The Book of Jubilees

From The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament

by R.H. Charles, Oxford: Clarendon Press,

1913.

Scanned and Edited by Joshua Williams, Northwest Nazarene
College.

Chapter 19

Return of Abraham to Hebron. Death and burial of Sarah, 1-9. Marriage of Isaac
and second marriage of Abraham. Birth of Esau and Jacob, 10-14. Abraham commends
Jacob to Rebecca and blesses him, 15-31. (Cf. Gen. xxiii.1-4, 11-16; xxiv.15;
xxv.1-2, 25-7; xiii. 16.)

And in the first year of the first week in the forty-second jubilee, Abraham
returned and dwelt opposite Hebron, that is Kirjath Arba, two weeks of years.

And in the first year of the third week of this jubilee the days of the
life of Sarah were accomplished, and she died in Hebron.

And Abraham went to mourn over her and bury her, and we tried him (to see)
if his spirit were patient and he were not indignant in the words of his mouth;
and he was found patient in this, and was not disturbed.

For in patience of spirit he conversed with the children of Heth, to the
intent that they should give him a place in which to bury his dead.

And the Lord gave him grace before all who saw him, and he besought in gentleness
the sons of Heth, and they gave him the land of the double cave over against
Mamre, that is Hebron, for four hundred pieces of silver.

And they besought him saying, We shall give it to thee for nothing; but
he would not take it from their hands for nothing, for he gave the price of
the place, the money in full, and he bowed down before them twice, and after
this he buried his dead in the double cave.

And all the days of the life of Sarah were one hundred and twenty-seven
years, that is, two jubilees and four weeks and one year: these are the days
of the years of the life of Sarah.

This is the tenth trial wherewith Abraham was tried, and he was found faithful,
patient in spirit.

And he said not a single word regarding the rumour in the land how that
God had said that He would give it to him and to his seed after him, and he
begged a place there to bury his dead; for he was found faithful, and was recorded
on the heavenly tablets as the friend of God.

And in the fourth year thereof he took a wife for his son Isaac and her
name was Rebecca (2020 AM) (the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, the
brother of Abraham) the sister of Laban and daughter of Bethuel; and Bethuel
was the son of Melca, who was the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham.

And Abraham took to himself a third wife, and her name was Keturah, from
among the daughters of his household servants, for Hagar had died before Sarah.
And she bare him six sons, Zimram, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak,
and Shuah, in the two weeks of years.

And in the sixth week, in the second year thereof, Rebecca bare to Isaac
two sons, Jacob and Esau,

and (2046 AM) Jacob was a smooth and upright man, and Esau was fierce,
a man of the field, and hairy, and Jacob dwelt in tents.

And the youths grew, and Jacob learned to write; but Esau did not learn,
for he was a man of the field and a hunter, and he learnt war, and all his deeds
were fierce.

And Abraham loved Jacob, but Isaac loved Esau.

And Abraham saw the deeds of Esau, and he knew that in Jacob should his
name and seed be called; and he called Rebecca and gave commandment regarding
Jacob, for he knew that she (too) loved Jacob much more than Esau.

And he said unto her:

My daughter, watch over my son Jacob,
For he shall be in my stead on the earth,
And for a blessing in the midst of the children of men,
And for the glory of the whole seed of Shem.

For I know that the Lord will choose him to be a people for possession unto
Himself, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.

And behold, Isaac my son loves Esau more than Jacob, but I see that thou
truly lovest Jacob.

Add still further to thy kindness to him,
And let thine eyes be upon him in love;
For he shall be a blessing unto us on the earth from henceforth unto all generations
of the earth.

Let thy hands be strong
And let thy heart rejoice in thy son Jacob;
For I have loved him far beyond all my sons.

He shall be blessed for ever,

And his seed shall fill the whole earth.

If a man can number the sand of the earth,
His seed also shall be numbered.

And all the blessings wherewith the Lord hath blessed me and my seed shall
belong to Jacob and his seed alway.

And in his seed shall my name be blessed, and the name of my fathers, Shem,
and Noab, and Enoch, and Mahalalel, and Enos, and Seth, and Adam.

And these shall serve

To lay the foundations of the heaven,
And to strengthen the earth,
And to renew all the luminaries which are in the firmament.

And he called Jacob before the eyes of Rebecca his mother, and kissed him,
and blessed him, and said:

‘Jacob, my beloved son, whom my soul loveth, may God bless thee from above
the firmament, and may He give thee all the blessings wherewith He blessed Adam,
and Enoch, and Noah, and Shem; and all the things of which He told me, and all
the things which He promised to give me, may he cause to cleave to thee and
to thy seed for ever, according to the days of heaven above the earth.

And the Spirits of Mastshall not rule over thee or over thy seed to
turn thee from the Lord, who is thy God from henceforth for ever.

And may the Lord God be a father to thee and thou the first-born son, and
to the people alway.

Go in peace, my son.’ And they both went forth together from Abraham.

And Rebecca loved Jacob, with all her heart and with all her soul, very
much more than Esau; but Isaac loved Esau much more than Jacob.