,the ,legends of the ,jews    by ,louis 
,ginzberg      ,,translated ,,prom ,,the
 ,,german ,,manuscript ,,by  ,,henrietta
 ,,szold      ,,volume ,i  ,,bible      
,,times ,,and ,,characters  ,,from ,,the
 ,,creation ,,to ,,jacob          ,to   
,,my ,,brother ,,asher                  
,contents     ,,preface     ,i4 ,,the   
,,creation ,,of ,,the ,,world   ,the    
,first ,things ,created   ,the ,alphabet
   ,the ,first ,day   ,the ,second ,day 
,the ,third ,day   ,the ,fourth ,day    
,the ,fifth ,day   ,the ,sixth ,day     
,all ,things ,praise the ,lord4         
,,ii4 ,,adam   ,man and the ,world      
,the ,angels and the ,creation of ,man  
,the ,creation of ,adam   ,the ,soul of 
,man   ,the ,ideal ,man   ,the ,fall of 
,satan   ,woman   ,adam and ,eve in     
,paradise   ,the ,fall of ,man   ,the   
,punishment   ,sabbath in ,heaven       
,adam's ,repentance   ,the ,book of     
,raziel   ,the ,sickness of ,adam       
,eve's ,story of the ,fall   ,the ,death
 of ,adam   ,the ,death of ,eve4        

,,iii4 ,,the ,,ten ,,generations   ,the 
,birth of ,cain   ,fratricide   ,the    
,punishment of ,cain   ,the ,inhabitants
 of the ,seven ,earths   ,the           
,descendants of ,cain   ,the            
,descendants of ,adam and ,lilith       
,seth and ,his ,descendants   ,enosh    
,the ,fall of the ,angels   ,enoch1     
,ruler and ,teacher   ,the ,ascension of
 ,enoch   ,the ,translation of ,enoch   
,methuselah4     ,,iv4 ,,noah   ,the    
,birth of ,noah   ,the ,punishment of   
the ,fallen ,angels   ,the ,generation  
of the ,deluge   ,the ,holy ,book   ,the
 ,inmates of the ,ark   ,the ,flood     
,noah ,leaves the ,ark   ,the ,curse of 
,drunkenness   ,noah's ,descendants     
,spread ,abroad   ,the ,depravity of    
,mankind   ,nimrod   ,the ,tower of     
,babel4     ,v4 ,,abraham   ,the ,wicked
 ,generations   ,the ,birth of ,abraham 
,the ,babe ,proclaims ,god   ,abraham's 
,first ,appearance in ,public   ,the    
,preacher of the ,true ,faith   ,in the 
,fiery ,furnace   ,abraham ,emigrates to

 ,haran   ,the ,star in the ,east   ,the
 ,true ,believer   ,the ,iconoclast     
,abraham in ,canaan   ,his ,sojourn in  
,egypt   ,the ,first ,pharaoh   ,the    
,war of the ,kings   ,the ,covenant of  
the ,pieces   ,the ,birth of ,ishmael   
,the ,visit of the ,angels   ,the       
,cities of ,sin   ,abraham ,pleads for  
the ,sinners   ,the ,destruction of the 
,sinful ,cities   ,among the            
,philistines   ,the ,birth of ,isaac    
,ishmael ,cast ,off   ,the ,two ,wives  
of ,ishmael   ,the ,covenant with       
,abimelech   ,satan ,accuses ,abraham   
,the ,journey to ,moriah   ,the ,akedah 
,the ,death and ,burial of ,sarah       
,eliezer's ,mission   ,the ,wooing of   
,rebekah   ,the ,last ,years of ,abraham
   ,a ,herald of ,death   ,abraham      
,views ,earth and ,heaven   ,the ,patron
 of ,hebron4     ,,vi4 ,,jacob   ,the   
,birth of ,esau and ,jacob   ,the       
,favorite of ,abraham   ,the ,sale of   
the ,birthright   ,isaac with the       
,philistines   ,isaac ,blesses ,jacob   

,esau's ,true ,character ,revealed      
,jacob ,leaves ,his ,father's ,house    
,jacob ,pursued by ,eliphaz and ,esau   
,the ,day of ,miracles   ,jacob with    
,laban   ,the ,marriage of ,jacob   ,the
 ,birth of ,jacob's ,children   ,jacob  
,flees before ,laban   ,the ,covenant   
with ,laban   ,jacob and ,esau ,prepare 
to ,meet   ,jacob ,wrestles with the    
,angel   ,the ,meeting between ,esau and
 ,jacob   ,the ,outrage at ,shechem   ,a
 ,war ,frustrated   ,the ,war with the  
,ninevites   ,the ,war with the         
,amorites   ,isaac ,blesses ,levi and   
,judah   ,joy and ,sorrow in the ,house 
of ,jacob   ,esau's ,campaign against   
,jacob   ,the ,descendants of ,esau4    
,,preface      ,was sich nie und        
nirgends hat begeben1 das allein        
veraltet nie4    ,the term ,rabbinic was
 applied to the ,jewish ,literature of  
post-,biblical  times by those who      
conceived the ,judaism of the later     
epoch to be  something different from   
the ,judaism of the ,bible1 something   

actually  opposed to it4 ,such observers
 held that the ,jewish nation ceased to 
exist with the moment when its political
 independence was destroyed4  ,for them 
the ,judaism of the later epoch has been
 a ,judaism of the  ,synagogue1 the     
spokesmen of which have been the        
scholars1 the ,rabbis4  ,and what this  
phase of ,judaism brought forth has been
 considered by  them to be the product  
of the schools rather than the product  
of  practical1 pulsating life4 ,poetic  
phantasmagoria1 frequently the          
vaporings of morbid visionaries1 is the 
material out of which these  scholars   
construct the theologic system of the   
,rabbis1 and fairy tales1  the          
spontaneous creations of the people1    
which take the form of sacred  legend in
 ,jewish literature1 are denominated the
 ,scriptural exegesis of  the ,rabbis1  
and condemned incontinently as nugae    
rabbinorum4    ,as the name of a man    
clings to him1 so men cling to names4   
,for the  primitive savage the name is  

part of the essence of a person or      
thing1  and even in the more advanced   
stages of culture1 judgments are not    
always formed in agreement with facts as
 they are1 but rather according  to the 
names by which they are called4 ,the    
current estimate of ,rabbinic           
,literature is a case in point4 ,with   
the label ,rabbinic later ages          
inherited from former ages a certain    
distorted view of the literature  so    
designated4 ,to this day1 and even among
 scholars that approach its             
investigation with unprejudiced minds1  
the opinion prevails that it is  purely 
a learned product4 ,and yet the truth is
 that the most prominent  feature of    
,rabbinic ,literature is its popular    
character4    ,the school and the home  
are not mutually opposed to each other  
in the  conception of the ,jews4 ,they  
study in their homes1 and they live in  
their schools4 ,likewise there is no    
distinct class of scholars among  them1 
a class that withdraws itself from      

participation in the affairs  of        
practical life4 ,even in the domain of  
the ,halakah1 the ,rabbis were  not so  
much occupied with theoretic principles 
of law as with the  concrete phenomena  
of daily existence4 ,these they sought  
to grasp and  shape4 ,and what is true  
of the ,halakah is true with greater    
emphasis of  the ,haggadah1 which is    
popular in the double sense of appealing
 to the  people and being produced in   
the main by the people4 ,to speak of the
  ,haggadah of the ,tannaim and ,amoraim
 is as far from fact as to speak of  the
 legends of ,shakespeare and ,scott4    
,the ancient authors and their  modern  
brethren of the guild alike elaborate   
legendary material which  they found at 
hand4    ,it has been held by some that 
the ,haggadah contains no popular       
legends1  that it is wholly a           
factitious1 academic product4 ,a cursory
 glance at  the pseudepigraphic         
literature of the ,jews1 which is older 
than the  ,haggadah literature by       

several centuries1 shows how untenable  
this view  is4 ,that the one literature 
should have drawn from the other is     
precluded by historical facts4 ,at a    
very early time the ,synagogue          
disavowed the pseudepigraphic           
literature1 which was the favorite      
reading matter of the sectaries and the 
,christians4 ,nevertheless the  inner   
relation between them is of the closest 
kind4 ,the only essential  difference is
 that the ,midrashic form prevails in   
the ,haggadah1 and the  parenetic or    
apocalyptic form in the pseudepigrapha4 
,the common element  must therefore     
depart from the ,midrash on the one hand
 and from  parenesis on the other4      
,folklore1 fairy tales1 legends1 and all
 forms of story telling akin to  these  
are comprehended1 in the terminology of 
the post-,biblical  literature of the   
,jews1 under the inclusive description  
,haggadah1 a  name that can be explained
 by a circumlocution1 but cannot be     
translated4 ,whatever it is applied to  

is thereby characterized first as  being
 derived from the ,holy ,scriptures1 and
 then as being of the nature  of a      
story4 ,and1 in point of fact1 this     
dualism sums up the  distinguishing     
features of ,jewish ,legend4 ,more than 
eighteen centuries  ago the ,jewish     
historian ,josephus observed that though
 we be deprived  of our wealth1 of our  
cities1 or of the other advantages we   
have1 our  law continues immortal4 ,the 
word he meant to use was not law1 but   
,torah1 only he could not find an       
equivalent for it in ,greek4 ,a singer  
of the ,synagogue a thousand years after
 ,josephus1 who expressed his           
sentiments in ,hebrew1 uttered the same 
thought3 ,the ,holy ,city and all  her  
daughter cities are violated1 they lie  
in ruins1 despoiled of their  ornaments1
 their splendor darkened from sight4    
,naught is left to us  save one eternal 
treasure alone--the ,holy ,torah4 ,the  
sadder the life of  the ,jewish people1 
the more it felt the need of taking     

refuge in its  past4 ,the ,scripture1   
or1 to use the ,jewish term1 the ,torah1
 was the  only remnant of its former    
national independence1 and the ,torah   
was the  magic means of making a sordid 
actuality recede before a glorious      
memory4 ,to the ,scripture was assigned 
the task of supplying nourishment  to   
the mind as well as the soul1 to the    
intellect as well as the  imagination1  
and the result is the ,halakah and the  
,haggadah4    ,the fancy of the people  
did not die out in the post-,biblical   
time1 but  the bent of its activity was 
determined by the past4    ,men craved  
entertainment in later times as well as 
in the earlier1 only  instead of        
resorting for its subject-matter to what
 happened under  their eyes1 they drew  
from the fountain-head of the past4 ,the
 events in  the ancient history of      
,israel1 which was not only studied1 but
 lived  over again daily1 stimulated the
 desire to criticize it4 ,the religious 
reflections upon nature laid down in the

 myths of the people1 the fairy  tales1 
which have the sole object of pleasing1 
and the legends1 which  are the people's
 verdict upon history--all these were   
welded into one  product4 ,the fancy of 
the ,jewish people was engaged by the   
past  reflected in the ,bible1 and all  
its creations wear a ,biblical hue for  
this reason4 ,this explains the peculiar
 form of the ,haggadah4    ,but what is 
spontaneously brought forth by the      
people is often  preserved only in the  
form impressed upon it by the feeling   
and the  thought of the poet1 or by the 
speculations of the learned4 ,also      
,jewish  legends have rarely been       
transmitted in their original shape4    
,they have  been perpetuated in the form
 of ,midrash1 that is1 ,scriptural      
exegesis4  ,the teachers of the         
,haggadah1 called ,rabbanan d',aggadta  
in the ,talmud1  were no folklorists1   
from whom a faithful reproduction of    
legendary  material may be expected4    
,primarily they were homilists1 who used

  legends for didactic purposes1 and    
their main object was to establish a    
close connection between the ,scripture 
and the creations of the popular  fancy1
 to give the latter a firm basis and    
secure a long term of life  for them4   
,one of the most important tasks of the 
modern investigation of the  ,haggadah  
is to make a clean separation between   
the original elements  and the later    
learned additions4 ,hardly a beginning  
has been made in  this direction4 ,but  
as long as the task of distinguishing   
them has not  been accomplished1 it is  
impossible to write out the ,biblical   
legends  of the ,jews without including 
the supplemental work of scholars in the
  products of the popular fancy4    ,in 
the present work1 ,the ,legends of the  
,jews1 ,i have made the first  attempt  
to gather from the original sources all 
,jewish legends1 in so  far as they     
refer to ,biblical personages and       
events1 and reproduce them  with the    
greatest attainable completeness and    

accuracy4 ,i use the  expression        
,jewish1 rather than ,rabbinic1 because 
the sources from which  ,i have levied  
contributions are not limited to the    
,rabbinic literature4  ,as ,i expect to 
take occasion elsewhere to enter into a 
description of  the sources in detail1  
the following data must suffice for the 
present4    ,the works of the ,talmudic 
,midrashic literature are of the first  
importance4 ,covering the period from   
the second to the fourteenth  century1  
they contain the major part of the      
,jewish legendary material4  ,akin to   
this in content if not always in form is
 that derived from the  ,targumim1 of   
which the oldest versions were produced 
not earlier than  the fourth century1   
and the most recent not later than the  
tenth4 ,the  ,midrashic literature has  
been preserved only in fragmentary form4
 ,many  ,haggadot not found in our      
existing collections are quoted by the  
authors of the ,middle ,ages4           
,accordingly1 a not inconsiderable      

number of  the legends here printed are 
taken from medieval ,bible commentators 
and  homilists4 ,i was fortunate in     
being able to avail myself also of      
fragments of ,midrashim of which only   
manuscript copies are extant4    ,the   
works of the older ,kabbalah are        
likewise treasuries of quotations  from 
lost ,midrashim1 and it was among the   
,kabbalists1 and later among  the       
,hasidim1 that new legends arose4 ,the  
literatures produced in these  two      
circles are therefore of great          
importance for the present purpose4     
,furthermore1 ,jewish legends can be    
culled not from the writings of the     
,synagogue alone2 they appear also in   
those of the ,church4 ,certain  ,jewish 
works repudiated by the ,synagogue were 
accepted and mothered by  the ,church4  
,this is the literature usually         
denominated  apocryphal-pseudepigraphic4
 ,from the point of view of legends1 the
  apocryphal books are of subordinate   
importance1 while the  pseudepigrapha   

are of fundamental value4 ,even         
quantitatively the latter  are an       
imposing mass4 ,besides the ,greek      
writings of the ,hellenist ,jews1  they 
contain ,latin1 ,syrian1 ,ethiopic1     
,aramean1 ,arabic1 ,persian1 and ,old   
,slavic products translated directly or 
indirectly from ,jewish works of        
,palestinian or ,hellenistic origin4    
,the use of these pseudepigrapha        
requires great caution4 ,nearly all of  
them are embellished with  ,christian   
interpolations1 and in some cases the   
inserted portions have  choked the      
original form so completely that it is  
impossible to  determine at first sight 
whether a ,jewish or a ,christian legend
 is  under examination4 ,i believe1     
however1 that the pseudepigraphic       
material made use of by me is ,jewish   
beyond the cavil of a doubt1 and        
therefore it could not have been left   
out of account in a work like the       
present4    ,however1 in the            
appreciation of ,jewish ,legends1 it is 

the ,rabbinic  writers that should form 
the point of departure1 and not the     
pseudepigrapha4 ,the former represent   
the main stream of ,jewish thought  and 
feeling1 the latter only an             
undercurrent4 ,if the ,synagogue cast   
out  the pseudepigrapha1 and the ,church
 adopted them with a great show of      
favor1 these respective attitudes were  
not determined arbitrarily or by        
chance4 ,the pseudepigrapha originated  
in circles that harbored the  germs from
 which ,christianity developed later on4
 ,the ,church could thus  appropriate   
them as her own with just reason4    ,in
 the use of some of the apocryphal and  
pseudepigraphic writings1 ,i  found it  
expedient to quote the ,english         
translations of them made by  others1 in
 so far as they could be brought into   
accord with the general  style of the   
book1 for which purpose ,i permitted    
myself the liberty of  slight verbal    
changes4 ,in particulars1 ,i was guided1
 naturally1 by my  own conception of the

 subject1 which the ,notes justify in   
detail4    ,besides the pseudepigrapha  
there are other ,jewish sources in      
,christian  garb4 ,in the rich          
literature of the ,church ,fathers many 
a ,jewish legend  lies embalmed which   
one would seek in vain in ,jewish books4
 ,it was  therefore my special concern  
to use the writings of the ,fathers to  
the  utmost4    ,the luxuriant abundance
 of the material to be presented made it
  impossible to give a verbal rendition 
of each legend4 ,this would have        
required more than three times the space
 at my disposal4 ,i can  therefore claim
 completeness for my work only as to    
content4 ,in form it  had to suffer     
curtailment4 ,when several conflicting  
versions of the  same legend existed1 ,i
 gave only one in the text1 reserving   
the other  one1 or the several others1  
for the ,notes1 or1 when practicable1   
they  were fused into one typical       
legend1 the component parts of which are
  analyzed in the ,notes4 ,in other     

instances ,i resorted to the expedient  
of citing one version in one place and  
the others in other appropriate  places1
 in furtherance of my aim1 to give a    
smooth presentation of the  matter1 with
 as few interruptions to the course of  
the narrative as  possible4 ,for this   
reason ,i avoided such transitional     
phrases as ,some  say1 ,it has been     
maintained1 etc4 ,that my method        
sometimes separates  things that belong 
together cannot be considered a grave   
disadvantage1  as the ,index at the end 
of the work will present a logical      
rearrangement of the material for the   
benefit of the interested  student4 ,i  
also did not hesitate to treat of the   
same personage in  different chapters1  
as1 for instance1 many of the legends   
bearing upon  ,jacob1 those connected   
with the latter years of the ,patriarch1
 do not  appear in the chapter bearing  
his name1 but will be found in the      
sections devoted to ,joseph1 for the    
reason that once the son steps upon  the

 scene1 he becomes the central figure1  
to which the life and deeds  of the     
father are subordinated4 ,again1 in     
consideration of lack of  space the     
,biblical narratives underlying the     
legends had to be  omitted--surely not a
 serious omission in a subject with     
which  widespread acquaintance may be   
presupposed as a matter of course4      
,as a third consequence of the amplitude
 of the material1 it was thought        
advisable to divide it into several     
volumes4 ,the references1 the           
explanations of the sources used1 and   
the interpretations given1 and1         
especially1 numerous emendations of the 
text of the ,midrashim and the          
pseudepigrapha1 which determined my     
conception of the passages so  emended1 
will be found in the last volume1 the   
fourth1 which will  contain also an     
,introduction to the ,history of ,jewish
 ,legends1 a number  of ,excursuses1 and
 the ,index4    ,as the first three     
volumes are in the hands of the printer 

almost in  their entirety1 ,i venture to
 express the hope that the whole work   
will  appear within measurable time1 the
 parts following each other at short    
intervals4    ,,louis ,,ginzberg4       
,,new ,,york1 ,march #bd1 #aiji         
,i  ,,the ,,creation ,,of ,,the ,,world 
,,the ,,first ,,things ,,created    ,in 
the beginning1 two thousand years before
 the heaven and the earth1  seven things
 were created3 the ,torah written with  
black fire on white  fire1 and lying in 
the lap of ,god2 the ,divine ,throne1   
erected in the  heaven which later was  
over the heads of the ,hayyot2 ,paradise
 on the  right side of ,god1 ,hell on   
the left side2 the ,celestial ,sanctuary
  directly in front of ,god1 having a   
jewel on its altar graven with the      
,name of the ,messiah1 and a ,voice that
 cries aloud1 ,return1 ye children  of  
men4#a    ,when ,god resolved upon the  
creation of the world1 ,he took counsel 
with  the ,torah4#b ,her advice was     
this3 ,o ,lord1 a king without an army  

and  without courtiers and attendants   
hardly deserves the name of king1 for   
none is nigh to express the homage due  
to him4 ,the answer pleased ,god        
exceedingly4 ,thus did ,he teach all    
earthly kings1 by ,his ,divine  example1
 to undertake naught without first      
consulting advisers4#c    ,the advice of
 the ,torah was given with some         
reservations4 ,she was  skeptical about 
the value of an earthly world1 on       
account of the  sinfulness of men1 who  
would be sure to disregard her precepts4
 ,but ,god  dispelled her doubts4 ,he   
told her1 that repentance had been      
created  long before1 and sinners would 
have the opportunity of mending their   
ways4 ,besides1 the ,temple service     
would be invested with atoning power1   
and ,paradise and hell were intended to 
do duty as reward and  punishment4      
,finally1 the ,messiah was appointed to 
bring salvation1  which would put an end
 to all sinfulness4#d    ,nor is this   
world inhabited by man the first of     

things earthly created  by ,god4 ,he    
made several worlds before ours1 but ,he
 destroyed them all1  because ,he was   
pleased with none until ,he created     
ours4#e ,but even  this last world would
 have had no permanence1 if ,god had    
executed ,his  original plan of ruling  
it according to the principle of strict 
justice4 ,it was only when ,he saw that 
justice by itself would undermine  the  
world that ,he associated mercy with    
justice1 and made them to rule          
jointly4#f ,thus1 from the beginning of 
all things prevailed ,divine  goodness1 
without which nothing could have        
continued to exist4 ,if not  for it1 the
 myriads of evil spirits had soon put an
 end to the  generations of men4 ,but   
the goodness of ,god has ordained1 that 
in every  ,nisan1 at the time of the    
spring equinox1 the seraphim shall      
approach  the world of spirits1 and     
intimidate them so that they fear to do 
harm  to men4 ,again1 if ,god in ,his   
goodness had not given protection to the

  weak1 the tame animals would have been
 extirpated long ago by the wild        
animals4 ,in ,tammuz1 at the time of the
 summer solstice1 when the  strength of 
behemot is at its height1 he roars so   
loud that all the  animals hear it1 and 
for a whole year they are affrighted and
 timid1  and their acts become less     
ferocious than their nature is4 ,again1 
in  ,tishri1 at the time of the autumnal
 equinox1 the great bird ziz#g  flaps   
his wings and utters his cry1 so that   
the birds of prey1 the  eagles and the  
vultures1 blench1 and they fear to swoop
 down upon the  others and annihilate   
them in their greed4 ,and1 again1 were  
it not for  the goodness of ,god1 the   
vast number of big fish had quickly put 
an end  to the little ones4 ,but at the 
time of the winter solstice1 in the     
month of ,tebet1 the sea grows restless1
 for then leviathan spouts up  water1   
and the big fish become uneasy4 ,they   
restrain their appetite1  and the little
 ones escape their rapacity4            

,finally1 the goodness of ,god manifests
 itself in the preservation of  ,his    
people ,israel4 ,it could not have      
survived the enmity of the  ,gentiles1  
if ,god had not appointed protectors for
 it1 the archangels  ,michael and       
,gabriel4#h ,whenever ,israel disobeys  
,god1 and is accused of  misdemeanors by
 the angels of the other nations1 he is 
defended by his  designated guardians1  
with such good result that the other    
angels  conceive fear of them4 ,once the
 angels of the other nations are        
terrified1 the nations themselves       
venture not to carry out their wicked   
designs against ,israel4    ,that the   
goodness of ,god may rule on earth as in
 heaven1 the ,angels of  ,destruction   
are assigned a place at the far end of  
the heavens1 from  which they may never 
stir1 while the ,angels of ,mercy       
encircle the  ,throne of ,god1 at ,his  
behest4#i    ,,the ,,alphabet    ,when  
,god was about to create the world by   
,his word1 the twenty-two  letters of   

the alphabet#aj descended from the      
terrible and august  crown of ,god      
whereon they were engraved with a pen of
 flaming fire4  ,they stood round about 
,god1 and one after the other spake and 
entreated1 ,create the world through me6
 ,the first to step forward was  the    
letter ,taw4 ,it said3 ,o ,lord of the  
world6 ,may it be ,thy will to  create  
,thy world through me1 seeing that it is
 through me that ,thou  wilt give the   
,torah to ,israel by the hand of ,moses1
 as it is written1  ',moses commanded us
 the ,torah4' ,the ,holy ,one1 blessed  
be ,he1 made  reply1 and said1 ,no6 ,taw
 asked1 ,why not8 and ,god answered3    
,because  in days to come ,i shall place
 thee as a sign of death upon the       
foreheads of men4 ,as soon as ,taw heard
 these words issue from the  mouth of   
the ,holy ,one1 blessed be ,he1 it      
retired from ,his presence              
disappointed4    ,the ,shin then stepped
 forward1 and pleaded3 ,o ,lord of the  
world1  create ,thy world through me3   

seeing that ,thine own name ,shaddai    
begins  with me4 ,unfortunately1 it is  
also the first letter of ,shaw1 lie1 and
  of ,sheker1 falsehood1 and that       
incapacitated it4 ,resh had no better   
luck4 ,it was pointed out that it was   
the initial letter of ,ra'1 wicked1  and
 ,rasha' evil1 and after that the       
distinction it enjoys of being the      
first letter in the ,name of ,god1      
,rahum1 the ,merciful1 counted for      
naught4 ,the ,kof was rejected1 because 
,kelalah1 curse1 outweighs the          
advantage of being the first in ,kadosh1
 the ,holy ,one4 ,in vain did ,zadde    
call attention to ,zaddik1 the          
,righteous ,one2 there was ,zarot1 the  
misfortunes of ,israel1 to testify      
against it4 ,pe had ,podeh1 redeemer1   
to its credit1 but ,pesha3              
transgression1 reflected dishonor upon  
it4  ',ain was declared unfit1 because1 
though it begins ',anawah1 humility1  it
 performs the same service for ',erwah1 
immorality4 ,samek said3 ,o  ,lord1 may 

it be ,thy will to begin the creation   
with me1 for ,thou art  called ,samek1  
after me1 the ,upholder of all that     
fall4 ,but ,god said3  ,thou art needed 
in the place in which thou art2#aa thou 
must continue  to uphold all that fall4 
,nun introduces ,ner1 the lamp of the   
,lord1  which is the spirit of men1 but 
it also introduces ,ner1 the lamp of    
the wicked1 which will be put out by    
,god4 ,mem starts ,melek1 king1 one  of 
the titles of ,god4 ,as it is the first 
letter of ,mehumah1 confusion1  as well1
 it had no chance of accomplishing its  
desire4 ,the claim of  ,lamed bore its  
refutation within itself4 ,it advanced  
the argument that  it was the first     
letter of ,luhot1 the celestial tables  
for the ,ten  ,commandments2 it forgot  
that the tables were shivered in pieces 
by  ,moses4 ,kaf was sure of victory    
,kisseh1 the throne of ,god1 ,kabod1    
,his  honor1 and ,keter1 ,his crown1 all
 begin with it4 ,god had to remind it   
that ,he would smite together ,his      

hands1 ,kaf1 in despair over the        
misfortunes of ,israel4 ,yod at first   
sight seemed the appropriate letter  for
 the beginning of creation1 on account  
of its association with ,yah1  ,god1 if 
only ,yezer ha-,ra' the evil            
inclination1 had not happened to  begin 
with it1 too4 ,tet is identified with   
,tob1 the good4 ,however1 the  truly    
good is not in this world2 it belongs to
 the world to come4 ,het  is the first  
letter of ,hanun1 the ,gracious ,one2   
but this advantage is  offset by its    
place in the word for sin1 ,hattat4     
,zain suggests ,zakor1  remembrance1 but
 it is itself the word for weapon1 the  
doer of  mischief4 ,waw and ,he compose 
the ,ineffable ,name of ,god2 they are  
therefore too exalted to be pressed into
 the service of the mundane  world4 ,if 
,dalet had stood only for ,dabar1 the   
,divine ,word1 it would  have been used1
 but it stands also for ,din1 justice1  
and under the rule  of law without love 
the world would have fallen to ruin4    

,finally1 in  spite of reminding one of 
,gadol1 great1 ,gimel would not do1     
because  ,gemul1 retribution1 starts    
with it4    ,after the claims of all    
these letters had been disposed of1 ,bet
 stepped  before the ,holy ,one1 blessed
 be ,he1 and pleaded before ,him3 ,o    
,lord of  the world6 ,may it be ,thy    
will to create ,thy world through me1   
seeing  that all the dwellers in the    
world give praise daily unto ,thee      
through  me1 as it is said1 ',blessed be
 the ,lord forever4 ,amen1 and ,amen4'  
,the  ,holy ,one1 blessed be ,he1 at    
once granted the petition of ,bet4 ,he  
said1  ,blessed be he that cometh in the
 name of the ,lord4 ,and ,he created    
,his  world through ,bet1 as it is said1
 ,bereshit ,god created the heaven and  
the earth4 ,the only letter that had    
refrained from urging its claims  was   
the modest ,alef1 and ,god rewarded it  
later for its humility by  giving it the
 first place in the ,decalogue4#ab      
,,the ,,first ,,day    ,on the first day

 of creation ,god produced ten          
things3#ac the heavens  and the earth1  
,tohu and ,bohu1 light and darkness1    
wind and water1 the  duration of the    
day#ad and the duration of the night4#ae
    ,though the heavens and the earth   
consist of entirely different           
elements1#af they were yet created as a 
unit1 like the pot and its  cover4#ag   
,the heavens were fashioned from the    
light of ,god's garment1  and the earth 
from the snow under the ,divine         
,throne4#ah ,tohu is a  green band which
 encompasses the whole world1 and       
dispenses darkness1  and ,bohu consists 
of stones in the abyss1 the producers of
 the waters4  ,the light created at the 
very beginning is not the same as the   
light  emitted by the sun1 the moon1 and
 the stars1 which appeared only on the  
fourth day4 ,the light of the first day 
was of a sort that would have  enabled  
man to see the world at a glance from   
one end to the other4  ,anticipating the
 wickedness of the sinful generations of

 the deluge and  the ,tower of ,babel1  
who were unworthy to enjoy the blessing 
of such  light1 ,god concealed it1 but  
in the world to come it will appear to  
the  pious in all its pristine glory4#ai
    ,several heavens were created1#bj   
seven in fact1#ba each to serve a       
purpose of its own4 ,the first1 the one 
visible to man1 has no function  except 
that of covering up the light during the
 night time2 therefore  it disappears   
every morning4 ,the planets are fastened
 to the second of  the heavens2 in the  
third the manna is made for the pious in
 the  hereafter2 the fourth contains the
 celestial ,jerusalem together with  the
 ,temple1 in which ,michael ministers as
 high priest1 and offers the  souls of  
the pious as sacrifices4 ,in the fifth  
heaven1 the angel hosts  reside1 and    
sing the praise of ,god1 though only    
during the night1 for  by day it is the 
task of ,israel on earth to give glory  
to ,god on high4  ,the sixth heaven is  
an uncanny spot2 there originate most of

 the trials  and visitations ordained   
for the earth and its inhabitants4 ,snow
 lies  heaped up there and hail2 there  
are lofts full of noxious dew1          
magazines stocked with storms1 and      
cellars holding reserves of smoke4      
,doors of fire separate these celestial 
chambers1 which are under the           
supervision of the archangel ,metatron4 
,their pernicious contents  defiled the 
heavens until ,david's time4 ,the pious 
king prayed ,god to  purge ,his exalted 
dwelling of whatever was pregnant with  
evil2 it was  not becoming that such    
things should exist near the ,merciful  
,one4 ,only  then they were removed to  
the earth4    ,the seventh heaven1 on   
the other hand1 contains naught but what
 is good  and beautiful3 right1 justice1
 and mercy1 the storehouses of life1    
peace1 and blessing1 the souls of the   
pious1 the souls and spirits of  unborn 
generations1 the dew with which ,god    
will revive the dead on the             
resurrection day1 and1 above all1 the   

,divine ,throne1 surrounded by the      
seraphim1 the ofanim1 the holy ,hayyot1 
and the ministering angels4#bb          
,corresponding to the seven heavens1    
,god created seven earths1 each         
separated from the next by five layers4 
,over the lowest earth1 the  seventh1   
called ,erez1 lie in succession the     
abyss1 the ,tohu1 the ,bohu1  a sea1 and
 waters4#bc ,then the sixth#bd earth is 
reached1 the ,adamah1  the scene of the 
magnificence of ,god4 ,in the same way  
the ,adamah is  separated from the fifth
 earth1 the ,arka1 which contains       
,gehenna1 and  ,sha'are ,mawet1 and     
,sha'are ,zalmawet1 and ,beer ,shahat1  
and ,tit ha-,yawen1  and ,abaddon1 and  
,sheol1#be and there the souls of the   
wicked are  guarded by the ,angels of   
,destruction4 ,in the same way ,arka is 
followed  by ,harabah1 the dry1 the     
place of brooks and streams in spite of 
its  name1 as the next1 called          
,yabbashah1 the mainland1 contains the  
rivers  and the springs4 ,tebel1 the    

second earth1 is the first mainland     
inhabited by living creatures1 three    
hundred and sixty-five  species1#bf all 
essentially different from those of our 
own earth4  ,some have human heads set  
on the body of a lion1 or a serpent1 or 
an  ox2 others have human bodies topped 
by the head of one of these  animals4   
,besides1 ,tebel is inhabited by human  
beings with two heads and  four hands   
and feet1 in fact with all their organs 
doubled excepting  only the trunk4#bg   
,it happens sometimes that the parts of 
these double  persons quarrel with each 
other1 especially while eating and      
drinking1  when each claims the best and
 largest portions for himself4 ,this    
species of mankind is distinguished for 
great piety1 another difference  between
 it and the inhabitants of our earth4   
,our own earth is called ,heled1 and1   
like the others1 it is separated  from  
the ,tebel by an abyss1 the ,tohu1 the  
,bohu1 a sea1 and waters4    ,thus one  
earth rises above the other1 from the   

first to the seventh1  and over the     
seventh earth the heavens are vaulted1  
from the first to  the seventh1 the last
 of them attached to the arm of ,god4   
,the seven  heavens form a unity1 the   
seven kinds of earth form a unity1 and  
the  heavens and the earth together also
 form a unity4#bh    ,when ,god made our
 present heavens and our present earth1 
the new  heavens and the new earth#bi   
were also brought forth1 yea1 and the   
hundred and ninety-six thousand worlds  
which ,god created unto ,his ,own       
glory4#cj    ,it takes five hundred     
years to walk from the earth to the     
heavens1 and  from one end of a heaven  
to the other1 and also from one heaven  
to the  next1#ca and it takes the same  
length of time to travel from the east  
to the west1 or from the south to the   
north4#cb ,of all this vast world  only 
one-third is inhabited1 the other       
two-thirds being equally divided        
between water and waste desert land4    
,beyond the inhabited parts to the east 

is ,paradise#cc with its seven          
divisions1 each assigned to the pious of
 a certain degree4 ,the ocean is        
situated to the west1 and it is dotted  
with islands upon islands1  inhabited by
 many different peoples4 ,beyond it1 in 
turn1 are the  boundless steppes full of
 serpents and scorpions1 and destitute  
of  every sort of vegetation1 whether   
herbs or trees4 ,to the north are the   
supplies of hell-fire1 of snow1 hail1   
smoke1 ice1 darkness1 and  windstorms1  
and in that vicinity sojourn all sorts  
of devils1 demons1  and malign spirits4 
,their dwelling-place is a great stretch
 of land1 it  would take five hundred   
years to traverse it4 ,beyond lies hell4
 ,to the  south is the chamber          
containing reserves of fire1 the cave of
 smoke1  and the forge of blasts and    
hurricanes4#cd ,thus it comes that the  
wind  blowing from the south brings heat
 and sultriness to the earth4 ,were it  
not for the angel ,ben ,nez1 the        
,winged1 who keeps the south wind back  

with his pinions1 the world would be    
consumed4#ce ,besides1 the fury of  its 
blast is tempered by the north wind1    
which always appears as  moderator1     
whatever other wind may be blowing4#cf  
,in the east1 the west1 and the south1  
heaven and earth touch each  other1 but 
the north ,god left unfinished1 that any
 man who announced  himself as a god    
might be set the task of supplying the  
deficiency1 and  stand convicted as a   
pretender4#cg    ,the construction of   
the earth was begun at the centre1 with 
the  foundation stone of the ,temple1   
the ,eben ,shetiyah1#ch for the ,holy   
,land is at the central point of the    
surface of the earth1 ,jerusalem is  at 
the central point of ,palestine1 and the
 ,temple is situated at the  centre of  
the ,holy ,city4 ,in the sanctuary      
itself the ,hekal is the  centre1 and   
the holy ,ark occupies the centre of the
 ,hekal1 built on the  foundation stone1
 which thus is at the centre of the     
earth4#ci ,thence  issued the first ray 

of light1 piercing to the ,holy ,land1  
and from  there illuminating the whole  
earth4#dj ,the creation of the world1   
however1 could not take place until ,god
 had banished the ruler of the  dark4#da
 ,retire1 ,god said to him1 for ,i      
desire to create the world  by means of 
light4 ,only after the light had been   
fashioned1 darkness  arose1 the light   
ruling in the sky1 the darkness on the  
earth4#db ,the  power of ,god displayed 
itself not only in the creation of the  
world of  things1 but equally in the    
limitations which ,he imposed upon each4
 ,the  heavens and the earth stretched  
themselves out in length and breadth as 
though they aspired to infinitude1 and  
it required the word of ,god to  call a 
halt to their encroachments4#dc    ,,the
 ,,second ,,day    ,on the second day   
,god brought forth four creations1 the  
firmament1  hell1 fire1 and the         
angels4#dd ,the firmament is not the    
same as the  heavens of the first day4  
,it is the crystal stretched forth over 

the  heads of the ,hayyot1 from which   
the heavens derive their light1 as the  
earth derives its light from the sun4   
,this firmament saves the earth  from   
being engulfed by the waters of the     
heavens2 it forms the  partition between
 the waters above and the waters        
below4#de ,it was  made to crystallize  
into the solid it is by the heavenly    
fire1 which  broke its bounds1 and      
condensed the surface of the firmament4 
,thus fire  made a division between the 
celestial and the terrestrial at the    
time  of creation1 as it did at the     
revelation on ,mount ,sinai4#df ,the    
firmament is not more than three fingers
 thick1#dg nevertheless it  divides two 
such heavy bodies as the waters below1  
which are the  foundations for the      
nether world1 and the waters above1     
which are the  foundations for the seven
 heavens1 the ,divine ,throne1 and the  
abode of  the angels4#dh    ,the        
separation of the waters into upper and 
lower waters was the only  act of the   

sort done by ,god in connection with the
 work of  creation4#di ,all other acts  
were unifying4 ,it therefore caused some
  difficulties4 ,when ,god commanded1   
,let the waters be gathered together1   
unto one place1 and let the dry land    
appear1 certain parts refused to  obey4 
,they embraced each other all the more  
closely4 ,in ,his wrath at  the waters1 
,god determined to let the whole of     
creation resolve itself  into chaos     
again4 ,he summoned the ,angel of the   
,face1 and ordered him to  destroy the  
world4 ,the angel opened his eyes wide1 
and scorching fires  and thick clouds   
rolled forth from them1 while he cried  
out1 ,he who  divides the ,red ,sea in  
sunder6--and the rebellious waters      
stood4 ,the  all1 however1 was still in 
danger of destruction4 ,then began the  
singer  of ,god's praises3 ,o ,lord of  
the world1 in days to come ,thy         
creatures  will sing praises without end
 to ,thee1 they will bless ,thee        
boundlessly1 and they will glorify ,thee

 without measure4 ,thou wilt set        
,abraham apart from all mankind as      
,thine own2 one of his sons ,thou wilt  
call ',my first-born'2 and his          
descendants will take the yoke of ,thy  
kingdom upon themselves4 ,in holiness   
and purity ,thou wilt bestow ,thy       
,torah upon them1 with the words1 ',i am
 the ,lord your ,god1' whereunto  they  
will make answer1 ',all that ,god hath  
spoken we will do4' ,and now ,i  beseech
 ,thee1 have pity upon ,thy world1      
destroy it not1 for if ,thou  destroyest
 it1 who will fulfil ,thy will8 ,god was
 pacified2 ,he withdrew  the command    
ordaining the destruction of the world1 
but the waters ,he  put under the       
mountains1 to remain there forever4#ej  
,the objection of  the lower waters to  
division and ,separation#ea was not     
their only  reason for rebelling4 ,the  
waters had been the first to give praise
 to  ,god1 and when their separation    
into upper and lower was decreed1 the   
waters above rejoiced1 saying1 ,blessed 

are we who are privileged to  abide near
 our ,creator and near ,his ,holy       
,throne4 ,jubilating thus1 they  flew   
upward1 and uttered song and praise to  
the ,creator of the world4  ,sadness    
fell upon the waters below4 ,they       
lamented3 ,woe unto us1 we  have not    
been found worthy to dwell in the       
presence of ,god1 and praise  ,him      
together with our companions4 ,therefore
 they attempted to rise  upward1 until  
,god repulsed them1 and pressed them    
under the earth4#eb  ,yet they were not 
left unrewarded for their loyalty4      
,whenever the  waters above desire to   
give praise to ,god1 they must first    
seek  permission from the waters        
below4#ec    ,the second day of creation
 was an untoward day in more than the   
one  respect that it introduced a breach
 where before there had been nothing    
but unity2 for it was the day that saw  
also the creation of hell4  ,therefore  
,god could not say of this day as of the
 others1 that ,he saw  that it was good4

 ,a division may be necessary1 but it   
cannot be called  good1 and hell surely 
does not deserve the attribute of       
good4#ed  ,hell#ee has seven            
divisions1#cf one beneath the other4    
,they are  called ,sheol1 ,abaddon1     
,beer ,shahat1 ,tit ha-,yawen1 ,sha'are 
,mawet1  ,sha'are ,zalmawet3 and        
,gehenna4 ,it requires three hundred    
years to  traverse the height1 or the   
width1 or the depth of each division1   
and  it would take six thousand three   
hundred#cg years to go over a tract  of 
land equal in extent to the seven       
divisions4#ch    ,each of the seven     
divisions in turn has seven             
subdivisions1 and in each  compartment  
there are seven rivers of fire and seven
 of hail4 ,the width  of each is one    
thousand ells1 its depth one thousand1  
and its length  three hundred1 and they 
flow one from the other1 and are        
supervised by  ninety thousand ,angels  
of ,destruction4 ,there are1 besides1 in
 every  compartment seven thousand      

caves1 in every cave there are seven    
thousand crevices1 and in every crevice 
seven thousand scorpions4 ,every        
scorpion has three hundred rings1 and in
 every ring seven thousand  pouches of  
venom1 from which flow seven rivers of  
deadly poison4 ,if a  man handles it1 he
 immediately bursts1 every limb is torn 
from his  body1 his bowels are cleft    
asunder1 and he falls upon his face4#ef 
,there are also five different kinds of 
fire in hell4 ,one devours and  absorbs1
 another devours and does not absorb1   
while the third absorbs  and does not   
devour1 and there is still another fire1
 which neither  devours nor absorbs1 and
 furthermore a fire which devours fire4 
,there  are coals big as mountains1 and 
coals big as hills1 and coals as large  
as the ,dead ,sea1 and coals like huge  
stones1 and there are rivers of  pitch  
and sulphur flowing and seething like   
live coals4#fj    ,the third creation of
 the second day was the angel hosts1    
both the  ministering angels and the    

angels of praise4 ,the reason they had  
not  been called into being on the first
 day was1 lest men believe that the     
angels assisted ,god in the creation of 
the heavens and the earth4#fa  ,the     
angels that are fashioned from fire have
 forms of fire1#fb but  only so long as 
they remain in heaven4 ,when they       
descend to earth1 to  do the bidding of 
,god here below1 either they are changed
 into wind1 or  they assume the guise of
 men4#fc ,there are ten ranks or degrees
 among  the angels4#fd    ,the most     
exalted in rank are those surrounding   
the ,divine ,throne on all  sides1 to   
the right1 to the left1 in front1 and   
behind1 under the  leadership of the    
archangels ,michael1 ,gabriel1 ,uriel1  
and ,raphael4#fe    ,all the celestial  
beings praise ,god with the words1      
,holy1 holy1 holy1  is the ,lord of     
hosts1 but men take precedence of the   
angels herein4  ,they may not begin     
their song of praise until the earthly  
beings have  brought their homage to    

,god4#ff ,especially ,israel is         
preferred to the  angels4 ,when they    
encircle the ,divine ,throne in the form
 of fiery  mountains and flaming hills1 
and attempt to raise their voices in    
adoration of the ,creator1 ,god silences
 them with the words1 ,keep quiet  until
 ,i have heard the songs1 praises1      
prayers1 and sweet melodies of  ,israel4
 ,accordingly1 the ministering angels   
and all the other  celestial hosts wait 
until the last tones of ,israel's       
doxologies rising  aloft from earth have
 died away1 and then they proclaim in a 
loud  voice1 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 is the  
,lord of hosts4 ,when the hour for the  
glorification of ,god by the angels     
draws nigh1 the august ,divine  herald1 
the angel ,sham'iel1 steps to the       
windows#fg of the lowest  heaven to     
hearken to the songs1 prayers1 and      
praises that ascend from  the synagogues
 and the houses of learning1 and when   
they are finished1  he announces the end
 to the angels in all the heavens4 ,the 

ministering  angels1 those who come in  
contact with the sublunary world1#fh now
  repair to their chambers to take their
 purification bath4 ,they dive  into a  
stream of fire and flame seven times1   
and three hundred and  sixty-five times 
they examine themselves carefully1 to   
make sure that  no taint clings to their
 bodies4#fi ,only then they feel        
privileged to  mount the fiery ladder   
and join the angels of the seventh      
heaven1 and  surround the throne of ,god
 with ,hashmal and all the holy ,hayyot4
  ,adorned with millions of fiery       
crowns1 arrayed in fiery garments1 all  
the angels in unison1 in the same words1
 and with the same melody1  intone songs
 of praise to ,god4#gj    ,,the ,,third 
,,day    ,up to this time the earth was 
a plain1 and wholly covered with water4 
,scarcely had the words of ,god1 ,let   
the waters be gathered together1  made  
themselves heard1 when mountains        
appeared all over and hills1#ga  and the
 water collected in the deep-lying      

basins4 ,but the water was              
recalcitrant1 it resisted the order to  
occupy the lowly spots1 and  threatened 
to overflow the earth1 until ,god forced
 it back into the  sea1 and encircled   
the sea with sand4 ,now1 whenever the   
water is  tempted to transgress its     
bounds1 it beholds the sand1 and        
recoils4#gb    ,the waters did but      
imitate their chief ,rahab1 the ,angel  
of the ,sea1 who  rebelled at the       
creation of the world4 ,god had         
commanded ,rahab to take  in the water4 
,but he refused1 saying1 ,i have enough4
 ,the punishment  for his disobedience  
was death4 ,his body rests in the depths
 of the  sea1 the water dispelling the  
foul odor that emanates from it4#gc     
,the main creation of the third day was 
the realm of plants1 the  terrestrial   
plants as well as the plants of         
,paradise4 ,first of all the  cedars of 
,lebanon and the other great trees were 
made4 ,in their pride  at having been   
put first1 they shot up high in the air4

 ,they considered  themselves the       
favored among plants4 ,then ,god spake1 
,i hate arrogance  and pride1 for ,i    
alone am exalted1 and none beside1 and  
,he created the  iron on the same day1  
the substance with which trees are      
felled down4  ,the trees began to weep1 
and when ,god asked the reason of their 
tears1  they said3 ,we cry because ,thou
 hast created the iron to uproot us     
therewith4 ,all the while we had thought
 ourselves the highest of the  earth1   
and now the iron1 our destroyer1 has    
been called into  existence4 ,god       
replied3 ,you yourselves will furnish   
the axe with a  handle4 ,without your   
assistance the iron will not be able to 
do aught  against you4#gd    ,the       
command to bear seed after their kind   
was given to the trees alone4  ,but the 
various sorts of grass reasoned1 that if
 ,god had not desired  divisions        
according to classes1 ,he would not have
 instructed the trees  to bear fruit    
after their kind with the seed thereof  

in it1 especially  as trees are inclined
 of their own accord to divide          
themselves into  species4 ,the grasses  
therefore reproduced themselves also    
after their  kinds4 ,this prompted the  
exclamation of the ,prince of the       
,world1 ,let  the glory of the ,lord    
endure forever2 let the ,lord rejoice in
 ,his  works4#ge    ,the most important 
work done on the third day was the      
creation of  ,paradise4 ,two gates of   
carbuncle form the entrance to          
,paradise1#gf and  sixty myriads of     
ministering angels keep watch over them4
 ,each of these  angels shines with the 
lustre of the heavens4 ,when the just   
man appears  before the gates1 the      
clothes in which he was buried are taken
 off him1  and the angels array him in  
seven garments of clouds of glory1 and  
place upon his head two crowns1 one of  
precious stones and pearls1 the  other  
of gold of ,parvaim1#gg and they put    
eight myrtles in his hand1  and they    
utter praises before him and say to him1

 ,go thy way1 and eat  thy bread with   
joy4 ,and they lead him to a place full 
of rivers1  surrounded by eight hundred 
kinds of roses and myrtles4 ,each one   
has a  canopy according to his          
merits1#gh and under it flow four       
rivers1 one  of milk1 the other of      
balsam1 the third of wine1 and the      
fourth of  honey4 ,every canopy is      
overgrown by a vine of gold1 and thirty 
pearls  hang from it1 each of them      
shining like ,venus4 ,under each canopy 
there  is a table of precious stones and
 pearls1 and sixty angels stand at the  
head of every just man1 saying unto him3
 ,go and eat with joy of the  honey1 for
 thou hast busied thyself with the      
,torah1 and she is sweeter  than honey1 
and drink of the wine preserved in the  
grape since the six  days of            
creation1#gi for thou hast busied       
thyself with the ,torah1 and  she is    
compared to wine4 ,the least fair of the
 just is beautiful as  ,joseph and      
,rabbi ,johanan1 and as the grains of a 

silver pomegranate  upon which fall the 
rays of the sun4#hj ,there is no light1 
for the  light of the righteous is the  
shining light4 ,and they undergo four   
transformations every day1 passing      
through four states4 ,in the first  the 
righteous is changed into a child4 ,he  
enters the division for  children1 and  
tastes the joys of childhood4 ,then he  
is changed into a  youth1 and enters the
 division for the youths1 with whom he  
enjoys the  delights of youth4 ,next he 
becomes an adult1 in the prime of life1 
and  he enters the division of men1 and 
enjoys the pleasures of manhood4        
,finally1 he is changed into an old man4
 ,he enters the division for the  old1  
and enjoys the pleasures of age4        
,there are eighty myriads of trees in   
every corner of ,paradise1 the  meanest 
among them choicer than all the spice   
trees4 ,in every corner  there are sixty
 myriads of angels singing with sweet   
voices1 and the  tree of life stands in 
the middle and shades the whole of      

,paradise4#ha  ,it has fifteen thousand 
tastes1 each different from the other1  
and the  perfumes thereof vary likewise4
 ,over it hang seven clouds of glory1   
and  winds blow upon it from all four   
sides1#hb so that its odor is wafted    
from one end of the world to the other4 
,underneath sit the scholars and        
explain the ,torah4 ,over each of them  
two canopies are spread1 one of  stars1 
the other of sun and moon1 and a curtain
 of clouds of glory  separates the one  
canopy from the other4#hc ,beyond       
,paradise begins  ,eden1 containing     
three hundred and ten worlds#hd and     
seven  compartments for seven different 
classes of the pious4 ,in the first are 
the martyr victims of the government1   
like ,rabbi ,akiba and his              
colleagues2#he in the second those who  
were drowned2#hf in the  third#hg ,rabbi
 ,johanan ben ,zakkai and his disciples2
 in the fourth  those who were carried  
off in the cloud of glory2#hh in the    
fifth the  penitents1 who occupy a place

 which even a perfectly pious man cannot
  obtain2 in the sixth are the youths#hi
 who have not tasted of sin in  their   
lives2 in the seventh are those poor who
 studied ,bible and  ,mishnah1 and led a
 life of self-respecting decency4 ,and  
,god sits in the  midst of them and     
expounds the ,torah to them4#ij    ,as  
for the seven divisions of ,paradise1   
each of them is twelve myriads  of miles
 in width and twelve myriads of miles in
 length4 ,in the first  division dwell  
the proselytes who embraced ,judaism of 
their own free  will1 not from          
compulsion4 ,the walls are of glass and 
the wainscoting  of cedar4 ,the prophet 
,obadiah1#ia himself a proselyte1 is the
 overseer  of this first division4 ,the 
second division is built of silver1 and 
the  wainscoting thereof is of cedar4   
,here dwell those who have repented1    
and ,manasseh1 the penitent son of      
,hezekiah1 presides over them4 ,the     
third division is built of silver and   
gold4 ,here dwell ,abraham1 ,isaac1  and

 ,jacob1 and all the ,israelites who    
came out of ,egypt1 and the whole       
generation that lived in the desert4#ib 
,also ,david is there1 together  with   
all his sons#ic except ,absalom1 one of 
them1 ,chileab1 still  alive4 ,and all  
the kings of ,judah are there1 with the 
exception of  ,manasseh1 the son of     
,hezekiah1 who presides in the second   
division1  over the penitents4 ,moses   
and ,aaron preside over the third       
division4  ,here are precious vessels of
 silver and gold and jewels and canopies
  and beds and thrones and lamps1 of    
gold1 of precious stones1 and of        
pearls1 the best of everything there is 
in heaven4#id ,the fourth  division is  
built of beautiful rubies1#ie and its   
wainscoting is of  olive wood4 ,here    
dwell the perfect and the steadfast in  
faith1 and  their wainscoting is of     
olive wood1 because their lives were    
bitter as  olives to them4 ,the fifth   
division is built of silver and gold and
  refined gold1#if and the finest of    

gold and glass and bdellium1 and        
through the midst of it flows the river 
,gihon4 ,the wainscoting is of  silver  
and gold1 and a perfume breathes through
 it more exquisite than  the perfume of 
,lebanon4 ,the coverings of the silver  
and gold beds are  made of purple and   
blue1 woven by ,eve1 and of scarlet and 
the hair of  goats1 woven by angels4    
,here dwells the ,messiah on a palanquin
 made of  the wood of ,lebanon1 the     
pillars thereof of silver1 the bottom of
  gold1 the seat of it purple4 ,with him
 is ,elijah4 ,he takes the head of      
,messiah1 and places it in his bosom1   
and says to him1 ,be quiet1 for  the end
 draweth nigh4 ,on every ,monday and    
,thursday and on ,sabbaths and          
holidays1 the ,patriarchs come to him1  
and the twelve sons of ,jacob1 and      
,moses1 ,aaron1 ,david1 ,solomon1 and   
all the kings of ,israel and of ,judah1 
and they weep with him and comfort him1 
and say unto him1 ,be quiet and  put    
trust in thy ,creator1 for the end      

draweth nigh4 ,also ,korah and his      
company1 and ,dathan1 ,abiram1 and      
,absalom come to him on every           
,wednesday1 and ask him3 ,how long      
before the end comes full of wonders8   
,when wilt thou bring us life again1 and
 from the abysses of the earth  lift us8
 ,the ,messiah answers them1 ,go to your
 fathers and ask them2  and when they   
hear this1 they are ashamed1 and do not 
ask their  fathers4    ,in the sixth    
division dwell those who died in        
performing a pious act1  and in the     
seventh division those who died from    
illness inflicted as an  expiation for  
the sins of ,israel4#ig    ,,the        
,,fourth ,,day    ,the fourth day of    
creation produced the sun1 the moon1 and
 the stars4  ,these heavenly spheres    
were not actually fashioned on this day2
 they  were created on the first day1   
and merely were assigned their places in
  the heavens on the fourth4#ih ,at     
first the sun and the moon enjoyed      
equal powers and prerogatives4#ii ,the  

moon spoke to ,god1 and said3 ,o  ,lord1
 why didst ,thou create the world with  
the letter ,bet8 ,god  replied3 ,that it
 might be made known unto ,my creatures 
that there are  two worlds4 ,the moon3  
,o ,lord3 which of the two worlds is the
 larger1  this world or the world to    
come8 ,god3 ,the world to come is the   
larger4 ,the moon3 ,o ,lord1 ,thou didst
 create two worlds1 a greater and  a    
lesser world2 ,thou didst create the    
heaven and the earth1 the heaven        
exceeding the earth2 ,thou didst create 
fire and water1 the water  stronger than
 the fire1 because it can quench the    
fire2 and now ,thou  hast created the   
sun and the moon1 and it is becoming    
that one of them  should be greater than
 the other4 ,then spake ,god to the     
moon3 ,i know  well1 thou wouldst have  
me make ,thee greater than the sun4 ,as 
a  punishment ,i decree that thou mayest
 keep but one-sixtieth of thy  light4   
,the moon made supplication3 ,shall ,i  
be punished so severely  for having     

spoken a single word8 ,god relented3 ,in
 the future world ,i  will restore thy  
light1 so that thy light may again be as
 the light of  the sun4 ,the moon was   
not yet satisfied4 ,o ,lord1 she said1  
and the  light of the sun1 how great    
will it be in that day8 ,then the wrath 
of  ,god was once more enkindled3 ,what1
 thou still plottest against the  sun8  
,as thou livest1 in the world to come   
his light shall be sevenfold  the light 
he now sheds4#ajj ,the ,sun runs his    
course like a  bridegroom4 ,he sits upon
 a throne with a garland on his         
head4#aja  ,ninety-six angels accompany 
him on his daily journey1 in relays of  
eight every hour1 two to the left of    
him1 and two to the right1 two  before  
,him1 and two behind4 ,strong as he is1 
he could complete his  course from south
 to north in a single instant1 but three
 hundred and  sixty-five angels restrain
 him by means of as many                
grappling-irons4  ,every day one looses 
his hold1 and the sun must thus spend   

three  hundred and sixty-five days on   
his course4 ,the progress of the sun in 
his circuit is an uninterrupted song of 
praise to ,god4 ,and this song  alone   
makes his motion possible4 ,therefore1  
when ,joshua wanted to bid  the sun     
stand still1 he had to command him to be
 silent4 ,his song of  praise hushed1   
the sun stood still4#ajb    ,the sun is 
double-faced2 one face1 of fire1 is     
directed toward the  earth1 and one of  
hail1 toward heaven1 to cool off the    
prodigious heat  that streams from the  
other face1 else the earth would catch  
afire4 ,in  winter the sun turns his    
fiery face upward1 and thus the cold is 
produced4#ajc ,when the sun descends in 
the west in the evening1 he  dips down  
into the ocean and takes a bath1 his    
fire is extinguished1  and therefore he 
dispenses neither light nor warmth      
during the night4  ,but as soon as he   
reaches the east in the morning1 he     
laves himself in  a stream of flame1    
which imparts warmth and light to him1  

and these he  sheds over the earth4 ,in 
the same way the moon and the stars take
 a  bath in a stream of hail before they
 enter upon their service for the       
night4#ajd    ,when the sun and the moon
 are ready to start upon their round of 
duties1 they appear before ,god1 and    
beseech him to relieve them of  their   
task1 so that they may be spared the    
sight of sinning mankind4  ,only upon   
compulsion they proceed with their daily
 course4 ,coming from  the presence of  
,god1 they are blinded by the radiance  
in the heavens1  and they cannot find   
their way4 ,god1 therefore1 shoots off  
arrows1 by  the glittering light of     
which they are guided4 ,it is on account
 of the  sinfulness of man1 which the   
sun is forced to contemplate on his     
rounds1 that he grows weaker as the time
 of his going down approaches1  for sins
 have a defiling and enfeebling effect1 
and he drops from the  horizon as a     
sphere of blood1 for blood is the sign  
of corruption4#aje  ,as the sun sets    

forth on his course in the morning1 his 
wings touch the  leaves on the trees of 
,paradise1 and their vibration is       
communicated to  the angels and the holy
 ,hayyot1 to the other plants1 and also 
to the  trees and plants on earth1 and  
to all the beings on earth and in       
heaven4 ,it is the signal for them all  
to cast their eyes upward4 ,as  soon as 
they see the ,ineffable ,name1 which is 
engraved in the sun1 they  raise their  
voices in songs of praise to ,god4 ,at  
the same moment a  heavenly voice is    
heard to say1 ,woe to the sons of men   
that consider  not the honor of ,god    
like unto these creatures whose voices  
now rise  aloft in adoration4#ajf ,these
 words1 naturally1 are not heard by men2
  as little as they perceive the grating
 of the sun against the wheel to  which 
all the celestial bodies are attached1  
although the noise it  makes is         
extraordinarily loud4#ajg ,this friction
 of the sun and the  wheel produces the 
motes dancing about in the sunbeams4    

,they are the  carriers of healing to   
the sick1#ajh the only health-giving    
creations  of the fourth day1 on the    
whole an unfortunate day1 especially for
  children1 afflicting them with        
disease4#aji ,when ,god punished the    
envious moon by diminishing her light   
and splendor1 so that she ceased  to be 
the equal of the sun as she had been    
originally1#aaj she  fell1#aaa and tiny 
threads were loosed from her body4      
,these are the  stars4#aab    ,,the     
,,fifth ,,day    ,on the fifth day of   
creation ,god took fire#aah and water1  
and out of  these two elements ,he made 
the fishes of the sea4#aad ,the animals 
in  the water are much more numerous    
than those on land4 ,for every species  
on land1 excepting only the weasel1     
there is a corresponding species in  the
 water1 and1 besides1 there are many    
found only in the water4#aae    ,the    
ruler over the sea-animals is           
leviathan4#aaf ,with all the other      
fishes he was made on the fifth day4#aag

 ,originally he was created  male and   
female like all the other animals4 ,but 
when it appeared that a  pair of these  
monsters might annihilate the whole     
earth with their  united strength1 ,god 
killed the female4#aai ,so enormous is  
leviathan  that to quench his thirst he 
needs all the water that flows from the 
,jordan into the sea4#aai ,his food     
consists of the fish which go  between  
his jaws of their own accord4#abj ,when 
he is hungry1 a hot  breath blows from  
his nostrils1 and it makes the waters of
 the great  sea seething hot4           
,formidable though behemot1 the other   
monster1 is1 he  feels insecure until he
 is certain that leviathan has satisfied
 his  thirst4#aba ,the only thing that  
can keep him in check is the            
stickleback1 a little fish which was    
created for the purpose1 and of  which  
he stands in great awe4#abb ,but        
leviathan is more than merely  large and
 strong2 he is wonderfully made besides4
 ,his fins radiate  brilliant light1 the

 very sun is obscured by it1#abc and    
also his eyes  shed such splendor that  
frequently the sea is illuminated       
suddenly by  it4#aba ,no wonder that    
this marvellous beast is the plaything  
of ,god1  in whom ,he takes ,his        
pastime4#abd    ,there is but one thing 
that makes leviathan repulsive1 his foul
 smell3  which is so strong that if it  
penetrated thither1 it would render     
,paradise itself an impossible          
abode4#abe    ,the real purpose of      
leviathan is to be served up as a dainty
 to the  pious in the world to come4    
,the female was put into brine as soon  
as  she was killed1 to be preserved     
against the time when her flesh will be 
needed4#abf ,the male is destined to    
offer a delectable sight to all         
beholders before he is consumed4 ,when  
his last hour arrives1 ,god will  summon
 the angels to enter into combat with   
the monster4 ,but no sooner  will       
leviathan cast his glance at them than  
they will flee in fear and  dismay from 

the field of battle4 ,they will return  
to the charge with  swords1 but in vain1
 for his scales can turn back steel like
 straw4  ,they will be equally          
unsuccessful when they attempt to kill  
him by  throwing darts and slinging     
stones2 such missiles will rebound      
without  leaving the least impression on
 his body4 ,disheartened1 the angels    
will  give up the combat1 and ,god will 
command leviathan and behemot to enter  
into a duel with each other4 ,the issue 
will be that both will drop  dead1      
behemot slaughtered by a blow of        
leviathan's fins1 and leviathan  killed 
by a lash of behemot's tail4 ,from the  
skin of leviathan ,god will  construct  
tents to shelter companies of the pious 
while they enjoy the  dishes made of his
 flesh4 ,the amount assigned to each of 
the pious will  be in proportion to his 
deserts1 and none will envy or begrudge 
the  other his better share4 ,what is   
left of leviathan's skin will be        
stretched out over ,jerusalem as a      

canopy1 and the light streaming from  it
 will illumine the whole world1 and what
 is left of his flesh after  the pious  
have appeased their appetite1 will be   
distributed among the  rest of men1 to  
carry on traffic therewith4#abg    ,on  
the same day with the fishes1 the birds 
were created1 for these two  kinds of   
animals are closely related to each     
other4 ,fish are fashioned  out of      
water1 and birds out of marshy ground   
saturated with water4#abh    ,as        
leviathan is the king of fishes1 so the 
ziz is appointed to rule  over the      
birds4#abi ,his name comes from the     
variety of tastes his  flesh has2 it    
tastes like this1 zeh1 and like that1   
zeh4#acj ,the ziz  is as monstrous of   
size as leviathan himself4 ,his ankles  
rest on the  earth1 and his head reaches
 to the very sky4#aba    ,it once       
happened that travellers on a vessel    
noticed a bird4 ,as he  stood in the    
water1 it merely covered his feet1 and  
his head knocked  against the sky4 ,the 

onlookers thought the water could not   
have any  depth at that point1 and they 
prepared to take a bath there4 ,a       
heavenly  voice warned them3 ,alight not
 here6 ,once a carpenter's axe slipped  
from his hand at this spot1 and it took 
it seven years to touch  bottom4 ,the   
bird the travellers saw was none other  
than the ziz4#acb  ,his wings are so    
huge that unfurled they darken the      
sun4#acc ,they  protect the earth       
against the storms of the south2 without
 their aid  the earth would not be able 
to resist the winds blowing thence4#acd 
,once an egg of the ziz fell to the     
ground and broke4 ,the fluid from it    
flooded sixty cities1 and the shock     
crushed three hundred cedars4           
,fortunately such accidents do not occur
 frequently4 ,as a rule the bird  lets  
her eggs slide gently into her nest4    
,this one mishap was due to  the fact   
that the egg was rotten1 and the bird   
cast it away carelessly4  ,the ziz has  
another name1 ,renanin1#ace because he  

is the celestial  singer4#acf ,on       
account of his relation to the heavenly 
regions he is  also called ,sekwi1 the  
seer1 and1 besides1 he is called son of 
the  nest1#acg because his fledgling    
birds break away from the shell  without
 being hatched by the mother bird2 they 
spring directly from the  nest1 as it   
were4#ach ,like leviathan1 so ziz is a  
delicacy to be  served to the pious at  
the end of time1 to compensate them for 
the  privations which abstaining from   
the unclean fowls imposed upon          
them4#aci    ,,the ,,sixth ,,day    ,as 
the fish were formed out of water1 and  
the birds out of boggy earth  well mixed
 with water1 so the mammals were formed 
out of solid  earth1#adj and as         
leviathan is the most notable           
representative of the  fish kind1 and   
ziz of the bird kind1 so behemot is the 
most notable  representative of the     
mammal kind4 ,behemot matches leviathan 
in  strength1 and he had to be          
prevented1 like leviathan1 from         

multiplying  and increasing1 else the   
world could not have continued to exist2
 after  ,god had created him male and   
female1 ,he at once deprived him of the 
desire to propagate his kind4#ada ,he is
 so monstrous that he requires  the     
produce of a thousand mountains for his 
daily food4 ,all the water  that flows  
through the bed of the ,jordan in a year
 suffices him exactly  for one gulp4 ,it
 therefore was necessary to give him one
 stream  entirely for his own use1 a    
stream flowing forth from ,paradise1    
called  ,yubal4#adb ,behemot1 too1 is   
destined to be served to the pious as an
  appetizing dainty1 but before they    
enjoy his flesh1 they will be  permitted
 to view the mortal combat between      
leviathan and behemot1 as a  reward for 
having denied themselves the pleasures  
of the circus and its  gladiatorial     
contests4#adc    ,leviathan1 ziz1 and   
behemot are not the only monsters2 there
 are many  others1 and marvellous ones1 
like the reem1 a giant animal1 of which 

only one couple1 male and female1 is in 
existence4 ,had there been more1  the   
world could hardly have maintained      
itself against them4 ,the act of        
copulation occurs but once in seventy   
years between them1 for ,god has  so    
ordered it that the male and female reem
 are at opposite ends of the  earth1 the
 one in the east1 the other in the west4
 ,the act of  copulation results in the 
death of the male4 ,he is bitten by the 
female  and dies of the bite4 ,the      
female becomes pregnant and remains in  
this  state for no less than twelve     
years4 ,at the end of this long period  
she  gives birth to twins1 a male and a 
female4 ,the year preceding her         
delivery she is not able to move4 ,she  
would die of hunger1 were it not  that  
her own spittle flowing copiously from  
her mouth waters and  fructifies the    
earth near her1 and causes it to bring  
forth enough for  her maintenance4 ,for 
a whole year the animal can but roll    
from side to  side1 until finally her   

belly bursts1 and the twins issue forth4
 ,their  appearance is thus the signal  
for the death of the mother reem4 ,she  
makes room for the new generation1 which
 in turn is destined to suffer  the same
 fate as the generation that went       
before4 ,immediately after  birth1 the  
one goes eastward and the other         
westward1 to meet only after  the lapse 
of seventy years1 propagate themselves1 
and perish4#add ,a  traveller who once  
saw a reem one day old described its    
height to be  four parasangs1 and the   
length of its head one parasang and a   
half4#ade ,its horns measure one hundred
 ells1 and their height is a  great deal
 more4#adf    ,one of the most          
remarkable creatures is the man of the  
mountain1 ,adne  ,sadeh1 or1 briefly1   
,adam4#adg ,his form is exactly that of 
a human  being1 but he is fastened to   
the ground by means of a navel-string1  
upon which his life depends4 ,the cord  
once snapped1 he dies4 ,this  animal    
keeps himself alive with what is        

produced by the soil around  about him  
as far as his tether permits him to     
crawl4 ,no creature may  venture to     
approach within the radius of his cord1 
for he seizes and  demolishes whatever  
comes in his reach4 ,to kill him1 one   
may not go  near to him1 the            
navel-string must be severed from a     
distance by means  of a dart1 and then  
he dies amid groans and moans4#adc ,once
 upon a  time a traveller happened in   
the region where this animal is found4  
,he  overheard his host consult his wife
 as to what to do to honor their  guest1
 and resolve to serve our man1 as he    
said4 ,thinking he had  fallen among    
cannibals1 the stranger ran as fast as  
his feet could  carry him from his      
entertainer1 who sought vainly to       
restrain him4  ,afterward1 he found out 
that there had been no intention of     
regaling  him with human flesh1 but only
 with the flesh of the strange animal   
called man4#adf ,as the man of the      
mountain is fixed to the ground  by his 

navel-string1 so the barnacle-goose is  
grown to a tree by its  bill4 ,it is    
hard to say whether it is an animal and 
must be slaughtered  to be fit for food1
 or whether it is a plant and no ritual 
ceremony is  necessary before eating    
it4#aej    ,among the birds the phoenix 
is the most wonderful4 ,when ,eve gave  
all  the animals some of the fruit of   
the tree of knowledge1 the phoenix was  
the only bird that refused to eat       
thereof1 and he was rewarded with       
eternal life4 ,when he has lived a      
thousand years1 his body shrinks1 and   
the feathers drop from it1 until he is  
as small as an egg4 ,this is the        
nucleus of the new bird4#aea    ,the    
phoenix is also called the guardian of  
the terrestrial sphere4 ,he  runs with  
the sun on his circuit1 and he spreads  
out his wings and  catches up the fiery 
rays of the sun4#aeb ,if he were not    
there to  intercept them1 neither man   
nor any other animate being would keep  
alive4 ,on his right wing the following 

words are inscribed in huge             
letters1#aec about four thousand stadia 
high3 ,neither the earth  produces me1  
nor the heavens1 but only the wings of  
fire4 ,his food  consists of the manna  
of heaven and the dew of the earth4 ,his
 excrement  is a worm1 whose excrement  
in turn is the cinnamon used by kings   
and  princes4#aeb ,enoch1 who saw the   
phoenix birds when he was translated1   
describes them as flying creatures1     
wonderful and strange in  appearance1   
with the feet and tails of lions1 and   
the heads of  crocodiles2 their         
appearance is of a purple color like the
 rainbow2  their size nine hundred      
measures4 ,their wings are like those of
 angels1  each having twelve1 and they  
attend the chariot of the sun and go    
with  him1 bringing heat and dew as they
 are ordered by ,god4 ,in the morning   
when the sun starts on his daily course1
 the phoenixes and the  chalkidri#aed   
sing1 and every bird flaps its wings1   
rejoicing the  ,giver of light1 and they

 sing a song at the command of the      
,lord4#aee  ,among reptiles the         
salamander and the shamir are the most  
marvellous4  ,the salamander originates 
from a fire of myrtle wood#aef which has
  been kept burning for seven years     
steadily by means of magic arts4 ,not   
bigger than a mouse1 it yet is invested 
with peculiar properties4 ,one  who     
smears himself with its blood is        
invulnerable1#aeg and the web  woven by 
it is a talisman against fire4#aeh ,the 
people who lived at  the deluge boasted 
that1 were a fire flood to come1 they   
would protect  themselves with the blood
 of the salamander4#aei    ,king        
,hezekiah owes his life to the          
salamander4 ,his wicked father1 ,king   
,ahaz1 had delivered him to the fires of
 ,moloch1 and he would have been  burnt1
 had his mother not painted him with the
 blood of the salamander1  so that the  
fire could do him no harm4#afj    ,the  
shamir was made at twilight on the sixth
 day of creation together  with other   

extraordinary things4#afa ,it is about  
as large as a barley  corn1 and it      
possesses the remarkable property of    
cutting the hardest  of diamonds4 ,for  
this reason it was used for the stones  
in the  breastplate worn by the high    
priest4 ,first the names of the twelve  
tribes were traced with ink on the      
stones to be set into the  breastplate1 
then the shamir was passed over the     
lines1 and thus they  were graven4 ,the 
wonderful circumstance was that the     
friction wore no  particles from the    
stones4 ,the shamir was also used for   
hewing into  shape the stones from which
 the ,temple was built1 because the law 
prohibited iron tools to be used for the
 work in the ,temple4#afb ,the  shamir  
may not be put in an iron vessel for    
safe-keeping1 nor in any  metal vessel1 
it would burst such a receptacle        
asunder4 ,it is kept  wrapped up in a   
woollen cloth1 and this in turn is      
placed in a lead  basket filled with    
barley bran4#afc ,the shamir was guarded

 in ,paradise  until ,solomon needed it4
 ,he sent the eagle thither to fetch the
  worm4#afd ,with the destruction of the
 ,temple the shamir vanished4#afe  ,a   
similar fate overtook the tahash1 which 
had been created only that  its skin    
might be used for the ,tabernacle4 ,once
 the ,tabernacle was  completed1 the    
tahash disappeared4 ,it had a horn on   
its forehead1 was  gaily colored like   
the turkey-cock1 and belonged to the    
class of clean  animals4#aff ,among the 
fishes there are also wonderful         
creatures1 the  sea-goats and the       
dolphins1 not to mention leviathan4 ,a  
sea-faring man  once saw a sea-goat on  
whose horns the words were inscribed3 ,i
 am a  little sea-animal1 yet ,i        
traversed three hundred parasangs to    
offer  myself as food to the            
leviathan4#afg ,the dolphins are half   
man and  half fish2 they even have      
sexual intercourse with human beings2   
therefore they are called also sons of  
the sea1 for in a sense they  represent 

the human kind in the waters4#afc       
,though every species in the animal     
world was created during the last  two  
days of the six of creation1#afi yet    
many characteristics of  certain animals
 appeared later4 ,cats and mice1 foes   
now1 were friends  originally4 ,their   
later enmity had a distinct cause4 ,on  
one occasion  the mouse appeared before 
,god and spoke3 ,i and the cat are      
partners1  but now we have nothing to   
eat4 ,the ,lord answered3 ,thou art     
intriguing against thy companion1 only  
that thou mayest devour her4 ,as  a     
punishment1 she shall devour thee4      
,thereupon the mouse3 ,o ,lord of  the  
world1 wherein have ,i done wrong8 ,god 
replied3 ,o thou unclean  reptile1 thou 
shouldst have been warned by the example
 of the moon1 who  lost a part of her   
light1 because she spake ill of the sun1
 and what  she lost was given to her    
opponent4#agj ,the evil intentions thou 
didst  harbor against thy companion     
shall be punished in the same way4      

,instead  of thy devouring her1 she     
shall devour thee4 ,the mouse3 ,o ,lord 
of the  world6 ,shall my whole kind be  
destroyed8 ,god3 ,i will take care that 
a  remnant of thee is spared4 ,in her   
rage the mouse bit the cat1 and the  cat
 in turn threw herself upon the mouse1  
and hacked into her with her  teeth     
until she lay dead4 ,since that moment  
the mouse stands in such  awe of the cat
 that she does not even attempt to      
defend herself against  her enemy's     
attacks1 and always keeps herself in    
hiding4#aga ,similarly  dogs and cats   
maintained a friendly relation to each  
other1 and only  later on became        
enemies4 ,a dog and a cat were partners1
 and they shared  with each other       
whatever they had4 ,it once happened    
that neither could  find anything to eat
 for three days4 ,thereupon the dog     
proposed that  they dissolve their      
partnership4 ,the cat should go to      
,adam1 in whose  house there would      
surely be enough for her to eat1 while  

the dog should  seek his fortune        
elsewhere4 ,before they separated1 they 
took an oath  never to go to the same   
master4 ,the cat took up her abode with 
,adam1  and she found sufficient mice in
 his house to satisfy her appetite4     
,seeing how useful she was in driving   
away and extirpating mice1 ,adam        
treated her most kindly4 ,the dog1 on   
the other hand1 saw bad times4 ,the     
first night after their separation he   
spent in the cave of the wolf1  who had 
granted him a night's lodging4 ,at night
 the dog caught the  sound of steps1 and
 he reported it to his host1 who bade   
him repulse  the intruders4 ,they were  
wild animals4 ,little lacked and the dog
 would  have lost his life4 ,dismayed1  
the dog fled from the house of the wolf1
  and took refuge with the monkey4 ,but 
he would not grant him even a  single   
night's lodging2 and the fugitive was   
forced to appeal to the  hospitality of 
the sheep4 ,again the dog heard steps in
 the middle of  the night4 ,obeying the 

bidding of his host1 he arose to chase  
away the  marauders1 who turned out to  
be wolves4 ,the barking of the dog      
apprised  the wolves of the presence of 
sheep1 so that the dog innocently caused
  the sheep's death4 ,now he had lost   
his last friend4 ,night after night  he 
begged for shelter1 without ever finding
 a home4 ,finally1 he decided  to repair
 to the house of ,adam1 who also granted
 him refuge for one  night4 ,when wild  
animals approached the house under cover
 of darkness1  the dog began to bark1   
,adam awoke1 and with his bow and arrow 
he drove  them away4 ,recognizing the   
dog's usefulness1 he bade him remain    
with  him always4 ,but as soon as the   
cat espied the dog in ,adam's house1 she
  began to quarrel with him1 and        
reproach him with having broken his oath
  to her4 ,adam did his best to pacify  
the cat4 ,he told her he had himself    
invited the dog to make his home there1 
and he assured her she would in  no wise
 be the loser by the dog's presence2 he 

wanted both to stay with  him4 ,but it  
was impossible to appease the cat4 ,the 
dog promised her not  to touch anything 
intended for her4 ,she insisted that she
 could not  live in one and the same    
house with a thief like the dog4        
,bickerings  between the dog and the cat
 became the order of the day4 ,finally  
the  dog could stand it no longer1 and  
he left ,adam's house1 and betook       
himself to ,seth's4 ,by ,seth he was    
welcomed kindly1 and from ,seth's       
house1 he continued to make efforts at  
reconciliation with the cat4 ,in  vain4 
,yes1 the enmity between the first dog  
and the first cat was  transmitted to   
all their descendants until this very   
day4#agb    ,even the physical          
peculiarities of certain animals were   
not original  features with them1 but   
owed their existence to something that  
occurred  subsequent to the days of     
creation4 ,the mouse at first had quite 
a  different mouth from its present     
mouth4 ,in ,noah's ark1 in which all    

animals1 to ensure the preservation of  
every kind1 lived together  peaceably1  
the pair of mice were once sitting next 
to the cat4 ,suddenly  the latter       
remembered that her father was in the   
habit of devouring  mice1 and thinking  
there was no harm in following his      
example1 she  jumped at the mouse1 who  
vainly looked for a hole into which to  
slip  out of sight4 ,then a miracle     
happened2 a hole appeared where none had
  been before1 and the mouse sought     
refuge in it4 ,the cat pursued the      
mouse1 and though she could not follow  
her into the hole1 she could  insert her
 paw and try to pull the mouse out of   
her covert4 ,quickly the  mouse opened  
her mouth in the hope that the paw would
 go into it1 and  the cat would be      
prevented from fastening her claws in   
her flesh4 ,but  as the cavity of the   
mouth was not big enough1 the cat       
succeeded in  clawing the cheeks of the 
mouse4 ,not that this helped her much1  
it  merely widened the mouth of the     

mouse1 and her prey after all escaped   
the cat4#agc ,after her happy escape1   
the mouse betook herself to ,noah  and  
said to him1 ,o pious man1 be good      
enough to sew up my cheek where  my     
enemy1 the cat1 has torn a rent in it4  
,noah bade her fetch a hair  out of the 
tail of the swine1 and with this he     
repaired the damage4  ,thence the little
 seam-like line next to the mouth of    
every mouse to  this very day4#agd      
,the raven is another animal that       
changed its appearance during its       
sojourn in the ark4 ,when ,noah desired 
to send him forth to find out  about the
 state of the waters1 he hid under the  
wings of the eagle4  ,noah found him1   
however1 and said to him1 ,go and see   
whether the  waters have diminished4    
,the raven pleaded3 ,hast thou none     
other among  all the birds to send on   
this errand8 ,noah3 ,my power extends no
  further than over thee and the        
dove4#age ,but the raven was not        
satisfied4 ,he said to ,noah with great 

insolence3 ,thou sendest me forth  only 
that ,i may meet my death1 and thou     
wishest my death that my wife  may be at
 thy service4#agf ,thereupon ,noah      
cursed the raven thus3 ,may  thy mouth1 
which has spoken evil against me1 be    
accursed1 and thy  intercourse with thy 
wife be only through it4#agg ,all the   
animals in  the ark said ,amen4 ,and    
this is the reason why a mass of spittle
 runs  from the mouth of the male raven 
into the mouth of the female during  the
 act of copulation1 and only thus the   
female is impregnated4#agh  ,altogether 
the raven is an unattractive animal4 ,he
 is unkind toward his  own young so long
 as their bodies are not covered with   
black  feathers1#agi though as a rule   
ravens love one another4#ahj ,god       
therefore takes the young ravens under  
,his special protection4 ,from  their   
own excrement maggots come forth1#aha   
which serve as their food  during the   
three days that elapse after their      
birth1 until their white  feathers turn 

black and their parents recognize them  
as their offspring  and care for        
them4#ahb    ,the raven has himself to  
blame also for the awkward hop in his   
gait4 ,he  observed the graceful step of
 the dove1 and envious of her tried to  
enmulate it4 ,the outcome was that he   
almost broke his bones without in  the  
least succeeding in making himself      
resemble the dove1 not to  mention that 
he brought the scorn of the other       
animals down upon  himself4 ,his failure
 excited their ridicule4 ,then he       
decided to return  to his own original  
gait1 but in the interval he had        
unlearnt it1 and  he could walk neither 
the one way nor the other properly4 ,his
 step had  become a hop betwixt and     
between4 ,thus we see how true it is1   
that he  who is dissatisfied with his   
small portion loses the little he has in
  striving for more and better          
things4#afc    ,the steer is also one of
 the animals that have suffered a change
 in the  course of time4 ,originally his

 face was entirely overgrown with hair1 
but now there is none on his nose1 and  
that is because ,joshua kissed  him on  
his nose during the siege of ,jericho4  
,joshua was an exceedingly  heavy man4  
,horses1 donkeys1 and mules1 none could 
bear him1 they all  broke down under his
 weight4 ,what they could not do1 the   
steer  accomplished4 ,on his back       
,joshua rode to the siege of ,jericho1  
and in  gratitude he bestowed a kiss    
upon his nose4#acd    ,the serpent1 too1
 is other than it was at first4 ,before 
the fall of man  it was the cleverest of
 all animals created1 and in form it    
resembled  man closely4 ,it stood       
upright1 and was of extraordinary       
size4#ahe  ,afterward1 it lost the      
mental advantages it had possessed as   
compared  with other animals1 and it    
degenerated physically1 too2 it was     
deprived  of its feet1 so that it could 
not pursue other animals and kill them4 
,the mole and the frog had to be made   
harmless in similar ways2 the  former   

has no eyes1 else it were irresistible1 
and the frog has no  teeth1 else no     
animal in the water were sure of its    
life4#ahf    ,while the cunning of the  
serpent wrought its own undoing1 the    
cunning  of the fox stood him in good   
stead in many an embarrassing situation4
  ,after ,adam had committed the sin of 
disobedience1 ,god delivered the  whole 
of the animal world into the power of   
the ,angel of ,death1 and ,he  ordered  
him to cast one pair of each kind into  
the water4 ,he and  leviathan together  
thus have dominion over all that has    
life4 ,when the  ,angel of ,death was in
 the act of executing the ,divine       
command upon the  fox1 he began to weep 
bitterly4 ,the ,angel of ,death asked   
him the reason  of his tears1 and the   
fox replied that he was mourning the sad
 fate of  his friend4 ,at the same time 
he pointed to the figure of a fox in the
  sea1 which was nothing but his own    
reflection4 ,the ,angel of ,death1      
persuaded that a representative of the  

fox family had been cast into  the      
water1 let him go free4 ,the fox told   
his trick to the cat1 and she  in turn  
played it on the ,angel of ,death4#ahg  
,so it happened that  neither cats nor  
foxes are represented in the water1     
while all other  animals are4#ahh       
,when leviathan passed the animals in   
review1 and missing the fox was         
informed of the sly way in which he had 
eluded his authority1 he  dispatched    
great and powerful fish on the errand of
 enticing the truant  into the water4   
,the fox walking along the shore espied 
the large number  of fish1 and he       
exclaimed1 ,how happy he who may always 
satisfy his  hunger with the flesh of   
such as these4 ,the fish told him1 if he
 would  but follow them1 his appetite   
could easily be appeased4 ,at the same  
time they informed him that a great     
honor awaited him4 ,leviathan1 they     
said1 was at death's door1 and he had   
commissioned them to install the  fox as
 his successor4 ,they were ready to     

carry him on their backs1 so  that he   
had no need to fear the water1 and thus 
they would convey him  to the throne1   
which stood upon a huge rock4 ,the fox  
yielded to these  persuasions1 and      
descended into the water4 ,presently an 
uncomfortable  feeling took possession  
of him4 ,he began to suspect that the   
tables  were turned2 he was being made  
game of instead of making game of others
  as usual4 ,he urged the fish to tell  
him the truth1 and they admitted  that  
they had been sent out to secure his    
person for leviathan1 who  wanted his   
heart1#ahi that he might become as      
knowing as the fox1  whose wisdom he had
 heard many extol4 ,the fox said        
reproachfully3 ,why  did you not tell me
 the truth at once8 ,then ,i could have 
brought my  heart along with me for     
,king ,leviathan1 who would have        
showered honors  upon me4 ,as it is1 you
 will surely suffer punishment for      
bringing me  without my heart4 ,the     
foxes1 you see1 he continued1 do not    

carry  their hearts around with them4   
,they keep them in a safe place1 and    
when  they have need of them1 they fetch
 them thence4 ,the fish quickly swam  to
 shore1 and landed the fox1 so that he  
might go for his heart4 ,no  sooner did 
he feel dry land under his feet than he 
began to jump and  shout1 and when they 
urged him to go in search of his heart1 
and follow  them1 he said3 ,o ye fools1 
could ,i have followed you into the     
water1  if ,i had not had my heart with 
me8 ,or exists there a creature able to 
go abroad without his heart8 ,the fish  
replied3 ,come1 come1 thou art  fooling 
us4 ,whereupon the fox3 ,o ye fools1 if 
,i could play a trick on  the ,angel of 
,death1 how much easier was it to make  
game of you8 ,so  they had to return1   
their errand undone1 and leviathan could
 not but  confirm the taunting judgment 
of the fox3 ,in very truth1 the fox is  
wise of heart1 and ye are fools4#aij    
,,all ,,things ,,praise ,,the ,,lord    
,whatever ,god created has value4 ,even 

the animals and the insects that  seem  
useless and noxious at first sight have 
a vocation to fulfil4 ,the  snail       
trailing a moist streak after it as it  
crawls1 and so using up  its vitality1  
serves as a remedy for boils4 ,the sting
 of a hornet is  healed by the house-fly
 crushed and applied to the wound4 ,the 
gnat1  feeble creature1 taking in food  
but never secreting it1 is a specific   
against the poison of a viper1 and this 
venomous reptile itself cures           
eruptions1 while the lizard is the      
antidote to the scorpion4#aia ,not  only
 do all creatures serve man1 and        
contribute to his comfort1 but  also    
,god teacheth us through the beasts of  
the earth1 and maketh us  wise through  
the fowls of heaven4 ,he endowed many   
animals with  admirable moral qualities 
as a pattern for man4 ,if the ,torah had
 not  been revealed to us1 we might have
 learnt regard for the decencies of     
life from the cat1 who covers her       
excrement with earth2 regard for the    

property of others from the ants1 who   
never encroach upon one another's       
stores2 and regard for decorous conduct 
from the cock1 who1 when he  desires to 
unite with the hen1 promises to buy her 
a cloak long enough  to reach to the    
ground1 and when the hen reminds him of 
his promise1 he  shakes his comb and    
says1 ,may ,i be deprived of my comb1 if
 ,i do not  buy it when ,i have the     
means4 ,the grasshopper also has a      
lesson to  teach to man4 ,all the summer
 through it sings1 until its belly      
bursts1  and death claims it4 ,though it
 knows the fate that awaits it1 yet it  
sings on4 ,so man should do his duty    
toward ,god1 no matter what the         
consequences4 ,the stork should be taken
 as a model in two respects4 ,he  guards
 the purity of his family life          
zealously1 and toward his fellows  he is
 compassionate and merciful4 ,even the  
frog can be the teacher of  man4 ,by the
 side of the water there lives a species
 of animals which  subsist off aquatic  

creatures alone4 ,when the frog notices 
that one of  them is hungry1 he goes to 
it of his own accord1 and offers himself
 as  food1 thus fulfilling the          
injunction1 ,if thine enemy be hungry1  
give  him bread to eat2 and if he be    
thirsty1 give him water to drink4#aib   
,the whole of creation was called into  
existence by ,god unto ,his  glory1#aic 
and each creature has its own hymn of   
praise wherewith to  extol the ,creator4
 ,heaven and earth1 ,paradise and hell1 
desert and  field1 rivers and seas--all 
have their own way of paying homage to  
,god4  ,the hymn of the earth is1 ,from 
the uttermost part of the earth have we 
heard songs1 glory to the ,righteous4   
,the sea exclaims1 ,above the  voices of
 many waters1 the mighty breakers of the
 sea1 the ,lord on high  is mighty4     
,also the celestial bodies and the      
elements proclaim the praise of their   
,creator--the sun1 moon1 and stars1 the 
clouds and the winds1 lightning  and    
dew4 ,the sun says1 ,the sun and moon   

stood still in their  habitation1 at the
 light of ,thine arrows as they went1 at
 the shining  of ,thy glittering spear2 
and the stars sing1 ,thou art the ,lord1
 even  ,thou alone2 ,thou hast made     
heaven1 the heaven of heavens1 with all 
their host1 the earth and all things    
that are thereon1 the seas and all  that
 is in them1 and ,thou preservest them  
all2 and the host of heaven  worshippeth
 ,thee4    ,every plant1 furthermore1   
has a song of praise4 ,the fruitful tree
  sings1 ,then shall all the trees of   
the wood sing for joy1 before the       
,lord1 for ,he cometh2 for ,he cometh to
 judge the earth2 and the ears of  grain
 on the field sing1 ,the pastures are   
covered with flocks2 the  valleys also  
are covered over with corn2 they shout  
for joy1 they also  sing4    ,great     
among singers of praise are the birds1  
and greatest among them is  the cock4   
,when ,god at midnight goes to the pious
 in ,paradise1 all the  trees therein   
break out into adoration1 and their     

songs awaken the  cock1 who begins in   
turn to praise ,god4 ,seven times he    
crows1 each time  reciting a verse4 ,the
 first verse is3 ,lift up your heads1 ,o
 ye gates2  and be ye lift up1 ye       
everlasting doors1 and the ,king of     
glory shall  come in4 ,who is the ,king 
of glory8 ,the ,lord strong and mighty1 
the ,lord  mighty in battle4 ,the second
 verse3 ,lift up your heads1 ,o ye      
gates2  yea1 lift them up1 ye           
everlasting doors1 and the ,king of     
glory shall  come in4 ,who is this ,king
 of glory8 ,the ,lord of hosts1 ,he is  
the ,king  of glory4 ,the third3 ,arise1
 ye righteous1 and occupy yourselves    
with  the ,torah1 that your reward may  
be abundant in the world hereafter4     
,the fourth3 ,i have waited for ,thy    
salvation1 ,o ,lord6 ,the fifth3 ,how   
long wilt thou sleep1 ,o sluggard8 ,when
 wilt thou arise out of thy  sleep8 ,the
 sixth3 ,love not sleep1 lest thou come 
to poverty2 open  thine eyes1 and thou  
shalt be satisfied with bread4 ,and the 

seventh  verse sung by the cock runs3   
,it is time to work for the ,lord1 for  
they  have made void ,thy law4    ,the  
song of the vulture is3 ,i will hiss for
 them1 and gather them2 for  ,i have    
redeemed them1 and they shall increase  
as they have  increased--the same verse 
with which the bird will in time to come
  announce the advent of the ,messiah1  
the only difference being1 that  when he
 heralds the ,messiah he will sit upon  
the ground and sing his  verse1 while at
 all other times he is seated elsewhere 
when he sings  it4    ,nor do the other 
animals praise ,god less than the birds4
 ,even the  beasts of prey give forth   
adoration4 ,the lion says3 ,the ,lord   
shall go  forth as a mighty man2 ,he    
shall stir up jealousy like a man of    
war2 ,he  shall cry1 yea1 ,he shall     
shout aloud2 ,he shall do mightily      
against his  enemies4 ,and the fox      
exhorts unto justice with the words3    
,woe unto  him that buildeth his house  
by unrighteousness1 and his chambers by 

injustice2 that useth his neighbor's    
service without wages1 and giveth  him  
not his hire4    ,yea1 the dumb fishes  
know how to proclaim the praise of their
 ,lord4  ,the voice of the ,lord is upon
 the waters1 they say1 the ,god of glory
  thundereth1 even the ,lord upon many  
waters2 while the frog exclaims1        
,blessed be the name of the glory of    
,his kingdom forever and ever4          
,contemptible though they are1 even the 
reptiles give praise unto their         
,creator4 ,the mouse extols ,god with   
the words3 ,howbeit ,thou art just in   
all that is come upon me2 for ,thou hast
 dealt truly1 but ,i have done          
wickedly4 ,and the cat sings3 ,let      
everything that hath breath praise  the 
,lord4 ,praise ye the ,lord4#aid        
,,ii  ,,adam    ,,man ,,and ,,the       
,,world    ,with ten ,sayings ,god      
created the world1 although a single    
,saying would  have sufficed4 ,god      
desired to make known how severe is the 
punishment  to be meted out to the      

wicked1 who destroy a world created with
 as many  as ten ,sayings1 and how      
goodly the reward destined for the      
righteous1  who preserve a world created
 with as many as ten ,sayings4#a    ,the
 world was made for man1 though he was  
the last-comer among its  creatures4    
,this was design4 ,he was to find all   
things ready for him4  ,god was the host
 who prepared dainty dishes1 set the    
table1 and then  led ,his guest to his  
seat4 ,at the same time man's late      
appearance on  earth is to convey an    
admonition to humility4 ,let him beware 
of being  proud1 lest he invite the     
retort that the gnat is older than he4#b
    ,the superiority of man to the other
 creatures is apparent in the very      
manner of his creation1 altogether      
different from theirs4 ,he is the  only 
one who was created by the hand of      
,god4#c ,the rest sprang from  the word 
of ,god4 ,the body of man is a          
microcosm1 the whole world in           
miniature1 and the world in turn is a   

reflex of man4 ,the hair upon his  head 
corresponds to the woods of the earth1  
his tears to a river1 his  mouth to the 
ocean4#d ,also1 the world resembles the 
ball of his eye3  the ocean that        
encircles the earth is like unto the    
white of the eye1  the dry land is the  
iris1 ,jerusalem the pupil1 and the     
,temple the image  mirrored in the pupil
 of the eye4#e ,but man is more than a  
mere image  of this world4 ,he unites   
both heavenly and earthly qualities     
within  himself4 ,in four he resembles  
the angels1 in four the beasts4 ,his    
power  of speech1 his discriminating    
intellect1 his upright walk1 the glance 
of his eye--they all make an angel of   
him4 ,but1 on the other hand1 he  eats  
and drinks1 secretes the waste matter in
 his body1 propagates his  kind1 and    
dies1 like the beast of the field4      
,therefore ,god said before  the        
creation of man3 ,the celestials are not
 propagated1 but they are  immortal2 the
 beings on earth are propagated1 but    

they die4 ,i will  create man to be the 
union of the two1 so that when he sins1 
when he  behaves like a beast1 death    
shall overtake him2 but if he refrains  
from  sin1 he shall live forever4#f ,god
 now bade all beings in heaven and  on  
earth contribute to the creation of man1
 and ,he ,himself took part in  it4     
,thus they all will love man1 and if he 
should sin1 they will be  interested in 
his preservation4#g    ,the whole world 
naturally was created for the pious1 the
 ,god-fearing  man1 whom ,israel        
produces with the helpful guidance of   
the law of ,god  revealed to him4#h ,it 
was1 therefore1 ,israel who was taken   
into  special consideration at the time 
man was made4 ,all other creatures  were
 instructed to change their nature1 if  
,israel should ever need  their help in 
the course of his history4 ,the sea was 
ordered to divide  before ,moses1 and   
the heavens to give ear to the words of 
the leader2  the sun and the moon were  
bidden to stand still before ,joshua1   

the  ravens to feed ,elijah1 the fire to
 spare the three youths in the  furnace1
 the lion to do no harm to ,daniel1 the 
fish to spew forth  ,jonah1 and the     
heavens to open before ,ezekiel4#i      
,in ,his modesty1 ,god took counsel with
 the angels1 before the creation  of the
 world1 regarding ,his intention of     
making man4 ,he said3 ,for the  sake of 
,israel1 ,i will create the world4 ,as  
,i shall make a division  between light 
and darkness1 so ,i will in time to come
 do for ,israel in  ,egypt--thick       
darkness shall be over the land1 and the
 children of ,israel  shall have light  
in their dwellings2 as ,i shall make a  
separation  between the waters under the
 firmament and the waters above the     
firmament1 so ,i will do for ,israel--,i
 will divide the waters for him  when he
 crosses the ,red ,sea2 as on the third 
day ,i shall create plants1  so ,i will 
do for ,israel--,i will bring forth     
manna for him in the  wilderness2 as ,i 
shall create luminaries to divide day   

from night1 so ,i  will do for          
,israel--,i will go before him by day in
 a pillar of cloud and  by night in a   
pillar of fire2 as ,i shall create the  
fowl of the air and  the fishes of the  
sea1 so ,i will do for ,israel--,i will 
bring quails for  him from the sea2 and 
as ,i shall breathe the breath of life  
into the  nostrils of man1 so ,i will do
 for ,israel--,i will give the ,torah   
unto  him1 the tree of life4 ,the angels
 marvelled that so much love should  be 
lavished upon this people of ,israel1   
and ,god told them3 ,on the  first day  
of creation1 ,i shall make the heavens  
and stretch them out2  so will ,israel  
raise up the ,tabernacle as the         
dwelling-place of ,my  glory4 ,on the   
second day1 ,i shall put a division     
between the  terrestrial waters and the 
heavenly waters2 so will he hang up a   
veil  in the ,tabernacle to divide the  
,holy ,place and the ,most ,holy4 ,on   
the  third day1 ,i shall make the earth 
put forth grass and herb2 so will he1   

in obedience to ,my commands1 eat herbs 
on the first night of the  ,passover1   
and prepare showbread for ,me4 ,on the  
fourth day1 ,i shall make  the          
luminaries2 so will he make a golden    
candlestick for ,me4 ,on the  fifth day1
 ,i shall create the birds2 so will he  
fashion the cherubim  with outstretched 
wings4 ,on the sixth day1 ,i shall      
create man2 so will  ,israel set aside a
 man of the sons of ,aaron as high      
priest for ,my  service4#aj             
,accordingly1 the whole of creation was 
conditional4 ,god said to the  things   
,he made on the first six days3 ,if     
,israel accepts the ,torah1 you  will   
continue and endure2 otherwise1 ,i shall
 turn everything back into  chaos again4
 ,the whole world was thus kept in      
suspense and dread until  the day of the
 revelation on ,sinai1 when ,israel     
received and accepted  the ,torah1 and  
so fulfilled the condition made by ,god 
at the time when  ,he created the       
universe4#aa    ,,the ,,angels ,,and    

