Book of Jasher,
Chapter 1
1 And God said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness, and God created man in his own image.
2 And God formed man from the ground, and
he blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul endowed with speech.
3 And the Lord said, It is not good for
man to be alone; I will make unto him a helpmeet.
4 And the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall
upon Adam, and he slept, and he took away one of his ribs, and he built flesh upon it, and formed it and brought it to Adam,
and Adam awoke from his sleep, and behold a woman was standing before him.
5 And he said, This is a bone of my bones
and it shall be called woman, for this has been taken from man; and Adam called her name Eve, for she was the mother of all
living.
6 And God blessed them and called their
names Adam and Eve in the day that he created them, and the Lord God said, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
7 And the Lord God took Adam and his wife,
and he placed them in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it; and he commanded them and said unto them, From every
tree of the garden you may eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that
you eat thereof you shall surely die.
8 And when God had blessed and commanded
them, he went from them, and Adam and his wife dwelt in the garden according to the command which the Lord had commanded them.
9 And the serpent, which God had created
with them in the earth, came to them to incite them to transgress the command of God which he had commanded them.
10 And the serpent enticed and persuaded
the woman to eat from the tree of knowledge, and the woman hearkened to the voice of the serpent, and she transgressed the
word of God, and took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and she ate, and she took from it and gave also to
her husband and he ate.
11 And Adam and his wife transgressed the
command of God which he commanded them, and God knew it, and his anger was kindled against them and he cursed them.
12 And the Lord God drove them that day
from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which they were taken, and they went and dwelt at the east of the garden
of Eden; and Adam knew his wife Eve and she bore two sons and three daughters.
13 And she called the name of the first
born Cain, saying, I have obtained a man from the Lord, and the name of the other she called Abel, for she said, In vanity
we came into the earth, and in vanity we shall be taken from it.
14 And the boys grew up and their father
gave them a possession in the land; and Cain was a tiller of the ground, and Abel a keeper of sheep.
15 And it was at the expiration of a few
years, that they brought an approximating offering to the Lord, and Cain brought from the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought
from the firstlings of his flock from the fat thereof, and God turned and inclined to Abel and his offering, and a fire came
down from the Lord from heaven and consumed it.
16 And unto Cain and his offering the Lord
did not turn, and he did not incline to it, for he had brought from the inferior fruit of the ground before the Lord, and
Cain was jealous against his brother Abel on account of this, and he sought a pretext to slay him.
17 And in some time after, Cain and Abel
his brother, went one day into the field to do their work; and they were both in the field, Cain tilling and ploughing his
ground, and Abel feeding his flock; and the flock passed that part which Cain had ploughed in the ground, and it sorely grieved
Cain on this account.
18 And Cain approached his brother Abel
in anger, and he said unto him, What is there between me and thee, that thou comest to dwell and bring thy flock to feed in
my land?
19 And Abel answered his brother Cain and
said unto him, What is there between me and thee, that thou shalt eat the flesh of my flock and clothe thyself with their
wool?
20 And now therefore, put off the wool of
my sheep with which thou hast clothed thyself, and recompense me for their fruit and flesh which thou hast eaten, and when
thou shalt have done this, I will then go from thy land as thou hast said?
21 And Cain said to his brother Abel, Surely
if I slay thee this day, who will require thy blood from me?
22 And Abel answered Cain, saying, Surely
God who has made us in the earth, he will avenge my cause, and he will require my blood from thee shouldst thou slay me, for
the Lord is the judge and arbiter, and it is he who will requite man according to his evil, and the wicked man according to
the wickedness that he may do upon earth.
23 And now, if thou shouldst slay me here,
surely God knoweth thy secret views, and will judge thee for the evil which thou didst declare to do unto me this day.
24 And when Cain heard the words which Abel
his brother had spoken, behold the anger of Cain was kindled against his brother Abel for declaring this thing.
25 And Cain hastened and rose up, and took
the iron part of his ploughing instrument, with which he suddenly smote his brother and he slew him, and Cain spilt the blood
of his brother Abel upon the earth, and the blood of Abel streamed upon the earth before the flock.
26 And after this Cain repented having slain
his brother, and he was sadly grieved, and he wept over him and it vexed him exceedingly.
27 And Cain rose up and dug a hole in the
field, wherein he put his brother's body, and he turned the dust over it.
28 And the Lord knew what Cain had done
to his brother, and the Lord appeared to Cain and said unto him, Where is Abel thy brother that was with thee?
29 And Cain dissembled, and said, I do not
know, am I my brother's keeper? And the Lord said unto him, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto
me from the ground where thou hast slain him.
30 For thou hast slain thy brother and hast
dissembled before me, and didst imagine in thy heart that I saw thee not, nor knew all thy actions.
31 But thou didst this thing and didst slay
thy brother for naught and because he spoke rightly to thee, and now, therefore, cursed be thou from the ground which opened
its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand, and wherein thou didst bury him.
32 And it shall be when thou shalt till
it, it shall no more give thee its strength as in the beginning, for thorns and thistles shall the ground produce, and thou
shalt be moving and wandering in the earth until the day of thy death.
