the Francum, settled in the land of Franza. The children of his grandson Rephath, the Bartonim, dwelled in Bartonia. The ten families of Tugarma settled in the north, by the rivers Hithlah, Italac, and Dubnee. Other descendants settled as follows: the children of Javan, the Javanim, in the land of Makdonia; the children of Medai, the Orelum, in the land of Curson; the children of Tubal in the land of Tuskanah; the children of Meshech, the Shibashni, and the children of Tiras, the Rushash, Cushni, and Ongolis, built cities by the sea Jabus. The children of Elishah, the Almanim, settled between the mountains of Job and Shibathmo, and from them came the people of Lumbardi who conquered the land of Italia. The children of Chittim, the Romim, dwelled in the valley of Canopia by the river Tibreu, and the children of Dudonim settled in the cities of the sea Gihon, in the land of Bordna.
THE SETTLEMENTS OF HAM'S DESCENDANTS
The descendants of Ham—Cush, Mitzraim, Phut, and Canaan—also spread out and built cities, which they named after their patriarchs. The seven families descended from Mitzraim, including the Ludim, Anamim, and Pathrusim, dwelled by the river Sihor, the brook of Egypt. From the intermarriage of the children of Pathros and Casloch came five families: the Pelishtim, the Azathim, the Gerarim, the Githim, and the Ekronim, who also built cities.
The children of Canaan likewise built numerous cities. Four men from Ham’s family, named Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboyim, went to the land of the plain and each built a city after his own name, where they and their descendants dwelled peacefully and multiplied greatly. Additionally, Seir, a descendant of Canaan, found a valley opposite Mount Paran and built a city, which he called Seir, and that land is known as Seir to this day.
THE SETTLEMENTS OF SHEM'S DESCENDANTS
Some of the children of Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, also went forth and built cities named after themselves. His sons were Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. Ashur and his large household traveled to a distant valley and built four cities: Ninevah, Resen, Calach, and Rehobother, where his descendants dwell to this day. The children of Aram also built a city, calling it Uz after their eldest brother, and that is the land of Uz. Two years after the tower, a man from Ashur’s house named Bela went to live opposite the cities of the plain and built a small city, which he called Bela; this is the land of Zoar.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GOVERNMENTS
In this manner, every kingdom, city, and family of the children of Noah built many cities. In all their settlements, they established their own governments in order to be regulated by their own orders, and so did all the families of the children of Noah forever.
Concise Summary
This chapter details the scattering of Noah's descendants after the judgment at the Tower of Babel, listing the nations and cities founded by the families of Japheth, Ham, and Shem as they spread across the earth and established their own distinct territories and governments.
Book of Jasher Chapter 11
NIMROD'S WICKED REIGN
In the land of Shinar, Nimrod son of Cush renewed his reign over the people who remained with him after the scattering from the tower. He built four cities, naming them after the events that had transpired: Babel, for the confusion of language; Erech, for the dispersion of the people; Eched, for a great battle that occurred there; and Calnah, because his princes were consumed there. His subjects also called him Amraphel, for it was through his means that his princes and men had fallen. Nimrod did not turn to the Lord but continued in his wickedness, and his son Mardon was even worse, giving rise to the proverb, "From the wicked goeth forth wickedness." During this period, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, grew in power and subdued the five cities of the plain, which served him and paid him a yearly tax for twelve years.
ABRAM CONFRONTS HIS FATHER'S IDOLATRY
In the forty-ninth year of Abram's life, his great-grandfather Nahor died. The next year, at age fifty, Abram left the house of Noah and returned to his father Terah's house. Terah was still the captain of King Nimrod's host and a devout follower of strange gods. Abram, who knew the Lord, was kindled with anger when he saw his father's temple filled with twelve large idols of wood and stone and countless smaller ones. He vowed to destroy them all within three days.
Abram asked his father, "Where is God who created heaven and earth, and all mankind?" Terah led him to the chamber of idols and declared, "Behold these are they which made all thou seest upon earth." To expose their falsehood, Abram asked his mother to prepare savory meat as an offering for the idols, though he kept his plan from his father.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE IDOLS
Abram presented the savory meat to the idols but observed that they had no voice, hearing, or movement, and not one of them could stretch out a hand to eat. He mocked them and prepared an even larger meal the next day, with the same result. That evening, the spirit of God came upon him, and he cried out, "Wo unto my father and this wicked generation... who serve these idols of wood and stone which can neither eat, smell, hear nor speak."
Filled with anger, Abram took a hatchet and broke all of his father's gods, except for the largest one. He then placed the hatchet in the hand of the great idol and went out. Terah, having heard the sounds of the destruction, rushed into the room and found the broken images. When he furiously confronted Abram, his son told him a cunning story: when the meat was served, all the smaller idols rushed to eat before the great one had a chance, so the great idol became enraged, took the hatchet, and destroyed them all. Terah, livid, shouted, "Thou speakest lies to me! Are they not wood and stone, and have I not myself made them?"
ABRAM BEFORE KING NIMROD
Abram used his father's own words to rebuke him, asking how he could serve powerless idols that he himself had made, and forget the true God who created the universe and who had once brought a flood to destroy the world for such sins. After this, Abram grabbed the hatchet from the remaining idol, broke it, and ran away.
Terah hastened from his house and went before King Nimrod. He reported what his son had done and said, and asked the king to judge him according to the law. Nimrod had Abram brought before his court, where Terah was also present. When the king demanded an explanation, Abram repeated the story of the great idol destroying the others. The king asked, "Had they power to speak and eat and do as thou hast said?" Abram replied, "And if there be no power in them why dost thou serve them and cause the sons of men to err through thy follies?" He then boldly rebuked Nimrod, calling him a foolish and ignorant king for filling the earth with sin and forgetting the eternal God. He warned Nimrod to forsake his evil ways or else he, his people, and all who followed him would die in shame.
Concise Summary
This chapter details fifty-year-old Abram's return from Noah's house, where he confronts his father Terah's idolatry by cleverly testing and then destroying his household gods, leading a furious Terah to betray his son to King Nimrod, whom Abram then fearlessly rebukes for leading the world into sin.
Book of Jasher Chapter 12
THE JUDGMENT OF NIMROD
After Abram rebuked King Nimrod, the king had him put in prison for ten days. At the end of that time, Nimrod assembled all the princes, governors, and sages of his kingdom to pass judgment. The council declared that for reviling the king and despising their gods, Abram must be burned to death. Nimrod commanded a great fire to be prepared in his brick furnace in Casdim for three days and three nights, and a crowd of about nine hundred thousand people gathered to watch.
When Abram was brought forth, the king’s conjurors recognized him as the child from the prophecy of the star fifty years prior and revealed Terah’s earlier deception of substituting another infant. Enraged, the king confronted Terah, who, out of great fear for his life, confessed and falsely blamed his eldest son, Haran, for advising him. Haran’s heart had been wavering, resolving to follow Abram only if he prevailed over the king. On the strength of Terah's lie, Nimrod ordered Haran to be seized and cast into the fire with Abram.
THE ORDEAL OF THE FIERY FURNACE
The king’s servants stripped and bound both Abram and Haran and threw them into the furnace. The Lord loved Abram and delivered him from the flames, so that only the linen cords that bound him were burned. Haran, however, whose heart was not perfect with the Lord, was immediately consumed and turned to ashes. The flames also leaped out and killed twelve of the men who had cast them in.
For three days and three nights, Abram walked about in the midst of the fire, a sight that astonished the king's servants and eventually the king himself. When Nimrod’s servants attempted to retrieve Abram, the intense flames drove them back, killing eight of them. The king then called out, "O servant of the God who is in heaven, go forth from amidst the fire," and Abram walked out completely unharmed. He testified that the God of heaven and earth, in whom he trusted, had delivered him. The king, princes, and all the people saw this great wonder and bowed down to Abram, who directed them to bow only to the God of the world who had saved him.
THE KING'S DREAM AND RENEWED THREAT
This event caused the king and his princes to give Abram many gifts of silver, gold, and pearls, including two of the king’s head servants, Oni and Eliezer. Abram departed in peace with about three hundred new followers and returned to his father's house, where he continued to serve the Lord and teach His ways. At that time, Abram and his brother Nahor married their nieces, the daughters of their deceased brother Haran: Abram took Sarai, who was barren, and Nahor took Milca.
Two years later, King Nimrod had a terrifying dream in which he saw a man resembling Abram emerge from the furnace with a sword. In the dream, the man threw an egg at the king's head, which became a great river that drowned all his troops. The river then turned back into an egg, from which a bird hatched and plucked out the king’s eye. A wise servant named Anuki interpreted the dream to mean that Abram's descendants would one day slay the king. He urged Nimrod to kill Abram before this could come to pass.
ABRAM'S FLIGHT AND COUNSEL TO TERAH
Nimrod heeded the counsel and secretly sent servants to seize and kill Abram. However, Eliezer, Abram's servant, overheard the plot and warned his master to flee. Abram immediately ran for safety to the house of Noah and Shem, where he hid himself. After a month, when the king's anger had subsided, Abram's father Terah came to visit him. Abram warned his father that the king still sought to kill him and urged Terah to leave the land of Shinar with him. He counseled his father that Nimrod’s favor was only self-serving and that worldly riches could not save them in a day of wrath. Noah and Shem confirmed Abram's wise words, and Terah agreed to do all that his son had said.
Concise Summary
This chapter details Abram's miraculous deliverance from King Nimrod's fiery furnace, an ordeal in which his wavering brother Haran perishes. After being honored for his survival, Abram is again threatened when a prophetic dream incites the king to kill him, forcing him to flee and persuade his father, Terah, to abandon their home for the land of Canaan.
Book of Jasher Chapter 13
THE JOURNEY TO HARAN
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and his entire household and departed from Ur Casdim with the intention of traveling to the land of Canaan. They journeyed until they reached the land of Haran, where they chose to remain, for the land was exceedingly good for pasture and large enough for all who accompanied them. The people of Haran observed that Abram was a good and upright man and that the Lord his God was with him. As a result, some of the people of Haran joined Abram, and he taught them the instructions and ways of the Lord.
ABRAM'S FIRST SOJOURN IN CANAAN
After Abram had dwelt in Haran for three years, the Lord appeared to him, reminding him of His deliverance and promising to multiply his seed like the stars if he would keep His commandments. At the age of fifty, Abram was commanded to take his wife and all that belonged to him and go to the land of Canaan. Abram obeyed, and when he arrived, the Lord appeared to him again, promising the land to him and his descendants forever. In response, Abram built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord.
Abram dwelt in Canaan for three years, and in his fifty-eighth year, Noah died at the age of nine hundred and fifty. While Abram and his followers lived in Canaan, his father Terah, his brother Nahor, and his nephew Lot remained behind in Haran.