,,the ,,creation ,,of ,,man    ,god in  
,his wisdom hiving resolved to create   
man1 ,he asked counsel of  all around   
,him before ,he proceeded to execute    
,his purpose--an example to  man1 be he 
never so great and distinguished1 not to
 scorn the advice of  the humble and    
lowly4 ,first ,god called upon heaven   
and earth1 then upon  all other things  
,he had created1 and last upon the      
angels4    ,the angels were not all of  
one opinion4 ,the ,angel of ,love       
favored the  creation of man1 because he
 would be affectionate and loving2 but  
the  ,angel of ,truth opposed it1       
because he would be full of lies4 ,and  
while  the ,angel of ,justice favored   
it1 because he would practice justice1  
the  ,angel of ,peace opposed it1       
because he would be quarrelsome4    ,to 
invalidate his protest1 ,god cast the   
,angel of ,truth down from heaven  to   
earth1 and when the others cried out    
against such contemptuous  treatment of 
their companion1 ,he said1 ,truth will  

spring back out of  the earth4    ,the  
objections of the angels would have been
 much stronger1 had they  known the     
whole truth about man4 ,god had told    
them only about the  pious1 and had     
concealed from them that there would be 
reprobates among  mankind1 too4 ,and    
yet1 though they knew but half the      
truth1 the angels  were nevertheless    
prompted to cry out3 ,what is man1 that 
,thou art  mindful of him8 ,and the son 
of man1 that ,thou visitest him8 ,god   
replied3 ,the fowl of the air and the   
fish of the sea1 what were they  created
 for8 ,of what avail a larder full of   
appetizing dainties1 and no  guest to   
enjoy them8 ,and the angels could not   
but exclaim3 ,o ,lord1  our ,lord1 how  
excellent is ,thy name in all the earth6
 ,do as is pleasing  in ,thy sight4#ab  
,for not a few of the angels their      
opposition bore fatal consequences4     
,when ,god summoned the band under the  
archangel ,michael1 and asked their     
opinion on the creation of man1 they    

answered scornfully3 ,what is man1  that
 ,thou art mindful of him8 ,and the son 
of man1 that ,thou visitest  him8 ,god  
thereupon stretched forth ,his little   
finger1 and all were  consumed by fire  
except their chief ,michael4 ,and the   
same fate befell  the band under the    
leadership of the archangel ,gabriel2 he
 alone of all  was saved from           
destruction4    ,the third band         
consulted was commanded by the archangel
 ,labbiel4 ,taught  by the horrible fate
 of his predecessors1 he warned his     
troop3 ,you  have seen what misfortune  
overtook the angels who said ',what is  
man1  that ,thou art mindful of him8'   
,let us have a care not to do likewise1 
lest we suffer the same dire punishment4
 ,for ,god will not refrain from  doing 
in the end what ,he has planned4        
,therefore it is advisable for us  to   
yield to ,his wishes4 ,thus warned1 the 
angels spoke3 ,lord of the  world1 it is
 well that ,thou hast thought of        
creating man4 ,do ,thou  create him     

according to ,thy will4 ,and as for us1 
we will be his  attendants and his      
ministers1 and reveal unto him all our  
secrets4  ,thereupon ,god changed       
,labbiel's name to ,raphael1 the        
,rescuer1 because  his host of angels   
had been rescued by his sage advice4 ,he
 was  appointed the ,angel of ,healing1 
who has in his safe-keeping all the     
celestial remedies1 the types of the    
medical remedies used on  earth4#ab     
,,the ,,creation ,,of ,,adam    ,when at
 last the assent of the angels to the   
creation of man was given1  ,god said to
 ,gabriel3 ,go and fetch ,me dust from  
the four corners of the  earth1 and ,i  
will create man therewith4 ,gabriel went
 forth to do the  bidding of the ,lord1 
but the earth drove him away1 and       
refused to let  him gather up dust from 
it4 ,gabriel remonstrated3 ,why1 ,o     
,earth1 dost  thou not hearken unto the 
voice of the ,lord1 who founded thee    
upon the  waters without props or       
pillars8 ,the earth replied1 and said3  

,i am  destined to become a curse1 and  
to be cursed through man1 and if ,god   
,himself does not take the dust from me1
 no one else shall ever do it4  ,when   
,god heard this1 ,he stretched out ,his 
hand1 took of the dust of the  ground1  
and created the first man therewith4#ad 
,of set purpose the  dust was taken from
 all four corners of the earth1 so that 
if a man  from the east should happen to
 die in the west1 or a man from the west
  in the east1 the earth should not dare
 refuse to receive the dead1 and  tell  
him to go whence he was taken4 ,wherever
 a man chances to die1 and  wheresoever 
he is buried1 there will he return to   
the earth from which  he sprang4 ,also1 
the dust was of various colors--red1    
black1 white1 and  green--red for the   
blood1 black for the bowels1 white for  
the bones and  veins1 and green for the 
pale skin4    ,at this early moment the 
,torah interfered4 ,she addressed       
herself to  ,god3 ,o ,lord of the world6
 ,the world is ,thine1 ,thou canst do   

with it as  seemeth good in ,thine eyes4
 ,but the man ,thou art now creating    
will be  few of days and full of trouble
 and sin4 ,if it be not ,thy purpose to 
have forbearance and patience with him1 
it were better not to call him  into    
being4 ,god replied1 ,is it for naught  
,i am called long-suffering  and        
merciful8#ae    ,the grace and          
lovingkindness of ,god revealed         
themselves particularly in  ,his taking 
one spoonful of dust from the spot where
 in time to come the  altar would stand1
 saying1 ,i shall take man from the     
place of  atonement1 that he may        
endure4#ai    ,,the ,,soul ,,of ,,man   
,the care which ,god exercised in       
fashioning every detail of the body of  
man is as naught in comparison with ,his
 solicitude for the human soul4  ,the   
soul of man was created on the first    
day1 for it is the spirit of  ,god      
moving upon the face of the waters4     
,thus1 instead of being the  last1 man  
is really the first work of creation4#ag

    ,this spirit1 or1 to call it by its 
usual name1 the soul of man1  possesses 
five different powers4 ,by means of one 
of them she escapes  from the body every
 night1 rises up to heaven1 and fetches 
new life  thence for man4#ah    ,with   
the soul of ,adam the souls of all the  
generations of men were  created4 ,they 
are stored up in a promptuary1 in the   
seventh of the  heavens1 whence they are
 drawn as they are needed for human body
 after  human body4#ai    ,the soul and 
body of man are united in this way3     
,when a woman has  conceived1 the ,angel
 of the ,night1 ,lailah1 carries the    
sperm before  ,god1 and ,god decrees    
what manner of human being shall become 
of  it--whether it shall be male or     
female1 strong or weak1 rich or poor1   
beautiful or ugly1 long or short1 fat or
 thin1 and what all its other  qualities
 shall be4 ,piety and wickedness alone  
are left to the  determination of man   
himself4 ,then ,god makes a sign to the 
angel  appointed over the souls1 saying1

 ,bring ,me the soul so-and-so1 which   
is hidden in ,paradise1 whose name is   
so-and-so1 and whose form is  so-and-so4
 ,the angel brings the designated soul1 
and she bows down  when she appears in  
the presence of ,god1 and prostrates    
herself before  ,him4 ,at that moment1  
,god issues the command1 ,enter this    
sperm4 ,the  soul opens her mouth1 and  
pleads3 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,i am    
well  pleased with the world in which ,i
 have been living since the day on      
which ,thou didst call me into being4   
,why dost ,thou now desire to have  me  
enter this impure sperm1 ,i who am holy 
and pure1 and a part of ,thy  glory8    
,god consoles her3 ,the world which ,i  
shall cause thee to enter  is better    
than the world in which thou hast lived 
hitherto1 and when ,i  created thee1 it 
was only for this purpose4 ,the soul is 
then forced to  enter the sperm against 
her will1 and the angel carries her back
 to the  womb of the mother4 ,two angels
 are detailed to watch that she shall   

not  leave it1 nor drop out of it1 and a
 light is set above her1 whereby the    
soul can see from one end of the world  
to the other4 ,in the morning an  angel 
carries her to ,paradise1 and shows her 
the righteous1 who sit  there in their  
glory1 with crowns upon their heads4    
,the angel then says  to the soul1 ,dost
 thou know who these are8 ,she replies  
in the  negative1 and the angel goes on3
 ,these whom thou beholdest here were   
formed1 like unto thee1 in the womb of  
their mother4 ,when they came  into the 
world1 they observed ,god's ,torah and  
,his commandments4  ,therefore they     
became the partakers of this bliss which
 thou seest them  enjoy4 ,know1 also    
thou wilt one day depart from the world 
below1 and if  thou wilt observe ,god's 
,torah1 then wilt thou be found worthy  
of  sitting with these pious ones4 ,but 
if not1 thou wilt be doomed to the      
other place4    ,in the evening1 the    
angel takes the soul to hell1 and there 
points out  the sinners whom the ,angels

 of ,destruction are smiting with fiery 
scourges1 the sinners all the while     
crying out ,woe6 ,woe6 but no mercy  is 
shown unto them4 ,the angel then        
questions the soul as before1 ,dost     
thou know who these are8 and as before  
the reply is negative4 ,the  angel      
continues3 ,these who are consumed with 
fire were created like  unto thee4 ,when
 they were put into the world1 they did 
not observe  ,god's ,torah and ,his     
commandments4 ,therefore have they come 
to this  disgrace which thou seest them 
suffer4 ,know1 thy destiny is also to   
depart from the world4 ,be just1        
therefore1 and not wicked1 that thou    
mayest gain the future world4           
,between morning and evening the angel  
carries the soul around1 and  shows her 
where she will live and where she will  
die1 and the place  where she will      
buried1 and he takes her through the    
whole world1 and  points out the just   
and the sinners and all things4 ,in the 
evening1 he  replaces her in the womb of

 the mother1 and there she remains for  
nine  months4    ,when the time arrives 
for her to emerge from the womb into the
 open  world1 the same angel addresses  
the soul1 ,the time has come for thee   
to go abroad into the open world4 ,the  
soul demurs1 ,why dost thou want  to    
make me go forth into the open world8   
,the angel replies3 ,know that  as thou 
wert formed against thy will1 so now    
thou wilt be born against  thy will1 and
 against thy will thou shalt die1 and   
against thy will  thou shalt give       
account of thyself before the ,king of  
kings1 the ,holy  ,one1 blessed be ,he4 
,but the soul is reluctant to leave her 
place4 ,then  the angel fillips the babe
 on the nose1 extinguishes the light at 
his  head1 and brings him forth into the
 world against his will4 ,immediately   
the child forgets all his soul has seen 
and learnt1 and he comes into  the world
 crying1 for he loses a place of shelter
 and security and  rest4    ,when the   
time arrives for man to quit this world1

 the same angel  appears and asks him1  
,dost thou recognize me8 ,and man       
replies1 ,yes2  but why dost thou come  
to me to-day1 and thou didst come on no 
other  day8 ,the angel says1 ,to take   
thee away from the world1 for the time  
of thy departure has arrived4 ,then man 
falls to weeping1 and his voice         
penetrates to all ends of the world1 yet
 no creature hears his voice1  except   
the cock alone4 ,man remonstrates with  
the angel1 ,from two  worlds thou didst 
take me1 and into this world thou didst 
bring me4  ,but the angel reminds him3  
,did ,i not tell thee that thou wert    
formed  against thy will1 and thou      
wouldst be born against thy will1 and   
against thy will thou wouldst die8 ,and 
against thy will thou wilt have  to give
 account and reckoning of thyself before
 the ,holy ,one1 blessed  be ,he4#bj    
,,the ,,ideal ,,man    ,like all        
creatures formed on the six days of     
creation1 ,adam came from  the hands of 
the ,creator fully and completely       

developed4 ,he was not  like a child1   
but like a man of twenty years of       
age4#ba ,the dimensions  of his body    
were gigantic1 reaching from heaven to  
earth1 or1 what  amounts to the same1   
from east to west4#bb ,among later      
generations of  men1 there were but few 
who in a measure resembled ,adam in his 
extraordinary size and physical         
perfections4 ,samson possessed his      
strength1 ,saul his neck1 ,absalom his  
hair1 ,asahel his fleetness of  foot1   
,uzziah his forehead1 ,josiah his       
nostrils1 ,zedekiah his eyes1 and       
,zerubbabel his voice4 ,history shows   
that these physical excellencies  were  
no blessings to many of their           
possessors2 they invited the ruin of    
almost all4 ,samson's extraordinary     
strength caused his death2 ,saul  killed
 himself by cutting his neck with his   
own sword2 while speeding  swiftly1     
,asahel was pierced by ,abner's spear2  
,absalom was caught up by  his hair in  
an oak1 and thus suspended met his      

death2 ,uzziah was  smitten with leprosy
 upon his forehead2 the darts that      
killed ,josiah  entered through his     
nostrils1 and ,zedekiah's eyes were     
blinded4#bc    ,the generality of men   
inherited as little of the beauty as of 
the  portentous size of their first     
father4 ,the fairest women compared with
  ,sarah are as apes compared with a    
human being4 ,sarah's relation to ,eve  
is the same1 and1 again1 ,eve was but as
 an ape compared with ,adam4 ,his       
person was so handsome that the very    
sole of his foot obscured the  splendor 
of the sun4#bd    ,his spiritual        
qualities kept pace with his personal   
charm1 for ,god had  fashioned his soul 
with particular care4 ,she is the image 
of ,god1 and  as ,god fills the world1  
so the soul fills the human body2 as    
,god sees  all things1 and is seen by   
none1 so the soul sees1 but cannot be   
seen2  as ,god guides the world1 so the 
soul guides the body2 as ,god in ,his   
holiness is pure1 so is the soul2 and as

 ,god dwells in secret1 so doth  the    
soul4#be    ,when ,god was about to put 
a soul into ,adam's clod-like body1 ,he 
said3  ,at which point shall ,i breathe 
the soul into him8 ,into the mouth8     
,nay1  for he will use it to speak ill  
of his fellow-man4 ,into the eyes8 ,with
  them he will wink lustfully4 ,into the
 ears8 ,they will hearken to  slander   
and blasphemy4 ,i will breathe her into 
his nostrils2 as they  discern the      
unclean and reject it1 and take in the  
fragrant1 so the  pious will shun sin1  
and will cleave to the words of the     
,torah#bf    ,the perfections of ,adam's
 soul showed themselves as soon as he   
received  her1 indeed1 while he was     
still without life4 ,in the hour that   
intervened between breathing a soul into
 the first man and his becoming  alive1 
,god revealed the whole history of      
mankind to him4 ,he showed him  each    
generation and its leaders2 each        
generation and its prophets2 each       
generation and its teachers2 each       

generation and its scholars2 each       
generation and its statesmen2 each      
generation and its judges2 each         
generation and its pious members2 each  
generation and its average1  commonplace
 members2 and each generation and its   
impious members4 ,the  tale of their    
years1 the number of their days1 the    
reckoning of their  hours1 and the      
measure of their steps1 all were made   
known unto  him4#bg    ,of his own free 
will ,adam relinquished seventy of his  
allotted years4  ,his appointed span was
 to be a thousand years1 one of the     
,lord's days4  ,but he saw that only a  
single minute of life was apportioned to
 the  great soul of ,david1 and he made 
a gift of seventy years to her1         
reducing his own years to nine hundred  
and thirty4'    ,the wisdom of ,adam    
displayed itself to greatest advantage  
when he gave  names to the animals4     
,then it appeared that ,god1 in         
combating the  arguments of the angels  
that opposed the creation of man1 had   

spoken  well1 when ,he insisted that man
 would possess more wisdom than they    
themselves4 ,when ,adam was barely an   
hour old1 ,god assembled the whole      
world of animals before him and the     
angels4 ,the latter were called upon  to
 name the different kinds1 but they were
 not equal to the task4 ,adam1  however1
 spoke without hesitation3 ,o ,lord of  
the world6 ,the proper  name for this   
animal is ox1 for this one horse1 for   
this one lion1 for  this one camel4 ,and
 so he called all in turn by name1      
suiting the name  to the peculiarity of 
the animal4 ,then ,god asked him what   
his name was  to be1 and he said ,adam1 
because he had been created out of      
,adamah1  dust of the earth4 ,again1    
,god asked him ,his own name1 and he    
said3  ,adonai1 ,lord1 because ,thou art
 ,lord over all creatures--the very name
  ,god had given unto ,himself1 the name
 by which the angels call ,him1 the     
name that will remain immutable         
evermore4#bi ,but without the gift of   

the holy spirit1 ,adam could not have   
found names for all2 he was in  very    
truth a prophet1 and his wisdom a       
prophetic quality4#cj    ,the names of  
the animals were not the only           
inheritance handed down by  ,adam to the
 generations after him1 for mankind owes
 all crafts to him1  especially the art 
of writing1 and he was the inventor of  
all the  seventy languages4#ca ,and     
still another task he accomplished for  
his  descendants4 ,god showed ,adam the 
whole earth1 and ,adam designated what  
places were to be settled later by men1 
and what places were to remain          
waste4#cb    ,,the ,,fall ,,of ,,satan  
,the extraordinary qualities with which 
,adam was blessed1 physical and         
spiritual as well1 aroused the envy of  
the angels4 ,they attempted to  consume 
him with fire1 and he would have        
perished1 had not the  protecting hand  
of ,god rested upon him1 and established
 peace between  him and the heavenly    
host4#cc ,in particular1 ,satan was     

jealous of the  first man1 and his evil 
thoughts finally led to his fall4 ,after
 ,adam  had been endowed with a soul1   
,god invited all the angels to come and 
pay him reverence and homage4 ,satan1   
the greatest of the angels in  heaven1  
with twelve wings1 instead of six like  
all the others1 refused  to pay heed to 
the behest of ,god1 saying1 ,thou didst 
create us angels  from the splendor of  
the ,shekinah1 and now ,thou dost       
command us to cast  ourselves down      
before the creature which ,thou didst   
fashion out of the  dust of the ground6 
,god answered1 ,yet this dust of the    
ground has  more wisdom and             
understanding than thou4 ,satan demanded
 a trial of wit  with ,adam1 and ,god   
assented thereto1 saying3 ,i have       
created beasts1  birds1 and reptiles1 ,i
 shall have them all come before thee   
and before  ,adam4 ,if thou art able to 
give them names1 ,i shall command ,adam 
to show  honor unto thee1 and thou shalt
 rest next to the ,shekinah of ,my      

glory4  ,but if not1 and ,adam calls    
them by the names ,i have assigned to   
them1  then thou wilt be subject to     
,adam1 and he shall have a place in ,my 
garden1 and cultivate it4 ,thus spake   
,god1 and ,he betook ,himself to        
,paradise1 ,satan following ,him4 ,when 
,adam beheld ,god1 he said to his  wife1
 ,o come1 let us worship and bow down2  
let us kneel before the  ,lord our      
,maker4 ,now ,satan attempted to assign 
names to the animals4 ,he  failed with  
the first two that presented themselves1
 the ox and the  cow4 ,god led two      
others before him1 the camel and the    
donkey1 with the  same result4 ,then    
,god turned to ,adam1 and questioned him
 regarding the  names of the same       
animals1 framing ,his questions in such 
wise that the  first letter of the first
 word was the same as the first letter  
of the  name of the animal standing     
before him4 ,thus ,adam divined the     
proper  name1 and ,satan was forced to  
acknowledge the superiority of the first

  man4 ,nevertheless he broke out in    
wild outcries that reached the  heavens1
 and he refused to do homage unto ,adam 
as he had been  bidden4#cd ,the host of 
angels led by him did likewise1 in spite
 of the  urgent representations of      
,michael1 who was the first to prostrate
  himself before ,adam in order to show 
a good example to the other  angels4    
,michael addressed ,satan3 ,give        
adoration to the image of ,god6  ,but if
 thou doest it not1 then the ,lord ,god 
will break out in wrath  against thee4  
,satan replied3 ,if ,he breaks out in   
wrath against me1 ,i  will exalt my     
throne above the stars of ,god1 ,i will 
be like the ,most  ,high6 ,at once ,god 
flung ,satan and his host out of heaven1
 down to the  earth1 and from that      
moment dates the enmity between ,satan  
and man4'    ,,woman    ,when ,adam     
opened his eyes the first time1 and     
beheld the world about  him1 he broke   
into praise of ,god1 ,how great are ,thy
 works1 ,o ,lord6  ,but his admiration  

for the world surrounding him did not   
exceed the  admiration all creatures    
conceived for ,adam4 ,they took him to  
be their  creator1 and they all came to 
offer him adoration4 ,but he spoke3 ,why
  do you come to worship me8 ,nay1 you  
and ,i together will acknowledge the    
majesty and the might of ,him who hath  
created us all4 ',the ,lord  reigneth1' 
he continued1 ',he is apparelled with   
majesty4'#cf    ,and not alone the      
creatures on earth1 even the angels     
thought ,adam the  lord of all1 and they
 were about to salute him with ,holy1   
holy1 holy1  is the ,lord of hosts1 when
 ,god caused sleep to fall upon him1 and
 then  the angels knew that he was but a
 human being4#cg    ,the purpose of the 
sleep that enfolded ,adam was to give   
him a wife1 so  that the human race     
might develop1 and all creatures        
recognize the  difference between ,god  
and man4 ,when the earth heard what ,god
 had  resolved to do1 it began to       
tremble and quake4 ,i have not the      

strength1 it said1 to provide food for  
the herd of ,adam's  descendants4 ,but  
,god pacified it with the words1 ,i and 
thou together1  we will find food for   
the herd4 ,accordingly1 time was divided
 between  ,god and the earth2 ,god took 
the night1 and the earth took the day4  
,refreshing sleep nourishes and         
strengthens man1 it affords him life and
  rest1 while the earth brings forth    
produce with the help of ,god1 who      
waters it4 ,yet man must work the earth 
to earn his food4#ch    ,the ,divine    
resolution to bestow a companion on     
,adam met the wishes of  man1 who had   
been overcome by a feeling of isolation 
when the animals  came to him in pairs  
to be named4#ci ,to banish his          
loneliness1 ,lilith  was first given to 
,adam as wife4 ,like him she had been   
created out of  the dust of the ground4 
,but she remained with him only a short 
time1  because she insisted upon        
enjoying full equality with her husband4
 ,she  derived her rights from their    

identical origin4 ,with the help of the 
,ineffable ,name1 which she pronounced1 
,lilith flew away from ,adam1 and       
vanished in the air4 ,adam complained   
before ,god that the wife ,he had  given
 him had deserted him1 and ,god sent    
forth three angels to capture  her4     
,they found her in the ,red ,sea1 and   
they sought to make her go back  with   
the threat that1 unless she went1 she   
would lose a hundred of her  demon      
children daily by death4 ,but ,lilith   
preferred this punishment to  living    
with ,adam4 ,she takes her revenge by   
injuring babes--baby boys  during the   
first night of their life1 while baby   
girls are exposed to  her wicked designs
 until they are twenty days old4 ,the   
only way to ward  off the evil is to    
attach an amulet bearing the names of   
her three  angel captors to the         
children1 for such had been the         
agreement between  them4#dj    ,the     
woman destined to become the true       
companion of man was taken from  ,adam's

 body1 for only when like is joined unto
 like the union is  indissoluble4#da    
,the creation of woman from man was     
possible because  ,adam originally had  
two faces1 which were separated at the  
birth of  ,eve4#db    ,when ,god was on 
the point of making ,eve1 ,he said3 ,i  
will not make her  from the head of man1
 lest she carry her head high in        
arrogant pride2  not from the eye1 lest 
she be wanton-eyed2 not from the ear1   
lest she  be an eavesdropper2 not from  
the neck1 lest she be insolent2 not from
  the mouth1 lest she be a tattler2 not 
from the heart1 lest she be  inclined to
 envy2 not from the hand1 lest she be a 
meddler2 not from  the foot1 lest she be
 a gadabout4 ,i will form her from a    
chaste portion  of the body1 and to     
every limb and organ as ,he formed it1  
,god said1  ,be chaste6 ,be chaste6     
,nevertheless1 in spite of the great    
caution  used1 woman has all the faults 
,god tried to obviate4 ,the daughters of
  ,zion were haughty and walked with    

stretched forth necks and wanton  eyes2 
,sarah was an eavesdropper in her own   
tent1 when the angel spoke  with        
,abraham2 ,miriam was a talebearer1     
accusing ,moses2 ,rachel was  envious of
 her sister ,leah2 ,eve put out her hand
 to take the forbidden  fruit1 and      
,dinah was a gadabout4#dc    ,the       
physical formation of woman is far more 
complicated than that of  man1 as it    
must be for the function of             
child-bearing1 and likewise the         
intelligence of woman matures more      
quickly than the intelligence of        
man4#dd ,many of the physical and       
psychical differences between the two   
sexes must be attributed to the fact    
that man was formed from the  ground and
 woman from bone4 ,women need perfumes1 
while men do not2 dust  of the ground   
remains the same no matter how long it  
is kept2 flesh1  however1 requires salt 
to keep it in good condition4 ,the voice
 of women  is shrill1 not so the voice  
of men2 when soft viands are cooked1 no 

sound is heard1 but let a bone be put in
 a pot1 and at once it  crackles4 ,a man
 is easily placated1 not so a woman2 a  
few drops of  water suffice to soften a 
clod of earth2 a bone stays hard1 and if
 it  were to soak in water for days4    
,the man must ask the woman to be his   
wife1 and not the woman the man to be   
her husband1 because it is man  who has 
sustained the loss of his rib1 and he   
sallies forth to make  good his loss    
again4 ,the very differences between the
 sexes in garb and  social forms go back
 to the origin of man and woman for     
their reasons4  ,woman covers her hair  
in token of ,eve's having brought sin   
into the  world2 she tries to hide her  
shame2 and women precede men in a       
funeral  cortege1 because it was woman  
who brought death into the world4 ,and  
the  religious commands addressed to    
women alone are connected with the      
history of ,eve4 ,adam was the heave    
offering of the world1 and ,eve  defiled
 it4 ,as expiation1 all women are       

commanded to separate a heave  offering 
from the dough4 ,and because woman      
extinguished the light of  man's soul1  
she is bidden to kindle the ,sabbath    
light4#de    ,adam was first made to    
fall into a deep sleep before the rib   
for ,eve  was taken from his side4 ,for1
 had he watched her creation1 she would 
not have awakened love in him4 ,to this 
day it is true that men do not          
appreciate the charms of women whom they
 have known and observed from  childhood
 up4 ,indeed1 ,god had created a wife   
for ,adam before ,eve1 but  he would not
 have her1 because she had been made in 
his presence4  ,knowing well all the    
details of her formation1 he was        
repelled by  her4#df ,but when he roused
 himself from his profound sleep1 and   
saw  ,eve before him in all her         
surprising beauty and grace1 he         
exclaimed1  ,this is she who caused my  
heart to throb many a night6 ,yet he    
discerned at once what the nature of    
woman was4 ,she would1 he knew1  seek to

 carry her point with man either by     
entreaties and tears1 or  flattery and  
caresses4 ,he said1 therefore1 ,this is 
my never-silent  bell6#dg    ,the       
wedding of the first couple was         
celebrated with pomp never repeated  in 
the whole course of history since4 ,god 
,himself1 before presenting  her to     
,adam1 attired and adorned ,eve as a    
bride4 ,yea1 ,he appealed to  the       
angels1 saying3 ,come1 let us perform   
services of friendship for  ,adam and   
his helpmate1 for the world rests upon  
friendly services1 and  they are more   
pleasing in ,my sight than the          
sacrifices ,israel will  offer upon the 
altar4 ,the angels accordingly          
surrounded the marriage  canopy1 and    
,god pronounced the blessings upon the  
bridal couple1 as the  ,hazan does under
 the ,huppah4 ,the angels then danced   
and played upon  musical instruments    
before ,adam and ,eve in their ten      
bridal chambers of  gold1 pearls1 and   
precious stones1 which ,god had prepared

 for them4    ,adam called his wife     
,ishah1 and himself he called ,ish1     
abandoning the  name ,adam1 which he had
 borne before the creation of ,eve1 for 
the  reason that ,god added ,his own    
name ,yah to the names of the man and   
the  woman--,yod to ,ish and ,he to     
,ishah--to indicate that as long as they
  walked in the ways of ,god and        
observed ,his commandments1 ,his name   
would  shield them against all harm4    
,but if they went astray1 ,his name     
would  be withdrawn1 and instead of ,ish
 there would remain ,esh1 fire1 a fire  
issuing from each and consuming the     
other4#dh    ,,adam ,,and ,,eve ,,in    
,,paradise    ,the ,garden of ,eden was 
the abode of the first man and woman1   
and the  souls of all men must pass     
through it after death1 before they     
reach  their final destination4 ,for the
 souls of the departed must go through  
seven portals before they arrive in the 
heaven ',arabot4 ,there the souls  of   
the pious are transformed into angels1  

and there they remain  forever1 praising
 ,god and feasting their sight upon the 
glory of the  ,shekinah4 ,the first     
portal is the ,cave of ,machpelah1 in   
the vicinity of  ,paradise1 which is    
under the care and supervision of ,adam4
 ,if the soul  that presents herself at 
the portal is worthy1 he calls out1     
,make  room6 ,thou art welcome6 ,the    
soul then proceeds until she arrives at 
the gate of ,paradise guarded by the    
cherubim and the flaming sword4 ,if  she
 is not found worthy1 she is consumed by
 the sword2 otherwise she  receives a   
pass-bill1 which admits her to the      
terrestrial ,paradise4  ,therein is a   
pillar of smoke and light extending from
 ,paradise to the  gate of heaven1 and  
it depends upon the character of the    
soul whether  she can climb upward on it
 and reach heaven4 ,the third portal1   
,zebul1  is at the entrance of heaven4  
,if the soul is worthy1 the guard opens 
the portal and admits her 'to the       
heavenly ,temple4 ,michael presents her 

to ,god1 and conducts her to the seventh
 portal1 ',arabot1 within which  the    
souls of the pious1 changed to angels1  
praise the ,lord1 and feed on  the glory
 of the ,shekinah4#di    ,in ,paradise  
stand the tree of life and the tree of  
knowledge1 the  latter forming a hedge  
about the former4 ,only he who has      
cleared a path  for himself through the 
tree of knowledge can come close to the 
tree of  life1 which is so huge that it 
would take a man five hundred years to  
traverse a distance equal to the        
diameter of the trunk1 and no less  vast
 is the space shaded by its crown of    
branches4 ,from beneath it  flows forth 
the water that irrigates the whole      
earth1#ej parting  thence into four     
streams1 the ,ganges1 the ,nile1 the    
,tigris1 and the  ,euphrates4#ea ,but it
 was only during the days of creation   
that the  realm of plants looked to the 
waters of the earth for nourishment4    
,later on ,god made the plants dependent
 upon the rain1 the upper waters4  ,the 

clouds rise from earth to heaven1 where 
water is poured into them  as from a    
conduit4#eb ,the plants began to feel   
the effect of the water  only after     
,adam was created4 ,although they had   
been brought forth on  the third day1   
,god did not permit them to sprout and  
appear above the  surface of the earth1 
until ,adam prayed to ,him to give food 
unto them1  for ,god longs for the      
prayers of the pious4#ec    ,paradise   
being such as it was1 it was1 naturally1
 not necessary for  ,adam to work the   
land4 ,true1 the ,lord ,god put the man 
into the ,garden  of ,eden to dress it  
and to keep it1 but that only means he  
is to study  the ,torah there and fulfil
 the commandments of ,god4#ed ,there    
were  especially six commandments which 
every human being is expected to  heed3 
man should not worship idols2 nor       
blaspheme ,god2 nor commit  murder1 nor 
incest1 nor theft and robbery2 and all  
generations have the  duty of           
instituting measures of law and         

order4#ee ,one more such  command there 
was1 but it was a temporary injunction4 
,adam was to eat  only the green things 
of the field4 ,but the prohibition      
against the use  of animals for food was
 revoked in ,noah's time1 after the     
deluge4  ,nevertheless1 ,adam was not   
cut off from the enjoyment of meat      
dishes4  ,though he was not permitted to
 slaughter animals for the appeasing of 
his appetite1 the angels brought him    
meat and wine1 serving him like         
attendants4#ef ,and as the angels       
ministered to his wants1 so also the    
animals4 ,they were wholly under his    
dominion1 and their food they took  out 
of his hand and out of ,eve's4#eg ,in   
all respects1 the animal world  had a   
different relation to ,adam from their  
relation to his  descendants4 ,not only 
did they know the language of man1#eh   
but they  respected the image of ,god1  
and they feared the first human couple1 
all  of which changed into the opposite 
after the fall of man4#ei    ,,the      

,,fall ,,of ,,man    ,among the animals 
the serpent was notable4 ,of all of them
 he had the  most excellent qualities1  
in some of which he resembled man4 ,like
 man  he stood upright upon two feet1   
and in height he was equal to the       
camel4 ,had it not been for the fall of 
man1 which brought misfortune to  them1 
too1 one pair of serpents would have    
sufficed to perform all the  work man   
has to do1 and1 besides1 they would have
 supplied him with  silver1 gold1 gems1 
and pearls4 ,as a matter of fact1 it was
 the very  ability of the serpent that  
led to the ruin of man and his own ruin4
  ,his superior mental gifts caused him 
to become an infidel4 ,it likewise      
explains his envy of man1 especially of 
his conjugal relations4 ,envy  made him 
meditate ways and means of bringing     
about the death of  ,adam4#fj ,he was   
too well acquainted with the character  
of the man to  attempt to exercise      
tricks of persuasion upon him1 and he   
approached  the woman1 knowing that     

women are beguiled easily4 ,the         
conversation  with ,eve was cunningly   
planned1 she could not but be caught in 
a trap4  ,the serpent began1 ,is it true
 that ,god hath said1 ,ye shall not eat 
of  every tree in the garden8 ,we may1  
rejoined ,eve1 eat of the fruit of  all 
the trees in the garden1 except that    
which is in the midst of the  garden1   
and that we may not even touch1 lest we 
be stricken with  death4 ,she spoke     
thus1 because in his zeal to guard her  
against the  transgressing of the       
,divine command1 ,adam had forbidden    
,eve to touch  the tree1 though ,god had
 mentioned only the eating of the fruit4
 ,it  remains a truth1 what the proverb 
says1 ,better a wall ten hands high     
that stands1 than a wall a hundred ells 
high that cannot stand4 ,it was  ,adam's
 exaggeration that afforded the serpent 
the possibility of  persuading ,eve to  
taste of the forbidden fruit4 ,the      
serpent pushed ,eve  against the tree1  
and said3 ,thou seest that touching the 

tree has not  caused thy death4 ,as     
little will it hurt thee to eat the     
fruit of the  tree4 ,naught but         
malevolence has prompted the            
prohibition1 for as soon  as ye eat     
thereof1 ye shall be as ,god4 ,as ,he   
creates and destroys  worlds1 so will ye
 have the power to create and destroy4  
,as ,he doth  slay and revive1 so will  
ye have the power to slay and revive4#fa
 ,he  ,himself ate first of the fruit of
 the tree1 and then ,he created the     
world4 ,therefore doth ,he forbid you to
 eat thereof1 lest you create  other    
worlds4 ,everyone knows that 'artisans  
of the same guild hate one  another4'   
,furthermore1 have ye not observed that 
every creature hath  dominion over the  
creature fashioned before itself8 ,the  
heavens were  made on the first day1 and
 they are kept in place by the firmament
 made  on the second day4 ,the          
firmament1 in turn1 is ruled by the     
plants1 the  creation of the third day1 
for they take up all the water of the   

firmament4 ,the sun and the other       
celestial bodies1 which were created  on
 the fourth day1 have power over the    
world of plants4 ,they can ripen  their 
fruits and flourish only through their  
influence4 ,the creation of  the fifth  
day1 the animal world1 rules over the   
celestial spheres4  ,witness the ziz1   
which can darken the sun with its       
pinions4 ,but ye are  masters of the    
whole of creation1 because ye were the  
last to be  created4 ,hasten now and eat
 of the fruit of the tree in the midst  
of  the garden1 and become independent  
of ,god1 lest ,he bring forth still     
other creatures to bear rule over       
you4#fb    ,to give due weight to these 
words1 the serpent began to shake the   
tree  violently and bring down its      
fruit4 ,he ate thereof1 saying3 ,as ,i  
do  not die of eating the fruit1 so wilt
 thou not die4 ,now ,eve could not  but 
say to herself1 ,all that my master--so 
she called ,adam--commanded  me is but  
lies1 and she determined to follow the  

advice of the  serpent4#fc ,yet she     
could not bring herself to disobey the  
command of  ,god utterly4 ,she made a   
compromise with her conscience4 ,first  
she ate  only the outside skin of the   
fruit1 and then1 seeing that death did  
not  fell her1 she ate the fruit        
itself4#fd ,scarce had she finished1    
when  she saw the ,angel of ,death      
before her4 ,expecting her end to come  
immediately1 she resolved to make ,adam 
eat of the forbidden fruit1 too1  lest  
he espouse another wife after her       
death4#fe ,it required tears and        
lamentations on her part to prevail upon
 ,adam to take the baleful step4  ,not  
yet satisfied1 she gave of the fruit to 
all other living beings1  that they1    
too1 might be subject to death4#ff ,all 
ate1 and they all  are mortal1 with the 
exception of the bird malham1 who       
refused the  fruit1 with the words3 ,is 
it not enough that ye have sinned       
against  ,god1 and have brought death to
 others8 ,must ye still come to me and  

seek to persuade me into disobeying     
,god's command1 that ,i may eat and  die
 thereof8 ,i will not do your bidding4  
,a heavenly voice was heard  then to say
 to ,adam and ,eve3 ,to you was the     
command given4 ,ye did not  heed it2 ye 
did transgress it1 and ye did seek to   
persuade the bird  malham4 ,he was      
steadfast1 and he feared ,me1 although  
,i gave him no  command4 ,therefore he  
shall never taste of death1 neither he  
nor his  descendants--they all shall    
live forever in ,paradise4#fg    ,adam  
spoke to ,eve3 ,didst thou give me of   
the tree of which ,i forbade  thee to   
eat8 ,thou didst give me thereof1 for my
 eyes are opened1 and  the teeth in my  
mouth are set on edge4 ,eve made answer1
 ,as my teeth  were set on edge1 so may 
the teeth of all living beings be set on
  edge4#fh ,the first result was that   
,adam and ,eve became naked4 ,before1   
their bodies had been overlaid with a   
horny skin1 and enveloped with  the     
cloud of glory4 ,no sooner had they     

violated the command given them  than   
the cloud of glory and the horny skin   
dropped from them1 and they  stood there
 in their nakedness1 and ashamed4#fi    
,adam tried to gather  leaves from the  
trees to cover part of their bodies1 but
 he heard one  tree after the other say3
 ,there is the thief that deceived his  
,creator4 ,nay1 the foot of pride shall 
not come against me1 nor the hand  of   
the wicked touch me4 ,hence1 and take no
 leaves from me6 ,only the  fig-tree    
granted him permission to take of its   
leaves4 ,that was because  the fig was  
the forbidden fruit itself4 ,adam had   
the same experience as  that prince who 
seduced one of the maid-ser vants in the
 palace4 ,when  the king1 his father1   
chased him out1 he vainly sought a      
refuge with  the other maid-servants1   
but only she who had caused his disgrace
 would  grant him assistance4#gj        
,,the ,,punishment    ,as long as ,adam 
stood naked1 casting about for means of 
escape from his  embarrassment1 ,god did

 not appear unto him1 for one should not
 strive  to see a man in the hour of his
 disgrace4 ,he waited until ,adam and   
,eve  had covered themselves with fig   
leaves4#ga ,but even before ,god spoke  
to him1 ,adam knew what was impending4  
,he heard the angels announce1  ,god    
betaketh ,himself unto those that dwell 
in ,paradise4 ,he heard  more1 too4 ,he 
heard what the angels were saying to one
 another about  his fall1 and what they 
were saying to ,god4 ,in astonishment   
the angels  exclaimed3 ,what6 ,he still 
walks about in ,paradise8 ,he is not yet
  dead8 ,whereupon ,god3 ,i said to him1
 ',in the day that thou eatest  thereof1
 thou shalt surely die6' ,now1 ye know  
not what manner of day ,i  meant--one of
 ,my days of a thousand years1 or one of
 your days4 ,i will  give him one of ,my
 days4 ,he shall have nine hundred and  
thirty years to  live1 and seventy to   
leave to his descendants4#gb    ,when   
,adam and ,eve heard ,god approaching1  
they hid among the trees--which  would  

not have been possible before the fall4 
,before he committed his  trespass1     
,adam's height was from the heavens to  
the earth1 but  afterward it was reduced
 to one hundred ells4#gc ,another       
consequence  of his sin was the fear    
,adam felt when he heard the voice of   
,god3  before his fall it had not       
disquieted him in the least4#gd ,hence  
it  was that when ,adam said1 ,i heard  
,thy voice in the garden1 and ,i was    
afraid1 ,god replied1 ,aforetime thou   
wert not afraid1 and now thou art       
afraid8#ge    ,god refrained from       
reproaches at first4 ,standing at the   
gate of  ,paradise1 ,he but asked1      
,where art thou1 ,adam8 ,thus did ,god  
desire to  teach man a rule of polite   
behavior1 never to enter the house of   
another without announcing himself4#gf  
,it cannot be denied1 the words  ,where 
art thou8 were pregnant with meaning4   
,they were intended to  bring home to   
,adam the vast difference between his   
latter and his  former state--between   

his supernatural size then and his      
shrunken size  now2 between the lordship
 of ,god over him then and the lordship 
of the  serpent over him now4#gg ,at the
 same time1 ,god wanted to give ,adam   
the  opportunity of repenting of his    
sin1 and he would have received ,divine 
forgiveness for it4 ,but so far from    
repenting of it1 ,adam slandered  ,god1 
and uttered blasphemies against ,him4#gh
 ,when ,god asked him1 ,hast  thou eaten
 of the tree whereof ,i commanded thee  
thou shouldst not eat8  he did not      
confess his sin1 but excused himself    
with the words3 ,o ,lord  of the world6 
,as long as ,i was alone1 ,i did not    
fall into sin1 but as  soon as this     
woman came to me1 she tempted me4 ,god  
replied3 ,i gave  her unto thee as a    
help1 and thou art ungrateful when thou 
accusest  her1 saying1 ',she gave me of 
the tree4' ,thou shouldst not have      
obeyed  her1 for thou art the head1 and 
not she4#gi ,god1 who knows all  things1
 had foreseen exactly this1 and ,he had 

not created ,eve until  ,adam had asked 
,him for a helpmate1 so that he might   
not have apparently  good reason for    
reproaching ,god with having created    
woman4#hj    ,as ,adam tried to shift   
the blame for his misdeed from himself1 
so also  ,eve4 ,she1 like her husband1  
did not confess her transgression and   
pray  for pardon1 which would have been 
granted to her4#ha ,gracious as ,god    
is1 ,he did not pronounce the doom upon 
,adam and ,eve until they showed        
themselves stiff-necked4 ,not so with   
the serpent4 ,god inflicted the  curse  
upon the serpent without hearing his    
defense2 for the serpent is  a villain1 
and the wicked are good debaters4 ,if   
,god had questioned him1  the serpent   
would have answered3 ,thou didst give   
them a command1 and ,i  did contradict  
it4 ,why did they obey me1 and not      
,thee8#hb ,therefore  ,god did not enter
 into an argument with the serpent1 but 
straightway  decreed the following ten  
punishments3 ,the mouth of the serpent  

was  closed1 and his power of speech    
taken away2 his hands and feet were     
hacked off2 the earth was given him as  
food2 he must suffer great pain  in     
sloughing his skin2 enmity is to exist  
between him and man2 if he  eats the    
choicest viands1 or drinks the sweetest 
beverages1 they all  change into dust in
 his mouth2 the pregnancy of the female 
serpent  lasts seven years2 men shall   
seek to kill him as soon as they catch  
sight of him2 even in the future world1 
where all beings will be  blessed1 he   
will not escape the punishment decreed  
for him2 he will  vanish from out of the
 ,holy ,land if ,israel walks in the    
ways of  ,god4#hc    ,furthermore1 ,god 
spake to the serpent3 ,i created thee to
 be king over  all animals1 cattle and  
the beasts of the field alike2 but thou 
wast  not satisfied4 ,therefore thou    
shalt be cursed above all cattle and    
above every beast of the field4 ,i      
created thee of upright posture2 but    
thou wast not satisfied4 ,therefore thou

 shalt go upon thy belly4 ,i  created   
thee to eat the same food as man2 but   
thou wast not satisfied4  ,therefore    
thou shalt eat dust all the days of thy 
life4 ,thou didst seek  to cause the    
death of ,adam in order to espouse his  
wife4 ,therefore ,i  will put enmity    
between thee and the woman4 ,how true it
 is--he who  lusts after what is not his
 due1 not only does he not attain his   
desire1 but he also loses what he has6  
,as angels had been present when the    
doom was pronounced upon the            
serpent--for ,god had convoked a        
,sanhedrin of seventy-one angels when   
,he  sat in judgment upon him--so the   
execution of the decree against him was 
entrusted to angels4 ,they descended    
from heaven1 and chopped off his  hands 
and feet4 ,his suffering was so great   
that his agonized cries  could be heard 
from one end of the world to the        
other4#hd    ,the verdict against ,eve  
also consisted of ten curses1 the effect
 of  which is noticeable to this day in 

the physical1 spiritual1 and social     
state of woman4#he ,it was not ,god     
,himself who announced her fate to      
,eve4 ,the only woman with whom ,god    
ever spoke was ,sarah4 ,in the case of  
,eve1 ,he made use of the services of an
 interpreter4#hf    ,finally1 also the  
punishment of ,adam was tenfold3 he lost
 his celestial  clothing--,god stripped 
it off him2 in sorrow he was to earn his
 daily  bread2 the food he ate was to be
 turned from good into bad2 his         
children were to wander from land to    
land2 his body was to exude sweat2  he  
was to have an evil inclination2 in     
death his body was to be a prey  of the 
worms2 animals were to have power over  
him1 in that they could  slay him2 his  
days were to be few and full of trouble2
 in the end he  was to render account of
 all his doings on earth4    ,these     
three sinners were not the only ones to 
have punishment dealt out  to them4 ,the
 earth fared no better1 for it had been 
guilty of various  misdemeanors4 ,in the

 first place1 it had not entirely heeded
 the  command of ,god given on the third
 day1 to bring forth tree of fruit4     
,what ,god had desired was a tree the   
wood of which was to be as pleasant  to 
the taste as the fruit thereof4 ,the    
earth1 however1 produced a tree  bearing
 fruit1 the tree itself not being       
edible4#hh ,again1 the earth  did not do
 its whole duty in connection with the  
sin of ,adam4 ,god had  appointed the   
sun and the earth witnesses to testify  
against ,adam in  case he committed a   
trespass4 ,the sun1 accordingly1 had    
grown dark the  instant ,adam became    
guilty of disobedience1 but the earth1  
not knowing  how to take notice of      
,adam's fall1 disregarded it            
altogether4#hi ,the  earth also had to  
suffer a tenfold punishment3 independent
 before1 she  was hereafter to wait to  
be watered by the rain from above2      
sometimes  the fruits of the earth fail2
 the grain she brings forth is stricken 
with blasting and mildew2 she must      

produce all sorts of noxious vermin2    
thenceforth she was to be divided into  
valleys and mountains2 she must  grow   
barren trees1 bearing no fruit2 thorns  
and thistles sprout from  her2 much is  
sown in the earth1 but little is        
harvested2 in time to  come the earth   
will have to disclose her blood1 and    
shall no more cover  her slain2 and1    
finally1 she shall1 one day1 wax old    
like a  garment4#ij    ,when ,adam heard
 the words1 ,thorns and thistles shall  
it bring forth1  concerning the ground1 
a sweat broke out on his face1 and he   
said3  ,what6 ,shall ,i and my cattle   
eat from the same manger8 ,the ,lord had
  mercy upon him1 and spoke1 ,in view of
 the sweat of thy face1 thou  shalt eat 
bread4#ia    ,the earth is not the only 
thing created that was made to suffer   
through  the sin of ,adam4 ,the same    
fate overtook the moon4 ,when the       
serpent  seduced ,adam and ,eve1 and    
exposed their nakedness1 they wept      
bitterly1  and with them wept the       

heavens1 and the sun and the stars1 and 
all  created beings and things up to the
 throne of ,god4 ,the very angels and   
the celestial beings were grieved by the
 trans gression of ,adam4 ,the  moon    
alone laughed1 wherefore ,god grew      
wroth1 and obscured her light4  ,instead
 of shining steadily like the sun1 all  
the length of the day1  she grows old   
quickly1 and must be born and reborn1   
again and  again4#ib ,the callous       
conduct of the moon offended ,god1 not  
only by  way of contrast with the       
compassion of all other creatures1 but  
because  ,he ,himself was full of pity  
for ,adam and his wife4 ,he made clothes
 for  them out of the skin stripped from
 the serpent4#ic ,he would have done    
even more4 ,he would have permitted them
 to remain in ,paradise1 if only  they  
had been penitent4 ,but they refused to 
repent1 and they had to  leave1 lest    
their godlike understanding urge them to
 ravage the tree of  life1 and they     
learn to live forever4 ,as it was1 when 

,god dismissed  them from ,paradise1 ,he
 did not allow the ,divine quality of   
justice to  prevail entirely4 ,he       
associated mercy with it4 ,as they left1
 ,he said3  ,o what a pity that ,adam   
was not able to observe the command laid
 upon  him for even a brief span of     
time6    ,to guard the entrance to      
,paradise1 ,god appointed the cherubim1 
called  also the ever-turning sword of  
flames1 because angels can turn         
themselves from one shape into another  
at need4#id ,instead of the tree  of    
life1 ,god gave ,adam the ,torah1 which 
likewise is a tree of life to  them that
 lay hold upon her1 and he was permitted
 to take up his abode  in the vicinity  
of ,paradise in the east4#ie            
,sentence pronounced upon ,adam and ,eve
 and the serpent1 the ,lord  commanded  
the angels to turn the man and the woman
 out of ,paradise4  ,they began to weep 
and supplicate bitterly1 and the angels 
took pity  upon them and left the       
,divine command unfulfilled1 until they 

could  petition ,god to mitigate ,his   
severe verdict4 ,but the ,lord was      
inexorable1 saying1 ,was it ,i that     
committed a trespass1 or did ,i         
pronounce a false judgment8 ,also       
,adam's prayer1 to be given of the      
fruit of the tree of life1 was turned   
aside1 with the promise1 however1  that 
if he would lead a pious life1 he would 
be given of the fruit on  the day of    
resurrection1 and he would then live    
forever4    ,seeing that ,god had       
resolved unalterably1 ,adam began to    
weep again and  implore the angels to   
grant him at least permission to take   
sweet-scented spices with him out of    
,paradise1 that outside1 too1 he  might 
be able to bring offerings unto ,god1   
and his prayers be accepted  before the 
,lord4 ,thereupon the angels came before
 ,god1 and spake3 ,king  unto           
everlasting1 command ,thou us to give   
,adam sweet-scented spices of           
,paradise1 and ,god heard their prayer4 
,thus ,adam gathered saffron1  nard1    

calamus1 and cinnamon1 and all sorts of 
seeds besides for his  sustenance4      
,laden with these1 ,adam and ,eve left  
,paradise1 and came upon  earth4#if     
,they had enjoyed the splendors of      
,paradise but a brief span  of time--but
 a few hours4 ,it was in the first hour 
of the sixth day of  creation that ,god 
conceived the idea of creating man2 in  
the second  hour1 ,he took counsel with 
the angels2 in the third1 ,he gathered  
the  dust for the body of man2 in the   
fourth1 ,he formed ,adam2 in the fifth1 
,he clothed him with skin2 in the sixth1
 the soulless shape was  complete1 so   
that it could stand upright2 in the     
seventh1 a soul was  breathed into it2  
in the eighth1 man was led into         
,paradise2 in the  ninth1 the ,divine   
command prohibiting the fruit of the    
tree in the  midst of the garden was    
issued to him2 in the tenth1 he         
transgressed  the command2 in the       
eleventh1 he was judged2 and in the     
twelfth hour of  the day1 he was cast   

out of ,paradise1 in atonement for his  
sin4    ,this eventful day was the first
 of the month of ,tishri4 ,therefore    
,god  spoke to ,adam3 ,thou shalt be the
 prototype of thy children4 ,as thou    
hast been judged by ,me on this day and 
absolved1 so thy children ,israel  shall
 be judged by ,me on this ,new ,year's  
,day1 and they shall be  absolved4#ig   
,each day of creation brought forth     
three things3 the first1 heaven1  earth1
 and light2 the second1 the firmament1  
,gehenna1 and the angels2  the third1   
trees1 herbs1 and ,paradise2 the fourth1
 sun1 moon1 and  stars2 and the fifth1  
fishes1 birds1 and leviathan4 ,as ,god  
intended to  rest on the seventh day1   
the ,sabbath1 the sixth day had to do   
double  duty4 ,it brought forth six     
creations3 ,adam1 ,eve1 cattle1         
reptiles1 the  beasts of the field1 and 
demons4 ,the demons were made shortly   
before  the ,sabbath came in1 and they  
are1 therefore1 incorporeal spirits--the
  ,lord had no time to create bodies for

 them4#ih    ,in the twilight1 between  
the sixth day and the ,sabbath1 ten     
creations  were1 brought forth3 the     
rainbow1 invisible until ,noah's time2  
the  manna2 watersprings1 whence ,israel
 drew water for his thirst in the       
desert2 the writing upon the two tables 
of stone given at ,sinai2 the  pen with 
which the writing was written2 the two  
tables themselves2 the  mouth of        
,balaam's she-ass2 the grave of ,moses2 
the cave in which ,moses  and ,elijah   
dwelt2 and the rod of ,aaron1 with its  
blossoms and its ripe  almonds4#ii      
,,sabbath ,,in ,,heaven    ,before the  
world was created1 there was none to    
praise ,god and know  ,him4 ,therefore  
,he created the angels and the holy     
,hayyot1 the heavens  and their host1   
and ,adam as well4 ,they all were to    
praise and glorify  their ,creator4     
,during the week of creation1 however1  
there was no  suitable time to proclaim 
the splendor and praise of the ,lord4   
,only on  the ,sabbath1 when all        

creation rested1 the beings on earth and
 in  heaven1 all together1 broke into   
song and adoration when ,god ascended   
,his throne and sate upon it4#ajj ,it   
was the ,throne of ,joy upon which  ,he 
sate1 and ,he had all the angels pass   
before ,him--the angel of the  water1   
the angel of the rivers1 the angel of   
the mountains1 the angel  of the hills1 
the angel of the abysses1 the angel of  
the deserts1 the  angel of the sun1 the 
angel of the moon1 the angel of the     
,pleiades1 the  angel of ,orion1 the    
angel of the herbs1 the angel of        
,paradise1 the  angel of ,gehenna1 the  
angel of the trees1 the angel of the    
reptiles1  the angel of the wild beasts1
 the angel of the domestic animals1 the 
angel of the fishes1 the angel of the   
locusts1 the angel of the birds1  the   
chief angel of the angels1 the angel of 
each heaven1 the chief  angel of each   
division of the heavenly hosts1 the     
chief angel of the  holy ,hayyot1 the   
chief angel of the cherubim1 the chief  

angel of the  ofanim1 and all the other 
splendid1 terrible1 and mighty angel    
chiefs4  ,they all appeared before ,god 
with great joy1 laved in a stream of    
joy1  and they rejoiced and danced and  
sang1 and extolled the ,lord with many  
praises and many instruments4 ,the      
ministering angels began1 ,let the      
glory of the ,lord endure forever6 ,and 
the rest of the angels took up  the song
 with the words1 ,let the ,lord rejoice 
in ,his works6 ',arabot1  the seventh   
heaven1 was filled with joy and glory1  
splendor and  strength1 power and might 
and pride and magnificence and grandeur1
  praise and jubilation1 song and       
gladness1 steadfastness and             
righteousness1 honor and adoration4     
,then ,god bade the ,angel of the       
,sabbath seat himself upon a throne of  
glory1 and ,he brought before him the   
chiefs of the angels of all the  heavens
 and all the abysses1 and bade them     
dance and rejoice1 saying1  ,sabbath it 
is unto the ,lord6 and the exalted      

princes of the heavens  responded1 ,unto
 the ,lord it is ,sabbath6 ,even ,adam  
was permitted to  ascend to the highest 
heaven1 to take part in the rejoicing   
over the  ,sabbath4    ,by bestowing    
,sabbath joy upon all beings1 not       
excepting ,adam1 thus did  the ,lord    
dedicate ,his creation4 ,seeing the     
majesty of the ,sabbath1 its  honor and 
greatness1 and the joy it conferred upon
 all1 being the fount  of all joy1 ,adam
 intoned a song of praise for the       
,sabbath day4 ,then ,god  said to him1  
,thou singest a song of praise to the   
,sabbath day1 and  singest none to ,me1 
the ,god of the ,sabbath8 ,thereupon the
 ,sabbath rose  from his seat1 and      
prostrated himself before ,god1 saying1 
,it is a good  thing to give thanks unto
 the ,lord1 and the whole of creation   
added1  ,and to sing praises unto ,thy  
,name1 ,o ,most ,high6#aja    ,this was 
the first ,sabbath1 and this its        
celebration in heaven by ,god  and the  
angels4 ,the angels were informed at the

 same time that in days  to come ,israel
 would hallow the day in similar manner4
 ,god told them3  ,i will set aside for 
,myself a people from among all the     
peoples4 ,this  people will observe the 
,sabbath1 and ,i will sanctify it to be 
,my  people1 and ,i will be ,god unto   
it4 ,from all that ,i have seen1 ,i have
  chosen the seed of ,israel wholly1 and
 ,i have inscribed him as ,my           
first-born son1 and ,i sanctified him   
unto ,myself unto all eternity1 him  and
 the ,sabbath1 that he keep the ,sabbath
 and hallow it from all  work4#ajb      
,for ,adam the ,sabbath had a peculiar  
significance4 ,when he was made to      
depart out of ,paradise in the twilight 
of the ,sabbath eve1 the angels  called 
after him1 ,adam did not abide in his   
glory overnight6 ,then the  ,sabbath    
appeared before ,god as ,adam's         
defender1 and he spoke3 ,o ,lord  of the
 world6 ,during the six working days no 
creature was slain4 ,if  ,thou wilt     
begin now by slaying ,adam1 what will   

become of the sanctity  and the blessing
 of the ,sabbath8 ,in this way ,adam was
 rescued from the  fires of hell1 the   
meet punishment for his sins1 and in    
gratitude he  composed a psalm in honor 
of the ,sabbath1 which ,david later     
embodied in  his ,psalter4#ajc    ,still
 another opportunity was given to ,adam 
to learn and appreciate the  value of   
the ,sabbath4 ,the celestial light1     
whereby ,adam could survey  the world   
from end to end1 should properly have   
been made to disappear  immediately     
after his sin4 ,but out of consideration
 for the ,sabbath1  ,god had let this   
light continue to shine1 and the angels1
 at sundown on  the sixth day1 intoned a
 song of praise and thanksgiving to     
,god1 for  the radiant light shining    
through the night4 ,only with the going 
out of  the ,sabbath day the celestial  
light ceased1 to the consternation of   
,adam1 who feared that the serpent would
 attack him in the dark4 ,but ,god      
illumined his understanding1 and he     

learned to rub two stones against  each 
other and produce light for his         
needs4#ajd    ,the celestial light was  
but one of the seven precious gifts     
enjoyed by  ,adam before the fall and to
 be granted to man again only in the    
,messianic time4 ,the others are the    
resplendence of his countenance2  life  
eternal2 his tall stature2 the fruits of
 the soil2 the fruits of  the tree2 and 
the luminaries of the sky1 the sun and  
the moon1 for in  the world to come the 
light of the moon shall be as the light 
of the  sun1 and the light of the sun   
shall be sevenfold4#aje    ,,adam',s    
,,repentance    ,cast out of ,paradise1 
,adam and ,eve built a hut for          
themselves1 and for  seven days they sat
 in it in great distress1 mourning and  
lamenting4 ,at  the end of the seven    
days1 tormented by hunger1 they came    
forth and  sought food4 ,for seven other
 days1 ,adam journeyed up and down in   
the  land1 looking for such dainties as 
he had enjoyed in ,paradise4 ,in vain2  

he found nothing4 ,then ,eve spoke to   
her husband3 ,my lord1 if it please     
thee1 slay me4 ,mayhap ,god will then   
take thee back into ,paradise1 for  the 
,lord ,god became wroth with thee only  
on account of me4 ,but ,adam  rejected  
her plan with abhorrence1 and both went 
forth again on the  search for food4    
,nine days passed1 and still they found 
naught  resembling what they had had in 
,paradise4 ,they saw only food fit for  
cattle and beasts4 ,then ,adam proposed3
 ,let us do penance1 mayhap the  ,lord  
,god will forgive us and have pity on   
us1 and give us something to  sustain   
our life4 ,knowing that ,eve was not    
vigorous enough to undergo  the         
mortification of the flesh which he     
purposed to inflict upon  himself1 he   
prescribed a penance for her different  
from his own4 ,he  said to her3 ,arise1 
and go to the ,tigris1 take a stone and 
stand upon  it in the deepest part of   
the river1 where the water will reach as
 high  as thy neck4 ,and let no speech  

issue forth from thy mouth1 for we are  
unworthy to supplicate ,god1 our lips   
are unclean by reason of the  forbidden 
fruit of the tree4 ,remain in the water 
for thirty-seven  days4    ,for himself 
,adam ordained forty days of fasting1   
while he stood in the  river ,jordan in 
the same way as ,eve was to take up her 
stand in the  waters of the ,tigris4    
,after he had adjusted the stone in the 
middle of  the ,jordan1 and mounted it1 
with the waters surging up to his neck1 
he  said3 ,i adjure thee1 ,o thou water 
of the ,jordan6 ,afflict thyself with   
me1 and gather unto me all swimming     
creatures that live in thee4 ,let  them 
surround me and sorrow with me1 and let 
them not beat their own  breasts with   
grief1 but let them beat me4 ,not they  
have sinned1 only ,i  alone6 ,very soon 
they all came1 the dwellers in the      
,jordan1 and they  encompassed him1 and 
from that moment the water of the       
,jordan stood  still and ceased from    
flowing4    ,the penance which ,adam and

 ,eve laid upon themselves awakened     
misgivings  in ,satan4 ,he feared ,god  
might forgive their sin1 and therefore  
essayed  to hinder ,eve in her purpose4 
,after a lapse of eighteen days he      
appeared unto her in the guise of an    
angel4 ,as though in distress on        
account of her1 he began to cry1 saying3
 ,step up out of the river1 and  weep no
 longer4 ,the ,lord ,god hath heard your
 mourning1 and your  penitence hath been
 accepted by ,him4 ,all the angels      
supplicated the  ,lord in your behalf1  
and ,he hath sent me to fetch you out of
 the water  and give you the sustenance 
that you enjoyed in ,paradise1 and for  
which  you have been mourning4          
,enfeebled as she was by her penances   
and  mortifications1 ,eve yielded to the
 solicitations of ,satan1 and he led    
her to where her husband was4 ,adam     
recognized him at once1 and amid  tears 
he cried out3 ,o ,eve1 ,eve1 where now  
is thy penitence8 ,how  couldst thou let
 our adversary seduce thee again--him   

who robbed us of  our sojourn in        
,paradise and all spiritual joy8        
,thereupon ,eve1 too1  began to weep and
 cry out3 ,woe unto thee1 ,o ,satan6    
,why strivest thou  against us without  
any reason8 ,what have we done unto thee
 that thou  shouldst pursue us so       
craftily8 ,with a deep-fetched sigh1    
,satan told  them how that ,adam1 of    
whom he had been jealous1 had been the  
real  reason of his fall4 ,having lost  
his glory through him1 he had intrigued 
to have him driven from ,paradise4      
,when ,adam heard the confession of     
,satan1 he prayed to ,god3 ,o ,lord my  
,god6 ,in ,thy hands is my life4 ,remove
 from me this adversary1 who seeks  to  
deliver my soul to destruction1 and     
grant me the glory he has  forfeited4   
,satan disappeared forthwith1 but ,adam 
continued his  penance1 standing in the 
waters of the ,jordan for forty         
days4#ajf    ,while ,adam stood in the  
river1 he noticed that the days were    
growing  shorter1 and he feared the     

world might be darkened on account of   
his  sin1 and go under soon4 ,to avert  
the doom1 he spent eight days in  prayer
 and fasting4 ,but after the winter     
solstice1 when he saw that the  days    
grew longer again1 he spent eight days  
in rejoicing1 and in the  following year
 he celebrated both periods1 the one    
before and the one  after the solstice4 
,this is why the heathen celebrate the  
calends and  the saturnalia in honor of 
their gods1 though ,adam had consecrated
  those days to the honor of ,god4#ajg  
,the first time ,adam witnessed the     
sinking of the sun be was also seized   
with anxious fears4 ,it happened at the 
conclusion of the ,sabbath1 and  ,adam  
said1 ,woe is me6 ,for my sake1 because 
,i sinned1 the world is  darkened1 and  
it will again become void and without   
form4 ,thus will be  executed the       
punishment of death which ,god has      
pronounced against me6  ,all the night  
he spent in tears1 and ,eve1 too1 wept  
as she sat opposite  to him4 ,when day  

began to dawn1 he understood that what  
he had deplored  was but the course of  
nature1 and he brought an offering unto 
,god1 a  unicorn whose horn was created 
before his hoofs1#ajh and he sacrificed 
it on the spot on which later the altar 
was to stand in ,jerusalem4#aji    ,,the
 ,,book ,,of ,,raziel    ,after ,adam's 
expulsion from ,paradise1 he prayed to  
,god in these words3  ,o ,god1 ,lord of 
the world6 ,thou didst create the whole 
world unto the  honor and glory of the  
,mighty ,one1 and ,thou didst as was    
pleasing unto  ,thee4 ,thy kingdom is   
unto all eternity1 and ,thy reign unto  
all  generations4 ,naught is hidden from
 ,thee1 and naught is concealed from    
,thine eyes4 ,thou didst create me as   
,thy handiwork1 and didst make me  the  
ruler over ,thy creatures1 that ,i might
 be the chief of ,thy works4  ,but the  
cunning1 accursed serpent seduced me    
with the tree of desire  and lusts1 yea1
 he seduced the wife of my bosom4 ,but  
,thou didst not  make known unto me what

 shall befall my children and the       
generations  after me4 ,i know well that
 no human being can be righteous in     
,thine  eyes1 and what is my strength   
that ,i should step before ,thee with an
  impudent face8 ,i have no mouth       
wherewith to speak and no eye wherewith 
to see1 for ,i did sin and commit a     
trespass1 and1 by reason of my sins1  ,i
 was driven forth from ,paradise4 ,i    
must plough the earth whence ,i was     
taken1 and the other inhabitants of the 
earth1 the beasts1 no longer1  as once1 
stand in awe and fear of me4 ,from the  
time ,i ate of the tree  of knowledge of
 good and evil1 wisdom departed from me1
 and ,i am a fool  that knoweth naught1 
an ignorant man that understandeth not4 
,now1 ,o  merciful and gracious ,god1 ,i
 pray to ,thee to turn again ,thy       
compassion  to the head of ,thy works1  
to the spirit which ,thou didst instil  
into  him1 and the soul ,thou didst     
breathe into him4 ,meet me with ,thy    
grace1  for ,thou art gracious1 slow to 

anger1 and full of love4 ,o that my     
prayer would reach unto the throne of   
,thy glory1 and my supplication  unto   
the throne of ,thy mercy1 and ,thou     
wouldst incline to me with              
lovingkindness4 ,may the words of my    
mouth be acceptable1 that ,thou turn    
not away from my petition4 ,thou wert   
from everlasting1 and ,thou wilt be     
unto everlasting2 ,thou wert king1 and  
,thou wilt ever be king4 ,now1 have     
,thou mercy upon the work of ,thy hands4
 ,grant me knowledge and  understanding1
 that ,i may know what shall befall me1 
and my posterity1  and all the          
generations that come after me1 and what
 shall befall me on  every day and in   
every month1 and mayest ,thou not       
withhold from me the  help of ,thy      
servants and of ,thy angels4    ,on the 
third day after he had offered up this  
prayer1 while he was  sitting on the    
banks of the river that flows forth out 
of ,paradise1  there appeared to him1 in
 the heat of the day1 the angel ,raziel1

  bearing a book in his hand4 ,the angel
 addressed ,adam thus3 ,o ,adam1 why    
art thou so fainthearted8 ,why art thou 
distressed and anxious8 ,thy  words were
 heard at the moment when thou didst    
utter thy supplication  and entreaties1 
and ,i have received the charge to teach
 thee pure words  and deep              
understanding1 to make thee wise through
 the contents of the  sacred book in my 
hand1 to know what will happen to thee  
until the day  of thy death4 ,and all   
thy descendants and all the later       
generations1 if  they will but read this
 book in purity1 with a devout heart and
 an  humble mind1 and obey its precepts1
 will become like unto thee4 ,they1     
too1 will foreknow what things shall    
happen1 and in what month and on  what  
day or in what night4 ,all will be      
manifest to them--they will know  and   
understand whether a calamity will come1
 a famine or wild beasts1  floods or    
drought2 whether there will be abundance
 of grain or dearth2  whether the wicked

 will rule the world2 whether locusts   
will devastate  the land2 whether the   
fruits will drop from the trees unripe2 
whether  boils will afflict men2 whether
 wars will prevail1 or diseases or      
plagues among men and cattle2 whether   
good is resolved upon in heaven1  or    
evil2 whether blood will flow1 and the  
death-rattle of the slain be  heard in  
the city4 ,and now1 ,adam1 come and give
 heed unto what ,i shall  tell thee     
regarding the manner of this book and   
its holiness4    ,raziel1 the angel1    
then read from the book1 and when ,adam 
heard the  words of the holy volume as  
they issued from the mouth of the angel1
 he  fell down affrighted4 ,but the     
angel encouraged him4 ,arise1 ,adam1 he 
said1 be of good courage1 be not afraid1
 take the book from me and  keep it1 for
 thou wilt draw knowledge from it       
thyself and become wise1  and thou wilt 
also teach its contents to all those who
 shall be found  worthy of knowing what 
it contains4    ,in the moment when     

,adam took the book1 a flame of fire    
shot up from  near the river1 and the   
angel rose heavenward with it4 ,then    
,adam knew  that he who had spoken to   
him was an angel of ,god1 and it was    
from the  ,holy ,king ,himself that the 
book had come1 and he used it in        
holiness  and purity4 ,it is the book   
out of which all things worth knowing   
can be  learnt1 and all mysteries1 and  
it teaches also how to call upon the    
angels and make them appear before men1 
and answer all their questions4  ,but   
not all alike can use the book1 only he 
who is wise and  ,god-fearing1 and      
resorts to it in holiness4 ,such an one 
is secure  against all wicked counsels1 
his life is serene1 and when death takes
  him from this world1 he finds repose  
in a place where there are neither      
demons nor evil spirits1 and out of the 
hands of the wicked he is  quickly      
rescued4#aaj    ,,the ,,sickness ,,of   
,,adam    ,when ,adam had lived to be   
nine hundred and thirty years old1 a    

sickness  seized him1 and he felt that  
his days were drawing to an end4 ,he    
summoned all his descendants1 and       
assembled them before the door of the   
house of worship in which he had always 
offered his prayers to ,god1 to  give   
them his last blessing4 ,his family were
 astonished to find him  stretched out  
on the bed of sickness1 for they did not
 know what pain  and suffering were4#aaa
 ,they thought he was overcome with     
longing  after the fruits of ,paradise1 
and for lack of them was depressed4     
,seth  announced his willingness to go  
to the gates of ,paradise and beg ,god  
to  let one of ,his angels give him of  
its fruits4 ,but ,adam explained to     
them what sickness and pain are1 and    
that ,god had inflicted them upon  him  
as a punishment for his sin4#aab ,adam  
suffered violently2 tears  and groans   
were wrung from him4 ,eve sobbed1 and   
said1 ,adam1 my lord1  give me the half 
of thy sickness1 ,i will gladly bear it4
 ,is it not on  account of me that this 

hath come upon thee8 ,on account of me  
thou  undergoest pain and anguish4      
,adam bade ,eve go with ,seth to the    
gates of ,paradise and entreat ,god to  
have mercy upon him1 and send ,his angel
 to catch up some of the oil of  life   
flowing from the tree of ,his mercy and 
give it to his messengers4  ,the        
ointment would bring him rest1 and      
banish the pain consuming him4  ,on his 
way to ,paradise1 ,seth was attacked by 
a wild beast4 ,eve called  out to the   
assailant1 ,how durst thou lay hand on  
the image of ,god8  ,the ready answer   
came3 ,it is thine own fault4 ,hadst    
thou not opened  thy mouth to eat of the
 forbidden fruit1 my mouth would not be 
opened  now to destroy a human being4   
,but ,seth remonstrated3 ,hold thy      
tongue6  ,desist from the image of ,god 
until the day of judgment4 ,and the     
beast  gave way1 saying1 ,see1 ,i       
refrain myself from the image of ,god1  
and it  slunk away to its covert4#aac   
,arrived at the gates of ,paradise1 ,eve

 and ,seth began to cry bitterly1  and  
they besought ,god with many            
lamentations to give them oil from the  
tree of ,his mercy4 ,for hours they     
prayed thus4 ,at last the archangel     
,michael appeared1 and informed them    
that he came as the messenger of  ,god  
to tell them that their petition could  
not be granted4 ,adam would  die in a   
few days1 and as he was subject to      
death1 so would be all his  descendants4
 ,only at the time of the resurrection1 
and then only to the  pious1 the oil of 
life would be dispensed1 together with  
all the bliss  and all the delights of  
,paradise4#aad ,returned to ,adam1 they 
reported  what had happened1 and he said
 to ,eve3 ,what misfortune didst thou   
bring upon us when thou didst arouse    
great wrath6 ,see1 death is the  portion
 of all our race6 ,call hither our      
children and our children's  children1  
and tell them the manner of our sinning4
 ,and while ,adam lay  prostrate upon   
the bed of pain1 ,eve told them the     

story of their  fall4#aae    ,,eve',s   
,,story ,,of ,,the ,,fall    ,after ,i  
was created1 ,god divided ,paradise and 
all the animals therein  between ,adam  
and me4 ,the east and the north were    
assigned to ,adam1  together with the   
male animals4 ,i was mistress of the    
west and the  south and all the female  
animals4 ,satan1 smarting under the     
disgrace of  having been dismissed from 
the heavenly host1 resolved to bring    
about  our ruin and avenge himself upon 
the cause of his discomfiture4 ,he won  
the serpent over to his side1 and       
pointed out to him that before the      
creation of ,adam the animals could     
enjoy all that grew in ,paradise1 and   
now they were restricted to the weeds4  
,to drive ,adam from ,paradise  would   
therefore be for the good of all4 ,the  
serpent demurred1 for he  stood in awe  
of the wrath of ,god4 ,but ,satan calmed
 his fears1 and said1  ,do thou but     
become my vessel1#aag and ,i shall speak
 a word through  thy mouth wherewith    

thou wilt succeed in seducing man4      
,the serpent thereupon suspended himself
 from the wall surrounding  ,paradise1  
to carry on his conversation with me    
from without4 ,and this  happened at the
 very moment when my two guardian angels
 had betaken  themselves to heaven to   
supplicate the ,lord4 ,i was quite alone
  therefore1 and when ,satan assumed the
 appearance of an angel1 bent over  the 
wall of ,paradise1 and intoned seraphic 
songs of praise1 ,i was  deceived1 and  
thought him an angel4 ,a conversation   
was held between us1  ,satan speaking   
through the mouth of the serpent3       
,art thou ,eve8    ,yes1 it is ,i4      
,what art thou doing in ,paradise8      
,the ,lord has put us here to cultivate 
it and eat of its fruits4    ,that is   
good4 ,yet you eat not of all the trees4
    ,that we do1 excepting a single one1
 the tree that stands in the midst  of  
,paradise4 ,concerning it alone1 ,god   
has forbidden us to eat of it1  else1   
the ,lord said1 ye will die4    ,the    

serpent made every effort to persuade me
 that ,i had naught to  fear--that ,god 
knew that in the day that ,adam and ,i  
ate of the fruit of  the tree1 we should
 be as ,he ,himself4 ,it was jealousy   
that had made ,him  say1#aah ,ye shall  
not eat of it4 ,in spite of all his     
urging1 ,i  remained steadfast and      
refused to touch the tree4 ,then the    
serpent  engaged to pluck the fruit for 
me4 ,thereupon ,i opened the gate of    
,paradise1 and he slipped in4 ,scarcely 
was he within1 when he said to  me1 ,i  
repent of my words1 ,i would rather not 
give thee of the fruit of  the forbidden
 tree4 ,it was but a cunning device to  
tempt me more4 ,he  consented to give me
 of the fruit only after ,i swore to    
make my husband  eat of it1 too4 ,this  
is the oath he made me take3 ,by the    
throne of  ,god1 by the cherubim1 and by
 the tree of life1 ,i shall give my     
husband  of this fruit1 that he may eat1
 too4 ,thereupon the serpent ascended   
the tree and injected his poison1 the   

poison of the evil inclination1  into   
the fruit1#aai and bent the branch on   
which it grew to the  ground4 ,i took   
hold of it1 but ,i knew at once that ,i 
was stripped of  the righteousness in   
which ,i had been clothed4#abj ,i began 
to weep1  because of it and because of  
the oath the serpent had forced from me4
    ,the serpent disappeared from the   
tree1 while ,i sought leaves wherewith  
to cover my nakedness1 but all the trees
 within my reach had cast off  their    
leaves at the moment when ,i ate of the 
forbidden fruit4#aba  ,there was only   
one that retained its leaves1 the       
fig-tree1 the very  tree the fruit of   
which had been forbidden to me4#abb ,i  
summoned ,adam1  and by means of        
blasphemous words ,i prevailed upon him 
to eat of the  fruit4 ,as soon as it had
 passed his lips1 he knew his true      
condition1  and he exclaimed against me3
 ,thou wicked woman1 what bast thou     
brought  down upon me8 ,thou hast       
removed me from the glory of ,god4      

,at the same time ,adam and ,i heard the
 archangel ,michael#abc blow his        
trumpet1 and all the angels cried out3  
,thus saith the ,lord1 ,come ye  with   
,me to ,paradise and hearken unto the   
sentence which ,i will  pronounce upon  
,adam4#abd    ,we hid ourselves because 
we feared the judgment of ,god4 ,sitting
 in his  chariot drawn by cherubim1 the 
,lord1 accompanied by angels uttering   
,his  praise1 appeared in ,paradise4 ,at
 ,his coming the bare trees again put   
forth leaves4#abe ,his throne was       
erected by the tree of life1 and ,god   
addressed ,adam3 ,adam1 where dost thou 
keep thyself in hiding8 ,thinkest  thou 
,i cannot find thee8 ,can a house       
conceal itself from its  architect8#abf 
,adam tried to put the blame on me1 who 
had promised to hold him  harmless      
before ,god4 ,and ,i in turn accused the
 serpent4 ,but ,god dealt  out justice  
to all three of us4 ,to ,adam ,he said3 
,because thou didst  not obey ,my       
commands1 but didst hearken unto the    

voice of thy wife1  cursed is the ground
 in spite of thy work4 ,when thou dost  
cultivate it1  it will not yield thee   
its strength4 ,thorns and thistles shall
 it bring  forth to thee1 and in the    
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread4 
,thou  wilt suffer many a hardship1 thou
 wilt grow weary1 and yet find no  rest4
 ,bitterly oppressed1 thou shalt never  
taste of any sweetness4 ,thou  shalt be 
scourged by heat1 and yet pinched by    
cold4 ,thou shalt toil  greatly1 and yet
 not gain wealth4 ,thou shalt grow fat1 
and yet cease to  live4 ,and the animals
 over which thou art the master will    
rise up  against thee1 because thou     
didst not keep my command4#abg    ,upon 
me ,god pronounced this sentence3 ,thou 
shalt suffer anguish in  childbirth and 
grievous torture4 ,in sorrow shalt thou 
bring forth  children1 and in the hour  
of travail1 when thou art near to lose  
thy  life1 thou wilt confess and cry1   
',lord1 ,lord1 save me this time1 and ,i
  will never again indulge in carnal    

pleasure1' and yet thy desire shall     
ever and ever be unto thy husband4#abh  
,at the same time all sorts of diseases 
were decreed upon us4 ,god said  to     
,adam3 ,because thou didst turn aside   
from ,my covenant1 ,i will  inflict     
seventy plagues upon thy flesh4 ,the    
pain of the first plague  shall lay hold
 on thy eyes2 the pain of the second    
plague upon thy  hearing1 and one after 
the other all the plagues shall come    
upon  thee4#abi ,the serpent ,god       
addressed thus3 ,because thou becamest  
the  vessel of the ,evil ,one1#acj      
deceiving the innocent1 cursed art thou 
above all cattle and above every beast  
of the field4 ,thou shalt be  robbed of 
the food thou wast wont to eat1 and dust
 shalt thou eat all  the days of thy    
life4 ,upon thy breast and thy belly    
shalt thou go1 and  of thy hands and thy
 feet thou shalt be deprived4 ,thou     
shalt not remain  in possession of thy  
ears1 nor of thy wings1 nor of any of   
thy limbs  wherewith thou didst seduce  

the woman and her husband1 bringing them
 to  such a pass that they must be      
driven forth from ,paradise4 ,and ,i    
will  put enmity between thee and the   
seed of man4 ,it shall bruise thy head1 
and1 thou shalt bruise his heel until   
the day of judgment4#aca    ,,the       
,,death ,,of ,,adam    ,on the last day 
of ,adam's life1 ,eve said to him1 ,why 
should ,i go on  living1 when thou art  
no more8 ,how long shall ,i have to     
linger on after  thy death8 ,tell me    
this6 ,adam assured her she would not   
tarry long4  ,they would die together1  
and be buried together in the same      
place4 ,he  commanded her not to touch  
his corpse until an angel from ,god had 
made  provision regarding it1 and she   
was to begin at once to pray to ,god    
until his soul escaped from his body4   
,while ,eve was on her knees in prayer1 
an angel came1#acb and bade her  rise4  
,eve1 arise from thy penance1 he        
commanded4 ,behold1 thy husband  hath   
left his mortal coil4 ,arise1 and see   

his spirit go up to his  ,creator1 to   
appear before ,him4 ,and1 lo1 she beheld
 a chariot of light1  drawn by four     
shining eagles1 and preceded by angels4 
,in this chariot  lay the soul of ,adam1
 which the angels were taking to heaven4
 ,arrived  there1 they burnt incense    
until the clouds of smoke enveloped the 
heavens4 ,then they prayed to ,god to   
have mercy upon ,his image and the  work
 of ,his holy hands4 ,in her awe and    
fright1 ,eve summoned ,seth1 and  she   
bade him look upon the vision and       
explain the celestial sights  beyond her
 understanding4 ,she asked1 ,who may the
 two ,ethiopians be1  who are adding    
their prayers to thy father's8 ,seth    
told her1 they were  the sun and the    
moon1 turned so black because they could
 not shine in  the face of the ,father  
of light4#acc ,scarcely had he spoken1  
when an  angel blew a trumpet1 and all  
the angels cried out with awful voices1 
,blessed be the glory of the ,lord by   
,his creatures1 for ,he has shown  mercy

 unto ,adam1 the work of ,his hands6 ,a 
seraph then seized ,adam1 and  carried  
him off to the river ,acheron1 washed   
him three times1 and  brought him before
 the presence of ,god1 who sat upon ,his
 throne1 and1  stretching out ,his hand1
 lifted ,adam up and gave him over to   
the  archangel ,michael1 with the words1
 ,raise him to the ,paradise of the     
third heaven1 and there thou shalt leave
 him until the great and  fearful day   
ordained by ,me4 ,michael executed the  
,divine behest1 and  all the angels sang
 a song of praise1 extolling ,god for   
the pardon ,he  had accorded ,adam4     
,michael now entreated ,god to let him  
attend to the preparation of  ,adam's   
body for the grave4 ,permission being   
given1 ,michael repaired to  earth1     
accompanied by all the angels4 ,when    
they entered the terrestrial  ,paradise1
 all the trees blossomed forth1 and the 
perfume wafted thence  lulled all men   
into slumber except ,seth alone4 ,then  
,god said to ,adam1  as his body lay on 

the ground3 ,if thou hadst kept ,my     
commandment1 they  would not rejoice who
 brought thee hither4 ,but ,i tell thee1
 ,i will turn  the joy of ,satan and his
 consorts into sorrow1 and thy sorrow   
shall be  turned into joy4 ,i will      
restore thee to thy dominion1 and thou  
shalt  sit upon the throne of thy       
seducer1 while he shall be damned1 with 
those who hearken unto him4#acd         
,thereupon1 at the bidding of ,god1 the 
three great archangels#ace  covered the 
body of ,adam with linen1 and poured    
sweet-smelling oil upon  it4 ,with it   
they interred also the body of ,abel1   
which had lain  unburied since ,cain had
 slain him1 for all the murderer's      
efforts to  hide it had been in vain4   
,the corpse again and again sprang forth
 from  the earth1 and a voice issued    
thence1 proclaiming1 ,no creature shall 
rest in the earth until the first one of
 all has returned the dust to  me of    
which it was formed4#acf ,the angels    
carried the two bodies to  ,paradise1   