33 And at that time Cain went out from the
presence of the Lord, from the place where he was, and he went moving and wandering in the land toward the east of Eden, he
and all belonging to him.
34 And Cain knew his wife in those days,
and she conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Enoch, saying, In that time the Lord began to give him rest and quiet
in the earth.
35 And at that time Cain also began to build
a city: and he built the city and he called the name of the city Enoch, according to the name of his son; for in those days
the Lord had given him rest upon the earth, and he did not move about and wander as in the beginning.
36 And Irad was born to Enoch, and Irad
begat Mechuyael and Mechuyael begat Methusael.
Book of Jasher,
Chapter 2
1 And it was in the hundred and thirtieth
year of the life of Adam upon the earth, that he again knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare a son in his likeness
and in his image, and she called his name Seth, saying, Because God has appointed me another seed in the place of Abel, for
Cain has slain him.
2 And Seth lived one hundred and five years,
and he begat a son; and Seth called the name of his son Enosh, saying, Because in that time the sons of men began to multiply,
and to afflict their souls and hearts by transgressing and rebelling against God.
3 And it was in the days of Enosh that the
sons of men continued to rebel and transgress against God, to increase the anger of the Lord against the sons of men.
4 And the sons of men went and they served
other gods, and they forgot the Lord who had created them in the earth: and in those days the sons of men made images of brass
and iron, wood and stone, and they bowed down and served them.
5 And every man made his god and they bowed
down to them, and the sons of men forsook the Lord all the days of Enosh and his children; and the anger of the Lord was kindled
on account of their works and abominations which they did in the earth.
6 And the Lord caused the waters of the
river Gihon to overwhelm them, and he destroyed and consumed them, and he destroyed the third part of the earth, and notwithstanding
this, the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and their hands were yet extended to do evil in the sight of the
Lord.
7 And in those days there was neither sowing
nor reaping in the earth; and there was no food for the sons of men and the famine was very great in those days.
8 And the seed which they sowed in those
days in the ground became thorns, thistles and briers; for from the days of Adam was this declaration concerning the earth,
of the curse of God, which he cursed the earth, on account of the sin which Adam sinned before the Lord.
9 And it was when men continued to rebel
and transgress against God, and to corrupt their ways, that the earth also became corrupt.
10 And Enosh lived ninety years and he begat
Cainan;
11 And Cainan grew up and he was forty years
old, and he became wise and had knowledge and skill in all wisdom, and he reigned over all the sons of men, and he led the
sons of men to wisdom and knowledge; for Cainan was a very wise man and had understanding in all wisdom, and with his wisdom
he ruled over spirits and demons;
12 And Cainan knew by his wisdom that God
would destroy the sons of men for having sinned upon earth, and that the Lord would in the latter days bring upon them the
waters of the flood.
13 And in those days Cainan wrote upon tablets
of stone, what was to take place in time to come, and he put them in his treasures.
14 And Cainan reigned over the whole earth,
and he turned some of the sons of men to the service of God.
15 And when Cainan was seventy years old,
he begat three sons and two daughters.
16 And these are the names of the children
of Cainan; the name of the first born Mahlallel, the second Enan, and the third Mered, and their sisters were Adah and Zillah;
these are the five children of Cainan that were born to him.
17 And Lamech, the son of Methusael, became
related to Cainan by marriage, and he took his two daughters for his wives, and Adah conceived and bare a son to Lamech, and
she called his name Jabal.
18 And she again conceived and bare a son,
and called his name Jubal; and Zillah, her sister, was barren in those days and had no offspring.
19 For in those days the sons of men began
to trespass against God, and to transgress the commandments which he had commanded to Adam, to be fruitful and multiply in
the earth.
20 And some of the sons of men caused their
wives to drink a draught that would render them barren, in order that they might retain their figures and whereby their beautiful
appearance might not fade.
21 And when the sons of men caused some
of their wives to drink, Zillah drank with them.
22 And the child-bearing women appeared
abominable in the sight of their husbands as widows, whilst their husbands lived, for to the barren ones only they were attached.
23 And in the end of days and years, when
Zillah became old, the Lord opened her womb.
24 And she conceived and bare a son and
she called his name Tubal Cain, saying, After I had withered away have I obtained him from the Almighty God.
25 And she conceived again and bare a daughter,
and she called her name Naamah, for she said, After I had withered away have I obtained pleasure and delight.
26 And Lamech was old and advanced in years,
and his eyes were dim that he could not see, and Tubal Cain, his son, was leading him and it was one day that Lamech went
into the field and Tubal Cain his son was with him, and whilst they were walking in the field, Cain the son of Adam advanced
towards them; for Lamech was very old and could not see much, and Tubal Cain his son was very young.
27 And Tubal Cain told his father to draw
his bow, and with the arrows he smote Cain, who was yet far off, and he slew him, for he appeared to them to be an animal.
28 And the arrows entered Cain's body although
he was distant from them, and he fell to the ground and died.
29 And the Lord requited Cain's evil according
to his wickedness, which he had done to his brother Abel, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken.