THE RISE OF CHEDORLAOMER
In the fifth year of Abram's sojourn in Canaan, the cities of the plain, including Sodom and Gomorrah, revolted against the authority of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, to whom they had paid a yearly tax for twelve years. Five years later, war broke out between Nimrod, king of Shinar, and Chedorlaomer, who had once been one of Nimrod’s princes before rebelling and establishing his own kingdom in Elam. Nimrod assembled an army of about seven hundred thousand men, but he was defeated by Chedorlaomer’s much smaller force of five thousand in the valley of Babel. Nimrod’s army suffered devastating losses, including his son Mardon, and he fled in disgrace, becoming subject to Chedorlaomer for a long time.
ABRAM'S RETURN TO HARAN AND FINAL CALL TO CANAAN
In the fifteenth year of his time in Canaan, when he was seventy years old, the Lord appeared again to Abram, reaffirming His promise to give him the land for an inheritance. After this, Abram returned to Haran to visit his father and mother, and he remained there for five years. During this time, about seventy-two men of Haran began to follow him, and he taught them to know the Lord.
The Lord then appeared to Abram in Haran, reminding him of the promise He had made twenty years earlier. He commanded Abram, now seventy-five years old, to arise and return to the land of Canaan with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the people he had gathered in Haran. Abram obeyed the word of the Lord and returned to Canaan, where he pitched his tent and dwelt in the plain of Mamre. The Lord appeared to him there once more, saying, "To thy seed will I give this land," and Abram built another altar to the Lord.
Concise Summary
This chapter details Abram's two separate journeys to Canaan at God's command, the first at age fifty and the second at age seventy-five, framing his story with pivotal events like the death of Noah and the military rise of Chedorlaomer over his former lord, Nimrod.
Book of Jasher Chapter 14
RIKAYON'S PLIGHT IN EGYPT
In those days, a wise and handsome but very poor man from the land of Shinar named Rikayon traveled to Egypt. He hoped to show his wisdom to Oswiris, the king of Egypt, and thereby find favor and gain a livelihood. Upon his arrival, he learned that the king only appeared in public to pass judgment one day out of the entire year, which left Rikayon deeply sorrowful, as he had no immediate way to gain an audience.
Pinched with hunger, he spent the night in a ruined bake house, unable to sleep. The next day, he attempted to earn money by selling vegetables, but being unfamiliar with the local customs, he was ridiculed by a mob who stole all his goods, leaving him with nothing. He returned to the bake house in bitterness of soul and spent a second night contemplating how he could save himself from starvation.
THE CUNNING SCHEME
That night, Rikayon devised an ingenious plan. The next morning, he hired thirty strong men from the rabble, armed with war instruments, and led them to the top of the Egyptian sepulchre. He commanded them to act in the king's name, proclaiming, "Thus saith the king... let no man be buried here until two hundred pieces of silver be given." His men enforced this edict for a full year, and in eight months, they had gathered great riches in silver and gold. With this wealth, Rikayon acquired horses and other animals and hired even more men to serve him.
RIKAYON BEFORE THE KING
When the year came around for the king to make his public appearance, all the inhabitants of Egypt assembled to complain about Rikayon's activities. They cried out to the king, protesting this unprecedented tax on the dead, an act unheard of since the days of Adam. They lamented that while kings typically tax the living, he was now taxing the dead day by day, and the whole city was being ruined. The king, who knew nothing of the affair, became very wroth and demanded to know who had dared to do such a wicked thing without his command.
After his subjects told him of Rikayon's work, the king ordered Rikayon and his men to be brought before him. In response, Rikayon orchestrated an impressive display: he sent a procession of a thousand children dressed in silk and embroidery riding on horses, followed by a great present of silver, gold, precious stones, and a magnificent horse for the king. When Rikayon himself appeared, the king and his entire court wondered at his riches and his wise and excellent speeches.
THE ORIGIN OF THE TITLE "PHARAOH"
Rikayon found great favor in the sight of the king, his servants, and all the people of Egypt. The king was so pleased that he said to Rikayon, "Thy name shall no more be called Rikayon but Pharaoh shall be thy name, since thou didst exact a tax from the dead." Following a consultation with the wise men of Egypt, Rikayon was made a prefect under King Oswiris, and this appointment became law.
As Prefect Rikayon Pharaoh, he administered daily justice over the whole city, while King Oswiris continued to judge the entire land just one day a year. Rikayon cunningly usurped the government of Egypt and exacted a tax from all its inhabitants. The people of Egypt loved him so greatly that they made a decree to call every king that would reign over them and their descendants "Pharaoh." Therefore, all kings that reigned in Egypt from that time forward were called by this title.
Concise Summary
This chapter recounts the story of Rikayon, a poor but wise man from Shinar who travels to Egypt and, through a clever scheme of taxing burials in the king's name, acquires great wealth and influence. His wisdom so impresses the Egyptian king that he is made a prefect and given the name "Pharaoh," establishing this as the royal title for all subsequent rulers of Egypt.
Book of Jasher Chapter 15
ABRAM'S JOURNEY TO EGYPT
In that year, a heavy famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram and his entire household to go down to Egypt. As they rested at the brook Mitzraim, Abram, observing his wife Sarai’s great beauty, became afraid that the Egyptians would kill him to take her, as he knew "the fear of God is not in these places." He instructed Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all who were with him to say that she was his sister. Still deeply concerned, Abram took the extra precaution of placing Sarai inside a chest, which he concealed among their vessels.
Upon entering the gates of the city, Abram paid the required tithe to the king's guards. However, the king's officers noticed the large chest and demanded to open it to assess its contents for the tithe. Abram refused, offering to pay any price they named, but the officers, suspecting it was filled with precious stones, opened it by force and discovered the beautiful woman hidden inside.
SARAI IN PHARAOH'S HOUSE
Struck with admiration, the king’s officers and princes praised Sarai’s beauty to Pharaoh, who then ordered her to be brought before him. Pharaoh was exceedingly pleased with her and took her to his house, bestowing presents on those who had brought him the news. Abram, grieved, prayed to the Lord to deliver his wife. Sarai also prayed, reminding God of His promise to Abram and asking to be saved from the oppressor. The Lord heard her prayer and sent an angel to protect her.
When Sarai told the king that Abram was her brother, Pharaoh honored Abram greatly, sending him abundant gifts of silver, gold, precious stones, cattle, and servants, and seating him in the court of the king's house.
DIVINE INTERVENTION AND DELIVERANCE
That night, an angel of the Lord appeared to Sarai, telling her not to fear. Every time Pharaoh reached out to touch her, the angel struck him heavily, once even smiting him to the ground, until the king was terrified and refrained from coming near her. The angel also smote Pharaoh's entire household on account of Sarai, causing a great lamentation throughout the palace. Realizing the plague was because of the woman, Pharaoh confronted Sarai, who confessed that Abram was her husband and she had lied out of fear that he would be killed.
The plagues ceased as soon as the king kept away from Sarai. The next morning, Pharaoh summoned Abram, rebuked him for the deception, and commanded him to take his wife and leave Egypt, lest they all die on her account. Pharaoh gave Abram more cattle, servants, silver, and gold, and also gave Sarai his own daughter (born to one of his concubines) as a handmaid, declaring it was better for his daughter to be a servant in Abram's house than a mistress in his own after the evil that had befallen them.
THE SEPARATION OF ABRAM AND LOT
Abram, his household, and all their possessions left Egypt with a royal escort and returned to Canaan, to the place where he had first built an altar. Both Abram and his nephew Lot had become very wealthy, and their possessions were so great that the land could not support them living together. Conflict arose between their herdsmen because Lot's herdsmen would graze their cattle in the fields belonging to the people of the land, while Abram's herdsmen refrained from doing so.
The inhabitants of the land quarreled with Abram daily because of Lot's men. Abram confronted Lot, saying he was making him despicable to the Canaanites, but Lot would not listen. Finally, Abram insisted they separate to keep peace, telling Lot to choose a place for himself and assuring him of his continued protection. Lot looked up and saw the plain of Jordan, which was well-watered and ideal for both people and cattle, and he chose to go there, pitching his tent and dwelling in Sodom. Abram remained and dwelt in the plain of Mamre in Hebron for many years.
Concise Summary
This chapter details Abram's journey to Egypt during a famine, where God intervenes with plagues to rescue Sarai from Pharaoh, resulting in Abram leaving with great wealth. Upon returning to Canaan, strife between their herdsmen forces a separation between Abram and his nephew Lot, who chooses to settle in the wicked plain of Sodom.
Book of Jasher Chapter 16
THE WAR OF THE KINGS
At that time, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, summoned his allied kings—including Nimrod of Shinar, who was then under his power, as well as Tidal of Goyim and Arioch of Elasar—to punish the cities of the plain for having rebelled against him for thirteen years. The four kings marched with a massive army of about eight hundred thousand men, smiting everyone in their path. The five kings of the plain—Bera of Sodom, Bersha of Gomorrah, Shinab of Admah, Shemeber of Zeboyim, and Bela of Zoar—went out to meet them in the Valley of Siddim.
ABRAM'S RESCUE OF LOT
The nine kings engaged in battle in the valley, which was full of lime pits. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were defeated, and their armies fled, with many falling into the pits while the rest escaped into the mountains. The four victorious kings pursued them, plundered all the cities of the plain, and took their goods and people captive, including Abram’s nephew Lot and all his property. Abram's servant, Unic, witnessed these events and reported them to his master.
Upon hearing that Lot had been captured, Abram gathered three hundred and eighteen of his men and pursued the kings that night. He launched a surprise attack and defeated their entire army; only the four kings themselves managed to flee. Abram recovered all the property of Sodom and rescued Lot, his family, and all of his possessions, so that nothing was lacking.
ABRAM MEETS ADONIZEDEK
On his return journey, Abram was met in the valley by Bera, the king of Sodom, and his men, who had emerged from the lime pits where they had fallen. Adonizedek, the king of Jerusalem—who was Shem himself—also came out to meet Abram with bread and wine. Adonizedek, a priest before God, blessed Abram, and Abram gave him a tenth of all the spoil he had taken.
The kings of Sodom then begged Abram to return their people but to keep all the property for himself. Abram refused, swearing an oath to the Lord that he would not take so much as a shoelace, so that they could never boast that they had made Abram rich. He declared that he would take only the value of the food his men had eaten, and that his allies—Anar, Ashcol, and Mamre—should receive their rightful portion. After this, Abram sent Lot back to his home in Sodom and returned to the plains of Mamre. The Lord then appeared to Abram again, telling him not to fear, for his reward was great, and promised to make his seed as numerous as the stars in heaven.