,adam's and ,abel's--the latter had all 
this time been lying on  a stone on     
which angels had placed it--and they    
buried them both on the  spot whence    
,god had taken the dust wherewith to    
make ,adam4#acg    ,god called unto the 
body of ,adam1 ,adam6 ,adam6 and it     
answered1 ,lord1  here am ,i6 ,then ,god
 said3 ,i told thee once1 ,dust thou    
art1 and unto  dust shalt thou return4  
,now ,i promise thee resurrection4 ,i   
will awaken  thee on the day of         
judgment1 when all the generations of   
men that  spring from thy loins1 shall  
arise from the grave4 ,god then sealed  
up  the grave1 that none might do him   
harm during the six days to elapse      
until his rib should be restored to him 
through the death of ,eve4#ach    ,,the 
,,death ,,of ,,eve    ,the interval     
between ,adam's death and her own ,eve  
spent in weeping4 ,she  was distressed  
in particular that she knew not what had
 become of  ,adam's body1 for none      
except ,seth had been awake while the   

angel  interred it4 ,when the hour of   
her death drew nigh1 ,eve supplicated to
  be buried in the selfsame spot in     
which the remains of her husband        
rested4 ,she prayed to ,god3 ,lord of   
all powers6 ,remove not ,thy            
maid-servant from the body of ,adam1    
from which ,thou didst take me1 from    
whose limbs ,thou didst form me4 ,permit
 me1 who am an unworthy and  sinning    
woman1 to enter into his habitation4 ,as
 we were together in  ,paradise1 neither
 separated from the other2 as together  
we were tempted  to transgress ,thy law1
 neither separated from the other1 so1  
,o ,lord1  separate us not now4 ,to the 
end of her prayer she added the         
petition1  raising her eyes heavenward1 
,lord of the world6 ,receive my spirit6 
and she gave up her soul to ,god4       
,the archangel ,michael came and taught 
,seth how to prepare ,eve for  burial1  
and three angels descended and interred 
her body in the grave  with ,adam and   
,abel4 ,then ,michael spoke to ,seth1   

,thus shalt thou bury  all men that die 
until the resurrection day4 ,and again1 
having given  him this command1 he      
spoke3 ,longer than six days ye shall   
not  mourn4#aci ,the repose of the      
seventh day is the token of the         
resurrection in the latter day1 for on  
the seventh day the ,lord rested  from  
all the work which ,he had created and  
made4#adj    ,though death was brought  
into the world through ,adam1 yet he    
cannot be  held responsible for the     
death of men4 ,once on a time he said to
 ,god3  ,i am not concerned about the   
death of the wicked1 but ,i should not  
like the pious to reproach me and lay   
the blame for their death upon  me4 ,i  
pray ,thee1 make no mention of my guilt4
 ,and ,god promised to  fulfil his wish4
 ,therefore1 when a man is about to die1
 ,god appears to  him1 and bids him set 
down in writing all he has done during  
his life1  for1 ,he tells him1 ,thou art
 dying by reason of thy evil deeds4 ,the
  record finished1 ,god orders him to   

seal it with his seal4 ,this is the     
writing ,god will bring out on the      
judgment day1 and to each will be  made 
known his deeds4#ada ,as soon as life is
 extinct in a man1 he is  presented to  
,adam1 whom he accuses of having caused 
his death4 ,but ,adam  repudiates the   
charge3 ,i committed but one trespass4  
,is there any  among you1 and be he the 
most pious1 who has not been guilty of  
more  than one8#adb          ,,iii      
,,the ,,ten ,,generations    ,,the      
,,birth ,,of ,,cain    ,there were ten  
generations from ,adam to ,noah1 to show
 how  long-suffering is the ,lord1 for  
all the generations provoked ,him unto  
wrath1 until ,he brought the deluge upon
 them4#a ,by reason of their            
impiousness ,god changed ,his plan of   
calling one thousand generations  into  
being between the creation of the world 
and the revelation of the  law at ,mount
 ,sinai2 nine hundred and seventy-four  
,he suppressed before  the flood4#b     
,wickedness came into the world with the

 first being born of woman1  ,cain1 the 
oldest son of ,adam4 ,when ,god bestowed
 ,paradise upon the first  pair of      
mankind1 ,he warned them particularly   
against carnal intercourse  with each   
other4 ,but after the fall of ,eve1     
,satan1 in the guise of the  serpent1   
approached her1 and the fruit of their  
union was ,cain1 the  ancestor of all   
the impious generations that were       
rebellious toward  ,god1 and rose up    
against ,him4 ,cain's descent from      
,satan1 who is the  angel ,samael1 was  
revealed in his seraphic appearance4 ,at
 his birth1  the exclamation was wrung  
from ,eve1 ,i have gotten a man through 
an  angel of the ,lord4#c    ,adam was  
not in the company of ,eve during the   
time of her pregnancy  with ,cain4      
,after she had succumbed a second time  
to the temptations of  ,satan1 and      
permitted herself to be interrupted in  
her penance1#d she  left her husband and
 journeyed westward1 because she feared 
her  presence might continue to bring   

him misery4 ,adam remained in the east4 
,when the days of ,eve to be delivered  
were fulfilled1 and she began to  feel  
the pangs of travailing1 she prayed to  
,god for help4 ,but ,he  hearkened not  
unto her supplications4 ,who will carry 
the report to my  lord ,adam8 she asked 
herself4 ,ye luminaries in the sky1 ,i  
beg you1  tell it to my master ,adam    
when ye return to the east6 ,in that    
self  same hour1 ,adam cried out3 ,the  
lamentation of ,eve has pierced to my   
ear6 ,mayhap the serpent has again      
assaulted her1 and he hastened to  his  
wife4 ,finding her in grievous pain1 he 
besought ,god in her behalf1  and twelve
 angels appeared1 together with two     
heavenly powers4#e ,all  these took up  
their post to right of her and to left  
of her1 while  ,michael1 also standing  
on her right side1 passed his hand over 
her1  from her face downward to her     
breast1 and said to her1 ,be thou       
blessed1 ,eve1 for the sake of ,adam4   
,because of his solicitations and  his  

prayers ,i was sent to grant thee our   
assistance4 ,make ready to give  birth  
to thy child6 ,immediately her son was  
born1 a radiant figure4#f  ,a little    
while and the babe stood upon his feet1 
ran off1 and returned  holding in his   
hands a stalk of straw1 which he gave to
 his mother4 ,for  this reason he was   
named ,cain1 the ,hebrew word for stalk 
of straw4    ,now ,adam took ,eve and   
the boy to his home in the east4 ,god   
sent him  various kinds of seeds by the 
hand of the angel ,michael1 and he was  
taught how to cultivate the ground and  
make it yield produce and  fruits1 to   
sustain himself and his family and his  
posterity4#g    ,after a while1 ,eve    
bore her second son1 whom she named     
,hebel1 because1  she said1 he was born 
but to die4    ,,fratricide    ,the     
slaying of ,abel by ,cain did not come  
as a wholly unexpected event  to his    
parents4 ,in a dream ,eve had seen the  
blood of ,abel flow into the  mouth of  
,cain1 who drank it with avidity1 though

 his brother entreated  him not to take 
all4 ,when she told her dream to ,adam1 
he said1  lamenting1 ,o that this may   
not portend the death of ,abel at the   
hand  of ,cain6 ,he separated the two   
lads1 assigning to each an abode of his 
own1 and to each he taught a different  
occupation4 ,cain became a tiller  of   
the ground1 and ,abel a keeper of sheep4
 ,it was all in vain4 ,in spite  of     
these precautions1 ,cain slew his       
brother4#i    ,his hostility toward     
,abel had more than one reason4 ,it     
began when ,god  had respect unto the   
offering of ,abel1 and accepted it by   
sending  heavenly fire down to consume  
it1 while the offering of ,cain was     
rejected4#aj ,they brought their        
sacrifices on the fourteenth day of     
,nisan1 at the instance of their father1
 who had spoken thus to his  sons3 ,this
 is the day on which1 in times to come1 
,israel will offer  sacrifices4         
,therefore1 do ye1 too1 bring sacrifices
 to your ,creator on  this day1 that ,he

 may take pleasure in you4 ,the place of
 offering  which they chose was the spot
 whereon the altar of the ,temple at    
,jerusalem stood later4#aa ,abel        
selected the best of his flocks for his 
sacrifice1 but ,cain ate his meal first1
 and after he had satisfied his         
appetite1 he offered unto ,god what was 
left over1 a few grains of flax  seed4  
,as though his offense had not been     
great enough in offering unto  ,god     
fruit of the ground which had been      
cursed by ,god6#ab ,what wonder  that   
his sacrifice was not received with     
favor6 ,besides1 a chastisement  was    
inflicted upon him4 ,his face turned    
black as smoke4#ac  ,nevertheless1 his  
disposition underwent no change1 even   
when ,god spoke  to him thus3 ,if thou  
wilt amend thy ways1 thy guilt will be  
forgiven  thee2 if not1 thou wilt be    
delivered into the power of the evil    
inclination4 ,it coucheth at the door of
 thy heart1 yet it depends upon  thee   
whether thou shalt be master over it1 or

 it shall be master over  thee4#ad      
,cain thought he had been wronged1 and a
 dispute followed between him  and      
,abel4 ,i believed1 he said1 that the   
world was created through  goodness1#ae 
but ,i see that good deeds bear no      
fruit4 ,god rules the  world with       
arbitrary power1 else why had ,he       
respect unto thy offering1  and not unto
 mine also8 ,abel opposed him2 he       
maintained that ,god  rewards good      
deeds1 without having respect unto      
persons4 ,if his  sacrifice had been    
accepted graciously by ,god1 and ,cain's
 not1 it was  because his deeds were    
good1 and his brother's wicked4#af      
,but this was not the only cause of     
,cain's hatred toward ,abel4 ,partly    
love for a woman brought about the      
crime4 ,to ensure the propagation of    
the human race1 a girl1 destined to be  
his wife1 was born together with  each  
of the sons of ,adam4 ,abel's twin      
sister was of exquisite beauty1  and    
,cain desired her4#ag ,therefore he was 

constantly brooding over  ways and means
 of ridding himself of his brother4     
,the opportunity presented itself ere   
long4 ,one day a sheep belonging to     
,abel tramped over a field that had been
 planted by ,cain4 ,in a rage1 the      
latter called out1 ,what right hast thou
 to live upon my land and let  thy sheep
 pasture yonder8 ,abel retorted3 ,what  
right hast thou to use  the products of 
my sheep1 to make garments for thyself  
from their wool8  ,if thou wilt take off
 the wool of my sheep wherein thou art  
arrayed1  and wilt pay me for the flesh 
of the flocks which thou hast eaten1    
then  ,i will quit thy land as thou     
desirest1 and fly into the air1 if ,i   
can  do it4 ,cain thereupon said1 ,and  
if ,i were to kill thee1 who is there   
to demand thy blood of me8 ,abel        
replied3 ,god1 who brought us into the  
world1 will avenge me4 ,he will require 
my blood at thine hand1 if thou         
shouldst slay me4 ,god is the ,judge1   
who will visit their wicked deeds  upon 

the wicked1 and their evil deeds upon   
the evil4 ,shouldst thou slay  me1 ,god 
will know thy secret1 and ,he will deal 
out punishment unto  thee4    ,these    
words but added to the anger of ,cain1  
and he threw himself upon  his          
brother4#ah ,abel was stronger than he1 
and he would have got the  worst of it1 
but at the last moment he begged for    
mercy1 and the gentle  ,abel released   
his hold upon him4 ,scarcely did he feel
 himself free1  when he turned against  
,abel once more1 and slew him4 ,so true 
is the  saying1 ,do the evil no good1   
lest evil fall upon thee4#ai    ,,the   
,,punishment ,,of ,,cain    ,the manner 
of ,abel's death was the most cruel     
conceivable4 ,not knowing  what injury  
was fatal1 ,cain pelted all parts of his
 body with stones1  until one struck him
 on the neck and inflicted death4       
,after committing the murder1 ,cain     
resolved to flee1 saying1 ,my parents   
will demand account of me concerning    
,abel1 for there is no other human      

being on earth4 ,this thought had but   
passed through his mind when ,god       
appeared unto him1 and addressed him in 
these words3 ,before thy  parents thou  
canst flee1 but canst thou go out from  
,my presence1 too8  ',can any hide      
himself in secret places that ,i shall  
not see him8' ,alas  for ,abel that he  
showed thee mercy1 and refrained from   
killing thee1  when he had thee in his  
power6 ,alas that he granted thee the   
opportunity of slaying him6             
,questioned by ,god1 ,where is ,abel thy
 brother8 ,cain answered3 ,am ,i my     
brother's keeper8 ,thou art ,he who     
holdest watch over all creatures1 and   
yet ,thou demandest account of me6      
,true1 ,i slew him1 but ,thou didst     
create the evil inclination in me4 ,thou
 guardest all things2 why1 then1  didst 
,thou permit me to slay him8 ,thou didst
 ,thyself slay him1 for  hadst ,thou    
looked with a favorable countenance     
toward my offering as  toward his1 ,i   
had had no reason for envying him1 and  

,i had not slain  him4 ,but ,god said1  
,the voice of thy brother's blood       
issuing from his  many wounds crieth out
 against thee1#bj and likewise the blood
 of all  the pious who might have sprung
 from the loins of ,abel4    ,also the  
soul of ,abel denounced the murderer1   
for she could find rest  nowhere4 ,she  
could neither soar heavenward1 nor abide
 in the grave with  her body1 for no    
human soul had done either before4#ba   
,but ,cain still  refused to confess his
 guilt4 ,he insisted that he had never  
seen a man  killed1 and how was he to   
suppose that the stones which he threw  
at  ,abel would take his life8 ,then1 on
 account of ,cain1 ,god cursed the      
ground1 that it might not yield fruit   
unto him4#bb ,with a single  punishment 
both ,cain and the earth were chastised1
 the earth because it  retained the     
corpse of ,abel1 and did not cast it    
above ground4#bc    ,in the obduracy of 
his heart1 ,cain spake3 ,o ,lord of the 
world6 ,are  there informers who        

denounce men before ,thee8 ,my parents  
are the only  living human beings1 and  
they know naught of my deed4 ,thou      
abidest in  the heavens1 and how        
shouldst ,thou know what things happen  
on earth8  ,god said in reply3 ,thou    
fool6 ,i carry the whole world4 ,i have 
made it1  and ,i will bear it--a reply  
that gave ,cain the opportunity of      
feigning  repentance4 ,thou bearest the 
whole world1 he said1 and my sin ,thou  
canst not bear8#bd ,verily1 mine        
iniquity is too great to be borne6      
,yet1 yesterday ,thou didst banish my   
father from ,thy presence1 to-day  ,thou
 dost banish me4 ,in sooth1 it will be  
said1 it is ,thy way to  banish4#be     
,although this was but dissimulation1   
and not true repentance1 yet ,god       
granted ,cain pardon1 and removed the   
half of his chastisement from him4      
,originally1 the decree had condemned   
him to be a fugitive and a  wanderer on 
the earth4 ,now he was no longer to roam
 about forever1 but  a fugitive he was  

to remain4 ,and so much was hard enough 
to have to  suffer1 for the earth quaked
 under ,cain1 and all the animals1 the  
wild  and the tame1 among them the      
accursed serpent1 gathered together and 
essayed to devour him in order to avenge
 the innocent blood of ,abel4  ,finally 
,cain could bear it no longer1 and1     
breaking out in tears1 he  cried3       
,whither shall ,i go from ,thy spirit8  
,or whither shall ,i flee  from ,thy    
presence8#bf ,to protect him from the   
onslaught of the  beasts1 ,god inscribed
 one letter of ,his ,holy ,name upon his
 forehead1  and furthermore ,he         
addressed the animals3 ,cain's          
punishment shall not  be like unto the  
punishment of future murderers4 ,he has 
shed blood1 but  there was none to give 
him instruction4 ,henceforth1 however1  
he who  slays another shall himself be  
slain4 ,then ,god gave him the dog as a 
protection against the wild beasts1 and 
to mark him as a sinner1 ,he  afflicted 
him with leprosy4    ,cain's repentance1

 insincere though it was1 bore a good   
result4 ,when  ,adam met him1 and       
inquired what doom had been decreed     
against him1 ,cain  told how his        
repentance had propitiated ,god1 and    
,adam exclaimed1 ,so  potent is         
repentance1 and ,i knew it not6         
,thereupon he composed a hymn  of praise
 to ,god1 beginning with the words1 ,it 
is a good thing to  confess thy sins    
unto the ,lord6#bi    ,the crime        
committed by ,cain had baneful          
consequences1 not for himself  alone1   
but for the whole of nature also4       
,before1 the fruits which the  earth    
bore unto him when he tilled the ground 
had tasted like the  fruits of          
,paradise4 ,now his labor produced      
naught but thorns and  thistles4#bi ,the
 ground changed and deteriorated at the 
very moment of  ,abel's violent end4    
,the trees and the plants in the part of
 the earth  whereon the victim lived    
refused to yield their fruits1 on       
account of  their grief over him1 and   

only at the birth of ,seth those that   
grew in  the portion belonging to ,abel 
began to flourish and bear again4 ,but  
never did they resume their former      
powers4 ,while1 before1 the vine had    
borne nine hundred and twenty-six       
different varieties of fruit1 it now    
brought forth but one kind4 ,and so it  
was with all other species4 ,they  will 
regain their pristine powers only in the
 world to come4#cj    ,nature was       
modified also by the burial of the      
corpse of ,abel4 ,for a  long time it   
lay there exposed1 above ground1 because
 ,adam and ,eve knew  not what to do    
with it4 ,they sat beside it and wept1  
while the faithful  dog of ,abel kept   
guard that birds and beasts did it no   
harm4 ,on a  sudden1 the mourning       
parents observed how a raven scratched  
the earth  away in one spot1 and then   
hid a dead bird of his own kind in the  
ground4 ,adam1 following the example of 
the raven1 buried the body of  ,abel1   
and the raven was rewarded by ,god4 ,his

 young are born with white  feathers1   
wherefore the old birds desert them1 not
 recognizing them as  their offspring4  
,they take them for serpents4 ,god feeds
 them until  their plumage turns black1 
and the parent birds return to them4 ,as
 an  additional reward1 ,god grants     
their petition when the ravens pray for 
rain4#ca    ,,the ,,inhabitants ,,of    
,,the ,,seven ,,earths    ,when ,adam   
was cast out of ,paradise1 he first     
reached the lowest of the  seven earths1
 the ,erez1 which is dark1 without a ray
 of light1 and  utterly void4 ,adam was 
terrified1 particularly by the flames of
 the  ever-turning sword1 which is on   
this earth4 ,after he had done penance1 
,god led him to the second earth1 the   
,adamah1 where there is light  reflected
 from its own sky and from its          
phantom-like stars and  constellations4 
,here dwell the phantom-like beings that
 issued from the  union of ,adam with   
the spirits4 ,they are always sad2 the  
emotion of joy  is not known to them4   

,they leave their own earth and repair  
to the one  inhabited by men1 where they
 are changed into evil spirits4 ,then   
they  return to their abode for good1   
repent of their wicked deeds1 and till  
the ground1 which1 however1 bears       
neither wheat nor any other of the      
seven species4#cd ,in this ,adamah1     
,cain1 ,abel1 and ,seth were born4      
,after the murder of ,abel1 ,cain was   
sent back to the ,erez1 where he was    
frightened into repentance by its       
darkness and by the flames of the       
ever-turning sword4 ,accepting his      
penitence1 ,god permitted him to  ascend
 to the third earth1 the ,arka1 which   
receives some light from the  sun4 ,the 
,arka was surrendered to the ,cainites  
forever1 as their  perpetual domain4    
,they till the ground1 and plant trees1 
but they have  neither wheat nor any    
other of the seven species4    ,some of 
the ,cainites are giants1 some of them  
are dwarfs4 ,they have two  heads1      
wherefore they can never arrive at a    

decision2 they are always  at           
loggerheads with themselves4#cd ,it may 
happen that they are pious  now1 only to
 be inclined to do evil the next moment4
    ,in the ,ge1 the fourth earth1 live 
the generation of the ,tower of ,babel  
and their descendants4 ,god banished    
them thither because the fourth  earth  
is not far from ,gehenna1 and therefore 
close to the flaming  fire4#ce ,the     
inhabitants of the ,ge are skilful in   
all arts1 and  accomplished in all      
departments of science and knowledge1   
and their  abode overflows with wealth4 
,when an inhabitant of our earth visits 
them1 they give him the most precious   
thing in their possession1 but  then    
they lead him to the ,neshiah1 the fifth
 earth1 where he becomes  oblivious of  
his origin and his home4 ,the ,neshiah  
is inhabited by  dwarfs without noses2  
they breathe through two holes instead4 
,they have  no memory2 once a thing has 
happened1 they forget it completely1    
whence  their earth is called ,neshiah1 

forgetting4 ,the fourth and fifth       
earths are like the ,arka2 they have    
trees1 but neither wheat nor any  other 
of the seven species4    ,the sixth     
earth1 the ,ziah1 is inhabited by       
handsome men1 who are the  owners of    
abundant wealth1 and live in palatial   
residences1 but they  lack water1 as the
 name of their territory1 ,ziah1        
drought1 indicates4  ,hence vegetation  
is sparse with them1 and their tree     
culture meets with  indifferent success4
 ,they hasten to any waterspring that is
 discovered1  and sometimes they succeed
 in slipping through it up to our earth1
  where they satisfy their sharp        
appetite for the food eaten by the      
inhabitants of our earth4 ,for the rest1
 they are men of steadfast  faith1 more 
than any other class of mankind4#cf     
,adam remained in the ,adamah until     
after the birth of ,seth4 ,then1        
passing the third earth1 the ,arka1 the 
abiding place of the ,cainites1  and the
 next three earths as well1 the ,ge1 the

 ,neshiah1 and the ,ziah1  ,god         
transported him to the ,tebel1 the      
seventh earth1 the earth  inhabited by  
men4    ,,the ,,descendants ,,of ,,cain 
,cain knew only too well that his       
blood-guiltiness would be visited upon  
him in the seventh generation4 ,thus had
 ,god decreed against him4#cg ,he       
endeavored1 therefore1 to immortalize   
his name by means of  monuments1#ch and 
he became a builder of cities4 ,the     
first of them he  called ,enoch1 after  
his son1 because it was at the birth of 
,enoch that  he began to enjoy a measure
 of rest and peace4#ci ,besides1 he     
founded  six other cities4#dj ,this     
building of cities was a godless deed1  
for  he surrounded them with a wall1    
forcing his family to remain within4    
,all his other doings were equally      
impious4 ,the punishment ,god had       
ordained for him did not effect any     
improvement4 ,he sinned in order to     
secure his own pleasure1 though his     
neighbors suffered injury thereby4  ,he 

augmented his household substance by    
rapine and violence2 he excited  his    
acquaintances to procure pleasures and  
spoils by robbery1 and he  became a     
great leader of men into wicked courses4
 ,he also introduced a  change in the   
ways of simplicity wherein men had lived
 before1 and he  was the author of      
measures and weights4 ,and whereas men  
lived  innocently and generously while  
they knew nothing of such arts1 he      
changed the world into cunning          
craftiness4#da    ,like unto ,cain were 
all his descendants1 impious and        
godless1 wherefore  ,god resolved to    
destroy them4#db    ,the end of ,cain   
overtook him in the seventh generation  
of men1 and it  was inflicted upon him  
by the hand of his great-grandson       
,lamech4 ,this  ,lamech was blind1 and  
when he went a-hunting1 he was led by   
his young  son1 who would apprise his   
father when game came in sight1 and     
,lamech  would then shoot at it with his
 bow and arrow4 ,once upon a time he and

  his son went on the chase1 and the lad
 discerned something horned in  the     
distance4 ,he naturally took it to be a 
beast of one kind or  another1 and he   
told the blind ,lamech to let his arrow 
fly4 ,the aim was  good1 and the quarry 
dropped to the ground4 ,when they came  
close to the  victim1 the lad exclaimed3
 ,father1 thou hast killed something    
that  resembles a human being in all    
respects1 except it carries a horn on   
its forehead6 ,lamech knew at once what 
had happened--he had killed his         
ancestor ,cain1 who had been marked by  
,god with a horn4#dc ,in despair  he    
smote his hands together1 inadvertently 
killing his son as he  clasped them4    
,misfortune still followed upon         
misfortune4 ,the earth  opened her mouth
 and swallowed up the four generations  
sprung from  ,cain--,enoch1 ,irad1      
,mehujael1 and ,methushael4 ,lamech1    
sightless as he  was1 could not go home2
 he had to remain by the side of ,cain's
 corpse  and his son's4 ,toward evening1

 his wives1 seeking him1 found him      
there4  ,when they heard what he had    
done1 they wanted to separate from him1 
all  the more as they knew that whoever 
was descended from ,cain was doomed  to 
annihilation4 ,but ,lamech argued1 ,if  
,cain1 who committed murder of  malice  
aforethought1 was punished only in the  
seventh generation1 then  ,i1 who had no
 intention of killing a human being1 may
 hope that  retribution will be averted 
for seventy and seven generations4 ,with
  his wives1 ,lamech repaired to ,adam1 
who heard both parties1 and decided  the
 case in favor of ,lamech4#dd    ,the   
corruptness of the times1 and especially
 the depravity of ,cain's  stock1       
appears in the fact that ,lamech1 as    
well as all the men in the  generation  
of the deluge1 married two wives1 one   
with the purpose of  rearing children1  
the other in order to pursue carnal     
indulgences1 for  which reason the      
latter was rendered sterile by          
artificial means4 ,as  the men of the   

time were intent upon pleasure rather   
than desirous of  doing their duty to   
the human race1 they gave all their love
 and  attention to the barren women1    
while their other wives spent their days
  like widows1 joyless and in gloom4    
,the two wives of ,lamech1 ,adah and    
,zillah1 bore him each two children1    
,adah two sons1 ,jabal and ,jubal1 and  
,zillah a son1 ,tubal-cain1 and a       
daughter1 ,naamah4 ,jabal was the first 
among men to erect temples to  idols1   
and ,jubal invented the music sung and  
played therein4 ,tubal-cain  was rightly
 named1 for he completed the work of his
 ancestor ,cain4 ,cain  committed       
murder1 and ,tubal-cain1 the first who  
knew how to sharpen  iron and copper1   
furnished the instruments used in wars  
and combats4  ,naamah1 the lovely1      
earned her name from the sweet sounds   
which she  drew from her cymbals when   
she called the worshippers to pay homage
 to  idols4#de    ,,the ,,descendants   
,,of ,,adam ,,and ,,lilith    ,when the 

wives of ,lamech heard the decision of  
,adam1 that they were to  continue to   
live with their husband1 they turned    
upon him1 saying1 ,o  physician1 heal   
thine own lameness6 ,they were alluding 
to the fact  that he himself had been   
living apart from his wife since the    
death of  ,abel1 for he had said1 ,why  
should ,i beget children1 if it is but  
to  expose them to death8#df    ,though 
he avoided intercourse with ,eve1 he was
 visited in his sleep by  female        
spirits1 and from his union with them   
sprang shades and demons  of various    
kinds1#dg and they were endowed with    
peculiar gifts4    ,once upon a time    
there lived in ,palestine a very rich   
and pious man1  who had a son named     
,rabbi ,hanina4 ,he knew the whole of   
the ,torah by  heart4 ,when he was at   
the point of death1 he sent for his son1
 ,rabbi  ,hanina1 and bade him1 as his  
last request1 to study the ,torah day   
and  night1 fulfil the commands of the  
law1 and be a faithful friend to the    

poor4 ,he also told him that he and his 
wife1 the mother of ,rabbi  ,hanina1    
would die on the selfsame day1 and the  
seven days of mourning  for the two     
would end on the eve of the ,passover4  
,he enjoined him not  to grieve         
excessively1 but to go to market on that
 day1 and buy the  first article offered
 to him1 no matter how costly it might  
be4 ,if it  happened to be an edible1 he
 was to prepare it and serve it with    
much  ceremony4 ,his expense and trouble
 would receive their recompense4 ,all   
happened as foretold3 the man and his   
wife died upon the same day1 and  the   
end of the week of mourning coincided   
with the eve of the ,passover4  ,the son
 in turn carried out his father's       
behest3 he repaired to market1  and     
there he met an old man who offered a   
silver dish for sale4  ,although the    
price asked was exorbitant1 yet he      
bought it1 as his  father had bidden4   
,the dish was set upon the ,seder table1
 and when  ,rabbi ,hanina opened it1 he 

found a second dish within1 and inside  
of  this a live frog1 jumping and       
hopping around gleefully4 ,he gave the  
frog food and drink1 and by the end of  
the festival he was grown so big  that  
,rabbi ,hanina made a cabinet for him1  
in which he ate and lived4 ,in  the     
course of time1 the cabinet became too  
small1 and the ,rabbi built a  chamber1 
put the frog within1 and gave him       
abundant food and drink4 ,all  this he  
did that he might not violate his       
father's last wish4 ,but the  frog waxed
 and grew2 he consumed all his host     
owned1 until1 finally1  ,rabbi ,hanina  
was stripped bare of all his            
possessions4 ,then the frog  opened his 
mouth and began to speak4 ,my dear      
,rabbi ,hanina1 he said1  do not worry6 
,seeing thou didst raise me and care for
 me1 thou mayest  ask of me whatever thy
 heart desireth1 and it shall be granted
 thee4  ,rabbi ,hanina made reply1 ,i   
desire naught but that thou shouldst    
teach  me the whole of the ,torah4 ,the 

frog assented1 and he did1 indeed1      
teach him the whole of the ,torah1 and  
the seventy languages of men            
besides4#dh ,his method was to write a  
few words upon a scrap of paper1  which 
he had his pupil swallow4 ,thus he      
acquired not alone the ,torah  and the  
seventy tongues1 but also the language  
of beasts and birds4  ,thereupon the    
frog spoke to the wife of ,rabbi        
,hanina3 ,thou didst tend  me well1 and 
,i have given thee no recompense4 ,but  
thy reward will be  paid thee before ,i 
depart from you1 only you must both     
accompany me to  the woods4 ,there you  
shall see what ,i shall do for you4     
,accordingly1  they went to the woods   
with him4 ,arrived there1 the frog began
 to cry  aloud1 and at the sound all    
sorts of beasts and birds assembled4    
,these  he commanded to produce precious
 stones1 as many as they could carry4   
,also they were to bring herbs and roots
 for the wife of ,rabbi ,hanina1  and he
 taught her how to use them as remedies 

for all varieties of  disease4 ,all this
 they were bidden to take home with     
them4 ,when they  were about to return1 
the frog addressed them thus3 ,may the  
,holy ,one1  blessed be ,he1 have mercy 
upon you1 and requite you for all the   
trouble  you took on my account1 without
 so much as inquiring who ,i am4 ,now ,i
  shall make my origin known to you4 ,i 
am the son of ,adam1 a son whom he      
begot during the hundred and thirty     
years of his separation from ,eve4  ,god
 has endowed me with the power of       
assuming any form or guise ,i  desire4  
,rabbi ,hanina and his wife departed for
 their home1 and they  became very rich1
 and enjoyed the respect and confidence 
of the  king4#di    ,,seth ,,and ,,his  
,,descendants    ,the exhortations of   
the wives of ,lamech took effect upon   
,adam4 ,after a  separation of one      
hundred and thirty years1 he returned to
 ,eve1 and the  love he now bore her was
 stronger by far than in the former     
time4 ,she  was in his thoughts even    

when she was not present to him bodily4 
,the  fruit of their reunion was ,seth1 
who was destined to be the ancestor of  
the ,messiah4#ej    ,seth was so formed 
from birth that the rite of circumcision
 could be  dispensed with4 ,he was thus 
one of the thirteen men born perfect in 
a  way4#ea ,adam begot him in his       
likeness and image1 different from      
,cain1  who had not been in his likeness
 and image4 ,thus ,seth became1 in a    
genuine sense1 the father of the human  
race1 especially the father of  the     
pious1 while the depraved and godless   
are descended from ,cain4#eb    ,even   
during the lifetime of ,adam the        
descendants of ,cain became  exceedingly
 wicked1 dying successively1 one after  
another1 each more  wicked than the     
former4 ,they were intolerable in war1  
and vehement in  robberies1 and if any  
one were slow to murder people1 yet was 
he bold  in his profligate behavior in  
acting unjustly and doing injury for    
gain4    ,now as to ,seth4 ,when he was 

brought up1 and came to those years in  
which he could discern what was good1 he
 became a virtuous man1 and as  he was  
himself of excellent character1 so he   
left children behind him  who imitated  
his virtues4 ,all these proved to be of 
good disposition4  ,they also inhabited 
one and the same country without        
dissensions1 and  in a happy condition1 
without any misfortune's falling upon   
them1 until  they died4 ,they also were 
the inventors of that peculiar sort of  
wisdom  which is concerned with the     
heavenly bodies and their order4 ,and   
that  their inventions might not be lost
 before they were sufficiently known1   
they made two pillars1 upon ,adam's     
prediction that the world was to be     
destroyed at one time by the force of   
fire and at another time by the         
violence and quantity of water4 ,the one
 was of brick1 the other of  stone1 and 
they inscribed their discoveries on     
both1 that in case the  pillar of brick 
should be destroyed by the flood1 the   

pillar of stone  might remain1 and      
exhibit these discoveries to mankind1   
and also inform  them that there was    
another pillar1 of brick1 erected by    
them4#ec    ,,enosh    ,enosh was asked 
who his father was1 and he named ,seth4 
,the questioners1  the people of his    
time1 continued3 ,who was the father of 
,seth8 ,enosh3  ,adam4--,and who was the
 father of ,adam8--,he had neither      
father nor  mother1 ,god formed him from
 the dust of the earth4--,but man has   
not  the appearance of dust6--,after    
death man returns to dust1 as ,god said1
  ',and man shall turn again unto dust2'
 but on the day of his creation1  man   
was made in the image of ,god4--,how was
 the woman created8--,male  and female  
,he created them4--,but how8--,god took 
water and earth1 and  moulded them      
together in the form of man4--,but how8 
pursued the  questioners4    ,enosh took
 six clods of earth1 mixed them1 and    
moulded them1 and formed  an image of   
dust and clay4 ,but1 said the people1   

this image does not  walk1 nor does it  
possess any breath of life4 ,he then    
essayed to show  them how ,god breathed 
the breath of life into the nostrils of 
,adam1 but  when he began to blow his   
breath into the image he had formed1    
,satan  entered it1 and the figure      
walked1 and the people of his time who  
had  been inquiring these matters of    
,enosh went astray after it1 saying1    
,what is the difference between bowing  
down before this image and  paying      
homage to a man8#ed    ,the generation  
of ,enosh were thus the first idol      
worshippers1 and the  punishment for    
their folly was not delayed long4 ,god  
caused the sea to  transgress its       
bounds1 and a portion of the earth was  
flooded4 ,this was  the time also when  
the mountains became rocks1 and the dead
 bodies of  men began to decay4 ,and    
still another consequence of the sin of 
idolatry was that the countenances of   
the men of the following  generations   
were no longer in the likeness and image

 of ,god1 as the  countenances of ,adam1
 ,seth1 and ,enosh had been4 ,they      
resembled centaurs  and apes1 and the   
demons lost their fear of men4#ee       
,but there was a still more serious     
consequence from the idolatrous         
practices introduced in the time of     
,enosh4 ,when ,god drove ,adam forth    
from ,paradise1 the ,shekinah remained  
behind1 enthroned above a cherub  under 
the tree of life4 ,the angels descended 
from heaven and repaired  thither in    
hosts1 to receive their instructions1   
and ,adam and his  descendants sat by   
the gate to bask in the splendor of the 
,shekinah1  sixty-five thousand times   
more radiant than the splendor of the   
sun4  ,this brightness of the ,shekinah 
makes all upon whom it falls exempt     
from disease1 and neither insects nor   
demons can come nigh unto them to  do   
them harm4    ,thus it was until the    
time of ,enosh1 when men began to gather
 gold1  silver1 gems1 and pearls from   
all parts of the earth1 and made idols  

thereof a thousand parasangs high4 ,what
 was worse1 by means of the  magic arts 
taught them by the angels ,uzza and     
,azzael1 they set  themselves as masters
 over the heavenly spheres1 and forced  
the sun1  the moon1 and the stars to be 
subservient to themselves instead of the
  ,lord4 ,this impelled the angels to   
ask ,god3 ',what is man1 that ,thou art 
mindful of him8' ,why didst ,thou       
abandon the highest of the heavens1 the 
seat of ,thy glory and ,thy exalted     
,throne in ',arabot1 and descend to     
men1 who pay worship to idols1 putting  
,thee upon a level with them8  ,the     
,shekinah was induced to leave the earth
 and ascend to heaven1 amid  the blare  
and flourish of the trumpets of the     
myriads of angel  hosts4#ef    ,,the    
,,fall ,,of ,,the ,,angels    ,the      
depravity of mankind1 which began to    
show itself in the time of  ,enosh1 had 
increased monstrously in the time of his
 grandson ,jared1 by  reason of the     
fallen angels4 ,when the angels saw the 

beautiful1  attractive daughters of men1
 they lusted after them1 and spoke3 ,we 
will choose wives for ourselves only    
from among the daughters of men1  and   
beget children with them4 ,their chief  
,shemhazai said1 ,i fear me1  ye will   
not put this plan of yours into         
execution1 and ,i alone shall  have to  
suffer the consequences of a great sin4 
,then they answered  him1 and said3 ,we 
will all swear an oath1 and we will bind
 ourselves1  separately and together1   
not to abandon the plan1 but to carry it
  through to the end4    ,two hundred   
angels descended to the summit of ,mount
 ,hermon1 which owes  its name to this  
very occurrence1 because they bound     
themselves there  to fulfil their       
purpose1 on the penalty of ,herem1      
anathema4 ,under the  leadership of     
twenty captains they defiled themselves 
with the  daughters of men1 unto whom   
they taught charms1 conjuring formulas1 
how  to cut roots1 and the efficacy of  
plants4 ,the issue from these mixed     

marriages was a race of giants1 three   
thousand ells tall1 who consumed  the   
possessions of men4 ,when all had       
vanished1 and they could obtain  nothing
 more from them1 the giants turned      
against men and devoured many  of them1 
and the remnant of men began to trespass
 against the birds1  beasts1 reptiles1  
and fishes1 eating their flesh and      
drinking their  blood4    ,then the     
earth complained about the impious      
evil-doers4 ,but the fallen  angels     
continued to corrupt mankind4 ,azazel   
taught men how to make  slaughtering    
knives1 arms1 shields1 and coats of     
mail4 ,he showed them  metals and how to
 work them1 and armlets and all sorts of
 trinkets1 and  the use of rouge for the
 eyes1 and how to beautify the eyelids1 
and how  to ornament themselves with the
 rarest and most precious jewels and all
  sorts of paints4 ,the chief of the    
fallen angels1 ,shemhazai1 instructed   
them in exorcisms and how to cut roots2 
,armaros taught them how to  raise      

spells2 ,barakel1 divination from the   
stars2 ,kawkabel1 astrology2  ,ezekeel1 
augury from the clouds2 ,arakiel1 the   
signs of the earth2  ,samsaweel1 the    
signs of the sun2 and ,seriel1 the signs
 of the moon4#eg    ,while all these    
abominations defiled the earth1 the     
pious ,enoch lived  in a secret place4  
,none among men knew his abode1 or what 
had become of  him1 for he was          
sojourning with the angel watchers and  
holy ones4 ,once  he heard the call     
addressed to him3 ,enoch1 thou scribe of
 justice1 go  unto the watchers of the  
heavens1 who have left the high heavens1
 the  eternal place of holiness1        
defiling themselves with women1 doing as
 men  do1 taking wives unto themselves1 
and casting themselves into the arms  of
 destruction upon earth4 ,go and        
proclaim unto them that they shall  find
 neither peace nor pardon4 ,for every   
time they take joy in their  offspring1 
they shall see the violent death of     
their sons1 and sigh  over the ruin of  

their children4 ,they will pray and     
supplicate  evermore1 but never shall   
they attain to mercy or peace4    ,enoch
 repaired to ,azazel and the other      
fallen angels1 to announce the  doom    
uttered against them4 ,they all were    
filled with fear4 ,trembling  seized    
upon them1 and they implored ,enoch to  
set up a petition for them  and read it 
to the ,lord of heaven1 for they could  
not speak with ,god as  aforetime1 nor  
even raise their eyes heavenward1 for   
shame on account  of their sins4 ,enoch 
granted their request1 and in a vision  
he was  vouchsafed the answer which he  
was to carry back to the angels4 ,it    
appeared to ,enoch that he was wafted   
into heaven upon clouds1 and was  set   
down before the throne of ,god4 ,god    
spake3 ,go forth and say to the         
watchers of heaven who have sent thee   
hither to intercede for them3  ,verily1 
it is you who ought to plead in behalf  
of men1 not men in  behalf of you ,i    
,why did ye forsake the high1 holy1 and 

eternal heavens1  to pollute yourselves 
with the daughters of men1 taking wives 
unto  yourselves1 doing like the races  
of the earth1 and begetting giant  sons8
 ,giants begotten by flesh and spirits  
will be called evil spirits  on earth1  
and on the earth will be their          
dwelling-place4 ,evil spirits  proceed  
from their bodies1 because they are     
created from above1 and  from the holy  
watchers is their beginning and primal  
origin2 they will  be evil spirits on   
earth1 and evil spirits they will be    
named4 ,and the  spirits of heaven have 
their dwelling in heaven1 but the       
spirits of the  earth1 which were born  
upon the earth1 have their dwelling on  
the  earth4 ,and the spirits of the     
giants will devour1 oppress1 destroy1   
attack1 do battle1 and cause destruction
 on the earth1 and work  affliction4    
,they will take no kind of food1 nor    
will they thirst1 and  they will be     
invisible4 ,and these spirits will rise 
up against the  children of men and     

against the women1 because they have    
proceeded from  them4 ,since the days of
 murder and destruction and the death of
 the  giants1 when the spirits went     
forth from the soul of their flesh1 in  
order to destroy without incurring      
judgment--thus will they destroy  until 
the day when the great consummation of  
the great world be  consummated4 ,and   
now as to the watchers who have sent    
thee to intercede  for them1 who had    
been aforetime in heaven1 say to them3  
,you have been  in heaven1 and though   
the hidden things had not yet been      
revealed to  you1 you know worthless    
mysteries1 and in the hardness of your  
hearts  you have recounted these to the 
women1 and through these mysteries      
women and men work much evil on earth4  
,say to them therefore3 ,you have  no   
peace6#eh    ,,enoch1 ,,ruler ,,and     
,,teacher    ,after ,enoch had lived a  
long time secluded from men1 he once    
heard the  voice of an angel calling to 
him3 ,enoch1 ,enoch1 make thyself ready 

and  leave the house and the secret     
place wherein thou hast kept thyself    
hidden1 and assume dominion over men1 to
 teach them the ways in which  they     
shall walk1 and the deeds which they    
shall do1 in order that they  may walk  
in the ways of ,god4    ,enoch left his 
retreat and betook himself to the haunts
 of men4 ,he  gathered them about him1  
and instructed them in the conduct      
pleasing to  ,god4 ,he sent messengers  
all over to announce1 ,ye who desire to 
know  the ways of ,god and righteous    
conduct1 come ye to ,enoch6 ,thereupon a
  vast concourse of people thronged     
about him1 to hear the wisdom he  would 
teach and learn from his mouth what is  
good and right4 ,even kings  and        
princes1 no less than one hundred and   
thirty in number1 assembled  about him1 
and submitted themselves to his         
dominion1 to be taught and  guided by   
him1 as he taught and guided all the    
others4 ,peace reigned  thus over the   
whole world all the two hundred and     

forty-three years  during which the     
influence of ,enoch prevailed4    ,at   
the expiration of this period1 in the   
year in which ,adam died1 and  was      
buried with great honors by ,seth1      
,enosh1 ,enoch1 and ,methuselah1  ,enoch
 resolved to retire again from          
intercourse with men1 and devote        
himself wholly to the service of ,god4  
,but he withdrew gradually4 ,first  he  
would spend three days in prayer and    
praise of ,god1 and on the  fourth day  
he would return to his disciples and    
grant them instruction4  ,many years    
passed thus1 then he appeared among them
 but once a week1  later1 once a month1 
and1 finally1 once a year4 ,the kings1  
princes1 and  all others who were       
desirous of seeing ,enoch and hearkening
 to his  words did not venture to come  
close to him during the times of his    
retirement4 ,such awful majesty sat upon
 his countenance1 they feared  for their
 very life if they but looked at him4   
,they therefore resolved  that all men  

should prefer their requests before     
,enoch on the day he  showed himself    
unto them4    ,the impression made by   
the teachings of ,enoch upon all who    
heard them  was powerful4 ,they         
prostrated themselves before him1 and   
cried ,long  live the king6 ,long live  
the king6 ,on a certain day1 while      
,enoch was  giving audience to his      
followers1 an angel appeared and made   
known unto  him that ,god had resolved  
to install him as king over the angels  
in  heaven1 as until then he had reigned
 over men4 ,he called together all  the 
inhabitants of the earth1 and addressed 
them thus3 ,i have been  summoned to    
ascend into heaven1 and ,i know not on  
what day ,i shall go  thither4          
,therefore ,i will teach you wisdom and 
righteousness before ,i  go hence4 ,a   
few days yet ,enoch spent among men1 and
 all the time left  to him he gave      
instruction in wisdom1 knowledge1       
,god-fearing conduct1  and piety1 and   
established law and order1 for the      

regulation of the  affairs of men4 ,then
 those gathered near him saw a gigantic 
steed  descend from the skies1 and they 
told ,enoch of it1 who said1 ,the steed 
is for me1 for the time has come and the
 day when ,i leave you1 never to  be    
seen again4 ,so it was4 ,the steed      
approached ,enoch1 and he mounted  upon 
its back1 all the time instructing the  
people1 exhorting them1  enjoining them 
to serve ,god and walk in ,his ways4    
,eight hundred  thousand of the people  
followed a day's journey after him4 ,but
 on the  second day ,enoch urged his    
retinue to turn back3 ,go ye home1 lest 
death overtake you1 if you follow me    
farther4 ,most of them heeded his  words
 and went back1 but a number remained   
with him for six days1  though he       
admonished them daily to return and not 
bring death down upon  themselves4 ,on  
the sixth day of the journey1 he said to
 those still  accompanying him1 ,go ye  
home1 for on the morrow ,i shall ascend 
to  heaven1 and whoever will then be    

near me1 he will die4 ,nevertheless1    
some of his companions remained with    
him1 saying3 ,whithersoever thou  goest1
 we will go4 ,by the living ,god1 death 
alone shall part us4    ,on the seventh 
day ,enoch was carried into the heavens 
in a fiery  chariot drawn by fiery      
chargers4 ,the day thereafter1 the kings
 who had  turned back in good time sent 
messengers to inquire into the fate of  
the men who had refused to separate     
themselves from ,enoch1 for they had    
noted the number of them4 ,they found   
snow and great hailstones upon the  spot
 whence ,enoch had risen1 and1 when they
 searched beneath1 they  discovered the 
bodies of all who had remained behind   
with ,enoch4 ,he  alone was not among   
them2 he was on high in heaven4#ei      
,,the ,,ascension ,,of ,,enoch    ,this 
was not the first time ,enoch had been  
in heaven4 ,once before1  while he      
sojourned among men1 he had been        
permitted to see all there is  on earth 
and in the heavens4 ,on a time when he  

was sleeping1 a great  grief came upon  
his heart1 and he wept in his dream1 not
 knowing what  the grief meant1 nor what
 would happen to him4 ,and there        
appeared to  him two men1 very tall4    
,their faces shone like the sun1 and    
their eyes  were like burning lamps1 and
 fire came forth from their lips2 their 
wings were brighter than gold1 their    
hands whiter than snow4 ,they stood  at 
the head of ,enoch's bed1 and called him
 by his name4 ,he awoke from  his sleep1
 and hastened and made obeisance to     
them1 and was terrified4  ,and these men
 said to him3 ,be of good cheer1 ,enoch1
 be not afraid2 the  everlasting ,god   
hath sent us to thee1 and lo6 to-day    
thou shalt ascend  with us into heaven4 
,and tell thy sons and thy servants1 and
 let none  seek thee1 till the ,lord    
bring thee back to them4    ,enoch did  
as he was told1 and after he had spoken 
to his sons1 and  instructed them not to
 turn aside from ,god1 and to keep ,his 
judgment1  these two men summoned him1  

and took him on their wings1 and placed 
him  on the clouds1 which moved higher  
and higher1 till they set him down in   
the first heaven4 ,here they showed him 
the two hundred angels who rule  the    
stars1 and their heavenly service4 ,here
 he saw also the treasuries  of snow and
 ice1 of clouds and dew4    ,from there 
they took him to the second heaven1     
where he saw the fallen  angels         
imprisoned1 they who obeyed not the     
commandments of ,god1 and  took counsel 
of their own will4 ,the fallen angels   
said to ,enoch1 ,o man  of ,god6 ,pray  
for us to the ,lord1 and he answered3   
,who am ,i1 a mortal  man1 that ,i      
should pray for angels8 ,who knows      
whither ,i go1 or what  awaits me8      
,they took him from thence to the third 
heaven1 where they showed him           
,paradise1 with all the trees of        
beautiful colors1 and their fruits1     
ripe and luscious1 and all kinds of food
 which they produced1 springing  up with
 delightful fragrance4 ,in the midst of 

,paradise he saw the tree  of life1 in  
that place in which ,god rests when ,he 
comes into ,paradise4  ,this tree cannot
 be described for its excellence and    
sweet fragrance1  and it is beautiful1  
more than any created thing1 and on all 
its sides  it is like gold and crimson  
in appearance1 and transparent as fire1 
and  it covers everything4 ,from its    
root in the garden there go forth four  
streams1 which pour out honey1 milk1    
oil1 and wine1 and they go down to  the 
,paradise of ,eden1 that lies on the    
confines between the earthly  region of 
corruptibility and the heavenly region  
of incorruptibility1  and thence they go
 along the earth4 ,he also saw the three
 hundred  angels who keep the garden1   
and with never-ceasing voices and       
blessed  singing they serve the ,lord   
every day4 ,the angels leading ,enoch   
explained to him that this place is     
prepared for the righteous1 while  the  
terrible place prepared for the sinners 
is in the northern regions  of the third

 heaven4 ,he saw there all sorts of     
tortures1 and  impenetrable gloom1 and  
there is no light there1 but a gloomy   
fire is  always burning4 ,and all that  
place has fire on all sides1 and on all 
sides cold and ice1 thus it burns and   
freezes4 ,and the angels1 terrible  and 
without pity1 carry savage weapons1 and 
their torture is  unmerciful4    ,the   
angels took him then to the fourth      
heaven1 and showed him all the  comings 
in and goings forth1 and all the rays of
 the light of the sun  and the moon4 ,he
 saw the fifteen myriads of angels who  
go out with the  sun1 and attend him    
during the day1 and the thousand angels 
who attend  him by night4 ,each angel   
has six wings1 and they go before the   
chariot  of the sun1 while one hundred  
angels keep the sun warm1 and light it  
up4 ,he saw also the wonderful and      
strange creatures named phoenixes and   
chalkidri1 who attend the chariot of the
 sun1 and go with him1 bringing  heat   
and dew4 ,they showed him also the six  

gates in the east of the  fourth heaven1
 by which the sun goes forth1 and the   
six gates in the  west where he sets1   
and also the gates by which the moon    
goes out1 and  those by which she       
enters4 ,in the middle of the fourth    
heaven he saw an  armed host1 serving   
the ,lord with cymbals and organs and   
unceasing  voices4    ,in the fifth     
heaven he saw many hosts of the angels  
called ,grigori4  ,their appearance was 
like men1 and their size was greater    
than the size  of the giants1 their     
countenances were withered1 and their   
lips silent4  ,on his question who they 
were1 the angels leading him answered1  
,these  are the ,grigori1 who with their
 prince ,salamiel rejected the holy     
,lord4 ,enoch then said to the ,grigori1
 ,why wait ye1 brethren1 and  serve ye  
not before the face of the ,lord1 and   
why perform ye not your  duties before  
the face of the ,lord1 and anger not    
your ,lord to the  end8 ,the ,grigori   
listened to the rebuke1 and when the    

trumpets  resounded together with a loud
 call1 they also began to sing with one 
voice1 and their voices went forth      
before the ,lord with sadness and       
tenderness4    ,in the seventh heaven he
 saw the seven bands of archangels who  
arrange  and study the revolutions of   
the stars and the changes of the moon   
and  the revolution of the sun1 and     
superintend the good or evil conditions 
of the world4 ,and they arrange         
teachings and instructions and sweet    
speaking and singing and all kinds of   
glorious praise4 ,they hold in          
subjection all living things1 both in   
heaven and on earth4 ,in the midst  of  
them are seven phoenixes1 and seven     
cherubim1 and seven six-winged          
creatures1 singing with one voice4      
,when ,enoch reached the seventh heaven1
 and saw all the fiery hosts of  great  
archangels and incorporeal powers and   
lordships and  principalities and       
powers1 he was afraid and trembled with 
a great  terror4 ,those leading him took

 hold of him1 and brought him into the  
midst of them1 and said to him1 ,be of  
good cheer1 ,enoch1 be not  afraid1 and 
they showed him the ,lord from afar1    
sitting on ,his lofty  throne1 while all
 the heavenly hosts1 divided in ten     
classes1 having  approached1 stood on   
the ten steps according to their rank1  
and made  obeisance to the ,lord4 ,and  
so they proceeded to their places in joy
 and  mirth and boundless light1 singing
 songs with low and gentle voices1  and 
gloriously serving ,him4 ,they leave not
 nor depart day or night1  standing     
before the face of the ,lord1 working   
,his will1 cherubim and  seraphim1      
standing around ,his throne4 ,and the   
six-winged creatures  overshadow all    
,his throne1 singing with a soft voice  
before the face of  the ,lord1 ,holy1   
holy1 holy1 is the ,lord of hosts2      
heaven and earth are  full of ,his      
glory4 ,when he had seen all these1 the 
angels leading him  said to him1 ,enoch1
 up to this time we were ordered to     

accompany  thee4 ,they departed1 and he 
saw them no more4 ,enoch remained at the
  extremity of the seventh heaven1 in   
great terror1 saying to himself1  ,woe  
is me6 ,what has come upon me6 ,but then
 ,gabriel came and said unto  him1      
,enoch1 be not afraid1 stand up and come
 with me1 and stand up  before the face 
of the ,lord forever4 ,and ,enoch       
answered3 ,o my lord1  my spirit has    
departed from me with fear and          
trembling4 ,call the men to  me who have
 brought me to the place6 ,upon them ,i 
have relied1 and with  them ,i would go 
before the face of the ,lord4 ,and      
,gabriel hurried him  away like a leaf  
carried off by the wind1 and set him    
before the face  of the ,lord4 ,enoch   
fell down and worshipped the ,lord1 who 
said to him3  ,enoch1 be not afraid6    
,rise up and stand before ,my face      
forever4 ,and  ,michael lifted him up1  
and at the command of the ,lord took his
 earthly  robe from him1 and anointed   
him with the holy oil1 and clothed him1 

and  when he gazed upon himself1 he     
looked like one of ,god's glorious ones1
  and fear and trembling departed from  
him4 ,god called then one of ,his       
archangels who was more wise than all   
the others1 and wrote down all  the     
doings of the ,lord1 and ,he said to    
him1 ,bring forth the books from  ,my   
store-place1 and give a reed to ,enoch1 
and interpret the books to  him4 ,the   
angel did as he was commanded1 and he   
instructed ,enoch thirty  days and      
thirty nights1 and his lips never ceased
 speaking1 while ,enoch  was writing    
down all the things about heaven and    
earth1 angels and men1  and all that is 
suitable to be instructed in4 ,he also  
wrote down all  about the souls of men1 
those of them which are not born1 and   
the  places prepared for them forever4  
,he copied all accurately1 and he  wrote
 three hundred and sixty-six books4     
,after he had received all the          
instructions from the archangel1 ,god   
revealed unto him great secrets1  which 

even the angels do not know4 ,he told   
him how1 out of the lowest  darkness1   
the visible and the invisible were      
created1 how ,he formed  heaven1 light1 
water1 and earth1 and also the fall of  
,satan and the  creation and sin of     
,adam ,he narrated to him1 and further  
revealed to  him that the duration of   
the world will be seven thousand years1 
and  the eighth millennium will be a    
time when there is no computation1 no   
end1 neither years1 nor months1 nor     
weeks1 nor days1 nor hours4    ,the     
,lord finished this revelation to ,enoch
 with the words3 ,and now ,i  give thee 
,samuil and ,raguil1 who brought thee to
 ,me4 ,go with them upon  the earth1 and
 tell thy sons what things ,i have said 
to thee1 and what  thou hast seen from  
the lowest heaven up to ,my throne4     
,give them the  works written out by    
thee1 and they shall read them1 and     
shall  distribute the books to their    
children's children and from generation 
to generation and from nation to nation4

 ,and ,i will give thee ,my  messenger  
,michael for thy writings and for the   
writings of thy fathers1  ,adam1 ,seth1 
,enosh1 ,kenan1 ,mahalalel1 and ,jared  
thy father4 ,and ,i shall  not require  
them till the last age1 for ,i have     
instructed ,my two  angels1 ,ariuk and  
,mariuk1 whom ,i have put upon the earth
 as their  guardians1 and ,i have       
ordered them in time to guard them1 that
 the  account of what ,i shall do in thy
 family may not be lost in the deluge   
to come4 ,for on account of the         
wickedness and iniquity of men1 ,i will 
bring a deluge upon the earth1 and ,i   
will destroy all1 but ,i will leave  a  
righteous man of thy race with all his  
house1 who shall act according  to ,my  
will4 ,from their seed will be raised up
 a numerous generation1  and on the     
extinction of that family1 ,i will show 
them the books of thy  writings and of  
thy father1 and the guardians of them on
 earth will  show them to the men who   
are true and please ,me4 ,and they shall

 tell to  another generation1 and they1 
having read them1 shall be glorified at 
last more than before4    ,enoch was    
then sent to earth to remain there for  
thirty days to  instruct his sons1 but  
before he left heaven1 ,god sent an     
angel to him  whose appearance was like 
snow1 and his hands were like ice4      
,enoch  looked at him1 and his face was 
chilled1 that men might be able to      
endure the sight of him4 ,the angels who
 took him to heaven put him upon  his   
bed1 in the place where his son         
,methuselah was expecting him by day    
and by night4 ,enoch assembled his sons 
and all his household1 and  instructed  
them faithfully about all things he had 
seen1 heard1 and  written down1 and he  
gave his books to his sons1 to keep them
 and read  them1 admonishing them not to
 conceal the books1 but tell them to all
  desiring to know4 ,when the thirty    
days had been completed1 the ,lord  sent
 darkness upon the earth1 and there was 
gloom1 and it hid the men  standing with

 ,enoch4 ,and the angels hasted and took
 ,enoch1 and carried  him to the highest
 heaven1 where the ,lord received him   
and set him  before ,his face1 and the  
darkness departed from the earth1 and   
there  was light4 ,and the people saw1  
and did not understand how ,enoch was   
taken1 and they glorified ,god4         
,enoch was born on the sixth day of the 
month of ,siwan1 and he was taken  to   
heaven in the same month1 ,siwan1 on the
 same day and in the same  hour when he 
was born4 ,and ,methuselah hasted and   
all his brethren1 the  sons of ,enoch1  
and built an altar in the place called  
,achuzan1 whence  ,enoch was taken up to
 heaven4 ,the elders and all the people 
came to the  festivity and brought their
 gifts to the sons of ,enoch1 and made a
  great festivity1 rejoicing and being  
merry for three days1 praising  ,god1   
who had given such a sign by means of   
,enoch1 who had found favor  with       
them4#fj    ,,the ,,translation ,,of    
,,enoch    ,the sinfulness of men was   

the reason why ,enoch was translated to 
heaven4 ,thus ,enoch himself told ,rabbi
 ,ishmael4 ,when the generation of  the 
deluge transgressed1 and spoke to ,god1 
saying1 ,depart from us1 for  we do not 
desire to know ,thy ways1 ,enoch was    
carried to heaven1 to  serve there as a 
witness that ,god was not a cruel ,god  
in spite of the  destruction decreed    
upon all living beings on earth4        
,when ,enoch1 under the guidance of the 
angel ',anpiel1 was carried from  earth 
to heaven1 the holy beings1 the ofanim1 
the seraphim1 the  cherubim1 all those  
who move the throne of ,god1 and the    
ministering  spirits whose substance is 
of consuming fire1 they all1 at a       
distance  of six hundred and fifty      
million and three hundred parasangs1    
noticed  the presence of a human being1 
and they exclaimed3 ,whence the odor of 
one born of woman8 ,how comes he into   
the highest heaven of the               
fire-coruscating angels8 ,but ,god      
replied3 ,o ,my servants and hosts1  ye1

 ,my cherubim1 ofanim1 and seraphim1 let
 this not be an offense unto  you1 for  
all the children of men denied ,me and  
,my mighty dominion1 and  they paid     
homage to the idols1 so that ,i         
transferred the ,shekinah from  earth to
 heaven4 ,but this man ,enoch is the    
elect of men4 ,he has more  faith1      
justice1 and righteousness than all the 
rest1 and he is the only  reward ,i have
 derived from the terrestrial world4    
,before ,enoch could be admitted to     
service near the ,divine throne1 the    
gates of wisdom were opened unto him1   
and the gates of understanding1  and of 
discernment1 of life1 peace1 and the    
,shekinah1 of strength and  power1 of   
might1 loveliness1 and grace1 of        
humility and fear of sin4  ,equipped by 
,god with extraordinary wisdom1         
sagacity1 judgment1  knowledge1         
learning1 compassionateness1 love1      
kindness1 grace1  humility1 strength1   
power1 might1 splendor1 beauty1         
shapeliness1 and  all other excellent   

qualities1 beyond the endowment of any  
of the  celestial beings1 ,enoch        
received1 besides1 many thousand        
blessings from  ,god1 and his height and
 his breadth became equal to the height 
and the  breadth of the world1 and      
thirty-six wings were attached to his   
body1  to the right and to the left1    
each as large as the world1 and three   
hundred and sixty-five thousand eyes    
were bestowed upon him1 each  brilliant 
as the sun4 ,a magnificent throne was   
erected for him beside  the gates of the
 seventh celestial palace1 and a herald 
proclaimed  throughout the heavens      
concerning him1 who was henceforth to be
 called  ,metatron in the celestial     
regions3 ,i have appointed ,my servant  
,metatron as prince and chief over all  
the princes in ,my realm1 with the      
exception only of the eight august and  
exalted princes that bear ,my  name4    
,whatever angel has a request to prefer 
to ,me1 shall appear before  ,metatron1 
and what he will command at ,my bidding1

 ye must observe and  do1 for the prince
 of wisdom and the prince of            
understanding are at his  service1 and  
they will reveal unto him the sciences  
of the celestials  and the terrestrials1
 the knowledge of the present order of  
the world  and the knowledge of the     
future order of the world4 ,furthermore1
 ,i have  made him the guardian of the  
treasures of the palaces in the heaven  
',arabot1 and of the treasures of life  
that are in the highest heaven4    ,out 
of the love ,he bore ,enoch1 ,god       
arrayed him in a magnificent  garment1  
to which every kind of luminary in      
existence was attached1 and  a crown    
gleaming with forty-nine jewels1 the    
splendor of which pierced  to all parts 
of the seven heavens and to the four    
corners of the earth4  ,in the presence 
of the heavenly family1 ,he set this    
crown upon the head  of ,enoch1 and     
called him the little ,lord4 ,it bears  
also the letters  by means of which     
heaven and earth were created1 and seas 

and rivers1  mountains and valleys1     
planets and constellations1 lightning   
and  thunder1 snow and hail1 storm and  
whirlwind--these and also all things    
needed in the world1 and the mysteries  
of creation4 ,even the princes of  the  
heavens1 when they see ,metatron1       
tremble before him1 and prostrate       
themselves2 his magnificence and        
majesty1 the splendor and beauty        
radiating from him overwhelm them1 even 
the wicked ,samael1 the greatest  of    
them1 even ,gabriel the angel of the    
fire1 ,bardiel the angel of the  hail1  
,ruhiel the angel of the wind1 ,barkiel 
the angel of the lightning1  ,za'miel   
the angel of the hurricane1 ,zakkiel the
 angel of the storm1  ,sui'el the angel 
of the earthquake1 ,za'fiel the angel of
 the showers1  ,ra'miel the angel of the
 thunder1 ,ra'shiel the angel of the    
whirlwind1  ,shalgiel the angel of the  
snow1 ,matriel the angel of the rain1   
,shamshiel the angel of the day1 ,leliel
 the angel of the night1 ,galgliel  the 

angel of the solar system1 ,ofaniel the 
angel of the wheel of the  moon1        
,kokabiel the angel of the stars1 and   
,rahtiel the angel of the               
constellations4    ,when ,enoch was     
transformed into ,metatron1 his body was
 turned into  celestial fire--his flesh 
became flame1 his veins fire1 his bones 
glimmering coals1 the light of his eyes 
heavenly brightness1 his  eyeballs      
torches of fire1 his hair a flaring     
blaze1 all his limbs and  organs burning
 sparks1 and his frame a consuming fire4
 ,to right of him  sparkled flames of   
fire1 to left of him burnt torches of   
fire1 and on  all sides he was engirdled
 by storm and whirlwind1 hurricane and  
thundering4#fa    ,,methuselah    ,after
 the translation of ,enoch1 ,methuselah 
was proclaimed ruler of the  earth by   
all the kings4 ,he walked in the        
footsteps of his father1  teaching      
truth1 knowledge1 and fear of ,god to   
the children of men all  his life1 and  
deviating from the path of rectitude    

neither to the right  nor the left4#fb  
,he delivered the world from thousands  
of demons1 the  posterity of ,adam which
 he had begotten with ,lilith1 that     
she-devil of  she-devils4 ,these demons 
and evil spirits1 as often as they      
encountered  a man1 had sought to injure
 and even slay him1 until ,methuselah   
appeared1 and supplicated the mercy of  
,god4 ,he spent three days in  fasting1 
and then ,god gave him permission to    
write the ,ineffable ,name  upon his    
sword1 wherewith he slew ninety-four    
myriads of the demons in  a minute1     
until ,agrimus1 the first-born of them1 
came to him and  entreated him to       
desist1 at the same time handing the    
names of the  demons and imps over to   
him4 ,and so ,methuselah placed their   
kings in  iron fetters1 while the       
remainder fled away and hid themselves  
in the  innermost chambers and recesses 
of the ocean4 ,and it is on account of  
the wonderful sword by means of which   
the demons were killed that he  was     

called ,methuselah4#fc    ,he was so    
pious a man that he composed two hundred
 and thirty parables  in praise of ,god 
for every word he uttered4 ,when he     
died1 the people  heard a great         
commotion in the heavens1 and they saw  
nine hundred rows  of mourners          
corresponding to the nine hundred orders
 of the ,mishnah  which he had studied1 
and tears flowed from the eyes of the   
holy beings  down upon the spot where he
 died4 ,seeing the grief of the         
celestials1  the people on earth also   
mourned over the demise of ,methuselah1 
and ,god  rewarded them therefor4 ,he   
added seven days to the time of grace   
which  ,he had ordained before bringing 
destruction upon the earth by a flood   
of waters4#fd          ,,iv  ,,noah     
,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,noah    ,methuselah
 took a wife for his son ,lamech1 and   
she bore him a man  child4 ,the body of 
the babe was white as snow and red as a 
blooming  rose1 and the hair of his head
 and his long locks were white as wool1 

and his eyes like the rays of the sun4  
,when he opened his eyes1 he  lighted up
 the whole house1 like the sun1 and the 
whole house was very  full of light4#a  
,and when he was taken from the hand of 
the midwife1  he opened his mouth and   
praised the ,lord of righteousness4#b   
,his  father ,lamech was afraid of him1 
and fled1 and came to his own father    
,methuselah4 ,and he said to him3 ,i    
have begotten a strange son2 he is  not 
like a human being1 but resembles the   
children of the angels of  heaven1 and  
his nature is different1 and he is not  
like us1 and his  eyes are as the rays  
of the sun1 and his countenance is      
glorious4#c  ,and it seems to me that he
 is not sprung from me1 but from the    
angels1  and ,i fear that in his days a 
wonder may be wrought on the earth4 ,and
  now1 my father1 ,i am here to petition
 thee and implore thee1 that thou       
mayest go to ,enoch1 our father1 and    
learn from him the truth1 for his       
dwelling place is among the angels4     

,and when ,methuselah heard the words of
 his son1 he went to ,enoch1 to  the    
ends of the earth1 and he cried aloud1  
and ,enoch heard his voice1  and        
appeared before him1 and asked him the  
reason of his coming4  ,methuselah told 
him the cause of his anxiety1 and       
requested him to make  the truth known  
to him4 ,enoch answered1 and said3 ,the 
,lord will do a  new thing in the earth4
 ,there will come a great destruction on
 the  earth1 and a deluge for one year4 
,this son who is born unto thee will  be
 left on the earth1 and his three       
children will be saved with him1  when  
all mankind that are on the earth shall 
die4 ,and there will be a  great        
punishment on the earth1 and the earth  
will be cleansed from all  impurity4    
,and now make known to thy son ,lamech  
that he who was born is  in truth his   
son1 and call his name ,noah1 for he    
will be left to you1  and he and his    
children will be saved from the         
destruction which will  come upon the   

earth4 ,when ,methuselah had heard the  
words of his  father1 who showed him all
 the secret things1 he returned home1   
and he  called the child ,noah1 for he  
would cause the earth to rejoice in     
compensation for all destruction4#d     
,by the name ,noah he was called only by
 his grandfather ,methuselah2 his       
father and all others called him        
,menahem4 ,his generation was addicted  
to sorcery1 and ,methuselah apprehended 
that his grandson might be  bewitched if
 his true name were known1 wherefore he 
kept it a secret4  ,menahem1 ,comforter1
 suited him as well as ,noah2 it        
indicated that he  would be a consoler1 
if but the evil-doers of his time would 
repent of  their misdeeds4#e ,at his    
very birth it was felt that he would    
bring  consolation and deliverance4     
,when the ,lord said to ,adam1 ,cursed  
is the  ground for thy sake1 he asked1  
,for how long a time8 and the answer    
made by ,god was1 ,until a man child    
shall be born whose conformation is     

such that the rite of circumcision need 
not be practiced upon him4  ,this was   
fulfilled in ,noah1 he was circumcised  
from his mother's womb4    ,noah had    
scarcely come into the world when a     
marked change was  noticeable4 ,since   
the curse brought upon the earth by the 
sin of ,adam1  it happened that wheat   
being sown1 yet oats would sprout and   
grow4 ,this  ceased with the appearance 
of ,noah3 the earth bore the products   
planted  in it4 ,and it was ,noah who1  
when he was grown to manhood1 invented  
the  plough1 the scythe1 the hoe1 and   
other implements for cultivating the    
ground4 ,before him men had worked the  
land with their bare hands4#f    ,there 
was another token to indicate that the  
child born unto ,lamech was  appointed  
for an extraordinary destiny4 ,when ,god
 created ,adam1 ,he gave  him dominion  
over all things3 the cow obeyed the     
ploughman1 and the  furrow was willing  
to be drawn4 ,but after the fall of     
,adam all things  rebelled against him3 

the cow refused obedience to the        
ploughman1 and  also the furrow was     
refractory4 ,noah was born1 and all     
returned to its  state preceding the    
fall of man4    ,before the birth of    
,noah1 the sea was in the habit of      
transgressing its  bounds twice daily1  
morning and evening1 and flooding the   
land up to  the graves4 ,after his birth
 it kept within its confines4 ,and the  
famine  that afflicted the world in the 
time of ,lamech1 the second of the ten  
great famines appointed to come upon it1
 ceased its ravages with the  birth of  
,noah4#g    ,,the ,,punishment ,,of     
,,the ,,fallen ,,angels    ,grown to    
manhood1 ,noah followed in the ways of  
his grandfather  ,methuselah1 while all 
other men of the time rose up against   
this pious  king4 ,so far from observing
 his precepts1 they pursued the evil    
inclination of their hearts1 and        
perpetrated all sorts of abominable     
deeds4#h ,chiefly the fallen angels and 
their giant posterity caused  the       

depravity of mankind4 ,the blood spilled
 by the giants cried unto  heaven from  
the ground1 and the four archangels     
accused the fallen  angels and their    
sons before ,god1 whereupon ,he gave the
 following  orders to them3 ,uriel was  
sent to ,noah to announce to him that   
the  earth would be destroyed by a      
flood1 and to teach him how to save his 
own life4 ,raphael was told to put the  
fallen angel ,azazel into chains1  cast 
him into a pit of sharp and pointed     
stones in the desert ,dudael1  and cover
 him with darkness1 and so was he to    
remain until the great  day of judgment1
 when he would be thrown into the fiery 
pit of hell1  and the earth would be    
healed of the corruption he had         
contrived upon  it4 ,gabriel was charged
 to proceed against the bastards and the
  reprobates1 the sons of the angels    
begotten with the daughters of men1  and
 plunge them into deadly conflicts with 
one another4 ,shemhazai's ilk  were     
handed over to ,michael1 who first      

caused them to witness the death  of    
their children in their bloody combat   
with each other1 and then he  bound them
 and pinned them under the hills of the 
earth1 where they  will remain for      
seventy generations1 until the day of   
judgment1 to be  carried thence to the  
fiery pit of hell4#i    ,the fall of    
,azazel and ,shemhazai came about in    
this way4 ,when the  generation of the  
deluge began to practice idolatry1 ,god 
was deeply  grieved4 ,the two angels    
,shemhazai and ,azazel arose1 and said3 
,o ,lord  of the world6 ,it has         
happened1 that which we foretold at the 
creation  of the world and of man1      
saying1 ',what is man1 that ,thou art   
mindful of  him8' ,and ,god said1 ,and  
what will become of the world now       
without  man8 ,whereupon the angels3 ,we
 will occupy ourselves with it4 ,then   
said ,god3 ,i am well aware of it1 and  
,i know that if you inhabit the  earth1 
the evil inclination will overpower you1
 and you will be more  iniquitous than  

ever men4 ,the angels pleaded1 ,grant us
 but permission  to dwell among men1 and
 ,thou shalt see how we will sanctify   
,thy ,name4  ,god yielded to their wish1
 saying1 ,descend and sojourn among men6
    ,when the angels came to earth1 and 
beheld the daughters of men in all      
their grace and beauty1 they could not  
restrain their passion4  ,shemhazai saw 
a maiden named ,istehar1 and he lost his
 heart to her4 ,she  promised to        
surrender herself to him1 if first he   
taught her the  ,ineffable ,name1 by    
means of which he raised himself to     
heaven4 ,he  assented to her condition4 
,but once she knew it1 she pronounced   
the  ,name1 and herself ascended to     
heaven1 without fulfilling her promise  
to  the angel4 ,god said1 ,because she  
kept herself aloof from sin1 we will    
place her among the seven stars1 that   
men may never forget her1 and  she was  
put in the constellation of the         
,pleiades4    ,shemhazai and ,azazel1   
however1 were not deterred from entering

 into  alliances with the daughters of  
men1 and to the first two sons were     
born4 ,azazel began to devise the finery
 and the ornaments by means of  which   
women allure men4 ,thereupon ,god sent  
,metatron to tell ,shemhazai  that ,he  
had resolved to destroy the world and   
bring on a deluge4 ,the  fallen angel   
began to weep and grieve over the fate  
of the world and  the fate of his two   
sons4 ,if the world went under1 what    
would they have  to eat1 they who needed
 daily a thousand camels1 a thousand    
horses1 and  a thousand steers8         
,these two sons of ,shemhazai1 ,hiwwa   
and ,hiyya by name1 dreamed dreams4     
,the one saw a great stone which covered
 the earth1 and the earth was  marked   
all over with lines upon lines of       
writing4 ,an angel came1 and  with a    
knife obliterated all the lines1 leaving
 but four letters upon  the stone4 ,the 
other son saw a large pleasure grove    
planted with all  sorts of trees4 ,but  
angels approached bearing axes1 and they

 felled the  trees1 sparing a single one
 with three of its branches4    ,when   
,hiwwa and ,hiyya awoke1 they repaired  
to their father1 who  interpreted the   
dreams for them1 saying1 ,god will bring
 a deluge1 and  none will escape with   
his life1 excepting only ,noah and his  
sons4 ,when  they heard this1 the two   
began to cry and scream1 but their      
father  consoled them3 ,soft1 soft6 ,do 
not grieve4 ,as often as men cut or haul
  stones1 or launch vessels1 they shall 
invoke your names1 ,hiwwa6 ,hiyya6      
,this prophecy soothed them4            
,shemhazai then did penance4 ,he        
suspended himself between heaven and    
earth1 and in this position of a        
penitent sinner he hangs to this day4   
,but ,azazel persisted obdurately in his
 sin of leading mankind astray by  means
 of sensual allurements4 ,for this      
reason two he-goats were  sacrificed in 
the ,temple on the ,day of ,atonement1  
the one for ,god1 that  ,he pardon the  
sins of ,israel1 the other for ,azazel1 

that he bear the  sins of ,israel4#aj   
,unlike ,istehar1 the pious maiden1     
,naamah1 the lovely sister of           
,tubal-cain1 led the angels astray with 
her beauty1 and from her union  with    
,shamdon sprang the devil ,asmodeus4#aa 
,she was as shameless as all  the other 
descendants of ,cain1 and as prone to   
bestial indulgences4  ,cainite women and
 ,cainite men alike were in the habit of
 walking abroad  naked1 and they gave   
themselves up to every conceivable      
manner of lewd  practices4 ,of such were
 the women whose beauty and sensual     
charms  tempted the angels from the path
 of virtue4 ,the angels1 on the other   
hand1 no sooner had they rebelled       
against ,god and descended to earth     
than they lost their transcendental     
qualities1 and were invested with       
sublunary bodies1 so that a union with  
the daughters of men became  possible4  
,the offspring of these alliances       
between the angels and the  ,cainite    
women were the giants1#ab known for     

their strength and their  sinfulness2 as
 their very name1 the ,emim1 indicates1 
they inspired  fear4 ,they have many    
other names4 ,sometimes they go by the  
name  ,rephaim1 because one glance at   
them made one's heart grow weak2 or by  
the name ,gibborim1 simply giants1      
because their size was so enormous  that
 their thigh measured eighteen ells2 or 
by the name ,zamzummim1  because they   
were great masters in war2 or by the    
name ,anakim1 because  they touched the 
sun with their neck2 or by the name     
,ivvim1 because1  like the snake1 they  
could judge of the qualities of the     
soil2 or  finally1 by the name          
,nephilim1 because1 bringing the world  
to its fall1  they themselves fell4#ac  
,,the ,,generation ,,of ,,the ,,deluge  
,while the descendants of ,cain         
resembled their father in his sinfulness
  and depravity1 the descendants of     
,seth led a pious1 well-regulated  life1
 and the difference between the conduct 
of the two stocks was  reflected in     

their habitations4 ,the family of ,seth 
was settled upon the  mountains in the  
vicinity of ,paradise1 while the family 
of ,cain resided  in the field of       
,damascus1 the spot whereon ,abel was   
slain by ,cain4    ,unfortunately1 at   
the time of ,methuselah1 following the  
death of ,adam1  the family of ,seth    
became corrupted after the manner of the
 ,cainites4  ,the two strains united    
with each other to execute all kinds of 
iniquitous deeds4 ,the result of the    
marriages between them were the         
,nephilim1 whose sins brought the deluge
 upon the world4 ,in their  arrogance   
they claimed the same pedigree as the   
posterity of ,seth1 and  they compared  
themselves with princes and men of noble
 descent4#ad    ,the wantonness of this 
generation was in a measure due to the  
ideal  conditions under which mankind   
lived before the flood4 ,they knew      
neither toil nor care1 and as a         
consequence of their extraordinary      
prosperity they grew insolent4 ,in their

 arrogance they rose up against  ,god4  
,a single sowing bore a harvest         
sufficient for the needs of forty       
years1 and by means of magic arts they  
could compel the very sun and  moon to  
stand ready to do their service4#ae ,the
 raising of children  gave them no      
trouble4 ,they were born after a few    
days' pregnancy1 and  immediately after 
birth they could walk and talk2 they    
themselves aided  the mother in severing
 the navel string4 ,not even demons     
could do them  harm4 ,once a new-born   
babe1 running to fetch a light whereby  
his mother  might cut the navel string1 
met the chief of the demons1 and a      
combat  ensued between the two4         
,suddenly the crowing of a cock was     
heard1 and  the demon made off1 crying  
out to the child1 ,go and report unto   
thy  mother1 if it had not been for the 
crowing of the cock1 ,i had killed      
thee6 ,whereupon the child retorted1 ,go
 and report unto thy mother1 if  it had 
not been for my uncut navel string1 ,i  

had killed thee6#af    ,it was their    
care-free life that gave them space and 
leisure for their  infamies4 ,for a time
 ,god1 in ,his long-suffering kindness1 
passed by the  iniquities of men1 but   
,his forbearance ceased when once they  
began to  lead unchaste lives1 for ,god 
is patient with all sins save only an   
immoral life4#ag    ,the other sin that 
hastened the end of the iniquitous      
generation was  their rapacity4 ,so     
cunningly were their depredations       
planned that the  law could not touch   
them4 ,if a countryman brought a basket 
of  vegetables to market1 they would    
edge up to it1 one after the other1  and
 abstract a bit1 each in itself of petty
 value1 but in a little  while the      
dealer would have none left to sell4#ah 
,even after ,god had resolved upon the  
destruction of the sinners1 ,he  still  
permitted ,his mercy to prevail1 in that
 ,he sent ,noah unto them1  who exhorted
 them for one hundred and twenty years  
to amend their ways1  always holding the

 flood over them as a threat4 ,as for   
them1 they but  derided him4 ,when they 
saw him occupying himself with the      
building of  the ark1 they asked1       
,wherefore this ark8    ,noah3 ,god will
 bring a flood upon you4    ,the        
sinners3 ,what sort of flood8 ,if ,he   
sends a fire flood1 against  that we    
know how to protect ourselves4 ,if it is
 a flood of waters1  then1 if the waters
 bubble up from the earth1 we will cover
 them with  iron rods1 and if they      
descend from above1 we know a remedy    
against  that1 too4    ,noah3 ,the      
waters will ooze out from under your    
feet1 and you will not  be able to ward 
them off4    ,partly they persisted in  
their obduracy of heart because ,noah   
had made  known to them that the flood  
would not descend so long as the pious  
,methuselah sojourned among them4 ,the  
period of one hundred and twenty  years 
which ,god had appointed as the term of 
their probation having  expired1        
,methuselah died1 but out of regard for 

the memory of this  pious man ,god gave 
them another week's respite1 the week of
 mourning  for him4 ,during this time of
 grace1 the laws of nature were         
suspended1  the sun rose in the west and
 set in the east4 ,to the sinners ,god  
gave  the dainties that await man in the
 future world1 for the purpose of       
showing them what they were             
forfeiting4#ai ,but all this proved     
unavailing1 and1 ,methuselah and the    
other pious men of the generation       
having departed this life1 ,god brought 
the deluge upon the earth4#bj    ,,the  
,,holy ,,book    ,great wisdom was      
needed for building the ark1 which was  
to have space  for all beings on earth1 
even the spirits4 ,only the fishes did  
not have  to be provided for4#ba ,noah  
acquired the necessary wisdom from the  
book given to ,adam by the angel        
,raziel1 in which all celestial and all 
earthly knowledge is recorded4    ,while
 the first human pair were still in     
,paradise1 it once happened  that       