30 And it came to pass when Cain had died,
that Lamech and Tubal went to see the animal which they had slain, and they saw, and behold Cain their grandfather was fallen
dead upon the earth.
31 And Lamech was very much grieved at having
done this, and in clapping his hands together he struck his son and caused his death.
32 And the wives of Lamech heard what Lamech
had done, and they sought to kill him.
33 And the wives of Lamech hated him from
that day, because he slew Cain and Tubal Cain, and the wives of Lamech separated from him, and would not hearken to him in
those days.
34 And Lamech came to his wives, and he
pressed them to listen to him about this matter.
35 And he said to his wives Adah and Zillah,
Hear my voice O wives of Lamech, attend to my words, for now you have imagined and said that I slew a man with my wounds,
and a child with my stripes for their having done no violence, but surely know that I am old and grey-headed, and that my
eyes are heavy through age, and I did this thing unknowingly.
36 And the wives of Lamech listened to him
in this matter, and they returned to him with the advice of their father Adam, but they bore no children to him from that
time, knowing that God's anger was increasing in those days against the sons of men, to destroy them with the waters of the
flood for their evil doings.
37 And Mahlallel the son of Cainan lived
sixty-five years and he begat Jared; and Jared lived sixty-two years and he begat Enoch.
Book of Jasher,
Chapter 3
1 And Enoch lived sixty-five years and he
begat Methuselah; and Enoch walked with God after having begot Methuselah, and he served the Lord, and despised the evil ways
of men.
2 And the soul of Enoch was wrapped up in
the instruction of the Lord, in knowledge and in understanding; and he wisely retired from the sons of men, and secreted himself
from them for many days.
3 And it was at the expiration of many years,
whilst he was serving the Lord, and praying before him in his house, that an angel of the Lord called to him from Heaven,
and he said, Here am I.
4 And he said, Rise, go forth from thy house
and from the place where thou dost hide thyself, and appear to the sons of men, in order that thou mayest teach them the way
in which they should go and the work which they must accomplish to enter in the ways of God.
5 And Enoch rose up according to the word
of the Lord, and went forth from his house, from his place and from the chamber in which he was concealed; and he went to
the sons of men and taught them the ways of the Lord, and at that time assembled the sons of men and acquainted them with
the instruction of the Lord.
6 And he ordered it to be proclaimed in
all places where the sons of men dwelt, saying, Where is the man who wishes to know the ways of the Lord and good works? let
him come to Enoch.
7 And all the sons of men then assembled
to him, for all who desired this thing went to Enoch, and Enoch reigned over the sons of men according to the word of the
Lord, and they came and bowed to him and they heard his word.
8 And the spirit of God was upon Enoch,
and he taught all his men the wisdom of God and his ways, and the sons of men served the Lord all the days of Enoch, and they
came to hear his wisdom.
9 And all the kings of the sons of men,
both first and last, together with their princes and judges, came to Enoch when they heard of his wisdom, and they bowed down
to him, and they also required of Enoch to reign over them, to which he consented.
10 And they assembled in all, one hundred
and thirty kings and princes, and they made Enoch king over them and they were all under his power and command.
11 And Enoch taught them wisdom, knowledge,
and the ways of the Lord; and he made peace amongst them, and peace was throughout the earth during the life of Enoch.
12 And Enoch reigned over the sons of men
two hundred and forty-three years, and he did justice and righteousness with all his people, and he led them in the ways of
the Lord.
13 And these are the generations of Enoch,
Methuselah, Elisha, and Elimelech, three sons; and their sisters were Melca and Nahmah, and Methuselah lived eighty-seven
years and he begat Lamech.
14 And it was in the fifty-sixth year of
the life of Lamech when Adam died; nine hundred and thirty years old was he at his death, and his two sons, with Enoch and
Methuselah his son, buried him with great pomp, as at the burial of kings, in the cave which God had told him.
15 And in that place all the sons of men
made a great mourning and weeping on account of Adam; it has therefore become a custom among the sons of men to this day.
16 And Adam died because he ate of the tree
of knowledge; he and his children after him, as the Lord God had spoken.
17 And it was in the year of Adam's death
which was the two hundred and forty-third year of the reign of Enoch, in that time Enoch resolved to separate himself from
the sons of men and to secret himself as at first in order to serve the Lord.
18 And Enoch did so, but did not entirely
secret himself from them, but kept away from the sons of men three days and then went to them for one day.
19 And during the three days that he was
in his chamber, he prayed to, and praised the Lord his God, and the day on which he went and appeared to his subjects he taught
them the ways of the Lord, and all they asked him about the Lord he told them.
20 And he did in this manner for many years,
and he afterward concealed himself for six days, and appeared to his people one day in seven; and after that once in a month,
and then once in a year, until all the kings, princes and sons of men sought for him, and desired again to see the face of
Enoch, and to hear his word; but they could not, as all the sons of men were greatly afraid of Enoch, and they feared to approach
him on account of the Godlike awe that was seated upon his countenance; therefore no man could look at him, fearing he might
be punished and die.
