The Book of Jasher

Referred to in Joshua and Second Samuel

Faithfully Translated

FROM THE ORIGINAL HEBREW INTO ENGLISH

Chapter 50

Joseph goes to help the Ishmaelites against their
Enemies. Great Plenty prevails in Egypt as Joseph predicted. Joseph’s Two Sons,
Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph stores up Food throughout Egypt. That stored by the
Egyptians is spoiled. The Famine prevails over all the Land and Joseph sells corn
to all the Egyptians and the surrounding Nations. Knowing that his Brethren will
have to come to Egypt for Corn, he arranges to meet them when they come.

1 At that time the children of Tarshish came against
the sons of Ishmael, and made war with them, and the children of Tarshish spoiled
the Ishmaelites for a long time.

2 And the children of Ishmael were small in number
in those days, and they could not prevail over the children of Tarshish, and they
were sorely oppressed.

3 And the old men of the Ishmaelites sent a record
to the king of Egypt, saying, Send I pray thee unto thy servants officers and hosts
to help us to fight against the children of Tarshish, for we have been consuming
away for a long time.

4 And Pharaoh sent Joseph with the mighty men and
host which were with him, and also his mighty men from the king’s house.

5 And they went to the land of Havilah to the children
of Ishmael, to assist them against the children of Tarshish, and the children of
Ishmael fought with the children of Tarshish, and Joseph smote the Tarshishites
and he subdued all their land, and the children of Ishmael dwell therein unto this
day.

6 And when the land of Tarshish was subdued, all the
Tarshishites ran away, and came on the border of their brethren the children of
Javan, and Joseph with all his mighty men and host returned to Egypt, not one man
of them missing.

7 And at the revolution of the year, in the second
year of Joseph’s reigning over Egypt, the Lord gave great plenty throughout the
land for seven years as Joseph had spoken, for the Lord blessed all the produce
of the earth in those days for seven years, and they ate and were greatly satisfied.

8 And Joseph at that time had officers under him,
and they collected all the food of the good years, and heaped corn year by year,
and they placed it in the treasuries of Joseph.

9 And at any time when they gathered the food Joseph
commanded that they should bring the corn in the ears, and also bring with it some
of the soil of the field, that it should not spoil.

10 And Joseph did according to this year by year,
and he heaped up corn like the sand of the sea for abundance, for his stores were
immense and could not be numbered for abundance.

11 And also all the inhabitants of Egypt gathered
all sorts of food in their stores in great abundance during the seven good years,
but they did not do unto it as Joseph did.

12 And all the food which Joseph and the Egyptians
had gathered during the seven years of plenty, was secured for the land in stores
for the seven years of famine, for the support of the whole land.

13 And the inhabitants of Egypt filled each man his
store and his concealed place with corn, to be for support during the famine.

14 And Joseph placed all the food that he had gathered
in all the cities of Egypt, and he closed all the stores and placed sentinels over
them.

15 And Joseph’s wife Osnath the daughter of Potiphera
bare him two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and Joseph was thirty-four years old when
he begat them.

16 And the lads grew up and they went in his ways
and in his instructions, they did not deviate from the way which their father taught
them, either to the right or left.

17 And the Lord was with the lads, and they grew up
and had understanding and skill in all wisdom and in all the affairs of government,
and all the king’s officers and his great men of the inhabitants of Egypt exalted
the lads, and they were brought up amongst the king’s children.

18 And the seven years of plenty that were throughout
the land were at an end, and the seven years of famine came after them as Joseph
had spoken, and the famine was throughout the land.

19 And all the people of Egypt saw that the famine
had commenced in the land of Egypt, and all the people of Egypt opened their stores
of corn for the famine prevailed over them.

20 And they found all the food that was in their stores,
full of vermin and not fit to eat, and the famine prevailed throughout the land,
and all the inhabitants of Egypt came and cried before Pharaoh, for the famine was
heavy upon them.

21 And they said unto Pharaoh, Give food unto thy
servants, and wherefore shall we die through hunger before thy eyes, even we and
our little ones?

22 And Pharaoh answered them, saying, And wherefore
do you cry unto me? did not Joseph command that the corn should be laid up during
the seven years of plenty for the years of famine? and wherefore did you not hearken
to his voice?

23 And the people of Egypt answered the king, saying,
As thy soul liveth, our lord, thy servants have done all that Joseph ordered, for
thy servants also gathered in all the produce of their fields during the seven years
of plenty and laid it in the stores unto this day.

24 And when the famine prevailed over thy servants
we opened our stores, and behold all our produce was filled with vermin and was
not fit for food.

25 And when the king heard all that had befallen the
inhabitants of Egypt, the king was greatly afraid on account of the famine, and
he was much terrified; and the king answered the people of Egypt, saying, Since
all this has happened unto you, go unto Joseph, do whatever he shall say unto you,
transgress not his commands.

26 And all the people of Egypt went forth and came
unto Joseph, and said unto him, Give unto us food, and wherefore shall we die before
thee through hunger? for we gathered in our produce during the seven years as thou
didst command, and we put it in store, and thus has it befallen us.

27 And when Joseph heard all the words of the people
of Egypt and what had befallen them, Joseph opened all his stores of the produce
and he sold it unto the people of Egypt.

28 And the famine prevailed throughout the land, and
the famine was in all countries, but in the land of Egypt there was produce for
sale.

29 And all the inhabitants of Egypt came unto Joseph
to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over them, and all their corn was spoiled,
and Joseph daily sold it to all the people of Egypt.

30 And all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and
the Philistines, and those beyond the Jordan, and the children of the east and all
the cities of the lands far and nigh heard that there was corn in Egypt, and they
all came to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over them.

31 And Joseph opened the stores of corn and placed
officers over them, and they daily stood and sold to all that came.

32 And Joseph knew that his brethren also would come
to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine prevailed throughout the earth. And Joseph
commanded all his people that they should cause it to be proclaimed throughout the
land of Egypt, saying,

33 It is the pleasure of the king, of his second and
of their great men, that any person who wishes to buy corn in Egypt shall not send
his servants to Egypt to purchase, but his sons, and also any Egyptian or Canaanite,
who shall come from any of the stores from buying corn in Egypt, and shall go and
sell it throughout the land, he shall die, for no one shall buy but for the support
of his household.

34 And any man leading two or three beasts shall die,
for a man shall only lead his own beast.

35 And Joseph placed sentinels at the gates of Egypt,
and commanded them, saying, Any person who may come to buy corn, suffer him not
to enter until his name, and the name of his father, and the name of his father’s
father be written down, and whatever is written by day, send their names unto me
in the evening that I may know their names.

36 And Joseph placed officers throughout the land
of Egypt, and he commanded them to do all these things.

37 And Joseph did all these things, and made these
statutes, in order that he might know when his brethren should come to Egypt to
buy corn; and Joseph’s people caused it daily to be proclaimed in Egypt according
to these words and statutes which Joseph had commanded.

38 And all the inhabitants of the east and west country,
and of all the earth, heard of the statutes and regulations which Joseph had enacted
in Egypt, and the inhabitants of the extreme parts of the earth came and they bought
corn in Egypt day after day, and then went away.

39 And all the officers of Egypt did as Joseph had
commanded, and all that came to Egypt to buy corn, the gate keepers would write
their names, and their fathers’ names, and daily bring them in the evening before
Joseph.