The Book of Jubilees

Jubilees 11

1And in the thirty-fifth jubilee, in the third week, in the first year thereof, Reu took to himself a wife, and her name was ’Ôrâ, the daughter of ’Ûr, the son of Kêsêd,

2and she bare him a son, and he called his name Sêrôḫ, in the seventh year of this week in this jubilee.

3And the sons of Noah began to war on each other, to take captive and to slay each other, and to shed the blood of men on the earth, and to eat blood,

4and to build strong cities, and walls, and towers, and individuals (began) to exalt themselves above the nation, and to found the beginnings of kingdoms,

5and to go to war people against people, and nation against nation, and city against city, and all (began) to do evil, and to acquire arms, and to teach their sons war,

6and they began to capture cities, and to sell male and female slaves.

7And ’Ûr, the son of Kêsêd, built the city of ’Arâ of the Chaldees, and called its name after his own name and the name of his father.

8And they made for themselves molten images, and they worshipped each the idol, the molten image which they had made for themselves,

9and they began to make graven images and unclean simulacra, and malignant spirits assisted and seduced (them) into committing transgression and uncleanness.

10And the prince Mastêmâ exerted himself to do all this, and he sent forth other spirits, those which were put under his hand, to do all manner of wrong and sin, and all manner of transgression, to corrupt and destroy, and to shed blood upon the earth.

11For this reason he called the name of Sêrôḫ, Serug, for every one turned to do all manner of sin and transgression.

12And he grew up, and dwelt in Ur of the Chaldees, near to the father of his wife's mother, and he worshipped idols,

13and he took to himself a wife in the thirty-sixth jubilee, in the fifth week, in the first year thereof, and her name was Mêlkâ, the daughter of Kâbêr, the daughter of his father's brother.

14And she bare him Nahor, in the first year of this week, and he grew and dwelt in Ur of the Chaldees,

15and his father taught him the researches of the Chaldees to divine and augur, according to the signs of heaven.

16And in the thirty-seventh jubilee, in the sixth week, in the first year thereof, he took to himself a wife, and her name was ’Îjâskâ, the daughter of Nêstâg of the Chaldees. And she bare him Terah in the seventh year of this week.

17And the prince Mastêmâ sent ravens and birds to devour the seed which was sown in the land, in order to destroy the land, and rob the children of men of their labours.

18Before they could plough in the seed, the ravens picked (it) from the surface of the ground.

19And for this reason he called his name Terah, because the ravens and the birds reduced them to destitution and devoured their seed.

20And the years began to be barren, owing to the birds, and they devoured all the fruit of the trees from the trees:

21it was only with great effort that they could save a little of all the fruit of the earth in their days.

22And in this thirty-ninth jubilee, in the second week in the first year, Terah took to himself a wife, and her name was ’Êdnâ, the daughter of ’Arâm the daughter of his father's sister.

23And in the seventh year of this week she bare him a son, and he called his name Abram, by the name of the father of his mother; for he had died before his daughter had conceived a son.

24And the child began to understand the errors of the earth that all went astray after graven images and after uncleanness,

25and his father taught him writing, and he was two weeks of years old, and he separated himself from his father that he might not worship idols with him.

26And he began to pray to the Creator of all things that He might save him from the errors of the children of men, and that his portion should not fall into error after uncleanness and vileness.

27And the seed time came for the sowing of seed upon the land, and they all went forth together to protect their seed against the ravens,

28and Abram went forth with those that went, and the child was a lad of fourteen years.<br>And a cloud of ravens came to devour the seed,

29and Abram ran to meet them before they settled on the ground, and cried to them before they settled on the ground to devour the seed, and said,

30"Descend not: return to the place whence ye came," and they proceeded to turn back.

31And he caused the clouds of ravens to turn back that day seventy times, and of all the ravens throughout all the land where Abram was there settled there not so much as one.

32And all who were with him throughout all the land saw him cry out, and all the ravens turn back, and his name became great in all the land of the Chaldees.

33And there came to him this year all those that wished to sow, and he went with them until the time of sowing ceased:

34and they sowed their land, and that year they brought enough grain home and ate and were satisfied.

35And in the first year of the fifth week Abram taught those who made implements for oxen, the artificers in wood,

36and they made a vessel above the ground, facing the frame of the plough, in order to put the seed thereon, and the seed fell down therefrom upon the share of the plough, and was hidden in the earth,

37and they no longer feared the ravens. And after this manner they made (vessels) above the ground on all the frames of the ploughs,

38and they sowed and tilled all the land, according as Abram commanded them, and they no longer feared the birds.