21 And all the kings and princes resolved
to assemble the sons of men, and to come to Enoch, thinking that they might all speak to him at the time when he should come
forth amongst them, and they did so.
22 And the day came when Enoch went forth
and they all assembled and came to him, and Enoch spoke to them the words of the Lord and he taught them wisdom and knowledge,
and they bowed down before him and they said, May the king live! May the king live!
23 And in some time after, when the kings
and princes and the sons of men were speaking to Enoch, and Enoch was teaching them the ways of God, behold an angel of the
Lord then called unto Enoch from heaven, and wished to bring him up to heaven to make him reign there over the sons of God,
as he had reigned over the sons of men upon earth.
24 When at that time Enoch heard this he
went and assembled all the inhabitants of the earth, and taught them wisdom and knowledge and gave them divine instructions,
and he said to them, I have been required to ascend into heaven, I therefore do not know the day of my going.
25 And now therefore I will teach you wisdom
and knowledge and will give you instruction before I leave you, how to act upon earth whereby you may live; and he did so.
26 And he taught them wisdom and knowledge,
and gave them instruction, and he reproved them, and he placed before them statutes and judgments to do upon earth, and he
made peace amongst them, and he taught them everlasting life, and dwelt with them some time teaching them all these things.
27 And at that time the sons of men were
with Enoch, and Enoch was speaking to them, and they lifted up their eyes and the likeness of a great horse descended from
heaven, and the horse paced in the air;
28 And they told Enoch what they had seen,
and Enoch said to them, On my account does this horse descend upon earth; the time is come when I must go from you and I shall
no more be seen by you.
29 And the horse descended at that time
and stood before Enoch, and all the sons of men that were with Enoch saw him.
30 And Enoch then again ordered a voice
to be proclaimed, saying, Where is the man who delighteth to know the ways of the Lord his God, let him come this day to Enoch
before he is taken from us.
31 And all the sons of men assembled and
came to Enoch that day; and all the kings of the earth with their princes and counsellors remained with him that day; and
Enoch then taught the sons of men wisdom and knowledge, and gave them divine instruction; and he bade them serve the Lord
and walk in his ways all the days of their lives, and he continued to make peace amongst them.
32 And it was after this that he rose up
and rode upon the horse; and he went forth and all the sons of men went after him, about eight hundred thousand men; and they
went with him one day's journey.
33 And the second day he said to them, Return
home to your tents, why will you go? perhaps you may die; and some of them went from him, and those that remained went with
him six day's journey; and Enoch said to them every day, Return to your tents, lest you may die; but they were not willing
to return, and they went with him.
34 And on the sixth day some of the men
remained and clung to him, and they said to him, We will go with thee to the place where thou goest; as the Lord liveth, death
only shall separate us.
35 And they urged so much to go with him,
that he ceased speaking to them; and they went after him and would not return;
36 And when the kings returned they caused
a census to be taken, in order to know the number of remaining men that went with Enoch; and it was upon the seventh day that
Enoch ascended into heaven in a whirlwind, with horses and chariots of fire.
37 And on the eighth day all the kings that
had been with Enoch sent to bring back the number of men that were with Enoch, in that place from which he ascended into heaven.
38 And all those kings went to the place
and they found the earth there filled with snow, and upon the snow were large stones of snow, and one said to the other, Come,
let us break through the snow and see, perhaps the men that remained with Enoch are dead, and are now under the stones of
snow, and they searched but could not find him, for he had ascended into heaven.
Book of Jasher,
Chapter 4
1 And all the days that Enoch lived upon
earth, were three hundred and sixty-five years.
2 And when Enoch had ascended into heaven,
all the kings of the earth rose and took Methuselah his son and anointed him, and they caused him to reign over them in the
place of his father.
3 And Methuselah acted uprightly in the
sight of God, as his father Enoch had taught him, and he likewise during the whole of his life taught the sons of men wisdom,
knowledge and the fear of God, and he did not turn from the good way either to the right or to the left.
4 But in the latter days of Methuselah,
the sons of men turned from the Lord, they corrupted the earth, they robbed and plundered each other, and they rebelled against
God and they transgressed, and they corrupted their ways, and would not hearken to the voice of Methuselah, but rebelled against
him.
5 And the Lord was exceedingly wroth against
them, and the Lord continued to destroy the seed in those days, so that there was neither sowing nor reaping in the earth.
6 For when they sowed the ground in order
that they might obtain food for their support, behold, thorns and thistles were produced which they did not sow.
7 And still the sons of men did not turn
from their evil ways, and their hands were still extended to do evil in the sight of God, and they provoked the Lord with
their evil ways, and the Lord was very wroth, and repented that he had made man.
8 And he thought to destroy and annihilate
them and he did so.
9 In those days when Lamech the son of Methuselah
was one hundred and sixty years old, Seth the son of Adam died.
10 And all the days that Seth lived, were
nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
11 And Lamech was one hundred and eighty
years old when he took Ashmua, the daughter of Elishaa the son of Enoch his uncle, and she conceived.
12 And at that time the sons of men sowed
the ground, and a little food was produced, yet the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and they trespassed and
rebelled against God.