,samael1 accompanied by a lad1          
approached ,eve and requested her to    
keep a watchful eye upon his little son 
until he should return4 ,eve  gave him  
the promise4 ,when ,adam came back from 
a walk in ,paradise1 he  found a        
howling1 screaming child with ,eve1 who1
 in reply to his  question1 told him it 
was ,samael's4 ,adam was annoyed1 and   
his annoyance  grew as the boy cried and
 screamed more and more violently4 ,in  
his  vexation he dealt the little one a 
blow that killed him4 ,but the corpse   
did not cease to wail and weep1 nor did 
it cease when ,adam cut it up  into     
bits4 ,to rid himself of the plague1    
,adam cooked the remains1 and  he and   
,eve ate them4 ,scarcely had they       
finished1 when ,samael appeared  and    
demanded his son4 ,the two malefactors  
tried to deny everything2  they         
pretended they had no knowledge of his  
son4 ,but ,samael said to  them3 ,what6 
,you dare tell lies1 and ,god in times  
to come will give  ,israel the ,torah in

 which it is said1 ',keep thee far from 
a false  word'8    ,while they were     
speaking thus1 suddenly the voice of the
 slain lad was  heard proceeding from   
the heart of ,adam and ,eve1 and it     
addressed these  words to ,samael3 ,go  
hence6 ,i have penetrated to the heart  
of ,adam and  the heart of ,eve1 and    
never again shall ,i quit their hearts1 
nor the  hearts of their children1 or   
their children's children1 unto the end 
of  all generations4    ,samael         
departed1 but ,adam was sore grieved1   
and he put on sackcloth and  ashes1 and 
he fasted many1 many days1 until ,god   
appeared unto him1 and  said3 ,my son1  
have no fear of ,samael4 ,i will give   
thee a remedy that  will help thee      
against him1 for it was at ,my instance 
that he went to  thee4 ,adam asked1 ,and
 what is this remedy8 ,god3 ,the ,torah4
 ,adam3  ,and where is the ,torah8 ,god 
then gave him the book of the angel     
,raziel1 which he studied day and night4
 ,after some time had passed1 the       

angels visited ,adam1 and1 envious of   
the wisdom he had drawn from the  book1 
they sought to destroy him cunningly by 
calling him a god and  prostrating      
themselves before him1 in spite of his  
remonstrance1 ,do  not prostrate        
yourselves before me1 but magnify the   
,lord with me1 and  let us exalt ,his   
,name together4 ,however1 the envy of   
the angels was so  great that they stole
 the book ,god had given ,adam from him1
 and threw  it in the sea4 ,adam        
searched for it everywhere in vain1 and 
the loss  distressed him sorely4 ,again 
he fasted many days1 until ,god appeared
  unto him1 and said3 ,fear not6 ,i will
 give the book back to thee1 and  ,he   
called ,rahab1 the ,angel of the ,sea1  
and ordered him to recover the  book    
from the sea and restore it to ,adam4   
,and so he did4#bb    ,upon the death of
 ,adam1 the holy book disappeared1 but  
later the cave  in which it was hidden  
was revealed to ,enoch in a dream4 ,it  
was from  this book that ,enoch drew his

 knowledge of nature1 of the earth and  
of  the heavens1 and he became so wise  
through it that his wisdom exceeded  the
 wisdom of ,adam4 ,once he had committed
 it to memory1 ,enoch hid the  book     
again4    ,now1 when ,god resolved upon 
bringing the flood on the earth1 ,he    
sent  the archangel ,raphael to ,noah1  
as the bearer of the following message3 
,i give thee herewith the holy book1    
that all the secrets and mysteries      
written therein may be made manifest    
unto thee1 and that thou mayest  know   
how to fulfil its injunction in         
holiness1 purity1 modesty1 and          
humbleness4 ,thou wilt learn from it how
 to build an ark of the wood of  the    
gopher tree1 wherein thou1 and thy sons1
 and thy wife shall find  protection4   
,noah took the book1 and when he studied
 it1 the holy spirit came upon  him1 and
 he knew all things needful for the     
building of the ark and the  gathering  
together of the animals4 ,the book1     
which was made of  sapphires1 he took   

with him into the ark1 having first     
enclosed it in a  golden casket4 ,all   
the time he spent in the ark it served  
him as a  time-piece1 to distinguish    
night from day4 ,before his death1 he   
entrusted it to ,shem1 and he in turn to
 ,abraham4 ,from ,abraham it  descended 
through ,jacob1 ,levi1 ,moses1 and      
,joshua to ,solomon1 who learnt  all his
 wisdom from it1 and his skill in the   
healing art1 and also his  mastery over 
the demons4#bc    ,,the ,,inmates ,,of  
,,the ,,ark    ,the ark was completed   
according to the instructions laid down 
in the  ,book of ,raziel4 ,noah's next  
task was gathering in the animals4 ,no  
less  than thirty-two species of birds  
and three hundred and sixty-five of     
reptiles he had to take along with him4 
,but ,god ordered the animals to  repair
 to the ark1 and they trooped thither1  
and ,noah did not have to  do so much as
 stretch out a finger4#bd ,indeed1 more 
appeared than were  required to come1   
and ,god instructed him to sit at the   

door of the ark  and note which of the  
animals lay down as they reached the    
entrance and  which stood4 ,the former  
belonged in the ark1 but not the latter4
 ,taking  up his post as he had been    
commanded1 ,noah observed a lioness with
 her  two cubs4 ,all three beasts       
crouched4 ,but the two young ones began 
to  struggle with the mother1 and she   
arose and stood up next to them4 ,then  
,noah led the two cubs into the ark4    
,the wild beasts1 and the cattle1  and  
the birds which were not accepted       
remained standing about the ark  all of 
seven days1 for the assembling of the   
animals happened one week  before the   
flood began to descend4 ,on the day     
whereon they came to the  ark1 the sun  
was darkened1 and the foundations of the
 earth trembled1  and lightning flashed1
 and the thunder boomed1 as never       
before4 ,and yet  the sinners remained  
impenitent4 ,in naught did they change  
their wicked  doings during those last  
seven days4    ,when finally the flood  

broke loose1 seven hundred thousand of  
the  children of men gathered around the
 ark1 and implored ,noah to grant  them 
protection4 ,with a loud voice he       
replied1 and said3 ,are ye not  those   
who were rebellious toward ,god1 saying1
 ',there is no ,god'8  ,therefore ,he   
has brought ruin upon you1 to annihilate
 you and destroy  you from the face of  
the earth4 ,have ,i not been prophesying
 this unto  you these hundred and twenty
 years1 and you would not give heed unto
  the voice of ,god8 ,yet now you desire
 to be kept alive6 ,then the  sinners   
cried out3 ,so be it6 ,we all are ready 
now to turn back to ,god1  if only thou 
wilt open the door of thy ark to receive
 us1 that we may  live and not die4     
,noah made answer1 and said3 ,that ye do
 now1 when  your need presses hard upon 
you4 ,why did you not turn to ,god      
during all  the hundred and twenty years
 which the ,lord appointed unto you as  
the  term of repentance8 ,now do ye     
come1 and ye speak thus1 because        

distress  besets your lives4 ,therefore 
,god will not hearken unto you and give 
you  ear2 naught will you accomplish6   
,the crowd of sinners tried to take the 
entrance to the ark by storm1  but the  
wild beasts keeping watch around the ark
 set upon them1 and  many were slain1   
while the rest escaped1 only to meet    
death in the  waters of the flood4#be   
,the water alone could not have made an 
end of  them1 for they were giants in   
stature and strength4 ,when ,noah       
threatened them with the scourge of     
,god1 they would make reply3 ,if the    
waters of the flood come from above1    
they will never reach up to our  necks2 
and if they come from below1 the soles  
of our feet are large  enough to dam up 
the springs4 ,but ,god bade each drop   
pass through  ,gehenna before it fell to
 earth1 and the hot rain scalded the    
skin of  the sinners4 ,the punishment   
that overtook them was befitting their  
crime4 ,as their sensual desires had    
made them hot1 and inflamed them to     

immoral excesses1 so they were chastised
 by means of heated water4#bf    ,not   
even in the hour of the death struggle  
could the sinners suppress  their vile  
instincts4 ,when the water began to     
stream up out of the  springs1 they     
threw their little children into them1  
to choke the  flood4#bg    ,it was by   
the grace of ,god1 not on account of his
 merits1 that ,noah  found shelter in   
the ark before the overwhelming force of
 the  waters4#bh ,although he was better
 than his contemporaries1 he was yet    
not worthy of having wonders done for   
his sake4 ,he had so little faith  that 
he did not enter the ark until the      
waters had risen to his knees4  ,with   
him his pious wife ,naamah1 the daughter
 of ,enosh1 escaped the  peril1 and his 
three sons1 and the wives of his three  
sons4    ,noah had not married until he 
was four hundred and ninety-eight years 
old4 ,then the ,lord had bidden him to  
take a wife unto himself4 ,he had  not  
desired to bring children into the      

world1 seeing that they would  all have 
to perish in the flood1 and he had only 
three sons1 born unto  him shortly      
before the deluge came4#cj ,god had     
given him so small a  number of         
offspring that he might be spared the   
necessity of building  the ark on an    
overlarge scale in case they turned out 
to be pious4 ,and  if not1 if they1 too1
 were depraved like the rest of their   
generation1  sorrow over their          
destruction would but be increased in   
proportion to  their number4#ca    ,as  
,noah and his family were the only ones 
not to have a share in the  corruptness 
of the age1 so the animals received into
 the ark were such  as had led a natural
 life4 ,for the animals of the time were
 as immoral  as the men3 the dog united 
with the wolf1 the cock with the        
pea-fowl1  and many others paid no heed 
to sexual purity4 ,those that were saved
  were such as had kept themselves      
untainted4#cb    ,before the flood the  
number of unclean animals had been      

greater than  the number of the clean4  
,afterward the ratio was reversed1      
because  while seven pairs of clean     
animals were preserved in the ark1 but  
two  pairs of the unclean were          
preserved4#cc    ,one animal1 the reem1 
,noah could not take into the ark4 ,on  
account of  its huge size it could not  
find room therein4 ,noah therefore tied 
it to  the ark1 and it ran on behind4#cd
 ,also1 he could not make space for  the
 giant ,og1 the king of ,bashan4 ,he sat
 on top of the ark securely1  and in    
this way escaped the flood of waters4   
,noah doled out his food to  him daily1 
through a hole1 because ,og had promised
 that he and his  descendants would     
serve him as slaves in perpetuity4#ce   
,two creatures of a most peculiar kind  
also found refuge in the ark4  ,among   
the beings that came to ,noah there was 
,falsehood asking for  shelter4 ,he was 
denied admission1 because he had no     
companion1 and ,noah  was taking in the 
animals only by pairs4 ,falsehood went  

off to seek a  partner1 and he met      
,misfortune1 whom he associated with    
himself on the  condition that she might
 appropriate what ,falsehood earned4    
,the pair  were then accepted in the    
ark4 ,when they left it1 ,falsehood     
noticed  that whatever he gathered      
together disappeared at once1 and he    
betook  himself to his companion to seek
 an explanation1 which she gave him in  
the following words1 ,did we not agree  
to the condition that ,i might  take    
what you earn8 and ,falsehood had to    
depart empty-handed4    ,,the ,,flood   
,the assembling of the animals in the   
ark was but the smaller part of  the    
task imposed upon ,noah4 ,his chief     
difficulty was to provide food  for a   
year and accommodations for them4 ,long 
afterward ,shem1 the son of  ,noah1     
related to ,eliezer1 the servant of     
,abraham1 the tale of their  experiences
 with the animals in the ark4 ,this is  
what he said3 ,we had  sore troubles in 
the ark4 ,the day animals had to be fed 

by day1 and the  night animals by night4
 ,my father knew not what food to give  
to the  little zikta4 ,once he cut a    
pomegranate in half1 and a worm dropped 
out  of the fruit1 and was devoured by  
the zikta4 ,thenceforth my father  would
 knead bran1 and let it stand until it  
bred worms1 which were fed  to the      
animal4 ,the lion suffered with a fever 
all the time1 and  therefore he did not 
annoy the others1 because he did not    
relish dry  food4 ,the animal urshana my
 father found sleeping in a corner of   
the  vessel1 and he asked him whether he
 needed nothing to eat4 ,he answered1   
and said3 ',i saw thou wast very busy1  
and ,i did not wish to add to thy       
cares4' ,whereupon my father said1 ',may
 it be the will of the ,lord to  keep   
thee alive forever1' and the blessing   
was realized4#cg    ,the difficulties   
were increased when the flood began to  
toss the ark  from side to side4 ,all   
inside of it were shaken up like lentils
 in a  pot4 ,the lions began to roar1   

the oxen lowed1 the wolves howled1 and  
all the animals gave vent to their      
agony1 each through the sounds it  had  
the power to utter4    ,also ,noah and  
his sons1 thinking that death was nigh1 
broke into tears4  ,noah prayed to ,god3
 ,o ,lord1 help us1 for we are not able 
to bear the  evil that encompasses us4  
,the billows surge about us1 the streams
 of  destruction make us afraid1 and    
death stares us in the face4 ,o hear our
  prayer1 deliver us1 incline ,thyself  
unto us1 and be gracious unto us6       
,redeem us and save us6#ch    ,the flood
 was produced by a union of the male    
waters1 which are above  the firmament1 
and the female waters issuing from the  
earth4#ci ,the  upper waters rushed     
through the space left when ,god removed
 two stars  out of the constellation    
,pleiades4 ,afterward1 to put a stop to 
the  flood1 ,god had to transfer two    
stars from the constellation of the     
,bear  to the constellation of the      
,pleiades4 ,that is why the ,bear runs  

after  the ,pleiades4 ,she wants her two
 children back1 but they will be        
restored to her only in the future      
world4#dj    ,there were other changes  
among the celestial spheres during the  
year of  the flood4 ,all the time it    
lasted1 the sun and the moon shed no    
light1  whence ,noah was called by his  
name1 the resting one1 for in his life  
the sun and the moon rested4 ,the ark   
was illuminated by a precious  stone1   
the light of which was more brilliant by
 night than by day1 so  enabling ,noah  
to distinguish between day and night4#da
    ,the duration of the flood was a    
whole year4 ,it began on the seventeenth
  day of ,heshwan1 and the rain         
continued for forty days1 until the     
twenty-seventh of ,kislew4 ,the         
punishment corresponded to the crime of 
the sinful generation4 ,they had led    
immoral lives1 and begotten bastard     
children1 whose embryonic state lasts   
forty days4 ,from the twenty  seventh of
 ,kislew until the first of ,siwan1 a   

period of one hundred and  fifty days1  
the water stood at one and the same     
height1 fifteen ells  above the earth4  
,during that time all the wicked were   
destroyed1 each  one receiving the      
punishment due to him4#db ,cain was     
among those that  perished1 and thus the
 death of ,abel was avenged4#dc ,so     
powerful were  the waters in working    
havoc that the corpse of ,adam was not  
spared in  its grave4#dd    ,on the     
first of ,siwan the waters began to     
abate1 a quarter of an ell a  day1 and  
at the end of sixty days1 on the tenth  
day of ,ab1 the summits  of the         
mountains showed themselves4 ,but many  
days before1 on the tenth  of ,tammuz1  
,noah had sent forth the raven1 and a   
week later the dove1 on  the first of   
her three sallies1 repeated at intervals
 of a week4 ,it  took from the first of 
,ab until the first of ,tishri for the  
waters to  subside wholly from the face 
of the earth4 ,even then the soil was so
  miry that the dwellers in the ark had 

to remain within until the              
twenty-seventh day of ,heshwan1         
completing a full sun year1 consisting  
of twelve moons and eleven days4#de     
,noah had experienced difficulty all    
along in ascertaining the state of  the 
waters4 ,when he desired to dispatch the
 raven1 the bird said3 ,the  ,lord1 thy 
,master1 hates me1 and thou dost hate   
me1 too4 ,thy ,master  hates me1 for ,he
 bade thee take seven pairs of the clean
 animals into  the ark1 and but two     
pairs of the unclean animals1 to which  
,i belong4  ,thou hatest me1 for thou   
dost not choose1 as a messenger1 a bird 
of one  of the kinds of which there are 
seven pairs in the ark1 but thou        
sendest me1 and of my kind there is but 
one pair4 ,suppose1 now1 ,i  should     
perish by reason of heat or cold1 would 
not the world be the  poorer by a whole 
species of animals8 ,or can it be that  
thou hast cast  a lustful eye upon my   
mate1 and desirest to rid thyself of me8
 ,where  unto ,noah made answer1 and    

said3 ,wretch6 ,i must live apart from  
my own  wife in the ark4 ,how much less 
would such thoughts occur to my mind as 
thou imputest to me6#df    ,the raven's 
errand had no success1 for when he saw  
the body of a dead  man1 he set to work 
to devour it1 and did not execute the   
orders given  to him by ,noah4          
,thereupon the dove was sent out4       
,toward evening she  returned with an   
olive leaf in her bill1 plucked upon the
 ,mount of  ,olives at ,jerusalem1 for  
the ,holy ,land had not been ravaged by 
the  deluge4 ,as she plucked it1 she    
said to ,god3 ,o ,lord of the world1 let
  my food be as bitter as the olive1 but
 do ,thou give it to me from ,thy  hand1
 rather than it should be sweet1 and ,i 
be delivered into the power  of men4#dg 
,,noah ,,leaves ,,the ,,ark    ,though  
the earth assumed its old form at the   
end of the year of  punishment1 ,noah   
did not abandon the ark until he        
received the command  of ,god to leave  
it4 ,he said to himself1 ,as ,i entered 

the ark at the  bidding of ,god1 so ,i  
will leave it only at ,his bidding4     
,yet1 when ,god  bade ,noah go out of   
the ark1 he refused1 because he feared  
that after  he had lived upon the dry   
land for some time1 and begotten        
children1  ,god would bring another     
flood4 ,he therefore would not leave the
 ark  until ,god swore ,he would never  
visit the earth with a flood again4#dh  
,when he stepped out from the ark into  
the open1 he began to weep  bitterly at 
sight of the enormous ravages wrought by
 the flood1 and he  said to ,god3 ,o    
,lord of the world6 ,thou art called the
 ,merciful1 and  ,thou shouldst have had
 mercy upon ,thy creatures4 ,god        
answered1 and  said3 ,o thou foolish    
shepherd1 now thou speakest to ,me4     
,thou didst not  so when ,i addressed   
kind words to thee1 saying3 ',i saw thee
 as a  righteous man and perfect in thy 
generation1 and ,i will bring the flood 
upon the earth to destroy all flesh4    
,make an ark for thyself of gopher      

wood4' ,thus spake ,i to thee1 telling  
thee all these circumstances1 that  thou
 mightest entreat mercy for the earth4  
,but thou1 as soon as thou  didst hear  
that thou wouldst be rescued in the ark1
 thou didst not  concern thyself about  
the ruin that would strike the earth4   
,thou didst  but build an ark for       
thyself1 in which thou wast saved4 ,now 
that the  earth is wasted1 thou openest 
thy mouth to supplicate and pray4       
,noah realized that he had been guilty  
of folly4 ,to propitiate ,god and       
acknowledge his sin1 he brought a       
sacrifice4#di ,god accepted the         
offering with favor1 whence he is called
 by his name ,noah4#ej ,the  sacrifice  
was not offered by ,noah with his own   
hands2 the priestly  services connected 
with it were performed by his son ,shem4
 ,there was a  reason for this4 ,one day
 in the ark ,noah forgot to give his    
ration to  the lion1 and the hungry     
beast struck him so violent a blow with 
his  paw that he was lame forever after1

 and1 having a bodily defect1 he was    
not permitted to do the offices of a    
priest4#ea    ,the sacrifices consisted 
of an ox1 a sheep1 a goat1 two turtle   
doves1  and two young pigeons4 ,noah had
 chosen these kinds because he supposed 
they were appointed for sacrifices1     
seeing that ,god had commanded him  to  
take seven pairs of them into the ark   
with him4 ,the altar was  erected in the
 same place on which ,adam and ,cain and
 ,abel had brought  their sacrifices1   
and on which later the altar was to be  
in the  sanctuary at ,jerusalem4#eb     
,after the sacrifice was completed1 ,god
 blessed ,noah and his sons4 ,he  made  
them to be rulers of the world as ,adam 
had been1#ec and ,he gave  them a       
command1 saying1 ,be fruitful and       
multiply upon the earth1 for  during    
their sojourn in the ark1 the two sexes1
 of men and animals  alike1 had lived   
apart from each other1 because while a  
public calamity  rages continence is    
becoming even to those who are left     

unscathed4 ,this  law of conduct had    
been violated by none in the ark except 
by ,ham1 by  the dog1 and by the raven4 
,they all received a punishment4 ,ham's 
was  that his descendants were men of   
dark-hued skin4#ed    ,as a token that  
,he would destroy the earth no more1    
,god set ,his bow in  the cloud4 ,even  
if men should be steeped in sin again1  
the bow  proclaims to them that their   
sins will cause no harm to the world4   
,times came in the course of the ages   
when men were pious enough not to  have 
to live in dread of punishment4 ,in such
 times the bow was not  visible4#ee     
,god accorded permission to ,noah and   
his descendants to use the flesh of     
animals for food1 which had been        
forbidden from the time of ,adam until  
then4 ,but they were to abstain from the
 use of blood4 ,he ordained the  seven  
,noachian laws1 the observance of which 
is incumbent upon all men1  not upon    
,israel alone4 ,god enjoined            
particularly the command against  the   

shedding of human blood4 ,whoso would   
shed man's blood1 his blood  would be   
shed4 ,even if human judges let the     
guilty man go free1 his  punishment     
would overtake him4 ,he would die an    
unnatural death1 such as  he had        
inflicted upon his fellow-man4 ,yea1    
even beasts that slew men1  even of them
 would the life of men be required4#ef  
,,the ,,curse ,,of ,,drunkenness        
,noah lost his epithet the pious when he
 began to occupy himself with  the      
growing of the vine4 ,he became a man of
 the ground1 and this  first attempt to 
produce wine at the same time produced  
the first to  drink to excess1 the first
 to utter curses upon his associates1   
and the  first to introduce slavery4    
,this is the way it all came about4     
,noah  found the vine which ,adam had   
taken with him from ,paradise1 when he  
was  driven forth4 ,he tasted the grapes
 upon it1 and1 finding them  palatable1 
he resolved to plant the vine and tend  
it4#eg ,on the  selfsame day on which he

 planted it1 it bore fruit1 he put it in
 the  wine-press1 drew off the juice1   
drank it1 became drunken1 and was       
dishonored--all on one day4 ,his        
assistant in the work of cultivating the
  vine was ,satan1 who had happened     
along at the very moment when he was    
engaged in planting the slip he had     
found4 ,satan asked him3 ,what is it    
thou art planting here8    ,noah3 ,a    
vineyard4    ,satan3 ,and what may be   
the qualities of what it produces8      
,noah3 ,the fruit it bears is sweet1 be 
it dry or moist4 ,it yields wine  that  
rejoiceth the heart of man4    ,satan3  
,let us go into partnership in this     
business of planting a  vineyard4       
,noah3 ,agreed6    ,satan thereupon     
slaughtered a lamb1 and then1 in        
succession1 a lion1 a  pig1 and a       
monkey4 ,the blood of each as it was    
killed he made to flow  under the vine4 
,thus he conveyed to ,noah what the     
qualities of wine  are3 before man      
drinks of it1 he is innocent as a lamb2 

if he drinks of  it moderately1 he feels
 as strong as a lion2 if he drinks more 
of it  than he can bear1 he resembles   
the pig2 and if he drinks to the point  
of intoxication1 then he behaves like a 
monkey1 he dances around1  sings1 talks 
obscenely1 and knows not what he is     
doing4#eh    ,this deterred ,noah no    
more than did the example of ,adam1     
whose fall had  also been due to wine1  
for the forbidden fruit had been the    
grape1 with  which he had made himself  
drunk4#ei    ,in his drunken condition  
,noah betook himself to the tent of his 
wife4  ,his son ,ham saw him there1 and 
he told his brothers what he had        
noticed1 and said3 ,the first man had   
but two sons1 and one slew the  other2  
this man ,noah has three sons1 yet he   
desires to beget a fourth  besides4 ,nor
 did ,ham rest satisfied with these     
disrespectful words  against his father4
 ,he added to this sin of irreverence   
the still  greater outrage of attempting
 to perform an operation upon his father

  designed to prevent procreation4      
,when ,noah awoke from his wine and     
became sober1 he pronounced a curse     
upon ,ham in the person of his youngest 
son ,canaan4 ,to ,ham himself he  could 
do no harm1 for ,god had conferred a    
blessing upon ,noah and his  three sons 
as they departed from the ark4          
,therefore he put the curse  upon the   
last-born son of the son that had       
prevented him from begetting  a younger 
son than the three he had4 ,the         
descendants of ,ham through  ,canaan    
therefore have red eyes1 because ,ham   
looked upon the nakedness  of his       
father2 they have misshapen lips1       
because ,ham spoke with his  lips to his
 brothers about the unseemly condition  
of his father2 they  have twisted curly 
hair1 because ,ham turned and twisted   
his head round  to see the nakedness of 
his father2 and they go about naked1    
because  ,ham did not cover the         
nakedness of his father4 ,thus he was   
requited1  for it is the way of ,god to 

mete out punishment measure for measure4
    ,canaan had to suffer vicariously   
for his father's sin4 ,yet some of the  
punishment was inflicted upon him on his
 own account1 for it had been  ,canaan  
who had drawn the attention of ,ham to  
,noah's revolting  condition4 ,ham1 it  
appears1 was but the worthy father of   
such a  son4#fa ,the last will and      
testament of ,canaan addressed to his   
children read as follows3 ,speak not the
 truth2 hold not yourselves  aloof from 
theft2 lead a dissolute life2 hate your 
master with an  exceeding great hate2   
and love one another4#fb    ,as ,ham was
 made to suffer requital for his        
irreverence1 so ,shem and  ,japheth     
received a reward for the filial1       
deferential way in which they  took a   
garment and laid it upon both their     
shoulders1 and walking  backward1 with  
averted faces1 covered the nakedness of 
their father4  ,naked the descendants of
 ,ham1 the ,egyptians and ,ethiopians1  
were led  away captive and into exile by

 the king of ,assyria1 while the        
descendants of ,shem1 the ,assyrians1   
even when the angel of the ,lord  burnt 
them in the camp1 were not exposed1     
their garments remained upon  their     
corpses unsinged4 ,and in time to come1 
when ,gog shall suffer his  defeat1 ,god
 will provide both shrouds and a place  
of burial for him and  all his          
multitude1 the posterity of ,japheth4   
,though ,shem and ,japheth both showed  
themselves to be dutiful and            
deferential1 yet it was ,shem who       
deserved the larger meed of praise4 ,he 
was the first to set about covering his 
father4 ,japheth joined him  after the  
good deed had been begun4 ,therefore the
 descendants of ,shem  received as their
 special reward the tallit1 the garment 
worn by them1  while the ,japhethites   
have only the toga4#fc ,a further       
distinction  accorded to ,shem was the  
mention of his name in connection with  
,god's  in the blessing of ,noah4       
,blessed be the ,lord1 the ,god of      

,shem1 he  said1 though as a rule the   
name of ,god is not joined to the name  
of a  living person1 only to the name of
 one who has departed this life4#fd     
,the relation of ,shem to ,japheth was  
expressed in the blessing their  father 
pronounced upon them3 ,god will grant a 
land of beauty to  ,japheth1 and his    
sons will be proselytes dwelling in the 
academies of  ,shem4#fe ,at the same    
time ,noah conveyed by his words that   
the ,shekinah  would dwell only in the  
first ,temple1 erected by ,solomon1 a   
son of  ,shem1 and not in the second    
,temple1 the builder of which would be  
,cyrus1 a descendant of ,japheth4#ff    
,,noah',s ,,descendants ,,spread        
,,abroad    ,when it became known to    
,ham that his father had cursed him1 he 
fled  ashamed1 and with his family he   
settled in the city built by him1 and   
named ,neelatamauk for his wife4        
,jealous of his brother1 ,japheth       
followed his example4 ,he likewise built
 a city which he named for his  wife1   

,adataneses4 ,shem was the only one of  
the sons of ,noah who did not  abandon  
him4 ,in the vicinity of his father's   
home1 by the mountain1 he  built his    
city1 to which he also gave his wife's  
name1 ,zedeketelbab4  ,the three cities 
are all near ,mount ,lubar1 the eminence
 upon which the  ark rested4 ,the first 
lies to the south of it1 the second to  
the west1  and the third to the east4   
,noah endeavored to inculcate the       
ordinances and the commands known to    
him upon his children and his children's
 children4 ,in particular he  admonished
 them against the fornication1 the      
uncleanness1 and all the  iniquity which
 had brought the flood down upon the    
earth4 ,he reproached  them with living 
apart from one another1 and with their  
jealousies1 for  he feared that1 after  
his death1 they might go so far as to   
shed human  blood4 ,against this he     
warned them impressively1 that they be  
not  annihilated from the earth like    
those that went before4 ,another law    

which he enjoined upon them1 to observe 
it1 was the law ordaining that  the     
fruit of a tree shall not be used the   
first three years it bears1  and even in
 the fourth year it shall be the portion
 of the priests  alone1 after a part    
thereof has been offered upon the altar 
of ,god4 ,and  having made an end of    
giving his teachings and injunctions1   
,noah said3  ,for thus did ,enoch1 your 
ancestor1 exhort his son ,methuselah1   
and  ,methuselah his son ,lamech1 and   
,lamech delivered all unto me as his    
father had bidden him1 and now ,i do    
exhort you1 my children1 as ,enoch      
exhorted his son4 ,when he lived1 in his
 generation1 which was the  seventh     
generation of man1 he commanded it and  
testified it unto his  children and his 
children's children1 until the day of   
his death4#fg    ,in the year #aefi     
after the creation of the world1 ,noah  
divided the  earth by lot among his     
three sons1 in the presence of an angel4
 ,each  one stretched forth his hand and

 took a slip from the bosom of ,noah4   
,shem's slip was inscribed with the     
middle of the earth1 and this  portion  
became the inheritance of his           
descendants unto all eternity4  ,noah   
rejoiced that the lot had assigned it to
 ,shem4 ,thus was fulfilled  his        
blessing upon him1 ,and ,god in the     
habitation of ,shem1 for three  holy    
places fell within his precincts--the   
,holy of ,holies in the ,temple1  ,mount
 ,sinai1 the middle point of the desert1
 and ,mount ,zion1 the middle  point of 
the navel of the earth4    ,the south   
fell to the lot of ,ham1 and the north  
became the inheritance  of ,japheth4    
,the land of ,ham is hot1 ,japheth's    
cold1 but ,shem's is  neither hot nor   
cold1 its temperature is hot and cold   
mixed4#fh    ,this division of the earth
 took place toward the end of the life  
of  ,peleg1 the name given to him by his
 father ,eber1 who1 being a prophet1    
knew that the division of the earth     
would take place in the time of his     

son4#fi ,the brother of ,peleg was      
called ,joktan1 because the duration  of
 the life of man was shortened in his   
time4#gj    ,in turn1 the three sons of 
,noah1 while they were still standing in
 the  presence of their father1 divided 
each his portion among his children1    
,noah threatening with his curse any who
 should stretch out his hand to  take a 
portion not assigned to him by lot4 ,and
 they all cried1 ,so be  it6 ,so be     
it6#ga    ,thus were divided one hundred
 and four lands and ninety-nine islands 
among seventy-two nations1 each with a  
language of its own1 using  sixteen     
different sets of characters for        
writing4 ,to ,japheth were  allotted    
forty-four lands1 thirty-three islands1 
twenty-two languages1  and five kinds of
 writing2 ,ham received thirty-four     
lands1 thirty-three  islands1           
twenty-four languages1 and five kinds of
 writing2 and ,shem  twenty-six lands1  
thirty-three islands1 twenty-six        
languages1 and six  kinds of            

writing--one set of written characters  
more to ,shem than to  either of his    
brothers1 the extra set being the       
,hebrew4#gb    ,the land appointed as   
the inheritance of the twelve sons of   
,jacob was  provisionally granted to    
,canaan1 ,zidon1 ,heth1 the ,jebusites1 
the  ,amorites1 the ,girgashites1 the   
,hivites1 the ,arkites1 the ,sinites1   
the  ,arvadites1 the ,zemarites1 and the
 ,hamathites4 ,it was the duty of these 
nations to take care of the land until  
the rightful owners should  come4#gc    
,no sooner had the children of ,noah and
 their children's children taken        
possession of the habitations           
apportioned to them1 than the unclean   
spirits began to seduce men and torment 
them with pain and all sorts of         
suffering leading to spiritual and      
physical death4 ,upon the entreaties  of
 ,noah ,god sent down the angel         
,raphael1 who banished nine-tenths of   
the unclean spirits from the earth1     
leaving but one-tenth for ,mastema1  to 

punish sinners through them4 ,raphael1  
supported by the chief of the  unclean  
spirits1 at that time revealed to ,noah 
all the remedies  residing in plants1   
that he might resort to them at need4   
,noah recorded  them in a book1 which he
 transmitted to his son ,shem4#gd ,this 
is the  source to which go back all the 
medical books whence the wise men of    
,india1 ,aram1 ,macedonia1 and ,egypt   
draw their knowledge4 ,the sages of     
,india devoted themselves particularly  
to the study of curative trees  and     
spices2 the ,arameans were well versed  
in the knowledge of the  properties of  
grains and seeds1 and they translated   
the old medical  books into their       
language4 ,the wise men of ,macedonia   
were the first to  apply medical        
knowledge practically1 while the        
,egyptians sought to  effect cures by   
means of magic arts and by means of     
astrology1 and they  taught the ,midrash
 of the ,chaldees1 composed by ,kangar1 
the son of ,ur1  the son of ,kesed4     

,medical skill spread further and       
further until the  time of aesculapius4 
,this ,macedonian sage1 accompanied by  
forty learned  magicians1 journeyed from
 country to country1 until they came to 
the  land beyond ,india1 in the         
direction of ,paradise4 ,they hoped     
there to  find some wood of the tree of 
life1 and thus spread their fame abroad 
over the whole world4 ,their hope was   
frustrated4 ,when they arrived at  the  
spot1 they found healing trees and wood 
of the tree of life1 but  when they were
 in the act of stretching forth their   
hands to gather  what they desired1     
lightning darted out of the ever-turning
 sword1  smote them to the ground1 and  
they were all burnt4 ,with them         
disappeared all knowledge of medicine1  
and it did not revive until the  time of
 the first ,artaxerxes1 under the       
,macedonian sage ,hippocrates1          
,dioscorides of ,baala1 ,galen of       
,caphtor1 and the ,hebrew ,asaph4#ge    
,,the ,,depravity ,,of ,,mankind        

,with the spread of mankind corruption  
increased4 ,while ,noah was still       
alive1 the descendants of ,shem1 ,ham1  
and ,japheth appointed princes over     
each of the three groups--,nimrod for   
the descendants of ,ham1 ,joktan for    
the descendants of ,shem1 and ,phenech  
for the descendants of ,japheth4  ,ten  
years before ,noah's death1 the number  
of those subject to the three  princes  
amounted to millions4 ,when this great  
concourse of men came to  ,babylonia    
upon their journeyings1 they said to one
 another3 ,behold1  the time is coming  
when1 at the end of days1 neighbor will 
be separated  from neighbor1 and brother
 from brother1 and one will carry on war
  against the other4 ,go to1 let us     
build us a city1 and a tower1 whose  top
 may reach unto heaven1 and let us make 
us a great name upon the  earth4 ,and   
now let us make bricks1 and each one    
write his name upon his  brick4 ,all    
agreed to this proposal1 with the       
exception of twelve pious  men1 ,abraham

 among them4 ,they refused to join the  
others4 ,they were  seized by the       
people1 and brought before the three    
princes1 to whom  they gave the         
following reason for their refusal3 ,we 
will not make  bricks1 nor remain with  
you1 for we know but one ,god1 and ,him 
we serve2  even if you burn us in the   
fire together with the bricks1 we will  
not  walk in your ways4 ,nimrod and     
,phenech flew into such a passion over  
the twelve men that they resolved to    
throw them into the fire4 ,joktan1      
however1 besides being a ,god-fearing   
man1 was of close kin to the men  on    
trial1 and he essayed to save them4 ,he 
proposed to his two  colleagues to grant
 them a seven days' respite4 ,his plan  
was accepted1  such deference being paid
 him as the primate among the three4    
,the  twelve were incarcerated in the   
house of ,joktan4 ,in the night he      
charged fifty of his attendants to mount
 the prisoners upon mules and  take them
 to the mountains4 ,thus they would     

escape the threatened  punishment4      
,joktan provided them with food for a   
month4 ,he was sure  that in the        
meantime either a change of sentiment   
would come about1 and  the people desist
 from their purpose1 or ,god would help 
the fugitives4  ,eleven of the prisoners
 assented to the plan with gratitude4   
,abraham  alone rejected it1 saying3    
,behold1 to-day we flee to the mountains
 to  escape from the fire1 but if wild  
beasts rush out from the mountains  and 
devour us1 or if food is lacking1 so    
that we die by famine1 we  shall be     
found fleeing before the people of the  
land and dying in our  sins4 ,now1 as   
the ,lord liveth1 in whom ,i trust1 ,i  
will not depart from  this place wherein
 they have imprisoned me1 and if ,i am  
to die through  my sins1 then will ,i   
die by the will of ,god1 according to   
,his desire4    ,in vain ,joktan        
endeavored to persuade ,abraham to flee4
 ,he persisted in  his refusal4 ,he     
remained behind alone in the prison     

house1 while the  other eleven made     
their escape4 ,at the expiration of the 
set term1 when  the people returned and 
demanded the death of the twelve        
captives1  ,joktan could produce only   
,abraham4 ,his excuse was that the rest 
had  broken loose during the night4 ,the
 people were about to throw  themselves 
upon ,abraham and cast him into the lime
 kiln4 ,suddenly an  earthquake was     
felt1 the fire darted from the furnace1 
and all who were  standing round about1 
eighty four thousand of the people1 were
  consumed1 while ,abraham remained     
untouched4 ,thereupon he repaired to    
his eleven friends in the mountains1 and
 told them of the miracle that  had     
befallen for his sake4 ,they all        
returned with him1 and1 unmolested  by  
the people1 they gave praise and thanks 
to ,god4#gf    ,,nimrod    ,the first   
among the leaders of the corrupt men was
 ,nimrod4#gg ,his  father ,cush had     
married his mother at an advanced age1  
and ,nimrod1 the  offspring of this     

belated union1 was particularly dear to 
him as the  son of his old age4 ,he gave
 him the clothes made of skins with     
which  ,god had furnished ,adam and ,eve
 at the time of their leaving ,paradise4
  ,cush himself had gained possession of
 them through ,ham4 ,from ,adam and     
,eve they had descended to ,enoch1 and  
from him to ,methuselah1 and to  ,noah1 
and the last had taken them with him    
into the ark4 ,when the  inmates of the 
ark were about to leave their refuge1   
,ham stole the  garments and kept them  
concealed1 finally passing them on to   
his  first-born son ,cush4 ,cush in turn
 hid them for many years4 ,when his son 
,nimrod reached his twentieth year1 he  
gave them to him4#gh ,these  garments   
had a wonderful property4 ,he who wore  
them was both invincible  and           
irresistible4 ,the beasts and birds of  
the woods fell down before  ,nimrod as  
soon as they caught sight of him arrayed
 in them1#gi and he  was equally        
victorious in his combats with men4#hj  

,the source of his  unconquerable       
strength was not known to them4 ,they   
attributed it to his  personal prowess1 
and therefore they appointed him king   
over  themselves4#ha ,this was done     
after a conflict between the descendants
  of ,cush and the descendants of       
,japheth1 from which ,nimrod emerged    
triumphant1 having routed the enemy     
utterly with the assistance of a        
handful of warriors4 ,he chose ,shinar  
as his capital4 ,thence he extended  his
 dominion farther and farther1 until he 
rose by cunning and force to  be the    
sole ruler of the whole world1 the first
 mortal to hold  universal sway1 as the 
ninth ruler to possess the same power   
will be  the ,messiah4#hb    ,his       
impiousness kept pace with his growing  
power4 ,since the flood there  had been 
no such sinner as ,nimrod4 ,he fashioned
 idols of wood and  stone1 and paid     
worship to them4 ,but not satisfied to  
lead a godless  life himself1 he did all
 he could to tempt his subjects into    

evil ways1  wherein he was aided and    
abetted by his son ,mardon4 ,this son of
 his  outstripped his father in         
iniquity4 ,it was their time and their  
life  that gave rise to the proverb1    
,out of the wicked cometh forth         
wickedness4#hc    ,the great success    
that attended all of ,nimrod's          
undertakings produced a  sinister       
effect4 ,men no longer trusted in ,god1 
but rather in their own  prowess and    
ability1#hd an attitude to which ,nimrod
 tried to convert  the whole world4#he  
,therefore people said1 ,since the      
creation of the  world there has been   
none like ,nimrod1 a mighty hunter of   
men and  beasts1 and a sinner before    
,god4#hf    ,and not all this sufficed  
unto ,nimrod's evil desire4 ,not enough 
that he  turned men away from ,god1 he  
did all he could to make them pay       
,divine  honors unto himself4 ,he set   
himself up as a god1 and made a seat for
  himself in imitation of the seat of   
,god4 ,it was a tower built out of a    

round rock1 and on it he placed a throne
 of cedar wood1 upon which  arose1 one  
above the other1 four thrones1 of iron1 
copper1 silver1 and  gold4 ,crowning    
all1 upon the golden throne1 lay a      
precious stone1 round  in shape and     
gigantic in size4 ,this served him as a 
seat1 and as he  sate upon it1 all      
nations came and paid him ,divine       
homage4#hg    ,,the ,,tower ,,of ,,babel
    ,the iniquity and godlessness of    
,nimrod reached their climax in the     
building of the ,tower of ,babel4 ,his  
counsellors had proposed the plan  of   
erecting such a tower1 ,nimrod had      
agreed to it1 and it was executed  in   
,shinar by a mob of six hundred thousand
 men4 ,the enterprise was  neither more 
nor less than rebellion against ,god1   
and there were three  sorts of rebels   
among the builders4 ,the first party    
spoke1 ,let us  ascend into the heavens 
and wage warfare with ,him2 the second  
party  spoke1 ,let us ascend into the   
heavens1 set up our idols1 and pay      

worship unto them there2 and the third  
party spoke1 ,let us ascend into  the   
heavens1 and ruin them with our bows and
 spears4    ,many1 many years were      
passed in building the tower4 ,it       
reached so great  a height that it took 
a year to mount to the top4 ,a brick    
was1  therefore1 more precious in the   
sight of the builders than a human      
being4 ,if a man fell down1 and met his 
death1 none took notice of it1  but if a
 brick dropped1 they wept1 because it   
would take a year to  replace it4 ,so   
intent were they upon accomplishing     
their purpose that  they would not      
permit a woman to interrupt herself in  
her work of  brick-making when the hour 
of travail came upon her4 ,moulding     
bricks  she gave birth to her child1    
and1 tying it round her body in a sheet1
  she went on moulding bricks4    ,they 
never slackened in their work1 and from 
their dizzy height they  constantly shot
 arrows toward heaven1 which1 returning1
 were seen to be  covered with blood4   

,they were thus fortified in their      
delusion1 and  they cried1 ,we have     
slain all who are in heaven4 ,thereupon 
,god turned  to the seventy angels who  
encompass ,his throne1 and ,he spake3   
,go to1  let us go down1 and there      
confound their language1 that they may  
not  understand one another's speech4   
,thus it happened4 ,thenceforth none    
knew what the other spoke4 ,one would   
ask for the mortar1 and the other       
handed him a brick2 in a rage1 he would 
throw the brick at his partner  and kill
 him4 ,many perished in this manner1 and
 the rest were punished  according to   
the nature of their rebellious conduct4 
,those who had  spoken1 ,let us ascend  
into the heavens1 set up our idols1 and 
pay  worship unto them there1 ,god      
transformed into apes and phantoms2     
those  who had proposed to assault the  
heavens with their arms1 ,god set       
against each other so that they fell in 
the combat2 and those who had  resolved 
to carry on a combat with ,god in heaven

 were scattered  broadcast over the     
earth4 ,as for the unfinished tower1 a  
part sank into  the earth1 and another  
part was consumed by fire2 only         
one-third of it  remained standing4#hh  
,the place of the tower has never lost  
its  peculiar quality4 ,whoever passes  
it forgets all he knows4#hi    ,the     
punishment inflicted upon the sinful    
generation of the tower is              
comparatively lenient4 ,on account of   
rapine the generation of the flood  were
 utterly destroyed1 while the generation
 of the tower were  preserved in spite  
of their blasphemies and all their other
 acts  offensive to ,god4 ,the reason is
 that ,god sets a high value upon peace 
and harmony4 ,therefore the generation  
of the deluge1 who gave  themselves up  
to depredation1 and bore hatred to one  
another1 were  extirpated1 root and     
branch1 while the generation of the     
,tower of ,babel  dwelling amicably     
together1 and loving one another1 were  
spared alive1  at least a remnant of    

them4#ij    ,beside the chastisement of 
sin and sinners by the confounding of   
speech1 another notable circumstance was
 connected with the descent of  ,god    
upon earth--one of only ten such        
descents to occur between the  creation 
of the world and the day of judgment4   
,it was on this occasion  that ,god and 
the seventy angels that surround ,his   
throne cast lots  concerning the various
 nations4 ,each angel received a nation1
 and  ,israel fell to the lot of ,god4  
,to every nation a peculiar language was
  assigned1 ,hebrew being reserved for  
,israel--the language made use of by    
,god at the creation of the world4#ia   
,v  ,,abraham    ,,the ,,wicked         
,,generations    ,ten generations there 
were from ,noah to ,abraham1 to show how
 great is  the clemency of ,god1 for all
 the generations provoked ,his wrath1   
until  ,abraham our father came and     
received the reward of all of them4#a   
,for  the sake of ,abraham ,god had     
shown himself long-suffering and patient

  during the lives of these ten         
generations4 ,yea1 more1 the world      
itself  had been created for the sake of
 his merits4#b ,his advent had been     
made manifest to his ancestor ,reu1 who 
uttered the following prophecy  at the  
birth of his son ,serug3 ,from this     
child he shall be born in the  fourth   
generation that shall set his dwelling  
over the highest1 and he  shall be      
called perfect and spotless1 and shall  
be the father of  nations1 and his      
covenant shall not be dissolved1 and his
 seed shall be  multiplied forever4#c   
,it was1 indeed1 high time that the     
friend of ,god#d should make his        
appearance upon earth4 ,the descendants 
of ,noah were sinking from  depravity to
 lower and lower depths of depravity4   
,they were beginning  to quarrel and    
slay1 eat blood1 build fortified cities 
and walls and  towers1 and set one man  
over the whole nation as king1 and wage 
wars1  people against people1 and       
nations against nations1 and cities     

against  cities1 and do all manner of   
evil1 and acquire weapons1 and teach    
warfare unto their children4 ,and they  
began also to take captives and  sell   
them as slaves4 ,and they made unto     
themselves molten images1 which  they   
worshipped1 each one the idol he had    
molten for himself1 for the  evil       
spirits under their leader ,mastema led 
them astray into sin and  uncleanness4  
,for this reason ,reu called his son    
,serug1 because all  mankind had turned 
aside unto sin and transgression4 ,when 
he grew to  manhood1 the name was seen  
to have been chosen fittingly1 for he1  
too1  worshipped idols1 and when he     
himself had a son1 ,nahor by name1 he   
taught him the arts of the ,chaldees1   
how to be a soothsayer and  practice    
magic according to signs in the heavens4
 ,when1 in time1 a son  was born to     
,nahor1 ,mastema sent ravens and other  
birds to despoil the  earth and rob men 
of the proceeds of their work4 ,as soon 
as they had  dropped the seed in the    

furrows1 and before they could cover it 
over  with earth1 the birds picked it up
 from the surface of the ground1 and    
,nahor called his son ,terah1 because   
the ravens and the other birds  plagued 
men1 devoured their seed1 and reduced   
them to destitution4#f    ,,the ,,birth 
,,of ,,abraham    ,terah married        
,emtelai1 the daughter of ,karnabo1#f   
and the offspring of  their union was   
,abraham4 ,his birth had been read in   
the stars by  ,nimrod1#g for this       
impious king was a cunning astrologer1  
and it was  manifest to him that a man  
would be born in his day who would rise 
up  against him and triumphantly give   
the lie to his religion4 ,in his  terror
 at the fate foretold him in the stars1 
he sent for his princes  and governors1 
and asked them to advise him in the     
matter4 ,they  answered1 and said3 ,our 
unanimous advice is that thou shouldst  
build a  great house1 station a guard at
 the entrance thereof1 and make known in
  the whole of thy realm that all       

pregnant women shall repair thither     
together with their midwives1 who are to
 remain with them when they are         
delivered4 ,when the days of a woman to 
be delivered are fulfilled1 and  the    
child is born1 it shall be the duty of  
the midwife to kill it1 if  it be a boy4
 ,but if the child be a girl1 it shall  
be kept alive1 and  the mother shall    
receive gifts and costly garments1 and a
 herald shall  proclaim1 ',thus is done 
unto the woman who bears a daughter6'   
,the king was pleased with this counsel1
 and he had a proclamation  published   
throughout his whole kingdom1 summoning 
all the architects to  build a great    
house for him1 sixty ells high and      
eighty wide4 ,after it  was completed1  
he issued a second proclamation1        
summoning all pregnant  women thither1  
and there they were to remain until     
their confinement4  ,officers were      
appointed to take the women to the      
house1 and guards were  stationed in it 
and about it1 to prevent the women from 

escaping  thence4 ,he furthermore sent  
midwives to the house1 and commanded    
them  to slay the men children at their 
mothers' breasts4 ,but if a woman bore  
a girl1 she was to be arrayed in byssus1
 silk1 and embroidered  garments1 and   
led forth from the house of detention   
amid great honors4  ,no less than       
seventy thousand children were          
slaughtered thus4 ,then the  angels     
appeared before ,god1 and spoke1 ,seest 
,thou not what he doth1  yon sinner and 
blasphemer1 ,nimrod son of ,canaarl1 who
 slays so many  innocent babes that have
 done no harm8 ,god answered1 and said3 
,ye  holy angels1 ,i know it and ,i see 
it1 for ,i neither slumber nor sleep4 ,i
  behold and ,i know the secret things  
and the things that are revealed1  and  
ye shall witness what ,i will do unto   
this sinner and blasphemer1  for ,i will
 turn ,my hand against him to chastise  
him4#h    ,it was about this time that  
,terah espoused the mother of ,abraham1 
and  she was with child4 ,when her body 

grew large at the end of three months   
of pregnancy1#i and her countenance     
became pale1 ,terah said unto her1      
,what ails thee1 my wife1 that thy      
countenance is so pale and thy body  so 
swollen8 ,she answered1 and said1 ,every
 year ,i suffer with this  malady4#aj   
,but ,terah would not be put off thus4  
,he insisted3 ,show me  thy body4 ,it   
seems to me thou art big with child4 ,if
 that be so1 it  behooves us not to     
violate the command of our god          
,nimrod4#aa ,when he  passed his hand   
over her body1 there happened a miracle4
 ,the child rose  until it lay beneath  
her breasts1 and ,terah could feel      
nothing with his  hands4 ,he said to his
 wife1 ,thou didst speak truly1 and     
naught became  visible until the day of 
her delivery4    ,when her time         
approached1 she left the city in great  
terror and  wandered toward the desert1 
walking along the edge of a valley1#ab  
until she happened across a cave4 ,she  
entered this refuge1 and on the  next   

day she was seized with throes1 and she 
gave birth to a son4 ,the  whole cave   
was filled with the light of the child's
 countenance as with  the splendor of   
the sun1 and the mother rejoiced        
exceedingly4 ,the babe  she bore was our
 father ,abraham4    ,his mother        
lamented1 and said to her son3 ,alas    
that ,i bore thee at a  time when       
,nimrod is king4 ,for thy sake seventy  
thousand men children  were slaughtered1
 and ,i am seized with terror on account
 of thee1 that  he hear of thy          
existence1 and slay thee4 ,better thou  
shouldst perish  here in this cave than 
my eye should behold thee dead at my    
breast4  ,she took the garment in which 
she was clothed1 and wrapped it about   
the  boy4 ,then she abandoned him in the
 cave1 saying1 ,may the ,lord be with   
thee1 may ,he not fail thee nor forsake 
thee4#ac    ,,the ,,babe ,,proclaims    
,,god    ,thus ,abraham was deserted in 
the cave1 without a nurse1 and he began 
to  wail4 ,god sent ,gabriel down to    

give him milk to drink1 and the angel   
made it to flow from the little finger  
of the baby's right hand1 and he  sucked
 at it until he was ten days old4#ad    
,then he arose and walked  about1 and he
 left the cave1 and went along the edge 
of the valley4#ae  ,when the sun sank1  
and the stars came forth1 he said1      
,these are the  gods6 ,but the dawn     
came1 and the stars could be seen no    
longer1 and  then he said1 ,i will not  
pay worship to these1 for they are no   
gods4  ,thereupon the sun came forth1   
and he spoke1 ,this is my god1 him will 
,i  extol4 ,but again the sun set1 and  
he said1 ,he is no god1 and  beholding  
the moon1 he called her his god to whom 
he would pay ,divine  homage4 ,then the 
moon was obscured1 and he cried out3    
,this1 too1 is no  god6 ,there is ,one  
who sets them all in motion4#af    ,he  
was still communing with himself when   
the angel ,gabriel approached  him and  
met him with the greeting1 ,peace be    
with thee1 and ,abraham  returned1 ,with

 thee be peace1 and asked1 ,who art     
thou8 ,and ,gabriel  answered1 and said1
 ,i am the angel ,gabriel1 the messenger
 of ,god1 and  he led ,abraham to a     
spring of water near by1 and ,abraham   
washed his  face and his hands and feet1
 and he prayed to ,god1 bowing down and 
prostrating himself4    ,meantime the   
mother of ,abraham thought of him in    
sorrow and tears1 and  she went forth   
from the city to seek him in the cave in
 which she had  abandoned him4 ,not     
finding her son1 she wept bitterly1 and 
said1 ,woe  unto me that ,i bore thee   
but to become a prey of wild beasts1 the
 bears  and the lions and the wolves6   
,she went to the edge of the valley1 and
  there she found her son4 ,but she did 
not recognize him1 for he had  grown    
very large4 ,she addressed the lad1     
,peace be with thee6 and he  returned1  
,with thee be peace6 and he continued1  
,unto what purpose  didst thou come to  
the desert8 ,she replied1 ,i went forth 
from the  city to seek my son4 ,abraham 

questioned further1 ,who brought thy son
  hither8 and the mother replied        
thereto3 ,i had become pregnant from my 
husband ,terah1 and when the days of my 
delivery were fulfilled1 ,i was  in     
anxiety about my son in my womb1 lest   
our king come1 the son of  ,canaan1 and 
slay him as he had slain the seventy    
thousand other men  children4 ,scarcely 
had ,i reached the cave in this valley  
when the  throes of travailing seized   
me1 and ,i bore a son1 whom ,i left     
behind in  the cave1 and ,i went home   
again4 ,now am ,i come to seek him1 but 
,i find  him not4    ,abraham then      
spoke1 ,as to this child thou tellest   
of1 how old was it8    ,the mother3 ,it 
was about twenty days old4    ,abraham3 
,is there a woman in the world who would
 forsake her new-born  son in the       
desert1 and come to seek him after      
twenty days8    ,the mother3            
,peradventure ,god will show ,himself a 
merciful ,god6    ,abraham3 ,i am the   
son whom thou hast come to seek in this 

valley6    ,the mother3 ,my son1 how    
thou art grown6 ,but twenty days old1   
and thou  canst already walk1 and talk  
with thy mouth6#ag    ,abraham3 ,so it  
is1 and thus1 ,o my mother1 it is made  
known unto thee  that there is in the   
world a great1 terrible1 living1 and    
ever-existing  ,god1 who doth see1 but  
who cannot be seen4 ,he is in the       
heavens above1  and the whole earth is  
full of ,his glory4    ,the mother3 ,my 
son1 is there a ,god beside ,nimrod8    
,abraham3 ,yes1 mother1 the ,god of the 
heavens and the ,god of the earth1  ,he 
is also the ,god of ,nimrod son of      
,canaan4 ,go1 therefore1 and carry  this
 message unto ,nimrod4    ,the mother of
 ,abraham returned to the city and told 
her husband ,terah  how she had found   
their son4 ,terah1 who was a prince and 
a magnate in  the house of the king1    
betook himself to the royal palace1 and 
cast  himself down before the king upon 
his face4 ,it was the rule that one  who
 prostrated himself before the king was 

not permitted to lift up his  head until
 the king bade him lift it up4 ,nimrod  
gave permission to  ,terah to rise and  
state his request4 ,thereupon ,terah    
related all that  had happened with his 
wife and his son4 ,when ,nimrod heard   
his tale1  abject fear seized upon him1 
and he asked his counsellors and princes
  what to do with the lad4 ,they        
answered1 and said3 ,our king and our   
god6 ,wherefore art thou in fear by     
reason of a little child8 ,there are    
myriads upon myriads of princes in thy  
realm1#ah rulers of thousands1  rulers  
of hundreds1 rulers of fifties1 and     
rulers of tens1 and  overseers without  
number4 ,let the pettiest of the princes
 go and fetch  the boy and put him in   
prison4 ,but the king interposed1 ,have 
ye ever  seen a baby of twenty days     
walking with his feet1 speaking with his
  mouth1 and proclaiming with his tongue
 that there is a ,god in heaven1  who is
 ,one1 and none beside ,him1 who sees   
and is not seen8 ,all the  assembled    

princes were horror struck at these     
words4#ai    ,at this time ,satan in    
human form appeared1 clad in black silk 
garb1 and  he cast himself down before  
the king4 ,nimrod said1 ,raise thy head 
and  state thy request4 ,satan asked the
 king3 ,why art thou terrified1 and  why
 are ye all in fear on account of a     
little lad8 ,i will counsel thee  what  
thou shalt do3 ,open thy arsenal and    
give weapons unto all the  princes1     
chiefs1 and governors1 and unto all the 
warriors1 and send  them to fetch him   
unto thy service and to be under thy    
dominion4    ,this advice given by      
,satan the king accepted and followed4  
,he sent a  great armed host to bring   
,abraham to him4 ,when the boy saw the  
army  approach him1 he was sore afraid1 
and amid tears he implored ,god for     
help4 ,in answer to his prayer1 ,god    
sent the angel ,gabriel to him1 and  he 
said3 ,be not afraid and disquieted1 for
 ,god is with thee4 ,he will  rescue    
thee out of the hands of all thine      

adversaries4 ,god commanded  ,gabriel to
 put thick1 dark clouds between ,abraham
 and his assailants4  ,dismayed by the  
heavy clouds1 they fled1 returning to   
,nimrod1 their  king1 and they said to  
him1 ,let us depart and leave this      
realm1 and  the king gave money unto all
 his princes and his servants1 and      
together  with the king they departed   
and journeyed to ,babylon4#bj           
,,abraham',s ,,first ,,appearance ,,in  
,,public    ,now ,abraham1 at the       
command of ,god1 was ordered by the     
angel ,gabriel to  follow ,nimrod to    
,babylon4 ,he objected that he was in no
 wise equipped  to undertake a campaign 
against the king1 but ,gabriel calmed   
him with  the words3 ,thou needest no   
provision for the way1 no horse to ride 
upon1 no warriors to carry on war with  
,nimrod1 no chariots1 nor riders4  ,do  
thou but sit thyself upon my shoulder1  
and ,i shall bear thee to  ,babylon4    
,abraham did as he was bidden1 and in   
the twinkling of an eye he found        

himself before the gates of the city of 
,babylon4#ba ,at the behest of  the     
angel1 he entered the city1 and he      
called unto the dwellers therein  with a
 loud voice3 ,the ,eternal1 ,he is the  
,one ,only ,god1 and there is  none     
beside4 ,he is the ,god of the heavens1 
and the ,god of the gods1 and  the ,god 
of ,nimrod4 ,acknowledge this as the    
truth1 all ye men1 women1  and children4
 ,acknowledge also that ,i am ,abraham  
,his servant1 the  trusted steward of   
,his house4    ,abraham met his parents 
in ,babylon1 and also he saw the angel  
,gabriel1  who bade him proclaim the    
true faith to his father and his mother4
  ,therefore ,abraham spake to them1 and
 said3 ,ye serve a man of your own      
kind1 and you pay worship to an image of
 ,nimrod4 ,know ye not that it  has a   
mouth1 but it speaks not2 an eye1 but it
 sees not2 an ear1 but it  hears not2   
nor does it walk upon its feet1 and     
there is no profit in  it1 either unto  
itself or unto others8    ,when ,terah  

heard these words1 he persuaded ,abraham
 to follow him into  the house1 where   
his son told him all that had           
happened--how in one day  he had        
completed a forty days' journey4 ,terah 
thereupon went to ,nimrod  and reported 
to him that his son ,abraham had        
suddenly appeared in  ,babylon4#bb ,the 
king sent for ,abraham1 and he came     
before him with his  father4 ,abraham   
passed the magnates and the dignitaries 
until he  reached the royal throne1 upon
 which he seized hold1 shaking it and   
crying out with a loud voice3 ,o        
,nimrod1 thou contemptible wretch1 that 
deniest the essence of faith1 that      
deniest the living and immutable  ,god1 
and ,abraham ,his servant1 the trusted  
steward of ,his house4  ,acknowledge    
,him1 and repeat after me the words3    
,the ,eternal is ,god1 the  ,only ,one1 
and there is none beside2 ,he is        
incorporeal1 living1  ever-existing2 ,he
 slumbers not and sleeps not1 who hath  
created the  world that men might       

believe in ,him4 ,and confess also      
concerning me1  and say that ,i am the  
servant of ,god and the trusted steward 
of ,his  house4#bc    ,while ,abraham   
proclaimed this with a loud voice1 the  
idols fell upon  their faces1 and with  
them also ,king ,nimrod4#bd ,for a space
 of two  hours and a half the king lay  
lifeless1 and when his soul returned    
upon  him1 he spoke and said1 ,is it thy
 voice1 ,o ,abraham1 or the voice of    
thy ,god8 ,and ,abraham answered1 and   
said1 ,this voice is the voice of  the  
least of all creatures called into      
existence by ,god4 ,thereupon  ,nimrod  
said1 ,verily1 the ,god of ,abraham is a
 great and powerful ,god1  the ,king of 
all kings1 and he commanded ,terah to   
take his son and  remove him1 and return
 again unto his own city1 and father and
 son did  as the king had ordered4#be   
,,the ,,preacher ,,of ,,the ,,true      
,,faith    ,when ,abraham attained the  
age of twenty years1 his father ,terah  
fell  ill4 ,he spoke as follows to his  

sons ,haran and ,abraham1 ,i adjure you 
by your lives1 my sons1 sell these two  
idols for me1 for ,i have not  enough   
money to meet our expenses4 ,haran      
executed the wish of his  father1 but if
 any one accosted ,abraham1 to buy an   
idol from him1 and  asked him the price1
 he would answer1 ,three manehs1 and    
then question  in turn1 ,how old art    
thou8 ,thirty years1 the reply would be4
 ,thou  art thirty years of age1 and yet
 thou wouldst worship this idol which ,i
  made but to-day8 ,the man would depart
 and go his way1 and another  would     
approach ,abraham1 and ask1 ,how much is
 this idol8 and ,five  manehs would be  
the reply1 and again ,abraham would put 
the question1  ,how old art             
thou8--,fifty years4--,and dost thou who
 art fifty years  of age bow down before
 this idol which was made but to-day8   
,thereupon  the man would depart and go 
his way4 ,abraham then took two idols1  
put a  rope about their necks1 and1 with
 their faces turned downward1 he        

dragged them along the ground1 crying   
aloud all the time3 ,who will buy  an   
idol wherein there is no profit1 either 
unto itself or unto him that  buys it in
 order to worship it8 ,it has a mouth1  
but it speaketh not2  eyes1 but it seeth
 not2 feet1 but it walketh not2 ears1   
but it heareth  not4    ,the people who 
heard ,abraham were amazed exceedingly  
at his words4 ,as  he went through the  
streets1 he met an old woman who        
approached him  with the purpose of     
buying an idol1 good and big1 to be     
worshipped and  loved4 ,old woman1 old  
woman1 said ,abraham1 ,i know no profit 
therein1  either in the big ones or in  
the little ones1 either unto themselves 
or  unto others4 ,and1 he continued to  
speak to her1 what has become of  the   
big image thou didst buy from my brother
 ,haran1 to worship it8  ,thieves1 she  
replied1 came in the night and stole it1
 while ,i was  still at the bath4 ,if it
 be thus1 ,abraham went on questioning  
her1  how canst thou pay homage to an   

idol that cannot save itself from       
thieves1 let alone save others1 like    
thyself1 thou silly old woman1 out  of  
misfortune8 ,how is it possible for thee
 to say that the image thou  worshippest
 is a god8 ,if it be a god1 why did it  
not save itself out of  the hands of    
those thieves8 ,nay1 in the idol there  
is no profit1 either  unto itself or    
unto him that adores it4#bf    ,the old 
woman rejoined1 ,if what thou sayest be 
true1 whom shall ,i  serve8 ,serve the  
,god of all gods1 returned ,abraham1 the
 ,lord of  lords1 who hath created      
heaven and earth1 the sea and all       
therein--the  ,god of ,nimrod and the   
,god of ,terah1 the ,god of the east1   
the west1 the  south1 and the north4    
,who is ,nimrod1 the dog1 who calleth   
himself a  god1 that worship be offered 
unto him8    ,abraham succeeded in      
opening the eyes of the old woman1 and  
she became  a zealous missionary for the
 true ,god4 ,when she discovered the    
thieves  who had carried off her idol1  

and they restored it to her1 she broke  
it  in pieces with a stone1 and as she  
wended her way through the streets1  she
 cried aloud1 ,who would save his soul  
from destruction1 and be  prosperous in 
all his doings1 let him serve the ,god  
of ,abraham4 ,thus  she converted many  
men and women to the true belief4       
,rumors of the words and deeds of the   
old woman reached the king1 and he  sent
 for her4 ,when she appeared before him1
 he rebuked her harshly1  asking her how
 she dared serve any god but himself4   
,the old woman  replied3 ,thou art a    
liar1 thou deniest the essence of faith1
 the ,one  ,only ,god1 beside whom there
 is no other god4 ,thou livest upon ,his
  bounty1 but thou payest worship to    
another1 and thou dost repudiate  ,him1 
and ,his teachings1 and ,abraham ,his   
servant4    ,the old woman had to pay   
for her zeal for the faith with her     
life4  ,nevertheless great fear and     
terror took possession of ,nimrod1      
because  the people became more and more

 attached to the teachings of ,abraham1 
and he knew not how to deal with the man
 who was undermining the old  faith4 ,at
 the advice of his princes1 he arranged 
a seven days'  festival1 at which all   
the people were bidden to appear in     
their robes  of state1 their gold and   
silver apparel4 ,by such display of     
wealth and  power he expected to        
intimidate ,abraham and bring him back  
to the faith  of the king4 ,through his 
father ,terah1 ,nimrod invited ,abraham 
to come  before him1 that he might have 
the opportunity of seeing his greatness 
and wealth1 and the glory of his        
dominion1 and the multitude of his      
princes and attendants4 ,but ,abraham   
refused to appear before the king4  ,on 
the other hand1 he granted his father's 
request that in his absence  he sit by  
his idols and the king's1 and take care 
of them4    ,alone with the idols1 and  
while he repeated the words1 ,the       
,eternal ,he  is ,god1 the ,eternal ,he 
is ,god6 he struck the king's idols from

 their  thrones1 and began to belabor   
them with an axe4 ,with the biggest he  
started1 and with the smallest he ended4
 ,he hacked off the feet of one1  and   
the other he beheaded4 ,this one had his
 eyes struck out1 the other  had his    
hands crushed4#bg ,after all were       
mutilated1 he went away1  having first  
put the axe into the hand of the largest
 idol4    ,the feast ended1 the king    
returned1 and when he saw all his idols 
shivered in pieces1 he inquired who had 
perpetrated the mischief4  ,abraham was 
named as the one who had been guilty of 
the outrage1 and  the king summoned him 
and questioned him as to his motive for 
the deed4  ,abraham replied3 ,i did not 
do it2 it was the largest of the idols  
who  shattered all the rest4 ,seest thou
 not that he still has the axe in his   
hand8 ,and if thou wilt not believe my  
words1 ask him and he will tell  thee4  
,,in ,,the ,,fiery ,,furnace    ,now the
 king was exceedingly wroth at ,abraham1
 and ordered him to be  cast into       

prison1 where he commanded the warden   
not to give him bread  or water4#bh ,but
 ,god hearkened unto the prayer of      
,abraham1 and sent  ,gabriel to him in  
his dungeon4 ,for a year the angel dwelt
 with him1 and  provided him with all   
sorts of food1 and a spring of fresh    
water welled  up before him1 and he     
drank of it4 ,at the end of a year1 the 
magnates  of the realm presented        
themselves before the king1 and advised 
him to  cast ,abraham into the fire1    
that the people might believe in ,nimrod
  forever4 ,thereupon the king issued a 
decree that all the subjects of  the    
king in all his provinces1 men and      
women1 young and old1 should  bring wood
 within forty days1 and he caused it to 
be thrown into a  great furnace and set 
afire4#bi ,the flames shot up to the    
skies1 and  the people were sore afraid 
of the fire4 ,now the warden of the     
prison  was ordered to bring ,abraham   
forth and cast him in the flames4 ,the  
warden reminded the king that ,abraham  

had not had food or drink a whole  year1
 and therefore must be dead1 but ,nimrod
 nevertheless desired him  to step in   
front of the prison and call his name4  
,if he made reply1 he  was to be hauled 
out to the pyre4 ,if he had perished1   
his remains were  to receive burial1 and
 his memory was to be wiped out         
henceforth4    ,greatly amazed the      
warden was when his cry1 ,abraham1 art  
thou alive8  was answered with ,i am    
living4 ,he questioned further1 ,who has
 been  bringing thee food and drink all 
these many days8 and ,abraham replied3  
,food and drink have been bestowed upon 
me by ,him who is over all  things1 the 
,god of all gods and the ,lord of all   
lords1 who alone doeth  wonders1 ,he who
 is the ,god of ,nimrod and the ,god of 
,terah and the ,god  of the whole world4
 ,he dispenseth food and drink unto all 
beings4 ,he  sees1 but ,he cannot be    
seen1 ,he is in the heavens above1 and  
,he is  present in all places1 for ,he  
,himself superviseth all things and     

provideth for all4    ,the miraculous   
rescue of ,abraham from death by        
starvation and thirst  convinced the    
prison-keeper of the truth of ,god and  
,his prophet  ,abraham1 and he          
acknowledged his belief in both         
publicly4 ,the king's  threat of death  
unless he recanted could not turn him   
away from his new  and true faith4 ,when
 the hangman raised his sword and set it
 at his  throat to kill him1 he         
exclaimed1 ,the ,eternal ,he is ,god1   
the ,god of  the whole world as well as 
of the blasphemer ,nimrod4 ,but the     
sword  could not cut his flesh4 ,the    
harder it was pressed against his       
throat1  the more it broke into         
pieces4#cj    ,nimrod1 however1 was not 
to be turned aside from his purpose1 to 
make  ,abraham suffer death by fire4    
,one of the princes was dispatched to   
fetch him forth4 ,but scarcely did the  
messenger set about the task of         
throwing him into the fire1 when the    
flame leapt forth from the furnace  and 

consumed him4 ,many more attempts were  
made to cast ,abraham into the  furnace1
 but always with the same               
success--whoever seized him to pitch    
him in was himself burnt1 and a large   
number lost their lives4 ,satan         
appeared in human shape1 and advised the
 king to place ,abraham in a  catapult  
and sling him into the fire4 ,thus no   
one would be required to  come near the 
flame4 ,satan himself constructed the   
catapult4 ,having  proved it fit three  
times by means of stones put in the     
machine1 they  bound ,abraham1 hand and 
foot1 and were about to consign him to  
the  flames4 ,at that moment ,satan1    
still disguised in human shape1         
approached ,abraham1 and said1 ,if thou 
desirest to deliver thyself from  the   
fire of ,nimrod1 bow down before him and
 believe in him4 ,but  ,abraham rejected
 the tempter with the words1 ,may the   
,eternal rebuke  thee1 thou vile1       
contemptible1 accursed blasphemer6 and  
,satan departed  from him4    ,then the 

mother of ,abraham came to him and      
implored him to pay homage  to ,nimrod  
and escape the impending misfortune4    
,but he said to her3 ,o  mother1 water  
can extinguish ,nimrod's fire1 but the  
fire of ,god will  not die out for      
evermore4 ,water cannot quench it4#ca   
,when his mother  heard these words1 she
 spake1 ,may the ,god whom thou servest 
rescue  thee from the fire of ,nimrod6  
,abraham was finally placed in the      
catapult1 and he raised his eyes        
heavenward1 and spoke1 ,o ,lord my ,god1
 ,thou seest what this sinner  purposes 
to do unto me6#cb ,his confidence in    
,god was unshakable4 ,when  the angels  
received the ,divine permission to save 
him1 and ,gabriel  approached him1 and  
asked1 ,abraham1 shall ,i save thee from
 the fire8  he replied1 ,god in whom ,i 
trust1 the ,god of heaven and earth1    
will  rescue me1 and ,god1 seeing the   
submissive spirit of ,abraham1 commanded
  the fire1 ,cool off and bring         
tranquillity to my servant ,abraham4#cc 

,no water was needed to extinguish the  
fire4 ,the logs burst into buds1  and   
all the different kinds of wood put     
forth fruit1 each tree bearing  its own 
kind4 ,the furnace was transformed into 
a royal pleasance1 and  the angels sat  
therein with ,abraham4 ,when the king   
saw the miracle1 he  said3 ,great       
witchcraft6 ,thou makest it known that  
fire hath no power  over thee1 and at   
the same time thou showest thyself unto 
the people  sitting in a pleasure       
garden4 ,but the princes of ,nimrod     
interposed all  with one voice1 ,nay1   
our lord1 this is not witchcraft1 it is 
the power  of the great ,god1 the ,god  
of ,abraham1 beside whom there is no    
other  god1 and we acknowledge that ,he 
is ,god1 and ,abraham is ,his servant4  
,all the princes and all the people     
believed in ,god at this hour1 in the   
,eternal1 the ,god of ,abraham1 and they
 all cried out1 ,the ,lord ,he is  ,god 
in heaven above and upon the earth      
beneath2 there is none  else4#cd        

,abraham was the superior1 not only of  
the impious king ,nimrod and his        
attendants1 but also of the pious men of
 his time1 ,noah1 ,shem1 ,eber1  and    
,asshur4#ce ,noah gave himself no       
concern whatsoever in the matter  of    
spreading the pure faith in ,god4 ,he   
took an interest in planting his        
vineyard1 and was immersed in material  
pleasures4 ,shem and ,eber kept in      
hiding1 and as for ,asshur1 he said1    
,how can ,i live among such  sinners8   
and departed out of the land4#cf ,the   
only one who remained  unshaken was     
,abraham4 ,i will not forsake ,god1 he  
said1 and therefore  ,god did not       
forsake him1 who had hearkened neither  
unto his father nor  unto his mother4   
,the miraculous deliverance of ,abraham 
from the fiery furnace1 together  with  
his later fortunes1 was the fulfilment  
and explanation of what his  father     
,terah had read in the stars4 ,he had   
seen the star of ,haran  consumed by    
fire1 and at the same time fill and rule

 the whole world4  ,the meaning was     
plain now4 ,haran was irresolute in his 
faith1 he could  not decide whether to  
adhere to ,abraham or the idolaters4    
,when it  befell that those who would   
not serve idols were cast into the fiery
  furnace1 ,haran reasoned in this      
manner3 ,abraham1 being my elder1 will  
be called upon before me4 ,if he comes  
forth out of the fiery trial            
triumphant1 ,i will declare my          
allegiance to him2 otherwise ,i will    
take  sides against him4 ,after ,god    
,himself had rescued ,abraham from      
death1  and ,haran's turn came to make  
his confession of faith1 he announced   
his  adherence to ,abraham4 ,but        
scarcely had he come near the           
furnace1#cg  when he was seized by the  
flames and consumed1 because he was     
lacking  in firm faith in ,god4 ,terah  
had read the stars well1 it now         
appeared3  ,haran was burnt1 and his    
daughter ,sarah#ch became the wife of   
,abraham1  whose descendants fill the   

earth4#ci ,in another way the death of  
,haran  was noteworthy4 ,it was the     
first instance1 since the creation of   
the  world1 of a son's dying while his  
father was still alive4#dj    ,the king1
 the princes1 and all the people1 who   
had been witnesses of  the wonders done 
for ,abraham1 came to him1 and          
prostrated themselves  before him4 ,but 
,abraham said3 ,do not bow down before  
me1 but before  ,god1 the ,master of the
 universe1 who hath created you4 ,serve 
,him and  walk in ,his ways1 for ,he it 
was who delivered me from the flames1   
and  ,he it is who hath created the soul
 and the spirit of every human being1   
who formeth man in the womb of his      
mother1 and bringeth him into the       
world4 ,he saveth from all sickness     
those who put their trust in ,him4      
,the king then dismissed ,abraham1 after
 loading him down with an  abundance of 
precious gifts1 among them two slaves   
who had been raised  in the royal       
palace4 ',ogi was the name of the one1  

,eliezer the name of  the other4 ,the   
princes followed the example of the     
king1 and they gave  him silver1 and    
gold1 and gems4 ,but all these gifts did
 not rejoice the  heart of ,abraham so  
much as the three hundred followers that
 joined him  and became adherents of his
 religion4    ,,abraham ,,emigrates ,,to
 ,,haran    ,for a period of two years  
,abraham could devote himself           
undisturbed to  his chosen task of      
turning the hearts of men to ,god and   
,his  teachings4#da ,in his pious       
undertaking he was aided by his wife    
,sarah1  whom he had married in the     
meantime4 ,while he exhorted the men and
  sought to convert them1 ,sarah        
addressed herself to the women4#db ,she 
was a helpmeet worthy of ,abraham4      
,indeed1 in prophetical powers she      
ranked higher than her husband4#dc ,she 
was sometimes called ,iscah1  the seer1 
on that account4#dd    ,at the          
expiration of two years it happened that
 ,nimrod dreamed a dream4  ,in his dream

 he found himself with his army near the
 fiery furnace in  the valley into which
 ,abraham had been cast4 ,a man         
resembling ,abraham  stepped out of the 
furnace1 and he ran after the king with 
drawn sword1  the king fleeing before   
him in terror4 ,while running1 the      
pursuer threw  an egg at ,nimrod's head1
 and a mighty stream issued therefrom1  
wherein  the king's whole host was      
drowned4 ,the king alone survived1 with 
three  men4 ,when ,nimrod examined his  
companions1 he observed that they wore  
royal attire1 and in form and stature   
they resembled himself4 ,the  stream    
changed back into an egg again1 and a   
little chick broke forth  from it1 and  
it flew up1 settled upon the head of the
 king1 and put out  one of his eyes4    
,the king was confounded in his sleep1  
and when he awoke1 his heart beat  like 
a trip-hammer1 and his fear was         
exceeding great4 ,in the morning1  when 
he arose1 he sent and called for his    
wise men and his magicians1  and told   

them his dream4 ,one of his wise men1   
,anoko by name1 stood up1  and said3    
,know1 ,o king1 this dream points to the
 misfortune which  ,abraham and his     
descendants will bring upon thee4 ,a    
time will come when  he and his         
followers will make war upon thy army1  
and they will  annihilate it4 ,thou and 
the three kings1 thy allies1 will be the
 only  ones to escape death4 ,but later 
thou wilt lose thy life at the hands of 
one of the descendants of ,abraham4     
,consider1 ,o king1 that thy wise men   
read this fate of thine in the stars1   
fifty-two years ago1 at the birth  of   
,abraham4 ,as long as ,abraham liveth   
upon the ground1 thou shalt not  be     
stablished1 nor thy kingdom4 ,nimrod    
took ,anoko's words to heart1  and      
dispatched some of his servants to seize
 ,abraham and kill him4 ,it  happened   
that ,eliezer1 the slave whom ,abraham  
had received as a present  from ,nimrod1
 was at that time at the royal court4   
,with great haste he  sped to ,abraham  

to induce him to flee before the king's 
bailiffs4 ,his  master accepted his     
advice1 and took refuge in the house of 
,noah and  ,shem1 where he lay in hiding
 a whole month4 ,the king's officers    
reported that despite zealous efforts   
,abraham was nowhere to be found4       
,thenceforth the king did not concern   
himself about ,abraham4    ,when ,terah 
visited his son in his hiding-place1    
,abraham proposed that  they leave the  
land and take up their abode in ,canaan1
 in order to  escape the pursuit of     
,nimrod4 ,he said3 ,consider that it was
 not for  thy sake that ,nimrod         
overloaded thee with honors1 but for his
 own  profit4 ,though he continue to    
confer the greatest of benefactions upon
  thee1 what are they but earthly       
vanity8 for riches and possessions      
profit not in the day of wrath and fury4
 ,hearken unto my voice1 ,o my  father1 
let us depart for the land of ,canaan1  
and serve the ,god that  hath created   
thee1 that it may be well with thee4    

,noah and ,shem aided and abetted the   
efforts of ,abraham to persuade  ,terah1
 whereupon ,terah consented to leave his
 country1 and he1 and  ,abraham1 and    
,lot1 the son of ,haran1 departed for   
,haran with their  households4 ,they    
found the land pleasant1 and also the   
inhabitants  thereof1 who readily       
yielded to the influence of ,abraham's  
humane  spirit and his piety4 ,many of  
them obeyed his precepts and became     
,god-fearing and good4#de    ,terah's   
resolve to quit his native land for the 
sake of ,abraham and  take up his abode 
in strange parts1 and his impulse to do 
it before  even the ,divine call visited
 ,abraham himself--this the ,lord       
accounted a  great merit unto ,terah1   
and he was permitted to see his son     
,abraham  rule as king over the whole   
world4 ,for when the miracle happened1  
and  ,isaac was born unto his aged      
parents1 the whole world repaired to    
,abraham and ,sarah1 and demanded to    
know what they had done that so  great a

 thing should be accomplished for them4 
,abraham told them all  that had        
happened between ,nimrod and himself1   
how he had been ready to  be burnt for  
the glory of ,god1 and how the ,lord had
 rescued him from  the flames4 ,in token
 of their admiration for ,abraham and   
his teachings1  they appointed him to be
 their king1 and in commemoration of    
,isaac's  wondrous birth1 the money     
coined by ,abraham bore the figures of  
an aged  husband and wife on the obverse
 side1 and of a young man and his wife  
on the reverse side1 for ,abraham and   
,sarah both were rejuvenated at the     
birth of ,isaac1 ,abraham's white hair  
turned black1 and the lines in  ,sarah's
 face were smoothed out4    ,for many   
years ,terah continued to live a witness
 of his son's glory1  for his death did 
not occur until ,isaac was a youth of   
thirty-five4#df  ,and a still greater   
reward waited upon his good deed4 ,god  
accepted his  repentance1 and when he   
departed this life1 he entered into     

,paradise1  and not into hell1 though he
 had passed the larger number of his    
days  in sin4 ,indeed1 it had been his  
fault that ,abraham came near losing his
  life at the hands of ,nimrod4#dg      
,,the ,,star ,,in ,,the ,,east    ,terah
 had been a high official at the court  
of ,nimrod1 and he was held  in great   
consideration by the king and his suite4
 ,a son was born unto  him whom he      
called ,abram1 because the king had     
raised him to an exalted  place4 ,in the
 night of ,abraham's birth1 the         
astrologers and the wise  men of ,nimrod
 came to the house of ,terah1 and ate   
and drank1 and  rejoiced with him that  
night4 ,when they left the house1 they  
lifted up  their eyes toward heaven to  
look at the stars1 and they saw1 and1   
behold1 one great star came from the    
east and ran athwart the heavens  and   
swallowed up the four stars at the four 
corners4 ,they all were  astonished at  
the sight1 but they understood this     
matter1 and knew its  import4 ,they said

 to one another3 ,this only betokens    
that the child  that hath been born unto
 ,terah this night will grow up and be  
fruitful1  and he will multiply and     
possess all the earth1 he and his       
children  forever1 and he and his seed  
will slay great kings and inherit their 
lands4    ,they went home that night1   
and in the morning they rose up early1  
and  assembled in their meeting-house4  
,they spake1 and said to one another3   
,lo1 the sight that we saw last night is
 hidden from the king1 it has  not been 
made known to him1 and should this thing
 become known to him  in the latter     
days1 he will say to us1 ,why did you   
conceal this matter  from me8 and then  
we shall all suffer death4 ,now1 let us 
go and tell  the king the sight which we
 saw1 and the interpretation thereof1   
and we  shall be clear from this thing4 
,and they went to the king and told him 
the sight they had seen1 and their      
interpretation thereof1 and they  added 
the advice that he pay the value of the 

child to ,terah1 and slay  the babe4    
,accordingly1 the king sent for ,terah1 
and when he came1 he spake to  him3 ,it 
hath been told unto me that a son was   
born to thee  yesternight1 and a        
wondrous sign was observed in the       
heavens at his  birth4 ,now give me the 
boy1 that we may slay him before evil   
comes upon  us from him1 and ,i will    
give thee thy house full of silver and  
gold in  exchange for him4 ,terah       
answered3 ,this thing which thou        
promisest  unto me is like the words    
which a man spoke to a mule1 saying1 ',i
 will  give thee a great heap of barley1
 a houseful thereof1 on condition that  
,i cut off thy head6' ,the mule replied1
 ',of what use will all the barley  be  
to me1 if thou cuttest off my head8 ,who
 will eat it when thou givest  it to    
me8' ,thus also do ,i say3 ,what shall  
,i do with silver and gold  after the   
death of my son8 ,who shall inherit me8 
,but when ,terah saw  how the king's    
anger burned within him at these words1 

he added1  ,whatever the king desireth  
to do unto his servant1 that let him do1
  even my son is at the king's disposal1
 without value or exchange1 he  and his 
two older brethren4    ,the king spake1 
however1 saying1 ,i will purchase thy   
youngest son for  a price4 ,and ,terah  
made answer1 ,let my king give me three 
days' time  to consider the matter and  
consult about it with my family4 ,the   
king  agreed to this condition1 and on  
the third day he sent to ,terah1        
saying1 ,give me thy son for a price1 as
 ,i spoke unto thee1 and if thou  wilt  
not do this1 ,i will send and slay all  
thou hast in thy house1  there shall not
 be a dog left unto thee4    ,then      
,terah took a child which his handmaid  
had borne unto him that day1  and he    
brought the babe to the king1 and       
received value for him1 and  the king   
took the child and dashed his head      
against the ground1 for he  thought it  
was ,abraham4 ,but ,terah took his son  
,abraham1 together with  the child's    

mother and his nurse1 and concealed them
 in a cave1 and  thither he carried     
provisions to them once a month1 and the
 ,lord was  with ,abraham in the cave1  
and he grew up1 but the king and all his
  servants thought that ,abraham was    
dead4    ,and when ,abraham was ten     
years old1 he and his mother and his    
nurse  went out from the cave1 for the  
king and his servants had forgotten the 
affair of ,abraham4    ,in that time all
 the inhabitants of the earth1 with the 
exception of  ,noah and his household1  
transgressed against the ,lord1 and they
 made  unto themselves every man his    
god1 gods of wood and stone1 which could
  neither speak1 nor hear1 nor deliver  
from distress4 ,the king and all  his   
servants1 and ,terah with his household1
 were the first to worship  images of   
wood and stone4 ,terah made twelve gods 
of large size1 of wood  and of stone1   
corresponding to the twelve months of   
the year1 and he  paid homage to them   
monthly in turn4#dh    ,,the ,,true     

,,believer    ,once ,abraham went into  
the temple of the idols in his father's 
house1  to bring sacrifices to them1 and
 he found one of them1 ,marumath by     
name1 hewn out of stone1 lying prostrate
 on his face before the iron  god of    
,nahor4 ,the idol was too heavy for him 
to raise it alone1 and he  called his   
father to help him put ,marumath back in
 his place4 ,while  they were handling  
the image1 its head dropped off1 and    
,terah took a  stone1 and chiselled     
another ,marumath1 setting the head of  
the first  upon the new body4 ,then     
,terah continued and made five more     
gods1 and  all these he delivered to    
,abraham1 and bade him sell them in the 
streets of the city4    ,abraham saddled
 his mule1 and went to the inn where    
merchants from  ,fandana in ,syria put  
up on their way to ,egypt4 ,he hoped to 
dispose of  his wares there4 ,when he   
reached the inn1 one of the camels      
belonging  to the merchants belched1 and
 the sound frightened his mule so that  

it  ran off pell-mell and broke three of
 the idols4 ,the merchants not only     
bought the two sound idols from him1    
they also gave him the price of  the    
broken ones1 for ,abraham had told them 
how distressed he was to  appear before 
his father with less money than he had  
expected to  receive for his handiwork4 
,this incident made ,abraham reflect    
upon the worthlessness of idols1 and  he
 said to himself3 ,what are these evil  
things done by my father8 ,is  not he   
the god of his gods1 for do they not    
come into being by reason  of his       
carving and chiselling and contriving8  
,were it not more seemly  that they     
should pay worship to him than he to    
them1 seeing they are  the work of his  
hands8 ,meditating thus1 he reached his 
father's house1  and he entered and     
handed his father the money for the five
 images1 and  ,terah rejoiced1 and said1
 ,blessed art thou unto my gods1 because
 thou  didst bring me the price of the  
idols1 and my labor was not in vain4    

,but ,abraham made reply3 ,hear1 my     
father ,terah1 blessed are thy gods     
through thee1 for thou art their god1   
since thou didst fashion them1  and     
their blessing is destruction and their 
help is vanity4 ,they that  help not    
themselves1 how can they help thee or   
bless me8    ,terah grew very wrathful  
at ,abraham1 that he uttered such speech
  against his gods1 and ,abraham1       
thinking upon his father's anger1 left  
him and went from the house4 ,but ,terah
 called him back1 and said1  ,gather    
together the chips of the oak wood from 
which ,i made images  before thou didst 
return1 and prepare my dinner for me4   
,abraham made  ready to do his father's 
bidding1 and as he took up the chips he 
found  a little god among them1 whose   
forehead bore the inscription ,god      
,barisat4 ,he threw the chips upon the  
fire1 and set ,barisat up next to  it1  
saying3 ,attention6 ,take care1         
,barisat1 that the fire go not out      
until ,i come back4 ,if it burns low1   

blow into it1 and make it flame up      
again4 ,speaking thus1 he went out4     
,when he came in again1 he found        
,barisat lying prone upon his back1     
badly burnt4 ,smiling1 he said to       
himself1 ,in truth1 ,barisat1 thou canst
 keep the fire alive and prepare  food1 
and while he spoke1 the idol was        
consumed to ashes4 ,then he took  the   
dishes to his father1 and he ate and    
drank and was glad and blessed  his god 
,marumath4 ,but ,abraham said to his    
father1 ,bless not thy god  ,marumath1  
but rather thy god ,barisat1 for he it  
was who1 out of his  great love for     
thee1 threw himself into the fire that  
thy meal might be  cooked4 ,where is he 
now8 exclaimed ,terah1 and ,abraham     
answered1 ,he  hath become ashes in the 
fierceness of the fire4 ,terah said1    
,great is  the power of ,barisat6 ,i    
will make me another this day1 and      
to-morrow he  will prepare my food for  
me4    ,these words of his father made  
,abraham laugh in his mind1 but his soul

  was grieved at his obduracy1 and he   
proceeded to make clear his views  upon 
the idols1 saying3 ,father1 no matter   
which of the two idols thou  blessest1  
thy behavior is senseless1 for the      
images that stand in the  holy temple   
are more to be worshipped than thine4   
,zucheus1 the god of  my brother ,nahor1
 is more venerable than ,marumath1      
because he is made  cunningly of gold1  
and when he grows old1 he will be worked
 over again4  ,but when thy ,marumath   
becomes dim1 or is shivered in pieces1  
he will  not be renewed1 for he is of   
stone4 ,and the god ,joauv1 who stands  
above  the other gods with ,zucheus1 is 
more venerable than ,barisat1 made of   
wood1 because he is hammered out of     
silver1 and ornamented by men1 to  show 
his magnificence4 ,but thy ,barisat1    
before thou didst fashion him  into a   
god with thy axe1 was rooted in the     
earth1 standing there great  and        
wonderful1 with the glory of branches   
and blossoms4 ,now he is dry1  and gone 

is his sap4 ,from his height he has     
fallen to the earth1 from  grandeur he  
came to pettiness1 and the appearance of
 his face has paled  away1 and he       
himself was burnt in the fire1 and he   
was consumed unto  ashes1 and he is no  
more4 ,and thou didst then say1 ',i will
 make me  another this day1 and         
to-morrow he will prepare my food for   
me4'  ,father1 ,abraham continued1 and  
said1 the fire is more to be  worshipped
 than thy gods of gold and silver and   
wood and stone1 because  it consumes    
them4 ,but also the fire ,i call not    
god1 because it is  subject to the      
water1 which quenches it4 ,but also the 
water ,i call not  god1 because it is   
sucked up by the earth1 and ,i call the 
earth more  venerable1 because it       
conquers the water4 ,but also the earth 
,i call not  god1 because it is dried   
out by the sun1 and ,i call the sun more
  venerable than the earth1 because he  
illumines the whole world with his      
rays4 ,but also the sun ,i call not god1

 because his light is obscured  when    
darkness cometh up4 ,nor do ,i call the 
moon and the stars gods1  because their 
light1 too1 is extinguished when their  
time to shine is  past4 ,but hearken    
unto this1 my father ,terah1 which ,i   
will declare unto  thee1 ,the ,god who  
hath created all things1 ,he is the true
 ,god1 ,he hath  empurpled the heavens1 
and gilded the sun1 and given radiance  
to the  moon and also the stars1 and ,he
 drieth out the earth in the midst of   
many waters1 and also thee hath ,he put 
upon the earth1 and me hath ,he  sought 
out in the confusion of my thoughts4#di 
,,the ,,iconoclast    ,but ,terah could 
not be convinced1 and in reply to       
,abraham's question1  who the ,god was  
that had created heaven and earth and   
the children of  men1 he took him to the
 hall wherein stood twelve great idols  
and a  large number of little idols1 and
 pointing to them he said1 ,here are    
they who have made all thou seest on    
earth1 they who have created also  me   

and thee and all men on the earth1 and  
he bowed down before his  gods1 and left
 the hall with his son4    ,abraham went
 thence to his mother1 and he spoke to  
her1 saying3  ,behold1 my father has    
shown those unto me who made heaven and 
earth  and all the sons of men4 ,now1   
therefore1 hasten and fetch a kid from  
the flock1 and make of it savory meat1  
that ,i may bring it to my  father's    
gods1 perhaps ,i may thereby become     
acceptable to them4 ,his  mother did    
according to his request1 but when      
,abraham brought the  offering to the   
gods1 he saw that they had no voice1 no 
hearing1 no  motion1 and not one of them
 stretched forth his hand to eat4       
,abraham  mocked them1 and said1        
,surely1 the savory meat that ,i        
prepared doth  not please you1 or       
perhaps it is too little for you6       
,therefore ,i will  prepare fresh savory
 meat to-morrow1 better and more        
plentiful than  this1 that ,i may see   
what cometh therefrom4 ,but the gods    

remained mute  and without motion before
 the second offering of excellent savory
 meat  as before the first offering1 and
 the spirit of ,god came over ,abraham1 
and he cried out1 and said3 ,woe unto my
 father and his wicked  generation1     
whose hearts are all inclined to vanity1
 who serve these  idols of wood and     
stone1 which cannot eat1 nor smell1 nor 
hear1 nor  speak1 which have mouths     
without speech1 eyes without sight1 ears
  without hearing1 hands without        
feeling1 and legs without motion6       
,abraham then took a hatchet in his     
hand1 and broke all his father's  gods1 
and when he had done breaking them he   
placed the hatchet in the  hand of the  
biggest god among them all1 and he went 
out4 ,terah1 having  heard the crash of 
the hatchet on the stone1 ran to the    
room of the  idols1 and he reached it at
 the moment when ,abraham was leaving   
it1 and  when he saw what had happened1 
he hastened after ,abraham1 and he said 
to him1 ,what is this mischief thou hast

 done to my gods8 ,abraham  answered3 ,i
 set savory meat before them1 and when  
,i came nigh unto  them1 that they might
 eat1 they all stretched out their hands
 to take  of the meat1 before the big   
one had put forth his hand to eat4 ,this
  one1 enraged against them on account  
of their behavior1 took the  hatchet and
 broke them all1 and1 behold1 the       
hatchet is yet in his  hands1 as thou   
mayest see4    ,then ,terah turned in   
wrath upon ,abraham1 and he said3 ,thou 
speakest  lies unto me6 ,is there       
spirit1 soul1 or power in these gods to 
do all  thou hast told me8 ,are they not
 wood and stone8 and have ,i not myself 
made them8 ,it is thou that didst place 
the hatchet in the hand of the  big god1
 and thou sayest he smote them all4     
,abraham answered his  father1 and said3
 ,how1 then1 canst thou serve these     
idols in whom  there is no power to do  
anything8 ,can these idols in which thou
  trustest deliver thee8 ,can they hear 
thy prayers when thou callest upon      

them8 ,after having spoken these and    
similar words1 admonishing his  father  
to mend his ways and refrain from       
worshipping idols1 he leapt up  before  
,terah1 took the hatchet from the big   
idol1 broke it therewith1  and ran away4
    ,terah hastened to ,nimrod1 bowed   
down before him1 and besought him to    
hear his story1 about his son who had   
been born to him fifty years  back1 and 
how he had done to his gods1 and how he 
had spoken4 ,now1  therefore1 my lord   
and king1 he said1 send for him that he 
may come  before thee1 and do thou judge
 him according to the law1 that we may  
be  delivered from his evil4 ,when      
,abraham was brought before the king1 he
  told him the same story as he had told
 ,terah1 about the big god who  broke   
the smaller ones1 but the king replied1 
,idols do neither speak1  nor eat1 nor  
move4 ,then ,abraham reproached him for 
worshipping gods  that can do nothing1  
and admonished him to serve the ,god of 
the  universe4 ,his last words were1 ,if

 thy wicked heart will not hearken to   
my words1 to cause thee to forsake thy  
evil ways and serve the ,eternal  ,god1 
then wilt thou die in shame in the      
latter days1 thou1 thy people1  and all 
that are connected with thee1 who hear  
thy words1 and walk in  thy evil ways4  
,the king ordered ,abraham to be put    
into prison1 and at the end of ten  days
 he caused all the princes and great men
 of the realm to appear  before him1 and
 to them he put the case of ,abraham4   
,their verdict was  that he should be   
burnt1 and1 accordingly1 the king had a 
fire prepared  for three days and three 
nights1 in his furnace at ,kasdim1 and  
,abraham  was to be carried thither from
 prison to be burnt4    ,all the        
inhabitants of the land1 about nine     
hundred thousand men1 and  the women and
 the children besides1 came to see what 
would be done with  ,abraham4 ,and when 
he was brought forth1 the astrologers   
recognized him1  and they said to the   
king1 ,surely1 this is the man whom we  

knew as a  child1 at whose birth the    
great star swallowed the four stars4    
,behold1  his father did transgress thy 
command1 and he made a mockery of thee1 
for he did bring thee another child1 and
 him didst thou kill4    ,terah was     
greatly terrified1 for he was afraid of 
the king's wrath1 and  he admitted that 
he had deceived the king1 and when the  
king said1  ,tell me who advised thee to
 do this4 ,hide naught1 and thou shalt  
not  die1 he falsely accused ,haran1 who
 had been thirty-two years old at  the  
time of ,abraham's birth1 of having     
advised him to deceive the king4  ,at   
the command of the king1 ,abraham and   
,haran1 stripped of all their  clothes  
except their hosen1 and their hands and 
feet bound with linen  cords1 were cast 
into the furnace4 ,haran1 because his   
heart was not  perfect with the ,lord1  
perished in the fire1 and also the men  
who cast  them into the furnace were    
burnt by the flames which leapt out over
  them1 and ,abraham alone was saved by 

the ,lord1 and he was not burnt1  though
 the cords with which he was bound were 
consumed4 ,for three days  and three    
nights ,abraham walked in the midst of  
the fire1 and all the  servants of the  
king came and told him1 ,behold1 we have
 seen ,abraham  walking about in the    
midst of the fire4#ej    ,at first the  
king would not believe them1 but when   
some of his faithful  princes           
corroborated the words of his servants1 
he rose up and went to  see for himself4
 ,he then commanded his servants to take
 ,abraham from  the fire1 but they could
 not1 because the flames leapt toward   
them from  the furnace1 and when they   
tried again1 at the king's command1 to  
approach the furnace1 the flames shot   
out and burnt their faces1 so  that     
eight of their number died4 ,the king   
then called unto ,abraham1 and  said3 ,o
 servant of the ,god who is in heaven1  
go forth from the midst  of the fire1   
and come hither and stand before me1 and
 ,abraham came and  stood before the    

king4 ,and the king spoke to ,abraham1  
and said1 ,how  cometh it that thou wast
 not burnt in the fire8 ,and ,abraham   
made  answer1 ,the ,god of heaven and   
earth in whom ,i trust1 and who hath all
  things in ,his power1 ,he did deliver 
me from the fire into which thou  didst 
cast me4#ea    ,,abraham ,,in ,,canaan  
,with ten temptations ,abraham was      
tempted1 and he withstood them all1     
showing how great was the love of       
,abraham4#eb ,the first test to which   
he was subjected was the departure from 
his native land4 ,the hardships  were   
many and severe which he encountered1   
and he was loth to leave his  home1     
besides4 ,he spoke to ,god1 and said1   
,will not the people talk  about me1 and
 say1 ',he is endeavoring to bring the  
nations under the  wings of the         
,shekinah1 yet he leaves his old father 
in ,haran1 and he  goes away4' ,but ,god
 answered him1 and said3 ,dismiss all   
care  concerning thy father and thy     
kinsmen from thy thoughts4 ,though they 

speak words of kindness to thee1 yet are
 they all of one mind1 to ruin  thee4#ec
    ,then ,abraham forsook his father in
 ,haran1 and journeyed to ,canaan1      
accompanied by the blessing of ,god1 who
 said unto him1 ,i will make of  thee a 
great nation1 and ,i will bless thee1   
and make thy name great4  ,these three  
blessings were to counteract the evil   
consequences which1  he feared1 would   
follow emigration1 for travelling from  
place to place  interferes with the     
growth of the family1 it lessens one's  
substance1  and it diminishes the       
consideration one enjoys4#ed ,the       
greatest of all  blessings1 however1 was
 the word of ,god1 ,and be thou a       
blessing4 ,the  meaning of this was that
 whoever came in contact with ,abraham  
was  blessed4 ,even the mariners on the 
sea were indebted to him for  prosperous
 voyages4#ee ,besides1 ,god held out the
 promise to him that  in time to come   
his name would be mentioned in the      
,benedictions1 ,god  would be praised as

 the ,shield of ,abraham1 a distinction 
accorded to no  other mortal except     
,david4#ef ,but the words1 ,and be thou 
a blessing1  will be fulfilled only in  
the future world1 when the seed of      
,abraham  shall be known among the      
nations and his offspring among the     
peoples as  the seed which the ,lord    
hath blessed4#eg    ,when ,abraham first
 was bidden to leave his home1 he was   
not told to  what land he was to        
journey--all the greater would be his   
reward for  executing the command of    
,god4#eh ,and ,abraham showed his trust 
in ,god1  for he said1 ,i am ready to go
 whithersoever ,thou sendest me4 ,the   
,lord  then bade him go to a land       
wherein ,he would reveal ,himself1 and  
when he  went to ,canaan later1 ,god    
appeared to him1 and he knew that it was
 the  promised land4#ei    ,on entering 
,canaan1 ,abraham did not yet know that 
it was the land  appointed as his       
inheritance4 ,nevertheless he rejoiced  
when he reached  it4 ,in ,mesopotamia   

and in ,aramnaharaim1 the inhabitants of
 which he had  seen eating1 drinking1   
and acting wantonly1 he had always      
wished1 ,o  that my portion may not be  
in this land1 but when he came to       
,canaan1  he observed that the people   
devoted themselves industriously to the 
cultivation of the land1 and he said1 ,o
 that my portion may be in this  land6  
,god then spoke to him1 and said1 ,unto 
thy seed will ,i give this  land4#fj    
,happy in these joyous tidings1 ,abraham
 erected an altar to  the ,lord to give 
thanks unto ,him for the promise1 and   
then he journeyed  on1 southward1 in the
 direction of the spot whereon the      
,temple was once  to stand4 ,in ,hebron 
he again erected an altar1 thus taking  
possession  of the land in a measure4   
,and likewise he raised an altar in ,ai1
  because he foresaw that a misfortune  
would befall his offspring there1  at   
the conquest of the land under ,joshua4 
,the altar1 he hoped1 would  obviate the
 evil results that might follow4        

