A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

The Book of Adam and Eve Book 4

4.1

THEN when Terah was two hundred and thirty years old, he fell sick, and called his son Abraham and said unto him: O my son, I wish to die.

Abraham stood up and comforted him, paid him all due honour, and did not aggrieve him about his being a maker of idols.

For Abraham his son, was a righteous man, and could not bear idols; he paid him all due respect, as being his father.

Then Terah died; and Abraham and Nahor buried him in a mountain. when Abraham was grown up, God said unto him: Abraham, come out; of your land, of your kindred, and of your fathers house; and go to the land that I will show you.

Then Abraham arose, and took Sarah his wife, and Lot his brothers son, and they came to the land of the Amorites.

And Abraham was seventy years old when he saw this vision; and this was his first wandering from the land of the east, to the western side of the river Euphrates.

So Abraham came, and dwelt among kings; and those kings rose up against his brothers son, and carried him away captive.

Then Abraham took his servants, and all those who were about him, and came to his brothers son, and delivered him out of their hands.

At that time Abraham was eighty years old, and no son was born to him, because that Sarah his wife, was barren.

Then as he was returning from the war with those kings, the grace of God drew him, until he had passed over the hill of Nablus; and from the hill of Nablus, he came near to Jerusalem, before it was built.

Then Melchisedec, priest of the Most High God, came out, and welcomed him with joy. And Abraham, when he saw Melchisedec, made haste and bowed to him in worship, and kissed him on the face; and Melchisedec gave him a good blessing.

Then Abraham gave Melchisedec a tenth of all he had with him.

After that Abraham communed with Melchisedec of the holy mysteries which Melchisedec had consecrated with his own hand. For that was an exalted place, not by mans hand, God Himself had anointed it.

After Abraham had communed with Melchisedec, God said unto Abraham: Fear not, great is your reward with Me; and in like manner as Melchisedec My high priest blessed you, and made you partaker with himself of Holy Mysteries, so will I make you partaker with him of heavenly grace.

Again did God say to Abraham, In blessing will I bless you, and in multiplying will I multiply your seed upon the face of the earth.

4:2.

AFTER this there was a famine in the land of Palestine; and Abraham went down into the land of Egypt. 

— the name of the land was initially called the land of Canaan, but the Romans, after expelling the Jews sometimes around AD135, Hadrain renamed it from Judean province to “the land of Palaestina” so this fourth portion of the Book of Adam and Eve could well be added by Christians living after this era;

And Sarah his wife was with him, and she was good-looking.

So Abraham said to her: Do not say, I am Abraham’s wife, lest they kill me and take you from me. say, I am his sister.

Then when they came into the land of Egypt, men spake to Pharoh king of Egypt, and said to him: Behold a man has come here; and with him is his beautiful sister.

Then Pharoh sent and took her from Abraham, who remained weeping. God in His mercy sent an angel who smote Pharoh and said to him: Send back to Abraham his wife, lest God kill you.

Then in the morning, Pharoh called Abraham and said unto him: Forgive me. He then gave him his wife Sarah; and gave to Sarah, Hagar the Egyptian, and gave her many presents.

After this Abraham took Sarah his wife, with Hagar her maid-servant, and returned to Palestine.

And after that, Abraham took to himself Hagar to wife, who bare him Ishmael, when Abraham was eighty-seven years old. In that Abraham said: Sarah is my sister.

He did not lie; inasmuch as Terah, his father, married two wives; one of which was called Tona, the mother of Abraham, who died shortly after he was born.

Then Terah married again another wife whose name was Tahdif, who bare him Sarah, whom Abraham married, and for that reason said: She is my sister, on my father’s side, not on my mother’s.

After this, when Abraham was dwelling in tents, the Lord came to him with angels of His, and gave him a sign of the birth of his son Isaac, who was born to him when he was a hundred years old.

The Lord showed him also many mysteries.

Then days after this, God said to Abraham when Isaac was fourteen years old: Offer unto me your son Isaac, in oblation.

Then Abraham fortified himself and took courage for this trial; and brought his son to offer him in oblation to God. God redeemed Isaac with a lamb that was tied to a bush.

And the bush to which the lamb was tied, is the very place into which the tree of the Cross was planted.

And the lamb that saved Isaac from death, was a figure of the Lamb of God who saved us all from death.

That mountain also, on which king David saw an angel standing with a sharp sword of fire in his hand, as if going to smite Jerusalem with it, is the place where Abraham saw with the eye of the Holy Ghost, the Son of God, hanging on it.

For this reason did the Lord say to the Jews, Abraham, your father, rejoiced and longed to see my day, and he did see it, and was glad.

Again this is the place, as the blessed Paul said: For the sake of Jesus Christ my Lord, I am minister of the circumcision, where Christ was circumcised on the eighth day; that is also the place where the patriarch Abraham offered up an oblation to God.

And again, as it was in the days of Moses, when they offered up a lamb for the sins of the people, to cleanse them from their sins, so also did the Lamb of God offer up Himself in oblation for us, to set us free from our sins.