13 And the wife of Lamech conceived and
bare him a son at that time, at the revolution of the year.
14 And Methuselah called his name Noah,
saying, The earth was in his days at rest and free from corruption, and Lamech his father called his name Menachem, saying,
This one shall comfort us in our works and miserable toil in the earth, which God had cursed.
15 And the child grew up and was weaned,
and he went in the ways of his father Methuselah, perfect and upright with God.
16 And all the sons of men departed from
the ways of the Lord in those days as they multiplied upon the face of the earth with sons and daughters, and they taught
one another their evil practices and they continued sinning against the Lord.
17 And every man made unto himself a god,
and they robbed and plundered every man his neighbor as well as his relative, and they corrupted the earth, and the earth
was filled with violence.
18 And their judges and rulers went to the
daughters of men and took their wives by force from their husbands according to their choice, and the sons of men in those
days took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals
of one species with the other, in order therewith to provoke the Lord; and God saw the whole earth and it was corrupt, for
all flesh had corrupted its ways upon earth, all men and all animals.
19 And the Lord said, I will blot out man
that I created from the face of the earth, yea from man to the birds of the air, together with cattle and beasts that are
in the field for I repent that I made them.
20 And all men who walked in the ways of
the Lord, died in those days, before the Lord brought the evil upon man which he had declared, for this was from the Lord,
that they should not see the evil which the Lord spoke of concerning the sons of men.
21 And Noah found grace in the sight of
the Lord, and the Lord chose him and his children to raise up seed from them upon the face of the whole earth.
Book of Jasher,
Chapter 5
1 And it was in the eighty-fourth year of
the life of Noah, that Enoch the son of Seth died, he was nine hundred and five years old at his death.
2 And in the one hundred and seventy ninth
year of the life of Noah, Cainan the son of Enosh died, and all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he
died.
3 And in the two hundred and thirty fourth
year of the life of Noah, Mahlallel the son of Cainan died, and the days of Mahlallel were eight hundred and ninety-five years,
and he died.
4 And Jared the son of Mahlallel died in
those days, in the three hundred and thirty-sixth year of the life of Noah; and all the days of Jared were nine hundred and
sixty-two years, and he died.
5 And all who followed the Lord died in
those days, before they saw the evil which God declared to do upon earth.
6 And after the lapse of many years, in
the four hundred and eightieth year of the life of Noah, when all those men, who followed the Lord had died away from amongst
the sons of men, and only Methuselah was then left, God said unto Noah and Methuselah, saying,
7 Speak ye, and proclaim to the sons of
men, saying, Thus saith the Lord, return from your evil ways and forsake your works, and the Lord will repent of the evil
that he declared to do to you, so that it shall not come to pass.
8 For thus saith the Lord, Behold I give
you a period of one hundred and twenty years; if you will turn to me and forsake your evil ways, then will I also turn away
from the evil which I told you, and it shall not exist, saith the Lord.
9 And Noah and Methuselah spoke all the
words of the Lord to the sons of men, day after day, constantly speaking to them.
10 But the sons of men would not hearken
to them, nor incline their ears to their words, and they were stiffnecked.
11 And the Lord granted them a period of
one hundred and twenty years, saying, If they will return, then will God repent of the evil, so as not to destroy the earth.
12 Noah the son of Lamech refrained from
taking a wife in those days, to beget children, for he said, Surely now God will destroy the earth, wherefore then shall I
beget children?
13 And Noah was a just man, he was perfect
in his generation, and the Lord chose him to raise up seed from his seed upon the face of the earth.
14 And the Lord said unto Noah, Take unto
thee a wife, and beget children, for I have seen thee righteous before me in this generation.
15 And thou shalt raise up seed, and thy
children with thee, in the midst of the earth; and Noah went and took a wife, and he chose Naamah the daughter of Enoch, and
she was five hundred and eighty years old.
16 And Noah was four hundred and ninety-eight
years old, when he took Naamah for a wife.
17 And Naamah conceived and bare a son,
and he called his name Japheth, saying, God has enlarged me in the earth; and she conceived again and bare a son, and he called
his name Shem, saying, God has made me a remnant, to raise up seed in the midst of the earth.
18 And Noah was five hundred and two years
old when Naamah bare Shem, and the boys grew up and went in the ways of the Lord, in all that Methuselah and Noah their father
taught them.
19 And Lamech the father of Noah, died in
those days; yet verily he did not go with all his heart in the ways of his father, and he died in the hundred and ninety-fifth
year of the life of Noah.
20 And all the days of Lamech were seven
hundred and seventy years, and he died.
21 And all the sons of men who knew the
Lord, died in that year before the Lord brought evil upon them; for the Lord willed them to die, so as not to behold the evil
that God would bring upon their brothers and relatives, as he had so declared to do.
22 In that time, the Lord said to Noah and
Methuselah, Stand forth and proclaim to the sons of men all the words that I spoke to you in those days, peradventure they
may turn from their evil ways, and I will then repent of the evil and will not bring it.