,each altar raised by him was a centre  
for his activities as a  missionary4 ,as
 soon as he came to a place in which he 
desired to  sojourn1 he would stretch a 
tent first for ,sarah1 and next for     
himself1  and then he would proceed at  
once to make proselytes and bring them  
under the wings of the ,shekinah4 ,thus 
he accomplished his purpose of  inducing
 all men to proclaim the ,name of       
,god4#fa    ,for the present ,abraham   
was but a stranger in his promised land4
 ,after  the partition of the earth     
among the sons of ,noah1 when all had   
gone to  their allotted portions1 it    
happened that ,canaan son of ,ham saw   
that  the land extending from the       
,lebanon to the ,river of ,egypt was    
fair to  look upon1 and he refused to go
 to his own allotment1 westward by the  
sea4 ,he settled in the land upon       
,lebanon1 eastward and westward from    
the border of the ,jordan and the border
 of the sea4 ,and ,ham1 his  father1 and
 his brothers ,cush and ,mizraim spoke  

to him1 and said3 ,thou  livest in a    
land that is not thine1 for it was not  
assigned unto us  when the lots were    
drawn4 ,do not thus6 ,but if thou       
persistest1 ye1 thou  and thy children1 
will fall1 accursed1 in the land1 in a  
rebellion4 ,thy  settling here was      
rebellion1 and through rebellion thy    
children will be  felled down1 and thy  
seed will be destroyed unto all         
eternity4 ,sojourn  not in the land of  
,shem1 for unto ,shem and unto the      
children of ,shem  was it apportioned by
 lot4 ,accursed art thou1 and accursed  
wilt thou be  before all the children of
 ,noah on account of the curse1 for we  
took an  oath before the holy ,judge and
 before our father ,noah4    ,but       
,canaan hearkened not unto the words of 
his father and his brothers4  ,he dwelt 
in the land of the ,lebanon from ,hamath
 even unto the entrance  of ,egypt1 he  
and his sons4#fb ,though the ,canaanites
 had taken unlawful  possession of the  
land1 yet ,abraham respected their      

rights2 he provided  his camels with    
muzzles1 to prevent them from pasturing 
upon the  property of others4#fc        
,,his ,,sojourn ,,in ,,egypt            
,scarcely had ,abraham established      
himself in ,canaan1 when a devastating  
famine broke out--one of the ten ,god   
appointed famines for the  chastisement 
of men4 ,the first of them came in the  
time of ,adam1 when  ,god cursed the    
ground for his sake2 the second was this
 one in the time  of ,abraham2 the third
 compelled ,isaac to take up his abode  
among the  ,philistines2 the ravages of 
the fourth drove the sons of ,jacob into
  ,egypt to buy grain for food2 the     
fifth came in the time of the ,judges1  
when ,elimelech and his family had to   
seek refuge in the land of ,moab2  the  
sixth occurred during the reign of      
,david1 and it lasted three  years2 the 
seventh happened in the day of ,elijah1 
who had sworn that  neither rain nor dew
 should fall upon the earth2 the eighth 
was the one  in the time of ,elisha1    

when an ass's head was sold for         
fourscore pieces  of silver2 the ninth  
is the famine that comes upon men       
piecemeal1 from  time to time2 and the  
tenth will scourge men before the advent
 of  ,messiah1 and this last will be not
 a famine of bread1 nor a thirst for    
water1 but of hearing the words of the  
,lord4#fd    ,the famine in the time of 
,abraham prevailed only in ,canaan1 and 
it had  been inflicted upon the land in 
order to test his faith4 ,he stood this 
second temptation as he had the first4  
,he murmured not1 and he showed  no sign
 of impatience toward ,god1 who had     
bidden him shortly before to  abandon   
his native land for a land of           
starvation4#fe ,the famine  compelled   
him to leave ,canaan for a time1 and he 
repaired to ,egypt1 to  become          
acquainted there with the wisdom of the 
priests and1 if  necessary1 give them   
instruction in the truth4#ff    ,on this
 journey from ,canaan to ,egypt1        
,abraham first observed the beauty  of  

,sarah4 ,chaste as he was1 he had never 
before looked at her1 but now1  when    
they were wading through a stream1 he   
saw the reflection of her  beauty in the
 water like the brilliance of the       
sun4#fg ,wherefore he  spoke to her     
thus1 ,the ,egyptians are very sensual1 
and ,i will put thee  in a casket that  
no harm befall me on account of thee4   
,at the ,egyptian  boundary1 the tax    
collectors asked him about the contents 
of the  casket1 and ,abraham told them  
he had barley in it4 ,no1 they said1 it 
contains wheat4 ,very well1 replied     
,abraham1 ,i am prepared to pay  the tax
 on wheat4 ,the officers then hazarded  
the guess1 ,it contains  pepper6        
,abraham agreed to pay the tax on       
pepper1 and when they charged  him with 
concealing gold in the casket1 he did   
not refuse to pay the  tax on gold1 and 
finally on precious stones4 ,seeing that
 he demurred to  no charge1 however     
high1 the tax collectors1 made          
thoroughly  suspicious1 insisted upon   

his unfastening the casket and letting  
them  examine the contents4 ,when it was
 forced open1 the whole of ,egypt was   
resplendent with the beauty of ,sarah4  
,in comparison with her1 all other      
beauties were like apes compared with   
men4 ,she excelled ,eve  herself4#fh    
,the servants of ,pharaoh outbid one    
another in seeking to  obtain possession
 of her1 though they were of opinion    
that so radiant a  beauty ought not to  
remain the property of a private        
individual4 ,they  reported the matter  
to the king1#fi and ,pharaoh sent a     
powerful armed  force to bring ,sarah to
 the palace1#gj and so bewitched was he 
by her  charms that those who had       
brought him the news of her coming into 
,egypt  were loaded down with bountiful 
gifts4#ga    ,amid tears1 ,abraham      
offered up a prayer4 ,he entreated ,god 
in these  words3 ,is this the reward for
 my confidence in ,thee8 ,for the sake  
of  ,thy grace and ,thy lovingkindness1 
let not my hope be put to shame4#gb     

,sarah also implored ,god1 saying3 ,o   
,god1 ,thou didst bid my lord ,abraham  
leave his home1 the land of his fathers1
 and journey to ,canaan1 and  ,thou     
didst promise him to do good unto him if
 he fulfilled ,thy  commands4 ,and now  
we have done as ,thou didst command us  
to do4 ,we left  our country and our    
kindred1 and we journeyed to a strange  
land1 unto a  people which we knew not  
heretofore4 ,we came hither to save our 
people  from starvation1 and now hath   
this terrible misfortune befallen4 ,o   
,lord1 help me and save me from the hand
 of this enemy1 and for the sake  of    
,thy grace show me good4    ,an angel   
appeared unto ,sarah while she was in   
the presence of the king1  to whom he   
was not visible1 and he bade her take   
courage1 saying1 ,fear  naught1 ,sarah1 
for ,god hath heard thy prayer4 ,the    
king questioned  ,sarah as to the man in
 the company of whom she had come to    
,egypt1 and  ,sarah called ,abraham her 
brother4 ,pharaoh pledged himself to    

make  ,abraham great and powerful1 to do
 for him whatever she wished4 ,he sent  
much gold and silver to ,abraham1 and   
diamonds and pearls1 sheep and  oxen1   
and men slaves and women slaves1 and he 
assigned a residence to  him within the 
precincts of the royal palace4#gc ,in   
the love he bore  ,sarah1 he wrote out a
 marriage contract1 deeding to her all  
he owned in  the way of gold and silver1
 and men slaves and women slaves1 and   
the  province of ,goshen besides1 the   
province occupied in later days by the  
descendants of ,sarah1 because it was   
their property4 ,most remarkable of     
all1 he gave her his own daughter ,hagar
 as slave1 for he preferred to  see his 
daughter the servant of ,sarah to       
reigning as mistress in  another        
harem4#gd    ,his free-handed generosity
 availed naught4 ,during the night1 when
 he  was about to approach ,sarah1 an   
angel appeared armed with a stick1 and  
if ,pharaoh but touched ,sarah's shoe to
 remove it from her foot1 the  angel    

planted a blow upon his hand1 and when  
he grasped her dress1 a  second blow    
followed4 ,at each blow he was about to 
deal1 the angel  asked ,sarah whether he
 was to let it descend1 and if she bade 
him give  ,pharaoh a moment to recover  
himself1 he waited and did as she       
desired4  ,and another great miracle    
came to pass4 ,pharaoh1 and his nobles1 
and  his servants1 the very walls of his
 house and his bed were afflicted  with 
leprosy1 and he could not indulge his   
carnal desires4#ge ,this  night in which
 ,pharaoh and his court suffered their  
well deserved  punishment was the night 
of the fifteenth of ,nisan1 the same    
night  wherein ,god visited the         
,egyptians in a later time in order to  
redeem  ,israel1 the descendants of     
,sarah4#gf    ,horrified by the plague  
sent upon him1 ,pharaoh inquired how he 
could  rid himself thereof4 ,he applied 
to the priests1 from whom he found out  
the true cause of his affliction1 which 
was corroborated by ,sarah4 ,he  then   

sent for ,abraham and returned his wife 
to him1 pure and untouched1  and excused
 himself for what had happened1 saying  
that he had had the  intention of       
connecting himself in marriage with him1
 whom he had  thought to be the brother 
of ,sarah4#gg ,he bestowed rich gifts   
upon the  husband and the wife1 and they
 departed for ,canaan1 after a three    
months' sojourn in ,egypt4#gh           
,arrived in ,canaan they sought the same
 night-shelters at which they had       
rested before1 in order to pay their    
accounts1 and also to teach by  their   
example that it is not proper to seek   
new quarters unless one is  forced to   
it4#gi    ,abraham's sojourn in ,egypt  
was of great service to the inhabitants 
of  the country1 because he demonstrated
 to the wise men of the land how  empty 
and vain their views were1 and also he  
taught them astronomy and  astrology1   
unknown in ,egypt before his time4#hj   
,,the ,,first ,,pharaoh    ,the         
,egyptian ruler1 whose meeting with     

,abraham had proved so untoward  an     
event1 was the first to bear the name   
,pharaoh4 ,the succeeding kings  were   
named thus after him4 ,the origin of the
 name is connected with the  life and   
adventures of ,rakyon1 ,have-naught1 a  
man wise1 handsome1 and  poor1 who lived
 in the land of ,shinar4 ,finding       
himself unable to  support himself in   
,shinar1 he resolved to depart for      
,egypt1 where he  expected to display   
his wisdom before the king1 ,ashwerosh1 
the son of  ',anam4 ,perhaps he would   
find grace in the eyes of the king1 who 
would  give ,rakyon the opportunity of  
supporting himself and rising to be a   
great man4 ,when he reached ,egypt1 he  
learnt that it was the custom of  the   
country for the king to remain in       
retirement in his palace1 removed  from 
the sight of the people4 ,only on one   
day of the year he showed  himself in   
public1 and received all who had a      
petition to submit to  him4 ,richer by a
 disappointment1 ,rakyon knew not how he

 was to earn a  livelihood in the       
strange country4 ,he was forced to spend
 the night in  a ruin1 hungry as he was4
 ,the next day he decided to try to earn
  something by selling vegetables4 ,by a
 lucky chance he fell in with some      
dealers in vegetables1 but as he did not
 know the customs of the  country1 his  
new undertaking was not favored with    
good fortune4  ,ruffians assaulted him1 
snatched his wares from him1 and made a 
laughing-stock of him4 ,the second      
night1 which he was compelled to  spend 
in the ruin again1 a sly plan ripened in
 his mind4 ,he arose and  gathered      
together a crew of thirty lusty fellows4
 ,he took them to the  graveyard1 and   
bade them1 in the name of the king1     
charge two hundred  pieces of silver for
 every body they buried4 ,otherwise     
interment was to  be prevented4 ,in this
 way he succeeded in amassing great     
wealth within  eight months4 ,not only  
did he acquire silver1 gold1 and        
precious gems1  but also he attached a  

considerable force1 armed and mounted1  
to his  person4    ,on the day on which 
the king appeared among the people1 they
 began to  complain of this tax upon the
 dead4 ,they said3 ,what is this thou   
art  inflicting upon thy                
servants--permitting none to be buried  
unless they  pay thee silver and gold6  
,has a thing like this come to pass in  
the  world since the days of ,adam1 that
 the dead should not be interred  unless
 money be paid therefor6 ,we know well  
that it is the privilege of  the king to
 take an annual tax from the living4    
,but thou takest tribute  from the dead1
 too1 and thou exactest it day by day4  
,o king1 we cannot  endure this any     
longer1 for the whole of the city is    
ruined thereby4    ,the king1 who had   
had no suspicion of ,rakyon's doings1   
fell into a  great rage when the people 
gave him information about them4 ,he    
ordered  him and his armed force to     
appear before him4 ,rakyon did not come 
empty-handed4 ,he was preceded by a     

thousand youths and maidens1 mounted    
upon steeds and arrayed in state        
apparel4 ,these were a present to the   
king4 ,when he himself stepped before   
the king1 he delivered gold1  silver1   
and diamonds to him in great abundance1 
and a magnificent  charger4 ,these gifts
 and the display of splendor did not    
fail of taking  effect upon the king1   
and when ,rakyon1 in well-considered    
words and  with a pliant tongue1        
described the undertaking1 he won not   
only the  king to his side1 but also the
 whole court1 and the king said to him1 
,no longer shalt thou be called ,rakyon1
 ,have-naught1 but ,pharaoh1            
,paymaster1 for thou didst collect taxes
 from the dead4    ,so profound was the 
impression made by ,rakyon that the     
king1 the  grandees1 and the people1 all
 together resolved to put the guidance  
of  the realm in the hands of ,pharaoh4 
,under the suzerainty of ,ashwerosh he  
administered law and justice throughout 
the year2 only on the one day  when he  

showed himself to the people did the    
king himself give judgment  and decide  
cases4 ,through the power thus conferred
 upon him and through  cunning          
practices1 ,pharaoh succeeded in        
usurping royal authority1 and  he       
collected taxes from all the inhabitants
 of ,egypt4 ,nevertheless he  was       
beloved of the people1 and it was       
decreed that every ruler of ,egypt      
should thenceforth bear the name        
,pharaoh4#ha    ,,the ,,war ,,of ,,the  
,,kings    ,on his return from ,egypt   
,abraham's relations to his own family  
were  disturbed by annoying             
circumstances4 ,strife developed between
 the  herdmen of his cattle and the     
herdmen of ,lot's cattle4 ,abraham      
furnished his herds with muzzles1 but   
,lot made no such provision1 and  when  
the shepherds that pastured ,abraham's  
flocks took ,lot's shepherds  to task on
 account of the omission1 the latter    
replied3 ,it is known of  a surety that 
,god said unto ,abraham1 ',to thy seed  

will ,i give the  land4' ,but ,abraham  
is a sterile mule4 ,never will he have  
children4 ,on  the morrow he will die1  
and ,lot will be his heir4 ,thus the    
flocks of  ,lot are but consuming what  
belongs to them or their master4 ,but   
,god  spoke3 ,verily1 ,i said unto      
,abraham ,i would give the land unto his
  seed1 but only after the seven nations
 shall have been destroyed from  out of 
the land4 ,to-day the ,canaanites are   
therein1 and the ,perizzites4  ,they    
still have the right of habitation4     
,now1 when the strife extended from the 
servants to the masters1 and  ,abraham  
vainly called his nephew ,lot to account
 for his unbecoming  behavior1 ,abraham 
decided he would have to part from his  
kinsman1  though he should have to      
compel ,lot thereto by force4 ,lot      
thereupon  separated himself not from   
,abraham alone1 but from the ,god of    
,abraham  also1 and he betook himself to
 a district in which immorality and sin 
reigned supreme1 wherefore punishment   

overtook him1 for his own flesh  seduced
 him later unto sin4    ,god was        
displeased with ,abraham for not living 
in peace and harmony  with his own      
kindred1 as he lived with all the world 
beside4 ,on the  other hand1 ,god also  
took it in ill part that ,abraham was   
accepting ,lot  tacitly as his heir1    
though ,he had promised him1 in clear1  
unmistakable  words1 ,to thy seed will  
,i give the land4 ,after ,abraham had   
separated  himself from ,lot1 he        
received the assurance again that       
,canaan should  once belong to his seed1
 which ,god would multiply as the sand  
which is  upon the sea-shore4 ,as the   
sand fills the whole earth1 so the      
offspring  of ,abraham would be         
scattered over the whole earth1 from end
 to end2  and as the earth is blessed   
only when it is moistened with water1 so
  his offspring would be blessed through
 the ,torah1 which is likened unto      
water2 and as the earth endures longer  
than metal1 so his offspring  would     

endure forever1 while the heathen would 
vanish2 and as the earth  is trodden    
upon1 so his offspring would be trodden 
upon by the four  kingdoms4#hb    ,the  
departure of ,lot had a serious         
consequence1 for the war waged by       
,abraham against the four kings is      
intimately connected with it4 ,lot      
desired to settle in the well-watered   
circle of the ,jordan1 but the  only    
city of the plain that would receive him
 was ,sodom1 the king of  which admitted
 the nephew of ,abraham out of          
consideration for the  latter4#hc ,the  
five impious kings planned first to make
 war upon ,sodom  on account of ,lot and
 then advance upon ,abraham4#hd ,for one
 of the  five1 ,amraphel1 was none other
 than ,nimrod1 ,abraham's enemy from of 
old4 ,the immediate occasion for the war
 was this3 ,chedorlaomer1 one of        
,nimrod's generals1 rebelled against him
 after the builders of the tower  were  
dispersed1 and he set himself up as king
 of ,elam4 ,then he  subjugated the     

,hamitic tribes living in the five      
cities of the plain of  the ,jordan1 and
 made them tributary4 ,for twelve years 
they were  faithful to their sovereign  
ruler ,chedorlaomer1 but then they      
refused  to pay the tribute1 and they   
persisted in their insubordination for  
thirteen years4 ,making the most of     
,chedorlaomer's embarrassment1 ,nimrod  
led a host of seven thousand warriors   
against his former general4 ,in  the    
battle fought between ,elam and ,shinar1
 ,nimrod suffered a disastrous  defeat1 
he lost six hundred of his army1 and    
among the slain was the  king's son     
,mardon4 ,humiliated and abased1 he     
returned to his country1  and he was    
forced to acknowledge the suzerainty of 
,chedorlaomer1 who  now proceeded to    
form an alliance with ,arioch king of   
,ellasar1 and  ,tidal1 the king of      
several nations1 the purpose of which   
was to crush  the cities of the circle  
of the ,jordan4 ,the united forces of   
these  kings1 numbering eight hundred   

thousand1 marched upon the five cities1 
subduing whatever they encountered in   
their course1#he and  annihilating the  
descendants of the giants4 ,fortified   
places1 unwalled  cities1 and flat1 open
 country1 all fell in their hands4#hf   
,they  pushed on through the desert as  
far as the spring issuing from the rock 
at ,kadesh1 the spot appointed by ,god  
as the place of pronouncing  judgment   
against ,moses and ,aaron on account of 
the waters of strife4  ,thence they     
turned toward the central portion of    
,palestine1 the country  of dates1 where
 they encountered the five godless      
kings1 ,bera1 the  villain1 king of     
,sodom2 ,birsha1 the sinner1 king of    
,gomorrah2 ,shinab1  the father-hater1  
king of ,admah2 ,shemeber1 the          
voluptuary1 king of  ,zeboiim2 and the  
king of ,bela1 the city that devours its
 inhabitants4  ,the five were routed in 
the fruitful ,vale of ,siddim1 the      
canals of  which later formed the ,dead 
,sea4 ,they that remained of the rank   

and  file fled to the mountains1 but the
 kings fell into the slime pits and     
stuck there4 ,only the king of ,sodom   
was rescued1 miraculously1 for the      
purpose that he might convert those     
heathen to faith in ,god that had  not  
believed in the wonderful deliverance of
 ,abraham from the fiery  furnace4#hg   
,the victors despoiled ,sodom of all its
 goods and victuals1 and took  ,lot1    
boasting1 ,we have taken the son of     
,abraham's brother captive1 so          
betraying the real object of their      
undertaking2 their innermost desire  was
 to strike at ,abraham4#hh    ,it was on
 the first evening of the ,passover1 and
 ,abraham was eating of  the unleavened 
bread1#hi when the archangel ,michael   
brought him the  report of ,lot's       
captivity4 ,this angel bears another    
name besides1  ,palit1 the escaped1     
because when ,god threw ,samael and his 
host from  their holy place in heaven1  
the rebellious leader held on to        
,michael  and tried to drag him along   

downward1 and ,michael escaped falling  
from  heaven only through the help of   
,god4#ij    ,when the report of his     
nephew's evil state reached ,abraham1 he
  straightway dismissed all thought of  
his dissensions with ,lot from his      
mind1 and only considered ways and means
 of deliverance4#ia ,he  convoked his   
disciples to whom he had taught the true
 faith1 and who  all called themselves  
by the name ,abraham4#ib ,he gave them  
gold and  silver1 saying at the same    
time3 ,know that we go to war for the   
purpose of saving human lives4          
,therefore1 do ye not direct your eyes  
upon money1 here lie gold and silver    
before you4 ,furthermore he  admonished 
them in these words3 ,we are preparing  
to go to war4 ,let  none join us who    
hath committed a trespass1 and fears    
that ,divine  punishment will descend   
upon him4 ,alarmed by his warning1 not  
one  would obey his call to arms1 they  
were fearful on account of their  sins4 
,eliezer alone remained with him1       

wherefore ,god spake1 and said3  ,all   
forsook thee save only ,eliezer4        
,verily1 ,i shall invest him with  the  
strength of the three hundred and       
eighteen men whose aid thou didst  seek 
in vain4#ic    ,the battle fought with  
the mighty hosts of the kings1 from     
which  ,abraham emerged victorious1     
happened on the fifteenth of ,nisan1 the
  night appointed for miraculous        
deeds4#id ,the arrows and stones hurled 
at him effected naught1#ie but the dust 
of the ground1 the chaff1 and  the      
stubble which he threw at the enemy were
 transformed into  death-dealing        
javelins and swords4#if ,abraham1 as    
tall as seventy men  set on end1 and    
requiring as much food and drink as     
seventy men1  marched forward with giant
 strides1 each of his steps measuring   
four  miles1 until he overtook the      
kings1 and annihilated their troops4    
,further he could not go1 for he had    
reached ,dan1 where ,jeroboam would     
once raise the golden calves1 and on    

this ominous spot ,abraham's  strength  
diminished4#ig    ,his victory was      
possible only because the celestial     
powers espoused his  side4 ,the planet  
,jupiter made the night bright for him1 
and an angel1  ,lailah by name1 fought  
for him4#ih ,in a true sense1 it was a  
victory  of ,god4 ,all the nations      
acknowledged his more than human        
achievement1  and they fashioned a      
throne for ,abraham1 and erected it on  
the field of  battle4 ,when they        
attempted to seat him upon it1 amid     
exclamations of  ,thou art our king6    
,thou art our prince6 ,thou art our god6
 ,abraham  warded them off1 and said1   
,the universe has its ,king1 and it has 
its  ,god6 ,he declined all honors1 and 
returned his property unto each man4    
,only the little children he kept by    
himself4 ,he reared them in the         
knowledge of ,god1 and later they atoned
 for the disgrace of their  parents4    
,somewhat arrogantly the king of ,sodom 
set out to meet ,abraham4 ,he was  proud

 that a great miracle1 his rescue from  
the slime pit1 had been  performed for  
him1 too4 ,he made ,abraham the         
proposition that he keep  the despoiled 
goods for himself4#ii ,but ,abraham     
refused them1 and  said3 ,i have lift up
 mine hand unto the ,lord1 ,god ,most   
,high1 who hath  created the world for  
the sake of the pious1 that ,i will not 
take a  thread nor a shoe-latchet nor   
aught that is thine4 ,i have no right   
upon  any goods taken as spoils1#ajj    
save only that which the young men have 
eaten1 and the portion of the men who   
tarried by the stuff1 though they  went 
not down to the battle itself4 ,the     
example of ,abraham in giving a  share  
in the spoils even unto the men not     
concerned directly in the  battle1 was  
followed later by ,david1 who heeded not
 the protest of the  wicked men and the 
base fellows with him1 that the watchers
 who staid  by the stuff were not       
entitled to share alike with the        
warriors that  had gone down to the     

battle4#aja    ,in spite of his great   
success1 ,abraham nevertheless was      
concerned about  the issue of the war4  
,he feared that the prohibition against 
shedding  the blood of man had been     
transgressed1 and he also dreaded the   
resentment of ,shem1 whose descendants  
had perished in the encounter4  ,but    
,god reassured him1 and said3 ,be not   
afraid6 ,thou hast but  extirpated the  
thorns1 and as to ,shem1 he will bless  
thee rather than  curse thee4 ,so it    
was4 ,when ,abraham returned from the   
war1 ,shem1 or1  as he is sometimes     
called1 ,melchizedek1 the king of       
righteousness1  priest of ,god ,most    
,high1 and king of ,jerusalem1 came     
forth to meet him  with bread and       
wine4#ajb ,and this high priest         
instructed ,abraham in  the laws of the 
priesthood and in the ,torah1 and to    
prove his  friendship for him he blessed
 him1 and called him the partner of ,god
 in  the possession of the world1 seeing
 that through him the ,name of ,god  had

 first been made known among men4#ajc   
,but ,melchizedek arranged the  words of
 his blessing in an unseemly way4 ,he   
named ,abraham first and  then ,god4 ,as
 a punishment1 he was deposed by ,god   
from the priestly  dignity1 and instead 
it was passed over to ,abraham1 with    
whose  descendants it remained          
forever4#ajd    ,as a reward for the    
sanctification of the ,holy ,name1 which
 ,abraham had  brought about when he    
refused to keep aught of the goods taken
 in  battle1#aje his descendants        
received two commands1 the command of   
the  threads in the borders of their    
garments1 and the command of the        
latchets to be bound upon their hands   
and to be used as frontlets  between    
their eyes4 ,thus they commemorate that 
their ancestor refused  to take so much 
as a thread or a latchet4 ,and because  
he would not  touch a shoe-latchet of   
the spoils1 his descendants cast their  
shoe  upon ,edom4#ajf    ,,the          
,,covenant ,,of ,,the ,,pieces          

,shortly after the war1 ,god revealed   
,himself unto ,abraham1 to soothe his   
conscience as to the spilling of        
innocent blood1 for it was a scruple    
that gave him much anguish of spirit4   
,god assured him at the same time  that 
,he would cause pious men to arise among
 his descendants1 who1 like  himself1   
would be a shield unto their            
generation4#ajg ,as a further           
distinction1 ,god gave him leave to ask 
what he would have1 rare grace  accorded
 to none beside1 except ,jacob1         
,solomon1 ,ahaz1 and the ,messiah4      
,abraham spoke1 and said3 ,o ,lord of   
the world1 if in time to come my        
descendants should provoke ,thy wrath1  
it were better ,i remained  childless4  
,lot1 for the sake of whom ,i journeyed 
as far as ,damascus1  where ,god was my 
protection1 would be well pleased to be 
my heir4  ,moreover1 ,i have read in the
 stars1 ',abraham1 thou wilt beget no   
children4' ,thereupon ,god raised       
,abraham above the vault of the skies1  

and ,he said1 ,thou art a prophet1 not  
an astrologer6#ajh ,now ,abraham        
demanded no sign that he would be       
blessed with offspring4 ,without  losing
 another word1 he believed in the ,lord1
 and he was rewarded for  his simple    
faith by a share in this world and a    
share in the world to  come as well1    
and1 besides1 the redemption of ,israel 
from the exile  will take place as a    
recompense for his firm trust4#aji      
,but though he believed the promise made
 him with a full and abiding  faith1 he 
yet desired to know by what merit of    
theirs his descendants  would maintain  
themselves4 ,therefore ,god bade him    
bring ,him a sacrifice  of three        
heifers1 three she-goats1 three rams1 a 
turtle dove1 and a  young pigeon1 thus  
indicating to ,abraham the various      
sacrifices that  should once be brought 
in the ,temple1 to atone for the sins of
 ,israel  and further his welfare4#aaj  
,but what will become of my descendants1
  asked ,abraham1 after the ,temple is  

destroyed8 ,god replied1 and said1  ,if 
they read the order of sacrifices as    
they will be set down in the            
,scriptures1 ,i will account it unto    
them as though they had offered the     
sacrifices1 and ,i will forgive all     
their sins4#aaa ,and ,god continued  and
 revealed to ,abraham the course of     
,israel's history and the history  of   
the whole world3 ,the heifer of three   
years indicates the dominion of         
,babylon1 the she-goat of three years   
stands for the empire of the  ,greeks1  
the ram of three years for the          
,medo-,persian power1 the rule of       
,ishmael is represented by the ram1 and 
,israel is the innocent dove4           
,abraham took him these animals and     
divided them in the midst4 ,had he  not 
done so1 ,israel would not have been    
able to resist the power of the  four   
kingdoms4 ,but the birds he divided not1
 to indicate that ,israel  will remain  
whole4 ,and the birds of prey came down 
upon the carcasses1  and ,abraham drove 

them away4 ,thus was announced the      
advent of the  ,messiah1 who will cut   
the heathen in pieces1 but ,abraham bade
 ,messiah  wait until the time appointed
 unto him4#aab ,and as the ,messianic   
time  was made known unto ,abraham1 so  
also the time of the resurrection of    
the dead4 ,when he laid the halves of   
the pieces over against each  other1 the
 animals became alive again1 as the bird
 flew over them4#aab    ,while he was   
preparing these sacrifices1 a vision of 
great import was  granted to ,abraham4  
,the sun sank1 and a deep sleep fell    
upon him1 and  he beheld a smoking      
furnace1 ,gehenna1 the furnace that ,god
 prepares for  the sinner2 and he beheld
 a flaming torch1 the revelation on     
,sinai1  where all the people saw       
flaming torches2 and he beheld the      
sacrifices  to be brought by ,israel2   
and an horror of great darkness fell    
upon him1  the dominion of the four     
kingdoms4 ,and ,god spake to him3       
,abraham1 as  long as thy children      

fulfil the two duties of studying the   
,torah and  performing the service in   
the ,temple1 the two visitations1       
,gehenna and  alien rule1 will be spared
 them4 ,but if they neglect the two     
duties1  they will have to suffer the   
two chastisements2 only thou mayest     
choose  whether they shall be punished  
by means of ,gehenna or by means of the 
dominion of the stranger4 ,all the day  
long ,abraham wavered1 until ,god       
called unto him3 ,how long wilt thou    
halt between two opinions8 ,decide  for 
one of the two1 and let it be for the   
dominion of the stranger6  ,then ,god   
made known to him the four hundred      
years' bondage of ,israel in  ,egypt1   
reckoning from the birth of ,isaac1 for 
unto ,abraham himself was  the promise  
given that he should go to his fathers  
in peace1 and feel  naught of the       
arrogance of the stranger oppressor4 ,at
 the same time1 it  was made known to   
,abraham that his father ,terah would   
have a share in  the world to come1 for 

he had done penance for his sinful      
deeds4  ,furthermore it was revealed to 
him that his son ,ishmael would turn    
into  the path of righteousness while   
yet his father was alive1 and his       
grandson ,esau would not begin his      
impious way of life until he himself    
had passed away4 ,and as he received the
 promise of their deliverance  together 
with the announcement of the slavery of 
his seed1 in a land  not theirs1 so it  
was made known to him that ,god would   
judge the four  kingdoms and destroy    
them4#aad    ,,the ,,birth ,,of         
,,ishmael    ,the covenant of the       
pieces1 whereby the fortunes of his     
descendants  were revealed to ,abraham1 
was made at a time when he was still    
childless4#aae ,as long as ,abraham and 
,sarah dwelt outside of the ,holy       
,land1 they looked upon their           
childlessness as a punishment for not   
abiding within it4 ,but when a ten      
years' sojourn in ,palestine found her  
barren as before1 ,sarah perceived that 

the fault lay with her4#aaf  ,without a 
trace of jealousy she was ready to give 
her slave ,hagar to  ,abraham as        
wife1#aag first making her a freed      
woman4#aah ,for ,hagar  was ,sarah's    
property1 not her husband's4 ,she had   
received her from  ,pharaoh1 the father 
of ,hagar4 ,taught and bred by ,sarah1  
she walked in  the same path of         
righteousness as her mistress1#aai and  
thus was a  suitable companion for      
,abraham1 and1 instructed by the holy   
spirit1 he  acceded to ,sarah's         
proposal4    ,no sooner had ,hagar's    
union with ,abraham been consummated1   
and she felt  that she was with child1  
than she began to treat her former      
mistress  contemptuously1 though ,sarah 
was particularly tender toward her in   
the  state in which she was4 ,when noble
 matrons came to see ,sarah1 she was  in
 the habit of urging them to pay a visit
 to poor ,hagar1 too4 ,the  dames would 
comply with her suggestion1 but ,hagar  
would use the  opportunity to disparage 

,sarah4 ,my lady ,sarah1 she would say1 
is not  inwardly what she appears to be 
outwardly4 ,she makes the impression of 
a righteous1 pious woman1 but she is    
not1 for if she were1 how could  her    
childlessness be explained after so many
 years of marriage1 while ,i  became    
pregnant at once8    ,sarah scorned to  
bicker with her slave1 yet the rage she 
felt found  vent in these words to      
,abraham3#abj ,it is thou who art doing 
me  wrong4 ,thou hearest the words of   
,hagar1 and thou sayest naught to       
oppose them1 and ,i hoped that thou     
wouldst take my part4 ,for thy sake  did
 ,i leave my native land and the house  
of my father1 and ,i followed  thee into
 a strange land with trust in ,god4 ,in 
,egypt ,i pretended to be  thy sister1  
that no harm might befall thee4 ,when ,i
 saw that ,i should  bear no children1  
,i took the ,egyptian woman1 my slave   
,hagar1 and gave  her unto thee for     
wife1 contenting myself with the thought
 that ,i would  rear the children she   

would bear4 ,now she treats me          
disdainfully in thy  presence4 ,o that  
,god might look upon the injustice which
 hath been done  unto me1 to judge      
between thee and me1 and have mercy upon
 us1 restore  peace to our home1 and    
grant us offspring1 that we have no need
 of  children from ,hagar1 the ,egyptian
 bondwoman of the generation of the     
heathen that cast thee in the fiery     
furnace6#aba    ,abraham1 modest and    
unassuming as he was1 was ready to do   
justice to  ,sarah1 and he conferred    
full power upon her to dispose of ,hagar
  according to her pleasure4 ,he added  
but one caution1 ,having once made  her 
a mistress1 we cannot again reduce her  
to the state of a  bondwoman4 ,unmindful
 of this warning1 ,sarah exacted the    
services of a  slave from ,hagar4 ,not  
alone this1 she tormented her1 and      
finally she  cast an evil eye upon her1 
so that the unborn child dropped from   
her1  and she ran away4 ,on her flight  
she was met by several angels1 and they 

bade her return1 at the same time making
 known to her that she would  bear a son
 who should be called ,ishmael--one of  
the six men who have  been given a name 
by ,god before their birth1 the others  
being ,isaac1  ,moses1 ,solomon1        
,josiah1 and the ,messiah4#abb          
,thirteen years after the birth of      
,ishmael the command was issued to      
,abraham that he put the sign of the    
covenant upon his body and upon the     
bodies of the male members of his       
household4 ,abraham was reluctant at    
first to do the bidding of ,god1 for he 
feared that the circumcision of  his    
flesh would raise a barrier between     
himself and the rest of  mankind4 ,but  
,god said unto him1 ,let it suffice thee
 that ,i am thy ,god  and thy ,lord1 as 
it sufficeth the world that ,i am its   
,god and its  ,lord4#abc    ,abraham    
then consulted with his three true      
friends1 ,aner1 ,eshcol1 and  ,mamre1   
regarding the command of the            
circumcision4 ,the first one spoke1  and

 said1 ,thou art nigh unto a hundred    
years old1 and thou considerest         
inflicting such pain upon thyself8 ,the 
advice of the second was also  against  
it4 ,what1 said ,eshcol1 thou choosest  
to mark thyself so that  thy enemies may
 recognize thee without fail8 ,mamre1   
the third1 was the  only one to advise  
obedience to the command of ,god4 ,god  
succored thee  from the fiery furnace1  
he said1 ,he helped thee in the combat  
with  the kings1 ,he provided for thee  
during the famine1 and thou dost        
hesitate to execute ,his behest         
concerning the circumcision8#abd        
,accordingly1 ,abraham did as ,god had  
commanded1 in bright daylight1  bidding 
defiance to all1 that none might say1   
,had we seen him attempt  it1 we should 
have prevented him4#abe    ,the         
circumcision was performed on the tenth 
day of ,tishri1 the ,day of  ,atonement1
 and upon the spot on which the altar   
was later to be erected  in the ,temple1
 for the act of ,abraham remains a      

never-ceasing atonement  for            
,israel4#abf    ,,the ,,visit ,,of ,,the
 ,,angels    ,on the third day after his
 circumcision1 when ,abraham was        
suffering  dire pain1#abg ,god spoke to 
the angels1 saying1 ,go to1 let us pay a
  visit to the sick4 ,the angels        
refused1 and said3 ,what is man1 that   
,thou art mindful of him8 ,and the son  
of man1 that ,thou visitest him8  ,and  
,thou desirest to betake ,thyself to a  
place of uncleanness1 a place  of blood 
and filth8 ,but ,god replied unto them1 
,thus do ye speak4 ,as  ye live1 the    
savor of this blood is sweeter to me    
than myrrh and  incense1 and if you do  
not desire to visit ,abraham1 ,i will go
  alone4#abh    ,the day whereon ,god   
visited him was exceedingly hot1 for ,he
 had bored a  hole in hell1 so that its 
heat might reach as far as the earth1   
and no  wayfarer venture abroad on the  
highways1 and ,abraham be left          
undisturbed in his pain4#abi ,but the   
absence of strangers caused  ,abraham   

great vexation1 and he sent his servant 
,eliezer forth to keep a  lookout for   
travellers4 ,when the servant returned  
from his fruitless  search1 ,abraham    
himself1 in spite of his illness and the
 scorching  heat1 prepared to go forth  
on the highway and see whether he would 
not  succeed where failure had attended 
,eliezer1 whom he did not wholly  trust 
at any rate1 bearing in mind the        
well-known saying1 ,no truth  among     
slaves4#acj ,at this moment ,god        
appeared to him1 surrounded by  the     
angels4 ,quickly ,abraham attempted to  
rise from his seat1 but ,god  checked   
every demonstration of respect1 and when
 ,abraham protested that  it was        
unbecoming to sit in the presence of the
 ,lord1 ,god said1 ,as  thou livest1 thy
 descendants at the age of four and five
 will sit in  days to come in the       
schools and in the synagogues while ,i  
reside  therein4#aca    ,meantime       
,abraham beheld three men4 ,they were   
the angels ,michael1  ,gabriel1 and     

,raphael4 ,they had assumed the form of 
human beings to  fulfil his wish for    
guests toward whom to exercise          
hospitality4 ,each of  them had been    
charged by ,god with a special mission1 
besides1 to be  executed on earth4      
,raphael was to heal the wound of       
,abraham1 ,michael  was to bring ,sarah 
the glad tidings that she would bear a  
son1 and  ,gabriel was to deal          
destruction to ,sodom and ,gomorrah4    
,arrived at the  tent of ,abraham1 the  
three angels noticed that he was        
occupied in  nursing himself1 and they  
withdrew4#acb ,abraham1 however1        
hastened  after them through another    
door of the tent1 which had wide open   
entrances on all sides4#acc ,he         
considered the duty of hospitality more 
important than the duty of receiving the
 ,shekinah4 ,turning to ,god1 he  said1 
,o ,lord1 may it please ,thee not to    
leave ,thy servant while he  provides   
for the entertainment of his guests4#acd
 ,then he addressed  himself to the     

stranger walking in the middle between  
the other two1  whom by this token he   
considered the most distinguished1--it  
was the  archangel ,michael--and he bade
 him and his companions turn aside into 
his tent4 ,the manner of his guests1 who
 treated one another politely1  made a  
good impression upon ,abraham4 ,he was  
assured that they were men  of worth    
whom he was entertaining4#ace ,but as   
they appeared outwardly  like ,arabs1   
and the people worshipped the dust of   
their feet1 he bade  them first wash    
their feet1 that they might not defile  
his tent4#acf    ,he did not depend upon
 his own judgment in reading the        
character of his  guests4 ,by his tent a
 tree was planted1 which spread its     
branches out  over all who believed in  
,god1 and afforded them shade4 ,but if  
idolaters  went under the tree1 the     
branches turned upward1 and cast no     
shade upon  the ground4 ,whenever       
,abraham saw this sign1 he would at once
 set about  the task of converting the  

worshippers of the false gods4 ,and as  
the  tree made a distinction between the
 pious and the impious1 so also  between
 the clean and the unclean4 ,its shade  
was denied them as long as  they        
refrained from taking the prescribed    
ritual bath in the spring  that flowed  
out from its roots1 the waters of which 
rose at once for  those whose           
uncleanness was of a venial character   
and could be removed  forthwith1 while  
others had to wait seven days for the   
water to come  up4 ,accordingly1        
,abraham bade the three men lean against
 the trunk of  the tree4 ,thus he would 
soon learn their worth or their         
unworthiness4#acg    ,being of the truly
 pious1 who promise little1 but perform 
much1#acc  ,abraham said only3 ,i will  
fetch a morsel of bread1 and comfort ye 
your  heart1 seeing that ye chanced to  
pass my tent at dinner time4 ,then1     
after ye have given thanks to ,god1 ye  
may pass on4#aci ,but when the  meal was
 served to the guests1 it was a royal   

banquet1 exceeding  ,solomon's at the   
time of his most splendid magnificence4 
,abraham  himself ran unto the herd1 to 
fetch cattle for meat4 ,he slaughtered  
three calves1 that he might be able to  
set a tongue with mustard  before each  
of his guests4#adj ,in order to accustom
 ,ishmael to  ,god-pleasing deeds1 he   
had him dress the calves1#ada and he    
bade ,sarah  bake the bread4 ,but as he 
knew that women are apt to treat guests 
niggardly1 he was explicit in his       
request to her4 ,he said1 ,make ready   
quickly three measures of meal1 yea1    
fine meal4 ,as it happened1 the  bread  
was not brought to the table1 because it
 had accidentally become  unclean1 and  
our father ,abraham was accustomed to   
eat his daily bread  only in a clean    
state4#adb ,abraham himself served his  
guests1 and it  appeared to him that the
 three men ate4 ,but this was an        
illusion4 ,in  reality the angels did   
not eat1#adc only ,abraham1 his three   
friends1  ,aner1 ,eshcol1 and ,mamre1   

and his son ,ishmael partook of the     
banquet1  and the portions set before   
the angels were devoured by a heavenly  
fire4#add    ,although the angels       
remained angels even in their human     
disguise1  nevertheless the personality 
of ,abraham was so exalted that in his  
presence the archangels felt            
insignificant4#ade    ,after the meal   
the angels asked after ,sarah1 though   
they knew that she  was in retirement in
 her tent1 but it was proper for them to
 pay their  respects to the lady of the 
house and send her the cup of wine over 
which the blessing had been said4#adf   
,michael1 the greatest of the  angels1  
thereupon announced the birth of ,isaac4
 ,he drew a line upon the  wall1 saying1
 ,when the sun crosses this point1      
,sarah will be with  child1 and when he 
crosses the next point1 she will give   
birth to a  child4 ,this communication1 
which was intended for ,sarah and not   
for  ,abraham1 to whom the promise had  
been revealed long before1#adg the      

angels made at the entrance to her tent1
 but ,ishmael stood between the  angel  
and ,sarah1 for it would not have been  
seemly to deliver the  message in       
secret1 with none other by4 ,yet1 so    
radiant was the beauty  of ,sarah that a
 beam of it struck the angel1 and made  
him look up4 ,in  the act of turning    
toward her1 he heard her laugh within   
herself3#adh  ,is it possible that these
 bowels can yet bring forth a child1    
these  shrivelled breasts give suck8    
,and though ,i should be able to bear1  
yet  is not my lord ,abraham old8#adi   
,and the ,lord said unto ,abraham3 ,am  
,i too old to do wonders8 ,and          
wherefore doth ,sarah laugh1 saying1    
,shall ,i of a surety bear a child1     
which am old8#aej ,the reproach made by 
,god was directed against  ,abraham as  
well as against ,sarah1 for he1 too1 had
 showed himself of  little faith when he
 was told that a son would be born unto 
him4 ,but  ,god mentioned only ,sarah's 
incredulity1 leaving ,abraham to become 

conscious of his defect himself4#aea    
,regardful of the peace of their family 
life1 ,god had not repeated  ,sarah's   
words accurately to ,abraham4 ,abraham  
might have taken amiss  what his wife   
had said about his advanced years1 and  
so precious is the  peace between       
husband and wife that even the ,holy    
,one1 blessed be ,he1  preserved it at  
the expense of truth4#aeb    ,after     
,abraham had entertained his guests1 he 
went with them to bring  them on their  
way1 for1 important as the duty of      
hospitality is1 the  duty of speeding   
the parting guest is even more          
important4#aec ,their  way lay in the   
direction of ,sodom1 whither two of the 
angels were  going1 the one to destroy  
it1 and the second to save ,lot1 while  
the  third1 his errand to ,abraham      
fulfilled1 returned to heaven4#aed      
,,the ,,cities ,,of ,,sin    ,the       
inhabitants of ,sodom and ,gomorrah and 
the three other cities of the  plain    
were sinful and godless4 ,in their      

country there was an extensive  vale1   
where they foregathered annually with   
their wives and their  children and all 
belonging to them1 to celebrate a feast 
lasting  several days and consisting of 
the most revolting orgies4 ,if a        
stranger  merchant passed through their 
territory1 he was besieged by them all1 
big and little alike1 and robbed of     
whatever he possessed4 ,each one        
appropriated a bagatelle1 until the     
traveller was stripped bare4 ,if the    
victim ventured to remonstrate with one 
or another1 he would show him  that he  
had taken a mere trifle1 not worth      
talking about4 ,and the end  was that   
they hounded him from the city4    ,once
 upon a time it happened that a man     
journeying from ,elam arrived in  ,sodom
 toward evening4 ,no one could be found 
to grant him shelter for  the night4    
,finally a sly fox named ,hedor invited 
him cordially to  follow him to his     
house4 ,the ,sodomite had been attracted
 by a rarely  magnificent carpet1       

strapped to the stranger's ass by means 
of a rope4  ,he meant to secure it for  
himself4 ,the friendly persuasions of   
,hedor  induced the stranger to remain  
with him two days1 though he had        
expected to stay only overnight4 ,when  
the time came for him to continue  on   
his journey1 he asked his host for the  
carpet and the rope4 ,hedor  said3 ,thou
 hast dreamed a dream1 and this is the  
interpretation of thy  dream3 the rope  
signifies that thou wilt have a long    
life1 as long as a  rope2 the           
varicolored carpet indicates that thou  
wilt own an orchard  wherein thou wilt  
plant all sorts of fruit trees4 ,the    
stranger  insisted that his carpet was a
 reality1 not a dream fancy1 and he     
continued to demand its return4 ,not    
only did ,hedor deny having taken       
anything from his guest1 he even        
insisted upon pay for having            
interpreted his dream to him4 ,his usual
 price for such services1 he  said1 was 
four silver pieces1 but in view of the  

fact that he was his  guest1 he would1  
as a favor to him1 content himself with 
three pieces  of silver4    ,after much 
wrangling1 they put their case before   
one of the judges of  ,sodom1 ,sherek by
 name1 and he said to the plaintiff1    
,hedor is known in  this city as a      
trustworthy interpreter of dreams1 and  
what he tells  thee is true4 ,the       
stranger declared himself not satisfied 
with the  verdict1 and continued to urge
 his side of the case4 ,then ,sherek    
drove  both the plaintiff and the       
defendant from the court room4 ,seeing  
this1  the inhabitants gathered together
 and chased the stranger from the  city1
 and lamenting the loss of his carpet1  
he had to pursue his way4    ,as ,sodom 
had a judge worthy of itself1 so also   
had the other  cities--,sharkar in      
,gomorrah1 ,zabnak in ,admah1 and ,manon
 in ,zeboiim4  ,eliezer1 the bondman of 
,abraham1 made slight changes in the    
names of  these judges1 in accordance   
with the nature of what they did3 the   

first  he called ,shakkara1 ,liar2 the  
second ,shakrura1 ,arch-deceiver2 the   
third  ,kazban1 ,falsifier2 and the     
fourth1 ,mazle-,din1 ,perverter of      
,judgment4 ,at  the suggestion of these 
judges1 the cities set up beds on their 
commons4 ,when a stranger arrived1 three
 men seized him by his head1 and  three 
by his feet1 and they forced him upon   
one of the beds4 ,if he was  too short  
to fit into it exactly1 his six         
attendants pulled and  wrenched his     
limbs until he filled it out2 if he was 
too long for2 it1  they tried to jam him
 in with all their combined strength1   
until the  victim was on the verge of   
death4 ,hit outcrles were met with the  
words1  ,thus will be done to any man   
that comes into our land4    ,after a   
while travellers avoided these cities1  
but if some poor devil  was betrayed    
occasionally into entering them1 they   
would give him gold  and silver1 but    
never any bread1 so that he was bound to
 die of  starvation4 ,once he was dead1 

the residents of the city came and took 
back the marked gold and silver which   
they had given him1 and they  would     
quarrel about the distribution of his   
clothes1 for they would  bury him naked4
    ,once ,eliezer1 the bondman of      
,abraham1 went to ,sodom1 at the bidding
 of  ,sarah1 to inquire after the       
welfare of ,lot4 ,he happened to enter  
the  city at the moment when the people 
were robbing a stranger of his          
garments4 ,eliezer espoused the cause of
 the poor wretch1 and the  ,sodomites   
turned against him2 one threw a stone at
 his forehead and  caused considerable  
loss of blood4 ,instantly1 the          
assailant1 seeing the  blood gush forth1
 demanded payment for having performed  
the operation  of cupping4 ,eliezer     
refused to pay for the infliction of a  
wound upon  him1 and he was haled before
 the judge ,shakkara4 ,the decision went
  against him1 for the law of the land  
gave the assailant the right to  demand 
payment4 ,eliezer quickly picked up a   

stone and threw it at the  judge's      
forehead4 ,when he saw that the blood   
was flowing profusely1 he  said to the  
judge1 ,pay my debt to the man and give 
me the balance4    ,the cause of their  
cruelty was their exceeding great       
wealth4 ,their soil  was gold1 and in   
their miserliness and their greed for   
more and more  gold1 they wanted to     
prevent strangers from enjoying aught of
 their  riches4 ,accordingly1 they      
flooded the highways with streams of    
water1  so that the roads to their city 
were obliterated1 and none could find   
the way thither4 ,they were as heartless
 toward beasts as toward men4  ,they    
begrudged the birds what they ate1 and  
therefore extirpated  them4#aee ,they   
behaved impiously toward one another1   
too1 not  shrinking back from murder to 
gain possession of more gold4 ,if they  
observed that a man owned great riches1 
two of them would conspire  against him4
 ,they would beguile him to the vicinity
 of ruins1 and while  the one kept him  

on the spot by pleasant converse1 the   
other would  undermine the wall near    
which he stood1 until it suddenly       
crashed down  upon him and killed him4  
,then the two plotters would divide his 
wealth  between them4    ,another method
 of enriching themselves with the       
property of others was  in vogue among  
them4 ,they were adroit thieves4 ,when  
they made up their  minds to commit     
theft1 they would first ask their victim
 to take care  of a sum of money for    
them1 which they smeared with strongly  
scented  oil before handing it over to  
him4 ,the following night they would    
break  into his house1 and rob him of   
his secret treasures1 led to the place  
of concealment by the smell of the oil4 
,their laws were calculated to do injury
 to the poor4 ,the richer a man1  the   
more was he favored before the law4 ,the
 owner of two oxen was  obliged to      
render one day's shepherd service1 but  
if he had but one ox1  he had to give   
two days' service4 ,a poor orphan1 who  

was thus forced to  tend the flocks a   
longer time than those who were blessed 
with large  herds1 killed all the cattle
 entrusted to him in order to take      
revenge  upon his oppressors1 and he    
insisted1 when the skins were assigned1 
that the owner of two head of cattle    
should have but one skin1 but the  owner
 of one head should receive two skins1  
in correspondence to the  method pursued
 in assigning the work4 ,for the use of 
the ferry1 a  traveller had to pay four 
zuz1 but if he waded through the water1 
he  had to pay eight zuz4#aef    ,the   
cruelty of the ,sodomites went still    
further4 ,lot had a daughter1  ,paltit1 
so named because she had been born to   
him shortly after he  escaped captivity 
through the help of ,abraham4 ,paltit   
lived in ,sodom1  where she had married4
 ,once a beggar came to town1 and the   
court issued  a proclamation that none  
should give him anything to eat1 in     
order that  he might die of starvation4 
,but ,paltit had pity upon the          

unfortunate  wretch1 and every day when 
she went to the well to draw water1 she 
supplied him with a piece of bread1     
which she hid in her water pitcher4     
,the inhabitants of the two sinful      
cities1 ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 could not 
understand why the beggar did not       
perish1 and they suspected that some    
one was giving him food in secret4      
,three men concealed themselves near    
the beggar1 and caught ,paltit in the   
act of giving him something to  eat4    
,she had to pay for her humanity with   
death2 she was burnt upon a  pyre4      
,the people of ,admah were no better    
than those of ,sodom4 ,once a stranger  
came to ,admah1 intending to stay       
overnight and continue his journey the  
next morning4 ,the daughter of a rich   
man met the stranger1 and gave him      
water to drink and bread to eat at his  
request4 ,when the people of  ,admah    
heard of this infraction of the law of  
the land1 they seized the  girl and     
arraigned her before the judge1 who     

condemned her to death4  ,the people    
smeared her with honey from top to toe1 
and exposed her  where bees would be    
attracted to her4 ,the insects stung her
 to death1  and the callous people paid 
no heed to her heartrending cries4 ,then
 it  was that ,god resolved upon the    
destruction of these sinners4#aeg       
,,abraham ,,pleads ,,for ,,the ,,sinners
    ,when ,god saw that there was no    
righteous man among the inhabitants of  
the sinful cities1 and there would be   
none among their descendants1 for  the  
sake of whose merits the rest might be  
treated with lenient  consideration1 ,he
 resolved to annihilate them one and    
all4#aeh ,but  before judgment was      
executed1 the ,lord made known unto     
,abraham what ,he  would do to ,sodom1  
,gomorrah1 and the other cities of the  
plain1 for  they formed a part of       
,canaan1 the land promised unto         
,abraham1 and  therefore did ,god say1  
,i will not destroy them without the    
consent of  ,abraham4#aei    ,like a    

compassionate father1 ,abraham          
importuned the grace of ,god in  behalf 
of the sinners4 ,he spoke to ,god1 and  
said3 ,thou didst take an  oath that no 
more should all flesh be cut off by the 
waters of a flood4  ,is it meet that    
,thou shouldst evade ,thy oath and      
destroy cities by  fire8 ,shall the     
,judge of all the earth not do right    
,himself8 ,verily1 if  ,thou desirest to
 maintain the world1 ,thou must give up 
the strict line  of justice4 ,if ,thou  
insistest upon the right alone1 there   
can be no  world4 ,whereupon ,god said  
to ,abraham3 ,thou takest delight in    
defending ,my creatures1 and thou       
wouldst not call them guilty4           
,therefore ,i spoke with none but thee  
during the ten generations since        
,noah4#afj ,abraham ventured to use     
still stronger words in order to  secure
 the safety of the godless4 ,that be far
 from ,thee1 he said1 to  slay the      
righteous with the wicked1 that the     
dwellers on the earth say  not1 ',it is 

,his trade to destroy the generations of
 men in a cruel  manner2 for ,he        
destroyed the generation of ,enosh1 then
 the generation  of the flood1 and then 
,he sent the confusion of tongues4 ,he  
sticks ever  to ,his trade4'    ,god    
made reply3 ,i will let all the         
generations ,i have destroyed pass      
before thee1 that thou mayest see they  
have not suffered the extreme           
punishment they deserved4 ,but if thou  
thinkest that ,i did not act  justly1   
then instruct thou ,me in what ,i must  
do1 and ,i will endeavor to  act in     
accordance with thy words4 ,and ,abraham
 had to admit that ,god  had not        
diminished in aught the justice due to  
every creature in this  world or the    
other world4#afa ,nevertheless he       
continued to speak1 and  he said3 ,wilt 
,thou consume the cities1 if there be   
ten righteous men  in each8 ,and ,god   
said1 ,no1 if ,i find fifty righteous   
therein1 ,i will  not destroy the       
cities4#afb    ,abraham3 ,i have taken  

upon me to speak unto the ,lord1 ,i who 
would have  been turned long since into 
dust of the ground by ,amraphel and into
  ashes by ,nimrod1 had it not been for 
,thy grace4#afc ,peradventure there     
shall lack five of the fifty righteous  
for ,zoar1 the smallest of the  five    
cities4 ,wilt ,thou destroy all the city
 for lack of five8    ,god3 ,i will not 
destroy it1 if ,i find there forty and  
five4    ,abraham3 ,peradventure there  
be ten pious in each of the four cities1
  then forgive ,zoar in ,thy grace1 for 
its sins are not so great in number  as 
the sins of the others4    ,god granted 
his petition1 yet ,abraham continued to 
plead1 and he asked  whether ,god would 
not be satisfied if there were but      
thirty righteous1  ten in each of the   
three larger cities1 and would pardon   
the two  smaller ones1 even though there
 were no righteous therein1 whose merits
  would intercede for them4 ,this1 too1 
the ,lord granted1 and furthermore  ,he 
promised not to destroy the cities if   

but twenty righteous were  found        
therein2 yes1 ,god conceded that ,he    
would preserve the five cities  for the 
sake of ten righteous therein4#afd ,more
 than this ,abraham did  not ask1 for he
 knew that eight righteous ones1 ,noah  
and his wife1 and  his three sons and   
their wives1 had not sufficed to avert  
the doom of  the generation of the      
flood1 and furthermore he hoped that    
,lot1 his  wife1 and their four         
daughters1 together with the husbands of
 their  daughters1 would make up the    
number ten4 ,what he did not know was   
that  even the righteous in these       
sin-laden cities1 though better than the
  rest1 were far from good4#afe         
,abraham did not cease to pray for the  
deliverance of the sinners even  after  
the ,shekinah had removed from him4 ,but
 his supplications and his              
intercessions were in vain4#aff ,for    
fifty-two years ,god had warned the     
godless2 ,he had made mountains to quake
 and tremble4 ,but they hearkened  not  

unto the voice of admonition4 ,they     
persisted in their sins1 and  their     
well-merited punishment overtook        
them4#afg ,god forgives all  sins1 only 
not an immoral life4 ,and as all these  
sinners led a life of  debauchery1 they 
were burnt with fire4#afh    ,,the      
,,destruction ,,of ,,the ,,sinful       
,,cities    ,the angels left ,abraham at
 noon time1 and they reached ,sodom at  
the  approach of evening4 ,as a rule1   
angels proclaim their errand with the   
swiftness of lightning1 but these were  
angels of mercy1 and they  hesitated to 
execute their work of destruction1 ever 
hoping that the  evil would be turned   
aside from ,sodom4#afi ,with nightfall1 
the fate of  ,sodom was sealed          
irrevocably1 and the angels arrived     
there4#agj    ,bred in the house of     
,abraham1 ,lot had learnt from him the  
beautiful  custom of extending          
hospitality1 and when he saw the angels 
before him  in human form1 thinking they
 were wayfarers1 he bade them turn aside

  and tarry all night in his house4 ,but
 as the entertainment of strangers  was 
forbidden in ,sodom on penalty of death1
 he dared invite them only  under cover 
of the darkness of night1#aga and even  
then he had to use  every manner of     
precaution1 bidding the angels to follow
 him by devious  ways4    ,the angels1  
who had accepted ,abraham's hospitality 
without delay1 first  refused to comply 
with ,lot's request1 for it is a rule of
 good breeding  to show reluctance when 
an ordinary man invites one1 but to     
accept the  invitation of a great man at
 once4 ,lot1 however1 was insistent1 and
  carried them into his house by main   
force4#agb ,at home he had to  overcome 
the opposition of his wife1 for she     
said1 ,if the inhabitants  of ,sodom    
hear of this1 they will slay thee4      
,lot divided his dwelling in two parts1 
one for himself and his guests1  the    
other for his wife1 so that1 if aught   
happened1 his wife would be  spared4#agc
 ,nevertheless it was she who betrayed  

him4 ,she went to a  neighbor and       
borrowed some salt1 and to the question1
 whether she could  not have supplied   
herself with salt during daylight hours1
 she replied1  ,we had enough salt1     
until some guests came to us2 for them  
we needed  more4 ,in this way the       
presence of strangers was bruited abroad
 in the  city4#agd    ,in the beginning 
the angels were inclined to hearken to  
the petition of  ,lot in behalf of the  
sinners1 but when all the people of the 
city1 big  and little1 crowded around   
the house of ,lot with the purpose of   
committing a monstrous crime1 the angels
 warded off his prayers1  saying1       
,hitherto thou couldst intercede for    
them1 but now no longer4  ,it was not   
the first time that the inhabitants of  
,sodom wanted to  perpetrate a crime of 
this sort4 ,they had made a law some    
time before  that all strangers were to 
be treated in this horrible way4 ,lot1  
who  was appointed chief judge on the   
very day of the angels' coming1 tried   

to induce the people to desist from     
their purpose1 saying to them1 ,my      
brethren1 the generation of the deluge  
was extirpated in consequence of  such  
sins as you desire to commit1 and you   
would revert to them8 ,but  they        
replied3 ,back6 ,and though ,abraham    
himself came hither1 we should  have no 
consideration for him4 ,is it possible  
that thou wouldst set  aside a law which
 thy predecessors administered8#age     
,even ,lot's moral sense was no better  
than it should have been4 ,it is  the   
duty of a man to venture his life for   
the honor of his wife and his           
daughters1 but ,lot was ready to        
sacrifice the honor of his daughters1   
wherefor he was punished severely later 
on4#agf    ,the angels told ,lot who    
they were1 and what the mission that had
  brought them to ,sodom1 and they      
charged him to flee from the city with  
his wife and his four daughters1 two of 
them married1 and two  betrothed4#agg   
,lot communicated their bidding to his  

sons-in-law1 and  they mocked at him1   
and said3 ,o thou fool6 ,violins1       
cymbals1 and  flutes resound in the     
city1 and thou sayest ,sodom will be    
destroyed6  ,such scoffing but hastened 
the execution of the doom of ,sodom4#agh
 ,the  angel ,michael laid hold upon the
 hand of ,lot1 and his wife and his     
daughters1 while with his little finger 
the angel ,gabriel touched the  rock    
whereon the sinful cities were built1   
and overturned them4 ,at the  same time 
the rain that was streaming down upon   
the two cities was  changed into        
brimstone4#agi    ,when the angels had  
brought forth ,lot and his family and   
set them  without the city1 he bade them
 run for their lives1 and not look      
behind1 lest they behold the ,shekinah1 
which had descended to work the         
destruction of the cities4 ,the wife of 
,lot could not control herself4  ,her   
mother love made her look behind to see 
if her married daughters  were          
following4 ,she beheld the ,shekinah1   

and she became a pillar of  salt4 ,this 
pillar exists unto this day4 ,the cattle
 lick it all day  long1 and in the      
evening it seems to have disappeared1   
but when morning  comes it stands there 
as large as before4#ahj    ,the savior  
angel had urged ,lot himself to take    
refuge with ,abraham4 ,but  he refused1 
and said3 ,as long as ,i dwelt apart    
from ,abraham1 ,god  compared my deeds  
with the deeds of my fellow-citizens1   
and among them  ,i appeared as a        
righteous man4 ,if ,i should return to  
,abraham1 ,god will  see that his good  
deeds outweigh mine by far4#aha ,the    
angel then  granted his plea that ,zoar 
be left undestroyed4 ,this city had been
  founded a year later than the other   
four2 it was only fifty-one years  old1 
and therefore the measure of its sins   
was not so full as the  measure of the  
sins of the neighboring cities4#ahb     
,the destruction of the cities of the   
plain took place at dawn of the         
sixteenth day of ,nisan1 for the reason 

that there were moon and sun            
worshippers among the inhabitants4 ,god 
said3 ,if ,i destroy them by day1  the  
moon worshippers will say1 ,were the    
moon here1 she would prove  herself our 
savior2 and if ,i destroy them by night1
 the sun worshippers  will say1 ,were   
the sun here1 he would prove himself our
 savior4 ,i will  therefore let their   
chastisement overtake them on the       
sixteenth day of  ,nisan at an hour at  
which the moon and the sun are both in  
the  skies4#ahc    ,the sinful          
inhabitants of the cities of the plain  
not only lost their  life in this world1
 but also their share in the future     
world4 ,as for  the cities themselves1  
however1 they will be restored in the   
,messianic  time4#ahd    ,the           
destruction of ,sodom happened at the   
time at which ,abraham was  performing  
his morning devotions1 and for his sake 
it was established  as the proper hour  
for the morning prayer unto all         
times4#ahe ,when he  turned his eyes    

toward ,sodom and beheld the rising     
smoke1 he prayed for  the deliverance of
 ,lot1 and ,god granted his             
petition--the fourth time  that ,lot    
became deeply indebted to ,abraham4     
,abraham had taken him with  him to     
,palestine1 he had made him rich in     
flocks1 herds1 and tents1 he  had       
rescued him from captivity1 and by his  
prayer he saved him from the            
destruction of ,sodom4 ,the descendants 
of ,lot1 the ,ammonites and the         
,moabites1 instead of showing gratitude 
to the ,israelites1 the posterity  of   
,abraham1 committed four acts of        
hostility against them4 ,they sought  to
 compass the destruction of ,israel by  
means of ,balaam's curses1 they  waged  
open war against him at the time of     
,jephthah1 and also at the  time of     
,jehoshaphat1 and finally they          
manifested their hatred against  ,israel
 at the destruction of the ,temple4     
,hence it is that ,god appointed  four  
prophets1 ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 ,ezekiel1 

and ,zephaniah1 to proclaim  punishment 
unto the descendants of ,lot1 and four  
times their sin is  recorded in ,holy   
,writ4#ahf    ,though ,lot owed his     
deliverance to the petition of ,abraham1
 yet it was  at the same time his reward
 for not having betrayed ,abraham in    
,egypt1  when he pretended to be the    
brother of ,sarah4#ahg ,but a greater   
reward  still awaits him4 ,the ,messiah 
will be a descendant of his1 for the    
,moabitess ,ruth is the                 
great-grandmother of ,david1 and the    
,ammonitess  ,naamah is the mother of   
,rehoboam1 and the ,messiah is of the   
line of  these two kings4#ahh    ,,among
 ,,the ,,philistines    ,the destruction
 of ,sodom induced ,abraham to journey  
to ,gerar4  ,accustomed to extend       
hospitality to travellers and wayfarers1
 he no  longer felt comfortable in a    
district in which all traffic had ceased
  by reason of the ruined cities4 ,there
 was another reason for ,abraham's      
leaving his place2 the people spoke too 

much about the ugly incident  with      
,lot's daughters4#ahi    ,arrived in the
 land of the ,philistines1 he again1 as 
aforetime in  ,egypt1 came to an        
understanding with ,sarah1 that she was 
to call  herself his sister4 ,when the  
report of her beauty reached the king1  
he  ordered her to be brought before    
him1 and he asked her who her  companion
 was1 and she told him that ,abraham was
 her brother4 ,entranced  by her beauty1
 ,abimelech the king took ,sarah to     
wife1 and heaped marks  of honor upon   
,abraham in accordance with the just    
claims of a brother  of the queen4      
,toward evening1 before retiring1 while 
he was still  seated upon his throne1   
,abimelech fell into a sleep1 and he    
slept until  the morning1 and in the    
dream he dreamed he saw an angel of the 
,lord  raising his sword to deal him a  
death blow4 ,sore frightened1 he asked  
the cause1 and the angel replied1 and   
said3 ,thou wilt die on account  of the 
woman thou didst take into thy house    

this day1 for she is the  wife of       
,abraham1 the man whom thou didst cite  
before thee4 ,return his  wife unto him6
 ,but if thou restore her not1 thou     
shalt surely die1 thou  and all that are
 thine4    ,in that night the voice of a
 great crying was heard in the whole    
land  of the ,philistines1 for they saw 
the figure of a man walking about1  with
 sword in hand1 slaying all that came in
 his way4 ,at the same time  it happened
 that in men and beasts alike all the   
apertures of the body  closed up1 and   
the land was seized with indescribable  
excitement4 ,in  the morning1 when the  
king awoke1 in agony and terror1 he     
called all  his servants and told his   
dream in their ears4 ,one of their      
number  said3 ,o lord and king6 ,restore
 this woman unto the man1 for he is her 
husband4 ,it is but his way in a strange
 land to pretend that she is his        
sister4 ,thus did he with the king of   
,egypt1 too1 and ,god sent heavy        
afflictions upon ,pharaoh when he took  

the woman unto himself4 ,consider1      
also1 ,o lord and king1 what hath       
befallen this night in the land2 great  
pain1 wailing1 and confusion there was1 
and we know that it came upon  us only  
because of this woman4#aij    ,there    
were some among his servants who spake3 
,be not afraid of dreams6  ,what dreams 
make known to man is but falsehood4     
,then ,god appeared unto  ,abimelech    
again and commanded him to let ,sarah go
 free1 otherwise he  would be a dead    
man4#aia ,abimelech replied3 ,is this   
,thy way8 ,then1 ,i  ween1 the          
generation of the flood and the         
generation of the confusion  of tongues 
were innocent1 too6 ,the man himself did
 say unto me1 ,she is  my sister1 and   
she1 even she herself said1 ,he is my   
brother1 and all  the people of their   
household said the same words4 ,and ,god
 said unto  him3 ,yea1 ,i know that thou
 hast not yet committed a trespass1 for 
,i  withheld thee from sinning4 ,thou   
didst not know that ,sarah was a man's  

wife4#aib ,but is it becoming to        
question a stranger1 no sooner does he  
set foot upon thy territory1 about the  
woman accompanying him1 whether  she be 
his wife or his sister8 ,abraham1 who is
 a prophet1 knew  beforehand the danger 
to himself if he revealed the whole     
truth4#aic  ,but1 being a prophet1 he   
also knows that thou didst not touch his
 wife1  and he shall pray for thee1 and 
thou shalt live4    ,the smoke was still
 rising from the ruins of ,sodom1 and   
,abimelech and  his people1 seeing it1  
feared that a like fate might overtake  
them4#aid ,the king called ,abraham and 
reproached him for having caused  such  
great misfortune through his false      
statements concerning ,sarah4  ,abraham 
excused his conduct by his apprehension 
that1 the fear of ,god  not being in the
 place1 the inhabitants of the land slay
 him for his  wife4#aie ,abraham went on
 and told the history of his whole life1
 and  he said3 ,when ,i dwelt in the    
house of my father1 the nations of the  

world sought to do me harm1 but ,god    
proved ,himself my ,redeemer4 ,when  the
 nations of the world tried to lead me  
astray to idolatry1 ,god  revealed      
,himself to me1 and ,he said1 ',get thee
 out of thy country1 and  from thy      
kindred1 and from thy father's house4'  
,and when the nations of  the world were
 about to go astray1 ,god sent two      
prophets1 my kinsmen  ,shem and ,eber1  
to admonish them4#aif    ,abimelech gave
 rich gifts to ,abraham1 wherein he     
acted otherwise than  ,pharaoh in       
similar circumstances4 ,the ,egyptian   
king gave gifts to  ,sarah1 but         
,abimelech was ,god fearing1 and desired
 that ,abraham pray for  him4#aig ,to   
,sarah he gave a costly robe that       
covered her whole person1  hiding her   
seductive charms from the view of       
beholders4 ,at the same  time it was a  
reproach to ,abraham1 that he had not   
fitted ,sarah out  with the splendor due
 to his wife4#aih    ,though ,abimelech 
had done him great injury1 ,abraham not 

only granted  him the forgiveness he    
craved1 but also he prayed for him to   
,god4 ,thus  he is an exemplar unto all4
 ,man should be pliant as a reed1 not   
hard  like the cedar4 ,he should be     
easily appeased1 and slow to anger1 and 
as soon as he who has sinned against him
 asks for pardon1 he should  forgive him
 with all his heart4 ,even if deep and  
serious injury has  been done to him1 he
 should not be vengeful1 nor bear his   
brother a  grudge in his heart4#aii     
,abraham prayed thus for ,abimelech3 ,o 
,lord of the world6 ,thou hast  created 
man that he may increase and propagate  
his kind4 ,grant that  ,abimelech and   
his house may multiply and increase6#bjj
 ,god fulfilled  ,abraham's petition in 
behalf of ,abimelech and his people1 and
 it was  the first time it happened in  
the history of mankind that ,god        
fulfilled  the prayer of one human being
 for the benefit of another4#bja        
,abimelech and his subjects were healed 
of all their diseases1 and so           

efficacious was the prayer offered by   
,abraham that the wife of  ,abimelech1  
barren hitherto1 bore a child4#bjb      
,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,isaac    ,when the 
prayer of ,abraham for ,abimelech was   
heard1 and the king of the  ,philistines
 recovered1 the angels raised a loud    
cry1 and spoke to ,god  thus3 ,o ,lord  
of the world6 ,all these years hath     
,sarah been barren1 as  the wife of     
,abimelech was4 ,now ,abraham prayed to 
,thee1 and the wife of  ,abimelech hath 
been granted a child4 ,it is just and   
fair that ,sarah  should be remembered  
and granted a child4 ,these words of the
 angels1  spoken on the ,new ,year's    
,day1 when the fortunes of men are      
determined  in heaven for the whole     
year1 bore a result4 ,barely seven      
months later1  on the first day of the  
,passover1 ,isaac was born4    ,the     
birth of ,isaac was a happy event1 and  
not in the house of ,abraham  alone4    
,the whole world rejoiced1 for ,god     
remembered all barren women at  the same

 time with ,sarah4 ,they all bore       
children4 ,and all the blind  were made 
to see1 all the lame were made whole1   
the dumb were made to  speak1 and the   
mad were restored to reason4 ,and a     
still greater miracle  happened3 on the 
day of ,isaac's birth the sun shone with
 such splendor  as had not been seen    
since the fall of man1 and as he will   
shine again  only in the future         
world4#bjc    ,to silence those who     
asked significantly1 ,can one a hundred 
years old  beget a son8 ,god commanded  
the angel who has charge over the       
embryos1  to give them form and shape1  
that he fashion ,isaac precisely        
according  to the model of ,abraham1 so 
that all seeing ,isaac might exclaim1   
,abraham begot ,isaac4#bjd    ,that     
,abraham and ,sarah were blessed with   
offspring only after they had  attained 
so great an age1 had an important       
reason4 ,it was necessary  that ,abraham
 should bear the sign of the covenant   
upon his body before  he begot the son  

who was appointed to be the father of   
,israel4#bje ,and  as ,isaac was the    
first child born to ,abraham after he   
was marked with  the sign1 he did not   
fail to celebrate his circumcision with 
much pomp  and ceremony on the eighth   
day4#bjf ,shem1 ,eber1 ,abimelech king  
of the  ,philistines1 and his whole     
retinue1 ,phicol the captain of his host
 in  it--they all were present1 and also
 ,terah and his son ,nahor1 in a word1  
all the great ones round about4#bjg ,on 
this occasion ,abraham could at  last   
put a stop to the talk of the people1   
who said1 ,look at this old  couple6    
,they picked up a foundling on the      
highway1 and they pretend he  is their  
own son1 and to make their statement    
seem credible1 they  arrange a feast in 
his honor4 ,abraham had invited not only
 men to the  celebration1 but also the  
wives of the magnates with their        
infants1 and  ,god permitted a miracle  
to be done4 ,sarah had enough milk in   
her  breasts to suckle all the babes    

there1#bjh and they who drew from her   
breasts had much to thank her for4      
,those whose mothers had harbored  only 
pious thoughts in their minds when they 
let them drink the milk  that flowed    
from the breasts of the pious ,sarah1   
they became proselytes  when they grew  
up2 and those whose mothers let ,sarah  
nurse them only in  order to test her1  
they grew up to be powerful rulers1     
losing their  dominion only at the      
revelation on ,mount ,sinai1 because    
they would not  accept the ,torah4 ,all 
proselytes and pious heathen are the    
descendants  of these infants4#bji      
,among the guests of ,abraham were the  
thirty-one kings and thirty-one         
viceroys of ,palestine who were         
vanquished by ,joshua at the conquest of
  the ,holy ,land4 ,even ,og king of    
,bashan was present1 and he had to      
suffer  the teasing of the other guests1
 who rallied him upon having called     
,abraham a sterile mule1 who would never
 have offspring4 ,og1 on his  part1     

pointed at the little boy with contempt1
 and said1 ,were ,i to lay  my finger   
upon him1 he would be crushed4          
,whereupon ,god said to him3  ,thou     
makest mock of the gift given to        
,abraham6 ,as thou livest1 thou  shalt  
look upon millions and myriads of his   
descendants1 and in the end  thou shalt 
fall into their hands4#baj    ,,ishmael 
,,cast ,,off    ,when ,isaac grew up1   
quarrels broke out between him and      
,ishmael1 on  account of the rights of  
the first-born4 ,ishmael insisted he    
should  receive a double portion of the 
inheritance after the death of ,abraham1
  and ,isaac should receive only one    
portion4 ,ishmael1 who had been         
accustomed from his youth to use the bow
 and arrow1 was in the habit of  aiming 
his missiles in the direction of ,isaac1
 saying at the same time  that he was   
but jesting4#baa ,sarah1 however1       
insisted that ,abraham  make over to    
,isaac all he owned1 that no disputes   
might arise after his  death1#bab for1  

she said1 ,ishmael is not worthy of     
being heir with  my son1 nor with a man 
like ,isaac1 and certainly not with my  
son  ,isaac4#bac ,furthermore1 ,sarah   
insisted that ,abraham divorce himself  
from ,hagar1 the mother of ,ishmael1 and
 send away the woman and her son1  so   
that there be naught in common between  
them and her own son1 either  in this   
world or in the future world4    ,of all
 the trials ,abraham had to undergo1    
none was so hard to bear as  this1 for  
it grieved him sorely to separate       
himself from his son4 ,god  appeared to 
him in the following night1 and said to 
him3 ,abraham1  knowest thou not that   
,sarah was appointed to be thy wife from
 her  mother's womb8 ,she is thy        
companion and the wife of thy youth1 and
 ,i  named not ,hagar as thy wife1 nor  
,sarah as thy bondwoman4 ,what ,sarah   
spoke unto thee was naught but truth1   
and let it not be grievous in thy  sight
 because of the lad1 and because of thy 
bondwoman4 ,the next  morning ,abraham  

rose up early1 gave ,hagar her bill of  
divorcement1 and  sent her away with her
 son1 first binding a rope about her    
loins that  all might see she was a     
bondwoman4#bad    ,the evil glance cast 
upon her stepson by ,sarah made him sick
 and  feverish1 so that ,hagar had to   
carry him1 grown-up as he was4 ,in his  
fever he drank often of the water in the
 bottle given her by ,abraham as  she   
left his house1 and the water was       
quickly spent4 ,that she might not  look
 upon the death of her child1 ,hagar    
cast ,ishmael under the willow  shrubs  
growing on the selfsame spot whereon the
 angels had once spoken  with her and   
made known to her that she would bear a 
son4 ,in the  bitterness of her heart1  
she spoke to ,god1 and said1 ,yesterday 
,thou  didst say to me1 ,i will greatly 
multiply thy seed1 that it shall not be 
numbered for multitude1 and to-day my   
son dies of thirst4 ,ishmael  himself   
cried unto ,god1 and his prayer and the 
merits of ,abraham  brought them help in

 their need1 though the angels appeared 
against  ,ishmael before ,god4 ,they    
said1 ,wilt ,thou cause a well of water 
to  spring up for him whose descendants 
will let ,thy children of ,israel       
perish with thirst8 ,but ,god replied1  
and said1 ,what is ,ishmael at  this    
moment--righteous or wicked8 and when   
the angels called him  righteous1 ,god  
continued1 ,i treat man according to his
 deserts at each  moment4#bae    ,at    
that moment ,ishmael was pious indeed1  
for he was praying to ,god in  the      
following words3 ,o ,lord of the world6 
,if it be ,thy will that ,i  shall      
perish1 then let me die in some other   
way1 not by thirst1 for the  tortures of
 thirst are great beyond all others4    
,hagar1 instead of  praying to ,god1    
addressed her supplications to the idols
 of her youth4  ,the prayer of ,ishmael 
was acceptable before ,god1 and ,he bade
 ,miriam's  well spring up1 the well    
created in the twilight of the sixth day
 of  creation4#baf ,even after this     

miracle ,hagar's faith was no stronger  
than before4 ,she filled the bottle with
 water1 because she feared it  might    
again be spent1 and no other would be   
nigh4 ,thereupon she  journeyed to      
,egypt with her son1 for ,throw the     
stick into the air as  thou wilt1 it    
will always land on its point4 ,hagar   
had come from  ,egypt1 and to ,egypt she
 returned1 to choose a wife for her     
son4#bag    ,,the ,,two ,,wives ,,of    
,,ishmael    ,the wife of ,ishmael bore 
four sons and a daughter1 and afterward 
,ishmael1 his mother1 and his wife and  
children went and returned to the       
wilderness4 ,they made themselves tents 
in the wilderness in which they  dwelt1 
and they continued to encamp and        
journey1 month by month and  year by    
year4 ,and ,god gave ,ishmael flocks1   
and herds1 and tents1 on  account of    
,abraham his father1 and the man        
increased in cattle4 ,and  some time    
after1 ,abraham said to ,sarah1 his     
wife1 ,i will go and see my  son        

,ishmael2 ,i yearn to look upon him1 for
 ,i have not seen him for a  long time4 
,and ,abraham rode upon one of his      
camels to the wilderness1  to seek his  
son ,ishmael1 for he heard that he was  
dwelling in a tent in  the wilderness   
with all belonging to him4 ,and ,abraham
 went to the  wilderness1 and he reached
 the tent of ,ishmael about noon1 and he
 asked  after him4 ,he found the wife of
 ,ishmael sitting in the tent with her  
children1 and her husband and his mother
 were not with them4 ,and  ,abraham     
asked the wife of ,ishmael1 saying1     
,where has ,ishmael gone8  ,and she     
said1 ,he has gone to the field to hunt 
game4 ,and ,abraham was  still mounted  
upon the camel1 for he would not alight 
upon the ground1  as he had sworn to his
 wife ,sarah that he would not get off  
from the  camel4 ,and ,abraham said to  
,ishmael's wife1 ,my daughter1 give me a
  little water1 that ,i may drink1 for  
,i am fatigued and tired from the       
journey4 ,and ,ishmael's wife answered1 

and said to ,abraham1 ,we have  neither 
water nor bread1 and she was sitting in 
the tent1 and did not  take any notice  
of ,abraham4 ,she did not even ask him  
who he was4 ,but  all the while she was 
beating her children in the tent1 and   
she was  cursing them1 and she also     
cursed her husband ,ishmael1 and spoke  
evil  of him1 and ,abraham heard the    
words of ,ishmael's wife to her         
children1  and it was an evil thing in  
his eyes4 ,and ,abraham called to the   
woman  to come out to him from the tent1
 and the woman came out1 and stood  face
 to face with ,abraham1 while ,abraham  
was still mounted upon the  camel4 ,and 
,abraham said to ,ishmael's wife1 ,when 
thy husband ,ishmael  returns home1 say 
these words to him3 ,a very old man from
 the land of  the ,philistines came     
hither to seek thee1 and his appearance 
was thus  and so1 and thus was his      
figure4 ,i did not ask him who he was1  
and  seeing thou wast not here1 he spoke
 unto me1 and said1 ,when ,ishmael thy  

husband returns1 tell him1 ,thus did the
 man say1 ,when thou comest home1  put  
away this tent-pin which thou hast      
placed here1 and place another  tent-pin
 in its stead4 ,and ,abraham finished   
his instructions to the  woman1 and he  
turned and went off on the camel        
homeward4 ,and when  ,ishmael returned  
to the tent1 he heard the words of his  
wife1 and he  knew that it was his      
father1 and that his wife had not       
honored him4 ,and  ,ishmael understood  
his father's words that he had spoken to
 his wife1  and he hearkened to the     
voice of his father1 and he divorced his
 wife1  and she went away4 ,and ,ishmael
 afterward went to the land of ,canaan1 
and he took another wife1 and he brought
 her to his tent1 to the place  where he
 dwelt4    ,and at the end of three     
years1 ,abraham said1 ,i will go again  
and see  ,ishmael my son1 for ,i have   
not seen him for a long time4 ,and he   
rode  upon his camel1 and went to the   
wilderness1 and he reached the tent of  