THE BIRTH OF ISHMAEL
Sarai, Abram's wife, was still barren. Seeing that she bore no children, she gave her handmaid Hagar, whom Pharaoh had given her and who had diligently learned all of Sarai's good ways, to Abram as a wife. After ten years of Abram dwelling in Canaan, at the age of eighty-five, he took Hagar and she conceived. When Hagar realized she was pregnant, she rejoiced, but her mistress became despised in her eyes. Sarai, overcome with jealousy, complained bitterly to Abram, who told her to do with Hagar as she saw fit. Sarai then afflicted Hagar, causing her to flee into the wilderness.
An angel of the Lord found Hagar by a well and comforted her, promising to multiply her seed and instructing her to name her son Ishmael. The angel told her to return and submit to her mistress. Hagar returned, and in time she bore a son, whom Abram named Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when his first son was born.
Concise Summary
This chapter details Abram's military victory over four powerful kings to rescue his nephew Lot, his subsequent tithing to Shem (King AdonizedEK), and the Lord's renewed covenant with him. It also recounts the circumstances of Sarai's barrenness, which leads her to give her handmaid Hagar to Abram, resulting in the birth of Ishmael.
Book of Jasher Chapter 17
THE WAR OVER THE DAUGHTERS OF TUBAL
In the ninety-first year of Abram's life, a war began between the children of Chittim, who had settled in the plain of Canopia by the river Tibreu, and the children of Tubal, who dwelled in Tuscanah in their city of Sabinah. The children of Tubal were defeated, and three hundred and seventy of their men were killed. Following the battle, the children of Tubal swore an oath that they would never give their daughters in marriage to the sons of Chittim. This was a significant oath, as the daughters of Tubal were renowned as the fairest women in the whole earth, sought after by kings and princes.
Three years later, when men of Chittim came seeking wives from Tubal, they were refused. The next harvest season, while the men of Tubal were in their fields, young men from Chittim went to the city of Sabinah and each abducted a young woman. The men of Tubal pursued them but could not prevail because of the high mountains. A year later, the children of Tubal hired an army of ten thousand men and again went to war with Chittim, this time gaining the upper hand.
In a moment of great distress, the men of Chittim lifted the children they had fathered with the abducted daughters of Tubal up onto the city wall, in full view of the attacking army. They cried out, "Have you come to make war with your own sons and daughters, and have we not been considered your flesh and bones from that time till now?" When the children of Tubal heard this, they ceased their attack and returned to their land. The children of Chittim then built two new cities by the sea, named Purtu and Ariza.
THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION
At that time, Abram was ninety-nine years old. The Lord appeared to him and said, "I will make my covenant between me and thee, and I will greatly multiply thy seed." The Lord declared the terms of this everlasting covenant: every male child of Abram and his descendants must be circumcised at eight days old, and this covenant would be in their flesh.
As part of this covenant, God changed their names. He said to Abram, "Thy name shall no more be called Abram but Abraham," and of his wife, "she shall no more be called Sarai but Sarah." The Lord concluded his promise by saying, "For I will bless you both, and I will multiply your seed after you that you shall become a great nation, and kings shall come forth from you."
Concise Summary
This chapter first recounts a war between the descendants of Chittim and Tubal, sparked by the abduction of Tubal's famously beautiful daughters, which ends only when the children born from these unions are used as a shield in battle. The narrative then shifts to the ninety-nine-year-old Abram, with whom God establishes the everlasting covenant of circumcision, changing his name to Abraham and Sarai's to Sarah, and renewing the promise of a great nation.
Book of Jasher Chapter 18
ABRAHAM'S HOSPITALITY
Abraham rose and did all that God had ordered him, circumcising all the men of his household and those bought with his money. Not one was left uncircumcised; Abraham and his son Ishmael, who was thirteen years old at the time, were also circumcised. On the third day, while Abraham was sitting at his tent door in the heat of the sun and in the pain of his flesh, the Lord appeared to him in the plain of Mamre, sending three of his ministering angels to visit him. Seeing the three men approaching from a distance, he ran to meet them, bowed down, and pressed them to turn in and eat a morsel of bread.
They accepted, and he gave them water to wash their feet and seated them under a tree. Abraham then hastened to prepare a feast. He ran and took a tender and good calf and gave it to his servant Eliezer to dress. He went to Sarah in the tent and asked her to quickly prepare three measures of fine meal and make cakes. Before the calf was ready, Abraham brought his guests butter, milk, beef, and mutton, which they ate. When they had finished their meal, one of them said to him, "I will return to thee according to the time of life, and Sarah thy wife shall have a son." The men then departed to the places where they had been sent.
THE WICKEDNESS OF SODOM
In those days, all the people of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the five cities of the plain were exceedingly wicked and sinful, provoking the Lord with their abominations. They had established several corrupt customs. Four times a year, all the people would gather in an extensive valley for a festival of timbrels and dances. During these festivals, they would rise up and seize their neighbors' wives and virgin daughters, and each man would see his wife and daughter with his neighbor but would not say a word. They would continue this from morning until night before returning home.
Another custom involved the treatment of strangers who came to their cities to sell goods. The people of the city—men, women, and children—would assemble and take the merchant's goods by force, with each person taking a small amount until nothing was left. If the owner quarreled with them, they would each taunt him by showing the little they had taken, claiming it was a gift, until the man left in sorrow and bitterness of soul, at which point they would drive him out of the city with great noise and tumult.
A man from Elam traveling through Sodom was refused lodging by everyone. A wicked and mischievous man named Hedad offered him shelter but then took the traveler's fine mantle and cord for "safekeeping." After detaining the man for two days with offers of food, Hedad refused to return the items. Instead, he claimed the man had merely dreamed of the items and offered a false interpretation of this "dream," demanding three pieces of silver for his services. When the traveler protested, Hedad took him before Serak, the judge of Sodom, who sided with Hedad, declaring him a famed interpreter of dreams. The judge then had them both driven from his court, and the people of Sodom gathered to exclaim against the stranger and drive him rashly from the city. The man continued his journey in bitterness of soul, weeping over what had happened to him in the corrupt city.
Concise Summary
This chapter juxtaposes the profound righteousness and hospitality of Abraham, who serves a feast to three angels and receives the promise of a son while still in pain from his circumcision, with the profound wickedness of Sodom, which is detailed through their practices of institutionalized rape and the legally-sanctioned, cunning robbery of travelers.
Book of Jasher Chapter 19
THE PERVERSE LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF SODOM
The cities of the plain were governed by four judges: Serak in Sodom, Sharkad in Gomorrah, Zabnac in Admah, and Menon in Zeboyim. Under their direction, the people established wicked customs to torment visitors. They erected beds in the streets and would force any traveler to lie in them. If the man was shorter than the bed, six men would stretch him to fit; if he was longer, they would compress the bed at both ends until he was at the gates of death, all while ignoring his cries. They also had a cruel practice for dealing with the poor: they would give a needy man silver and gold but then proclaim that no one should give him a morsel of bread. When the man eventually starved to death, the citizens would come to reclaim their money and fight over his garments.
When Abraham's servant Eliezer visited Sodom to inquire about Lot, he witnessed a Sodomite strip a poor man of his clothes. When Eliezer intervened, the Sodomite struck him in the forehead with a stone. Seeing the blood, the man then demanded payment from Eliezer, claiming it was the local law to be paid a fee for the service of "bloodletting." When the case was brought before the judge Shakra, he upheld the perverse custom. In a cunning response, Eliezer picked up a stone and struck the judge, causing him to bleed, and then said, "If this then is the custom in your land give thou unto this man what I should have given him, for this has been thy decision." Eliezer then left the man with the judge and departed.
THE PUNISHMENT FOR COMPASSION
Acts of kindness were met with death in the cities of the plain. Lot's daughter, Paltith, took pity on a poor man who was being intentionally starved in the street. For many days, she secretly fed him bread, which she concealed in her water pitcher when she went to fetch water. The people of Sodom, wondering how the man survived, set three men to watch him and discovered Paltith's act of compassion. They dragged her before their judges, who condemned her for transgressing their law. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah then kindled a fire in the street and cast Paltith into it, where she was burned to ashes.
A similar event occurred in the city of Admah, where a young woman gave bread and water to a traveler who was waiting to spend the night outside her father's house. When her act became known, the judge sentenced her to death. The people of the city anointed her with honey from head to foot and placed her before a swarm of bees, which stung her until her body swelled and she died, with no one pitying her cries.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITIES OF THE PLAIN
The Lord was provoked by these evil works and the refusal of the cities to sustain the poor and needy despite having abundant food and tranquility. He sent two of the angels who had visited Abraham's house to destroy Sodom and its cities. The angels arrived in the evening and were met by Lot, who pressed them to stay in his house, where he gave them food.
The angels warned Lot to arise and flee with all who belonged to him, for the Lord was about to destroy the city. They laid hold of Lot, his wife, and his children, brought them outside the city walls, and commanded them to escape for their lives. The Lord then rained brimstone and fire from heaven upon Sodom, Gomorrah, and all the cities of the plain, overthrowing them, their inhabitants, and all that grew upon the ground.
THE AFTERMATH AND ORIGIN OF MOAB AND AMMON
Lot’s wife, Ado, looked back at the destruction, for her compassion was moved for her daughters who had remained in Sodom. As she looked back, she became a pillar of salt, which is said to remain to this day, licked daily by oxen only to regenerate each morning. Lot and his two remaining daughters escaped to a cave. Believing that the entire earth had been destroyed and that there were no other men to give them children, the daughters made their father drink wine and lay with him on consecutive nights.
Both daughters conceived and bore sons. The firstborn named her son Moab, saying, "From my father did I conceive him." The younger named her son Benami. These sons became the fathers of the Moabites and the Ammonites. Afterward, Lot and his daughters moved and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, where their sons grew up, took wives from Canaan, and multiplied.
Concise Summary
This chapter provides a graphic account of the institutionalized cruelty of Sodom and its neighboring cities, detailing the torture of travelers and the execution of those who showed compassion, which culminates in the cities' fiery destruction by God and the subsequent incestuous origin of the nations of Moab and Ammon from Lot and his two daughters.
Book of Jasher Chapter 20
ABRAHAM'S DECEPTION IN GERAR
At that time, in the twenty-fifth year of his dwelling in Canaan and the hundredth year of his life, Abraham journeyed from the plain of Mamre to the land of the Philistines and lived in Gerar. Upon entering the land, he again instructed his wife Sarah to say she was his sister, so that he might escape the evil of the inhabitants. The servants of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, saw that Sarah was exceedingly beautiful and praised her to the king after Abraham confirmed she was his sister.
Abimelech sent his officers to bring Sarah to him, and he was greatly pleased by her beauty. When Sarah told the king that Abraham was her brother, Abimelech promised to honor him, allowing him to live anywhere in the land and promising to elevate him above all the people. The king then sent for Abraham, informed him of the honors to be bestowed upon him, and sent him away with a present.