23 And Noah and Methuselah stood forth,
and said in the ears of the sons of men, all that God had spoken concerning them.
24 But the sons of men would not hearken,
neither would they incline their ears to all their declarations.
25 And it was after this that the Lord said
to Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me, on account of their evil deeds, and behold I will destroy the earth.
26 And do thou take unto thee gopher wood,
and go to a certain place and make a large ark, and place it in that spot.
27 And thus shalt thou make it; three hundred
cubits its length, fifty cubits broad and thirty cubits high.
28 And thou shalt make unto thee a door,
open at its side, and to a cubit thou shalt finish above, and cover it within and without with pitch.
29 And behold I will bring the flood of
waters upon the earth, and all flesh be destroyed, from under the heavens all that is upon earth shall perish.
30 And thou and thy household shall go and
gather two couple of all living things, male and female, and shall bring them to the ark, to raise up seed from them upon
earth.
31 And gather unto thee all food that is
eaten by all the animals, that there may be food for thee and for them.
32 And thou shalt choose for thy sons three
maidens, from the daughters of men, and they shall be wives to thy sons.
33 And Noah rose up, and he made the ark,
in the place where God had commanded him, and Noah did as God had ordered him.
34 In his five hundred and ninety-fifth
year Noah commenced to make the ark, and he made the ark in five years, as the Lord had commanded.
35 Then Noah took the three daughters of
Eliakim, son of Methuselah, for wives for his sons, as the Lord had commanded Noah.
36 And it was at that time Methuselah the
son of Enoch died, nine hundred and sixty years old was he, at his death.
Book of Jasher,
Chapter 6
1 At that time, after the death of Methuselah,
the Lord said to Noah, Go thou with thy household into the ark; behold I will gather to thee all the animals of the earth,
the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and they shall all come and surround the ark.
2 And thou shalt go and seat thyself by
the doors of the ark, and all the beasts, the animals, and the fowls, shall assemble and place themselves before thee, and
such of them as shall come and crouch before thee, shalt thou take and deliver into the hands of thy sons, who shall bring
them to the ark, and all that will stand before thee thou shalt leave.
3 And the Lord brought this about on the
next day, and animals, beasts and fowls came in great multitudes and surrounded the ark.
4 And Noah went and seated himself by the
door of the ark, and of all flesh that crouched before him, he brought into the ark, and all that stood before him he left
upon earth.
5 And a lioness came, with her two whelps,
male and female, and the three crouched before Noah, and the two whelps rose up against the lioness and smote her, and made
her flee from her place, and she went away, and they returned to their places, and crouched upon the earth before Noah.
6 And the lioness ran away, and stood in
the place of the lions.
7 And Noah saw this, and wondered greatly,
and he rose and took the two whelps, and brought them into the ark.
8 And Noah brought into the ark from all
living creatures that were upon earth, so that there was none left but which Noah brought into the ark.
9 Two and two came to Noah into the ark,
but from the clean animals, and clean fowls, he brought seven couples, as God had commanded him.
10 And all the animals, and beasts, and
fowls, were still there, and they surrounded the ark at every place, and the rain had not descended till seven days after.
11 And on that day, the Lord caused the
whole earth to shake, and the sun darkened, and the foundations of the world raged, and the whole earth was moved violently,
and the lightning flashed, and the thunder roared, and all the fountains in the earth were broken up, such as was not known
to the inhabitants before; and God did this mighty act, in order to terrify the sons of men, that there might be no more evil
upon earth.
12 And still the sons of men would not return
from their evil ways, and they increased the anger of the Lord at that time, and did not even direct their hearts to all this.
13 And at the end of seven days, in the
six hundredth year of the life of Noah, the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
14 And all the fountains of the deep were
broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
15 And Noah and his household, and all the
living creatures that were with him, came into the ark on account of the waters of the flood, and the Lord shut him in.
16 And all the sons of men that were left
upon the earth, became exhausted through evil on account of the rain, for the waters were coming more violently upon the earth,
and the animals and beasts were still surrounding the ark.
17 And the sons of men assembled together,
about seven hundred thousand men and women, and they came unto Noah to the ark.
18 And they called to Noah, saying, Open
for us that we may come to thee in the ark--and wherefore shall we die?
19 And Noah, with a loud voice, answered
them from the ark, saying, Have you not all rebelled against the Lord, and said that he does not exist? and therefore the
Lord brought upon you this evil, to destroy and cut you off from the face of the earth.
20 Is not this the thing that I spoke to
you of one hundred and twenty years back, and you would not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and now do you desire to live
upon earth?
21 And they said to Noah, We are ready to
return to the Lord; only open for us that we may live and not die.
22 And Noah answered them, saying, Behold
now that you see the trouble of your souls, you wish to return to the Lord; why did you not return during these hundred and
twenty years, which the Lord granted you as the determined period?
23 But now you come and tell me this on
account of the troubles of your souls, now also the Lord will not listen to you, neither will he give ear to you on this day,
so that you will not now succeed in your wishes.
24 And the sons of men approached in order
to break into the ark, to come in on account of the rain, for they could not bear the rain upon them.