,ishmael about noon4 ,and he asked after
 ,ishmael1 and his wife came out  of the
 tent1 and she said1 ,he is not here1 my
 lord1 for he has gone to  hunt in the  
fields and feed the camels1 and the     
woman said to ,abraham1  ,turn in1 my   
lord1 into the tent1 and eat a morsel of
 bread1 for thy  soul must be wearied on
 account of the journey4 ,and ,abraham  
said to  her1 ,i will not stop1 for ,i  
am in haste to continue my journey1 but 
give me a little water to drink1 for ,i 
am thirsty1 and the woman  hastened and 
ran into the tent1 and she brought out  
water and bread to  ,abraham1 which she 
placed before him1 urging him to eat and
 drink1 and  he ate and drank1 and his  
heart was merry1 and he blessed his son 
,ishmael4 ,and he finished his meal1 and
 he blessed the ,lord1 and he said  to  
,ishmael's wife3 ,when ,ishmael comes   
home1 say these words to him3 ,a  very  
old man from the land of the            
,philistines came hither1 and asked     
after thee1 and thou wast not here1 and 

,i brought him out bread and  water1 and
 he ate and drank1 and his heart was    
merry4 ,and he spoke  these words to me1
 ,when ,ishmael thy husband comes home1 
say unto him1  ,the tent-pin which thou 
hast is very good1 do not put it away   
from the  tent4 ,and ,abraham finished  
commanding the woman1 and he rode off to
  his home1 to the land of the          
,philistines1 and when ,ishmael came to 
his  tent1 his wife went forth to meet  
him with joy and a cheerful heart1  and 
she told him the words of the old man4  
,ishmael knew that it was his  father1  
and that his wife had honored him1 and  
he praised the ,lord4 ,and  ,ishmael    
then took his wife and his children and 
his cattle and all  belonging to him1   
and he journeyed from there1 and he went
 to his  father in the land of the      
,philistines4 ,and ,abraham related to  
,ishmael  all that had happened between 
him and the first wife that ,ishmael had
  taken1 according to what she had done4
 ,and ,ishmael and his children  dwelt  

with ,abraham many days in that land1   
and ,abraham dwelt in the  land of the  
,philistines a long time4#bah    ,,the  
,,covenant ,,with ,,abimelech    ,after 
a sojourn of twenty-six years in the    
land of the ,philistines1  ,abraham     
departed thence1 and he settled in the  
neighborhood of ,hebron4  ,there he was 
visited by ,abimelech with twenty of his
 grandees1#bai who  requested him to    
make an alliance with the ,philistines4 
,as long as ,abraham was childless1 the 
heathen did not believe in his  piety1  
but when ,isaac was born1 they said to  
him1 ,god is with thee4  ,but again they
 entertained doubt of his piety when he 
cast off ,ishmael4  ,they said1 ,were he
 a righteous man1 he would not drive his
 first-born  forth from his house4 ,but 
when they observed the impious deeds of 
,ishmael1 they said1 ,god is with thee  
in all thou doest4 ,that ,abraham  was  
the favorite of ,god1 they saw in this1 
too1 that although ,sodom was  destroyed
 and all traffic had come to a          

standstill in that region1 yet          
,abraham's treasure chambers were       
filled4 ,for these reasons1 the         
,philistines sought to form an alliance 
with him1 to remain in force for  three 
generations to come1 for it is to the   
third generation that the  love of a    
father extends4    ,before ,abraham     
concluded the covenant with ,abimelech1 
king of the  ,philistines1 he reproved  
him on account of a well1 for           
,correction  leads to love1 and ,there  
is no peace without correction4 ,the    
herdmen  of ,abraham and those of       
,abimelech had left their dispute about 
the well  to decision by ordeal3 the    
well was to belong to the party for     
whose  sheep the waters would rise so   
that they could drink of them4 ,but the 
shepherds of ,abimelech disregarded the 
agreement1 and they wrested the  well   
for their own use4#bbj ,as a witness and
 a perpetual sign that the  well        
belonged to him1 ,abraham set aside     
seven sheep1 corresponding to  the seven

 ,noachian laws binding upon all men    
alike4#bba ,but ,god said1  ,thou didst 
give him seven sheep4 ,as thou livest1  
the ,philistines shall  one day slay    
seven righteous men1 ,samson1 ,hophni1  
,phinehas1 and ,saul  with his three    
sons1 and they will destroy seven holy  
places1 and they  will keep the holy    
,ark in their country as booty of war   
for a period of  seven months1 and      
furthermore only the seventh generation 
of thy  descendants will be able to     
rejoice in the possession of the land   
promised to them4#bbb ,after concluding 
the alliance with ,abimelech1  who      
acknowledged ,abraham's right upon the  
well1 ,abraham called the  place        
,beer-sheba1 because there they swore   
both of them unto a covenant  of        
friendship4    ,in ,beer-sheba ,abraham 
dwelt many years1 and thence he         
endeavored to  spread the law of ,god4  
,he planted a large grove there1 and he 
made four  gates for it1 facing the four
 sides of the earth1 east1 west1 north1 

and south1 and he planted a vineyard    
therein4 ,if a traveller came that  way1
 he entered by the gate that faced him1 
and he sat in the grove1  and ate1 and  
drank1 until he was satisfied1 and then 
he departed4 ,for  the house of ,abraham
 was always open for all passers-by1 and
 they came  daily to eat and drink      
there4 ,if one was hungry1 and he came  
to  ,abraham1 he would give him what he 
needed1 so that he might eat and  drink 
and be satisfied2 and if one was naked1 
and he came to ,abraham1  he would      
clothe him with the garments of the poor
 man's choice1 and  give him silver and 
gold1 and make known to him the ,lord1  
who had  created him and set him on     
earth4#bbc ,after the wayfarers had     
eaten1  they were in the habit of       
thanking ,abraham for his kind          
entertainment  of them1 whereto he would
 reply3 ,what1 ye give thanks unto me6  
,rather  return thanks to your host1 ,he
 who alone provides food and drink for  
all creatures4 ,then the people would   

ask1 ,where is ,he8 and ,abraham  would 
answer them1 and say3 ,he is the ,ruler 
of heaven and earth4 ,he  woundeth and  
,he healeth1 ,he formeth the embryo in  
the womb of the  mother and bringeth it 
forth into the world1 ,he causeth the   
plants and  the trees to grow1 ,he      
killeth and ,he maketh alive1 ,he       
bringeth down to  ,sheol and bringeth   
up4 ,when the people heard such words1  
they would  ask1 ,how shall we return   
thanks to ,god and manifest our         
gratitude unto  ,him8 ,and ,abraham     
would instruct them in these words3     
,say1 ,blessed be  the ,lord who is     
blessed6 ,blessed be ,he that giveth    
bread and food unto  all flesh6 ,in this
 manner did ,abraham teach those who had
 enjoyed his  hospitality how to praise 
and thank ,god4#bbd ,abraham's house    
thus  became not only a lodging-place   
for the hungry and thirsty1 but also a  
place of instruction where the knowledge
 of ,god and ,his law were  taught4#bbe 
,,satan ,,accuses ,,abraham    ,in spite

 of the lavish hospitality practiced in 
the house of ,abraham1  it happened once
 that a poor man1 or rather an alleged  
poor man1 was  turned away empty-handed1
 and this was the immediate reason for  
the  last of ,abraham's temptations1 the
 sacrifice of his favorite son ,isaac4  
,it was the day on which ,abraham       
celebrated the birth of ,isaac with a   
great banquet1 to which all the magnates
 of the time were bidden with  their    
wives4 ,satan1 who always appears at a  
feast in which no poor  people          
participate1 and keeps aloof from those 
to which poor guests are  invited1      
turned up at ,abraham's banquet in the  
guise of a beggar asking  alms at the   
door4 ,he had noticed that ,abraham had 
invited no poor man1  and he knew that  
his house was the right place for him4  
,abraham was occupied with the          
entertainment of his distinguished      
guests1 and ,sarah was endeavoring to   
convince their wives1 the matrons1  that
 ,isaac was her child in very truth1 and

 not a spurious child4 ,no  one         
concerned himself about the beggar at   
the door1 who thereupon  accused        
,abraham before ,god4#bbf    ,now1 there
 was a day when the sons of ,god came to
 present themselves  before the ,lord1  
and ,satan came also among them4#bbg    
,and the ,lord said  unto ,satan1 ,from 
whence comest thou8 and ,satan answered 
the ,lord1 and  said1 ,from going to and
 fro on the earth1 and from walking up  
and down  in it4 ,and the ,lord said    
unto ,satan1 ,what hast thou to say     
concerning  all the children of the     
earth8 and ,satan answered the ,lord1   
and said3  ,i have seen all the children
 of the earth serving ,thee and         
remembering  ,thee1 when they require   
aught from ,thee4 ,and when ,thou givest
 them what  they require from ,thee1    
then they forsake ,thee1 and they       
remember ,thee  no more4 ,hast ,thou    
seen ,abraham1 the son of ,terah1 who at
 first had no  children1 and he served  
,thee and erected altars to ,thee       

wherever he  came1 and he brought       
offerings upon them1 and he proclaimed  
,thy name  continually to all the       
children of the earth8 ,and now his son 
,isaac is  born to him1 he has forsaken 
,thee4 ,he made a great feast for all   
the  inhabitants of the land1 and the   
,lord he has forgotten4 ,for amidst all 
that he has done1 he brought ,thee no   
offering1 neither burnt offering  nor   
peace offering1 neither one lamb nor    
goat of all that he had killed  in the  
day that his son was weaned4 ,even from 
the time of his son's  birth till now1  
being thirty-seven years1 he built no   
altar before  ,thee1 nor brought up any 
offering to ,thee1 for he saw that ,thou
 didst  give what he requested before   
,thee1 and he therefore forsook ,thee4  
,and  the ,lord said to ,satan3 ,hast   
thou considered ,my servant ,abraham8   
,for  there is none like him in the     
earth1 a perfect and an upright man     
before ,me for a burnt offering1 and    
that feareth ,god and escheweth  evil4  

,as ,i live1 were ,i to say unto him1   
,bring up ,isaac thy son before  ,me1 he
 would not withhold him from ,me1 much  
less if ,i told him to bring  up a burnt
 offering before ,me from his flocks or 
herds4 ,and ,satan  answered the ,lord1 
and said1 ,speak now unto ,abraham as   
,thou hast said1  and ,thou wilt see    
whether he will not transgress and cast 
aside ,thy  words this day4#bbh    ,god 
wished to try ,isaac also4 ,ishmael once
 boasted to ,isaac1 saying1 ,i  was     
thirteen years old when the ,lord spoke 
to my father to circumcise  us1 and ,i  
did not transgress ,his word1 which ,he 
commanded my father4  ,and ,isaac       
answered ,ishmael1 saying1 ,what dost   
thou boast to me about  this1 about a   
little bit of thy flesh which thou didst
 take from thy  body1 concerning which  
the ,lord commanded thee8 ,as the ,lord 
liveth1 the  ,god of my father ,abraham1
 if the ,lord should say unto my father1
 ,take  now thy son ,isaac and bring him
 up as an offering before ,me1 ,i would 

not refrain1 but ,i would joyfully      
accede to it4    ,,the ,,journey ,,to   
,,moriah    ,and the ,lord thought to   
try ,abraham and ,isaac in this         
matter4#bbi ,and  ,he said to ,abraham1 
,take now thy son4    ,abraham3 ,i have 
two sons1 and ,i do not know which of   
them ,thou  commandest me to take4      
,god3 ,thine only son4    ,abraham3 ,the
 one is the only son of his mother1 and 
the other is the  only son of his       
mother4    ,god3 ,whom thou lovest4     
,abraham3 ,i love this one and ,i love  
that one4    ,god3 ,even ,isaac4#bcj    
,abraham3 ,and where shall ,i go8       
,god3 ,to the land ,i will show thee1   
and offer ,isaac there for a burnt      
offering4    ,abraham3 ,am ,i fit to    
perform the sacrifice1 am ,i a priest8  
,ought not  rather the high priest ,shem
 to do it8    ,god3 ,when thou wilt     
arrive at that place1 ,i will consecrate
 thee and  make thee a priest4#bca      
,and ,abraham said within himself1 ,how 
shall ,i separate my son ,isaac  from   

,sarah his mother8 ,and he came into the
 tent1 and he sate before  ,sarah his   
wife1 and he spake these words to her3  
,my son ,isaac is grown  up1 and he has 
not yet studied the service of ,god4    
,now1 to-morrow ,i  will go and bring   
him to ,shem and ,eber his son1 and     
there he will learn  the ways of the    
,lord1 for they will teach him to know  
the ,lord1 and to  know how to pray unto
 the ,lord that ,he may answer him1 and 
to know the  way of serving the ,lord   
his ,god4 ,and ,sarah said1 ,thou hast  
spoken  well4 ,go1 my lord1 and do unto 
him as thou hast said1 but remove him   
not far from me1 neither let him remain 
there too long1 for my soul is  bound   
within his soul4 ,and ,abraham said unto
 ,sarah1 ,my daughter1 let  us pray to  
the ,lord our ,god that ,he may do good 
with us4 ,and ,sarah  took her son      
,isaac1 and he abode with her all that  
night1 and she  kissed and embraced him1
 and she laid injunctions upon him till 
morning1 and she said to ,abraham3 ,o my

 lord1 ,i pray thee1 take heed of  thy  
son1 and place thine eyes over him1 for 
,i have no other son nor  daughter but  
him4 ,o neglect him not4 ,if he be      
hungry1 give him bread1  and if he be   
thirsty1 give him water to drink2 do not
 let him go on  foot1 neither let him   
sit in the sun1 neither let him go by   
himself on  the road1 neither turn him  
from whatever he may desire1 but do unto
 him  as he may say to thee4    ,after  
spending the whole night in weeping on  
account of ,isaac1 she got  up in the   
morning and selected a very fine and    
beautiful garment from  those that      
,abimelech had given to her4 ,and she   
dressed ,isaac therewith1  and she put a
 turban upon his head1 and she fastened 
a precious stone  in the top of the     
turban1 and she gave them provisions for
 the road4  ,and ,sarah went out with   
them1 and she accompanied them upon the 
road to  see them off1 and they said to 
her1 ,return to the tent4 ,and when     
,sarah heard the words of her son       

,isaac1 she wept bitterly1 and ,abraham 
wept with her1 and their son wept with  
them1 a great weeping1 also  those of   
their servants who went with them wept  
greatly4 ,and ,sarah  caught hold of    
,isaac1 and she held him in her arms1   
and she embraced  him1 and continued to 
weep with him1 and ,sarah said1 ,who    
knoweth if ,i  shall ever see thee again
 after this day8    ,abraham departed   
with ,isaac amid great weeping1 while   
,sarah and the  servants returned to the
 tent4#bcb ,he took two of his young men
 with  him1 ,ishmael and ,eliezer1 and  
while they were walking in the road1 the
  young men spoke these words to each   
other4 ,said ,ishmael to ,eliezer3  ,now
 my father ,abraham is going with ,isaac
 to bring him up for a burnt  offering  
to the ,lord1 and when he returneth1 he 
will give unto me all  that he          
possesses1 to inherit after him1 for ,i 
am his first-born4  ,eliezer answered3  
,surely1 ,abraham did cast thee off with
 thy mother1  and swear that thou       

shouldst not inherit anything of all he 
possesses4  ,and to whom will he give   
all that he has1 all his precious       
things1 but  unto his servant1 who has  
been faithful in his house1 to me1 who  
have  served him night and day1 and have
 done all that he desired me8 ,the  holy
 spirit answered1 ,neither this one nor 
that one will inherit  ,abraham4#bcc    
,and while ,abraham and ,isaac were     
proceeding along the road1 ,satan came  
and appeared to ,abraham in the figure  
of a very aged man1 humble and of       
contrite spirit1 and said to him3 ,art  
thou silly or foolish1 that thou  goest 
to do this thing to thine only son8 ,god
 gave thee a son in thy  latter days1 in
 thine old age1 and wilt thou go and    
slaughter him1 who  did not commit any  
violence1 and wilt thou cause the soul  
of thine only  son to perish from the   
earth8 ,dost thou not know and          
understand that  this thing cannot be   
from the ,lord8 ,for the ,lord would not
 do unto man  such evil1 to command him1

 ,go and slaughter thy son4 ,abraham1   
hearing  these words1 knew that it was  
,satan1 who endeavored to turn him      
astray  from the way of the ,lord1 and  
he rebuked him that he went away4 ,and  
,satan returned and came to ,isaac1 and 
he appeared unto him in the  figure of a
 young man1 comely and well-favored1    
saying unto him3 ,dost  thou not know   
that thy silly old father bringeth thee 
to the slaughter  this day for naught8  
,now1 my son1 do not listen to him1 for 
he is a  silly old man1 and let not thy 
precious soul and beautiful figure be   
lost from the earth4 ,and ,isaac told   
these words to his father1 but  ,abraham
 said to him1 ,take heed of him1 and do 
not listen to his words1  for he is     
,satan endeavoring to lead us astray    
from the commands of our  ,god4 ,and    
,abraham rebuked ,satan again1 and      
,satan went from them1 and1  seeing he  
could not prevail over them1 he         
transformed himself into a  large brook 
of water in the road1 and when ,abraham1

 ,isaac1 and the two  young men reached 
that place1 they saw a brook large and  
powerful as  the mighty waters4 ,and    
they entered the brook1 trying to pass  
it1 but  the further they went1 the     
deeper the brook1 so that the water     
reached  up to their necks1 and they    
were all terrified on account of the    
water4  ,but ,abraham recognized the    
place1 and he knew that there had been  
no  water there before1 and he said to  
his son3 ,i know this place1 on  which  
there was no brook nor water4 ,now1     
surely1 it is ,satan who doth  all this 
to us1 to draw us aside this day from   
the commands of ,god4  ,and ,abraham    
rebuked ,satan1 saying unto him3 ,the   
,lord rebuke thee1 ,o  ,satan4 ,begone  
from us1 for we go by the command of    
,god4 ,and ,satan was  terri fied at the
 voice of ,abraham1 and he went away    
from them1 and the  place became dry    
land again as it was at first4 ,and     
,abraham went with  ,isaac toward the   
place that ,god had told him4#bcd       

,satan then appeared unto ,sarah in the 
figure of an old man1 and said  unto    
her1 ,where did thine husband go8 ,she  
said1 ,to his work4 ,and  where did thy 
son ,isaac go8 he inquired further1 and 
she answered1 ,he  went with his father 
to a place of study of the ,torah4      
,satan said3 ,o  thou poor old woman1   
thy teeth will be set on edge on account
 of thy  son1 as thou knowest not that  
,abraham took his son with him on the   
road  to sacrifice him4 ,in this hour   
,sarah's loins trembled1 and all her    
limbs shook4 ,she was no more of this   
world4 ,nevertheless she aroused        
herself1 and said1 ,all that ,god hath  
told ,abraham1 may he do it unto  life  
and unto peace4#bce    ,on the third day
 of his journey1 ,abraham lifted up his 
eyes and saw the  place at a distance1  
which ,god had told him4 ,he noticed    
upon the  mountain a pillar of fire     
reaching from the earth to heaven1 and a
  heavy cloud in which the glory of ,god
 was seen4 ,abraham said to ,isaac1  ,my

 son1 dost thou see on that mountain    
which we perceive at a distance  that   
which ,i see upon it8 ,and ,isaac       
answered1 and said unto his  father1 ,i 
see1 and1 lo1 a pillar of fire and a    
cloud1 and the glory of  the ,lord is   
seen upon the cloud4 ,abraham knew then 
that ,isaac was  accepted before the    
,lord for an offering4 ,he asked        
,ishmael and ,eliezer1  ,do you also see
 that which we see upon the mountain8   
,they answered1  ,we see nothing more   
than like the other mountains1 and      
,abraham knew  that they were not       
accepted before the ,lord to go with    
them4#bcf  ,abraham said to them1 ,abide
 ye here with the ass1 you are like the 
ass--as little as it sees1 so little do 
you see4#bcg ,i and ,isaac my son  go to
 yonder mount1 and worship there before 
the ,lord1 and this eve we  will return 
to you4#bch ,an unconscious prophecy had
 come to ,abraham1  for he prophesied   
that he and ,isaac would both return    
from the  mountain4#bci ,eliezer and    

,ishmael remained in that place1 as     
,abraham  had commanded1 while he and   
,isaac went further4    ,,the ',,akedah 
,and while they were walking along1     
,isaac spake unto his father1  ,behold1 
the fire and the wood1 but where then is
 the lamb for a burnt  offering before  
the ,lord8 ,and ,abraham answered       
,isaac1 saying1 ,the  ,lord hath chosen 
thee1 my son1 for a perfect burnt       
offering1 instead of  the lamb4 ,and    
,isaac said unto his father1 ,i will do 
all that the ,lord  hath spoken to thee 
with joy and cheerfulness of heart4 ,and
 ,abraham  again said unto ,isaac his   
son1 ,is there in thy heart any thought 
or  counsel concerning this which is not
 proper8 ,tell me1 my son1 ,i pray      
thee6 ,o my son1 conceal it not from me4
 ,and ,isaac answered1 ,as the  ,lord   
liveth1 and as thy soul liveth1 there is
 nothing in my heart to  cause me to    
deviate either to the right or the left 
from the word that  ,he hath spoken unto
 thee4 ,neither limb nor muscle hath    

moved or stirred  on account of this1   
nor is there in my heart any thought or 
evil  counsel concerning this4 ,but ,i  
am joyful and cheerful of heart in this 
matter1 and ,i say1 ,blessed is the     
,lord who has this day chosen me to be  
a burnt offering before ,him4           
,abraham greatly rejoiced at the words  
of ,isaac1 and they went on and  came   
together to that place that the ,lord   
had spoken of4#bdj ,and  ,abraham       
approached to build the altar in that   
place1 and ,abraham did  build1 while   
,isaac handed him stones and mortar1    
until they finished  erecting the altar4
 ,and ,abraham took the wood and        
arranged it upon the  altar1 and he     
bound ,isaac1 to place him upon the wood
 which was upon  the altar1 to slay him 
for a burnt offering before the         
,lord4#bda ,isaac  spake hereupon3      
,father1 make haste1 bare thine arm1 and
 bind my hands  and feet securely1 for  
,i am a young man1 but thirty-seven     
years of age1  and thou art an old man4 

,when ,i behold the slaughtering knife  
in thy  hand1 ,i may perchance begin to 
tremble at the sight and push against   
thee1 for the desire unto life is bold4 
,also ,i may do myself an injury  and   
make myself unfit to be sacrificed4 ,i  
adjure thee1 therefore1 my  father1 make
 haste1 execute the will of thy         
,creator1 delay not4 ,turn up  thy      
garment1 gird thy loins1 and after that 
thou hast slaughtered me1  burn me unto 
fine ashes4 ,then gather the ashes1 and 
bring them to  ,sarah1 my mother1 and   
place them in a casket in her chamber4  
,at all  hours1 whenever she enters her 
chamber1 she will remember her son      
,isaac  and weep for him4    ,and again 
,isaac spoke3 ,as soon as thou hast     
slaughtered me1 and hast  separated     
thyself from me1 and returnest to ,sarah
 my mother1 and she  asketh thee1 ,where
 is my son ,isaac8 what wilt thou answer
 her1 and what  will you two do in your 
old age8 ,abraham answered1 and said1   
,we know  we can survive thee by a few  

days only4 ,he who was our ,comfort     
before  thou wast born1 will comfort us 
now and henceforth4    ,after he had    
laid the wood in order1 and bound ,isaac
 on the altar1 upon  the wood1 ,abraham 
braced his arms1 rolled up his garments1
 and leaned  his knees upon ,isaac with 
all his strength4 ,and ,god1 sitting    
upon ,his  throne1 high and exalted1 saw
 how the hearts of the two were the     
same1  and tears were rolling down from 
the eyes of ,abraham upon ,isaac1 and   
from ,isaac down upon the wood1 so that 
it was submerged in tears4 ,when        
,abraham stretched forth his hand1 and  
took the knife to slay his son1  ,god   
spoke to the angels3 ,do you see how    
,abraham my friend proclaims  the unity 
of ,my ,name in the world8 ,had ,i      
hearkened unto you at the time  of the  
creation of the world1 when ye spake1   
,what is man1 that ,thou art  mindful of
 him8 ,and the son of man1 that ,thou   
visitest him8 who would  there have been
 to make known the unity of ,my ,name in

 this world8 ,the  angels then broke    
into loud weeping1 and they exclaimed3  
,the highways  lie waste1 the wayfaring 
man ceaseth1 he hath broken the         
covenant4  ,where is the reward of      
,abraham1 he who took the wayfarers into
 his  house1 gave them food and drink1  
and went with them to bring them on  the
 way8 ,the covenant is broken1 whereof  
,thou didst speak to him1  saying1 ',for
 in ,isaac shall thy seed be called1'   
and saying1 ',my  covenant will ,i      
establish with ,isaac1' for the         
slaughtering knife is  set upon his     
throat4    ,the tears of the angels fell
 upon the knife1 so that it could not   
cut  ,isaac's throat1 but from terror   
his soul escaped from him4 ,then ,god   
spoke to the archangel ,michael1 and    
said3 ,why standest thou here8 ,let  him
 not be slaughtered4 ,without delay1    
,michael1 anguish in his voice1  cried  
out3 ,abraham6 ,abraham6 ,lay not thine 
hand upon the lad1 neither  do thou any 
thing unto him6 ,abraham made answer1   

and he said3 ,god did  command me to    
slaughter ,isaac1 and thou dost command 
me not to  slaughter him6 ,the words of 
the ,teacher and the words of the       
disciple--unto whose words doth one     
hearken8#bdb ,then ,abraham heard it    
said3 ,by ,myself have ,i sworn1 saith  
the ,lord1 because thou hast done  this 
thing1 and hast not withheld thy son1   
thine only son1 that in  blessing ,i    
will bless thee1 and in multiplying ,i  
will multiply thy seed  as the stars of 
the heaven1 and as the sand which is    
upon the  sea-shore2 and thy seed shall 
possess the gate of his enemies1 and in 
thy seed shall all the nations of the   
earth be blessed1 because thou  hast    
obeyed ,my voice4    ,at once ,abraham  
left off from ,isaac1 who returned to   
life1 revived by  the heavenly voice    
admonishing ,abraham not to slaughter   
his son4  ,abraham loosed his bonds1 and
 ,isaac stood upon his feet1 and spoke  
the  benediction1 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o
 ,lord1 who quickenest the dead4#bdc    

,then spake ,abraham to ,god1 ,shall ,i 
go hence without having offered up  a   
sacrifice8 ,whereunto ,god replied1 and 
said1 ,lift up thine eyes1 and  behold  
the sacrifice behind thee4#bdd ,and     
,abraham lifted up his eyes1  and1      
behold1 behind him a ram caught in the  
thicket1 which ,god had  created in the 
twilight of ,sabbath eve in the week of 
creation1 and  prepared since then as a 
burnt offering instead of ,isaac4 ,and  
the ram  had been running toward        
,abraham1 when ,satan caught hold of him
 and  entangled his horns in the        
thicket1 that he might not advance to   
,abraham4 ,and ,abraham1 seeing this1   
fetched him from the thicket1 and       
brought him upon the altar as an        
offering in the place of his son        
,isaac4 ,and ,abraham sprinkled the     
blood of the ram upon the altar1 and  he
 exclaimed1 and said1 ,this is instead  
of my son1 and may this be  considered  
as the blood of my son before the ,lord4
 ,and whatsoever  ,abraham did by the   

altar1 he exclaimed1 and said1 ,this is 
instead of  my son1 and may it be       
considered before the ,lord in place of 
my son4  ,and ,god accepted the         
sacrifice of the ram1 and it was        
accounted as  though it had been        
,isaac4#bde    ,as the creation of this 
ram had been extraordinary1 so also was 
the use  to which all parts of his      
carcass were put4 ,not one thing went to
  waste4 ,the ashes of the parts burnt  
upon the altar formed the  foundation of
 the inner altar1 whereon the expiatory 
sacrifice was  brought once a year1 on  
the ,day of ,atonement1 the day on which
 the  offering of ,isaac took place4 ,of
 the sinews of the ram1 ,david made ten 
strings for his harp upon which he      
played4 ,the skin served ,elijah for    
his girdle1 and of his two horns1 the   
one was blown at the end of the         
revelation on ,mount ,sinai1 and the    
other will be used to proclaim the  end 
of the ,exile1 when the great horn shall
 be blown1 and they shall  come which   

were ready to perish in the land of     
,assyria1 and they that  were outcasts  
in the land of ,egypt1 and they shall   
worship the ,lord in  the holy mountain 
at ,jerusalem4#bdf    ,when ,god        
commanded the father to desist from     
sacrificing ,isaac1 ,abraham  said3 ,one
 man tempts another1 because he knoweth 
not what is in the  heart of his        
neighbor4 ,but ,thou surely didst know  
that ,i was ready to  sacrifice my son6 
,god3 ,it was manifest to ,me1 and ,i   
foreknew it1 that thou wouldst  withhold
 not even thy soul from ,me4            
,abraham3 ,and why1 then1 didst ,thou   
afflict me thus8    ,god3 ,it was ,my   
wish that the world should become       
acquainted with thee1  and should know  
that it is not without good reason that 
,i have chosen  thee from all the       
nations4 ,now it hath been witnessed    
unto men that  thou fearest ,god4#bdg   
,hereupon ,god opened the heavens1 and  
,abraham heard the words1 ,by  ,myself  
,i swear6    ,abraham3 ,thou swearest1  

and also ,i swear1 ,i will not leave    
this altar  until ,i have said what ,i  
have to say4    ,god3 ,speak whatsoever 
thou hast to speak6    ,abraham3 ,didst 
,thou not promise me ,thou wouldst let  
one come forth out  of mine own bowels1 
whose seed should fill the whole world8 
,god3 ,yes4    ,abraham3 ,whom didst    
,thou mean8    ,god3 ,isaac4            
,abraham3 ,didst ,thou not promise me to
 make my seed as numerous as the  sand  
of the sea-shore8    ,god3 ,yes4        
,abraham3 ,through which one of my      
children8    ,god3 ,through ,isaac4     
,abraham3 ,i might have reproached      
,thee1 and said1 ,o ,lord of the world1 
yesterday ,thou didst tell me1 ,in      
,isaac shall ,thy seed be called1 and   
now ,thou sayest1 ,take thy son1 thine  
only son1 even ,isaac1 and offer  him   
for a burnt offering4 ,but ,i refrained 
myself1 and ,i said nothing4  ,thus     
mayest ,thou1 when the children of      
,isaac commit trespasses and  because of
 them fall upon evil times1 be mindful  

of the offering of  their father ,isaac1
 and forgive their sins and deliver them
 from their  suffering4    ,god3 ,thou  
hast said what thou hadst to say1 and ,i
 will now say what ,i  have to say4 ,thy
 children will sin before me in time to 
come1 and ,i  will sit in judgment upon 
them on the ,new ,year's ,day4 ,if they 
desire  that ,i should grant them       
pardon1 they shall blow the ram's horn  
on that  day1 and ,i1 mindful of the ram
 that was substituted for ,isaac as a   
sacrifice1 will forgive them for their  
sins4#bdh    ,furthermore1 the ,lord    
revealed unto ,abraham that the ,temple1
 to be  erected on the spot of ,isaac's 
offering1 would be destroyed1#bdi and   
as the ram substituted for ,isaac       
extricated himself from one tree but  to
 be caught in another1 so his children  
would pass from kingdom to              
kingdom--delivered from ,babylonia they 
would be subjugated by ,media1  rescued 
from ,media they would be enslaved by   
,greece1 escaped from  ,greece they     

would serve ,rome--yet in the end they  
would be redeemed in a  final           
redemption1 at the sound of the ram's   
horn1 when the ,lord ,god  shall blow   
the trumpet1 and shall go with          
whirlwinds of the  south4#bej    ,the   
place on which ,abraham had erected the 
altar was the same whereon  ,adam had   
brought the first sacrifice1 and ,cain  
and ,abel had offered  their gifts to   
,god--the same whereon ,noah raised an  
altar to ,god after  he left the        
ark2#bea and ,abraham1 who knew that it 
was the place  appointed for the        
,temple1 called it ,yireh1 for it would 
be the abiding  place of the fear and   
the service of ,god4#beb ,but as ,shem  
had given it  the name ,shalem1 ,place  
of ,peace1 and ,god would not give      
offence to  either ,abraham or ,shem1   
,he united the two names1 and called the
 city by  the name ,jerusalem4#bec      
,after the sacrifice on ,mount ,moriah1 
,abraham returned to ,beer-sheba1  the  
scene of so many of his joys4#bed ,isaac

 was carried to ,paradise by  angels1   
and there he sojourned for three years4 
,thus ,abraham returned  home alone1 and
 when ,sarah beheld him1 she exclaimed1 
,satan spoke  truth when he said that   
,isaac was sacrificed1 and so grieved   
was her  soul that it fled from her     
body4#bee    ,,the ,,death ,,and        
,,burial ,,of ,,sarah    ,while ,abraham
 was engaged in the sacrifice1 ,satan   
went to ,sarah1 and  appeared to her in 
the figure of an old man1 very humble   
and meek1 and  said to her3 ,dost thou  
not know all that ,abraham has done unto
 thine  only son this day8 ,he took     
,isaac1 and built an altar1 slaughtered 
him1  and brought him up as a sacrifice4
 ,isaac cried and wept before his       
father1 but he looked not at him1       
neither did he have compassion upon     
him4 ,after saying these words to       
,sarah1 ,satan went away from her1 and  
she thought him to be an old man from   
amongst the sons of men who had  been   
with her son4 ,sarah lifted up her      

voice1 and cried bitterly1  saying3 ,o  
my son1 ,isaac1 my son1 ,o that ,i had  
this day died instead of  thee ,i ,it   
grieves me for thee6 ,after that ,i have
 reared thee and have  brought thee up1 
my joy is turned into mourning over     
thee4 ,in my  longing for a child1 ,i   
cried and prayed1 till ,i bore thee at  
ninety4  ,now hast thou served this day 
for the knife and the fire4 ,but ,i     
console  myself1 it being the word of   
,god1 and thou didst perform the command
 of  thy ,god1 for who can transgress   
the word of our ,god1 in whose hands is 
the soul of every living creature8 ,thou
 art just1 ,o ,lord our ,god1 for  all  
,thy works are good and righteous1 for  
,i also rejoice with the word  which    
,thou didst command1 and while mine eye 
weepeth bitterly1 my heart  rejoiceth4  
,and ,sarah laid her head upon the bosom
 of one of her  handmaids1 and she      
became as still as a stone4    ,she rose
 up afterward and went about making     
inquiries concerning her  son1 till she 

came to ,hebron1 and no one could tell  
her what had  happened to her son4 ,her 
servants went to seek him in the house  
of ,shem  and ,eber1 and they could not 
find him1 and they sought throughout the
  land1 and he was not there4 ,and1     
behold1 ,satan came to ,sarah in the    
shape of an old man1 and said unto her1 
,i spoke falsely unto thee1 for         
,abraham did not kill his son1 and he is
 not dead1 and when she heard  the word1
 her joy was so exceedingly violent that
 her soul went out  through joy4        
,when ,abraham with ,isaac returned to  
,beer-sheba1 they sought for ,sarah  and
 could not find her1 and when they made 
inquiries concerning her1  they were    
told that she had gone as far as ,hebron
 to seek them4 ,abraham  and ,isaac went
 to her to ,hebron1 and when they found 
that she was dead1  they cried bitterly 
over her1 and ,isaac said3 ,o my mother1
 my mother1  how hast thou left me1 and 
whither hast thou gone8 ,o whither hast 
thou  gone1 and how hast thou left me8  

,and ,abraham and all his servants wept 
and mourned over her a great and heavy  
mourning1 even that ,abraham did  not   
pray1 but spent his time in mourning and
 weeping over ,sarah4#beg  ,and1 indeed1
 he had great reason to mourn his loss1 
for even in her old  age ,sarah had     
retained the beauty of her youth and the
 innocence of her  childhood4#beh       
,the death of ,sarah was a loss not only
 for ,abraham and his family1 but  for  
the whole country4 ,so long as she was  
alive1 all went well in the  land4      
,after her death confusion ensued4 ,the 
weeping1 lamenting1 and  wailing over   
her going hence was universal1 and      
,abraham1 instead of  receiving         
consolation1 had to offer consolation to
 others4 ,he spoke to  the mourning     
people1 and said3 ,my children1 take not
 the going hence  of ,sarah too much to 
heart4 ,there is one event unto all1 to 
the pious  and the impious alike4 ,i    
pray you now1 give me a burying-place   
with  you1 not as a gift1 but for       

money4#bei    ,in these last few words  
,abraham's unassuming modesty was       
expressed4 ,god  had promised him the   
whole land1 yet when he came to bury his
 dead1 he  had to pay for the grave1 and
 it did not enter his heart to cast     
aspersions upon the ways of ,god4 ,in   
all humility he spake to the people  of 
,hebron1 saying1 ,i am a stranger and a 
sojourner with you4  ,therefore spake   
,god to him1 and said1 ,thou didst bear 
thyself  modestly4 ,as thou livest1 ,i  
will appoint thee lord and prince over  
them4#bfj    ,to the people themselves  
he appeared an angel1 and they answered 
his  words1 saying3 ,thou art a prince  
of ,god among us4 ,in the choice of our 
sepulchres bury thy dead1 among the rich
 if thou wilt1 or among the  poor if    
thou wilt4#bfa    ,abraham first of all 
gave thanks to ,god for the friendly    
feeling shown  to him by the children of
 ,heth1 and then he continued his       
negotiations  for the ,cave of          
,machpelah4#bfb ,he had long known the  

peculiar value of  this spot4 ,adam had 
chosen it as a burial-place for himself4
 ,he had  feared his body might be used 
for idolatrous purposes after his death2
  he therefore designated the ,cave of  
,machpelah as the place of his  burial1 
and in the depths his corpse was laid1  
so that none might find  it4#bfc ,when  
he interred ,eve there1 he wanted to dig
 deeper1 because  he scented the sweet  
fragrance of ,paradise1 near the        
entrance to which  it lay1 but a        
heavenly voice called to him1 ,enough6  
,adam himself was  buried there by      
,seth1 and until the time of ,abraham   
the place was  guarded by angels1 who   
kept a fire burning near it perpetually1
 so that  none dared approach it and    
bury his dead therein4#bfd ,now1 it     
happened  on the day when ,abraham      
received the angels in his house1 and he
 wanted  to slaughter an ox for their   
entertainment1 that the ox ran away1 and
  in his pursuit of him ,abraham entered
 the ,cave of ,machpelah4 ,there he  saw

 ,adam and ,eve stretched out upon      
couches1 candles burning at the  head of
 their resting-places1 while a sweet    
scent pervaded the cave4    ,therefore  
,abraham wished to acquire the ,cave of 
,machpelah from the  children of ,heth1 
the inhabitants of the city of ,jebus4  
,they said to  him4 ,we know that in    
time to come ,god will give these lands 
unto thy  seed1 and now do thou swear a 
covenant with us that ,israel shall not 
wrest the city of ,jebus from its       
inhabitants without their consent4      
,abraham agreed to the condition1 and he
 acquired the field from ,ephron1  in   
whose possession it lay4#bfe    ,this   
happened the very day on which ,ephron  
had been made the chief of  the children
 of ,heth1 and he had been raised to the
 position so that  ,abraham might not   
have to have dealings with a man of low 
rank4 ,it was  of advantage to ,abraham1
 too1 for ,ephron at first refused to   
sell his  field1 and only the threat of 
the children of ,heth to depose him from

  his office1 unless he fulfilled the   
desire of ,abraham1 could induce him  to
 change his disposition4#bff            
,dissembling deceitfully1 ,ephron then  
offered to give ,abraham the field      
without compensation1 but when ,abraham 
insisted upon paying for it1  ,ephron   
said3 ,my lord1 hearken unto me4 ,a     
piece of land worth four  hundred       
shekels of silver1 what is that betwixt 
me and thee8 showing  only too well that
 the money was of the greatest          
consequence to him4  ,abraham understood
 his words1 and when he came to pay for 
the field1 he  weighed out the sum      
agreed upon between them in the best of 
current  coin4#bfg ,a deed1 signed by   
four witnesses1 was drawn up1 and the   
field of ,ephron1 which was in          
,machpelah1 the field1 and the cave     
which  was therein1 were made sure unto 
,abraham and his descendants for all    
times4    ,the burial of ,sarah then    
took place1 amid great magnificence and 
the  sympathy of all4 ,shem and his son 

,eber1 ,abimelech king of the           
,philistines1 ,aner1 ,eshcol1 and       
,mamre1 as well as all the great of the 
land1 followed her bier4 ,a seven days' 
mourning was kept for her1 and  all the 
inhabitants of the land came to condole 
with ,abraham and  ,isaac4#bfh    ,when 
,abraham entered the cave to place the  
body of ,sarah within1 ,adam  and ,eve  
refused to remain there1 because1 they  
said1 as it is1 we  are ashamed in the  
presence of ,god on account of the sin  
we committed1  and now we shall be even 
more ashamed on account of your good    
deeds4  ,abraham soothed ,adam4 ,he     
promised to pray to ,god for him1 that  
the need  for shame be removed from him4
 ,adam resumed his place1 and ,abraham  
entombed ,sarah1 and at the same time he
 carried ,eve1 resisting1 back to  her  
place4#bfi    ,one year after the death 
of ,sarah1 ,abimelech king of the       
,philistines  died1 too1 at the age of  
one hundred and ninety-three years4 ,his
  successor upon the throne was his     

twelve-year old son ,benmelek1 who  took
 the name of his father after his       
accession4 ,abraham did not fail  to pay
 a visit of condolence at the court of  
,abimelech4    ,lot also died about this
 time1 at the age of one hundred and    
forty-two4  ,his sons1 ,moab and ,ammon1
 both married ,canaanitish wives4 ,moab 
begot a  son1 and ,ammon had six sons1  
and the descendants of both were        
numerous  exceedingly4    ,abraham      
suffered a severe loss at the same time 
in the death of his  brother ,nahor1    
whose days ended at ,haran1 when he had 
reached the age  of one hundred and     
seventy two years4#bgj    ,,eliezer',s  
,,mission    ,the death of ,sarah dealt 
,abraham a blow from which he did not   
recover4  ,so long as she was alive1 he 
felt himself young and vigorous1 but    
after  she had passed away1 old age     
suddenly overtook him4#bga ,it was he   
himself who made the plea that age be   
betrayed by suitable signs and  tokens4 
,before the time of ,abraham an old man 

was not distinguishable  externally from
 a young man1 and as ,isaac was the     
image of his father1  it happened       
frequently that father and son were     
mistaken for each  other1 and a request 
meant for the one was preferred to the  
other4  ,abraham prayed therefore that  
old age might have marks to distinguish 
it from youth1 and ,god granted his     
petition1 and since the time of         
,abraham the appearance of men changes  
in old age4 ,this is one of the  seven  
great wonders that have occurred in the 
course of history4#bgb    ,the blessing 
of ,god did not forsake ,abraham in old 
age1 either4 ,that it  might not be said
 it had been granted to him only for the
 sake of  ,sarah1 ,god prospered him    
after her death1 too4 ,hagar bore him a 
daughter1 and ,ishmael repented of his  
evil ways and subordinated  himself to  
,isaac4 ,and as ,abraham enjoyed        
undisturbed happiness in his  family1 so
 also outside1 in the world4 ,the kings 
of the east and the  west eagerly       

besieged the door of his house in order 
to derive benefit  from his wisdom4     
,from his neck a precious stone was     
suspended1 which  possessed the power of
 healing the sick who looked upon it4   
,on the  death of ,abraham1 ,god        
attached it to the wheel of the sun4    
,the greatest  blessing enjoyed by him1 
and by none beside except his son ,isaac
 and  ,jacob the son of ,isaac1 was that
 the evil inclination had no power over 
him1 so that in this life he had a      
foretaste of the future world4#bgc      
,but all these ,divine blessings        
showered upon ,abraham were not         
undeserved4 ,he was clean of hand1 and  
pure of heart1 one that did not  lift up
 his soul unto vanity4#bgd    ,he       
fulfilled all the commands that were    
revealed later1 even the  ,rabbinical   
injunctions1 as1 for instance1 the one  
relating to the  limits of a ,sabbath   
day's journey1 wherefor his reward was  
that ,god  disclosed to him the new     
teachings which ,he expounded daily in  

the  heavenly academy4#bge    ,but one  
thing lacked to complete the happiness  
of ,abraham1 the marriage  of ,isaac4   
,he therefore called his old servant    
,eliezer unto himself4  ,eliezer        
resembled his master not only           
externally1 in his appearance1  but also
 spiritually4 ,like ,abraham he         
possessed full power over the  evil     
inclination1#bgf and like the master1   
the servant was an adept in  the        
law4#bgg ,abraham spake the following   
words to ,eliezer3 ,i am  stricken in   
age1 and ,i know not the day of my      
death4 ,therefore prepare  thyself1 and 
go unto my country1 and to my kindred1  
and fetch hither a  wife for my son4#bgh
 ,thus he spake by reason of the        
resolution he had  taken immediately    
after the sacrifice of ,isaac on        
,moriah1 for he had  there said within  
himself1 that if the sacrifice had been 
executed1  ,isaac would have gone hence 
childless4 ,he was even ready to choose 
a  wife for his son from among the      

daughters of his three friends1 ,aner1  
,eshcol1 and ,mamre1 because he knew    
them to be pious1 and he did not  attach
 much importance to aristocratic stock4 
,then spake ,god to him1  and said3     
,concern thyself not about a wife for   
,isaac4#bgi ,one has  already been      
provided for him1 and it was made known 
to ,abraham that  ,milcah1 the wife of  
his brother ,nahor1 childless until the 
birth of  ,isaac1 had then been         
remembered by ,god and made fruitful4   
,she bore  ,bethuel1 and he in turn1 at 
the time of ,isaac's sacrifice1 begot   
the  daughter destined to be the wife of
 ,isaac4#bhj    ,mindful of the proverb1
 ,even if the wheat of thine own place  
be  darnel1 use it for seed1 ,abraham   
determined to take a wife for ,isaac    
from his own family4 ,he argued that as 
any wife he chose would have to  become 
a proselyte1 it would be best to use his
 own stock1 which had  the first claim  
upon him4#bha    ,eliezer now said to   
his master3 ,peradventure no woman will 

be willing  to follow me unto this land4
 ,may ,i then marry my own daughter to  
,isaac8 ,no1 replied ,abraham1 thou art 
of the accursed race1 and my  son is of 
the blessed race1 and curse and blessing
 cannot be  united4#bhb ,but beware thou
 that thou bring not my son again unto  
the  land from whence ,i came1 for if   
thou broughtest him thither again1 it   
were as though thou tookest him to hell4
 ,god who sets the heavens in  motion1  
,he will set this matter right1 too1#bhc
 and ,he that took me  from my father's 
house1 and that spake unto me1 and that 
swore unto me  in ,haran1 and at the    
covenant of the pieces1 that ,he would  
give this  land unto my seed1 ,he shall 
send ,his excellent angel before thee1  
and  thou shalt take a wife for my son  
from thence4 ,eliezer then swore to  his
 master concerning the matter1 and      
,abraham made him take the oath by  the 
sign of the covenant4#bhd    ,,the      
,,wooing ,,of ,,rebekah    ,attended by 
ten men1#bhe mounted upon ten camels    

laden with jewels and  trinkets1        
,eliezer betook himself to ,haran under 
the convoy of two  angels1 the one      
appointed to keep guard over ,eliezer1  
the other over  ,rebekah4#bhf    ,the   
journey to ,haran took but a few hours1 
at evening of the same day  he reached  
there1 because the earth hastened to    
meet him in a wonderful  way4#bhg ,he   
made a halt at the well of water1 and he
 prayed to ,god to  permit him to       
distinguish the wife appointed for      
,isaac among the  damsels that came to  
draw water1 by this token1 that she     
alone1 and not  the others1 would give  
him drink4#bhh ,strictly speaking1 this 
wish of  his was unseemly1 for suppose a
 bondwoman had given him water to       
drink6#bhi ,but ,god granted his        
request4 ,all the damsels said they     
could not give him of their water1      
because they had to take it home4  ,then
 appeared ,rebekah1 coming to the well  
contrary to her wont1 for she  was the  
daughter of a king1 ,bethuel her father 

being king of ,haran4  ,when ,eliezer   
addressed his request for water to drink
 to this young  innocent child1 not only
 was she ready to do his bidding1 but   
she  rebuked the other maidens on       
account of their discourtesy to a       
stranger4#bij ,eliezer noticed1 too1 how
 the water rose up to her of  its own   
accord from the bottom of the well1 so  
that she needed not to  exert herself to
 draw it4 ,having scrutinized her       
carefully1 he felt  certain that she was
 the wife chosen for ,isaac4 ,he gave   
her a nose  ring1 wherein was set a     
precious stone1 half a shekel in weight1
  foreshadowing the half-shekel which   
her descendants would once bring to  the
 sanctuary year by year4 ,he gave her   
also two bracelets for her  hands1 of   
ten shekels weight in gold1 in token of 
the two tables of  stone and the ,ten   
,commandments upon them4#bia    ,when   
,rebekah1 bearing the jewels1 came to   
her mother and to her brother  ,laban1  
this one hastened to ,eliezer in order  

to slay him and take  possession of his 
goods4 ,laban soon learnt that he would 
not be able to  do much harm to a giant 
like ,eliezer4 ,he met him at the moment
 when  ,eliezer seized two camels and   
bore them across the stream4#bib        
,besides1 on account of ,eliezer's close
 resemblance to ,abraham1 ,laban        
thought he saw ,abraham before him1 and 
he said3 ,come in1 thou blessed  of the 
,lord6 ,it is not becoming that thou    
shouldst stand without1 ,i  have        
cleansed my house of idols4#bic    ,but 
when ,eliezer arrived at the house of   
,bethuel1 they tried to kill  him with  
cunning4 ,they set poisoned food before 
him4 ,luckily1 he  refused to eat before
 he had discharged himself of his       
errand4 ,while he  was telling his      
story1 it was ordained by ,god that the 
dish intended  for him should come to   
stand in front of ,bethuel1 who ate of  
it and  died4#bid    ,eliezer showed the
 document he had in which ,abraham      
deeded all his  possessions to ,isaac1  

and he made it known to the kindred of  
,abraham1  how deeply attached to them  
his master was1 in spite of the long    
years  of separation4#bie ,yet he let   
them know at the same time that ,abraham
  was not dependent wholly upon them4   
,he might seek a wife for his son  among
 the daughters of ,ishmael or ,lot4 ,at 
first the kindred of ,abraham  consented
 to let ,rebekah go with ,eliezer1 but  
as ,bethuel had died in  the meantime1  
they did not want to give ,rebekah in   
marriage without  consulting her4       
,besides1 they deemed it proper that she
 should remain  at home at least during 
the week of mourning for her father4#bif
 ,but  ,eliezer1 seeing the angel wait  
for him1 would brook no delay1 and he   
said1 ,the man who came with me and     
prospered my way1 waits for me  without1
 and as ,rebekah professed herself ready
 to go at once with  ,eliezer1 her      
mother and brother granted her wish and 
dismissed her with  their blessings4#big
 ,but their blessings did not come from 

the bottom  of their hearts4 ,indeed1 as
 a rule1 the blessing of the impious is 
a  curse1 wherefore ,rebekah remained   
barren for years4    ,eliezer's return  
to ,canaan was as wonderful as his going
 to ,haran had  been4 ,a seventeen days'
 journey he accomplished in three hours4
 ,he left  ,haran at noon1 and he       
arrived at ,hebron#bii at three o'clock 
in the  afternoon1 the time for the     
,minhah ,prayer1 which had been         
introduced by  ,isaac4 ,he was in the   
posture of praying when ,rebekah first  
laid eyes  upon him1 wherefore she asked
 ,eliezer what man this was4 ,she saw he
 was  not an ordinary individual4 ,she  
noticed the unusual beauty of ,isaac1   
and also that an angel accompanied him4 
,thus her question was not  dictated by 
mere curiosity4#cjj ,at this moment she 
learnt through the  holy spirit1 that   
she was destined to be the mother of the
 godless  ,esau4 ,terror seized her at  
the knowledge1 and1 trembling1 she fell 
from  the camel and inflicted an injury 

upon herself4#cja    ,after ,isaac had  
heard the wonderful adventures of       
,eliezer1 he took  ,rebekah to the tent 
of his mother ,sarah1 and she showed    
herself worthy  to be her successor4    
,the cloud appeared again that had been 
visible  over the tent during the life  
of ,sarah1 and had vanished at her      
death2  the light shone again in the    
tent of ,rebekah that ,sarah had kindled
 at  the coming in of the ,sabbath1 and 
that had burnt miraculously  throughout 
the week2 the blessing returned with    
,rebekah that had  hovered over the     
dough kneaded by ,sarah2 and the gates  
of the tent were  opened for the needy1 
wide and spacious1 as they had been     
during the  lifetime of ,sarah4#cjb     
,for three years ,isaac had mourned for 
his mother1 and he could find no        
consolation in the academy of ,shem and 
,eber1 his abiding-place during  that   
period4 ,but ,rebekah comforted him     
after his mother's death1#cjc  for she  
was the counterpart of ,sarah in person 

and in spirit4#cjd    ,as a reward for  
having executed to his full satisfaction
 the mission  with which he had charged 
him1 ,abraham set his bondman free4#cje 
,the  curse resting upon ,eliezer1 as   
upon all the descendants of ,canaan1 was
  transformed into a blessing1 because  
he ministered unto ,abraham             
loyally4#cjf ,greatest reward of all1   
,god found him worthy of entering       
,paradise alive1 a distinction that fell
 to the lot of very few4#cjg    ,,the   
,,last ,,years ,,of ,,abraham           
,rebekah first saw ,isaac as he was     
coming from the way of  ,beer-lahai-roi1
 the dwelling-place of ,hagar1 whither  
he had gone after  the death of his     
mother1 for the purpose of reuniting his
 father with  ,hagar1#cjh or1 as she is 
also called1 ,keturah4#cji    ,hagar    
bore him six sons1 who1 however1 did    
scant honor to their father1  for they  
all were idolaters4#caj ,abraham1       
therefore1 during his own  lifetime1    
sent them away from the presence of     

,isaac1 that they might  not be singed  
by ,isaac's flame1 and gave them the    
instruction to  journey eastward as far 
as possible4#caa ,there he built a city 
for  them1 surrounded by an iron wall1  
so high that the sun could not shine    
into the city4 ,but ,abraham provided   
them with huge gems and pearls1  their  
lustre more brilliant than the light of 
the sun1 which will be  used in the     
,messianic time when the moon shall be  
confounded and the  sun ashamed4#cab    
,also ,abraham taught them the black    
art1 wherewith  they held sway over     
demons and spirits4 ,it is from this    
city in the  east that ,laban1 ,balaam1 
and ,balaam's father ,beor derived their
  sorceries4#cac    ,epher1 one of the  
grandsons of ,abraham and ,keturah1     
invaded ,lybia with  an armed force1 and
 took possession of the country4 ,from  
this ,epher the  whole land of ,africa  
has its name4#cad ,aram is also a       
country made  habitable by a kinsman of 
,abraham4 ,in his old age ,terah        

contracted a  new marriage with         
,pelilah1 and from this union sprang a  
son ,zoba1 who  was the father in turn  
of three sons4 ,the oldest of these1    
,aram1 was  exceedingly rich and        
powerful1 and the old home in ,haran    
sufficed not  for him and his kinsmen1  
the sons of ,nahor1 the brother of      
,abraham4  ,aram and his brethren and   
all that belonged to him therefore      
departed  from ,haran1 and they settled 
in a vale1 and they built themselves a  
city there which they called            
,aram-,zoba1 to perpetuate the name of  
the  father and his first-born son4     
,another ,aram1 ,aram-naharaim1 on the  
,euphrates1 was built by ,aram son of   
,kemuel1 a nephew of ,abraham4 ,its     
real name was ,petor1 after the son of  
,aram1 but it is better known as        
,aram-naharaim4 ,the descendants of     
,kesed1 another nephew of ,abraham1 a   
son of his brother ,nahor1 established  
themselves opposite to ,shinar1  where  
they founded the city of ,kesed1 the    

city whence the ,chaldees are  called   
,kasdim4#cae    ,though ,abraham knew   
full well that ,isaac deserved his      
paternal blessing  beyond all his sons1 
yet he withheld it from him1 that no    
hostile  feelings be aroused among his  
descendants4 ,he spake1 and said3 ,i am 
but flesh and blood1 here to-day1       
to-morrow in the grave4 ,what ,i was    
able to do for my children ,i have done4
 ,henceforth let come what ,god  desires
 to do in ,his world1 and it happened   
that immediately after the  death of    
,abraham ,god ,himself appeared unto    
,isaac1 and gave him ,his  blessing4#caf
    ,a ,,herald ,,of ,,death    ,when   
the day of the death of ,abraham drew   
near1 the ,lord said to  ,michael1      
,arise and go to ,abraham and say to    
him1 ,thou shalt depart  from life6 so  
that he might set his house in order    
before he died4 ,and  ,michael went and 
came to ,abraham and found him sitting  
before his oxen  for ploughing4         
,abraham1 seeing ,michael1 but not      

knowing who he was1  saluted him and    
said to him1 ,sit down a little while1  
and ,i will order  a beast to be        
brought1 and we will go to my house1    
that thou mayest  rest with me1 for it  
is toward evening1 and arise in the     
morning and go  whithersoever thou wilt4
 ,and ,abraham called one of his        
servants1 and  said to him3 ,go and     
bring me a beast1 that the stranger may 
sit upon  it1 for he is wearied with his
 journey4 ,but ,michael said1 ,i abstain
  from ever sitting upon any fourfooted 
beast1 let us walk therefore1  till we  
reach the house4    ,on their way to the
 house they passed a huge tree1 and     
,abraham heard a  voice from its        
branches1 singing1 ,holy art thou1      
because thou hast  kept the purpose for 
which thou wast sent4 ,abraham hid the  
mystery in  his heart1 thinking that the
 stranger did not hear it4 ,arrived at  
his  house1 he ordered the servants to  
prepare a meal1 and while they were     
busy with their work1 he called his son 

,isaac1 and said to him1 ,arise  and put
 water in the vessel1 that we may wash  
the feet of the  stranger4 ,and he      
brought it as he was commanded1 and     
,abraham said1 ,i  perceive that in this
 basin ,i shall never again wash the    
feet of any  man coming to us as a      
guest4 ,hearing this1 ,isaac began to   
weep1 and  ,abraham1 seeing his son     
weep1 also wept1 and ,michael1 seeing   
them weep1  wept also1 and the tears of 
,michael fell into the water1 and became
  precious stones4    ,before sitting   
down to the table1 ,michael arose1 went 
out for a moment1  as if to ease nature1
 and ascended to heaven in the twinkling
 of an  eye1 and stood before the ,lord1
 and said to ,him3 ,lord and ,master1   
let  ,thy power know that ,i am unable  
to remind that righteous man of his     
death1 for ,i have not seen upon the    
earth a man like him1  compassionate1   
hospitable1 righteous1 truthful1 devout1
 refraining from  every evil deed4 ,then
 the ,lord said to ,michael1 ,go down to

 ,my friend  ,abraham1 and whatever he  
may say to thee1 that do thou also1 and 
whatever he may eat1 eat thou also with 
him1 and ,i will cast the  thought of   
the death of ,abraham into the heart of 
,isaac1 his son1 in a  dream1 and ,isaac
 will relate the dream1 and thou shalt  
interpret it1  and he himself will know 
his end4 ,and ,michael said1 ,lord1 all 
the  heavenly spirits are incorporeal1  
and neither eat nor drink1 and this  man
 has set before me a table with an      
abundance of all good things  earthly   
and corruptible4 ,now1 ,lord1 what shall
 ,i do8 ,the ,lord answered  him1 ,go   
down to him and take no thought for     
this1 for when thou  sittest down with  
him1 ,i will send upon thee a devouring 
spirit1 and it  will consume out of thy 
hands and through thy mouth all that is 
on the  table4    ,then ,michael went   
into the house of ,abraham1 and they ate
 and drank and  were merry4 ,and when   
the supper was ended1 ,abraham prayed   
after his  custom1 and ,michael prayed  

with him1 and each lay down to sleep    
upon  his couch in one room1 while      
,isaac went to his chamber1 lest he be  
troublesome to the guest4 ,about the    
seventh hour of the night1 ,isaac  awoke
 and came to the door of his father's   
chamber1 crying out and  saying1 ,open1 
father1 that ,i may touch thee before   
they take thee away  from me4 ,and      
,abraham wept together with his son1 and
 when ,michael saw  them weep1 he wept  
likewise4 ,and ,sarah1 hearing the      
weeping1 called  forth from her         
bedchamber1 saying3 ,my lord ,abraham1  
why this weeping8  ,has the stranger    
told thee of thy brother's son ,lot1    
that he is dead8  or has aught befallen 
us8 ,michael answered1 and said to her1 
,nay1 my  sister ,sarah1 it is not as   
thou sayest1 but thy son ,isaac1        
methinks1  beheld a dream1 and came to  
us weeping1 and we1 seeing him1 were    
moved  in our hearts and wept4 ,sarah1  
hearing ,michael speak1 knew straightway
  that it was an angel of the ,lord1 one

 of the three angels whom they had      
entertained in their house once before1 
and therefore she made a sign  to       
,abraham to come out toward the door1 to
 inform him of what she knew4  ,abraham 
said3 ,thou hast perceived well1 for ,i1
 too1 when ,i washed his  feet1 knew in 
my heart that they were the feet that ,i
 had washed at the  oak of ,mamre1 and  
that went to save ,lot4 ,abraham1       
returning to his  chamber1 made ,isaac  
relate his dream1 which ,michael        
interpreted to  them1 saying3 ,thy son  
,isaac has spoken truth1 for thou shalt 
go and be  taken up into the heavens1   
but thy body shall remain on earth1     
until  seven thousand ages are          
fulfilled1 for then all flesh shall     
arise4 ,now1  therefore1 ,abraham1 set  
thy house in order1 for thou wast heard 
what is  decreed concerning thee4       
,abraham answered1 ,now ,i know thou art
 an  angel of the ,lord1 and wast sent  
to take my soul1 but ,i will not go     
with thee1 but do thou whatever thou art

 commanded4 ,michael returned  to heaven
 and told ,god of ,abraham's refusal to 
obey his summons1 and he  was again     
commanded to go down and admonish       
,abraham not to rebel  against ,god1 who
 had bestowed many blessings upon him1  
and he reminded  him that no one who has
 come from ,adam and ,eve can escape    
death1 and  that ,god in ,his great     
kindness toward him did not permit the  
sickle of  death to meet him1 but sent  
,his chief captain1 ,michael1 to him4   
,wherefore1 then1 he ended1 hast thou   
said to the chief captain1 ,i  will not 
go with thee8 ,when ,michael delivered  
these exhortations to  ,abraham1 he saw 
that it was futile to oppose the will of
 ,god1 and he  consented to die1 but    
wished to have one desire of his        
fulfilled while  still alive4 ,he said  
to ,michael3 ,i beseech thee1 lord1 if  
,i must  depart from my body1 ,i desire 
to be taken up in my body1 that ,i may  
see  the creatures that the ,lord has   
created in heaven and on earth4         

,michael went up into heaven1 and spake 
before the ,lord concerning  ,abraham1  
and the ,lord answered ,michael1 ,go and
 take up ,abraham in the  body and show 
him all things1 and whatever he shall   
say to thee1 do to  him as to ,my       
friend4    ,,abraham ,,views ,,earth    
,,and ,,heaven    ,the archangel        
,michael went down1 and took ,abraham   
upon a chariot of the  cherubim1 and    
lifted him up into the air of heaven1   
and led him upon  the cloud1 together   
with sixty angels1 and ,abraham ascended
 upon the  chariot over all the earth1  
and saw all things that are below on the
  earth1 both good and bad4 ,looking    
down upon the earth1 he saw a man       
committing adultery with a wedded woman1
 and turning to ,michael he  said1 ,send
 fire from heaven to consume them4      
,straightway there came  down fire and  
consumed them1 for ,god had commanded   
,michael to do  whatsoever ,abraham     
should ask him to do4 ,he looked again1 
and he saw  thieves digging through a   

house1 and ,abraham said1 ,let wild     
beasts  come out of the desert1 and tear
 them in pieces1 and immediately wild   
beasts came out of the desert and       
devoured them4 ,again he looked down1   
and he saw people preparing to commit   
murder1 and he said1 ,let the  earth    
open and swallow them1 and1 as he spoke1
 the earth swallowed  them alive4 ,then 
,god spoke to ,michael3 ,turn away      
,abraham to his own  house and let him  
not go round the whole earth1 because he
 has no  compassion on sinners1 but ,i  
have compassion on sinners1 that they   
may  turn and live and repent of their  
sins1 and be saved4    ,so ,michael     
turned the chariot1 and brought ,abraham
 to the place of  judgment of all souls4
 ,here he saw two gates1 the one broad  
and the  other narrow1 the narrow gate  
that of the just1 which leads to life1  
they that enter through it go into      
,paradise4 ,the broad gate is that of   
sinners1 which leads to destruction and 
eternal punishment4 ,then  ,abraham     

wept1 saying1 ,woe is me1 what shall ,i 
do8 for ,i am a man big  of body1 and   
how shall ,i be able to enter by the    
narrow gate8 ,michael  answered1 and    
said to ,abraham1 ,fear not1 nor grieve1
 for thou shalt  enter by it unhindered1
 and all they who are like thee4        
,abraham1  perceiving that a soul was   
adjudged to be set in the midst1 asked  
,michael the reason for it1 and ,michael
 answered1 ,because the judge  found its
 sins and its righteousness equal1 he   
neither committed it to  judgment nor to
 be saved4 ,abraham said to ,michael1   
,let us pray for  this soul1 and see    
whether ,god will hear us1 and when they
 rose up  from their prayer1 ,michael   
informed ,abraham that the soul was     
saved by  the prayer1 and was taken by  
an angel and carried up to ,paradise4   
,abraham said to ,michael1 ,let us yet  
call upon the ,lord and supplicate  ,his
 compassion and entreat ,his mercy for  
the souls of the sinners whom  ,i       
formerly1 in my anger1 cursed and       

destroyed1 whom the earth devoured1  and
 the wild beasts tore in pieces1 and the
 fire consumed1 through my  words4 ,now 
,i know that ,i have sinned before the  
,lord our ,god4    ,after the joint     
prayer of the archangel and ,abraham1   
there came a voice  from heaven1 saying1
 ,abraham1 ,abraham1 ,i have hearkened  
to thy voice  and thy prayer1 and ,i    
forgive thee thy sin1 and those whom    
thou  thinkest that ,i destroyed1 ,i    
have called up and brought them into    
life  by ,my exceeding kindness1 because
 for a season ,i have requited them in  
judgment1 and those whom ,i destroy     
living upon earth1 ,i will not  requite 
in death4    ,when ,michael brought     
,abraham back to his house1 they found  
,sarah dead4  ,not seeing what had      
become of ,abraham1 she was consumed    
with grief and  gave up her soul4       
,though ,michael had fulfilled          
,abraham's wish1 and had  shown him all 
the earth and the judgment and          
recompense1 he still  refused to        

surrender his soul to ,michael1 and the 
archangel again  ascended to heaven1 and
 said unto the ,lord3 ,thus speaks      
,abraham1 ,i  will not go with thee1 and
 ,i refrain from laying my hands on him1
  because from the beginning he was ,thy
 friend1 and he has done all  things    
pleasing in ,thy sight4 ,there is no man
 like him on earth1 not  even ,job1 the 
wondrous man4 ,but when the day of the  
death of ,abraham  drew nigh1 ,god      
commanded ,michael to adorn ,death with 
great beauty and  send him thus to      
,abraham1 that he might see him with his
 eyes4    ,while sitting under the oak  
of ,mamre1 ,abraham perceived a flashing
 of  light and a smell of sweet odor1   
and turning around he saw ,death coming 
toward him in great glory and beauty4   
,and ,death said unto ,abraham3  ,think 
not1 ,abraham1 that this beauty is mine1
 or that ,i come thus to  every man4    
,nay1 but if any one is righteous like  
thee1 ,i thus take a  crown and come to 
him1 but if he is a sinner1 ,i come in  

great  corruption1 and out of their sins
 ,i make a crown for my head1 and ,i    
shake them with great fear1 so that they
 are dismayed4 ,abraham said to  him1   
,and art thou1 indeed1 he that is called
 ,death8 ,he answered1 and  said1 ,i am 
the bitter name1 but ,abraham answered1 
,i will not go with  thee4 ,and ,abraham
 said to ,death1 ,show us thy           
corruption4 ,and ,death  revealed his   
corruption1 showing two heads1 the one  
had the face of a  serpent1 the other   
head was like a sword4 ,all the servants
 of ,abraham1  looking at the fierce    
mien of ,death1 died1 but ,abraham      
prayed to the  ,lord1 and he raised them
 up4 ,as the looks of ,death were not   
able to  cause ,abraham's soul to depart
 from him1 ,god removed the soul of     
,abraham as in a dream1 and the         
archangel ,michael took it up into      
heaven4 ,after great praise and glory   
had been given to the ,lord by the      
angels who brought ,abraham's soul1 and 
after ,abraham bowed down to  worship1  

then came the voice of ,god1 saying     
thus3 ,take ,my friend  ,abraham into   
,paradise1 where are the tabernacles of 
,my righteous ones  and the abodes of   
,my saints ,isaac and ,jacob in his     
bosom1 where there  is no trouble1 nor  
grief1 nor sighing1 but peace and       
rejoicing and life  unending4#cag       
,abraham's activity did not cease with  
his death1 and as he interceded  in this
 world for the sinners1 so will he      
intercede for them in the  world to     
come4 ,on the day of judgment he will   
sit at the gate of hell1  and he will   
not suffer those who kept the law of    
circumcision to enter  therein4#cah     
,,the ,,patron ,,of ,,hebron    ,once   
upon a time some ,jews lived in ,hebron1
 few in number1 but pious  and good1 and
 particularly hospitable4 ,when         
strangers came to the ,cave  of         
,machpelah to pray there1 the           
inhabitants of the place fairly         
quarrelled with each other for the      
privilege of entertaining the  guests1  

and the one who carried off the victory 
rejoiced as though he  had found great  
spoil4    ,on the eve of the ,day of    
,atonement1 it appeared that1 in spite  
of all  their efforts1 the dwellers at  
,hebron could not secure the tenth man  
needed for public ,divine service1 and  
they feared they would have none  on the
 holy day4 ,toward evening1 when the sun
 was about to sink1 they  descried an   
old man with silver white beard1 bearing
 a sack upon his  shoulder1 his raiment 
tattered1 and his feet badly swollen    
from much  walking4 ,they ran to meet   
him1 took him to one of the houses1 gave
 him  food and drink1 and1 after        
supplying him with new white garments1  
they  all together went to the synagogue
 for worship4 ,asked what his name  was1
 the stranger replied1 ,abraham4    ,at 
the end of the fast1 the residents of   
,hebron cast lots for the  privilege of 
entertaining the guest4 ,fortune favored
 the beadle1 who1  the envy of the rest1
 bore his guest away to his house4 ,on  

the way1 he  suddenly disappeared1 and  
the beadle could not find him anywhere4 
,in  vain all the ,jews of the place    
went on a quest for him4 ,their         
sleepless  night1 spent in searching1   
had no result4 ,the stranger could not  
be  found4 ,but no sooner had the beadle
 lain down1 toward morning1 weary  and  
anxious1 to snatch some sleep1 than he  
saw the lost guest before  him1 his face
 luminous as lightning1 and his garments
 magnificent and  studded with gems     
radiant as the sun4 ,before the beadle1 
stunned by  fright1 could open his      
mouth1 the stranger spake1 and said3 ,i 
am  ,abraham the ,hebrew1 your ancestor1
 who rests here in the ,cave of         
,machpelah4 ,when ,i saw how grieved you
 were at not having the number of  men  
prescribed for a public service1 ,i came
 forth to you4 ,have no fear6  ,rejoice 
and be merry of heart6#cai    ,on       
another occasion ,abraham granted his   
assistance to the people of  ,hebron4   
,the lord of the city was a heartless   

man1 who oppressed the  ,jews sorely4   
,one day he commanded them to pay a     
large sum of money into  his coffers1   
the whole sum in uniform coins1 all     
stamped with the same  year4 ,it was but
 a pretext to kill the ,jews4 ,he knew  
that his demand  was impossible of      
fulfilment4    ,the ,jews proclaimed a  
fast and day of public prayer1 on which 
to  supplicate ,god that ,he turn aside 
the sword suspended above them4 ,the    
night following1 the beadle in a dream  
saw an awe-inspiring old man1  who      
addressed him in the following words3   
,up1 quickly6 ,hasten to the  gate of   
the court1 where lies the money you     
need4 ,i am your father  ,abraham4 ,i   
have beheld the affliction wherewith the
 ,gentiles oppress  you1 but ,god has   
heard your groans4 ,in great terror the 
beadle arose1  but he saw no one1 yet he
 went to the spot designated by the     
vision1  and he found the money and took
 it to the congregation1 telling his    
dream at the same time4 ,amazed1 they   

counted the gold1 precisely the  amount 
required of them by the prince1 no more 
and no less4 ,they  surrendered the sum 
to him1 and he who had considered       
compliance with  his demand impossible1 
recognized now that ,god is with the    
,jews1 and  thenceforth they found favor
 in his eyes4#cbj          ,,vi  ,,jacob
    ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,esau ,,and     
,,jacob    ,isaac was the counterpart of
 his father in body and soul4 ,he       
resembled  him in every particular--in  
beauty1 wisdom1 strength1 wealth1 and   
noble  deeds4#a ,it was1 therefore1 as  
great an honor for ,isaac to be called  
the son of his father as for ,abraham to
 be called the father of his  son1 and  
though ,abraham was the progenitor of   
thirty nations1 he is  always designated
 as the father of ,isaac4#b    ,despite 
his many excellent qualities1 ,isaac    
married late in life4 ,god  permitted   
him to meet the wife suitable to him    
only after he had  successfully         
disproved the mocking charges of        

,ishmael1 who was in the  habit of      
taunting him with having been           
circumcised at the early age of  eight  
days1 while ,ishmael had submitted      
himself voluntarily to the  operation   
when he was thirteen years old4 ,for    
this reason ,god demanded  ,isaac as a  
sacrifice when he had attained to full  
manhood1 at the age  of thirty-seven1   
and ,isaac was ready to give up his     
life4 ,ishmael's  jibes were thus robbed
 of their sting1 and ,isaac was         
permitted to  marry4 ,but another delay 
occurred before his marriage could take 
place4  ,directly after the sacrifice on
 ,mount ,moriah1 his mother died1 and he
  mourned her for three years4#c        
,finally he married ,rebekah1 who was   
then a maiden of fourteen4#d    ,rebekah
 was a rose between thorns4 ,her father 
was the ,aramean  ,bethuel1 and her     
brother was ,laban1 but she did not walk
 in their  ways4#e ,her piety was equal 
to ,isaac's4#f ,nevertheless their      
marriage  was not entirely happy1 for   

they lived together no less than twenty 
years without begetting children4#g     
,rebekah besought her husband to        
entreat ,god for the gift of children1  
as his father ,abraham had done4  ,at   
first ,isaac would not do her bidding4  
,god had promised ,abraham a  numerous  
progeny1 and he thought their           
childlessness was probably  ,rebekah's  
fault1 and it was her duty to supplicate
 ,god1 and not his4  ,but ,rebekah would
 not desist1 and husband and wife       
repaired to ,mount  ,moriah together to 
pray to ,god there4 ,and ,isaac said3 ,o
 ,lord ,god of  heaven and earth1 whose 
goodness and mercies fill the earth1    
,thou who  didst take my father from his
 father's house and from his birthplace1
  and didst bring him unto this land1   
and didst say unto him1 ,to thee and    
thy seed will ,i give the land1 and     
didst promise him and declare unto  him1
 ,i will multiply thy seed as the stars 
of heaven and as the sand of  the sea1  
now may ,thy words be verified which    

,thou didst speak unto my  father4 ,for 
,thou art the ,lord our ,god1 our eyes  
are toward ,thee1 to  give us seed of   
men as ,thou didst promise us1 for ,thou
 art the ,lord our  ,god1 and our eyes  
are upon ,thee4#h ,isaac prayed         
furthermore that all  children destined 
for him might be born unto him from this
 pious wife  of his1 and ,rebekah made  
the same petition regarding her husband 
,isaac  and the children destined for   
her4    ,their united prayer was        
heard4#i ,yet it was chiefly for the    
sake of  ,isaac that ,god gave them     
children4 ,it is true1 ,rebekah's piety 
equalled  her husband's1 but the prayer 
of a pious man who is the son of a pious
  man is far more efficacious than the  
prayer of one who1 though pious         
himself1 is descended from a godless    
father4    ,the prayer wrought a great  
miracle1 for ,isaac's physique was such 
that  he could not have been expected to
 beget children1 and equally it was  not
 in the course of nature that ,rebekah  

should bear children4#aj    ,when       
,rebekah had been pregnant seven        
months1#aa she began to wish that  the  
curse of childlessness had not been     
removed from her4#ab ,she  suffered     
torturous pain1 because her twin sons   
began their lifelong  quarrels in her   
womb4 ,they strove to kill each other4  
,if ,rebekah walked  in the vicinity of 
a temple erected to idols1 ,esau moved  
in her body1  and if she passed a       
synagogue or a ,bet ha-,midrash1 ,jacob 
essayed to  break forth from her        
womb4#ac ,the quarrels of the children  
turned upon  such differences as these4 
,esau would insist that there was no    
life  except the earthly life of        
material pleasures1 and ,jacob would    
reply3  ,my brother1 there are two      
worlds before us1 this world and the    
world  to come4 ,in this world1 men eat 
and drink1 and traffic and marry1 and   
bring up sons and daughters1 but all    
this does not take place in the  world  
to come4 ,if it please thee1 do thou    

take this world1 and ,i will  take the  
other4#ad ,esau had ,samael as his ally1
 who desired to slay  ,jacob in his     
mother's womb4 ,but the archangel       
,michael hastened to  ,jacob's aid4 ,he 
tried to burn ,samael1 and the ,lord saw
 it was necessary  to constitute a      
heavenly court for the purpose of       
arbitrating the case  of ,michael and   
,samael4#ae ,even the quarrel between   
the two brothers  regarding the         
birthright had its beginning before they
 emerged from the  womb of their mother4
 ,each desired to be the first to come  
into the  world4 ,it was only when ,esau
 threatened to carry his point at the   
expense of his mother's life that ,jacob
 gave way4#af    ,rebekah asked other   
women whether they1 too1 had suffered   
such pain  during their pregnancy1 and  
when they told her they had not heard of
 a  case like hers1 except the pregnancy
 of ,nimrod's mother1 she betook        
herself to ,mount ,moriah1 whereon ,shem
 and ,eber had their ,bet  ha-,midrash4 

,she requested them as well as ,abraham 
to inquire of ,god  what the cause of   
her dire suffering was4#ag ,and ,shem   
replied3 ,my  daughter1 ,i confide a    
secret to thee4 ,see to it that none    
finds it out4  ,two nations are in thy  
womb1 and how should thy body contain   
them1  seeing that the whole world will 
not be large enough for them to exist   
in it together peaceably8 ,two nations  
they are1 each owning a world of  its   
own1 the one the ,torah1 the other sin4 
,from the one will spring  ,solomon1 the
 builder of the ,temple1 from the other 
,vespasian1 the  destroyer thereof4     
,these two are what are needed to raise 
the number of  nations to seventy4 ,they
 will never be in the same estate4 ,esau
 will  vaunt lords1 while ,jacob will   
bring forth prophets1 and if ,esau has  
princes1 ,jacob will have kings4#ah     
,they1 ,israel and ,rome1 are the two   
nations destined to be hated by all the 
world4#ai ,one will exceed the  other in
 strength4 ,first ,esau will subjugate  

the whole world1 but in  the end ,jacob 
will rule over all4#bj ,the older of the
 two will serve  the younger1 provided  
this one is pure of heart1 otherwise the
 younger  will be enslaved by the       
older4#ba    ,the circumstances         
connected with the birth of her twin    
sons were as  remarkable as those during
 the period of ,rebekah's pregnancy4    
,esau was  the first to see the light1  
and with him all impurity came from the 
womb2#bb ,jacob was born clean and sweet
 of body4 ,esau was brought  forth with 
hair1 beard1 and teeth1 both front and  
back1#bc and he was  blood-red1 a sign  
of his future sanguinary nature4#bd ,on 
account of  his ruddy appearance he     
remained uncircumcised4 ,isaac1 his     
father1  feared that it was due to poor 
circulation of the blood1 and he        
hesitated to perform the circumcision4  
,he decided to wait until ,esau  should 
attain his thirteenth year1 the age at  
which ,ishmael had  received the sign of
 the covenant4 ,but when ,esau grew up1 

he refused to  give heed to his father's
 wish1 and so he was left               
uncircumcised4#be  ,the opposite of his 
brother in this as in all respects1     
,jacob was born  with the sign of the   
covenant upon his body1 a rare          
distinction4#bf  ,but ,esau also bore a 
mark upon him at birth1 the figure of a 
serpent1  the symbol of all that is     
wicked and hated of ,god4#bg    ,the    
names conferred upon the brothers are   
pregnant with meaning4 ,the  older was  
called ,esau1 because he was ',asui1    
fully developed when he  was born1 and  
the name of the younger was given to him
 by ,god1 to point  to some important   
events in the future of ,israel by the  
numerical value  of each letter4 ,the   
first letter in ,ya'akob1 ,yod1 with the
 value of  ten1 stands for the          
decalogue2 the second1 ',ayin1 equal to 
seventy1 for  the seventy elders1 the   
leaders of ,israel2 the third1 ,kof1 a  
hundred1  for the ,temple1 a hundred    
ells in height2 and the last1 ,bet1 for 

the  two tables of stone4#bh    ,,the   
,,favorite ,,of ,,abraham    ,while     
,esau and ,jacob were little1 their     
characters could not be judged          
properly4 ,they were like the myrtle and
 the thorn-bush1 which look  alike in   
the early stages of their growth4 ,after
 they have attained  full size1 the     
myrtle is known by its fragrance1 and   
the thorn-bush by  its thorns4    ,in   
their childhood1 both brothers went to  
school1 but when they reached  their    
thirteenth year1 and were of age1 their 
ways parted4 ,jacob  continued his      
studies in the ,bet ha ,midrash of ,shem
 and ,eber1 and ,esau  abandoned himself
 to idolatry and an immoral life4#bi    
,both were  hunters of men1 ,esau tried 
to capture them in order to turn them   
away  from ,god1 and ,jacob1 to turn    
them toward ,god4#cj ,in spite of his   
impious deeds1 ,esau possessed the art  
of winning his father's love4 ,his      
hypocritical conduct made ,isaac believe
 that his first-born son was  extremely 

pious4 ,father1 he would ask ,isaac1    
what is the tithe on  straw and salt8   
,the question made him appear           
,god-fearing in the eyes  of his father1
 because these two products are the very
 ones that are  exempt from tithing4#ca 
,isaac failed to notice1 too1 that his  
older  son gave him forbidden food to   
eat4 ,what he took for the flesh of     
young  goats was dog's meat4#cb         
,rebekah was more clear-sighted4 ,she   
knew her sons as they really were1  and 
therefore her love for ,jacob was       
exceeding great4 ,the oftener she  heard
 his voice1 the deeper grew her         
affection for him4#cc ,abraham  agreed  
with her4 ,he also loved his grandson   
,jacob1 for he knew that in  him his    
name and his seed would be called4 ,and 
he said unto ,rebekah1  ,my daughter1   
watch over my son ,jacob1 for he shall  
be in my stead on  the earth and for a  
blessing in the midst of the children of
 men1 and  for the glory of the whole   
seed of ,shem4 ,having admonished       

,rebekah  thus to keep guard over       
,jacob1 who was destined to be the      
bearer of the  blessing given to        
,abraham by ,god1 he called for his     
grandson1 and in  the presence of       
,rebekah he blessed him1 and said3      
,jacob1 my beloved  son1 whom my soul   
loveth1 may ,god bless thee from above  
the firmament1  and may ,he give thee   
all the blessing wherewith ,he blessed  
,adam1 and  ,enoch1 and ,noah1 and      
,shem1 and all the things of which ,he  
told me1 and  all the things which ,he  
promised to give me may ,he cause to    
cleave to  thee and to thy seed forever1
 according to the days of the heavens   
above the earth4 ,and the spirit of     
,mastema shall not rule over thee or    
over thy seed1 to turn thee from the    
,lord1 who is thy ,god from  henceforth 
and forever4 ,and may the ,lord ,god be 
a father to thee1 and  mayest thou be   
,his first-born son1 and may ,he be a   
father to thy people  always4 ,go in    
peace1 my son4#cd    ,and ,abraham had  

good reason to be particularly fond of  
,jacob1 for it  was due to the merits of
 his grandson that he had been rescued  
from the  fiery furnace4#ce    ,isaac   
and ,rebekah1 knowing of ,abraham's love
 for their young son1 sent  their father
 a meal by ,jacob on the last ,feast of 
,pentecost which  ,abraham was permitted
 to celebrate on earth1 that he might   
eat and  bless the ,creator of all      
things before he died4 ,abraham knew    
that his  end was approaching1 and he   
thanked the ,lord for all the good ,he  
had  granted him during the days of his 
life1 and blessed ,jacob and bade him   
walk in the ways of the ,lord1 and      
especially he was not to marry a        
daughter of the ,canaanites4 ,then      
,abraham prepared for death4 ,he placed 
two of ,jacob's fingers upon his eyes1  
and thus holding them closed he  fell   
into his eternal sleep1 while ,jacob lay
 beside him on the bed4 ,the  lad did   
not know of his grandfather's death1    
until he called him1 on  awakening next 

morning1 ,father1 father1 and received  
no answer4#cf    ,,the ,,sale ,,of ,,the
 ,,birthright    ,though ,abraham       
reached a good old age1 beyond the limit
 of years  vouchsafed later generations1
 he yet died five years before his      
allotted time4 ,the intention was to let
 him live to be one hundred and  eighty 
years old1 the same age as ,isaac's at  
his death1 but on account  of ,esau ,god
 brought his life to an abrupt close4   
,for some time ,esau had  been pursuing 
his evil inclinations in secret4        
,finally he dropped his  mask1 and on   
the day of ,abraham's death he was      
guilty of five crimes3  he ravished a   
betrothed maiden1 committed murder1     
doubted the  resurrection of the dead1  
scorned the birthright1 and denied ,god4
 ,then  the ,lord said3 ,i promised     
,abraham that he should go to his       
fathers in  peace4 ,can ,i now permit   
him to be a witness of his grandson's   
rebellion  against ,god1 his violation  
of the laws of chastity1 and his        

shedding of  blood8 ,it is better for   
him to die now in peace4#cg    ,the men 
slain by ,esau on this day were ,nimrod 
and two of his adjutants4  ,a           
long-standing feud had existed between  
,esau and ,nimrod1 because the  mighty  
hunter before the ,lord was jealous of  
,esau1 who also devoted  himself        
assiduously to the chase4 ,once when he 
was hunting it happened  that ,nimrod   
was separated from his people1 only two 
men were with him4  ,esau1 who lay in   
ambush1 noticed his isolation1 and      
waited until he  should pass his covert4
 ,then he threw himself upon ,nimrod    
suddenly1 and  felled him and his two   
companions1 who hastened to his succor4 
,the  outcries of the latter brought the
 attendants of ,nimrod to the spot      
where he lay dead1 but not before ,esau 
had stripped him of his  garments1 and  
fled to the city with them4#ch    ,these
 garments of ,nimrod had an             
extraordinary effect upon cattle1       
beasts1 and birds4 ,of their own accord 

they would come and prostrate           
themselves before him who was arrayed in
 them4 ,thus ,nimrod and ,esau  after   
him were able to rule over men and      
beasts4#ci    ,after slaying ,nimrod1   
,esau hastened cityward in great fear of
 his  victim's followers4 ,tired and    
exhausted he arrived at home to find    
,jacob busy preparing a dish of lentils4
 ,numerous male and female slaves  were 
in ,isaac's household4 ,nevertheless    
,jacob was so simple and modest  in his 
demeanor that1 if he came home late from
 the ,bet ha-,midrash1 he  would disturb
 none to prepare his meal1 but would do 
it himself4#dj ,on  this occasion he was
 cooking lentils for his father1 to     
serve to him as  his mourner's meal     
after the death of ,abraham4 ,adam and  
,eve had eaten  lentils after the murder
 of ,abel1 and so had the parents of    
,haran1 when  he perished in the fiery  
furnace4 ,the reason they are used for  
the  mourner's meal is that the round   
lentil symbolizes death3 as the lentil  

rolls1 so death1 sorrow1 and mourning   
constantly roll about among men1  from  
one to the other4#da    ,esau accosted  
,jacob thus1 ,why art thou preparing    
lentils8    ,jacob3 ,because our        
grandfather passed away2 they shall be a
 sign of my  grief and mourning1 that he
 may love me in the days to come4       
,esau3 ,thou fool6 ,dost thou really    
think it possible that man should  come 
to life again after he has been dead and
 has mouldered in the  grave8#db ,he    
continued to taunt ,jacob4 ,why dost    
thou give thyself so  much trouble8 he  
said4 ,lift up thine eyes1 and thou wilt
 see that all  men eat whatever comes to
 hand--fish1 creeping and crawling      
creatures1  swine's flesh1 and all sorts
 of things like these1 and thou vexest  
thyself about a dish of lentils4        
,jacob3 ,if we act like other men1 what 
shall we do on the day of the  ,lord1   
the day on which the pious will receive 
their reward1 when a  herald will       
proclaim3 ,where is ,he that weigheth   

the deeds of men1 where  is ,he that    
counteth8    ,esau3 ,is there a future  
world8 ,or will the dead be called back 
to  life8 ,if it were so1 why hath not  
,adam returned8 ,hast thou heard that   
,noah1 through whom the world was raised
 anew1 hath reappeared8 ,yea1  ,abraham1
 the friend of ,god1 more beloved of    
,him than any man1 hath he  come to life
 again8    ,jacob3 ,if thou art of      
opinion that there is no future world1  
and that  the dead do not rise to new   
life1 then why dost thou want thy       
birthright8 ,sell it to me1 now1 while  
it is yet possible to do so4 ,once  the 
,torah is revealed1 it cannot be done4  
,verily1 there is a future  world1 in   
which the righteous receive their       
reward4 ,i tell thee this1  lest thou   
say later ,i deceived thee4#dc    ,jacob
 was little concerned about the double  
share of the inheritance  that went with
 the birthright4 ,what he thought of was
 the priestly  service1 which was the   
prerogative of the first-born in ancient

 times1  and ,jacob was loth to have his
 impious brother ,esau play the priest1 
he  who despised all ,divine service4#dd
    ,the scorn manifested by ,esau for  
the resurrection of the dead he felt    
also for the promise of ,god to give the
 ,holy ,land to the seed of  ,abraham4  
,he did not believe in it1 and therefore
 he was willing to cede  his birthright 
and the blessing attached thereto in    
exchange for a mess  of pottage4#de ,in 
addition1 ,jacob paid him in coin1#df   
and1 besides1  he gave him what was more
 than money1 the wonderful sword of     
,methuselah1 which ,isaac had inherited 
from ,abraham and bestowed upon         
,jacob4#dg    ,esau made game of ,jacob4
 ,he invited his associates to feast at 
his  brother's table1 saying1 ,know ye  
what ,i did to this ,jacob8 ,i ate his  
lentils1 drank his wine1 amused myself  
at his expense1 and sold my  birthright 
to him4 ,all that ,jacob replied was1   
,eat and may it do thee  good6 ,but the 
,lord said1 ,thou despisest the         

birthright1 therefore ,i  shall make    
thee despised in all generations4 ,and  
by way of punishment  for denying ,god  
and the resurrection of the dead1 the   
descendants of  ,esau were cut off from 
the world4#dh    ,as naught was holy to 
,esau1 ,jacob made him swear1 concerning
 the  birthright1 by the life of their  
father1 for he knew ,esau's love for    
,isaac1 that it was strong4#di ,nor did 
he fail to have a document made  out1   
duly signed by witnesses1 setting forth 
that ,esau had sold him the  birthright 
together with his claim upon a place in 
the ,cave of  ,machpelah4#ej    ,though 
no blame can attach to ,jacob for all   
this1 yet he secured the  birthright    
from him by cunning1 and therefore the  
descendants of ,jacob  had to serve the 
descendants of ,esau4#ea    ,,isaac     
,,with ,,the ,,philistines    ,the life 
of ,isaac was a faithful reflex of the  
life of his father4  ,abraham had to    
leave his birthplace2 so also ,isaac4   
,abraham was exposed  to the risk of    

losing his wife2 so also ,isaac4 ,the   
,philistines were  envious of ,abraham2 
so also of ,isaac4 ,abraham long        
remained childless2  so also ,isaac4    
,abraham begot one pious son and one    
wicked son2 so also  ,isaac4 ,and1      
finally1 as in the time of ,abraham1 so 
also in the time of  ,isaac1 a famine   
came upon the land4#eb    ,at first     
,isaac intended to follow the example of
 his father and remove  to ,egypt1 but  
,god appeared unto him1 and spake3 ,thou
 art a perfect  sacrifice1 without a    
blemish1 and as a burnt offering is made
 unfit if  it is taken outside of the   
sanctuary1 so thou wouldst be profaned  
if  thou shouldst happen outside of the 
,holy ,land4 ,remain in the land1 and   
endeavor to cultivate it4 ,in this land 
dwells the ,shekinah1 and in days  to   
come ,i will give unto thy children the 
realms possessed by mighty  rulers1     
first a part thereof1 and the whole in  
the ,messianic time4#ec    ,isaac obeyed
 the command of ,god1 and he settled in 