THE DIVINE WARNING TO ABIMELECH
That evening, as the king was sitting on his throne, a deep sleep fell upon him, and he dreamed that an angel of the Lord stood over him with a drawn sword, intending to slay him. The terrified king asked the angel what he had done to deserve death. The angel replied, "Behold thou diest on account of the woman which thou didst yesternight bring to thy house, for she is a married woman, the wife of Abraham... now therefore return that man his wife... or know that thou wilt surely die, thou and all belonging to thee."
That same night, a great outcry spread throughout the land of the Philistines as the inhabitants saw the figure of a man with a drawn sword smiting them. The angel of the Lord struck the entire land, causing great confusion. Every womb was closed, and all their issues were stopped because Abimelech had taken Sarah.
THE RESTORATION OF SARAH
Abimelech awoke in terror and confusion and related his dream to his servants, who were greatly afraid. One servant, who knew of Abraham's past, advised the king to restore the woman immediately. He reminded Abimelech that a similar event had happened to the king of Egypt, who was struck with grievous plagues until he returned Sarah to her husband. The servant warned that the great pain and lamentation in their land was on account of the woman and that they should return her to avoid dying as the Egyptians had nearly done.
Abimelech hastened to call for Sarah and Abraham. He questioned Abraham about the deception, and Abraham explained that he had acted out of fear for his life. The king then returned Sarah to him and gave them great riches, including flocks, herds, men servants, maid servants, and a thousand pieces of silver. He invited Abraham to dwell anywhere he chose in the land. Although Abraham and Sarah left the king's presence with honor, the people of the land were still suffering from the plague the angel had inflicted. Abimelech sent for Abraham again and asked him to pray to his God to remove the mortality from them. Abraham prayed on behalf of Abimelech and his subjects, and the Lord heard his prayer and healed them all.
Concise Summary
This chapter recounts Abraham's journey to Gerar, where he again claims Sarah is his sister, leading King Abimelech to take her into his house. God intervenes with a threatening dream and a plague upon the entire land, forcing the king to restore Sarah with great riches and humbly request Abraham's prayer to heal his people.
Book of Jasher Chapter 21
THE BIRTH AND WEANING OF ISAAC
After Abraham had been dwelling in the land of the Philistines for a year and four months, God visited Sarah as He had promised, and she conceived and bore a son to Abraham. Abraham, who was one hundred years old, and Sarah, who was ninety, named their son Isaac. He was circumcised at eight days old, according to God's command.
When Isaac was weaned, Abraham made a great feast to celebrate. The event was attended by many great people of the land, including Shem and Eber, as well as Abimelech king of the Philistines with his captain, Phicol. Abraham’s father Terah and his brother Nahor also traveled from Haran to rejoice with him. They all ate and drank at the feast and remained with Abraham for many days.
ISHMAEL'S TREACHERY AND EXILE
At this time, Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar, was fourteen years old and had become a skilled archer. When Isaac was five years old, he was sitting with Ishmael at the door of the tent. Ishmael took his bow, placed an arrow in it, and intended to slay Isaac. Sarah saw what Ishmael planned to do to her son and was exceedingly grieved. She went to Abraham and demanded, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for her son shall not be heir with my son, for thus did he seek to do unto him this day."
Abraham hearkened to Sarah's voice. He rose early in the morning and gave Hagar twelve loaves of bread and a bottle of water, and sent her and Ishmael away. They went to the wilderness of Paran, where they dwelt for a long time. They later went to Egypt, where Hagar found a wife for her son named Meribah, who bore him four sons and two daughters. God blessed Ishmael with great wealth in flocks and herds on account of his father Abraham, and he dwelt in the deserts for a long time without seeing his father.
ABRAHAM'S VISITS TO ISHMAEL
Sometime later, Abraham desired to see his son and rode his camel into the wilderness, having sworn an oath to Sarah that he would not get off the camel. He arrived at Ishmael’s tent and found his wife Meribah, who was beating her children and cursing them and her husband. When Abraham, remaining on his camel, asked her for a little water, she replied, "We have neither water nor bread," and paid him no attention. Abraham, displeased, gave her a coded message for her husband: "When thou comest home put away this nail of the tent which thou hast placed here, and place another nail in its stead." When Ishmael heard this, he understood that the "nail of the tent" referred to his wife and that his father did not approve of her. He followed his father's instruction and cast her off.
Ishmael then took another wife from Canaan. After three years, Abraham again visited, still bound by his oath not to dismount. This wife greeted him respectfully and, when he asked for water, she quickly brought him both bread and water, urging him to eat. After he had eaten and his heart was comforted, he blessed his son Ishmael and left another message: "The nail of the tent which thou hast is very good, do not put it away from the tent." When Ishmael returned, his wife joyfully relayed the message. He knew it was his father and understood that this wife had honored him, and the Lord blessed Ishmael.
Concise Summary
This chapter details the joyous birth of Isaac, which is celebrated with a great feast, followed by Ishmael's attempt to kill his younger brother, leading to his and Hagar's exile. It concludes with Abraham's visits to Ishmael's camp, where through coded messages he directs his son to reject a dishonorable wife in favor of a hospitable one.
Book of Jasher Chapter 22
ABRAHAM'S COVENANT AT BEERSHEBA
Ishmael rose up with his family and all his possessions and journeyed to the land of the Philistines to live with his father, Abraham. After twenty-six years, Abraham and his household moved from the land of the Philistines and settled near Hebron, where his servants dug wells of water. The servants of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, heard of this and quarreled with Abraham's servants, robbing them of a great well they had dug.
Abimelech, along with Phicol, the captain of his host, came to Abraham concerning the dispute. Abraham rebuked the king, who swore that he had not heard of his servants' actions until that day. To affirm his ownership, Abraham gave Abimelech seven ewe lambs as a testimony that he had dug the well, and the two men made a covenant. They called the place Beersheba, because they had both sworn an oath there, and Abraham and his household then dwelt in Beersheba for a long time.
ABRAHAM'S HOSPITALITY AND THE GENERATIONS OF NAHOR
In Beersheba, Abraham planted a large grove with a vineyard and built four gates facing the four directions, so that any traveler could enter, eat, drink, and be satisfied. His house was always open; he gave bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked, and silver and gold to those in need, all while teaching them about the Lord who created them.
While Abraham was in Canaan, his brother Nahor and his father Terah remained in Haran. Nahor's wife Milca bore him eight sons: Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Kesed, Chazo, Pildash, Tidlaf, and Bethuel, who was the father of Laban and Rebecca. Nahor’s concubine, Reumah, bore him four more sons. During this time, Abraham's father Terah, in his old age, took another wife named Pelilah, who bore him a son named Zoba. Terah died in the thirty-fifth year of Isaac's life, at the age of two hundred and five, and was buried in Haran.
THE PROVOCATION FOR ISAAC'S SACRIFICE
Abraham taught his son Isaac the way of the Lord as he was growing up. When Isaac was thirty-seven years old, his brother Ishmael boasted to him of his own obedience, saying that he was thirteen when God commanded his circumcision and he willingly gave his soul to the Lord without transgressing the command. Isaac replied, "Why dost thou boast to me about this, about a little bit of thy flesh...? As the Lord liveth... if the Lord should say unto my father, 'Take now thy son Isaac and bring him up an offering before me,' I would not refrain but I would joyfully accede to it."
The Lord heard Isaac’s words and was pleased, and He decided to test Abraham. On a day when the sons of God came to stand before the Lord, Satan also came among them. Satan accused the people of the earth of only serving God when they require something. He then specifically accused Abraham, claiming that since the birth of his son Isaac, Abraham had celebrated with a great feast but had offered no sacrifice to God, and for thirty-seven years had built no altar, having forsaken God now that his desire for a son was fulfilled. The Lord defended Abraham as a perfect and upright man, declaring that if He were to ask Abraham to offer Isaac, he would not withhold him. Satan then challenged the Lord, saying, "Speak then now unto Abraham as thou hast said, and thou wilt see whether he will not this day transgress and cast aside thy words."
Concise Summary
This chapter details Abraham's peaceful covenant with King Abimelech at Beersheba and his renowned hospitality, before setting the stage for the command to sacrifice Isaac, which arises from a boastful conversation between Ishmael and Isaac and a subsequent challenge from Satan to God in the heavenly court.
Book of Jasher Chapter 23
THE COMMAND AND SARAH'S FAREWELL
The word of the Lord came to Abraham, commanding him to take his only son, Isaac, to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering. Troubled by how to take Isaac from his mother, Abraham told Sarah a fabrication: that he was taking their son to study the service of God with Shem and Eber. Sarah consented but pleaded with Abraham to take great care of their only child, warning him not to let Isaac go hungry, thirsty, or be exposed to the sun.
Sarah spent the entire night weeping, kissing, and embracing Isaac. In the morning, she dressed him in a fine garment given to her by Abimelech, placed a turban with a precious stone on his head, and gave them provisions for their journey. The departure was filled with great weeping from Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and their servants. Sarah held her son, crying, "Who knoweth if after this day I shall ever see thee again?" before finally turning away in bitter sorrow.
SATAN'S ATTEMPTS TO INTERFERE
Abraham set out with Isaac and his two servants, Ishmael and Eliezer. As they traveled, Satan appeared to Abraham disguised as a humble old man, questioning his sanity for being willing to slaughter his only son and arguing that such an evil command could not be from God. Abraham recognized him as Satan and rebuked him. Satan then appeared to Isaac as a handsome young man, calling his father a "silly old man" and urging Isaac to save his own precious life. Isaac reported this to his father, who again identified the tempter as Satan.
Undeterred, Satan transformed himself into a large, powerful brook of water that suddenly appeared in their path where no water had been before. As they waded through the water that rose up to their necks, Abraham once more recognized Satan's work and rebuked him, saying, "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan... we go by the commands of God." Satan fled, and the place instantly became dry land again.
THE JOURNEY TO MOUNT MORIAH
On the third day, Abraham saw the appointed place from a distance, marked by a pillar of fire that reached from the earth to heaven, with a cloud of glory upon the mountain. When he asked Isaac what he saw, Isaac described the same glorious vision, and Abraham knew that his son was accepted as an offering. However, when he asked Ishmael and Eliezer, they said they saw nothing more than an ordinary mountain. Realizing they were not chosen to proceed, Abraham instructed them to wait with the ass while he and Isaac went to worship.
Abraham placed the wood for the offering on Isaac's back, and they went on together. As they walked, Isaac asked his father where the lamb for the offering was. Abraham replied, "The Lord has made choice of thee my son, to be a perfect burnt offering instead of the lamb." Isaac, with a joyful and cheerful heart, affirmed his complete willingness to do whatever God commanded, stating that not a single limb or muscle had stirred in defiance.
