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 8

Kn discovers an inscription relating to the sun and stars, 1-4. His sons,
5-8. Noah’s sons and Noah divide the earth, 10-11. Shem’s inheritance, 12-21:
Ham’s, 22-4: Japheth’s, 25-30. (Cf. Gen. x.)

In the twenty-ninth jubilee, in the first week, (1373 AM) in the beginning
thereof Arpachshad took to himself a wife and her name was Rasu’eja, the daughter
of Susan, the daughter of Elam, and she bare him a son in the third year in
this week, (1375 AM) and he called his name Kainam.

And the son grew, and his father taught him writing, and he went to seek
for himself a place where he might seize for himself a city.

And he found a writing which former (generations) had carved on the rock,
and he read what was thereon, and he transcribed it and sinned owing to it;
for it contained the teaching of the Watchers in accordance with which they
used to observe the omens of the sun and moon and stars in all the signs of
heaven.

And he wrote it down and said nothing regarding it; for he was afraid to
speak to Noah about it lest he should be angry with him on account of it.

And in the thirtieth jubilee, in the second week, in the first year
thereof (1429 AM), he took to himself a wife, and her name was Melka, the daughter
of Madai, the son of Japheth, and in the fourth year (1432 AM) he begat a
son, and called his name Shelah; for he said: ‘Truly I have been sent.’
(And in the fourth year he was born), and Shelah grew up and took to himself
a wife, and her name was Mu’ak, the daughter of Kesed, his father’s brother,
in the one and thirtieth jubilee, in the fifth week, in the first year (1499
AM) thereof.

And she bare him a son in the fifth year (1503 AM) thereof, and he called
his name Eber: and he took unto himself a wife, and her name was ‘Az, the
daughter of Nebrod, in the thirty-second jubilee, in the seventh week, in the
third year thereof. (1564 AM)

And in the sixth year (1567 AM) thereof, she bare him a son, and he called
his name Peleg; for in the days when he was born the children of Noah began
to divide the earth amongst themselves: for this reason he called his name Peleg.

And they divided (it) secretly amongst themselves, and told it to Noah.

And it came to pass in the beginning of the thirty-third jubilee (1569 AM)
that they divided the earth into three parts, for Shem and Ham and Japheth,
according to the inheritance of each, in the first year in the first week, when
one of us who had been sent, was with them.

And he called his sons, and they drew nigh to him, they and their children,
and he divided the earth into the lots, which his three sons were to take in
possession, and they reached forth their hands, and took the writing out of
the bosom of Noah, their father.

And there came forth on the writing as Shem’s lot the middle of the earth
which he should take as an inheritance for himself and for his sons for the
generations of eternity, from the middle of the mountain range of Rafa, from
the mouth of the water from the river Tina, and his portion goes towards the
west through the midst of this river, and it extends till it reaches the water
of the abysses, out of which this river goes forth and pours its waters into
the sea Me’at, and this river flows into the great sea. And all that is towards
the north is Japheth’s, and all that is towards the south belongs to Shem.

And it extends till it reaches Karaso: this is in the bosom of the tongue
which looks towards the south.

And his portion extends along the great sea, and it extends in a straight
line till it reaches the west of the tongue which looks towards the south: for
this sea is named the tongue of the Egyptian Sea.

And it turns from here towards the south towards the mouth of the great
sea on the shore of (its) waters, and it extends to the west to ‘Afra, and it
extends till it reaches the waters of the river Gihon, and to the south of the
waters of Gihon, to the banks of this river.

And it extends towards the east, till it reaches the Garden of Eden, to
the south thereof, (to the south) and from the east of the whole land of Eden
and of the whole east, it turns to the east and proceeds till it reaches the
east of the mountain named Rafa, and it descends to the bank of the mouth of
the river Tina.

This portion came forth by lot for Shem and his sons, that they should possess
it for ever unto his generations for evermore.

And Noah rejoiced that this portion came forth for Shem and for his sons,
and he remembered all that he had spoken with his mouth in prophecy; for he
had said: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Shem And may the Lord dwell in the dwelling
of Shem.’

And he knew that the Garden of Eden is the holy of holies, and the dwelling
of the Lord, and Mount Sinai the centre of the desert, and Mount Zion -the centre
of the navel of the earth: these three were created as holy places facing each
other.

And he blessed the God of gods, who had put the word of the Lord into his
mouth, and the Lord for evermore.

And he knew that a blessed portion and a blessing had come to Shem and his
sons unto the generations for ever -the whole land of Eden and the whole land
of the Red Sea, and the whole land of the east and India, and on the Red Sea
and the mountains thereof, and all the land of Bashan, and all the land of Lebanon
and the islands of Kaftur, and all the mountains of Sanir and ‘Amana, and the
mountains of Asshur in the north, and all the land of Elam, Asshur, and Babel,
and Susan and Ma’edai, and all the mountains of Ararat, and all the region beyond
the sea, which is beyond the mountains of Asshur towards the north, a blessed
and spacious land, and all that is in it is very good.

And for Ham came forth the second portion, beyond the Gihon towards the
south to the right of the Garden, and it extends towards the south and it extends
to all the mountains of fire, and it extends towards the west to the sea of
‘Atel and it extends towards the west till it reaches the sea of Ma’uk -that
(sea) into which everything which is not destroyed descends.

And it goes forth towards the north to the limits of Gadir, and it goes
forth to the coast of the waters of the sea to the waters of the great sea till
it draws near to the river Gihon, and goes along the river Gihon till it reaches
the right of the Garden of Eden.

And this is the land which came forth for Ham as the portion which he was
to occupy for ever for himself and his sons unto their generations for ever.

And for Japheth came forth the third portion beyond the river Tina to the
north of the outflow of its waters, and it extends north- easterly to the whole
region of Gog, and to all the country east thereof.

And it extends northerly to the north, and it extends to the mountains of
Qelt towards the north, and towards the sea of Ma’uk, and it goes forth to the
east of Gadir as far as the region of the waters of the sea.

And it extends until it approaches the west of Fara and it returns towards
‘Aferag, and it extends easterly to the waters of the sea of Me’at.

And it extends to the region of the river Tina in a north-easterly direction
until it approaches the boundary of its waters towards the mountain Rafa, and
it turns round towards the north.

This is the land which came forth for Japheth and his sons as the portion
of his inheritance which he should possess for himself and his sons, for their
generations for ever; five great islands, and a great land in the north.

But it is cold, and the land of Ham is hot, and the land of Shem is neither
hot nor cold, but it is of blended cold and heat.