,gerar4 ,when he  noticed that the      
inhabitants of the place began to have  
designs upon  his wife1 he followed the 
example of ,abraham1 and pretended she  
was his  sister4#ed ,the report of      
,rebekah's beauty reached the king      
himself1  but he was mindful of the     
great danger to which he had once       
exposed  himself on a similar occasion1 
and he left ,isaac and his wife         
unmolested4#ee ,after they had been in  
,gerar for three months1  ,abimelech    
noticed that the manner of ,isaac1 who  
lived in the outer  court of the royal  
palace1 was that of a husband toward    
,rebekah4#ef ,he  called him to account1
 saying1 ,it might have happened to the 
king  himself to take the woman thou    
didst call thy sister4#eg ,indeed1      
,isaac lay under the suspicion of having
 illicit intercourse with  ,rebekah1 for
 at first the people of the place would 
not believe that  she was his wife4     
,when ,isaac persisted in his           
statement1#eh ,abimelech  sent his      

grandees for them1 ordered them to be   
arrayed in royal  vestments1 and had it 
proclaimed before them1 as they rode    
through the  city3 ,these two are man   
and wife4 ,he that toucheth this man or 
his  wife shall surely be put to death4 
,thereafter the king invited ,isaac to  
settle in his domains1 and he  assigned 
fields and vineyards to him for         
cultivation1 the best the land          
afforded4#ei ,but ,isaac was not        
self-interested4 ,the tithe of all he   
possessed he gave to the poor of ,gerar4
 ,thus he was the first to  introduce   
the law of tithing for the poor1 as his 
father ,abraham had  been the first to  
separate the priests' portion from his  
fortune4#fj  ,isaac was rewarded by     
abundant harvests2 the land yielded a   
hundred  times more than was expected1  
though the soil was barren and the year 
unfruitful4 ,he grew so rich that people
 wished to have the dung from  ,isaac's 
she-mules rather than ,abimelech's gold 
and silver4#fa ,but his  wealth called  

forth the envy of the ,philistines1 for 
it is  characteristic of the wicked that
 they begrudge their fellow-men the     
good1 and rejoice when they see evil    
descend upon them1 and envy brings      
hatred in its wake1 and so the          
,philistines first envied ,isaac1 and   
then  hated him4 ,in their enmity toward
 him1 they stopped the wells which      
,abraham had had his servants dig4 ,thus
 they broke their covenant with         
,abraham and were faithless1 and they   
have only themselves to blame if  they  
were exterminated later on by the       
,israelites4    ,isaac departed from    
,gerar1 and began to dig again the wells
 of water  which they had digged in the 
days of ,abraham his father1 and which  
the  ,philistines had stopped4 ,his     
reverence for his father was so great   
that  he even restored the names by     
which ,abraham had called the wells4 ,to
  reward him for his filial respect1 the
 ,lord left the name of ,isaac          
unchanged1 while his father and his son 

had to submit to new names4#fb    ,after
 four attempts to secure water1 ,isaac  
was successful2 he found the  well of   
water that followed the ,patriarchs4    
,abraham had obtained it  after three   
diggings4 ,hence the name of the well1  
,beer-sheba1 the well  of seven         
diggings1 the same well that will supply
 water to ,jerusalem  and its environs  
in the ,messianic time4#fc    ,isaac's  
success with his wells but served to    
increase the envy of the  ,philistines1 
for he had come upon water in a most    
unlikely spot and1  besides1 in a year  
of drouth4 ,but the ,lord fulfils the   
desire of them  that fear ,him4 ,as     
,isaac executed the will of his         
,creator1 so ,god  accomplished his     
desire4#fd ,and ,abimelech1 the king of 
,gerar1 speedily  came to see that ,god 
was on the side of ,isaac1 for1 to      
chastise him for  having instigated     
,isaac's removal from ,gerar1 his house 
was ravaged by  robbers in the night1   
and he himself was stricken with        

leprosy4#fe ,the  wells of the          
,philistines ran dry as soon as ,isaac  
left ,gerar1 and also  the trees failed 
to yield their fruit4 ,none could be in 
doubt but that  these things were the   
castigation for their unkindness4       
,now ,abimelech entreated his friends1  
especially the administrator of  his    
kingdom1 to accompany him to ,isaac and 
help him win back his  friendship4#ff   
,abimelech and the ,philistines spake   
thus to ,isaac3 ,we  have convinced     
ourselves that the ,shekinah is with    
thee1 and therefore  we desire thee to  
renew the covenant which thy father made
 with us1  that thou wilt do us no hurt1
 as we also did not touch thee4 ,isaac  
consented4 ,it illustrates the character
 of the ,philistines strikingly  that   
they took credit unto themselves for    
having done him no hurt4 ,it  shows that
 they would have been glad to inflict   
harm upon him1 for the  soul of the     
wicked desireth evil4    ,the place in  
which the covenant was made between     

,isaac and the  ,philistines was called 
,shib'ah1 for two reasons1 because an   
oath was  sworn there1 and as a memorial
 of the fact that even the heathen are  
bound to observe the seven ,noachian    
laws4#fg    ,for all the wonders        
executed by ,god for ,isaac1 and all the
 good he  enjoyed throughout his life1  
he is indebted to the merits of his     
father4 ,for his own merits he will be  
rewarded in future4#fh ,on the  great   
day of judgment it will be ,isaac who   
will redeem his descendants  from       
,gehenna4 ,on that day the ,lord will   
speak to ,abraham1 ,thy children  have  
sinned1 and ,abraham will make reply1   
,then let them be wiped out1  that ,thy 
,name be sanctified4 ,the ,lord will    
turn to ,jacob1 thinking  that he who   
had suffered so much in bringing his    
sons to manhood's  estate would display 
more love for his posterity4 ,but ,jacob
 will give  the same answer as ,abraham4
 ,then ,god will say3 ,the old have no  
understanding1 and the young no counsel4

 ,i will now go to ,isaac4  ,isaac1 ,god
 will address him1 thy children have    
sinned1 and ,isaac  will reply3 ,o ,lord
 of the world1 sayest ,thou my children1
 and not  ,,thine8 ,when they stood at  
,mount ,sinai and declared themselves   
ready to  execute all ,thy bidding      
before even they heard it1 ,thou didst  
call  ,israel ',my first-born1' and now 
they are ,,my children1 and not ,,thine6
  ,let us consider4 ,the years of a man 
are seventy4 ,from these twenty are  to 
be deducted1 for ,thou inflictest no    
punishment upon those under  twenty4 ,of
 the fifty years that are left1 one-half
 are to be deducted  for the nights     
passed in sleep4 ,there remain only     
twenty-five years1  and these are to be 
diminished by twelve and a half1 the    
time spent in  praying1 eating1 and     
attending to other needs in life1 during
 which men  commit no sins4 ,that leaves
 only twelve years and a half4 ,if ,thou
 wilt  take these upon ,thyself1 well   
and good4 ,if not1 do ,thou take        

one-half  thereof1 and ,i will take the 
other half4 ,the descendants of ,isaac  
will  then say1 ,verily1 thou art our   
true father6 ,but he will point to ,god1
  and admonish them1 ,nay1 give not your
 praises to me1 but to ,god  alone1 and 
,israel1 with eyes directed heavenward1 
will say1 ,thou1 ,o  ,lord1 art our     
,father2 our ,redeemer from everlasting 
is ,thy name4#fi    ,it was ,isaac1 or1 
as he is sometimes called1 ,elihu the   
son of ,barachel1  who revealed the     
wonderful mysteries of nature in his    
arguments with  ,job4#gj    ,at the end 
of the years of famine1 ,god appeared   
unto ,isaac1 and bade  him return to    
,canaan4 ,isaac did as he was commanded1
 and he settled in  ,hebron4 ,at this   
time he sent his younger son ,jacob to  
the ,bet  ha-,midrash of ,shem and      
,eber1 to study the law of the ,lord4   
,jacob  remained there thirty-two years4
 ,as for ,esau1 he refused to learn1 and
  he remained in the house of his       
father4 ,the chase was his only         

occupation1 and as he pursued beasts1 so
 he pursued men1 seeking to  capture    
them with cunning and deceit4    ,on one
 of his hunting expeditions1 ,esau came 
to ,mount ,seir1 where he  became       
acquainted with ,judith1 of the family  
of ,ham1 and he took her  unto himself  
as his wife1 and brought her to his     
father at ,hebron4    ,ten years later1 
when ,shem his teacher died1 ,jacob     
returned home1 at  the age of fifty4    
,another six years passed1 and ,rebekah 
received the  joyful news that her      
sister-in-law ',adinah1 the wife of     
,laban1 who1  like all the women of his 
house1 had been childless until then1   
had  given birth to twin daughters1     
,leah and ,rachel4#ga ,rebekah1 weary of
  her life on account of the woman      
chosen by her older son1 exhorted       
,jacob not to marry one of the daughters
 of ,canaan1 but a maiden of the  family
 of ,abraham4 ,he assured his mother    
that the words of ,abraham1  bidding him
 to marry no woman of the ,canaanites1  

were graven upon his  memory1 and for   
this reason he was still unmarried1     
though he had  attained the age of      
sixty-two1 and ,esau had been urging him
 for  twenty-two years past to follow   
his example and wed a daughter of the   
people of the land in which they lived4 
,he had heard that his uncle  ,laban had
 daughters1 and he was resolved to      
choose one of them as his  wife4 ,deeply
 moved by the words of her son1 ,rebekah
 thanked him and  gave praise unto ,god 
with the words3 ,blessed be the ,lord   
,god1 and may  ,his ,holy ,name be      
blessed for ever and ever1 who hath     
given me ,jacob as  a pure son and a    
holy seed2 for he is ,thine1 and ,thine 
shall his seed  be continually and      
throughout all the generations for      
evermore4 ,bless  him1 ,o ,lord1 and    
place in my mouth the blessing of       
righteousness1 that  ,i may bless him4  
,and when the spirit of the ,lord came  
over her1 she laid her hands upon  the  
head of ,jacob and gave him her maternal

 blessing4 ,it ended with the  words1   
,may the ,lord of the world love thee1  
as the heart of thy  affectionate mother
 rejoices in thee1 and may ,he bless    
thee4#gb    ,,isaac ,,blesses ,,jacob   
,esau's marriage with the daughters of  
the ,canaanites was an abomination  not 
only in the eyes of his mother1 but also
 in the eyes of his father4  ,he        
suffered even more than ,rebekah through
 the idolatrous practices of  his       
daughters in-law4 ,it is the nature of  
man to oppose less resistance  than     
woman to disagreeable circumstances4 ,a 
bone is not harmed by a  collision that 
would shiver an earthen pot in pieces4  
,man1 who is  created out of the dust of
 the ground1 has not the endurance of   
woman  formed out of bone4 ,isaac was   
made prematurely old by the conduct of  
his daughters-in-law1 and he lost the   
sight of his eyes4 ,rebekah had  been   
accustomed in the home of her childhood 
to the incense burnt  before idols1 and 
she could therefore bear it under her   

own roof-tree4  ,unlike her1 ,isaac had 
never had any such experience while he  
abode with  his parents1 and he was     
stung by the smoke arising from the     
sacrifices  offered to their idols by   
his daughters-in-law in his own         
house4#gc  ,isaac's eyes had suffered   
earlier in life1 too4 ,when he lay bound
 upon  the altar1 about to be sacrificed
 by his father1 the angels wept1 and    
their tears fell upon his eyes1 and     
there they remained and weakened  his   
sight4    ,at the same time he had      
brought the scourge of blindness down   
upon  himself by his love for ,esau4 ,he
 justified the wicked for a bribe1 the  
bribe of ,esau's filial love1 and loss  
of vision is the punishment that        
follows the taking of bribes4 ,a gift1  
it is said1 blinds the eyes of  the     
wise4    ,nevertheless his blindness    
proved a benefit for ,isaac as well as  
,jacob4  ,in consequence of his physical
 ailments1 ,isaac had to keep at home1  
and  so he was spared the pain of being 

pointed out by the people as the  father
 of the wicked ,esau4#gd ,and1 again1 if
 his power of vision had  been          
unimpaired1 he would not have blessed   
,jacob4 ,as it was1 ,god  treated him as
 a physician treats a sick man who is   
forbidden to drink  wine1 for which1    
however1 he has a strong desire4 ,to    
placate him1 the  physician orders that 
warm water be given him in the dark1 and
 he be  told that it is wine4#ge        
,when ,isaac reached the age of one     
hundred and twenty three1 and was  thus 
approaching the years attained by his   
mother1 he began to meditate  upon his  
end4 ,it is proper that a man should    
prepare for death when he  comes close  
to the age at which either of his       
parents passed out of  life4 ,isaac     
reflected that he did not know whether  
the age allotted to  him was his        
mother's or his father's1 and he        
therefore resolved to  bestow his       
blessing upon his older son1 ,esau1     
before death should  overtake him4#gf   

,he summoned ,esau1 and he said1 ,my    
son1 and ,esau  replied1 ,here am ,i1   
but the holy spirit interposed3 ,though 
he  disguises his voice and makes it    
sound sweet1 put no confidence in him4  
,there are seven abominations in his    
heart4 ,he will destroy seven holy      
places--the ,tabernacle1 the sanctuaries
 at ,gilgal1 ,shiloh1 ,nob1 and         
,gibeon1 and the first and the second   
,temple4    ,gently though ,esau        
continued to speak to his father1 he yet
 longed for  his end to come4#gg ,but   
,isaac was stricken with spiritual as   
well as  physical blindness4 ,the holy  
spirit deserted him1 and he could not   
discern the wickedness of his older son4
 ,he bade him sharpen his  slaughtering 
knives and beware of bringing him the   
flesh of an animal  that had died of    
itself1 or had been torn by a beast1 and
 he was to  guard also against putting  
an animal before ,isaac that had been   
stolen  from its rightful owner4 ,then1 
continued ,isaac1 will ,i bless him who 

is worthy of being blessed4#gh    ,this 
charge was laid upon ,esau on the eve of
 the ,passover1 and ,isaac  said to him3
 ,to-night the whole world will sing the
 ,hallel unto ,god4  ,it is the night   
when the storehouses of dew are         
unlocked4 ,therefore  prepare dainties  
for me1 that my soul may bless thee     
before ,i die4 ,but  the holy spirit    
interposed1 ,eat not the bread of him   
that hath an evil  eye4#gi ,isaac's     
longing for tidbits was due to his      
blindness4 ,as the  sightless cannot    
behold the food they eat1 they do not   
enjoy it with  full relish1 and their   
appetite must be tempted with           
particularly  palatable morsels4        
,esau sallied forth to procure what his 
father desired1 little recking  the     
whence or how1 whether by robbery or    
theft4#hj ,to hinder the quick          
execution of his father's order1 ,god   
sent ,satan on the chase with ,esau4    
,he was to delay him as long as         
possible4 ,esau would catch a deer and  

leave him lying bound1 while he pursued 
other game4 ,immediately ,satan  would  
come and liberate the deer1 and when    
,esau returned to the spot1  his victim 
was not to be found4 ,this was repeated 
several times4 ,again  and again the    
quarry was run down1 and bound1 and     
liberated1 so that  ,jacob was able     
meanwhile to carry out the plan of      
,rebekah whereby he  would be blessed   
instead of ,esau4    ,though ,rebekah   
had not heard the words that had passed 
between ,isaac  and ,esau1 they         
nevertheless were revealed to her       
through the holy  spirit1#ha and she    
resolved to restrain her husband from   
taking a  false step4 ,she was not      
actuated by love for ,jacob1 but by the 
wish of  keeping ,isaac from committing 
a detestable act4#hb ,rebekah said to   
,jacob3 ,this night the storehouses of  
dew are unlocked2 it is the night       
during which the celestial beings chant 
the ,hallel unto ,god1 the night  set   
apart for the deliverance of thy        

children from ,egypt1 on which  they1   
too1 will sing the ,hallel4 ,go now and 
prepare savory meat for thy  father1    
that he may bless thee before his       
death4#hc ,do as ,i bid thee1  obey me  
as thou art wont1 for thou art my son   
whose children1 every  one1 will be good
 and ,god-fearing--not one shall be     
graceless4    ,in spite of his great    
respect for his mother1#hd ,jacob       
refused at  first to heed her command4  
,he feared he might commit a sin1#he    
especially as he might thus bring his   
father's curse down upon him4 ,as  it   
was1 ,isaac might still have a blessing 
for him1 after giving ,esau  his4 ,but  
,rebekah allayed his anxieties1 with the
 words3 ,when ,adam was  cursed1 the    
malediction fell upon his mother1 the   
earth1 and so shall  ,i1 thy mother1    
bear the imprecation1 if thy father     
curses thee4  ,moreover1 if the worst   
comes to the worst1 ,i am prepared to   
step before  thy father and tell him1   
',esau is a villain1 and ,jacob is a    

righteous  man4'    ,thus constrained by
 his mother1 ,jacob1 in tears and with  
body bowed1  went off to execute the    
plan made by ,rebekah4#hf ,as he was to 
provide  a ,passover meal1 she bade him 
get two kids1 one for the ,passover     
sacrifice and one for the festival      
sacrifice4#hg ,to soothe ,jacob's       
conscience1 she added that her marriage 
contract entitled her to two  kids      
daily4 ,and1 she continued1 these two   
kids will bring good unto  thee1 the    
blessing of thy father1 and they will   
bring good unto thy  children1 for two  
kids will be the atoning sacrifice      
offered on the ,day  of ,atonement4     
,jacob's hesitation was not yet removed4
 ,his father1 he feared1 would  touch   
him and convince himself that he was not
 hairy1 and therefore not  his son      
,esau4 ,accordingly1 ,rebekah tore the  
skins of the two kids into  strips and  
sewed them together1 for ,jacob was so  
tall a giant that  otherwise they would 
not have sufficed to cover his hands4#hh

 ,to make  ,jacob's disguise complete1  
,rebekah felt justified in putting      
,esau's  wonderful garments on him4     
,they were the high priestly raiment in 
which  ,god had clothed ,adam1 the      
first-born of the world1 for in the days
  before the erection of the ,tabernacle
 all the first-born males  officiated as
 priests4 ,from ,adam these garments    
descended to ,noah1 who  transmitted    
them to ,shem1 and ,shem bequeathed them
 to ,abraham1 and  ,abraham to his son  
,isaac1 from whom they reached ,esau as 
the older of  his two sons4 ,it was the 
opinion of ,rebekah that as ,jacob had  
bought  the birthright from his brother1
 he had thereby come into possession of 
the garments as well4#hi ,there was no  
need for her to go and fetch  them from 
the house of ,esau4 ,he knew his wives  
far too well to entrust  so precious a  
treasure to them2 they were in the      
safe-keeping of his  mother4 ,besides1  
he used them most frequently in the     
house of his  parents4 ,as a rule1 he   

did not lay much stress upon decent     
apparel4 ,he  was willing to appear on  
the street clad in rags1 but he         
considered it  his duty to wait upon his
 father arrayed in his best4 ,my father1
 ,esau  was in the habit of saying1 is a
 king in my sight1 and it would ill     
become me to serve before him in any    
thing but royal apparel4 ,to the  great 
respect he manifested toward his father1
 the descendants of ,esau  owe all their
 good fortune on earth4 ,thus doth ,god 
reward a good deed4    ,rebekah led     
,jacob equipped and arrayed in this way 
to the door of  ,isaac's chamber4 ,there
 she parted from him with the words1    
,henceforward may thy ,creator assist   
thee4#ij ,jacob entered1  addressing    
,isaac with ,father1 and receiving the  
response1 ,here am ,i6  ,who art thou1  
my son8 he replied equivocally1 ,it is  
,i1 thy first-born  son is ,esau4 ,he   
sought to avoid a falsehood1 and yet not
 betray that  he was ,jacob4#ia ,isaac  
then said3 ,thou art greatly in haste to

 secure  thy blessing4 ,thy father      
,abraham was seventy-five years old when
 he was  blessed1 and thou art but      
sixty-three4 ,jacob replied awkwardly1  
,because the ,lord thy ,god sent me good
 speed4 ,isaac concluded at once  that  
this was not ,esau1 for he would not    
have mentioned the name of  ,god1 and he
 made up his mind to feel the son before
 him and make sure  who he was4 ,terror 
seized upon ,jacob at the words of      
,isaac1 ,come near1  ,i pray thee1 that 
,i may feel thee1 my son4 ,a cold sweat 
covered his  body1 and his heart melted 
like wax4 ,then ,god caused the         
archangels  ,michael and ,gabriel to    
descend4 ,the one seized his right hand1
 the  other his left hand1 while the    
,lord ,god ,himself supported him1 that 
his  courage might not fail him4 ,isaac 
felt him1 and1 finding his hands  hairy1
 he said1 ,the voice is ,jacob's voice1 
but the hands are the  hands of ,esau1  
words in which he conveyed the prophecy 
that so long as  the voice of ,jacob is 

heard in the houses of prayer and of    
learning1  the hands of ,esau will not  
be able to prevail against him4 ,yes1 he
  continued1 it is the voice of ,jacob1 
the voice that imposes silence  upon    
those on earth and in heaven1 for even  
the angels may not raise  their voices  
in praise of ,god until ,israel has     
finished his prayers4    ,isaac's       
scruples about blessing the son before  
him were not yet  removed1 for with his 
prophetical eye he foresaw that this one
 would  have descendants who would vex  
the ,lord4 ,at the same time1 it was    
revealed to him that even the sinners in
 ,israel would turn penitents1  and then
 he was ready to bless ,jacob4 ,he bade 
him come near and kiss  him1 to indicate
 that it would be ,jacob who would      
imprint the last kiss  upon ,isaac      
before he was consigned to the grave--he
 and none other4 ,when  ,jacob stood    
close to him1 he discerned the fragrance
 of ,paradise  clinging to him1 and he  
exclaimed1 ,see1 the smell of my son is 

as the  smell of the field which the    
,lord hath blessed4#ib    ,the fragrance
 emanating from ,jacob was not the only 
thing about him  derived from ,paradise4
 ,the archangel ,michael had fetched    
thence the  wine which ,jacob gave his  
father to drink1#ic that an exalted mood
  might descend upon him1 for only when 
a man is joyously excited the  ,shekinah
 rests upon him4#id ,the holy spirit    
filled ,isaac1 and he gave  ,jacob his  
tenfold blessing3 ,god give thee of the 
dew of heaven1 the  celestial dew       
wherewith ,god will awaken the pious to 
new life in days  to come2 and of the   
fatness of the earth1 the goods of this 
world2  and plenty of corn and wine1 the
 ,torah and the commandments which      
bestow the same joy upon man as abundant
 harvests2#ie peoples shall  serve thee1
 the ,japhethites and the ,hamites2     
nations shall bow down  to thee1 the    
,shemite nations2 thou wilt be lord over
 thy brethren1  the ,ishmaelites and the
 descendants of ,keturah2 thy mother's  

sons will  bow down to thee1 ,esau and  
his princes2 cursed be every one that   
curseth thee1 like ,balaam2 and blessed 
be every one that blesseth  thee1 like  
,moses4#if    ,for each blessing invoked
 upon ,jacob by his father ,isaac1 a    
similar  blessing was bestowed upon him 
by ,god ,himself in the same words4 ,as 
,isaac blessed him with dew1 so also    
,god3 ,and the remnant of ,jacob  shall 
be in the midst of many peoples as dew  
from the ,lord4 ,isaac  blessed him with
 the fatness of the earth1 so also ,god3
 ,and he shall  give the rain of thy    
seed1 that thou shalt sow the ground    
withal2 and  bread of the increase of   
the ground1 and it shall be fat and     
plenteous4 ,isaac blessed him with      
plenty of corn and wine1 so also  ,god3 
,i will send you corn and wine4 ,isaac  
said1 ,peoples shall serve  thee1 so    
also ,god3 ,kings shall be thy nursing  
fathers1 and their  queens thy nursing  
mothers2 they shall bow down to thee    
with their  faces to the earth1 and lick

 the dust of thy feet4 ,isaac said1     
,nations shall bow down to thee1 so also
 ,god3 ,and ,he will make thee  high    
above all nations which ,he hath made1  
in praise1 and in name1 and  in honor4  
,to this double blessing his mother     
,rebekah joined hers3 ,for ,he shall    
give ,his angels charge over thee1 to   
keep thee in all thy ways4 ,they  shall 
bear thee up in their hands1 lest thou  
dash thy feet against a  stone4 ,thou   
shalt tread upon the lion and adder2 the
 young lion and the  serpent shalt thou 
trample under feet4 ,because he hath set
 his love  upon me1 therefore will ,i   
deliver him2 ,i will set him on high1   
because  he hath known my name4    ,the 
holy spirit added in turn3 ,he shall    
call upon me1 and ,i will  answer him2  
,i will be with him in trouble2 ,i will 
deliver him1 and  honor him4 ,with long 
life will ,i satisfy him1 and show him  
my  salvation4#ig    ,jacob left the    
presence of his father crowned like a   
bridegroom1  adorned like a bride1 and  

bathed in celestial dew1 which filled   
his  bones with marrow1 and transformed 
him into a hero and a giant4#ih    ,of a
 miracle done for him at that very      
moment ,jacob himself was not  aware4   
,had he tarried with his father an      
instant longer1 ,esau would  have met   
him there1 and would surely have slain  
him4 ,it happened that  exactly as      
,jacob was on the point of leaving the  
tent of his father1  carrying in his    
hands the plates off which ,isaac had   
eaten1 he noticed  ,esau approaching1   
and he concealed himself behind the     
door4  ,fortunately1 it was a revolving 
door1 so that though he could see ,esau1
  he could not be seen by him4          
,,esau',s ,,true ,,character ,,revealed 
,esau arrived after a delay of four     
hours4#ii ,in spite of all the  efforts 
he had put forth1 he had not succeeded  
in catching any game1  and he was       
compelled to kill a dog and prepare its 
flesh for his  father's meal4#ajj ,all  
this had made ,esau ill-humored1 and    

when he  bade his father partake of the 
meal1 the invitation sounded harsh4 ,let
  my father arise1 he said1 and eat of  
his son's venison4 ,jacob had  spoken   
differently2 he had said1 ,arise1 ,i    
pray thee1 sit and eat of my  venison4  
,the words of ,esau terrified ,isaac    
greatly4 ,his fright  exceeded that     
which he had felt when his father was   
about to offer him  as a sacrifice1 and 
he cried out1 ,who then is he that hath 
been the  mediator between me and the   
,lord1 to make the blessing reach       
,jacob8--words meant to imply that he   
suspected ,rebekah of having  instigated
 ,jacob's act4    ,isaac's alarm was    
caused by his seeing hell at the feet of
 ,esau4  ,scarcely had he entered the   
house when the walls thereof began to   
get  hot on account of the nearness of  
hell1 which he brought along with  him4 
,isaac could not but exclaim1 ,who will 
be burnt down yonder1 ,i or  my son     
,jacob8 and the ,lord answered him1     
,neither thou nor ,jacob1 but  the      

hunter4    ,isaac told ,esau that the   
meat set before him by ,jacob had had   
marvellous qualities4 ,any savor that   
one desired it possessed1 it was  even  
endowed with the taste of the food that 
,god will grant the pious  in the world 
to come4 ,i know not1 he said1 what the 
meat was4 ,but ,i  had only to wish for 
bread1 and it tasted like bread1 or     
fish1 or  locusts1 or flesh of animals1 
in short1 it had the taste of any dainty
  one could wish for4 ,when ,esau heard 
the word flesh1 he began to  weep1 and  
he said3 ,to me ,jacob gave no more than
 a dish of lentils1  and in payment for 
it he took my birthright4 ,what must he 
have taken  from thee for flesh of      
animals8 ,hitherto ,isaac had been in   
great  anguish on account of the thought
 that he had committed a wrong in       
giving his blessing to his younger son  
instead of the first-born1 to  whom it  
belonged by law and custom4 ,but when he
 heard that ,jacob had  acquired the    
birthright from ,esau1 he said1 ,i gave 

my blessing to the  right one6    ,in   
his dismay1 ,isaac had had the intention
 of cursing ,jacob for having  wrested  
the blessing from him through cunning4  
,god prevented him from  carrying out   
his plan4 ,he reminded him that he would
 but curse himself1  seeing that his    
blessing contained the words1 ,cursed be
 every one that  curseth thee4 ,but     
,isaac was not willing to acknowledge   
his blessing  valid as applied to       
,jacob1 until he was informed that his  
second son  was the possessor of the    
birthright4 ,only then did he say1 ,yea1
 he  shall be blessed1 whereat ,esau    
cried with an exceeding great and       
bitter cry4 ,by way of punishment for   
having been the cause of such  distress1
 a descendant of ,jacob1 ,mordecai1 was 
also made to cry with a  loud and bitter
 cry1 and his grief was brought forth by
 the ,amalekite  ,haman1 the descendant 
of ,esau4 ,at the words of ,isaac1 ,thy 
brother came  with wisdom1 and hath     
taken away thy blessing1 ,esau spat out 

in  vexation1 and said1 ,he took away my
 birthright1 and ,i kept silence1  and  
now that he takes away my blessing1     
should ,i also keep  silence8#aja ,is   
not he rightly named ,jacob8 for he hath
 supplanted me  these two times4#ajb    
,isaac continued to speak to ,esau3     
,behold1 ,i have made him thy lord1 he  
is thy king1 and do what thou wilt1 thy 
blessings will still belong to  him2 all
 his brethren have ,i given to him for  
slaves1 and what slaves  possess belongs
 to their owner4 ,there is nothing for  
it1 thou must be  content that thou wilt
 receive thy bread baked from thy       
master4 ,the  ,lord took it ill of      
,isaac that he cheered him with such    
kind words4 ,to  ,mine enemy1 ,he       
reproached him1 thou sayest1 ',what     
shall ,i do for  thee1 my son8' ,isaac  
replied1 ,o that he might find grace    
with ,thee6  ,god3 ,he is a recreant4   
,isaac3 ,doth he not act righteously    
when he  honors his parents8 ,god3 ,in  
the land of uprightness will he deal    

wrongfully1 he will stretch his hand    
forth in days to come against the       
,temple4 ,isaac3 ,then let him enjoy    
much good in this world1 that he  may   
not behold the abiding-place of the     
,lord in the world to  come4#ajc        
,when it became plain to ,esau that he  
could not induce his father to  annul   
the blessing bestowed upon ,jacob1 he   
tried to force a blessing  for himself  
by an underhand trick4 ,he said3 ,hast  
thou but one  blessing1 my father8 bless
 me1 even me also1 ,o my father1 else it
 will  be said thou hast but one        
blessing to bestow4 ,suppose both ,jacob
 and ,i  had been righteous men1 had not
 then thy ,god had two blessings1 one   
for  each8 ,the ,lord ,himself made     
reply3 ,silence6 ,jacob will bless the  
twelve tribes1 and each blessing will be
 different from every other4  ,but      
,isaac felt great pity for his older    
son1 and he wanted to bless  him1 but   
the ,shekinah forsook him1 and he could 
not carry out what he  purposed4        

,thereupon ,esau began to weep4 ,he shed
 three tears--one ran  from his right   
eye1 the second from his left eye1 and  
the third  remained hanging from his    
eyelash4 ,god said1 ,this villain cries 
for  his very life1 and should ,i let   
him depart empty-handed8 and then ,he   
bade ,isaac bless his older son4#ajd    
,the blessing of ,isaac ran thus3       
,behold1 of the fat of the earth shall  
be thy dwelling1 by which he meant      
,greater ,greece1 in ,italy2 and of  the
 dew of heaven from above1 referring to 
,bet-,gubrin2 and by thy  sword shalt   
thou live1 and thou shalt serve thy     
brother1 but when he  casts off the yoke
 of the ,lord1 then shalt thou shake his
 yoke from  off thy neck1 and thou wilt 
be his master4#aje    ,the blessing     
which ,isaac gave to his older son was  
bound to no  condition whatsoever4      
,whether he deserved them or not1 ,esau 
was to  enjoy the goods of this world4  
,jacob's blessing1 however1 depended    
upon  his pious deeds2 through them he  

would have a just claim upon earthly    
prosperity4 ,isaac thought3 ,jacob is a 
righteous man1 he will not  murmur      
against ,god1 though it should come to  
pass that suffering be  inflicted upon  
him in spite of his upright life4 ,but  
that reprobate  ,esau1 if he should do a
 good deed1 or pray to ,god and not be  
heard1 he  would say1 ',as ,i pray to   
the idols for naught1 so it is in vain  
to pray  to ,god4' ,for this reason did 
,isaac bestow an unconditional blessing 
upon ,esau4#ajf    ,,jacob ,,leaves     
,,his ,,father',s ,,house    ,esau hated
 his brother ,jacob on account of the   
blessing that his father  had given him1
 and ,jacob was very much afraid of his 
brother ,esau1 and  he fled to the house
 of ,eber1 the son of ,shem1 and he     
concealed himself  there fourteen years 
on account of his brother ,esau1 and he 
continued  there to learn the ways of   
the ,lord and ,his commandments4 ,when  
,esau saw  that ,jacob had fled and     
escaped from him1 and ,jacob had        

cunningly  obtained the blessing1 then  
,esau grieved exceedingly1 and he was   
also  vexed at his father and mother4   
,he also rose up and took his wife1 and 
went away from his father and mother to 
the land of ,seir4 ,there he  married   
his second wife1 ,basemath1 the daughter
 of ,elon the ,hittite1  and he called  
her name ,adah1 saying that the blessing
 had in that time  passed from him4     
,after dwelling in ,seir for six months1
 ,esau returned  to the land of ,canaan1
 and placed his two wives in his        
father's house  in ,hebron4 ,and the    
wives of ,esau vexed and provoked ,isaac
 and ,rebekah  with their works1 for    
they walked not in the ways of the      
,lord1 but  served their fathers' gods  
of wood and stone1 as their fathers had 
taught them1 and they were more wicked  
than their fathers4 ,they  sacrificed   
and burnt incense to the ,baalim1 and   
,isaac and ,rebekah  became weary of    
them4 ,and at the end of fourteen years 
of ,jacob's  residing in the house of   

,eber1 ,jacob desired to see his father 
and his  mother1 and he returned home4  
,esau had forgotten in those days what  
,jacob had done to him1 in having taken 
the blessing from him1 but when  ,esau  
saw ,jacob returning to his parents1 he 
remembered what ,jacob had  done to him1
 and he was greatly incensed against    
him1 and he sought to  slay him4#ajg    
,but ,esau would not kill ,jacob while  
his father was yet alive1 lest  ,isaac  
beget another son4 ,he wanted to be sure
 of being the only  heir4#ajh ,however1 
his hatred against ,jacob was so great  
that he  determined to hasten the death 
of his father and then dispatch ,jacob4 
,such murderous plans ,esau cherished in
 his heart1 though he denied that  he   
was harboring them4 ,but ,god spoke1    
,probably thou knowest not that ,i      
examine the hearts of men1 for ,i am the
 ,lord that searcheth the heart4  ,and  
not ,god alone knew the secret desires  
of ,esau4 ,rebekah1 like all  the       
,mothers1 was a prophetess1 and she     

delayed not to warn ,jacob of the       
danger that hung over him4 ,thy brother1
 she said to him1 is as sure  of        
accomplishing his wicked purpose as     
though thou wert dead4 ,now  therefore1 
my son1 obey my voice1 and arise1 flee  
thou to ,laban my  brother1 to ,haran1  
and tarry with him for seven years1     
until thy  brother's fury turn away4 ,in
 the goodness of her heart1 ,rebekah    
could  not but believe that the anger of
 ,esau was only a fleeting passion1 and 
would disappear in the course of time4  
,but she was mistaken1 his hate         
persisted until the end of his life4#aji
    ,courageous as he was1 ,jacob would 
not run away from danger4 ,he said to   
his mother1 ,i am not afraid2 if he     
wishes to kill me1 ,i will kill  him1 to
 which she replied1 ,let me not be      
bereaved of both my sons in  one        
day4#aaj ,by words ,rebekah again showed
 her prophetic gift4 ,as she  spoke1 so 
it happened--when their time came1 ,esau
 was slain while the  burial of ,jacob  

was taking place4#aaa    ,and ,jacob    
said to ,rebekah3 ,behold1 thou knowest 
that my father has  become old and does 
not see1 and if ,i leave him and go     
away1 he will be  angry and will curse  
me4 ,i will not go2 if he sends me1 only
 then will  ,i go4#aab    ,accordingly1 
,rebekah went to ,isaac1 and amid tears 
she spoke to him  thus3 ,if ,jacob take 
a wife of the daughters of ,heth1 what  
good shall  my life do me8#aac ,and     
,isaac called ,jacob1 and charged him1  
and said  unto him3 ,thou shalt not take
 a wife of the daughters of ,canaan1 for
  thus did our father ,abraham command  
us according to the word of the  ,lord1 
which ,he had commanded him1 saying1    
',unto thy seed will ,i give  the land2 
if thy children keep ,my covenant that  
,i have made with thee1  then will ,i   
also perform to thy children that which 
,i have spoken unto  thee1 and ,i will  
not forsake them4' ,now therefore1 my   
son1 hearken to  my voice1 to all that  
,i shall command thee1 and refrain from 

taking a  wife from amongst the         
daughters of ,canaan4 ,arise1 go to     
,haran1 to the  house of ,bethuel1 thy  
mother's father1 and take thee a wife   
from thence  of the daughters of ,laban1
 thy mother's brother4 ,take heed lest  
thou  shouldst forget the ,lord thy ,god
 and all ,his ways in the land to which 
thou goest1 and shouldst join thyself to
 the people of the land1 and  pursue    
vanity1 and forsake the ,lord thy ,god4 
,but when thou comest to  the land1     
serve the ,lord4 ,do not turn to the    
right or to the left from  the way which
 ,i commanded thee1 and which thou didst
 learn4 ,and may the  ,almighty ,god    
grant thee favor before the people of   
the land1 that thou  mayest take a wife 
there according to thy choice1 one who  
is good and  upright in the way of the  
,lord4 ,and may ,god give unto thee and 
thy seed  the blessing of thy father    
,abraham and make thee fruitful and     
multiply  thee1 and mayest thou become a
 multitude of people in the land whither

  thou goest1 and may ,god cause thee to
 return to thy land1 the land of  thy   
father's dwelling1 with children and    
with great riches1 with joy  and with   
pleasure4#aad    ,as the value of a     
document is attested by its concluding  
words1 the  signature of the witnesses1 
so ,isaac confirmed the blessing he had 
bestowed upon ,jacob4#aaf ,that none    
might say ,jacob had secured it by      
intrigue and cunning1 he blessed him    
again with three blessings1 in  these   
words1 ,in so far as ,i am endowed with 
the power of blessing1 ,i  bestow       
blessing upon thee4 ,may ,god1 with whom
 there is endless  blessing1 give thee  
,his1 and also the blessing wherewith   
,abraham  desired to bless me1 desisting
 only in order not to provoke the       
jealousy of ,ishmael4#aaf    ,seeing    
with his prophetic eye that the seed of 
,jacob would once be  compelled to go   
into exile1 ,isaac offered up one more  
petition1 that  ,god would bring the    
exiles back again4 ,he said1 ,he shall  

deliver thee  in six troubles1 and in   
the seventh there shall no evil touch   
thee4  ,and also ,rebekah prayed to ,god
 in behalf of ,jacob3 ,o ,lord of the   
world1 let not the purpose prosper which
 ,esau harbors against ,jacob4  ,put a  
bridle upon him1 that he accomplish not 
all he wills to do4#aag    ,when ,esau  
observed that even his father's love had
 passed from him to  ,jacob1 he went    
away1 to ,ishmael1 and he addressed him 
as follows3 ,lo1  as thy father gave all
 his possessions to thy brother ,isaac1 
and  dismissed thee with empty hands1 so
 my father purposeth to do to me4  ,make
 thyself ready then1 go forth and slay  
thy brother1 and ,i will slay  mine1 and
 then we two shall divide the whole     
world between us4 ,and  ,ishmael        
replied3 ,why dost thou want me to slay 
thy father8 thou canst  do it thyself4  
,esau said3 ,it hath happened aforetime 
that a man  killed his brother--,cain   
murdered ,abel4 ,but that a son should  
kill his  father is unheard of4    ,esau

 did not really shrink back from        
parricide1 only it chanced not to  fit  
the plan he had hatched4 ,if ,ishmael   
slays my father1 he said to  himself1 ,i
 am the rightful redeemer1 and ,i shall 
kill ,ishmael to  avenge my father1 and 
if1 then1 ,i murder ,jacob1 too1        
everything will  belong to me1 as the   
heir of my father and my uncle4#aah     
,this shows  that ,esau's marriage with 
,mahalath1 the daughter of ,ishmael and 
grandchild of ,abraham1 was not         
concluded out of regard for his parents1
  who were opposed to his two other     
wives1 daughters of the ,canaanites4    
,all he desired was to enter into       
amicable relations with ,ishmael in     
order to execute his devilish plan4#aai 
,but ,esau reckoned without his host4   
,the night before his wedding with      
,mahalath ,ishmael died1 and ,nebaioth1 
the son of ,ishmael1 stepped into  his  
father's place1 and gave away his       
sister4#abj ,how little it had  been in 
,esau's mind to make his parents happy  

by taking a granddaughter  of ,abraham  
to wife1 appears from the fact that he  
kept his two other  wives1 the          
,canaanitish women4 ,the daughter of    
,ishmael followed the  example of her   
companions1 and thus she but added to   
the grief caused  the parents of ,esau  
by their daughters-in-law4#aba ,and the 
opportunity  might have been a most     
favorable one for ,esau to turn aside   
from his  godless ways and amend his    
conduct1 for the bridegroom is pardoned 
on  his wedding day for all his sins    
committed in years gone by4#abb         
,scarcely had ,jacob left his father's  
house1 when ,rebekah began to weep1  for
 she was sorely distressed about him4   
,isaac comforted her1 saying3  ,weep not
 for ,jacob6 ,in peace doth he depart1  
and in peace will he  return4 ,the      
,lord1 ,god ,most ,high1 will guard him 
against all evil and be  with him4 ,he  
will not forsake him all the days of his
 life4 ,have no  fear for him1 for he   
walketh on the right path1 he is a      

perfect man1  and he hath faith in      
,god--he will not perish4#abc    ,,jacob
 ,,pursued ,,by ,,eliphaz ,,and ,,esau  
,when ,jacob went away to go to ,haran1 
,esau called his son ,eliphaz1 and      
secretly spoke unto him1 saying3 ,now   
hasten1 take thy sword in thy  hand and 
pursue ,jacob1 and pass before him in   
the road1 and lurk for  him and slay him
 with thy sword in one of the mountains1
 and take all  belonging unto him1 and  
come back4 ,and ,eliphaz was dexterous  
and  expert with the bow1 as his father 
had taught him1 and he was a noted      
hunter in the field and a valiant man4  
,and ,eliphaz did as his father  had    
commanded him4 ,and ,eliphaz was at that
 time thirteen years old1 and  he arose 
and went and took ten of his mother's   
brothers with him1 and  pursued ,jacob4 
,and he followed ,jacob closely1 and    
when he overtook him1  he lay in ambush 
for him on the borders of the land of   
,canaan1 opposite  to the city of       
,shechem4 ,and ,jacob saw ,eliphaz and  

his men pursuing  after him1 and ,jacob 
stood in the place in which he was going
 in order  to know what it was1 for he  
did not understand their purpose4       
,eliphaz  drew his sword and went on    
advancing1 he and his men1 toward       
,jacob1 and  ,jacob said unto them1     
,wherefore have you come hither1 and why
 do you  pursue with your swords8       
,eliphaz came near to ,jacob1 and       
answered as  follows1 ,thus did my      
father command me1 and now therefore ,i 
will not  deviate from the orders which 
my father gave me4 ,and when ,jacob saw 
that ,esau had impressed his command    
urgently upon ,eliphaz1 he  approached  
and supplicated ,eliphaz and his men1   
saying1 ,behold1 all  that ,i have1 and 
that which my father and mother gave    
unto me1 that  take unto thee and go    
from me1 and do not slay me1 and may    
this thing  that thou wilt do with me be
 accounted unto thee as righteousness4  
,and  the ,lord caused ,jacob to find   
favor in the sight of ,eliphaz and his  

men1 and they hearkened to the voice of 
,jacob1 and they did not put him  to    
death1 but took all his belongings1     
together with the silver and  gold that 
he had brought with him from            
,beer-sheba4 ,they left him  nothing4   
,when ,eliphaz and his men returned to  
,esau1 and told him all  that had       
happened to them with ,jacob1 he was    
wroth with his son ,eliphaz  and with   
his men1 because they had not put ,jacob
 to death4 ,and they  answered1 and said
 unto ,esau1 ,because ,jacob supplicated
 us in this  matter1 not to slay him1   
our pity was moved toward him1 and we   
took all  belonging to him1 and we came 
back4 ,esau then took all the silver and
  gold which ,eliphaz had taken from    
,jacob1 and he put them by in his       
house4#abd    ,nevertheless ,esau did   
not give up the hope of intercepting    
,jacob on his  flight and slaying him4  
,he pursued him1 and with his men       
occupied the  road along which he had to
 journey to ,haran4 ,there a great      

miracle  happened to ,jacob4 ,when he   
observed what ,esau's intention was1 he 
turned off toward the ,jordan river1    
and1 with eyes directed to ,god1 he     
cleft the waters with his wanderer's    
staff1 and succeeded in crossing  to the
 other side4 ,but ,esau was not to be   
deterred4 ,he kept up the  pursuit1 and 
reached the hot springs at ,baarus      
before his brother1 who  had to pass by 
there4 ,jacob1 not knowing that ,esau   
was on the watch for  him1 decided to   
bathe in the spring1 saying1 ,i have    
neither bread nor  other things needful1
 so ,i will at least warm my body in the
 waters of  the well4 ,while he was in  
the bath1 ,esau occupied every exit1 and
  ,jacob would surely have perished in  
the hot water1 if the ,lord had not     
caused a miracle to come to pass4 ,a new
 opening formed of itself1 and  through 
it ,jacob escaped4 ,thus were fulfilled 
the words1 ,when thou  passest through  
the waters1 ,i will be with thee2 when  
thou walkest  through the fire1 thou    

shalt not be burnt1 for ,jacob was saved
 from  the waters of the ,jordan and    
from the fire of the hot spring4    ,at 
the same time with ,jacob1 a rider1     
leaving his horse and his clothes  on   
the shore1 had stepped into the river to
 cool off1 but he was  overwhelmed by   
the waves1 and he met his death4 ,jacob 
put on the dead  man's clothes1 mounted 
his horse1 and went off4 ,it was a lucky
 chance1  for ,eliphaz had stripped him 
of everything1 even his clothes1 and the
  miracle of the river had happened only
 that he might not be forced to  appear 
naked among men4#abe    ,though ,jacob  
was robbed of all his possessions1 his  
courage did not  fail him4 ,he said3    
,should ,i lose hope in my ,creator8 ,i 
set my eyes  upon the merits of my      
fathers4 ,for the sake of them the ,lord
 will give  me ,his aid4 ,and ,god said3
 ,jacob1 thou puttest thy trust in the  
merits  of thy fathers1 therefore ,i    
will not suffer thy foot to be moved2   
,he  that keepeth thee will not slumber4

 ,yea1 still more6 ,while a keeper      
watcheth only by day as a rule1 and     
sleepeth by night1 ,i will guard  thee  
day and night1 for1 behold1 ,he that    
keepeth ,israel shall neither  slumber  
nor sleep4 ,the ,lord will keep thee    
from all evil1 from ,esau as  well as   
,laban2 ,he will keep thy soul1 that the
 ,angel of ,death do thee  no hurt2 ,he 
will keep thy going out and thy coming  
in1 ,he will support  thee now thou art 
leaving ,canaan1 and when thou returnest
 to  ,canaan4#abf    ,jacob was         
reluctant to leave the ,holy ,land      
before he received direct  permission   
from ,god4 ,my parents1 he reflected1   
bade me go forth and  sojourn outside of
 the land1 but who knows whether it be  
the will of  ,god that ,i do as they    
say1 and beget children outside of the  
,holy  ,land8#abg ,accordingly1 he      
betook himself to ,beer-sheba4 ,there1  
where  the ,lord had given permission to
 ,isaac to depart from ,canaan and go to
  ,philistia1 he would learn the will of

 the ,lord concerning himself4    ,he   
did not follow the example of his father
 and grandfather and take  refuge with  
,abimelech1 because he feared the king  
might force also him  into a covenant1  
and make it impossible for his          
descendants of many  generations to take
 possession of the ,philistine land4    
,nor could he  stay at home1 because of 
his fear that ,esau might wrest the     
birthright  and the blessing from him1  
and to that he would not and could not  
agree4#abh ,he was as little disposed to
 take up the combat with ,esau1  for he 
knew the truth of the maxim1 ,he who    
courts danger will be  overcome by it2  
he who avoids danger will overcome it4  
,both ,abraham  and ,isaac had lived    
according to this rule4 ,his grandfather
 had fled  from ,nimrod1 and his father 
had gone away from the ,philistines4#abi
    ,,the ,,day ,,of ,,miracles         
,jacob's journey to ,haran was a        
succession of miracles4 ,the first of   
the  five that befell for his sake in   

the course of it was that the sun sank  
while ,jacob was passing ,mount ,moriah1
 though it was high noon at the  time4  
,he was following the spring that       
appeared wherever the ,patriarchs  went 
or settled4 ,it accompanied ,jacob from 
,beer-sheba to ,mount ,moriah1  a two   
days' journey4 ,when he arrived at the  
holy hill1 the ,lord said to  him3      
,jacob1 thou hast bread in thy wallet1  
and the spring of waters is  near by to 
quench thy thirst4 ,thus thou hast food 
and drink1 and here  thou canst lodge   
for the night4 ,but ,jacob replied3 ,the
 sun has barely  passed the fifth of its
 twelve day stages1 why should ,i lie   
down to  sleep at so unseemly an hour8  
,but then ,jacob perceived that the sun 
was about to sink1 and he prepared to   
make ready his bed4#acj ,it was  the    
,divine purpose not to let ,jacob pass  
the site of the future ,temple  without 
stopping2 he was to tarry there at least
 one night4 ,also1 ,god  desired to     
appear unto ,jacob1 and ,he shows       

,himself unto ,his faithful  ones only  
at night4#aca ,at the same time ,jacob  
was saved from the  pursuit of ,esau1   
who had to desist on account of the     
premature  darkness4#acb    ,jacob took 
twelve stones from the altar on which   
his father ,isaac had  lain bound as a  
sacrifice1 and he said3 ,it was the     
purpose of ,god to  let twelve tribes   
arise1 but they have not been begotten  
by ,abraham or  ,isaac4 ,if1 now1 these 
twelve stones will unite into a single  
one1 then  shall ,i know for a certainty
 that ,i am destined to become the      
father of  the twelve tribes4 ,at this  
time the second miracle came to pass1   
the  twelve stones joined themselves    
together and made one1 which he put     
under his head1 and at once it became   
soft and downy like a pillow4 ,it  was  
well that he had a comfortable couch4   
,he was in great need of rest1  for it  
was the first night in fourteen years   
that he did not keep  vigils4 ,during   
all those years1 passed in ,eber's house

 of learning1 he  had devoted the nights
 to study4 ,and for twenty years to come
 he was  not to sleep1 for while he was 
with his uncle ,laban1 he spent all the 
night and every night reciting the      
,psalms4#acc    ,on the whole it was a  
night of marvels4 ,he dreamed a dream in
 which the  course of the world's       
history was unfolded to him4 ,on a      
ladder set up  on the earth1 with the   
top of it reaching to heaven1 he beheld 
the two  angels who had been sent to    
,sodom4 ,for one hundred and            
thirty-eight  years they had been       
banished from the celestial regions1    
because they  had betrayed their secret 
mission to ,lot4 ,they had accompanied  
,jacob  from his father's house thither1
 and now they were ascending            
heavenward4 ,when they arrived there1 he
 heard them call the other  angels1 and 
say1 ,come ye and see the countenance of
 the pious ,jacob1  whose likeness      
appears on the ,divine throne1 ye who   
yearned long to see  it1 and then he    

beheld the angels descend from heaven to
 gaze upon  him4#acd ,he also saw the   
angels of the four kingdoms ascending   
the  ladder4 ,the angel of ,babylon     
mounted seventy rounds1 the angel of    
,media1 fifty-two1 that of ,greece1 one 
hundred and eighty1 and that of  ,edom  
mounted very high1 saying1 ,i will      
ascend above the heights of the  clouds1
 ,i will be like the ,most ,high1 and   
,jacob heard a voice  remonstrating1    
,yet thou shalt be brought down to hell1
 to the  uttermost parts of the pit4    
,god ,himself reproved ,edom1 saying1   
,though  thou mount on high as the      
eagle1 and though thy nest be set among 
the  stars1 ,i will bring thee down from
 thence4#ace    ,furthermore1 ,god      
showed unto ,jacob the revelation at    
,mount ,sinai1 the  translation of      
,elijah1 the ,temple in its glory and in
 its spoliation1  ,nebuchadnezzar's     
attempt to burn the three holy children 
in the fiery  furnace1 and ,daniel's    
encounter with ,bel4#acf    ,in this1   

the first prophetic dream dreamed by    
,jacob1#acg ,god made him  the promise  
that the land upon which he was lying   
would be given to  him1 but the land he 
lay upon was the whole of ,palestine1   
which ,god had  folded together and put 
under him4 ,and1 the promise continued1 
thy  seed will be like unto the dust of 
the earth4 ,as the earth survives all   
things1 so thy children will survive all
 the nations of the earth4 ,but  as the 
earth is trodden upon by all1 so thy    
children1 when they commit  trespasses1 
will be trodden upon by the nations of  
the earth4#ach  ,and1 furthermore1 ,god 
promised that ,jacob should spread out  
to the west  and to the east1 a greater 
promise than that given to his fathers  
,abraham and ,isaac1 to whom ,he had    
allotted a limited land4 ,jacob's was   
an unbounded possession4#aci    ,from   
this wondrous dream ,jacob awoke with a 
start of fright1 on account  of the     
vision he had had of the destruction of 
the ,temple4#adj ,he  cried out1 ,how   

dreadful is this place6 this is none    
other but the  house of ,god1 wherein is
 the gate of heaven through which prayer
  ascends to ,him4 ,he took the stone   
made out of the twelve1 and set it  up  
for a pillar1 and poured oil upon the   
top of it1 which had flowed  down from  
heaven for him1 and ,god sank this      
anointed stone unto the  abyss1 to serve
 as the centre of the earth1 the same   
stone1 the ,eben  ,shetiyah1#ada that   
forms the centre of the sanctuary1      
whereon the  ,ineffable ,name is graven1
 the knowledge of which makes a man     
master  over nature1 and over life and  
death4#adb    ,jacob cast himself down  
before the ,eben ,shetiyah1 and         
entreated ,god to  fulfil the promise   
,he had given him1 and also he prayed   
that ,god grant  him honorable          
sustenance4 ,for ,god had not mentioned 
bread to eat and  raiment to put on1    
that ,jacob might learn to have faith in
 the ,lord4  ,then he vowed to give the 
tenth of all he owned unto ,god1 if ,he 

would  but grant his petition4 ,thus    
,jacob was the first to take a vow upon 
himself1#adc and the first1 too1 to     
separate the tithe from his  income4#add
    ,god had promised him almost all    
that is desirable1 but he feared he     
might forfeit the pledged blessings     
through his sinfulness1#ade and  again  
he prayed earnestly that ,god bring him 
back to his father's house  unimpaired  
in body1 possessions1 and knowledge1#adf
 and guard him1 in  the strange land    
whither he was going1 against idolatry1 
an immoral  life1 and bloodshed4#adg    
,his prayer at an end1 ,jacob set out on
 his way to ,haran1 and the third       
wonder happened4 ,in the twinkling of an
 eye he arrived at his  destination4    
,the earth jumped from ,mount ,moriah to
 ,haran4 ,a wonder like  this ,god has  
executed only four times in the whole   
course of  history4#adh    ,the first   
thing to meet his eye in ,haran was the 
well whence the  inhabitants drew their 
supply of water4 ,although it was a     

great city1  ,haran suffered from dearth
 of water1 and therefore the well could 
not  be used by the people free of      
charge4 ,jacob's sojourn in the city    
produced a change4 ,by reason of his    
meritorious deeds the water springs     
were blessed1 and the city had water    
enough for its needs4    ,jacob saw a   
number of people by the well1 and he    
questioned them1 ,my  brethren1 whence  
be ye8 ,he thus made himself a model for
 all to  follow4 ,a man should be       
companionable1 and address others like  
brothers  and friends1 and not wait for 
them to greet him4 ,each one should     
strive  to be the first to give the     
salutation of peace1 that the angels of 
peace and compassion may come to meet   
him4 ,when he was informed that  the    
by-standers hailed from ,haran1 he made 
inquiry about the character  and        
vocation of his uncle ,laban1 and       
whether they were on terms of  friendly 
intercourse with him4 ,they answered    
briefly3 ,there is peace  between us1   

but if thou art desirous of inquiring   
further1 here comes  ,rachel the        
daughter of ,laban4 ,from her thou canst
 learn all thou hast a  mind to learn4  
,they knew that women like to talk1     
wherefore they  referred him to         
,rachel4#adi    ,jacob found it strange 
that so many should be standing idle by 
the  well1 and he questioned further3   
,are you day laborers8 then it is too   
early for you to put by your work4 ,but 
if you are pasturing your own  sheep1   
why do you not water your flocks and let
 them feed8#aej ,they  told him they    
were waiting until all the shepherds    
brought their flocks  thither1 and      
together rolled the stone from the mouth
 of the well4  ,while he was yet        
speaking with them1 ,rachel came with   
her father's  sheep1 for ,laban had no  
sons1 and a pest having broken out      
shortly  before among his cattle1 so few
 sheep were left that a maiden like     
,rachel could easily tend them4 ,now1   
when ,jacob saw the daughter of his     

mother's brother approaching1 he rolled 
the great stone from the mouth  of the  
well as easily as a cork is drawn from a
 bottle--the fourth  wonder of this     
extraordinary day4 ,jacob's strength was
 equal to the  strength of all the      
shepherds2 with his two arms alone he   
accomplished  what usually requires the 
united forces of a large assemblage of  
men4  ,he had been divinely endowed with
 this supernatural strength on leaving  
the ,holy ,land4 ,god had caused the dew
 of the resurrection to drop down  upon 
him1 and his physical strength was so   
great that even in a combat  with the   
angels he was victorious4#aeb    ,the   
fifth and last wonder of the day was    
that the water rose from the  depths of 
the well to the very top1 there was no  
need to draw it up1  and there it       
remained all the twenty years that      
,jacob abode in  ,haran4#aec    ,,jacob 
,,with ,,laban    ,rachel's coming to   
the well at the moment when ,jacob      
reached the  territory belonging to     

,haran was an auspicious omen4 ,to meet 
young  maidens on first entering a city 
is a sure sign that fortune is          
favorable to one's undertakings4        
,experience proves this through         
,eliezer1 ,jacob1 ,moses1 and ,saul4    
,they all encountered maidens when they 
approached a place new to them1 and they
 all met with success4#aed    ,jacob    
treated ,rachel at once as his cousin1  
which caused significant  whispering    
among the by-standers4 ,they censured   
,jacob for his demeanor  toward her1 for
 since ,god had sent the deluge upon the
 world1 on  account of the immoral life 
led by men1 great chastity had          
prevailed1  especially among the people 
of the east4 ,the talk of the men       
reduced  ,jacob to tears4 ,scarcely had 
he kissed ,rachel when he began to weep1
  for he repented of having done it4    
,there was reason enough for tears4     
,jacob could not but remember sadly     
that ,eliezer1 his grandfather's slave1 
had brought ten camels laden  with      

presents with him to ,haran1 when he    
came to sue for a bride for  ,isaac1    
while he had not even a ring to give to 
,rachel4 ,moreover1 he  foresaw that his
 favorite wife ,rachel would not lie    
beside him in the  grave1 and this1 too1
 made him weep4    ,as soon as ,rachel  
heard that ,jacob was her cousin1 she   
ran home to tell  her father about his  
coming4 ,her mother was no longer among 
the living1  else she would naturally   
have gone to her4 ,in great haste ,laban
 ran to  receive ,jacob4 ,he reflected1 
if ,eliezer1 the bondman1 had come with 
ten  camels1 what would not the favorite
 son of the family bring with him1  and 
when he saw that ,jacob was unattended1 
he concluded that he carried  great sums
 of money in his girdle1 and he threw   
his arms about his  waist to find out   
whether his supposition was true4       
,disappointed in  this1 he yet did not  
give up hope that his nephew ,jacob was 
a man of  substance4 ,perhaps he        
concealed precious stones in his mouth1 

and he  kissed him in order to find out 
whether he had guessed aright4 ,but     
,jacob said to him3 ,thou thinkest ,i   
have money4 ,nay1 thou art mistaken1  ,i
 have but words4#aee ,then he went on to
 tell him how it had come  about that he
 stood before him empty-handed4 ,he said
 that his father  ,isaac had sent him on
 his way provided with gold1 silver1 and
 money1  but he had encountered         
,eliphaz1 who had threatened to slay    
him4 ,to this  assailant ,jacob had     
spoken thus3 ,know that the descendants 
of ,abraham  have an obligation to meet1
 they will have to serve four hundred   
years  in a land that is not theirs4 ,if
 thou slayest me1 then you1 the seed of 
,esau1 will have to pay the debt4 ,it   
were better1 therefore1 to take all  ,i 
have1 and spare my life1 so that what is
 owing may be paid by me4  ,hence1      
,jacob continued1 ,i stand before thee  
bare of all the substance  carried off  
by ,eliphaz4#aef    ,this tale of his   
nephew's poverty filled ,laban with     

dismay4 ,what1 he  exclaimed1 shall ,i  
have to give food and drink for a month 
or1  perhaps1 even a year to this       
fellow1 who has come to me empty-handed6
  ,he betook himself to his teraphim1 to
 ask them for counsel upon the  matter1 
and they admonished him1 saying3 ,beware
 of sending him away  from thy house4   
,his star and his constellation are so  
lucky that good  fortune will attend all
 his undertakings1 and for his sake the 
blessing  of the ,lord will rest upon   
all thou doest1 in thy house or in thy  
field4    ,laban was satisfied with the 
advice of the teraphim1 but he was      
embarrassed as to the way in which he   
was to attach ,jacob to his house4  ,he 
did not venture to offer him service1   
lest ,jacob's conditions be  impossible 
of fulfilment4 ,again he resorted to the
 teraphim1 and asked  them with what    
reward to tempt his nephew1 and they    
replied3 ,a wife is  his wage2 he will  
ask nothing else of thee but a wife4 ,it
 is his nature  to be attracted by      

women1 and whenever he threatens to     
leave thee1 do  but offer him another   
wife1 and he will not depart4    ,laban 
went back to ,jacob1 and said1 ,tell me1
 what shall thy wages be8  and he       
replied1 ,thinkest thou ,i came hither  
to make money8 ,i came only  to get me a
 wife1#aeh for ,jacob had no sooner     
beheld ,rachel than he  fell in love    
with her and made her a proposal of     
marriage4 ,rachel  consented1 but added 
the warning3 ,my father is cunning1 and 
thou art  not his match4 ,jacob3 ,i am  
his brother in cunning4 ,rachel3 ,but is
  deception becoming unto the pious8    
,jacob3 ,yes1 'with the righteous       
righteousness is seemly1 and with the   
deceiver deception4' ,but1  continued   
,jacob1 tell me wherein he may deal     
cunningly with me4  ,rachel3 ,i have an 
older sister1 whom he desires to see    
married before  me1 and he will try to  
palm her off on thee instead of me4 ,to 
be  prepared for ,laban's trickery1     
,jacob and ,rachel agreed upon a sign by

  which he would recognize her in the   
nuptial night4#aei    ,thus warned to be
 on his guard against ,laban1 ,jacob    
worded his  agreement with him regarding
 his marriage to ,rachel with such      
precision  that no room was left for    
distortion or guile4 ,jacob said3 ,i    
know that  the people of this place are 
knaves1 therefore ,i desire to put the  
matter very clearly to thee4 ,i will    
serve thee seven years for ,rachel1     
hence not ,leah2 for thy daughter1 that 
thou bringest me not some other  woman  
likewise named ,rachel2 for the younger 
daughter1 that thou  exchangest not     
their names in the meantime4    ,nothing
 of all this availed3 ,it profits not if
 a villain is cast into  a              
sawmill--neither force nor gentle words 
can circumvent a rascal4  ,laban        
deceived not only ,jacob1 but also the  
guests whom he invited to  the wedding4 
,,the ,,marriage ,,of ,,jacob    ,after 
,jacob had served ,laban seven years1 he
 said to his uncle3 ,the  ,lord destined

 me to be the father of twelve tribes4  
,i am now  eighty-four years old1 and if
 ,i do not take thought of the matter   
now1  when can ,i8#afj ,thereupon ,laban
 consented to let him have his  daughter
 ,rachel to wife1 and he was married    
forty-four years after his  brother     
,esau4 ,the ,lord often defers the      
happiness of the pious1 while  ,he      
permits the wicked to enjoy the         
fulfilment of their desires  soon4#afa  
,esau1 however1 had purposely chosen his
 fortieth year for  his marriage2 he had
 wanted to indicate that he was walking 
in the  footsteps of his father ,isaac1 
who had likewise married at forty years 
of age4 ,esau was like a swine that     
stretches out its feet when it lies     
down1 to show that it is cloven-footed  
like the clean animals1 though  it is   
none the less one of the unclean        
animals4 ,until his fortieth year  ,esau
 made a practice of violating the wives 
of other men1 and then at  his marriage 
he acted as though he were following the

 example of his  pious father4          
,accordingly1 the woman he married was  
of his own kind1  ,judith1 a daughter of
 ,heth1 for ,god said3 ,this one1 who is
 designed  for stubble1 to be burnt by  
fire1 shall take unto wife one of a     
people  also destined for utter         
destruction4 ,they1 ,esau and his wife1 
illustrated the saying1 ,not for naught 
does the raven consort with the  crow2  
they are birds of a feather4#afb    ,far
 different it was with ,jacob4 ,he      
married the two pious and lovely        
sisters1 ,leah and ,rachel1 for ,leah1  
like her younger sister1 was  beautiful 
of countenance1 form1 and stature4 ,she 
had but one defect1  her eyes were weak1
 and this malady she had brought down   
upon herself1  through her own action4  
,laban1 who had two daughters1 and      
,rebekah1 his  sister1 who had two sons1
 had agreed by letter1 while their      
children  were still young1 that the    
older son of the one was to marry the   
older  daughter of the other1 and the   

younger son the younger daughter4 ,when 
,leah grew to maidenhood1 and inquired  
about her future husband1 all her       
tidings spoke of his villainous         
character1 and she wept over her fate   
until her eyelashes dropped from their  
lids4 ,but ,rachel grew more and  more  
beautiful day by day1 for all who spoke 
of ,jacob praised and  extolled him1 and
 good tidings make the bones fat4    ,in
 view of the agreement between ,laban   
and ,rebekah1 ,jacob refused to  marry  
the older daughter ,leah4 ,as it was1   
,esau was his mortal enemy1 on  account 
of what had happened regarding the      
birthright and the paternal  blessing4  
,if1 now1 ,jacob married the maiden     
appointed for him1 ,esau  would never   
forgive his younger brother4 ,therefore 
,jacob resolved to  take to wife        
,rachel1 the younger daughter of his    
uncle4#afc    ,laban was of another     
mind4 ,he purposed to marry of his older
 daughter  first1 for he knew that      
,jacob would consent to serve him a     

second  period of seven years for love  
of ,rachel4 ,on the day of the wedding  
he  assembled the inhabitants of ,haran1
 and addressed them as follows3 ,ye     
know well that we used to suffer from   
lack of water1 and as soon as  this     
pious man ,jacob came to dwell among us1
 we had water in  abundance4 ,what hast 
thou in mind to do8 they asked ,laban4  
,he  replied3 ,if ye have naught to say 
against it1 ,i will deceive him and     
give him ,leah to wife4 ,he loves       
,rachel with an exceeding great love1   
and for her sake he will tarry with us  
yet seven other years4 ,do as  it       
pleaseth thee1 his friends said4 ,well1 
then1 said ,laban1 let  each one of you 
give me a pledge that ye will not betray
 my purpose4    ,with the pledges they  
left with him1 ,laban bought wine1 oil1 
and meat  for the wedding feast1 and he 
set a meal before them which they had   
themselves paid for4 ,because he        
deceived his fellow-citizens thus1      
,laban is called ,arami1 the deceiver4  

,they feasted all day long1 until  late 
at night1 and when ,jacob expressed his 
astonishment at the  attention shown    
him1 they said to him3 ,through thy     
piety thou didst a  great service of    
lovingkindness unto us1 our supply of   
water was  increased unto abundance1 and
 we desire to show our gratitude        
therefor4 ,and1 indeed1 they tried to   
give him a hint of ,laban's  purpose4   
,in the marriage ode which they sang    
they used the refrain  ,halia1 in the   
hope that he would understand it as ,ha 
,leah1 ,this is  ,leah4 ,but ,jacob was 
unsuspicious and noticed nothing4       
,when the bride was led into the nuptial
 chamber1 the guests  extinguished all  
the candles1 much to ,jacob's amazement4
 ,but their  explanation satisfied him4 
,thinkest thou1 they said1 we have as   
little sense of decency as thy          
countrymen8 ,jacob therefore did not    
discover the deception practiced upon   
him until morning4 ,during the  night   
,leah responded whenever he called      

,rachel1 for which he reproached  her   
bitterly when daylight came4 ,o thou    
deceiver1 daughter of a  deceiver1 why  
didst thou answer me when ,i called     
,rachel's name8 ,is  there a teacher    
without a pupil8 asked ,leah1 in return4
 ,i but  profited by thy instruction4   
,when thy father called thee ,esau1     
didst  thou not say1 ,here am ,i8#afd   
,jacob was greatly enraged against      
,laban1 and he said to him3 ,why didst  
thou deal treacherously with me8 ,take  
back thy daughter1 and let me  depart1  
seeing thou didst act wickedly toward   
me4#afe ,laban pacified  him1 however1  
saying1 ,it is not so done in our place1
 to give the  younger before the        
first-born1 and ,jacob agreed to serve  
yet seven  other years for ,rachel1 and 
after the seven days of the feast of    
,leah's  wedding were fulfilled1 he     
married ,rachel4#aff    ,with ,leah and 
,rachel1 ,jacob received the handmaids  
,zilpah and ,bilhah1  two other         
daughters of ,laban1 whom his concubines

 had borne unto  him4#afg    ,,the      
,,birth ,,of ,,jacob',s ,,children      
,the ways of ,god are not like unto the 
ways of men4 ,a man clings close  to his
 friend while he has riches1 and        
forsakes him when he falls into         
poverty4 ,but when ,god sees a mortal   
unsteady and faltering1 ,he reaches  a  
hand out to him1 and raises him up4     
,thus it happened with ,leah4 ,she  was 
hated by ,jacob1 and ,god visited her in
 mercy4 ,jacob's aversion to  ,leah     
began the very morning after their      
wedding1 when his wife taunted  him with
 not being wholly free from cunning and 
craft himself4 ,then ,god  said1 ,help  
can come to ,leah only if she gives     
birth to a child2 then  the love of her 
husband will return to her4#afh ,god    
remembered the  tears she had shed when 
she prayed that her doom1 chaining her  
to that  recreant ,esau1 be averted from
 her1 and so wondrous are the uses of   
prayer that ,leah1 besides turning aside
 the impending decree1 was  permitted to

 marry ,jacob before her sister and be  
the first to bear him  a child4 ,there  
was another reason why the ,lord was    
compassionately  inclined toward ,leah4 
,she had gotten herself talked about4   
,the sailors  on the sea1 the travellers
 along the highways1 the women at their 
looms1 they all gossiped about ,leah1   
saying1 ,she is not within what  her    
seeming is without4 ,she appears to be  
pious1 but if she were1 she  would not  
have deceived her sister4#afi ,to put an
 end to all this  tattle1 ,god granted  
her the distinction of bearing a son at 
the end of  seven months after her      
marriage4 ,he was one of a pair of      
twins1 the  other child being a         
daughter4 ,so it was with eleven of the 
sons of  ,jacob1 all of them except     
,joseph were born twins with a girl1 and
 the  twin sister and brother married   
later on4#agj ,altogether it was an     
extraordinary childbirth1 for ,leah was 
barren1 not formed by nature to  bear   
children4    ,she called her first-born 

son ,reuben1 which means ,see the normal
 man1  for he was neither big nor       
little1 neither dark nor fair1 but      
exactly  normal4#aga ,in calling her    
oldest child ,reuben1 ,see the son1     
,leah  indicated his future character4  
,behold the difference1 the name        
implied1 between my first-born son and  
the first-born son of my father  in-law4
 ,esau sold his birthright to ,jacob of 
his own free will1 and yet  he hated    
him4 ,as for my first-born son1 although
 his birthright was  taken from him     
without his consent1 and given to       
,joseph1 it was  nevertheless he who    
rescued ,joseph from the hands of his   
brethren4#agb    ,leah called her second
 son ,shime'on1 ,yonder is sin1 for one 
of his  descendants was that ,zimri who 
was guilty of vile trespasses with the  
daughters of ,moab4#agc    ,the name of 
her third son1 ,levi1 was given him by  
,god ,himself1 not by  his mother4 ,the 
,lord summoned him through the angel    
,gabriel1 and  bestowed the name upon   

him as one who is crowned with the      
twenty-four  gifts that are the tribute 
due to the priests4#agd    ,at the birth
 of her fourth son1 ,leah returned      
thanks to ,god for a  special reason4   
,she knew that ,jacob would beget twelve
 sons1 and if  they were distributed    
equally among his four wives1 each would
 bear  three4 ,but now it appeared that 
she had one more than her due share1    
and she called him ,jehudah1 thanks unto
 ,god4 ,she was thus the first  since   
the creation of the world to give thanks
 to ,god1#age and her  example was      
followed by ,david and ,daniel1 the     
descendants of her son  ,judah4    ,when
 ,rachel saw that her sister had borne  
,jacob four sons1 she envied  ,leah4    
,not that she begrudged her the good    
fortune she enjoyed1 she only  envied   
her for her piety1 saying to herself    
that it was to her  righteous conduct   
that she owed the blessing of many      
children4#agf  ,then she besought       
,jacob3 ,pray unto ,god for me1 that ,he

 grant me  children1 else my life is no 
life4 ,verily1 there are four that may  
be  regarded as though they were dead1  
the blind1 the leper1 the childless1    
and he who was once rich and has lost   
his fortune4 ,jacob's anger was  kindled
 against ,rachel1 and he said3 ,it were 
better thou shouldst  address thy       
petition to ,god1 and not to me1 for am 
,i in ,god's stead1  who hath withheld  
from thee the fruit of the womb8#agg    
,god was  displeased with this answer   
that ,jacob made to his sad wife4 ,he   
rebuked  him with the words3 ,is it thus
 thou wouldst comfort a grief-stricken  
heart8 ,as thou livest1 the day will    
come when thy children will stand       
before the son of ,rachel1 and he will  
use the same words thou hast but  now   
used1 saying1 ',am ,i in the place of   
the ,lord8'    ,rachel also made reply  
to ,jacob1 saying3 ,did not thy father1 
too1  entreat ,god for thy mother with  
earnest words1 beseeching ,him to remove
  her barrenness8 ,jacob3 ,it is true1  

but ,isaac had no children1 and ,i  have
 several4 ,rachel3 ,remember thy        
grandfather ,abraham1 thou canst  not   
deny that he had children when he       
supplicated ,god in behalf of  ,sarah6  
,jacob3 ,wouldst thou do for me what    
,sarah did for my  grandfather8 ,rachel3
 ,pray1 what did she8 ,jacob3 ,she      
herself brought  a rival into her house4
 ,rachel3 ,if that is all that is       
necessary1 ,i  am ready to follow the   
example of ,sarah1 and ,i pray that as  
she was  granted a child for having     
invited a rival1 so may ,i be blessed1  
too4#agh ,thereupon ,rachel gave ,jacob 
,bilhah1 her freed handmaid1 to  wife1  
and she bore him a son1 whom ,rachel    
called ,dan1 saying1 ,as the  ,lord was 
gracious unto me and gave me a son      
according to my petition1  so ,he will  
permit ,samson1 the descendant of ,dan1 
to judge his people1  that it fall not  
into the hands of the ,philistines4#agi 
,bilhah's  second son ,rachel named     
,naphtali1 saying1 ,mine is the bond    

that binds  ,jacob to this place1 for it
 was for my sake that he came to ,laban4
 ,at  the same time she wanted to convey
 by this name that the ,torah1 which  is
 as sweet as ,nofet1 honeycomb1 would be
 taught in the territory of             
,naphtali4#ahj ,and the name had still a
 third meaning3 ,as ,god hath  heard my 
fervent prayer for a son1 so ,he will   
hearken unto the fervent  prayer of the 
,naphtalites when they are beset by     
their enemies4#aha    ,leah1 seeing that
 she had left bearing1 while ,bilhah1   
her sister's  handmaid1 bore ,jacob two 
sons1 concluded that it was ,jacob's    
destiny to  have four wives1 her sister 
and herself1 and their half-sisters     
,bilhah  and ,zilpah4 ,therefore she    
also gave him her handmaid to wife4#ahb 
,zilpah was the youngest of the four    
women4 ,it was the custom of that  time 
to give the older daughter the older    
handmaid1 and the younger  daughter the 
younger handmaid1 as their dowry1 when  
they got married4  ,now1 in order to    

make ,jacob believe that his wife was   
the younger  daughter he had served for1
 ,laban had given ,leah the younger     
handmaid  as her marriage portion4 ,this
 ,zilpah was so young that her body     
betrayed no outward signs of pregnancy1 
and nothing was known of her  condition 
until her son was born4 ,leah called the
 boy ,gad1 which means  fortune1 or it  
may mean the cutter1 for from ,gad was  
descended the  prophet ,elijah1 who     
brings good fortune to ,israel1 and he  
also cuts  down the heathen world4#ahc  
,leah had other reasons1 too1 for       
choosing  this name of double meaning4  
,the tribe of ,gad had the good fortune 
of  entering into possession of its     
allotment in the ,holy ,land before any 
of the others1#ahd and1 also1 ,gad the  
son of ,jacob was born  circumcised4#ahe
    ,to ,zilpah's second son ,leah gave 
the name of ,asher1 praise1 for1 she    
said1 ,unto me all manner of praise is  
due1 for ,i brought my handmaid  into   
the house of my husband as wife4 ,sarah 

did likewise1 but only  because she had 
no children1 and so it was also with    
,rachel4 ,but as for  me1 ,i had        
children1 and nevertheless ,i subdued my
 passion1 and without  jealousy ,i gave 
my handmaid to my husband for wife4     
,verily1 all will  praise and extol     
me4#ahf ,furthermore she spoke3 ,as the 
women will  praise me1 so the sons of   
,asher will in time to come praise ,god 
for  their fruitful possession in the   
,holy ,land4#ahg    ,the next son born  
unto ,jacob was ,issachar1 a reward1 and
 once more it  was ,leah who was        
permitted to bring forth the child1 as a
 reward from  ,god for her pious desire 
to have the twelve tribes come into the 
world4  ,to secure this result1 she left
 no means untried4#ahh    ,it happened  
once that her oldest son ,reuben was    
tending his father's  ass during the    
harvest1 and he bound him to a root of  
dudaim1 and went  his way4 ,on          
returning1 he found the dudaim torn out 
of the ground1 and  the ass lying dead  

beside it4 ,the beast had uprooted it in
 trying to  get loose1 and the plant has
 a peculiar quality1 whoever tears it up
  must die4#ahi ,as it was the time of  
the harvest1 when it is permitted  for  
any one to take a plant from a field1   
and as dudaim is1 besides1 a  plant     
which the owner of a field esteems      
lightly1 ,reuben carried it  home4      
,being a good son1 he did not keep it   
for himself1 but gave it to  his mother4
 ,rachel desired the dudaim1 and she    
asked the plant of ,leah1  who parted   
with it to her sister1 but on the       
condition that ,jacob1 when  he returned
 from work in the evening1 should tarry 
with her for a  while4 ,it was          
altogether unbecoming conduct in ,rachel
 to dispose thus  of her husband4 ,she  
gained the dudaim1 but she lost two     
tribes4 ,if she  had acted otherwise1   
she would have borne four sons instead  
of two4 ,and  she suffered another      
punishment1 her body was not permitted  
to rest in  the grave beside her        

husband's4    ,jacob came home from the 
field after night had fallen1 for he    
observed  the law obliging a day laborer
 to work until darkness sets in1 and    
,jacob's zeal in the affairs of ,laban  
was as great in the last seven  years1  
after his marriage1 as in the first     
seven1 while he was serving  for the    
hand of ,rachel4#aij ,when ,leah heard  
the braying of ,jacob's  ass1 she ran to
 meet her husband1#aia and without      
giving him time to  wash his feet1 she  
insisted upon his turning aside into her
 tent4#aib  ,at first ,jacob refused to 
go1 but ,god compelled him to enter1 for
 unto  ,god it was known that ,leah     
acted from pure1 disinterested          
motives4#aic  ,her dudaim secured two   
sons for her1 ,issachar1 the father of  
the tribe  that devotes itself to the   
study of the ,torah1 whence his name    
meaning  reward1 and ,zebulon1 whose    
descendants carried on commerce1 using  
their profits to enable their brethren  
of ,issachar to keep at their           

studies4#aid ,leah called this last-born
 son of hers ,zebulon1  dwelling-place1 
for she said1 ,now will my husband dwell
 with me1  seeing that ,i have borne him
 six sons1 and1 also1 the sons of       
,zebulon  will have a goodly            
dwelling-place in the ,holy ,land4#aie  
,leah bore once more1 and this last time
 it was a daughter1 a man child  turned 
into a woman by her prayer4 ,when she   
conceived for the seventh  time1 she    
spake as follows3 ,god promised ,jacob  
twelve sons4 ,i bore him  six1 and each 
of the two handmaids has borne him two4 
,if1 now1 ,i were  to bring forth       
another son1 my sister ,rachel would not
 be equal even  unto the handmaids4     
,therefore she prayed to ,god to change 
the male  embryo in her womb into a     
female1 and ,god hearkened unto her     
prayer4#aif    ,now all the wives of    
,jacob1 ,leah1 ,rachel1 ,zilpah1 and    
,bilhah1 united  their prayers with the 
prayer of ,jacob1 and together they     
besought ,god  to remove the curse of   

barrenness from ,rachel4 ,on ,new       
,year's ,day1 the  day whereon ,god sits
 in judgment upon the inhabitants of the
 earth1 ,he  remembered ,rachel1 and    
granted her a son4#aig ,and ,rachel     
spake1 ,god  hath taken away my         
reproach1 for all the people had said   
that she was  not a pious woman1 else   
had she borne children1 and now that    
,god had  hearkened to her1 and opened  
her womb1 such idle talk no longer had  
any  reason4#aih    ,by bearing a son1  
she had escaped another disgrace4 ,she  
had said to  herself3 ,jacob hath a mind
 to return to the land of his birth1 and
 my  father will not be able to hinder  
his daughters who have borne him        
children from following their husband   
thither with their children4 ,but  he   
will not let me1 the childless wife1 go1
 too1 and he will keep me  here and     
marry me to one of the                  
uncircumcised4#aii ,she said            
furthermore1 ,as my son hath removed my 
reproach1 so ,joshua1 his  descendant1  

will roll away a reproach from the      
,israelites1 when he  circumcises them  
beyond ,jordan4#bjj    ,rachel called   
her son ,joseph1 increase1 saying1 ,god 
will give me an  additional son4        
,prophetess as she was1 she foresaw she 
would have a  second son4 ,but an       
increase added on by ,god is larger than
 the original  capital itself4          
,benjamin1 the second son1 whom ,rachel 
regarded merely  as a supplement1 had   
ten sons1 while ,joseph begot only two4 
,these  twelve together may be          
considered the twelve tribes borne by   
,rachel4#bja ,had ,rachel not used the  
form of expression1 ,the ,lord add  to  
me another son1 she herself would have  
begotten twelve tribes with  ,jacob4#bjb
    ,,jacob ,,flees ,,before ,,laban    
,jacob had only been waiting for ,joseph
 to be born to begin preparations  for  
his journey home4 ,the holy spirit had  
revealed to him that the  house of      
,joseph would work the destruction of   
the house of ,esau1 and1  therefore1    

,jacob exclaimed at the birth of        
,joseph1 ,now ,i need not fear  ,esau or
 his legions4#bjc    ,about this time1  
,rebekah sent her nurse ,deborah1 the   
daughter of ,uz1  accompanied by two of 
,isaac's servants1 to ,jacob1 to urge   
him to return  to his father's house1   
now that his fourteen years of service  
had come  to an end4 ,then ,jacob       
approached ,laban1 and spoke1 ,give me  
my wives  and my children1 that ,i may  
go unto mine own place1 and to my       
country1  for my mother has sent        
messengers unto me1 bidding me to return
 to my  father's house4#bjd ,laban      
answered1 saying1 ,o that ,i might find 
favor in thine eyes6 ,by a sign it was  
made known unto me that ,god  blesseth  
me for thy sake4 ,what ,laban had in    
mind was the treasure he  had found on  
the day ,jacob came to him1 and he      
considered that a token  of his         
beneficent powers4#bje ,indeed1 ,god had
 wrought many a thing in  the house of  
,laban that testified to the blessings  

spread abroad by the  pious4 ,shortly   
before ,jacob came1 a pest had broken   
out among ,laban's  cattle1 and with his
 arrival it ceased4#bjf ,and ,laban had 
had no son1  but during ,jacob's sojourn
 in ,haran sons were born unto him4#bjg 
,all the hire he asked in return for his
 labor and for the blessings he  had    
brought ,laban was the speckled and     
spotted among the goats of his  herd1   
and the black among the sheep4 ,laban   
assented to his conditions1  saying1    
,behold1 ,i would it might be according 
to thy word4 ,the  arch-villain ,laban1 
whose tongue wagged in all directions1  
and who made  all sorts of promises that
 were never kept1 judged others by      
himself1  and therefore suspected ,jacob
 of wanting to deceive him4#bjh ,and    
yet1  in the end1 it was ,laban himself 
who broke his word4 ,no less than a     
hundred times he changed the agreement  
between them4 ,nevertheless his         
unrighteous conduct was of no avail4    
,though a three days' journey had  been 

set betwixt ,laban's flocks and         
,jacob's1 the angels were wont to  bring
 the sheep belonging to ,laban down to  
,jacob's sheep1 and ,jacob's  droves    
grew constantly larger and better4#bji  
,laban had given only the  feeble and   
sick to ,jacob1 yet the young of the    
flock1 raised under  ,jacob's tendance1 
were so excellent in quality that people
 bought them  at a heavy price4#baj ,and
 ,jacob had no need to resort to the    
peeled  rods4 ,he had but to speak1 and 
the flocks bare according to his        
desire4#baa ,what ,laban deserved was   
utter ruin1 for having permitted  the   
pious ,jacob to work for him without    
hire1 and after his wages had  been     
changed ten times1 and ten times ,laban 
had tried to overreach him1  ,god       
rewarded him in this way4#bab ,but his  
good luck with the flocks  was only what
 ,jacob deserved4 ,every faithful       
laborer is rewarded by ,god  in this    
world1 quite regardless of what awaits  
him in the world to  come4#bac ,with    

empty hands ,jacob had come to ,laban1  
and he left him  with herds numbering   
six hundred thousand4 ,their increase   
had been  marvellous1 an increase that  
will be equalled only in the ,messianic 
time4#bad    ,the wealth and good       
fortune of ,jacob called forth the envy 
of ,laban and  his sons1 and they could 
not hide their vexation in their        
intercourse  with him4 ,and the ,lord   
said unto ,jacob1 ,thy father-in-law's  
countenance is not toward thee as       
beforetime1 and yet thou tarriest  with 
him8 ,do thou rather return unto the    
land of thy fathers1 and there  ,i will 
let ,my ,shekinah rest upon thee1 for ,i
 cannot permit the ,shekinah  to reside 
outside of the ,holy ,land4#bae         
,immediately ,jacob sent the  fleet     
messenger ,naphtali#baf to ,rachel and  
,leah to summon them to a  consultation1
 and he chose as the place of meeting   
the open field1  where none could       
overhear what was said4#bag    ,his two 
wives approved the plan of returning to 

his home1 and ,jacob  resolved at once  
to go away with all his substance1      
without as much as  acquainting ,laban  
with his intention4 ,laban was gone to  
shear his  sheep1 and so ,jacob could   
execute his plan without delay4    ,that
 her father might not learn about their 
flight from his teraphim1  ,rachel stole
 them1 and she took them and concealed  
them upon the camel  upon which she sat1
 and she went on4 ,and this is the      
manner they used  to make the images3   
,they took a man who was the first-born1
 slew him  and took the hair off his    
head1 then salted the head1 and anointed
 it  with oil1 then they wrote the ,name
 upon a small tablet of copper or  gold1
 and placed it under his tongue4 ,the   
head with the tablet under  the tongue  
was then put in a house where lights    
were lighted before it1  and at the time
 when they bowed down to it1 it spoke to
 them on all  matters that they asked of
 it1 and that was due to the power of   
the  ,name which was written upon       

it4#bah    ,,the ,,covenant ,,with      
,,laban    ,jacob departed and crossed  
the ,euphrates1 and set his face toward 
,gilead1 for the holy spirit revealed to
 him that ,god would bring help  there  
to his children in the days of          
,jephthah4 ,meantime the shepherds  of  
,haran observed that the well1 which had
 been filled to overflowing  since the  
arrival of ,jacob in their place1 ran   
dry suddenly4 ,for three  days they     
watched and waited1 in the hope that the
 waters would return  in the same       
abundance as before4 ,disappointed1 they
 finally told ,laban  of the misfortune1
 and he divined at once that ,jacob had 
departed  thence1 for he knew that the  
blessing had been conferred upon ,haran 
only for the sake of his son-in-law's   
merits4#bai    ,on the morrow ,laban    
rose early1 assembled all the people of 
the city1  and pursued ,jacob with the  
intention of killing him when he        
overtook  him4 ,but the archangel       
,michael appeared unto him1 and bade him

 take  heed unto himself1 that he do not
 the least unto ,jacob1 else would he   
suffer death himself4#bbj ,this message 
from heaven came to ,laban  during the  
night1 for when1 in extraordinary cases1
 ,god finds it  necessary to reveal     
,himself unto the heathen1 ,he does it  
only in the  dark1 clandestinely as it  
were1 while ,he shows ,himself to the   
prophets  of the ,jews openly1 during   
daylight4    ,laban accomplished the    
journey in one day for which ,jacob had 
taken  seven1#bba and he overtook him at
 the mountain of ,gilead4 ,when he came 
upon ,jacob1 he found him in the act of 
praying and giving praise unto          
,god4#bbb ,immediately ,laban fell to   
remonstrating with his son-in-law  for  
having stolen away unawares to him4 ,he 
showed his true character  when he said1
 ,it is in the power of my hand to do   
thee hurt1 but the  ,god of thy father  
spake unto me yesternight1 saying1 ,take
 heed to  thyself that thou speak not to
 ,jacob either good or bad4 ,that is the

  way of the wicked1 they boast of the  
evil they can do4 ,laban wanted to  let 
,jacob know that only the dream warning 
him against doing aught that  was       
harmful to ,jacob prevented him from    
carrying out the wicked design  he had  
formed against him4#bbc    ,laban       
continued to take ,jacob to task1 and he
 concluded with the words1  ,and now1   
though thou wouldst needs be gone1      
because thou sore longedst  after thy   
father's house1 yet wherefore hast thou 
stolen my gods8 ,when  he pronounced the
 last words1 his grandchildren          
interrupted him1  saying1 ,we are       
ashamed of thee1 grandfather1 that in   
thy old age thou  shouldst use such     
words as 'my gods4' ,laban searched all 
the tents for  his idols1 going first to
 the tent of ,jacob1 which was ,rachel's
 at the  same time1 for ,jacob always   
dwelt with his favorite wife4 ,finding  
nothing1 he went thence to ,leah's tent1
 and to the tents of the two  handmaids1
 and1 noticing that ,rachel was feeling 

about here and there1  his suspicions   
were aroused1 and he entered her tent a 
second time4 ,he  would now have found  
what he was looking for1 if a miracle   
had not come  to pass4 ,the teraphim    
were transformed into drinking vessels1 
and ,laban  had to desist from his      
fruitless search4    ,now ,jacob1 who   
did not know that ,rachel had stolen her
 father's  teraphim in order to turn him
 aside from his idolatrous ways1 was    
wroth  with ,laban1 and began to chide  
with him4 ,in the quarrel between them1 
,jacob's noble character manifested     
itself4 ,notwithstanding his            
excitement1 he did not suffer a single  
unbecoming word to escape him4  ,he only
 reminded ,laban of the loyalty and     
devotion with which he had  served him1 
doing for him what none other would or  
could have done4 ,he  said3 ,i dealt    
wrongfully with the lion1 for ,god had  
appointed of  ,laban's sheep for the    
lion's daily sustenance1 and ,i deprived
 him  thereof4 ,could another shepherd  

have done thus8 ,yes1 the people abused 
me1 calling me robber and sneak thief1  
for they thought that only by  stealing 
by day and stealing by night could ,i   
replace the animals torn  by wild       
beasts4 ,and as to my honesty1 he       
continued1 is it likely  there is       
another son-in-law who1 having lived    
with his father-in-law1  hath not taken 
some little thing from the household of 
his  father-in-law1 a knife1 or other   
trifle8 ,but thou hast felt about all   
my stuff1 what hast thou found of all   
thy household stuff8 ,not so much  as a 
needle or a nail4    ,in his            
indignation1 and conscious of his       
innocence1 ,jacob exclaimed1  ,with     
whomsoever thou findest thy gods1 he    
shall not live1 words which  contained a
 curse--the thief was cursed with       
premature death1 and  therefore ,rachel 
had to die in giving birth to ,benjamin4
 ,indeed1 the  curse would have taken   
effect at once1 had it not been the wish
 of ,god  that ,rachel should bear      