THE SACRIFICE AND DIVINE INTERVENTION
Rejoicing at his son’s words, Abraham and Isaac came to the place and built an altar together, with Isaac gathering the stones and mortar while Abraham wept. Isaac then asked his father to bind him securely, lest he struggle from the pain of the knife and profane the offering. He also asked Abraham to bring his ashes back to his mother Sarah, but to be careful not to tell her near a well or a high place, lest she throw herself down in grief. As Abraham's tears gushed down upon his son, both men wept, their eyes filled with sorrow while their hearts rejoiced in their obedience.
Abraham bound Isaac, placed him on the altar, and stretched forth his hand with the knife to slay him. At that moment, the angels of mercy pleaded with the Lord to have compassion and provide a ransom for Isaac. God called to Abraham from heaven, commanding him not to harm the boy. Abraham then saw a ram, which God had prepared since the creation of the world, advancing toward him but entangled in a thicket by its horns—a trick of Satan to prevent it from arriving in time. Abraham freed the ram, unbound his son, and offered the animal in Isaac's place, repeatedly exclaiming, "This is in the place of my son," so that the Lord accepted the sacrifice as if it had been Isaac.
SATAN'S DECEPTION AND THE DEATH OF SARAH
While Abraham was still at the altar, Satan went to Sarah disguised as an old man and cruelly told her that Abraham had sacrificed Isaac. Believing the lie, Sarah fell to the ground and wept bitterly for her son, yet she consoled herself that it was the Lord's will and rejoiced in their obedience even as she mourned. She then traveled to Hebron seeking news.
There, Satan appeared to her again and reversed his lie, saying, "I spoke falsely unto thee, for Abraham did not kill his son and he is not dead." When Sarah heard this, her joy was so exceedingly violent and overwhelming that her soul departed from her, and she died. When Abraham and Isaac returned home and could not find her, they traveled to Hebron and discovered she was dead. They wept bitterly over her and held a great and heavy mourning.
Concise Summary
This chapter provides a deeply emotional and detailed account of Abraham's test to sacrifice Isaac, including Sarah's heart-wrenching farewell, Satan's repeated attempts to thwart the command, Isaac's willing and joyful submission, and the tragic death of Sarah, who dies from overwhelming joy after being cruelly deceived by Satan.
Book of Jasher Chapters 24-34
THE NEXT GENERATION: ISAAC AND REBECCA
After Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of Machpelah, which he had purchased from Ephron the Hittite in a witnessed transaction, he sent his son Isaac to the house of Shem and Eber to learn the ways of the Lord for three years. When Abraham was old, he sent his servant Eliezer to his homeland of Haran to find a wife for Isaac, who was then forty years old. Eliezer returned with Rebecca, the ten-year-old daughter of Bethuel, and Isaac married her. Abraham then took another wife, Keturah, who bore him six sons whose descendants he sent to live in the east. For nineteen years, Rebecca remained barren, until Isaac prayed to the Lord for her at her request, and she conceived.
THE RIVALRY OF ESAU AND JACOB
The children struggled in Rebecca's womb, and she inquired of the Lord through Shem and Eber, who told her that two nations were within her, and that the elder would serve the younger. When Isaac was sixty, Rebecca gave birth to twins: Esau, who was red and hairy, and Jacob, who emerged holding his brother’s heel. The boys grew up with different natures; Esau became a designing and deceitful hunter, while Jacob was a perfect and wise man dwelling in tents.
When the twins were fifteen, their grandfather Abraham died at the age of one hundred and seventy-five and was mourned by all the kings of Canaan. After Abraham's death, Esau, while hunting, encountered Nimrod, the king of Babel. Driven by a long-held jealousy, Esau ambushed and killed Nimrod and his two guards, taking the king’s valuable garments—the same ones God had made for Adam. He returned home exhausted and famished and, in his hunger, sold his birthright and his portion in the family burial cave of Machpelah to his brother Jacob for a meal. Years later, when Isaac was old and blind, he intended to bless Esau, but Rebecca orchestrated a deception so that Jacob received the powerful blessing instead.
JACOB'S FLIGHT AND SOJOURN IN HARAN
Enraged by the stolen blessing, Esau vowed to kill Jacob after their father's death. Warned by his mother, Jacob fled. Isaac blessed him again and commanded him not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan but to go to Laban in Haran. As Jacob departed, Esau secretly sent his son Eliphaz to pursue and kill him. However, Eliphaz took pity on his uncle; instead of killing him, he robbed Jacob of all his possessions and left him destitute. Jacob continued on to Mount Moriah, where God appeared to him in a dream, promising to be with him and multiply his seed.
Jacob arrived in Haran and, upon meeting Rachel at a well, agreed to serve her father Laban for seven years to marry her. At the end of the term, Laban deceived him by giving him his elder daughter, Leah, instead. Jacob then served another seven years for Rachel, and six more years for wages. During these twenty years, God blessed Jacob with eleven sons, one daughter, and immense wealth in livestock.
JACOB'S RETURN AND RECONCILIATION WITH ESAU
The Lord commanded Jacob to return to Canaan. As he fled with his family and possessions, Rachel stole her father's idols to prevent Laban from divining their location. Laban pursued them and made a covenant of peace with Jacob, but then secretly sent messengers to Esau, inciting him to attack his brother. Esau gathered four hundred men from Seir and marched against Jacob. Terrified, Jacob prayed fervently for deliverance.
The Lord sent four camps of angels, who appeared to Esau's forces as a massive army of two thousand, terrifying Esau and turning his heart from hatred to peace. After wrestling with an angel, Jacob sent a large present ahead of him and went to meet his brother. Esau, his anger abated, ran and embraced Jacob, and they wept. They reconciled and parted peacefully, with Esau returning to Seir and Jacob continuing his journey toward Canaan.
THE DEFILEMENT OF DINAH AND THE REVENGE ON SHECHEM
Jacob and his household settled near the city of Shechem. One day his daughter, Dinah, went with her mothers to see the daughters of the city rejoice. Shechem, the son of the city's prince, Hamor, saw her, forcibly took her to his house, and defiled her. He then fell in love with her and asked his father to arrange a marriage. When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they were filled with grief and rage. Hamor and Shechem came to Jacob and offered any dowry for Dinah, proposing that their peoples intermarry and live together.
Simeon and Levi answered deceitfully, saying they would only agree if every male in Shechem would be circumcised, for it was a disgrace to give their sister to an uncircumcised man. Eager for the marriage, Shechem and Hamor persuaded all the men of their city to consent. On the third day, while the men of Shechem were sore from the procedure, Simeon and Levi took their swords, entered the city, and killed every male, including Hamor and his son Shechem. They rescued Dinah from Shechem's house, and their brothers joined them in spoiling the city. Jacob was furious and rebuked his sons, fearing the revenge of the surrounding Canaanites, but they replied, "Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?" When the neighboring Amorite kings heard of the slaughter, they were astonished and began to assemble their armies to make war with Jacob.
Concise Summary
This section covers the life of Jacob, detailing his acquisition of the birthright and blessing through deceit, his twenty-year exile in Haran where he gains a large family and great wealth, his tense but peaceful reconciliation with Esau, and the violent revenge his sons take on the entire city of Shechem for the defilement of their sister Dinah.
Book of Jasher Chapters 35-45
THE WARS OF JACOB'S SONS
After Simeon and Levi destroyed Shechem, the surrounding Canaanite kings gathered their armies to attack Jacob's family. However, a great fear of God fell upon them, and they refrained from fighting. Jacob then moved his household to Bethel, where God appeared to him, blessed him, and changed his name to Israel. Later, when Jacob's family returned to dwell near Shechem, the Amorite and Canaanite kings again assembled a massive force to destroy them.
Jacob’s ten eldest sons, along with one hundred and two of their servants, went out to meet this threat. After fervent prayers from both Jacob and his father Isaac, the Lord sent a great terror upon the Canaanite armies. Judah killed Jashub, the king of Tapnach, with a stone; Levi slew Elon, king of Gaash; and Jacob killed Ihuri, king of Shiloh, with an arrow. In the ensuing battles, the sons of Jacob, empowered by God, were victorious. They pursued the fleeing armies, killed four more kings, and utterly destroyed the cities of Chazar, Sarton, Tapnach, Arbelan (where even the women fought against them), the mighty triple-walled city of Gaash, and Bethchorin. Following these overwhelming victories, the remaining twenty-one kings of Canaan, led by Japhia of Hebron, came to Jacob’s sons to sue for peace. A covenant was made, and the Canaanite kings became tributary to them.
JOSEPH'S DREAMS AND BETRAYAL
After the wars, Jacob’s family dwelt in Hebron, and his wife Leah died and was buried in Machpelah. Joseph, then seventeen years old, was greatly favored by his father, who made him a coat of many colors. Joseph exalted himself over his brothers and brought evil reports about them to Jacob. Their hatred intensified when Joseph recounted two dreams: one in which their sheaves in the field bowed down to his, and another in which the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed to him.
Jacob later sent Joseph to check on his brothers, who were pasturing their flocks in Shechem. An angel of the Lord directed Joseph to them in Dothan. When his brothers saw him coming, they conspired to kill him. Reuben, hoping to save him, suggested they throw him into a pit instead of shedding his blood. They stripped Joseph of his coat and cast him into the pit, which was filled with serpents and scorpions that the Lord restrained from harming him. Joseph cried out and pleaded for mercy, but his brothers moved away so they would not have to hear his cries.
JACOB'S GRIEF AND DECEPTION
While the brothers were eating, Judah suggested they sell Joseph rather than kill him. Before the caravan of Ishmaelites they spotted could arrive, a group of Midianite traders passed by, found Joseph in the pit, and drew him out. The brothers then sold Joseph to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver. The Midianites, in turn, sold him to the Ishmaelites who were heading to Egypt. On the journey, Joseph wept at his mother Rachel's grave and heard a comforting voice from the ground.
When Reuben returned to the pit and found Joseph gone, he was distraught. The brothers swore an oath of secrecy and, following Issachar’s counsel, tore Joseph's coat, dipped it in the blood of a goat, and sent it to their father. Jacob recognized the coat and was overcome with grief, believing an evil beast had killed his son. He tore his garments, put on sackcloth, and mourned inconsolably, refusing all comfort.
JOSEPH'S TRIALS IN EGYPT
In Egypt, Joseph was sold by the Ishmaelites to a group of Medanim, who then sold him for four hundred pieces of silver to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. The Lord was with Joseph, and he prospered, becoming the overseer of his master’s entire house. However, Potiphar's wife, Zelicah, became infatuated with the handsome youth and constantly tried to entice him, but he refused her advances.