25 And the Lord sent all the beasts and
animals that stood round the ark. And the beasts overpowered them and drove them from that place, and every man went his way
and they again scattered themselves upon the face of the earth.
26 And the rain was still descending upon
the earth, and it descended forty days and forty nights, and the waters prevailed greatly upon the earth; and all flesh that
was upon the earth or in the waters died, whether men, animals, beasts, creeping things or birds of the air, and there only
remained Noah and those that were with him in the ark.
27 And the waters prevailed and they greatly
increased upon the earth, and they lifted up the ark and it was raised from the earth.
28 And the ark floated upon the face of
the waters, and it was tossed upon the waters so that all the living creatures within were turned about like pottage in a
cauldron.
29 And great anxiety seized all the living
creatures that were in the ark, and the ark was like to be broken.
30 And all the living creatures that were
in the ark were terrified, and the lions roared, and the oxen lowed, and the wolves howled, and every living creature in the
ark spoke and lamented in its own language, so that their voices reached to a great distance, and Noah and his sons cried
and wept in their troubles; they were greatly afraid that they had reached the gates of death.
31 And Noah prayed unto the Lord, and cried
unto him on account of this, and he said, O Lord help us, for we have no strength to bear this evil that has encompassed us,
for the waves of the waters have surrounded us, mischievous torrents have terrified us, the snares of death have come before
us; answer us, O Lord, answer us, light up thy countenance toward us and be gracious to us, redeem us and deliver us.
32 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of
Noah, and the Lord remembered him.
33 And a wind passed over the earth, and
the waters were still and the ark rested.
34 And the fountains of the deep and the
windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
35 And the waters decreased in those days,
and the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.
36 And Noah then opened the windows of the
ark, and Noah still called out to the Lord at that time and he said, O Lord, who didst form the earth and the heavens and
all that are therein, bring forth our souls from this confinement, and from the prison wherein thou hast placed us, for I
am much wearied with sighing.
37 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of
Noah, and said to him, When though shalt have completed a full year thou shalt then go forth.
38 And at the revolution of the year, when
a full year was completed to Noah's dwelling in the ark, the waters were dried from off the earth, and Noah put off the covering
of the ark.
39 At that time, on the twenty-seventh day
of the second month, the earth was dry, but Noah and his sons, and those that were with him, did not go out from the ark until
the Lord told them.
40 And the day came that the Lord told them
to go out, and they all went out from the ark.
41 And they went and returned every one
to his way and to his place, and Noah and his sons dwelt in the land that God had told them, and they served the Lord all
their days, and the Lord blessed Noah and his sons on their going out from the ark.
42 And he said to them, Be fruitful and
fill all the earth; become strong and increase abundantly in the earth and multiply therein.
Book of Jasher,
Chapter 7
1 And these are the names of the sons of
Noah: Japheth, Ham and Shem; and children were born to them after the flood, for they had taken wives before the flood.
2 These are the sons of Japheth; Gomer,
Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras, seven sons.
3 And the sons of Gomer were Askinaz, Rephath
and Tegarmah.
4 And the sons of Magog were Elichanaf and
Lubal.
5 And the children of Madai were Achon,
Zeelo, Chazoni and Lot.
6 And the sons of Javan were Elisha, Tarshish,
Chittim and Dudonim.
7 And the sons of Tubal were Ariphi, Kesed
and Taari.
8 And the sons of Meshech were Dedon, Zaron
and Shebashni.
9 And the sons of Tiras were Benib, Gera,
Lupirion and Gilak; these are the sons of Japheth according to their families, and their numbers in those days were about
four hundred and sixty men.
10 And these are the sons of Ham; Cush,
Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan, four sons; and the sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama and Satecha, and the sons of Raama
were Sheba and Dedan.
11 And the sons of Mitzraim were Lud, Anom
and Pathros, Chasloth and Chaphtor.
12 And the sons of Phut were Gebul, Hadan,
Benah and Adan.
13 And the sons of Canaan were Zidon, Heth,
Amori, Gergashi, Hivi, Arkee, Seni, Arodi, Zimodi and Chamothi.
14 These are the sons of Ham, according
to their families, and their numbers in those days were about seven hundred and thirty men.
15 And these are the sons of Shem; Elam,
Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, five sons; and the sons of Elam were Shushan, Machul and Harmon.
16 And the sons of Ashar were Mirus and
Mokil, and the sons of Arpachshad were Shelach, Anar and Ashcol.
17 And the sons of Lud were Pethor and Bizayon,
and the sons of Aram were Uz, Chul, Gather and Mash.
18 These are the sons of Shem, according
to their families; and their numbers in those days were about three hundred men.
15
19 These are the generations of Shem; Shem
begat Arpachshad and Arpachshad begat Shelach, and Shelach begat Eber and to Eber were born two children, the name of one
was Peleg, for in his days the sons of men were divided, and in the latter days, the earth was divided.
20 And the name of the second was Yoktan,
meaning that in his day the lives of the sons of men were diminished and lessened.
21 These are the sons of Yoktan; Almodad,
Shelaf, Chazarmoveth, Yerach, Hadurom, Ozel, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab; all these are the sons
of Yoktan.