,jacob his youngest son4#bbd    ,after  
the quarrel1 the two men made a treaty1 
and with his gigantic  strength ,jacob  
set up a huge rock as a memorial1 and a 
heap of stones  as a sign of their      
covenant4 ,in this matter ,jacob        
followed the example  of his fathers1   
who likewise had covenanted with heathen
 nations1  ,abraham with the ,jebusites1
 and ,isaac with the ,philistines4      
,therefore  ,jacob did not hesitate to  
make a treaty with the ,arameans4#bbe   
,jacob  summoned his sons1 calling them 
brethren1 for they were his peers in    
piety and strength1 and he bade them    
cast up heaps of stones4 ,thereupon  he 
swore unto his father-in-law that he    
would take no wives beside his  four    
daughters1 either while they were alive 
or after their death1 and  ,laban1 on   
his part1 swore that he would not pass  
over the heaps or over  the pillar unto 
,jacob with hostile intent1#bbf and he  
took the oath by  the ,god of ,abraham1 
and the ,god of ,nahor1 while ,jacob    

made mention of  the ,fear of ,isaac4   
,he refrained from using the term the   
,god of ,isaac1  because ,god never     
unites ,his name with that of a living  
person1 for the  reason that so long as 
a man has not ended his years1 no trust 
may be  put in him1 lest he be seduced  
by the evil inclination4 ,it is true1   
when ,he appeared unto ,jacob at        
,beth-el1 ,god called ,himself the ,god 
of  ,isaac4 ,there was a reason for the 
unusual phrase4 ,being blind1 ,isaac    
led a retired life1 within his tent1 and
 the evil inclination had no  power over
 him any more4 ,but though ,god had full
 confidence in ,isaac1  yet ,jacob could
 not venture to couple the name of ,god 
with the name of  a living man1         
wherefore he took his oath by the ,fear 
of ,isaac4#bbg    ,early in the morning 
after the day of covenanting1 ,laban    
rose up1 and  kissed his grandchildren  
and his daughters1 and blessed them4    
,but these  acts and words of his did   
not come from the heart2 in his         

innermost  thoughts he regretted that   
,jacob and his family and his substance 
had  escaped him4#bbh ,his true feelings
 he betrayed in the message which he    
sent to ,esau at once upon his return to
 ,haran1 by the hand of his son  ,beor  
and ten companions of his son4 ,the     
message read3 ,hast thou heard  what    
,jacob thy brother has done unto me1 who
 first came to me naked and  bare1 and  
,i went to meet him1 and took him to my 
house with honor1 and  brought him up1  
and gave him my two daughters for wives1
 and also two  of my maids8 ,and ,god   
blessed him on my account1 and he       
increased  abundantly1 and had sons and 
daughters and maid-servants1 and also an
  uncommon stock of flocks and herds1   
camels and asses1 also silver and  gold 
in abundance4 ,but when he saw that his 
wealth increased1 he left  me while ,i  
went to shear my sheep1 and he rose up  
and fled in secrecy4  ,and he put his   
wives and children upon camels1 and he  
led away all his  cattle and substance  

which he acquired in my land1 and he    
resolved to  go to his father ,isaac1 to
 the land of ,canaan4 ,and he did not   
suffer me  to kiss my sons and          
daughters1 and he carried away my       
daughters as  captives of the sword1 and
 he also stole my gods1 and he fled4    
,and now  ,i have left him in the       
mountain of the brook of ,jabbok1 he and
 all  belonging to him1 not a jot of his
 substance is lacking4 ,if it be thy    
wish to go to him1 go1 and there wilt   
thou find him1 and thou canst do  unto  
him as thy soul desireth4#bbi    ,jacob 
had no need to fear either ,laban or    
,esau1 for on his journey he  was       
accompanied by two angel hosts1 one     
going with him from ,haran to  the      
borders of the ,holy ,land1 where he was
 received by the other host1  the angels
 of ,palestine4#bcj ,each of these hosts
 consisted of no less  than six hundred 
thousand angels1#bca and when he beheld 
them1 ,jacob  said3 ,ye belong neither  
to the host of ,esau1 who is preparing  

to go  out to war against me1 nor the   
host of ,laban1 who is about to pursue  
me  again4 ,ye are the hosts of the holy
 angels sent by the ,lord4 ,and he  gave
 the name ,mahanaim1 ,double-,host1 to  
the spot on which the second  army      
relieved the first4#bcb    ,,jacob ,,and
 ,,esau ,,prepare ,,to ,,meet    ,the   
message of ,laban awakened ,esau's old  
hatred toward ,jacob with  increased    
fury1 and he assembled his household1   
consisting of sixty  men4 ,with them and
 three hundred and forty inhabitants of 
,seir1 he went  forth to do battle with 
,jacob and kill him4 ,he divided his    
warriors  into seven cohorts1 giving to 
his son ,eliphaz his own division of    
sixty1 and putting the other six        
divisions under as many of the          
,horites4    ,while ,esau was hastening 
onward to meet ,jacob1 the messengers   
which  ,laban had sent to ,esau came to 
,rebekah and told her that ,esau and his
  four hundred men were about to make   
war upon ,jacob1 with the purpose of    

slaying him and taking possession of all
 he had4 ,anxious lest ,esau  should    
execute his plan while yet ,jacob was on
 the journey1 she hastily  dispatched   
seventy-two of the retainers of ,isaac's
 household1 to give  him help4 ,jacob1  
tarrying on the banks of the brook      
,jabbok1 rejoiced at  the sight of these
 men1 and he greeted them with the      
words1 ,this is  ,god's helping host1   
wherefore he called the place of their  
meeting  ,mahanaim1 ,host4    ,after the
 warriors sent by ,rebekah had satisfied
 his questions  regarding the welfare of
 his parents1 they delivered his        
mother's  message unto him1 thus3 ,i    
have heard1 my son1 that thy brother    
,esau  hath gone forth against thee on  
the road1 with men of the children of   
,seir the ,horite1 and therefore1 my    
son1 hearken to my voice1 and take      
counsel with thyself what thou wilt do1 
and when he cometh up to thee1          
supplicate him1 and do not speak roughly
 to him1 and give him a present  from   

what thou possessest1 and from what ,god
 has favored thee with4 ,and  when he   
asketh thee concerning thy affairs1     
conceal nothing from him1  perhaps he   
may turn from his anger against thee1   
and thou wilt thereby  save thy soul1   
thou and all belonging to thee1 for it  
is thy duty to  honor him1 since he is  
thy elder brother4    ,and when ,jacob  
heard the words of his mother which the 
messengers had  spoken to him1 he lifted
 up his voice and wept bitterly1 and did
 as his  mother commanded him4    ,he   
sent messengers to ,esau to placate him1
 and they said unto him3  ,thus speaketh
 thy servant ,jacob3 ,my lord1 think not
 that the blessing  which my father     
bestowed upon me profited me4 ,twenty   
years ,i served  ,laban1 and he deceived
 me1 and changed my hire ten times1 as  
thou well  knowest4 ,yet did ,i labor   
sorely in his house1 and ,god saw my    
affliction1 my labor1 and the work of my
 hands1 and afterward ,he caused  me to 
find grace and favor in the sight of    

,laban4 ,and through ,god's  great mercy
 and kindness1 ,i acquired oxen and     
asses and cattle and  men-servants and  
maid servants4 ,and now ,i am coming to 
my country and  to my home1 to my father
 and mother1 who are in the land of     
,canaan4 ,and  ,i have sent to let my   
lord know all this in order to find     
favor in the  eyes of my lord1 so that  
he may not imagine that ,i have become a
 man of  substance1 or that the blessing
 with which my father blessed me has    
benefited me4#bcc    ,furthermore spake 
the messengers3 ,why dost thou envy me  
in respect to  the blessing wherewith my
 father blessed me8 ,is it that the sun 
shineth  in my land1 and not in thine8  
,or doth the dew and the rain fall only 
upon my land1 and not upon thine8 ,if my
 father blessed me with the dew  of     
heaven1 he blessed thee with the fatness
 of the earth1 and if he  spoke to me1  
,peoples will serve thee1 he hath said  
unto thee1 ,by thy  sword shalt thou    
live4 ,how long1 then1 wilt thou        

continue to envy me8  ,come1 now1 let us
 set up a covenant between us1 that we  
will share  equally all the vexations   
that may occur4    ,esau would not agree
 to this proposal1 his friends dissuaded
 him  therefrom1 saying1 ,accept not    
these conditions1 for ,god hath said to 
,abraham1 ,know of a surety that thy    
seed shall be a stranger in a land  that
 is not theirs1 and shall serve the     
people thereof1 and the aliens  shall   
afflict them four hundred years4 ,wait1 
therefore1 until ,jacob and  his family 
go down into ,egypt to pay off this     
debt4    ,jacob also sent word to ,esau1
 saying3 ,though ,i dwelt with that     
heathen  of the heathen1 ,laban1 yet    
have ,i not forgotten my ,god1 but ,i   
fulfil  the six hundred and thirteen    
commandments of the ,torah4#bcd ,if thy 
mind be set upon peace1 thou wilt find  
me ready for peace4 ,but if thy  desire 
be war1 thou wilt find me ready for war4
 ,i have with me men of  valor and      
strength1 they have but to utter a word1

 and ,god fulfils it4  ,i tarried with  
,laban until ,joseph should be born1 he 
who is destined to  subdue thee4#bce    
,and though my descendants be held in   
bondage in this  world1 yet a day will  
come when they will rule over their     
rulers4#bcf    ,in reply to all these   
gentle words1 ,esau spoke with          
arrogance3 ,surely  ,i have heard1 and  
truly it has been told unto me what     
,jacob has been to  ,laban1 who brought 
him up in his house1 and gave him his   
daughters for  wives1 and he begot sons 
and daughters1 and abundantly increased 
in  wealth and riches in ,laban's house 
and with his help4 ,and when he saw     
that his wealth was abundant and his    
riches were great1 he fled with  all    
belonging to him from ,laban's house1   
and he carried away ,laban's  daughters 
from their father as captives of the    
sword1 without telling  him of it4 ,and 
not only to ,laban hath ,jacob done     
thus1 but also unto me  hath he done so1
 and he hath twice supplanted me1 and   

shall ,i be  silent8 ,now1 ,i have this 
day come with my camp to meet him1 and  
,i will  do unto him according to the   
desire of my heart4    ,the messengers  
dispatched by ,jacob now returned to    
him1 and reported  these words of ,esau 
unto him4#bcg ,they also told him that  
his brother  was advancing against him  
with an army consisting of four hundred 
crowned heads1 each leading a host of   
four hundred men4#bch ,it is  true1 thou
 art his brother1 and thou treatest him 
as a brother should1  they said to      
,jacob1 but he is an ,esau1 thou must be
 made aware of his  villainy4#bci       
,jacob bore in mind the promise of ,god1
 that ,he would bring him back to  his  
father's house in peace1 yet the report 
about his brother's purpose  alarmed him
 greatly4 ,a pious man may never depend 
upon promises of  earthly good4 ,god    
does not keep the promise if he is      
guilty of the  smallest conceivable     
trespass1 and ,jacob feared that he     
might have  forfeited happiness by      

reason of a sin committed by him4       
,moreover1 he  was anxious lest ,esau be
 the one favored by ,god1 inasmuch as he
 had  these twenty years been fulfilling
 two ,divine commands that ,jacob had   
had to disregard4 ,esau had been living 
in the ,holy ,land1 ,jacob outside  of  
it2 the former had been in attendance   
upon his parents1 the latter  dwelling  
at a distance from them4 ,and much as he
 feared defeat1 ,jacob  also feared the 
reverse1 that he might be victorious    
over ,esau1 or  might even slay his     
brother1 which would be as bad as to be 
slain by  him4 ,and he was depressed by 
another apprehension1 that his father   
had  died1 for he reasoned that ,esau   
would not take such warlike steps       
against his own brother1 were his father
 still alive4#bdj    ,when his wives saw
 the anxiety that possessed ,jacob1 they
 began to  quarrel with him1 and        
reproach him for having taken them away 
from  their father's house1 though he   
knew that such danger threatened from   

,esau4#bda ,then ,jacob determined to   
apply the three means that might  save  
him from the fate impending3 he would   
cry to ,god for help1 appease  ,esau's  
wrath with presents1 and hold himself in
 readiness for war if  the worst came to
 the worst4#bdb    ,he prayed to ,god3  
,o ,thou ,god of my father ,abraham1 and
 ,god of my  father ,isaac1 ,god of all 
who walk in the ways of the pious and do
 like  unto them6 ,i am not worthy of   
the least of all the mercies1 and of all
  the truth1 which ,thou hast showed    
unto ,thy servant4 ,o ,lord of the      
world1 as ,thou didst not suffer ,laban 
to execute his evil designs  against me1
 so also bring to naught the purpose of 
,esau1 who desireth  to slay me4 ,o     
,lord of the world1 in ,thy ,torah which
 ,thou wilt give us  on ,mount ,sinai it
 is written1 ,and whether it be cow or  
ewe1 ye shall  not kill it and her young
 both in one day4 ,if this wretch should
 come  and murder my children and their 
mothers at the same time1 who would     

then desire to read ,thy ,torah which   
,thou wilt give us on ,mount ,sinai8    
,and yet ,thou didst speak1 ,for the    
sake of thy merits and for the merits   
of thy fathers ,i will do good unto     
thee1 and in the future world thy       
children shall be as numerous as the    
sand of the sea4    ,as ,jacob prayed   
for his own deliverance1 so also he     
prayed for the  salvation of his        
descendants1 that they might not be     
annihilated by the  descendants of      
,esau4    ,such was the prayer of ,jacob
 when he saw ,esau approaching from     
afar1  and ,god heard his petition and  
looked upon his tears1 and ,he gave him 
the assurance that for his sake his     
descendants1 too1 would be redeemed     
from all distress4#bdc    ,then the     
,lord sent three angels1 and they went  
before ,esau1 and they  appeared unto   
,esau and his people as hundreds and    
thousands of men  riding upon horses4   
,they were furnished with all sorts of  
weapons1 and  divided into four columns4

 ,and one division went on1 and they    
found  ,esau coming with four hundred   
men1 and the division ran toward them1  
and terrified them4 ,esau fell off his  
horse in alarm1 and all his men         
separated from him in great fear1 while 
the approaching column shouted  after   
them1 ,verily1 we are the servants of   
,jacob1 the servant of ,god1  and who   
can stand against us8 ,esau then said   
unto them1 ,o1 then my  lord and brother
 ,jacob is your lord1 whom ,i have not  
seen these twenty  years1 and now that  
,i have this day come to see him1 do you
 treat me in  this manner8 ,the angels  
answered1 ,as the ,lord liveth1 were not
 ,jacob  thy brother1 we had not left   
one remaining of thee and thy people1   
but  on account of ,jacob we will do    
nothing to thee4 ,this division passed  
from ,esau1 and when he had gone from   
there about a league1 the second        
division came toward him1 and they also 
did unto ,esau and his men as  the first
 had done to them1 and when they        

permitted him to go on1 the  third came 
and did like the first1 and when the    
third had passed also1  and ,esau still 
continued with his men on the road to   
,jacob1 the fourth  division came and   
did to them as the others had done4 ,and
 ,esau was  greatly afraid of his       
brother1 because he thought that the    
four columns  of the army which he had  
encountered were the servants of ,jacob4
    ,after ,jacob had made an end of    
praying1 he divided all that journeyed  
with him into two companies1 and he set 
over them ,damesek and ,alinus1  the two
 sons of ,eliezer1 the bondman of       
,abraham1 and their sons4#bdd  ,jacob's 
example teaches us not to conceal the   
whole of our fortune in  one            
hiding-place1 else we run the danger of 
losing everything at one  stroke4    ,of
 his cattle he sent a part to ,esau as a
 present1 first dividing it  into three 
droves in order to impress his brother  
more4 ,when ,esau  received the first   
drove1 he would think he had the whole  

gift that had  been sent to him1 and    
suddenly he would be astonished by the  
appearance  of the second portion1 and  
again by the third4 ,jacob knew his     
brother's  avarice only too well4#bde   
,the men who were the bearers of        
,jacob's present to ,esau were charged  
with the following message1 ,this is an 
offering to my lord ,esau from  his     
slave ,jacob4 ,but ,god took these words
 of ,jacob in ill part1  saying1 ,thou  
profanest what is holy when thou callest
 ,esau lord4  ,jacob excused himself2 he
 was but flattering the wicked in order 
to  escape death at his hands4#bdf      
,,jacob ,,wrestles ,,with ,,the ,,angel 
,the servants of ,jacob went before him 
with the present for ,esau1 and he      
followed with his wives and his         
children4 ,as he was about to pass over 
the ford of ,jabbok1 he observed a      
shepherd1 who likewise had sheep and    
camels4 ,the stranger approached ,jacob 
and proposed that they should  ford the 
stream together1 and help each other    

move their cattle over1  and ,jacob     
assented1 on the condition that his     
possessions should be put  across first4
 ,in the twinkling of an eye ,jacob's   
sheep were transferred  to the other    
side of the stream by the shepherd4     
,then the flocks of the  shepherd were  
to be moved by ,jacob1 but no matter how
 many he took over  to the opposite     
bank1 always there remained some on the 
hither shore4  ,there was no end to the 
cattle1 though ,jacob labored all the   
night  through4 ,at last he lost        
patience1 and he fell upon the shepherd 
and  caught him by the throat1 crying   
out1 ,o thou wizard1 thou wizard1 at    
night no enchantment succeeds6 ,the     
angel thought1 ,very well1 let him  know
 once for all with whom he has had      
dealings1 and with his finger  he       
touched the earth1 whence fire burst    
forth4 ,but ,jacob said1 ,what6  thou   
thinkest thus to affright me1 who am    
made wholly of fire8#bdg    ,the        
shepherd was no less a personage than   

the archangel ,michael1 and in  his     
combat with ,jacob he was assisted by   
the whole host of angels under  his     
command4 ,he was on the point of        
inflicting a dangerous wound upon       
,jacob1 when ,god appeared1 and all the 
angels1 even ,michael himself1  felt    
their strength ooze away4 ,seeing that  
he could not prevail against  ,jacob1   
the archangel touched the hollow of his 
thigh1 and injured him1  and ,god       
rebuked him1 saying1 ,dost thou act as  
is seemly1 when thou  causest a blemish 
in ,my priest ,jacob8 ,michael said in  
astonishment1  ,why1 it is ,i who am    
,thy priest6 ,but ,god said1 ,thou art  
,my priest in  heaven1 and he is ,my    
priest on earth4 ,thereupon ,michael    
summoned the  archangel ,raphael1       
saying1 ,my comrade1 ,i pray thee1 help 
me out of my  distress1 for thou art    
charged with the healing of all disease1
 and  ,raphael cured ,jacob of the      
injury ,michael had inflicted4    ,the  
,lord continued to reproach ,michael1   

saying1 ,why didst thou do harm  unto   
,my first-born son8 and the archangel   
answered1 ,i did it only to  glorify    
,thee1 and then ,god appointed ,michael 
as the guardian angel of  ,jacob and his
 seed unto the end of all generations1  
with these words3  ,thou art a fire1 and
 so is ,jacob a fire2 thou art the head 
of the  angels1 and he is the head of   
the nations2 thou art supreme over all  
the angels1 and he is supreme over all  
the peoples4 ,therefore he who is       
supreme over all the angels shall be    
appointed unto him who is supreme  over 
all the peoples1 that he may entreat    
mercy for him from the  ,supreme ,one   
over all4    ,then ,michael said unto   
,jacob1 ,how is it possible that thou   
who couldst  prevail against me1 the    
most distinguished of the angels1 art   
afraid of  ,esau8    ,when the day      
broke1 ,michael said to ,jacob1 ,let me 
go1 for the day  breaketh1 but ,jacob   
held him back1 saying1 ,art thou a      
thief1 or a  gambler with dice1 that    

thou fearest the daylight8 ,at that     
moment  appeared many different hosts of
 angels1 and they called unto ,michael3 
,ascend1 ,o ,michael1 the time of song  
hath come1 and if thou art not in       
heaven to lead the choir1 none will     
sing4 ,and ,michael entreated ,jacob    
with supplications to let him go1 for he
 feared the angels of ',arabot  would   
consume him with fire1 if he were not   
there to start the songs of  praise at  
the proper time4 ,jacob said1 ,i will   
not let thee go1 except  thou bless me1 
whereto ,michael made reply3 ,who is    
greater1 the  servant or the son8 ,i am 
the servant1 and thou art the son4 ,why1
 then1  cravest thou my blessing8#bdh   
,jacob urged as an argument1 ,the angels
  that visited ,abraham did not leave   
without blessing him1 but ,michael      
held1 ,they were sent by ,god for that  
very purpose1 and ,i was not4 ,yet      
,jacob insisted upon his demand1 and    
,michael pleaded with him1 saying1  ,the
 angels that betrayed a heavenly secret 

were banished from their  place for one 
hundred and thirty eight years4 ,dost   
thou desire that ,i  should acquaint    
thee with what would cause my banishment
 likewise8 ,in  the end the angel       
nevertheless had to yield2 ,jacob could 
not be moved1  and ,michael took counsel
 with himself thus3 ,i will reveal a    
secret to  him1 and if ,god demands to  
know why ,i revealed it1 ,i will make   
answer1  ,thy children stand upon their 
wishes with ,thee1 and ,thou dost yield 
to  them4 ,how1 then1 could ,i have left
 ,jacob's wish unfulfilled8    ,then    
,michael spoke to ,jacob1 saying3 ,a day
 will come when ,god will  reveal       
,himself unto thee1 and ,he will change 
thy name1 and ,i shall be  present when 
,he changeth it4#bdi ,thy name shall be 
called no more  ,jacob1 but ,israel1 for
 happy thou1 of woman born1 who didst   
enter the  heavenly palace1 and didst   
escape thence with thy life4 ,and       
,michael  blessed ,jacob with the words1
 ,may it be the will of ,god that thy   

descendants be as pious as thou art4#bej
    ,at the same time the archangel     
reminded ,jacob that he had promised to 
give a tithe of his possessions unto    
,god1 and at once ,jacob separated  five
 hundred and fifty head of cattle from  
his herds1 which counted  fifty-five    
hundred4 ,then ,michael went on1 ,but   
thou hast sons1 and of  them thou hast  
not set apart the tenth4 ,jacob         
proceeded to pass his  sons in review3  
,reuben1 ,joseph1 ,dan1 and ,gad being  
the first-born1 each  of his mother1    
were exempt1 and there remained but     
eight sons1 and when  he had named them1
 down to ,benjamin1 he had to go back   
and begin over  again with ,simon1 the  
ninth1 and finish with ,levi as the     
tenth4    ,michael took ,levi with him  
into heaven1 and presented him before   
,god1  saying1 ,o ,lord of the world1   
this one is ,thy lot1 and the tenth     
belonging unto ,thee1 and ,god stretched
 forth ,his hand and blessed ,levi  with
 the blessing that his children should  

be the servants of ,god on  earth as the
 angels were ,his servants on high4     
,michael spoke again1  ,doth not a king 
provide for the sustenance of his       
servants8 whereupon  ,god appointed for 
the ,levites all that was holy unto the 
,lord4#bea    ,then ,jacob spoke to the 
angel3 ,my father conferred the blessing
 upon  me that was intended for ,esau1  
and now ,i desire to know whether thou  
wilt acknowledge the blessing as mine1  
or wilt bring charges against me  on    
account of it4 ,and the angel said3 ,i  
acknowledge the blessing to  be thine by
 right4 ,thou didst not gain it by craft
 and cunning1 and ,i  and all the       
heavenly powers recognize it to be      
valid1 for thou hast  shown thyself     
master over the mighty powers of the    
heavens as over ,esau  and his          
legions4#beb    ,and even then ,jacob   
would not let the angel depart1 he had  
to reveal  his name to him first1 and   
the angel made known to him that it was 
,israel1 the same name that ,jacob would

 once bear4#bec    ,at last the angel   
departed1 after ,jacob had blessed him1 
and ,jacob  called the place of         
wrestling ,penuel1 the same place to    
which before he  had given the name     
,mahanaim1 for both words have but one  
meaning1 the  place of encounter with   
angels4#bed    ,,the ,,meeting ,,between
 ,,esau ,,and ,,jacob    ,at the break  
of day the angel left off from wrestling
 with ,jacob4 ,the  dawn on that day was
 of particularly short duration4 ,the   
sun rose two  hours before his time1 by 
way of compensation for having set      
early1 on  the day on which ,jacob      
passed ,mount ,moriah on his journey to 
,haran1 to  induce him to turn aside and
 lodge for a night on the future ,temple
  place4#bee ,indeed1 the power of the  
sun on this same day was  altogether    
remarkable4 ,he shone with the          
brilliance and ardor with  which he was 
invested during the six days of the     
creation1 and as he  will shine at the  
end of days1 to make whole the halt and 

the blind  among the ,jews and to       
consume the heathen4 ,this same healing 
and  devastating property he had on that
 day1 too1 for ,jacob was cured1  while 
,esau and his princes were all but burnt
 up by his terrible  heat4#bef    ,jacob
 was in dire need of healing lotions for
 the injury he had  sustained in the    
encounter with the angel4 ,the combat   
between them had  been grim1 the dust   
whirled up by the scuffle rose to the   
very throne  of ,god4#beg ,though ,jacob
 prevailed against his huge opponent1 as
 big  as one-third of the whole world1  
throwing him to the ground and keeping  
him pinned down1 yet the angel had      
injured him by clutching at the  sinew  
of the hip which is upon the hollow of  
the thigh1 so that it was  dislocated1  
and ,jacob halted upon his thigh4#beh   
,the healing power of  the sun restored 
him1 nevertheless his children took it  
upon themselves  not to eat the sinew of
 the hip which is upon the hollow of the
 thigh1  for they reproached themselves 

with having been the cause of his       
mishap1 they should not have left him   
alone in that night4#bei    ,now1       
although ,jacob had prepared for the    
worst1 for open hostilities  even1 yet  
when he saw ,esau and his men1 he       
thought it discreet to make  separate   
divisions of the households of ,leah1   
,rachel1 and the  handmaids1 and divide 
the children unto each of them4 ,and he 
put the  handmaids and their children   
foremost1 and ,leah and her children    
after1  and ,rachel and ,joseph         
hindermost4 ,it was the stratagem which 
the fox  used with the lion4 ,once upon 
a time the king of beasts was wroth with
  his subjects1 and they looked hither  
and thither for a spokesman who         
mastered the art of appeasing their     
ruler4 ,the fox offered himself for  the
 undertaking1 saying1 ,i know three     
hundred fables which will allay  his    
fury4 ,his offer was accepted with joy4 
,on the way to the lion1 the  fox       
suddenly stood still1 and in reply to   

the questions put to him1 he  said1 ,i  
have forgotten one hundred of the three 
hundred fables4  ,never mind1 said those
 accompanying him1 two hundred will     
serve the  purpose4 ,a little way       
further on the fox again stopped        
suddenly1 and1  questioned again1 he    
confessed that he had forgotten half of 
the two  hundred remaining fables4 ,the 
animals with him still consoled him that
  the hundred he knew would suffice4    
,but the fox halted a third time1 and   
then he admitted that his memory had    
failed him entirely1 and he had         
forgotten all the fables he knew1 and he
 advised that every animal  approach the
 king on his own account and endeavor to
 appease his anger4  ,at first ,jacob   
had had courage enough to enter the     
lists with ,esau in  behalf of all with 
him4 ,now he came to the conclusion to  
let each one  try to do what he could   
for himself4    ,however1 ,jacob was too
 fond a father to expose his family to  
the first  brunt of the danger4 ,he     

himself passed over before all the rest1
  saying1 ,it is better that they attack
 me than my children4#bfj ,after  him   
came the handmaids and their children4  
,his reason for placing them  there was 
that1 if ,esau should be overcome by    
passion for the women1  and try to      
violate them1 he would thus meet the    
handmaids first1 and in  the meantime   
,jacob would have the chance of         
preparing for more  determined          
resistance in the defense of the honor  
of his wives4#bfa  ,joseph and ,rachel  
came last1 and ,joseph walked in front  
of his mother1  though ,jacob had       
ordered the reverse4 ,but the son knew  
both the beauty  of his mother and the  
lustfulness of his uncle1 and therefore 
he tried  to hide ,rachel from the sight
 of ,esau4#bfb    ,in the vehemence of  
his rage against ,jacob1 ,esau vowed    
that he would  not slay him with bow and
 arrow1 but would bite him dead with his
  mouth1 and suck his blood4 ,but he was
 doomed to bitter disappointment1  for  

,jacob's neck turned as hard as ivory1  
and in his helpless fury ,esau  could   
but gnash his teeth4#bfc ,the two       
brothers were like the ram and  the     
wolf4 ,a wolf wanted to tear a ram in   
pieces1 and the ram defended  himself   
with his horns1 striking them deep into 
the flesh of the wolf4  ,both began to  
howl1 the wolf because he could not     
secure his prey1 and  the ram from fear 
that the wolf renew his attacks4 ,esau  
bawled because  his teeth were hurt by  
the ivory-like flesh of ,jacob's neck1  
and ,jacob  feared that his brother     
would make a second attempt to bite     
him4#bfd    ,esau addressed a question  
to his brother4 ,tell me1 he said1 what 
was  the army ,i met8 for on his march  
against ,jacob he had had a most        
peculiar experience with a great host of
 forty thousand warriors4 ,it  consisted
 of various kinds of troops1 armor-clad 
soldiers walking on  foot1 mounted on   
horses1 and seated in chariots1 and they
 all threw  themselves upon ,esau when  

they met4 ,he demanded to know whence   
they  came1 and the strange soldiers    
hardly interrupted their savage         
onslaught to reply that they belonged to
 ,jacob4 ,only when ,esau told  them    
that ,jacob was his brother did they    
leave off1 saying1 ,woe to us  if our   
master hears that we did thee harm4     
,this was the army and the  encounter   
,esau inquired about as soon as he met  
his brother4 ,but the  army was a host  
of angels1 who had the appearance of    
warriors to ,esau  and his men4#bfe     
,also the messengers sent by ,jacob to  
,esau had been  angels1 for no mere     
human being could be induced to go forth
 and face  the recreant4#bff    ,jacob  
now gave ,esau the presents intended for
 him1 a tenth of all his  cattle1#bfg   
and also pearls and precious stones1#bfh
 and1 besides1 a  falcon for the        
chase4#bfi ,but even the animals refused
 to give up  their gentle master ,jacob 
and become the property of the villain  
,esau4  ,they all ran away when ,jacob  

wanted to hand them over to his brother1
  and the result was that the only ones 
that reached ,esau were the feeble  and 
the lame1 all that could not make good  
their escape4#bgj    ,at first ,esau    
declined the presents offered to him4   
,naturally1 that was  a mere pretense4  
,while refusing the gifts with words1 he
 held his hand  outstretched ready to   
receive them4#bga ,jacob took the hint1 
and  insisted that he accept them1      
saying3 ,nay1 ,i pray thee1 if now ,i   
have  found grace in thy sight1 then    
receive my present at my hand1 forasmuch
  as ,i have seen thy face1 as ,i have  
seen the face of angels1 and thou  art  
pleased with me4 ,the closing words were
 chosen with  well-calculated purpose4  
,jacob wanted ,esau to derive the       
meaning that  he had intercourse with   
angels1 and to be inspired with awe4    
,jacob was  like the man invited to a   
banquet by his mortal enemy who has been
  seeking an opportunity to slay him4   
,when the guest divines the purpose  for

 which he has been brought thither1 he  
says to the host3 ,what a  magnificent  
and delicious meal this is6 ,but once   
before in my life did  ,i partake of one
 like it1 and that was when ,i was      
bidden by the king to  his table--enough
 to drive terror to the heart of the    
would-be slayer4  ,he takes good care   
not to harm a man on such intimate terms
 with the  king as to be invited to his 
table6#bgb    ,jacob had valid reason   
for recalling his encounter with the    
angel1 for  it was the angel of ,esau   
who had measured his strength with      
,jacob's1  and had been overcome4#bgc   
,as ,esau accepted the presents of      
,jacob willingly on this first          
occasion1 so he continued to accept them
 for a whole year2 daily ,jacob  gave   
him presents as on the day of their     
meeting1 for1 he said1 ',a  gift doth   
blind the eyes of the wise1' and how    
much more doth it blind  the wicked6    
,therefore will ,i give him presents    
upon presents1 perhaps  he will let me  

alone4 ,besides1 he did not attach much 
value to the  possessions he had        
acquired outside of the ,holy ,land4    
,such possessions  are not a blessing1  
and he did not hesitate to part with    
them4    ,beside the presents which     
,jacob gave ,esau1 he also paid out a   
large sum  of money to him for the ,cave
 of ,machpelah4 ,immediately upon his   
arrival  in the ,holy ,land he sold all 
he had brought with him from ,haran1 and
 a  pile of gold was the proceeds of the
 sale4 ,he spoke to ,esau1 saying3      
,like me thou hast a share in the ,cave 
of ,machpelah1 wilt thou take  this pile
 of gold for thy portion therein8 ,what 
care ,i for the ,cave8  returned ,esau4 
,gold is what ,i want1 and for his share
 in ,machpelah he  took the gold        
realized from the sale of the           
possessions ,jacob had  accumulated     
outside of the ,holy ,land4 ,but ,god   
filled the vacuum  without delay1 and   
,jacob was as rich as before4#bgd       
,wealth was not an object of desire to  

,jacob4 ,he would have been well        
content1 in his own behalf and in behalf
 of his family1 to resign all  earthly  
treasures in favor of ,esau and his     
family4 ,he said to ,esau3 ,i  foresee  
that in future days suffering will be   
inflicted by thy children  upon mine4   
,but ,i do not demur1 thou mayest       
exercise thy dominion and  wear thy     
crown until the time when the ,messiah  
springs from my loins1  and receives the
 rule from thee4 ,these words spoken by 
,jacob will be  realized in days to     
come1 when all the nations will rise up 
against the  kingdom of ,edom1 and take 
away one city after another from him1   
one  realm after another1 until they    
reach ,bet-,gubrin1 and then the        
,messiah  will appear and assume his    
kingship4 ,the angel of ,edom will flee 
for  refuge to ,bozrah1 but ,god will   
appear there1 and slay him1 for though  
,bozrah is one of the cities of refuge1 
yet will the ,lord exercise the  right  
of the avenger therein4 ,he will seize  

the angel by his hair1 and  ,elijah will
 slaughter him1 letting the blood       
spatter the garments of  ,god4#bge ,all 
this ,jacob had in mind when he said to 
,esau1 ,let my  lord1 ,i pray thee1 pass
 over before his servant1 until ,i come 
unto my  lord unto ,seir4 ,jacob himself
 never went to ,seir4 ,what he meant was
  the ,messianic time when ,israel shall
 go to ,seir1 and take possession       
thereof4#bgf    ,jacob tarried in       
,succoth a whole year1 and he opened a  
house of  learning there4#bgg ,then he  
journeyed on to ,shechem1 while ,esau   
betook  himself to ,seir1 saying to     
himself1 ,how long shall ,i be a burden 
to my  brother8 for it was during       
,jacob's sojourn at ,succoth that ,esau 
received daily presents from ,jacob4#bgh
    ,and ,jacob1 after abiding these    
many years in a strange land1 came to   
,shechem in peace1 unimpaired in mind   
and body4 ,he had forgotten none of  the
 knowledge he had acquired before2 the  
gifts he gave to ,esau did not  encroach

 upon his wealth2 the injury inflicted  
by the angel that  wrestled with him had
 been healed1 and likewise his children 
were sound  and healthy4#bgi    ,jacob  
entered ,shechem on a ,friday1 late in  
the afternoon1 and his first  concern   
was to lay out the boundaries of the    
city1 that the laws of the  ,sabbath    
might not be transgressed4 ,as soon as  
he was settled in the  place1 he sent   
presents to the notables4 ,a man must be
 grateful to a  city from which he      
derives benefits4 ,no less did the      
common people  enjoy his bounty4 ,for   
them he opened a market where he sold   
all wares  at low prices4#bhj    ,also  
he lost no time in buying a parcel of   
ground1 for it is the duty  of every man
 of substance who comes to the ,holy    
,land from outside to  make himself the 
possessor of land there4#bha ,he gave a 
hundred lambs  for his estate1 a hundred
 yearling sheep1 and a hundred pieces of
  money1 and received in return a bill  
of sale1 to which he attached his       

signature1 using the letters ,yod-,he   
for it4 ,and then he erected an  altar  
to ,god upon his land1 and he said1     
,thou art the ,lord of all  celestial   
things1 and ,i am the lord of all       
earthly things4 ,but ,god  said1 ,not   
even the overseer of the synagogue      
arrogates privileges in  the synagogue1 
and thou assumest lordship with a high  
hand8 ,forsooth1  on the morrow thy     
daughter will go abroad1 and she shall  
be  humbled4#bhb    ,,the ,,outrage ,,at
 ,,shechem    ,while ,jacob and his sons
 were sitting in the house of learning1 
occupied with the study of the          
,torah1#bhc ,dinah went abroad to see   
the  dancing and singing women1 whom    
,shechem had hired to dance and play in 
the streets in order to entice her      
forth4#bhd ,had she remained at  home1  
nothing would have happened to her4 ,but
 she was a woman1 and all  women like to
 show themselves in the street4#bhe     
,when ,shechem caught  sight of her1 he 
seized her by main force1 young though  

she was1#bhf  and violated her in       
beastly fashion4#bhg    ,this misfortune
 befell ,jacob as a punishment for his  
excessive  self-confidence4 ,in his     
negotiations with ,laban1 he had used   
the  expression1 ,my righteousness shall
 answer for me hereafter4 ,besides1  on 
his return to ,palestine1 when he was   
preparing to meet his brother1  he      
concealed his daughter ,dinah in a      
chest1 lest ,esau desire to have  her   
for wife1 and he be obliged to give her 
to him4 ,god spoke to him1  saying3     
,herein hast thou acted unkindly toward 
thy brother1 and  therefore ,dinah will 
have to marry ,job1 one that is neither 
circumcised  nor a proselyte4 ,thou     
didst refuse to give her to one that is 
circumcised1 and one that is            
uncircumcised will take her4 ,thou didst
  refuse to give her to ,esau in lawful 
wedlock1 and now she will fall a  victim
 to the ravisher's illicit passion4#bhh 
,when ,jacob heard that ,shechem had    
defiled his daughter1 he sent twelve    

servants to fetch ,dinah from ,shechem's
 house1 but ,shechem went out to  them  
with his men1 and drove them from his   
house1 and he would not  suffer them to 
come unto ,dinah1 and he kissed and     
embraced her before  their eyes4 ,jacob 
then sent two maidens of his servants'  
daughters to  remain with ,dinah in the 
house of ,shechem4 ,shechem bade three  
of his  friends go to his father ,hamor1
 the son of ,haddakum1 the son of       
,pered1  and say1 ,get me this damsel to
 wife4 ,hamor tried at first to persuade
  his son not to take a ,hebrew woman to
 wife1 but when ,shechem persisted  in  
his request1 he did according to the    
word of his son1 and went forth  to     
communicate with ,jacob concerning the  
matter4 ,in the meanwhile the  sons of  
,jacob returned from the field1 and1    
kindled with wrath1 they  spoke unto    
their father1 saying1 ,surely death is  
due to this man and  his household1     
because the ,lord ,god of the whole     
earth commanded ,noah  and his children 

that man shall never rob nor commit     
adultery4 ,now1  behold1 ,shechem has   
ravaged and committed fornication with  
our sister1  and not one of all the     
people of the city spake a word to him4 
,and  whilst they were speaking1 ,hamor 
came to speak to ,jacob the words of    
his son concerning ,dinah1 and after he 
ceased to speak1 ,shechem himself  came 
to ,jacob and repeated the request made 
by his father4 ,simon and  ,levi        
answered ,hamor and ,shechem            
deceitfully1 saying3 ,all you have      
spoken unto us we will do4 ,and1 behold1
 our sister is in your house1  but keep 
away from her until we send to our      
father ,isaac concerning  this matter1  
for we can do nothing without his       
counsel4 ,he knows the  ways of our     
father ,abraham1 and whatever he saith  
unto us we will tell  you1 we will      
conceal nothing from you4    ,shechem   
and his father went home thereafter1    
satisfied with the result  achieved1 and
 when they had gone1 the sons of ,jacob 

asked him to seek  counsel and pretext  
in order to kill all the inhabitants of 
the city1  who had deserved this        
punishment on account of their          
wickedness4 ,then  ,simon said to them3 
,i have good counsel to give you4 ,bid  
them be  circumcised4 ,if they consent  
not1 we shall take our daughter from    
them1  and go away4 ,and if they consent
 to do this1 then1 when they are in     
pain1 we shall attack them and slay     
them4 ,the next morning ,shechem and    
his father came again to ,jacob1 to     
speak concerning ,dinah1 and the sons   
of ,jacob spoke deceitfully to them1    
saying3 ,we told our father ,isaac  all 
your words1 and your words pleased him1 
but he said1 that thus did  ,abraham his
 father command him from ,god1 that any 
man that is not of  his descendants1 who
 desireth to take one of his daughters  
to wife1  shall cause every male        
belonging to him to be circumcised4     
,shechem and his father hastened to do  
the wishes of the sons of ,jacob1  and  

they persuaded also the men of the city 
to do likewise1 for they  were greatly  
esteemed by them1 being the princes of  
the land4    ,on the next day1 ,shechem 
and his father rose up early in the     
morning1  and they assembled all the men
 of the city1 and they called for the   
sons of ,jacob1 and they circumcised    
,shechem1 his father1 his five          
brothers1 and all the males in the city1
 six hundred and forty-five men  and two
 hundred and seventy-six lads4          
,haddakum1 the grandfather of  ,shechem1
 and his six brothers would not be      
circumcised1 and they were  greatly     
incensed against the people of the city 
for submitting to the  wishes of the    
sons of ,jacob4    ,in the evening of   
the second day1 ,shechem and his father 
sent to have  eight little children whom
 their mothers had concealed brought to 
them  to be circumcised4 ,haddakum and  
his six brothers sprang at the          
messengers1 and sought to slay them1 and
 sought to slay also ,shechem1  ,hamor1 

and ,dinah4 ,they chided ,shechem and   
his father for doing a thing  that their
 fathers had never done1 which would    
raise the ire of the  inhabitants of the
 land of ,canaan against them1 as well  
as the ire of  all the children of ,ham1
 and that on account of a ,hebrew woman4
  ,haddakum and his brothers finished by
 saying3 ,behold1 to-morrow we  will go 
and assemble our ,canaanitish brethren1 
and we will come and  smite you and all 
in whom you trust1 that there shall not 
be a remnant  left of you or them4      
,when ,hamor and his son ,shechem and   
all the people of the city heard  this1 
they were sore afraid1 and they repented
 what they had done1 and  ,shechem and  
his father answered ,haddakum and his   
brothers3 ,because we  saw that the     
,hebrews would not accede to our wishes 
concerning their  daughter1 we did this 
thing1 but when we shall have obtained  
our  request from them1 we will then do 
unto them that which is in your  hearts 
and in ours1 as soon as we shall become 

strong4    ,dinah1 who heard their      
words1 hastened and dispatched one of   
her  maidens whom her father had sent to
 take care of her in ,shechem's  house1 
and informed ,jacob and his sons of the 
conspiracy plotted  against them4 ,when 
the sons of ,jacob heard this1 they were
 filled with  wrath1 and ,simon and     
,levi swore1 and said1 ,as the ,lord    
liveth1 by  to-morrow there shall not be
 a remnant left ,in the whole city4     
,they began the extermination by killing
 eighteen of the twenty young  men who  
had concealed themselves and were not   
circumcised1 and two of  them fled and  
escaped to some lime pits that were in  
the city4 ,then  ,simon and ,levi slew  
all the city1 not leaving a male over1  
and while  they were looking for spoils 
outside of the city1 three hundred women
  rose against them and threw stones and
 dust upon them1 but ,simon             
single-handed slew them all1 and        
returned to the city1 where he joined   
,levi4 ,then they took away from the    

people outside of the city their  sheep1
 their oxen1 their cattle1 and also the 
women and the little  children1 and they
 led all these away1 and took them to   
the city to  their father ,jacob4 ,the  
number of women whom they did not slay1 
but  only took captive1 was eighty-five 
virgins1 among them a young damsel  of  
great beauty by the name of ,bunah1 whom
 ,simon took to wife4 ,the  number of   
the males which they took captive and   
did not slay was  forty-seven1 and all  
these men and women were servants to the
 sons of  ,jacob1 and to their children 
after them1 until the day they left     
,egypt4    ,a ,,war ,,frustrated        
,when ,simon and ,levi had gone from the
 city1 the two young men who had        
concealed themselves in the lime pits1  
and were not slain amongst the  people  
of the city1 rose up1 and they found the
 city desolate1 without  a man1 only    
weeping women1 and they cried out1      
saying1 ,behold1 this is  the evil which
 the sons of ,jacob did who destroyed   

one of the ,canaanite  cities1 and were 
not afraid of all the land of ,canaan4  
,they left the city and went to         
,tappuah1 and told the inhabitants all  
that the sons of ,jacob had done to the 
city of ,shechem4 ,jashub1 the  king of 
,tappuah1 sent to ,shechem to see       
whether these young men told  the truth1
 for he did not believe them1 saying1   
,how could two men  destroy a large city
 like ,shechem8 ,the messengers of      
,jashub returned1  and they reported1   
,the city is destroyed1 not a man is    
left there1  only weeping women1 neither
 are there flocks and cattle there1 for 
all  that was in the city was taken away
 by the sons of ,jacob4    ,jashub      
wondered thereat1 for the like had not  
been heard from the days  of ,nimrod1   
and not even from the remotest times1   
that two men should be  able to destroy 
so large a city1 and he decided to go to
 war against  the ,hebrews1 and avenge  
the cause of the people of ,shechem4    
,his  counsellors said to him3 ,if two  

of them laid waste a whole city1  surely
 if thou goest against them1 they all   
will rise up against us1  and destroy   
us4 ,therefore1 send to the kings round 
about1 that we all  together fight      
against the sons of ,jacob1 and prevail 
against them4    ,the seven kings of the
 ,amorites1 when they heard the evil    
that the sons  of ,jacob had done to the
 city of ,shechem1 assembled together1  
with all  their armies1 ten thousand    
men1 with drawn swords1 and they came to
  fight against the sons of ,jacob4 ,and
 ,jacob was greatly afraid1 and he  said
 to ,simon and ,levi1 ,why have you     
brought such evil upon me8 ,i was  at   
rest1 and you provoked the inhabitants  
of the land against me by  your acts4   
,then ,judah spoke to his father3 ,was  
it for naught that ,simon and ,levi     
killed the inhabitants of ,shechem8     
,verily1 it was because ,shechem        
dishonored our sister1 and transgressed 
the command of our ,god to ,noah  and   
his children1 and not one of the        

inhabitants of the city interfered  in  
the matter4 ,now1 why art thou afraid1  
and why art thou displeased at  my      
brethren8 ,surely1 our ,god1 who        
delivered the city of ,shechem and its  
people into their hand1 ,he will also   
deliver into our hands all the          
,canaanitish kings who are coming       
against us4 ,now cast away thy fears1   
and pray to ,god to assist us and       
deliver us4    ,judah then addressed his
 brethren1 saying3 ,the ,lord our ,god  
is with  us6 ,fear naught1 then6 ,stand 
ye forth1 each man girt with his weapons
  of war1 his bow and his sword1 and we 
will go and fight against the           
uncircumcised4 ,the ,lord is our ,god1  
,he will save us4    ,jacob1 his eleven 
sons1 and one hundred servants belonging
 to ,isaac1  who had come to their      
assistance1 marched forward to meet the 
,amorites1  a people exceedingly        
numerous1 like unto the sand upon the   
sea-shore4  ,the sons of ,jacob sent    
unto their grandfather ,isaac1 at       

,hebron1  requesting him to pray unto   
the ,lord to protect them from the hand 
of  the ,canaanites1 and he prayed as   
follows3 ,o ,lord ,god1 ,thou didst     
promise my father1 saying1 ,i will      
multiply thy seed as the stars of       
heaven1 and also me ,thou didst promise 
that ,thou wouldst establish ,thy  word 
to my father4 ,now1 ,o ,lord1 ,god of   
the whole world1 pervert1 ,i pray       
,thee1 the counsel of these kings1 that 
they may not fight against my  sons1 and
 impress the hearts of their kings and  
their people with the  terror of my     
sons1 and bring down their pride that   
they turn away from  my sons4 ,deliver  
my sons and their servants from them    
with ,thy strong  hand and outstretched 
arm1 for power and might are in ,thy    
hands to do  all this4    ,jacob also   
prayed unto ,god1 and said3 ,o ,lord    
,god1 powerful and exalted  ,god1 who   
hast reigned from days of old1 from then
 until now and  forever6 ,thou art ,he  
who stirreth up wars and causeth them to

 cease4 ,in  ,thy hand are power and    
might to exalt and to bring low4 ,o may 
my prayer  be acceptable unto ,thee1    
that ,thou mayest turn to me with ,thy  
mercies1  to impress the hearts of these
 kings and their people with the terror 
of my sons1 and terrify them and their  
camps1 and with ,thy great  kindness    
deliver all those that trust in ,thee1  
for ,thou art ,he who  subdues the      
peoples under us1 and the nations under 
our feet4    ,god heard the prayers of  
,isaac and ,jacob1 and ,he filled the   
hearts of  all the advisers of the      
,canaanite kings with great fear and    
terror1 and  when the kings1 who were   
undecided whether to undertake a        
campaign  against the sons of ,jacob1   
consulted them1 they said3 ,are you     
silly1  or is there no understanding in 
you1 that you propose to fight with the 
,hebrews8 ,why do you take delight in   
your own destruction this day8  ,behold1
 two of them came to the city of        
,shechem without fear or terror1  and   

they put all the inhabitants of the city
 to the sword1 no man stood  up against 
them1 and how will you be able to fight 
with them all8    ,the royal counsellors
 then proceeded to enumerate all the    
mighty things  ,god had done for        
,abraham1 ,jacob1 and the sons of       
,jacob1 such as had not  been done from 
days of old and by any of the gods of   
the nations4 ,when  the kings heard all 
the words of their advisers1 they were  
afraid of  the sons of ,jacob1 and they 
would not fight against them4 ,they     
turned  back with their armies on that  
day1 each to his own city4 ,but the sons
  of ,jacob kept their station that day 
till evening1 and seeing that the  kings
 did not advance to do battle with them 
in order to avenge the  inhabitants of  
,shechem whom they had killed1 they     
returned home4#bhi    ,the wrath of the 
,lord descended upon the inhabitants of 
,shechem to the  uttermost on account of
 their wickedness4 ,for they had sought 
to do  unto ,sarah and ,rebekah as they 

did unto ,dinah1 but the ,lord had      
prevented them4 ,also they had          
persecuted ,abraham when he was a       
stranger1 and they had vexed his flocks 
when they were big with young1  and     
,eblaen1 one born in his house1 they had
 handled most shamefully4  ,and thus    
they did to all strangers1 taking away  
their wives by  force4#bij    ,,the     
,,war ,,with ,,the ,,ninevites    ,the  
destruction of ,shechem by ,simon and   
,levi terrified the heathen all  around4
 ,if two sons of ,jacob had succeeded in
 ruining a great city like  ,shechem1   
they argued1 what would ,jacob and all  
his sons accomplish  acting together8   
,jacob meanwhile left ,shechem1 hindered
 by none1 and  with all his possessions 
he set out1 to betake himself to his    
father  ,isaac4 ,but after an eight     
days' march he encountered a powerful   
army1  which had been dispatched from   
,nineveh to levy tribute upon the whole 
world and subjugate it4 ,on coming in   
the vicinity of ,shechem1 this army     

heard to what the city had been exposed 
at the hands of the sons of  ,jacob1 and
 fury seized the men1 and they resolved 
to make war upon  ,jacob4    ,but ,jacob
 said to his sons3 ,fear not1 ,god will 
be your helper1 and ,he  will fight for 
you against your enemies4 ,only you must
 put away from  you the strange gods in 
your possession1 and you must purify    
yourselves1 and wash your garments      
clean4    ,girt with his sword1 ,jacob  
advanced against the enemy1 and in the  
first  onslaught he slew twelve thousand
 of the weak in the army4 ,then ,judah  
spake to him1 and said1 ,father1 thou   
art tired and exhausted1 let me  fight  
the enemy alone4 ,and ,jacob replied1   
saying1 ,judah1 my son1 ,i  know thy    
strength and thy bravery1 that they are 
exceeding great1 so  that none in the   
world is like unto thee therein4 ,his   
countenance like  a lion's and inflamed 
with wrath1 ,judah attacked the army1   
and slew  twelve myriads of tried and   
famous warriors4 ,the battle raged hot  

in  front and in the rear1 and ,levi his
 brother hastened to his aid1 and       
together they won a victory over the    
,ninevites4 ,judah alone slew five      
thousand more soldiers1 and ,levi dealt 
blows right and left with such  vigor   
that the men of the enemy's army fell   
like grain under the scythe  of the     
reaper4    ,alarmed about their fate1   
the people of ,nineveh said3 ,how long  
shall  we fight with these devils8 ,let 
us return to our land1 lest they        
exterminate us root and branch1 without 
leaving a remnant4 ,but their  king     
desired to restrain them1 and he said3  
,o ye heroes1 ye men of  might and      
valor1 have you lost your senses that   
you ask to return to  your land8 ,is    
this your bravery8 ,after you have      
subdued many kingdoms  and countries1 ye
 are not able to hold out against twelve
 men8 ,if the  nations and the kings    
whom we have made tributary to ourselves
 hear of  this1 they will rise up       
against us as a man1 and make a         

laughing-stock  of us1 and do with us   
according to their desire4 ,take        
courage1 ye men  of the great city of   
,nineveh1 that your honor and your name 
be exalted1  and you become not a       
mockery in the mouth of your enemies4   
,these words of their king inspired the 
warriors to continue the  campaign4     
,they sent messengers to all the lands  
to ask for help1 and1  reinforced by    
their allies1 the ,ninevites assaulted  
,jacob a second  time4 ,he spoke to his 
sons1 saying1 ,take courage and be men1 
fight  against your enemies4 ,his twelve
 sons then took up their stand in       
twelve different places1 leaving        
considerable intervals between one and  
another1 and ,jacob1 a sword in his     
right hand and a bow in his left1       
advanced to the combat4 ,it was a       
desperate encounter for him4 ,he had to 
ward off the enemy to the right and the 
left4 ,nevertheless he inflicted  a     
severe blow1 and when a band of two     
thousand men beset him1 he leapt  up in 

the air and over them and vanished from 
their sight4 ,twenty-two  myriads he    
slew on this day1 and when evening came 
he planned to flee  under cover of      
darkness4 ,but suddenly ninety thousand 
men appeared1 and  he was compelled to  
continue the fight4 ,he rushed at them  
with his  sword1 but it broke1 and he   
had to defend himself by grinding huge  
rocks into lime powder1 and this he     
threw at the enemy and blinded them  so 
that they could see nothing4 ,luckily1  
darkness was about to fall1  and he     
could permit himself to take rest for   
the night4    ,in the morning1 ,judah   
said to ,jacob1 ,father1 thou didst     
fight the  whole of yesterday1 and thou 
art weary and exhausted4 ,let me fight  
this  day4 ,when the warriors caught    
sight of ,judah's lion face and his lion
  teeth1 and heard his lion voice1 they 
were greatly afraid4 ,judah hopped  and 
jumped over the army like a flea1 from  
one warrior to the next1  raining blows 
down upon them incessantly1 and by      

evening he had slain  eighty thousand   
and ninety-six men1 armed with swords   
and bows4 ,but  fatigue overcame him1   
and ,zebulon took up his station at his 
brother's  left hand1 and mowed down    
eighty thousand of the enemy4 ,meantime 
,judah  regained some of his strength1  
and1 rising up in wrath and fury1 and   
gnashing his teeth with a noise like    
unto thunder claps in midsummer1  he put
 the army to flight4 ,it ran a distance 
of eighteen miles1 and  ,judah could    
enjoy a respite that night4    ,but the 
army reappeared on the morrow1 ready for
 battle again1 to take  revenge on      
,jacob and his children4 ,they blew     
their trumpets1 whereupon  ,jacob spake 
to his sons1 ,go forth and fight with   
your enemies4  ,issachar and ,gad said  
that this day they would take the combat
 upon  themselves1 and their father bade
 them do it while their brothers kept   
guard and held themselves in readiness  
to aid and relieve the two  combatants  
when they showed signs of weariness and 

exhaustion4    ,the leaders of the day  
slew forty-eight thousand warriors1 and 
put to  flight twelve myriads more1 who 
concealed themselves in a cave4         
,issachar and ,gad fetched trees from   
the woods1 piled the trunks up in  front
 of the opening of the cave1 and set    
fire to them4 ,when the fire  blazed    
with a fierce flame1 the warriors spoke1
 saying3 ,why should we  stay in this   
cave and perish with the smoke and the  
heat8 ,rather will  we go forth and     
fight with our enemies1 then we may have
 a chance of  saving ourselves4 ,they   
left the cave1 going through openings at
 the  side1 and they attacked ,issachar 
and ,gad in front and behind4 ,dan and  
,naphtali saw the plight of their       
brothers and ran to their assistance4   
,they laid about with their swords1     
hewing a way for themselves to          
,issachar and ,gad1 and1 united with    
them1 they1 too1 opposed the foe4    ,it
 was the third day of the conflict1 and 
the ,ninevites were reinforced  by an   

army as numerous as the sand on the     
sea-shore4 ,all the sons of  ,jacob     
united to oppose it1 and they routed the
 host4 ,but when they  pursued after the
 enemy1 the fugitives faced about and   
resumed the  battle1 saying3 ,why should
 we run away8 ,let us rather fight them1
  perhaps we may be victorious1 now they
 are weary4 ,a stubborn combat  ensued1 
and when ,jacob saw the vehement attack 
upon his children1 he  himself sprang   
into the thick of the battle and dealt  
blows right and  left4 ,nevertheless the
 heathen were victorious1 and succeeded 
in  separating ,judah from his brethren4
 ,as soon as ,jacob was aware of the    
peril of his son1 he whistled1 and      
,judah responded1 and his brethren      
hastened to his aid4 ,judah was fatigued
 and parched with thirst1 and  there was
 no water for him to drink1 but he dug  
his finger into the  ground with such   
force that water gushed out in the sight
 of the whole  army4 ,then said one     
warrior to another1 ,i will flee before 

these  devils1 for ,god fights on their 
side1 and he and all the army fled      
precipitately1 pursued by the sons of   
,jacob4 ,soldiers without number  they  
slew1 and then they went back to their  
tents4 ,on their return they  noticed   
that ,joseph was missing1 and they      
feared he had been killed or  taken     
captive4 ,naphtali ran after the        
retreating enemy1 to make search  for   
,joseph1 and he found him still fighting
 against the ,ninevite army4  ,he joined
 ,joseph1 and killed countless soldiers1
 and of the fugitives  many drowned1 and
 the men that were besetting ,joseph ran
 off and left  him in safety4    ,at the
 end of the war ,jacob continued his    
journey1 unhindered1 to his  father     
,isaac4#bia    ,,the ,,war ,,with ,,the 
,,amorites    ,at first the people that 
lived round about ,shechem made no      
attempt to  molest ,jacob1 who had      
returned thither after a while1 together
 with his  household1 to take up his    
abode there and establish himself4 ,but 

at the  end of seven years the heathen  
began to harass him4 ,the kings of the  
,amorites assembled together against the
 sons of ,jacob to slay them in  the    
,valley of ,shechem4 ,is it not enough1 
they said1 that they have  slain all the
 men of ,shechem8 ,should they be       
permitted now to take  possession of    
their land1 too8 and they advanced to   
render battle4    ,judah leapt into the 
midst of the ranks of the foot soldiers 
of the  allied kings1 and slew first of 
all ,jashub1 the king of ,tappuah1 who  
was clad in iron and brass from top to  
toe4 ,the king was mounted1 and  from   
his horse he cast his spears downward   
with both hands1 in front of  him and in
 back1 without ever missing his aim1 for
 he was a mighty  warrior1 and he could 
throw javelins with one hand or the     
other4  ,nevertheless ,judah feared     
neither him nor his prowess4 ,he ran    
toward  him1 snatching a stone of sixty 
sela'im from the ground and hurling it  
at him4 ,jashub was at a distance of one

 hundred and seventy-seven ells  and    
one-third of an ell1 and1 protected with
 iron armor and throwing  spears1 he    
moved forward upon ,judah4 ,but ,judah  
struck him on his shield  with the      
stone1 and unhorsed him4 ,when the king 
attempted to rise1  ,judah hastened to  
his side to slay him before he could get
 on his feet4  ,but ,jashub was nimble1 
he stood ready to attack ,judah1 shield 
to  shield1 and he drew his sword to cut
 off ,judah's head4 ,quickly ,judah     
raised his shield to catch the blow upon
 it1 but it broke in pieces4  ,what did 
,judah now8 ,he wrested the shield of   
his opponent away from  him1 and swung  
his sword against ,jashub's feet1       
cutting them off above  the ankles4 ,the
 king fell prostrate1 his sword slipped 
from his grasp1  and ,judah hastened to 
him and severed his head from his body4 
,while ,judah was removing the armor of 
his slain adversary1 nine of  ,jashub's 
followers appeared4 ,judah slung a stone
 against the head of  the first of them 

that approached him1 with such force    
that he dropped  his shield1 which      
,judah snatched from the ground and used
 to defend  himself against his eight   
assailants4 ,his brother ,levi came and 
stood  next to him1 and shot off an     
arrow that killed ,elon1 king of ,gaash1
 and  then ,judah killed the eight men4 
,and his father ,jacob came and killed  
,zerori king of ,shiloh4 ,none of the   
heathen could prevail against these     
sons of ,jacob1 they had not the courage
 to stand up before them1 but  took to  
flight1 and the sons of ,jacob pursued  
after them1 and each slew  a thousand   
men of the ,amorites on that day1 before
 the going down of  the sun4 ,and the   
other sons of ,jacob set forth from the 
,hill of  ,shechem1 where they had taken
 up their stand1 and they also pursued  
after them as far as ,hazor4 ,before    
this city they had another severe       
encounter with the enemy1 more severe   
than that in the ,valley of  ,shechem4  
,jacob let his arrows fly1 and slew     

,pirathon king of ,hazor1 and  then     
,pasusi king of ,sartan1 ,laban king of 
,aram1 and ,shebir king of  ,mahanaim4  
,judah was the first to mount the walls 
of ,hazor4 ,as he approached the  top1  
four warriors attacked him1 but he slew 
them without stopping in  his ascent1   
and before his brother ,naphtali could  
bring him succor4  ,naphtali followed   
him1 and the two stood upon the wall1   
,judah to the  right and ,naphtali to   
the left1 and thence they dealt out     
death to the  warriors4 ,the other sons 
of ,jacob followed their two brothers in
 turn1  and made an end of exterminating
 the heathen host on that day4 ,they    
subjugated ,hazor1 slew the warriors    
thereof1 let no man escape with his     
life1 and despoiled the city of all     
therein4    ,on the day following they  
went to ,sartan1 and again a bloody     
battle  took place4 ,sartan was situated
 upon high land1 and the hill before the
  city was likewise very high1 so that  
none could come near unto it1 and  also 

none could come near unto the citadel1  
because the wall thereof  was high4     
,nevertheless they made themselves      
masters of the city4 ,they  scaled the  
walls of the citadel1 ,judah on the east
 side being the first  to ascend1 then  
,gad on the west side1 ,simon and ,levi 
on the north1 and  ,reuben and ,dan on  
the south1 and ,naphtali and ,issachar  
set fire to the  hinges upon which the  
gates of the city were hung4    ,in the 
same way the sons of ,jacob subdued five
 other cities1 ,tappuah1  ,arbel1       
,shiloh1 ,mahanaim1 and ,gaash1 making  
an end of all of them in  five days4 ,on
 the sixth day all the ,amorites        
assembled1 and they came  to ,jacob and 
his sons unarmed1 bowed down before     
them1 and sued for  peace4 ,and the sons
 of ,jacob made peace with the heathen1 
who ceded  ,timna to them1 and all the  
land of ,harariah4 ,in that day also    
,jacob  concluded peace with them1 and  
they made restitution to the sons of    
,jacob for all the cattle they had      

taken1 two head for one1 and they       
restored all the spoil they had carried 
off4 ,and ,jacob turned to go to        
,timna1 and ,judah went to ,arbel1 and  
thenceforth the ,amorites troubled  them
 no more4#bib    ,,isaac ,,blesses      
,,levi ,,and ,,judah    ,if a man voweth
 a vow1 and he does not fulfil it in    
good time1 he will  stumble through     
three grave sins1 idolatry1 unchastity1 
and bloodshed4  ,jacob had been guilty  
of not accomplishing promptly the vow he
 had  taken upon himself at ,beth-el1   
and therefore punishment overtook       
him--his daughter was dishonored1 his   
sons slew men1 and they kept the  idols 
found among the spoils of ,shechem4#bic 
,therefore1 when ,jacob  prostrated     
himself before ,god after the bloody    
outrage at ,shechem1 ,he  bade him      
arise1 and go to ,beth-el and accomplish
 the vow he had vowed  there4#bid       
,before ,jacob set out for the holy     
place to do the bidding  of ,god1 he    
took the idols which were in the        

possession of his sons1 and  the        
teraphim which ,rachel had stolen from  
her father1 and he shivered  them in    
pieces1 and buried#bie the bits under an
 oak upon ,mount  ,gerizim1#bif         
uprooting the tree with one hand1       
concealing the remains  of the idols in 
the hollow left in the earth1 and       
planting the oak  again with one        
hand4#big    ,among the destroyed idols 
was one in the form of a dove1 and this 
the  ,samaritans dug up later and       
worshipped4    ,on reaching ,beth-el he 
erected an altar to the ,lord1 and on a 
pillar he  set up the stone whereon he  
had rested his head during the night    
which  he had passed there on his       
journey to ,haran4#bih ,then he bade his
  parents come to ,beth-el and take part
 in his sacrifice4 ,but ,isaac sent  him
 a message1 saying1 ,o my son ,jacob1   
that ,i might see thee before ,i  die1  
whereupon ,jacob hastened to his        
parents1 taking ,levi and ,judah  with  
him4 ,when his grandchildren stepped    

before ,isaac1 the darkness  that       
shrouded his eyes dropped away1 and he  
said1 ,my son1 are these  thy children1 
for they resemble thee8 ,and the spirit 
of prophecy  entered his mouth1 and he  
grasped ,levi with his right hand and   
,judah  with his left in order to bless 
them1 and he spoke these words to ,levi3
  ,may the ,lord bring thee and thy seed
 nigh unto ,him before all flesh1  that 
ye serve in ,his sanctuary like the     
,angel of the ,face and the ,holy       
,angels4 ,princes1 judges1 and rulers   
shall they be unto all the seed of  the 
children of ,jacob4 ,the word of ,god   
they will proclaim in  righteousness1   
and all ,his judgments they will execute
 in justice1 and  they will make        
manifest ,his ways unto the children of 
,jacob1 and unto  ,israel ,his paths4   
,and unto ,judah he spake1 saying3 ,be  
ye princes1  thou and one of thy sons1  
over the sons of ,jacob4 ,in thee shall 
be the  help of ,jacob1 and the         
salvation of ,israel shall be found in  

thee4 ,and  when thou sittest upon the  
throne of the glory of thy justice1     
perfect  peace shall reign over all the 
seed of the children of my beloved      
,abraham4    ,on the morrow1 ,isaac told
 his son that he would not accompany him
 to  ,beth-el on account of his great   
age1 but he bade him not delay longer   
to fulfil his vow1 and gave him         
permission to take his mother ,rebekah  
with him to the holy place4 ,and        
,rebekah and her nurse ,deborah went to 
,beth-el with ,jacob4#bii    ,,joy ,,and
 ,,sorrow ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of       
,,jacob    ,deborah1 the nurse of       
,rebekah1 and some of the servants of   
,isaac had  been sent to ,jacob by his  
mother1 while he still abode with       
,laban1 to  summon him home at the end  
of his fourteen years' term of service4 
,as  ,jacob did not at once obey his    
mother's behest1 the two servants of    
,isaac returned to their master1 but    
,deborah remained with ,jacob then  and 
always4 ,therefore1 when ,deborah died  

in ,beth-el1 ,jacob mourned for  her1   
and he buried her below ,beth-el under  
the palm-tree1#cjj the same  under which
 the prophetess ,deborah sat later1 when
 the children of  ,israel came to her   
for judgment4#cja    ,but a short time  
elapsed after the death of the nurse    
,deborah1 and  ,rebekah died1 too4 ,her 
passing away was not made the occasion  
for  public mourning4 ,the reason was   
that1 as ,abraham was dead1 ,isaac      
blind1  and ,jacob away from home1 there
 remained ,esau as the only mourner to  
appear in public and represent her      
family1 and beholding that villain1  it 
was feared1 might tempt a looker-on to  
cry out1 ,accursed be the  breasts that 
gave thee suck4 ,to avoid this1 the     
burial of ,rebekah took  place at night4
    ,god appeared unto ,jacob to comfort
 him in his grief1#cjb and with ,him    
appeared the heavenly family4 ,it was a 
sign of grace1 for all the while  the   
sons of ,jacob had been carrying idols  
with them the ,lord had not  revealed   

,himself to ,jacob4#cjc ,at this time   
,god announced to ,jacob the  birth of  
,benjamin soon to occur1 and the birth  
of ,manasseh and ,ephraim1  who also    
were to be founders of tribes1 and      
furthermore ,he told him  that these    
three would count kings among their     
descendants1 ,saul and  ,ish-bosheth1 of
 the seed of ,benjamin1 ,jeroboam the   
,ephraimite1 and ,jehu  of the tribe of 
,manasseh4 ,in this vision1 ,god        
confirmed the change of  his name from  
,jacob to ,israel1 promised him by the  
angel with whom he  had wrestled on     
entering the ,holy ,land1 and finally   
,god revealed to him  that he would be  
the last of the three with whose names  
the ,name of ,god  would appear united1 
for ,god is called only the ,god of     
,abraham1 the ,god  of ,isaac1 and the  
,god of ,jacob1 and never the ,god of   
any one else4#cjd    ,in token of this  
revelation from ,god1 ,jacob set up a   
pillar of stone1  and he poured out a   
drink offering thereon1 as in a later   

day the  priests were to offer libations
 in the ,temple on the ,feast of        
,tabernacles1#cje and the libation      
brought by ,jacob at ,beth-el was as    
much as all the waters in the ,sea of   
,tiberias4#cjf    ,at the time when     
,deborah and ,rebekah died1 occurred    
also the death of  ,rachel1 at the age  
of thirty-six1#cjg but not before her   
prayer was  heard1 that she bear ,jacob 
a second son1 for she died in giving    
birth  to ,benjamin4 ,twelve years she  
had borne no child1 then she fasted     
twelve days1 and her petition was       
granted her4 ,she brought forth the     
youngest son of ,jacob1 whom he called  
,benjamin1 the son of days1  because he 
was born in his father's old age1#cjh   
and with him a twin  sister was         
born4#cji    ,rachel was buried in the  
way to ,ephrath1 because ,jacob1 gifted 
with  prophetic spirit1 foresaw that the
 exiles would pass this place on  their 
march to ,babylon1 and as they passed1  
,rachel would entreat ,god's  mercy for 

the poor outcasts4#caj    ,jacob        
journeyed on to ,jerusalem4#caa         
,during ,rachel's lifetime1 her couch   
had always stood in the tent of  ,jacob4
 ,after her death1 he ordered the couch 
of her handmaid ,bilhah to  be carried  
thither4 ,reuben was sorely vexed       
thereat1 and he said1 ,not  enough that 
,rachel alive curtailed the rights of my
 mother1 she must  needs give her       
annoyance also after death6 ,he went and
 took the couch  of his mother ,leah and
 placed it in ,jacob's tent instead of  
,bilhah's  couch4#cab ,reuben's brothers
 learned of his disrespectful act from  
,asher4 ,he had found it out in one way 
or another1 and had told it to  his     
brethren1 who ruptured their relations  
with him1 for they would  have nothing  
to do with an informer1 and they did not
 become reconciled  with ,asher until   
,reuben himself confessed his           
transgression4#cac ,for  it was not long
 before ,reuben recognized that he had  
acted  reprehensibly toward his father1 

and he fasted and put on sackcloth1  and
 repented of his misdeed4 ,he was the   
first among men to do penance1  and     
therefore ,god said to him3 ,since the  
beginning of the world it  hath not     
happened that a man hath sinned and then
 repented thereof4  ,thou art the first 
to do penance1 and as thou livest1 a    
prophet of thy  seed1 ,hosea1 shall be  
the first to proclaim1 ',o ,israel1     
return4' #cad    ,,esau',s ,,campaign   
,,against ,,jacob    ,when ,isaac felt  
his end approaching1 he called his two  
sons to him1 and  charged them with his 
last wish and will1 and gave them his   
blessing4  ,he said3 ,i adjure you by   
the exalted ,name1 the praised1 honored1
  glorious1 immutable1 and mighty ,one1 
who hath made heaven and earth and  all 
things together1 that ye fear ,him1 and 
serve ,him1 and each shall  love his    
brother in mercy and justice1 and none  
wish evil unto the  other1 now and      
henceforth unto all eternity1 all the   
days of your life1  that ye may enjoy   

good fortune in all your undertakings1  
and that ye  perish not4    ,furthermore
 he commanded them to bury him in the   
,cave of ,machpelah1 by  the side of his
 father ,abraham1 in the grave which he 
had dug for  himself with his own hands4
 ,then he divided his possessions       
between his  two sons1 giving ,esau the 
larger portion1 and ,jacob the smaller4 
,but  ,esau said1 ,i sold my birthright 
to ,jacob1 and ,i ceded it to him1 and  
it belongs unto him4 ,isaac rejoiced    
greatly that ,esau acknowledged the     
rights of ,jacob of his own accord1 and 
he closed his eyes in  peace4#cae       
,the funeral of ,isaac was not disturbed
 by any unseemly act1 for ,esau  was    
sure of his heritage in accordance with 
the last wishes expressed  by his       
father4 ,but when the time came to      
divide ,isaac's possessions  between the
 two brothers1 ,esau said to ,jacob1    
,divide the property of  our father into
 two portions1 but ,i as the elder claim
 the right of  choosing the portion ,i  

desire4 ,what did ,jacob do8 ,he knew   
well that  the eye of the wicked never  
beholds treasures enough to satisfy it1 
so he divided their common heritage in  
the following way3 all the  material    
possessions of his father formed one    
portion1 and the other  consisted of    
,isaac's claim upon the ,holy ,land1    
together with the ,cave  of ,machpelah1 
the tomb of ,abraham and ,isaac4 ,esau  
chose the money and  the other things   
belonging to ,isaac for his inheritance1
 and to ,jacob  were left the ,cave and 
the title to the ,holy ,land4 ,an       
agreement to this  effect was drawn up  
in writing in due form1 and on the      
strength of the  document ,jacob        
insisted upon ,esau's leaving           
,palestine4 ,esau acquiesced1  and he   
and his wives and his sons and daughters
 journeyed to ,mount  ,seir1 where they 
took up their abode4#caf    ,though     
,esau gave way before ,jacob for the    
nonce1 he returned to the  land to make 
war upon his brother4 ,leah had just    

died1 and ,jacob and  the sons borne by 
,leah were mourning for her1 and the    
rest of his sons1  borne unto him by his
 other wives1 were trying to comfort    
them1 when  ,esau came upon them with a 
powerful host of four thousand men1 well
  equipped for war1 clad in armor of    
iron and brass1 all furnished with      
bucklers1 bows1 and swords4 ,they       
surrounded the citadel wherein ,jacob   
and his sons dwelt at that time with    
their servants and children and         
households1 for they had all assembled  
to console ,jacob for the death  of     
,leah1 and they sat there unconcerned1  
none entertained a suspicion  that an   
assault upon them was meditated by any  
man4 ,and the great army  had already   
encircled their castle1 and still none  
within suspected any  harm1 neither     
,jacob and his children nor the two     
hundred servants4 ,now  when ,jacob saw 
that ,esau presumed to make war upon    
them1 and sought to  slay them in the   
citadel1 and was shooting darts at them1

 he ascended  the wall of the citadel   
and spake words of peace and friendship 
and  brotherly love to ,esau4 ,he said3 
,is this the consolation which thou     
hast come to bring me1 to comfort me for
 my wife1 who hath been taken  by death8
 ,is this in accordance with the oath   
thou didst swear twice  unto thy father 
and thy mother before they died8 ,thou  
hast violated thy  oath1 and in the hour
 when thou didst swear unto thy father1 
thou wast  judged4 ,but ,esau made      
reply3 ,neither the children of men nor 
the  beasts of the field swear an oath  
to keep it unto all eternity1 but on    
every day they devise evil against one  
another1 when it is directed  against an
 enemy1 or when they seek to slay an    
adversary4 ,if the boar  will change his
 skin and make his bristles as soft as  
wool1 or if he  can cause horns to      
sprout forth on his head like the horns 
of a stag or  a ram1 then shall ,i      
observe the tie of brotherhood with     
thee4    ,then spoke ,judah to his      

father ,jacob1 saying3 ,how long wilt   
thou stand  yet wasting words of peace  
and friendship upon him8 ,and he attacks
 us  unawares1 like an enemy1 with his  
mail-clad warriors1 seeking to slay  us4
 ,hearing these words1 ,jacob grasped   
his bow and killed ,adoram the          
,edomite1 and a second time he bent his 
bow1 and the arrow struck ,esau  upon   
the right thigh4 ,the wound was mortal1 
and his sons lifted ,esau up  and put   
him upon his ass1 and he came to ,adora1
 and there he died4    ,judah made a    
sally to the south of the citadel1 and  
with him were  ,naphtali and ,gad1 aided
 by fifty of ,jacob's servants2 to the  
east ,levi  and ,dan went forth with    
fifty servants2 ,reuben1 ,issachar1 and 
,zebulon  with fifty servants1 to the   
north2 and ,simon1 ,benjamin1 and       
,enoch1 the  last the son of ,reuben1   
with fifty servants1 to the west4 ,judah
 was  exceedingly brave in battle4      
,together with ,naphtali and ,gad he    
pressed  forward into the ranks of the  

enemy1 and captured one of their iron   
towers4 ,on their bucklers they caught  
the sharp missiles hurled against  them 
in such numbers that the light of the   
sun was darkened by reason  of the rocks
 and darts and stones4 ,judah was the   
first to break the  ranks of the enemy1 
of whom he killed six valiant men1 and  
he was  accompanied on the right by     
,naphtali and by ,gad on the left4 ,they
 also  hewed down two soldiers each1    
while their troop of servants killed one
  man each4 ,nevertheless they did not  
succeed in forcing the army away  from  
the south of the citadel1 not even when 
all together1 ,judah and  his brethren1 
made an united attack upon the enemy1   
each of them  picking out a victim and  
slaying him4 ,and they were still       
unsuccessful  in a third combined       
attack1 though this time each killed two
 men4    ,when ,judah saw now that the  
enemy remained in possession of the     
field1  and it was impossible to        
dislodge them1 he girded himself with   

strength1 and an heroic spirit animated 
him4 ,judah1 ,naphtali1 and ,gad        
united1 and together they pierced the   
ranks of the enemy1 ,judah slaying  ten 
of them1 and his brothers each eight4   
,seeing this1 the servants  took        
courage1 and they joined their leaders  
and fought at their side4  ,judah laid  
about him to right and to left1 always  
aided by ,naphtali and  ,gad1 and so    
they succeeded in forcing the enemy one 
ris further to the  south1 away from the
 citadel4 ,but the hostile army         
recovered itself1  and maintained a     
brave stand against all the sons of     
,jacob1 who were  faint from the        
hardships of the combat1 and could not  
continue to  fight4 ,thereupon ,judah   
turned to ,god in prayer1 and ,god      
hearkened unto  his petition1 and ,he   
helped them4 ,he set loose a storm from 
one of ,his  treasure chambers1 and it  
blew into the faces of the enemy1 and   
filled  their eyes with darkness1 and   
they could not see how to fight4 ,but   

,judah and his brothers could see       
clearly1 for the wind blew upon their   
backs4 ,now ,judah and his two brothers 
wrought havoc among them1 they  hewed   
the enemy down as the reaper mows down  
the stalks of grain and  heaps them up  
for sheaves4    ,after they had routed  
the division of the army assigned to    
them on the  south1 they hastened to the
 aid of their brothers1 who were        
defending  the east1 north1 and west of 
the citadel with three companies4 ,on   
each  side the wind blew into the faces 
of the enemy1 and so the sons of  ,jacob
 succeeded in annihilating their army4  
,four hundred were slain in  battle1 and
 six hundred fled1 among the latter     
,esau's four sons1 ,reuel1  ,jeush1     
,lotan1 and ,korah4 ,the oldest of his  
sons1 ,eliphaz1 took no part  in the    
war1 because he was a disciple of       
,jacob1 and therefore would not  bear   
arms against him4    ,the sons of ,jacob
 pursued after the fleeing remnant of   
the army as far  as ,adora4 ,there the  

sons of ,esau abandoned the body of     
their father1  and continued their      
flight to ,mount ,seir4 ,but the sons of
 ,jacob  remained in ,adora over night1 
and out of respect for their father they
  buried the remains of his brother     
,esau4 ,in the morning they went on in  
pursuit of the enemy1 and besieged them 
on ,mount ,seir4 ,now the sons of  ,esau
 and all the other fugitives came and   
fell down before them1 bowed  down1 and 
entreated them without cease1 until they
 concluded peace with  them4 ,but the   
sons of ,jacob exacted tribute from     
them4#cag    ,,the ,,descendants ,,of   
,,esau    ,the worthiest among the sons 
of ,esau was his first-born ,eliphaz4   
,he had  been raised under the eyes of  
his grandfather ,isaac1 from whom he had
  learnt the pious way of life4#cah ,the
 ,lord had even found him worthy  of    
being endowed with the spirit of        
prophecy1 for ,eliphaz the son of  ,esau
 is none other than the prophet         
,eliphaz1 the friend of ,job4 ,it was   

from the life of the ,patriarchs that he
 drew the admonitions which he  gave    
unto ,job in his disputes with him4     
,eliphaz spake3 ,thou didst ween        
thyself the equal of ,abraham1 and thou 
didst marvel1 therefore1 that  ,god     
should deal with thee as with the       
generation of the confusion of  tongues4
 ,but ,abraham stood the test of ten    
temptations1 and thou  faintest when but
 one toucheth thee4 ,when any that was  
not whole came  to thee1 thou wouldst   
console him4 ,to the blind thou wouldst 
say1 ,if  thou didst build thyself a    
house1 thou wouldst surely put windows  
in  it1 and if ,god hath denied thee    
light1 it is but that ,he may be        
glorified through thee in the day when  
'the eyes of the blind shall be         
opened4' ,to the deaf thou wouldst say1 
,if thou didst fashion a water  pitcher1
 thou wouldst surely not forget to make 
ears for it1 and if ,god  created thee  
without hearing1 it is but that ,he may 
be glorified  through thee in the day   

when 'the ears of the deaf shall be     
unstopped4'  ,in such wise thou didst   
endeavor to console the feeble and the  
maimed4  ,but now it is come unto thee1 
and thou art troubled4 ,thou sayest1 ,i 
am  an upright man1 why doth ,he        
chastise me8 ,but who1 ,i pray thee1    
ever  perished1 being innocent8 ,noah   
was saved from the flood1 ,abraham from 
the fiery furnace1 ,isaac from the      
slaughtering knife1 ,jacob from  angels1
 ,moses from the sword of ,pharaoh1 and 
,israel from the ,egyptians  that were  
drowned in the ,sea4 ,thus shall all the
 wicked fare4    ,job answered ,eliphaz1
 and said1 ,look at thy father ,esau6   
,but ,eliphaz returned3 ,i have nothing 
to do with him1 the son should  not bear
 the iniquity of the father4 ,esau will 
be destroyed1 because he  executed no   
good deeds1 and likewise his dukes will 
perish4 ,but as for  me1 ,i am a        
prophet1 and my message is not unto     
,esau1 but unto thee1 to  make thee     
render account of thyself4 ,but ,god    

rebuked ,eliphaz1 and  said3 ,thou didst
 speak harsh words unto ,my servant     
,job4 ,therefore  shall ,obadiah1 one of
 thy descendants1 utter a prophecy of   
denunciation  against thy father's      
house1 the ,edomites4#cai    ,the       
concubine of ,eliphaz was ,timna1 a     
princess of royal blood1 who had  asked 
to be received into the faith of        
,abraham and his family1 but they  all1 
,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 had       
rejected her1 and she said1 ,rather     
will ,i be a maid servant unto the dregs
 of this nation1 than mistress  of      
another nation1 and so she was willing  
to be concubine to ,eliphaz4  ,to punish
 the ,patriarchs for the affront they   
had offered her1 she was  made the      
mother of ,amalek1 who inflicted great  
injury upon ,israel4#cbj    ,another one
 of ,esau's descendants1 ,anah1 had a   
most unusual experience4  ,once when he 
was pasturing his father's asses in the 
wilderness1 he led  them to one of the  
deserts on the shores of the ,red ,sea1 

opposite the  wilderness of the nations1
 and while he was feeding the beasts1 a 
very  heavy storm came from the other   
side of the sea1 and the asses could    
not move4 ,then about one hundred and   
twenty great and terrible animals  came 
out from the wilderness at the other    
side of the sea1 and they all  came to  
the place where the asses were1 and they
 placed themselves  there4 ,from the    
middle down1 these animals were in the  
shape of a man1  and from the middle up 
some had the likeness of bears1 some of 
apes1  and they all had tails behind    
them like the tail of the dukipat1 from 
between their shoulders reaching down to
 the earth4 ,the animals mounted  the   
asses1 and they rode away with them1 and
 unto this day no eye hath  seen them4  
,one of them approached ,anah1 and smote
 him with its tail1  and then ran off4  
,when ,anah saw all this1 he was        
exceedingly afraid on account of his    
life1 and he fled to the city1 where he 
related all that had happened  to him4  

,many sallied forth to seek the asses1  
but none could find them4  ,anah and his
 brothers went no more to the same place
 from that day  forth1 for they were    
greatly afraid on account of their      
lives4#cba    ,this ,anah was the       
offspring of an incestuous marriage2 his
 mother was  at the same time the mother
 of his father ,zibeon4 ,and as he was  
born of  an unnatural union1 so he tried
 to bring about unnatural unions among  
animals4 ,he was the first to mix the   
breed of the horse and the ass and      
produce the mule4 ,as a punishment1 ,god
 crossed the snake and the  lizard1 and 
they brought forth the habarbar1 whose  
bite is certain  death1 like the bite of
 the white she-mule4#cbb    ,the        
descendants of ,esau had eight kings    
before there reigned any king  over the 
descendants of ,jacob4 ,but a time came 
when the ,jews had eight  kings during  
whose reign the ,edomites had none and  
were subject to the  ,jewish kings4     
,this was the time that intervened      

between ,saul1 the first  ,israelitish  
king1 who ruled over ,edom1 and         
,jehoshaphat1 for ,edom did  not make   
itself independent of ,jewish rule until
 the time of ,joram1 the  son of        
,jehoshaphat4 ,there was a difference   
between the kings of ,esau's  seed and  
the kings of ,jacob's seed4 ,the ,jewish
 people always produced  their kings    
from their own midst1 while the         
,edomites had to go to alien  peoples to
 secure theirs4#cbc ,the first ,edomite 
king was the ,aramean  ,balaam1#cbd     
called ,bela in his capacity as ruler of
 ,edom4 ,his  successor ,job1 called    
,jobab also1 came from ,bozrah1 and for 
furnishing  ,edom with a king this city 
will be chastised in time to come4 ,when
 ,god  sits in judgment on ,edom1       
,bozrah will be the first to suffer     
punishment4#cbe    ,the rule of ,edom   
was of short duration1 while the rule of
 ,israel will  be unto all times1 for   
the standard of the ,messiah shall wave 
forever  and ever4#cbf