To show her friends the cause of her lovesickness, Zelicah hosted a banquet where the women of Egypt, mesmerized by Joseph's beauty, accidentally cut their hands while peeling citrons. One day, when the house was empty during a festival, she cornered Joseph with a sword and demanded he lie with her. He fled, leaving his torn garment in her hand. Fearing exposure, she falsely accused him of assault. Though a baby in the house miraculously spoke and proclaimed Joseph’s innocence, Potiphar, to save his wife from public disgrace, had Joseph cast into the prison house, where he remained for twelve years.
THE GENERATIONS OF ISRAEL
This period of time saw the growth of Jacob's family. The narrative details the wives and children of each of Jacob's sons. Reuben had four sons. Simeon had six sons, including one from the Canaanitish woman he had taken captive from Shechem. Levi had three sons. Judah took a Canaanite wife who bore him Er, Onan, and Shiloh. After Er and Onan were slain by the Lord for their wickedness with their wife Tamar, Judah withheld his youngest son from her. Tamar then disguised herself and conceived twins, Perez and Zarah, by Judah himself. The chapter also lists the wives and children of Dan, Gad, Naphtali, Asher (who took Serach as his step-daughter), Zebulun, and Benjamin.
Concise Summary
This section details the military victories of Jacob's sons over the Canaanite kings, the subsequent betrayal of seventeen-year-old Joseph by his jealous brothers who sell him into slavery, and Jacob's inconsolable grief. It follows Joseph to Egypt, where his righteousness in the house of Potiphar leads to him being falsely accused by his master's wife and unjustly cast into prison for twelve years, while also providing a genealogy of the growing tribes of Israel.
Book of Jasher Chapters 46-56
JOSEPH'S RISE FROM PRISONER TO RULER
While Joseph was still in prison, he correctly interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s chief butler and baker. The baker was hanged and the butler restored to his position, but the butler forgot to mention Joseph to the king for two more years. During this time, Joseph’s grandfather Isaac died at the age of one hundred and eighty and was buried by his sons, Jacob and Esau. Following the burial, the brothers divided their inheritance; Esau took all the movable wealth, while Jacob, by right of his purchase of the birthright, took the land of Canaan and the cave of Machpelah as his possession, a transaction that was recorded and witnessed. Esau then moved his entire household permanently to the land of Seir.
Later, Pharaoh dreamed of seven fat and seven lean kine, and seven full and seven thin ears of corn. When none of his magicians or wise men could provide a proper interpretation, the chief butler remembered Joseph. Joseph was hastily brought from the dungeon, shaved, and clothed. Clothed with the spirit of God, he interpreted the dreams as seven years of great plenty to be followed by seven years of devastating famine, and he gave the king a sign that immediately came to pass to prove his words were true. Pharaoh and his court, impressed by his wisdom, sought to appoint a wise man over the land. Though his officers objected that Joseph did not know the seventy languages required for high office under Egyptian law, the Lord sent an angel that night who taught Joseph all of them. The next day, Joseph demonstrated his new knowledge, and Pharaoh appointed him as his second in command, giving him the name Zaphnath Paaneah, the king's ring, royal garments, and Osnath, the daughter of Potiphera, for a wife.
JACOB'S SONS' FIRST JOURNEY TO EGYPT
During the seven years of plenty, Joseph wisely stored vast quantities of grain. When the seven years of famine began, only the grain stored by Joseph was unspoiled, and he sold it to all the surrounding nations. To anticipate his brothers' arrival, Joseph established a system to record the names of all who came to buy corn. When the famine reached Canaan, Jacob sent his ten eldest sons to Egypt, instructing them to enter the city by different gates. They also resolved to search for their lost brother Joseph. After three days of searching for him in the houses of harlots, they were found by Joseph's guards and brought before him.
Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not know him. He accused them of being spies, and through his questioning, he learned that his father and youngest brother, Benjamin, were still alive. He had them imprisoned for three days. Afterward, he released them, keeping Simeon as a hostage, and sent them home with sacks of corn, with their payment money secretly returned inside. He commanded them not to see his face again unless they brought their youngest brother with them.
THE TEST OF BENJAMIN
The brothers returned to Jacob, who was devastated by the loss of Simeon and flatly refused to let Benjamin go. However, as the famine worsened and his grandchildren wept for bread, Jacob's resolve weakened. Judah pleaded with his father, offering himself as a permanent surety for Benjamin's safety. Jacob finally relented, sending them back with a present of the best fruits of the land and a letter of supplication for the governor of Egypt.
When the brothers arrived with Benjamin, Joseph received them, brought Simeon out to them, and invited them to dine in his house. During the meal, he used his silver cup to feign divination, seating his brothers in their exact birth order and placing Benjamin beside him on the throne. The next morning, he sent them away with their sacks full of grain and their money once again returned, but this time he had his servant hide his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. Shortly after they departed, Joseph's officer pursued and overtook them, accusing them of theft. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack, and all the brothers, tearing their garments in despair, were brought back to the city, where Joseph declared that Benjamin must remain as his slave.
THE REVELATION AND REUNION
Judah, who was security for Benjamin, was kindled with a mighty anger. He confronted Joseph, threatening to destroy Egypt if his brother was not released. He demonstrated his immense strength by crushing a stone to dust with his bare hands. The conflict escalated dramatically when Judah roared with such force that it shook the land, causing Pharaoh to fall from his throne and the pregnant women of Egypt to miscarry. The terrified Pharaoh sent a message to Joseph, begging him to let the Hebrews go before they destroyed the entire kingdom.
Joseph, afraid of both his brothers' wrath and Pharaoh's fear, sought a way to end the confrontation. After calming Judah, he tested them one last time, then finally revealed his identity, saying, "I am Joseph whom you sold to Egypt." The brothers were stunned and terrified, but a tearful reunion ensued. Pharaoh, greatly relieved, sent his congratulations and invited Jacob’s entire family to come and live in the best part of Egypt. Joseph then sent his brothers home laden with gifts, royal garments, and Pharaoh's own chariots to bring their father and their families back.
ISRAEL'S DESCENT INTO EGYPT
Using the subtle singing of Asher's daughter, Serach, the brothers gently broke the news to Jacob, whose spirit was revived when he saw the chariots and treasures from Egypt. After the Lord commanded him in a vision to go, Jacob and his entire household journeyed to Egypt. Joseph, along with all the nobles and mighty men of Egypt, came out in a grand procession to meet his father. Jacob and his family, seventy souls in all, were settled in the land of Goshen, where Joseph nourished them throughout the remaining five years of the famine.
THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF JACOB
Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years, dying at the age of one hundred and forty-seven. Before his death, he blessed his sons and grandsons and made his sons swear to bury him in the cave of Machpelah in Canaan, giving them specific instructions on how they themselves were to carry his bier. Joseph led a magnificent funeral procession, like that of a king, with all the mighty men of Egypt accompanying him to Canaan.
At the cave in Hebron, they were confronted by Esau and his sons, who forbade the burial, claiming the cave as their own. A battle broke out. As Naphtali ran back to Egypt to fetch the legal records of Jacob's purchase of the birthright, the conflict escalated. Chushim, the deaf son of Dan, enraged by the delay and the disrespect to his grandfather, took a sword and beheaded Esau. The sons of Jacob then prevailed over Esau's sons and buried their father by force, with all the kings of Canaan in attendance to pay their respects.
Concise Summary
This section charts Joseph's dramatic rise from an unjustly imprisoned slave to the ruler of Egypt, his subsequent testing and emotional reunion with the brothers who betrayed him, the migration of Jacob's entire family to Goshen, and the eventual death of Jacob, whose burial in Canaan is violently contested and ultimately secured by the death of his brother Esau.
Book of Jasher Chapters 57-65
CONTINUED WARS OF ESAU'S DESCENDANTS
Following the burial of Jacob, the sons of Esau renewed their war with the sons of Jacob in Hebron. The battle was fierce, and the sons of Esau were defeated, with eighty of their men slain. Joseph’s forces prevailed, capturing Zepho, son of Eliphaz, and fifty of his men, who were then bound in iron chains and taken to Egypt. The remaining forces of Esau fled with Eliphaz and the body of Esau, which they buried in Seir. The sons of Jacob pursued them to the border but then returned to Hebron.
In response, the sons of Esau gathered a massive army, including the sons of Seir the Horite and the children of the east, and marched to Egypt to fight Joseph and his brethren and liberate the captives. Joseph, his brothers, and the mighty men of Egypt met them in Rameses. The Lord delivered the armies of Esau and the children of the east into the hands of Jacob’s sons, who slew two hundred thousand of them, including all the mighty men of Seir. Eliphaz and the remaining forces fled, pursued by Joseph, who inflicted further casualties before returning victoriously to Egypt.
The sons of Seir, seeing their mighty men destroyed, blamed the sons of Esau and demanded they leave their land. When the sons of Esau refused, war broke out between them. The sons of Esau sought aid from Angeas, king of Dinhabah, while the sons of Seir allied with the children of the east and Midian. After initial defeats, the sons of Esau, reinforced by Angeas, eventually prevailed over the children of Seir, annihilating them and destroying their cities. Following this victory, the sons of Esau dwelt in Seir in their place, and having become embittered toward each other during the conflict, they swore never to have one of their own brethren rule over them. Instead, they crowned Bela, the son of Beor, a valiant man from the people of Angeas, as their king.
THE DEATH OF THE PATRIARCHS AND THE RISE OF OPPRESSION
In the seventy-first year of Israel’s time in Egypt, Pharaoh Magron died, and his son Melol reigned in his stead for ninety-four years. During his reign, Joseph remained the effective ruler over all of Egypt and its surrounding territories, which paid him a yearly tax. Joseph and his brethren dwelt securely and multiplied in the land. After the death of Joseph and his brothers, the Egyptians began to afflict the children of Israel, taking back the fields, vineyards, and elegant houses Joseph had given them.
When the generation that knew Joseph had passed away, a new king arose who did not know of the good Joseph had done. This king, Melol, embittered the lives of the Israelites with hard labor. This was allowed by the Lord so that Israel might know Him through the mighty wonders He would later perform in Egypt. The patriarchs died during this period: Zebulun at age one hundred and fourteen; Simeon at one hundred and twenty; Reuben at one hundred and twenty-five; Dan at one hundred and twenty; Issachar at one hundred and twenty-two; Asher at one hundred and twenty-three; Gad at one hundred and twenty-five; Judah at one hundred and twenty-nine; and finally Levi at one hundred and thirty-seven.
THE ESCAPE OF ZEPHO AND THE WARS OF CHITTIM
Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, grandson of Esau, fled from his servitude in Egypt and journeyed to Africa, which is Dinhabah, to King Angeas, who made him captain of his host. Zepho repeatedly urged Angeas to attack Egypt, but the king refused, knowing the strength of Jacob’s sons. Meanwhile, a conflict arose between Angeas and Turnus, king of Bibentu, over Jania, the beautiful and wise daughter of Uzu of Chittim. Angeas, allied with his brother Lucus of Sardunia, defeated and killed Turnus in battle.