22 And Peleg his brother begat Yen, and
Yen begat Serug, and Serug begat Nahor and Nahor begat Terah, and Terah was thirty-eight years old, and he begat Haran and
Nahor.
23 And Cush the son of Ham, the son of Noah,
took a wife in those days in his old age, and she bare a son, and they called his name Nimrod, saying, At that time the sons
of men again began to rebel and transgress against God, and the child grew up, and his father loved him exceedingly, for he
was the son of his old age.
24 And the garments of skin which God made
for Adam and his wife, when they went out of the garden, were given to Cush.
25 For after the death of Adam and his wife,
the garments were given to Enoch, the son of Jared, and when Enoch was taken up to God, he gave them to Methuselah, his son.
26 And at the death of Methuselah, Noah
took them and brought them to the ark, and they were with him until he went out of the ark.
27 And in their going out, Ham stole those
garments from Noah his father, and he took them and hid them from his brothers.
28 And when Ham begat his first born Cush,
he gave him the garments in secret, and they were with Cush many days.
29 And Cush also concealed them from his
sons and brothers, and when Cush had begotten Nimrod, he gave him those garments through his love for him, and Nimrod grew
up, and when he was twenty years old he put on those garments.
30 And Nimrod became strong when he put
on the garments, and God gave him might and strength, and he was a mighty hunter in the earth, yea, he was a mighty hunter
in the field, and he hunted the animals and he built altars, and he offered upon them the animals before the Lord.
31 And Nimrod strengthened himself, and
he rose up from amongst his brethren, and he fought the battles of his brethren against all their enemies round about.
32 And the Lord delivered all the enemies
of his brethren in his hands, and God prospered him from time to time in his battles, and he reigned upon earth.
33 Therefore it became current in those
days, when a man ushered forth those that he had trained up for battle, he would say to them, Like God did to Nimrod, who
was a mighty hunter in the earth, and who succeeded in the battles that prevailed against his brethren, that he delivered
them from the hands of their enemies, so may God strengthen us and deliver us this day.
34 And when Nimrod was forty years old,
at that time there was a war between his brethren and the children of Japheth, so that they were in the power of their enemies.
35 And Nimrod went forth at that time, and
he assembled all the sons of Cush and their families, about four hundred and sixty men, and he hired also from some of his
friends and acquaintances about eighty men, and be gave them their hire, and he went with them to battle, and when he was
on the road, Nimrod strengthened the hearts of the people that went with him.
36 And he said to them, Do not fear, neither
be alarmed, for all our enemies will be delivered into our hands, and you may do with them as you please.
37 And all the men that went were about
five hundred, and they fought against their enemies, and they destroyed them, and subdued them, and Nimrod placed standing
officers over them in their respective places.
38 And he took some of their children as
security, and they were all servants to Nimrod and to his brethren, and Nimrod and all the people that were with him turned
homeward.
39 And when Nimrod had joyfully returned
from battle, after having conquered his enemies, all his brethren, together with those who knew him before, assembled to make
him king over them, and they placed the regal crown upon his head.
40 And he set over his subjects and people,
princes, judges, and rulers, as is the custom amongst kings.
41 And he placed Terah the son of Nahor
the prince of his host, and he dignified him and elevated him above all his princes.
42 And whilst he was reigning according
to his heart's desire, after having conquered all his enemies around, he advised with his counselors to build a city for his
palace, and they did so.
43 And they found a large valley opposite
to the east, and they built him a large and extensive city, and Nimrod called the name of the city that he built Shinar, for
the Lord had vehemently shaken his enemies and destroyed them.
44 And Nimrod dwelt in Shinar, and he reigned
securely, and he fought with his enemies and he subdued them, and he prospered in all his battles, and his kingdom became
very great.
45 And all nations and tongues heard of
his fame, and they gathered themselves to him, and they bowed down to the earth, and they brought him offerings, and he became
their lord and king, and they all dwelt with him in the city at Shinar, and Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons
of Noah, and they were all under his power and counsel.
46 And all the earth was of one tongue and
words of union, but Nimrod did not go in the ways of the Lord, and he was more wicked than all the men that were before him,
from the days of the flood until those days.
47 And he made gods of wood and stone, and
he bowed down to them, and he rebelled against the Lord, and taught all his subjects and the people of the earth his wicked
ways; and Mardon his son was more wicked than his father.
48 And every one that heard of the acts
of Mardon the son of Nimrod would say, concerning him, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness; therefore it became a proverb
in the whole earth, saying, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness, and it was current in the words of men from that time
to this.
49 And Terah the son of Nahor, prince of
Nimrod's host, was in those days very great in the sight of the king and his subjects, and the king and princes loved him,
and they elevated him very high.
50 And Terah took a wife and her name was
Amthelo the daughter of Cornebo; and the wife of Terah conceived and bare him a son in those days.
51 Terah was seventy years old when he begat
him, and Terah called the name of his son that was born to him Abram, because the king had raised him in those days, and dignified
him above all his princes that were with him.
