Cosmic Redemption

The Book of Jubilees

Jubilees 34

1And in the sixth year of this week of this forty-fourth jubilee Jacob sent his sons to pasture their sheep, and his servants with them, to the pastures of Shechem.

2And the seven kings of the Amorites assembled themselves together against them, to slay them, hiding themselves under the trees, and to take their cattle as a prey.

3And Jacob and Levi and Judah and Joseph were in the house with Isaac their father; for his spirit was sorrowful, and they could not leave him: and Benjamin was the youngest, and for this reason remained with his father.

4And there came the king[s] of Tâphû, and the king[s] of ’Arêsa, and the king[s] of Sêragân, and the king[s] of Sêlô, and the king[s] of Gâ’as, and the king of Bêthôrôn, and the king of Ma’anîsâkîr, and all those who dwell in these mountains (and) who dwell in the woods in the land of Canaan.

5And they announced this to Jacob saying: "Behold, the kings of the Amorites have surrounded thy sons, and plundered their herds."

6And he arose from his house, he and his three sons and all the servants of his father, and his own servants, and he went against them with six thousand men, who carried swords.

7And he slew them in the pastures of Shechem, and pursued those who fled, and he slew them with the edge of the sword, and he slew ’Arêsa and Tâphû and Sarêgân and Sêlô and ’Amânîsakîr and Gâ[gâ]’as,

8and he recovered his herds.<br>And he prevailed over them, and imposed tribute on them that they should pay him tribute, five fruit products of their land,

9and he built Rôbêl and Tamnâtârês

10And he returned in peace, and made peace with them, and they became his servants, until the day that he and his sons went down in to Egypt.

11And in the seventh year of this week he sent Joseph to learn about the welfare of his brothers from his house to the land of Shechem,

12and he found them in the land of Dothan.<br>And they dealt treacherously with him, and formed a plot against him to slay him,

13but changing their minds, they sold him to Ishmaelite merchants,

14and they brought him down into Egypt, and they sold him to Potiphar, the eunuch of Pharaoh, the chief of the cooks, priest of the city of ’Êlêw.

15And the sons of Jacob slaughtered a kid, and dipped the coat of Joseph in the blood, and sent (it) to Jacob their father on the tenth of the seventh month.

16And he mourned all that night, for they had brought it to him in the evening, and he became feverish with mourning for his death, and he said: "An evil beast hath devoured Joseph";

17and all the members of his house [mourned with him that day, and they] were grieving and mourning with him all that day.

18And his sons and his daughter rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted for his son.

19And on that day Bilhah heard that Joseph had perished, and she died mourning him, and she was living in Qafrâtêf

20and Dinah also, his daughter, died after Joseph had perished. And there came these three mournings upon Israel in one month.

21And they buried Bilhah over against the tomb of Rachel, and Dinah also, his daughter, they buried there.

22And he mourned for Joseph one year, and did not cease, for he said "Let me go down to the grave mourning for my son."

23For this reason it is ordained for the children of Israel that they should afflict themselves on the tenth of the seventh month--on the day that the news which made him weep for Joseph came to Jacob his father

24--that they should make atonement for themselves thereon with a young goat on the tenth of the seventh month, once a year, for their sins; for they had grieved the affection of their father regarding Joseph his son.

25And this day hath been ordained that they should grieve thereon for their sins, and for all their transgressions and for all their errors, so that they might cleanse themselves on that day once a year.

26And after Joseph perished, the sons of Jacob took unto themselves wives.

27The name of Reuben's wife is ’Adâ and the name of Simeon's wife is ’Adîbâ’a, a Canaanite;

28and the name of Levi's wife is Mêlkâ, of the daughters of Aram, of the seed of the sons of Terah; and the name of Judah's wife, Bêtasû’êl, a Canaanite;

29and the name of Issachar's wife, Hêzaqâ; and the name of Zebulon's wife, Nî’îmân; and the name of Dan's wife, ’Êglâ;

30and the name of Naphtali's wife, Rasû’û, of Mesopotamia;

31and the name of Gad's wife, Mâka; and the name of Asher's wife, ’Îjônâ;

32and the name of Joseph's wife, Asenath, the Egyptian; and the name of Benjamin's wife, ’Îjasaka.

33And Simeon repented, and took a second wife from Mesopotamia as his brothers.