After this, Zepho fled from Angeas and went to Chittim, where the people hired him to fight their battles. He became famous after slaying a large beast—half man, half animal—that was devouring their cattle. In his honor, the people of Chittim consecrated a day to him called Zepho. When Queen Jania fell ill in Africa, King Angeas was advised that it was due to the different air and water. He commanded that a great bridge and aqueduct be built to carry the waters of her native land, Chittim, to Africa, and had palaces built for her with soil from her homeland, which cured her. After Zepho again defeated Angeas’s plundering troops, the children of Chittim made him their king, and he reigned for fifty years over both Chittim and Italia.
CONFLICTS OF THE NATIONS
During the reign of Moses in Cush, conflicts arose among other kingdoms. Baal Chanan succeeded Saul as king of Edom and reigned for thirty-eight years, during which Moab successfully rebelled against Edomite rule. In Africa, King Angeas died and was succeeded by his son Azdrubal. In Chittim, King Janeas died and was succeeded by Latinus, who reigned for forty-five years. Latinus waged a successful war against Azdrubal, destroying the great aqueduct and killing Azdrubal in battle. Latinus then took Azdrubal’s beautiful daughter, Ushpezena, as his wife.
Following this defeat, Azdrubal’s younger brother, Anibal, was made king of Africa. He resolved to avenge his brother and waged a fierce, eighteen-year war against the children of Chittim. Anibal inflicted heavy casualties, slaying many of their princes and about eighty thousand of their people, before returning to rule securely in Africa.
ZEPHO'S ALLIANCE AGAINST EGYPT
After returning from his war with Angeas, and hearing that Joseph and the mighty men of Egypt were dead, Zepho decided to attack Egypt to avenge the cause of his brethren, the children of Esau. He formed a great alliance, sending messengers to Hadad king of Edom, the children of the east, and the children of Ishmael. A massive army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore, assembled in Hebron and marched toward Egypt, camping in the valley of Pathros. The Syrian magician Balaam the son of Beor, who had previously fled Chittim for Egypt, was now in Zepho’s camp. Zepho asked Balaam to use divination to determine the battle's outcome, but Balaam's efforts were confused and destroyed by the Lord, and he could not provide an answer.
THE BATTLE FOR EGYPT
The Egyptians assembled an army of three hundred thousand men and sent for the children of Israel, who provided one hundred and fifty men. Suspicious that their brethren might betray them to the sons of Esau and Ishmael, the Egyptians instructed the Israelites to remain in their camp while the Egyptians fought alone. The battle was severe, and the Egyptians were quickly routed. As the armies of Zepho pursued them, the Egyptians cried out to the Israelites for help.
The one hundred and fifty men of the children of Israel ran from their station, cried out to the Lord, and entered the battle. The Lord delivered the massive army into their hands, throwing the enemy camp into a great consternation. The Israelites inflicted a terrible blow, slaying thousands and pursuing the fleeing armies to the border of Cush. Upon their return, the Israelites, angered that the Egyptians had deserted them, cunningly slew about two hundred Egyptians they found on the road. This act, combined with their miraculous victory, caused all of Egypt to greatly fear the children of Israel.
THE ENSLAVEMENT OF ISRAEL
After the battle, the counselors and elders of Egypt came before Pharaoh, expressing their fear of the Israelites’ growing power. They warned that if war should ever occur, the Israelites might join Egypt’s enemies and destroy them. The king devised a cunning plan to gradually destroy them through affliction. A royal proclamation was issued, inviting both Egyptians and Israelites to work for daily wages on the construction and fortification of the cities Pithom and Rameses.
Many from Israel joined the project, but the tribe of Levi, discerning the Egyptians' deceit, did not participate. At first, the Egyptians worked alongside the Israelites and paid them their wages. However, over time, the Egyptian workers secretly withdrew one by one, only to return as taskmasters and officers over the children of Israel. They ceased paying wages, and when the Israelites refused to work, they were beaten and forced into servitude. Thus, the Egyptians embittered the lives of the Israelites with hard labor in mortar and bricks, but the more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied and grew, and the Egyptians were grieved.
Concise Summary
These chapters chronicle the ongoing wars of Esau’s descendants, the deaths of the patriarchs, and the subsequent cunning plot by a new generation of Egyptians to enslave the children of Israel, who were feared for their growing numbers and miraculous strength in battle. Analysis complete. Please select another section number from the map to continue, or type 'exit' to finish.
Book of Jasher Chapters 66-75
PHARAOH'S DECREES AND THE BIRTH OF MOSES
When Pharaoh and the Egyptians saw that the hard labor they imposed did not diminish the Israelites, but that they continued to multiply, the king sought new counsel. Job of Uz advised that the king had the power to do as he pleased. Jethro the Midianite warned the king not to harm the Israelites, recounting how God had protected Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but Pharaoh was angered by this counsel and dismissed him. Finally, Balaam the magician interpreted a dream of the king's as a sign that a son would be born to Israel who would destroy Egypt. Balaam advised that the king should issue a decree for every male child born to the Hebrews to be cast into the river.
The king issued the decree, and some Israelite men, including Amram, separated from their wives. The midwives, however, feared God and saved the children, deceiving Pharaoh by telling him the Hebrew women gave birth too quickly for them to intervene. When the time of delivery came, many Israelite women went to the fields to give birth, leaving their infants there. The Lord sent an angel to care for these children, and the earth opened up to protect them until they were grown, after which they returned to their families. The Egyptians, seeing this, would plow the fields in an attempt to kill the infants, but they could not harm them.
At this time, Miriam, daughter of Amram, prophesied that a son would be born to her parents who would save Israel. Hearing this, Amram took back his wife Jochebed, and she conceived and bore a son. The house was filled with light at his birth, and she hid him for three months. When she could no longer hide him, she placed him in an ark of bulrushes by the river's brink. God sent a great heat upon Egypt, causing Pharaoh's daughter, Bathia, to go to the river to bathe, where she discovered the ark. She had compassion on the crying baby and, through the timely intervention of his sister Miriam, unknowingly hired the child's own mother, Jochebed, as his nurse. After two years, the child was brought to Bathia and became as her son, and she named him Moses, for she drew him out of the water.
MOSES IN PHARAOH'S COURT
When Moses was three years old, while sitting with the royal family, he took the crown from Pharaoh's head and placed it upon his own. The king and his princes were terrified, and Balaam interpreted this as a sign that Moses would grow up to seize the kingdom, advising that he be killed. An angel of the Lord, disguised as one of the king's counselors, suggested a test: an onyx stone and a live coal were placed before the child. As Moses reached for the stone, the angel guided his hand to the coal, which he then put to his mouth. This burned his lips and tongue, making him heavy of speech, but it convinced Pharaoh that the child had acted without wisdom, thus saving his life.
Moses grew up in Pharaoh's house, honored by all, and he would often go to Goshen to see his brethren in their hard labor. He was grieved by their suffering and successfully petitioned Pharaoh to grant the Israelites one day of rest from their labor, the seventh day. His fame grew, and he was loved by both the Egyptians and the Israelites. Fearing the grown Moses, Balaam and his two sons fled from Egypt to the land of Cush.
MOSES SLAYS AN EGYPTIAN AND FLEES
When Moses was eighteen, he went to Goshen and witnessed an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew. The Hebrew man told Moses that the Egyptian had assaulted his wife and was now trying to kill him. Moses, seeing that no one was watching, killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. The next day, while trying to stop a fight between two Hebrews, one of them revealed his knowledge of the killing.
Word of this reached Pharaoh, who ordered Moses to be slain. As he was about to be executed, an angel of the Lord took the form of the captain of the guard, took his sword, and beheaded the captain in Moses's place. The angel then took Moses by the hand and led him out of the country, a forty-day journey away. In his absence, Aaron prophesied to the children of Israel, but they rebelled and would not listen, and Pharaoh’s hand remained severe against them.
MOSES BECOMES KING OF CUSH
At that time, Kikianus, king of Cush, was at war with Aram and the children of the east. He had left Balaam the magician to guard his capital city, but Balaam incited a rebellion and heavily fortified the city, preventing the king's return. Kikianus was forced to lay siege to his own city for nine years. Moses, having fled Egypt, arrived at the Cushite camp where he was welcomed for his valor and wisdom, and he stayed with them for the nine years of the siege.
When King Kikianus died, the army of Cush, afraid of being attacked by their enemies and unable to take their city, decided to make Moses their king. They placed him on a heap of garments, blew their trumpets, and swore allegiance to him. As their new king, Moses devised a strategy to defeat the city's defenses. He had the army gather and train young storks, which they then released upon the enchanted serpents guarding one side of the city. The storks devoured the serpents, clearing the way for the army to attack and conquer the city. Seeing this, Balaam fled back to Egypt. The people of Cush officially crowned Moses and gave him the widowed queen, Adoniah, as a wife. However, Moses remembered the oath of his forefathers not to take a wife from the children of Ham, so he never approached her. He reigned justly over Cush for forty years, subduing their enemies. Eventually, the queen and the people of Cush, desiring a king of their own flesh, deposed Moses, sending him away with great honor and many gifts.
THE PREMATURE EXODUS OF EPHRAIM
While Moses reigned in Cush, thirty thousand valiant men from the tribe of Ephraim decided that the appointed time of Israel's deliverance from Egypt had arrived. Trusting in their own strength, they marched out of Egypt without provisions, intending to seize what they needed from the Philistines. When they arrived in the valley of Gath and tried to take livestock by force, the men of Gath and other Philistine cities gathered for battle. Weakened from three days of hunger and thirst, the men of Ephraim were defeated, and all but ten were slain. This evil happened because they had transgressed the word of the Lord by leaving Egypt before the appointed time. Their bones lay unburied in the valley for many years.
Concise Summary
These chapters detail the escalating oppression of Israel, leading to Pharaoh's decrees to kill their male children, and the miraculous birth and preservation of Moses, who is raised in Pharaoh's court before fleeing and becoming king of Cush for forty years. The account also includes the cautionary tale of the tribe of Ephraim, which, in a premature attempt at exodus, was utterly destroyed for not waiting on the Lord's timing.
Book of Jasher Chapters 76-80
MOSES IN MIDIAN
After being honorably dismissed from his kingship in Cush, Moses, at age sixty-six, traveled to Midian, as he was afraid to return to Egypt. At a well, he helped the seven daughters of Reuel the Midianite against hostile shepherds. When Reuel heard of this, he invited Moses to his home, but upon learning that Moses had fled from Cush, he imprisoned him for ten years. Throughout this time, Reuel's daughter Zipporah took pity on Moses and secretly sustained him with bread and water.
