The Book of Jubilees

Jubilees 46

1And it came to pass that after Jacob died the children of Israel multiplied in the land of Egypt, and they became a great nation,

2and they were of one accord in heart, so that brother loved brother and every man helped his brother, and they increased abundantly and multiplied exceedingly,

3ten weeks of years, all the days of the life of Joseph.

4And there was no Satan nor any evil all the days of the life of Joseph which he lived after his father Jacob,

5for all the Egyptians honoured the children of Israel all the days of the life of Joseph.

6And Joseph died being a hundred and ten years old;

7Seventeen years he lived in the land of Canaan, and ten years he was a servant, and three years in prison, and eighty years he was under the king, ruling all the land of Egypt.

8And he died and all his brethren and all that generation.

9And he commanded the children of Israel before he died that they should carry his bones with them when they went forth from the land of Egypt.

10And he made them swear regarding his bones, for he knew that the Egyptians would not again bring forth and bury him in the land of Canaan,

11for Mâkamârôn, king of Canaan, while dwelling in the land of Assyria, fought in the valley with the king of Egypt and slew him there, and pursued after the Egyptians to the gates of ’Êrmôn.

12But he was not able to enter, for another, a new king, had become king of Egypt, and he was stronger than he,

13and he returned to the land of Canaan, and the gates of Egypt were closed, and none went out and none came into Egypt.

14And Joseph died in the forty-sixth jubilee, in the sixth week, in the second year, and they buried him in the land of Egypt, and his brethren died after him.

15And the king of Egypt went forth to war with the king of Canaan in the forty-seventh jubilee, in the second week in the second year,

16and the children of Israel brought forth all the bones of the children of Jacob save the bones of Joseph, and they buried them in the field in the double cave in the mountain.

17And the most (of them) returned to Egypt, but a few of them remained in the mountains of Hebron, and Amram thy father remained with them.

18And the king of Canaan was victorious over the king of Egypt, and he closed the gates of Egypt.

19And he devised an evil device against the children of Israel of afflicting them;

20and he said unto the people of Egypt:<br>"Behold the people of the children of Israel have increased and multiplied more than we.

21Come and let us deal wisely with them before they become too many, and let us afflict them with slavery before war come upon us and before they too fight against us;

22else they will join themselves unto our enemies and get them up out of our land, for their hearts and faces are towards the land of Canaan."

23And he set over them taskmasters to afflict them with slavery; and they built strong cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses,

24and they built all the walls and all the fortifications which had fallen in the cities of Egypt.<br>And they made them serve with rigour,

25and the more they dealt evilly with them, the more they increased and multiplied.<br> And the people of Egypt abominated the children of Israel.