While Moses was imprisoned, the Lord afflicted Pharaoh Melol of Egypt with a terrible plague of leprosy for his cruel treatment of the Israelites. The king’s sorcerers advised him that the blood of little children would provide a cure, so Pharaoh’s ministers began forcibly taking Israelite infants from their mothers’ bosoms, slaying three hundred and seventy-five of them to apply to the king's plague, but he was not healed. After ten years of suffering, Pharaoh died in shame when his horse fell and his chariot overturned upon him. His son Adikam, a cunning but grotesque and cruel man of twenty, reigned in his place.
PHARAOH'S CRUELTY INTENSIFIES
Adikam, also called Pharaoh Ahuz, exceeded his father in wickedness and intensified Israel's suffering. He decreed that for any deficiency in the daily tale of bricks, the youngest children of the Israelites would be taken and placed into the building in their stead. His taskmasters carried this out for many days, placing two hundred and seventy infants into the walls of the buildings while their parents wept.
Back in Midian, after ten years had passed, Zipporah convinced her father that the God of the Hebrews must have kept Moses alive in the prison. Reuel sent for Moses and, finding him alive and praying, released him. In Reuel’s garden, Moses found a divine sapphire stick planted there, which was engraved with the name of God and had been passed down from Adam. Though many mighty men had tried, none could pluck it from the ground. Moses, however, easily read the name and pulled it out. Seeing this, Reuel gave him his daughter Zipporah for a wife. She bore him two sons: Gershom, who was not circumcised due to Reuel's command, and Eliezer. At this time, Pharaoh Adikam made the Israelites' labor still heavier by ordering that no straw be given to them for their brickmaking.
THE DIVINE COMMISSION OF MOSES
While Moses was feeding his father-in-law's flock at Horeb, the mountain of God, the Lord appeared to him in a bush that burned with fire but was not consumed. God commanded him to return to Egypt, declaring that the men who had sought his life were now dead, and that he was to demand that Pharaoh let the children of Israel go. The Lord empowered him with signs and wonders to perform before Pharaoh.
Moses took his wife and sons and started for Egypt. At an inn along the road, an angel of God sought to kill him because he had obeyed Reuel and had not circumcised his firstborn son, Gershom. Zipporah, understanding the cause of the angel's wrath, quickly took a sharp stone and circumcised her son, thus saving both Moses and the child.
CONFRONTING PHARAOH
At God’s command, Aaron went to meet Moses in the wilderness. Grieved to see Moses traveling with his Midianite wife and children, Aaron persuaded him to send them back to Reuel's house. The two brothers then went to the children of Israel in Egypt, who rejoiced at God’s words. They proceeded to Pharaoh’s palace, where Moses’s divine stick pacified two lions that guarded the gate. When they delivered God's message, Pharaoh was terrified and told them to return the next day.
Pharaoh then summoned his magicians, including Balaam and his sons Jannes and Jambres. When Moses and Aaron returned, Aaron cast down his rod, which became a serpent. The magicians did the same, but Aaron's serpent swallowed their rods. Balaam advised restoring the rods to see if Aaron's rod would swallow the others, and it did. Still, Pharaoh searched the royal records and, not finding the name of the Lord God of the Hebrews, refused their request. He dismissed their God as merely a "son of the wise, the son of ancient kings" and, enraged by their persistence, drove them out and ordered the Israelites' labor to be increased.
THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT AND THE EXODUS
After two years, Moses and Aaron again confronted Pharaoh, but he would not listen. The Lord then began to strike Egypt with great and sore plagues. He turned all their waters to blood; sent frogs that filled their homes, food, and even their bodies; and turned the dust to lice. Hordes of wild beasts, fiery serpents, scorpions, and various insects tormented the Egyptians. A long-armed sea creature, the Sulanuth, came upon their roofs, broke into their locked homes, and let the swarms of animals inside. A pestilence killed their livestock, and a burning inflammation produced boils on their skin. A great hail mingled with fire destroyed their crops, and locusts devoured what was left.
The Lord then sent a profound darkness over Egypt for three days, during which time many rebellious Israelites, who did not wish to leave Egypt, died and were secretly buried by their brethren. The Lord then commanded Israel to prepare the Passover, for at midnight He would smite all the firstborn of Egypt. At midnight, a great cry arose throughout Egypt as the firstborn of every household, from man to beast, was killed. Pharaoh and his daughter Bathia rushed to find Moses and Aaron, who were feasting with Israel. Moses assured Bathia that though she was a firstborn, she would be spared. Pharaoh begged them to take all of Israel and leave, and the Egyptians, fearing they would all perish, urged them to go, giving them great riches of silver, gold, and garments. After refusing to depart in the night like thieves, the children of Israel left the next day, with Moses carrying the coffin of Joseph.
Concise Summary
This section covers Moses's ten-year imprisonment in Midian, his release and marriage, and his divine commission at the burning bush. It then details his confrontation with a new, cruel Pharaoh, the ten devastating plagues God brought upon Egypt, and the final liberation of the children of Israel, who departed with great wealth after the death of the Egyptian firstborn.
Book of Jasher Chapters 81-88
THE EXODUS AND THE MIRACLE AT THE SEA
The children of Israel, numbering six hundred thousand men on foot besides women and children, journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. After the Egyptians had buried their firstborn, a contingent of nobles pursued Israel, seeking to persuade them to return. When Israel refused, a battle ensued, and the Egyptians were driven back. This report caused Pharaoh’s heart to harden, and he gathered a massive army of ten hundred thousand men to pursue the Israelites, cornering them at the Red Sea. The Israelites, terrified, divided themselves into four factions with differing opinions on whether to fight, flee, or surrender.
At God's command, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and the waters divided into twelve parts, allowing the children of Israel to pass through on dry ground. When the Egyptians pursued them, the waters returned and drowned the entire army. However, Pharaoh alone was saved; giving thanks to the Lord, he was cast by an angel upon the land of Nineveh, where he reigned for a long time. After singing a song of praise, Israel journeyed, received manna from heaven, and at Rephidim, they were attacked by Amalek and his army of eight hundred and one thousand magicians. Joshua led the Israelites to victory, and Moses was commanded to write a memorial to blot out the remembrance of Amalek.
LAW, SIN, AND SANCTUARY AT SINAI
The Israelites encamped in the wilderness of Sinai, where Moses’s father-in-law, Reuel, brought to him his wife Zipporah and their two sons. In the third month, on the sixth day, the Lord gave Israel the ten commandments. Moses then ascended Mount Sinai and remained there for forty days and forty nights without food or water. While he was away, the people, fearing he was lost, compelled Aaron to make them a molten calf, which they worshiped. The Lord informed Moses of the people's sin and threatened to consume them, but Moses interceded on their behalf.
Upon descending and seeing the calf, Moses's anger was kindled, and he shattered the stone tablets. He burned the calf, ground it to dust, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. About three thousand men who had worshiped the calf died by the sword that day. Moses ascended the mountain again for another forty days and forty nights to pray for the people, and the Lord forgave them. God commanded Moses to hew two new tablets, upon which the Lord wrote the ten commandments, and gave him the laws and judgments for building a sanctuary. Upon his return, the people gave generously, and the wise-hearted among them constructed the Tabernacle and all its vessels.
THE FORTY YEARS OF WANDERING
Aaron and his sons were consecrated as priests. However, on the eighth day, his sons Nadab and Abihu offered a strange fire before the Lord and were consumed by fire. After the princes of Israel brought their offerings for the dedication of the altar, the people celebrated the Passover and were numbered. The congregation then journeyed from Sinai but soon began to lust for meat. The Lord sent them quail, but then struck them with a great plague. Later, Miriam spoke against Moses and was afflicted with leprosy for seven days.
From the wilderness of Paran, Moses sent twelve spies to explore the land of Canaan. After forty days, ten of the spies brought back an evil report, causing the people to despair and desire to return to Egypt. For their lack of faith, the Lord’s anger was kindled, and He swore that no one from that wicked generation, from twenty years old and upward, would see the promised land, save for Caleb and Joshua. He decreed that they would wander in the wilderness for forty years until that entire generation had perished.
THE CONQUEST OF THE TRANSJORDAN
During their wanderings, Korah led a rebellion and was swallowed by the earth along with his followers. Israel spent nineteen years near Mount Seir, forbidden by God to fight with the descendants of Esau. In the thirty-sixth year of the exodus, Sihon, king of the Amorites, hired Balaam and his father Beor to curse Moab, after which he conquered their land. In the fortieth year, Miriam died at Kadesh. After Edom denied them passage, Aaron died on Mount Hor. When King Arad the Canaanite attacked, the Israelites, though initially fearful, were compelled by the Levites to fight and were victorious. They were forbidden from fighting Moab and Ammon, so they went around their lands and instead fought and defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, whose attempt to crush Israel with a giant stone was thwarted by an angel.
THE PASSING OF MOSES AND THE RISE OF JOSHUA
Fearing Israel’s power, Balak, king of Moab, allied with Midian and sent for Balaam to curse Israel, but Balaam refused. The Israelites then encamped at Shittim, where they were enticed into whoredom with the daughters of Moab, resulting in a pestilence that killed twenty-four thousand until Phineas stopped the plague by executing the offenders. The Lord then commanded a war of vengeance against Midian. Twelve thousand Israelites attacked and killed every male, including the five princes of Midian and Balaam the sorcerer. At that time, the Lord told Moses that his days were ending. Moses appointed Joshua as his successor, taught Israel the statutes and judgments of the Lord one last time, went up to Mount Abarim, and died there.
THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN BEGINS
After the death of Moses, the Lord commanded Joshua to cross the Jordan and possess the land. The Israelites crossed the river and kept the Passover at Gilgal, after which the manna ceased. They then besieged the city of Jericho. On the seventh day of their marching, the priests blew their trumpets and the people shouted, and the walls of the city fell down. They utterly destroyed the city, but Achan of the tribe of Judah sinned by taking some of the accursed spoil. This caused Israel to be defeated in their first assault on Ai. After Achan was discovered and stoned, Israel conquered Ai through an ambush. Fearing a similar fate, the Gibeonites craftily made a peace treaty with Israel. In response, five kings of the Amorites, led by Adonizedek of Jerusalem, attacked Gibeon. Joshua marched to Gibeon’s aid and, with the Lord fighting for them with great hailstones, routed the five kings. As the day was ending, Joshua commanded in the sight of all Israel, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon." The Lord hearkened to his voice, and the sun and moon stood still for a whole day until the battle was won.
Concise Summary
This section covers the pivotal events from Israel's miraculous departure from Egypt and the receiving of the law at Sinai to the forty years of wandering as punishment for their unbelief. It concludes with the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua and the commencement of the conquest of Canaan, marked by spectacular victories at Jericho and against the five Amorite kings on the day the sun and moon stood still.