4:3.

After this Melchisedec showed himself to men, who saw him, and who were comforted by his words, everywhere. The kings of the earth and peoples, when they heard his voice, did gather together; a multitude of creatures and of kings; that numbered twelve hosts.

They came to him and bowed to him in worship, and were blessed by him, and asked him, saying, Come, let us make you king over us. Melchisedec king of Salem, and priest of the Most High God, would not.

And the kings wondered at his beauty; their hearts were drawn to him by his discourse, and they fell down at his feet in worship; and they asked God, that Melchisedec might dwell among them in their palaces.

Melchisedec would not, and said unto them: I cannot leave this place, and go to another one.

So those kings said among themselves: Let every one of us who can, come, and let us build a city on this mountain for Melchisedec.

They all took pleasure in the work, brought together materials in abundance, and built the City of Jerusalem, that means the middle of the earth.

Then Melchisedec continued to dwell in it, at that place; and the kings came, and were blessed by him, until the day of his departure, when his life ended in this world.

4:4.

After this, Abraham ordered one of his servants, to take a wife for his son Isaac; and adjured him not to marry Isaac, to one of his own kindred.

And Abraham entered into rest when one hundred and seventy-five years old; and Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him.

Then Isaac married when he was forty years old; and Esau and Jacob his sons, were born unto him when he was about sixty years of age.

And God blessed Isaac greatly.

Then after this Jacob went to the land of Haran, to Laban, his mothers brother, and married his two daughters Leah and Rachel.

He had by Leah, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; and by Rachel he had Joseph and Benjamin.

Then he had also by Zilpah, Leah’s maid-servant, Gad and Aser; and by Bilhah, Rachel’s maid-servant, he had Dan and Naphtali.

And about twenty years after Jacob’s return from the land of Haran, before his father Isaac died, Joseph was sold by his brothers, because they were jealous of him.

When Isaac died, his two sons Esau and Jacob came to him, embalmed him, and laid him in the sepulchre of his father.

Then six years after the death of Isaac, Rebecca died; and they buried her by Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

And when, after that Leah, Jacob’s wife died, they buried her by the side of them.

Then after this Judah took to himself a wife whose name was Habwadiya, that means, house-wife; in the law her name is Sewa.

She was of a Canaanite family, and Jacobs heart suffered much on that account; and he said to Judah his son who had married that wife: The God of Abraham and of Isaac will not allow the seed of this Canaanite woman to mingle with my seed.

Some days after this, Sewa bare three sons unto Judah, whose names were Er, Onan, and Selah.

And when Er was grown up, Judah married him, his first-born son, unto a woman named Tamar, daughter of Kadesh Levi.

And Er continued with her a long time, and behaved after the manner of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah.

God looked down upon his evil deeds and killed him.

Then Judah married his son Onan to Tamar, saying, He shall raise seed unto his brother. him also did God kill because of his evil deeds; on account of Jacobs curse, that no Canaanitish seed should mingle with his own.

So God would not let any of it mingle with that of Jacob the righteous.

Therefore did Tamar go to Judah her father-in-law, who had intercourse with her, not knowing she was his sons wife; and she bare unto him twins, Pharez and Zarah.

4:5.

After this Jacob went to Joseph, and continued fourteen years in the land of Egypt, where he died at the age of one hundred and fifty-seven; when the good Joseph was fifty-three years old.

Then when he was dead, Joseph called cunning Egyptian embalmers, who embalmed him beautifully; and then Joseph carried his body to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the sepulchre of his fathers Abraham and Isaac.

After this Pharez begat Judah, and Judah begat Ezrom, and Ezrom begat Aram; and Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naason.

And this Naason was great among the sons of Judah; and the daughter of Aminadab married Eleazar the son of Aaron, who prayed to God, until His wrath abated.

So, O my son, have I told you in detail the genealogies from the first until now.

4:6.

After this, there began to issue a race from Naason, who was great among the sons of Judah; and from him began a kingdom and a priesthood, and the Jews became celebrated through him.

Then Naason begat Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab.

And you must know that from Boaz and Ruth the Moabitess, began the kingdom whereby Lot, the son of Abraham’s brother, obtained a share (in the generations) of the kingdom (of Judah).

For God denied not seed to Lot, neither would He cut it short. For this Lot was righteous, and shared all Abraham’s troubles with him; and received the angels of God in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Therefore did God give to Lots children fellowship in the kingdom, and that was (reckoned) for righteousness unto Lot the righteous.

For this reason also were (Lots children) mentioned among the genealogies of the kingdom of Abraham and of Lot; for Christ was born of their seed.

Then again, Obed, Ruths son, was of Lots seed, on his mothers (side); and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king.

And king David begat Solomon; all these are of Ruth the Moabites.

Again, Amnan, the daughter of (Dan), king of the Ammo nites, was of Lots seed; and Solomon the king took this daughter of Dan to wife; and had by her, Rehoboam, who reigned after Solomon.

King Solomon took to himself many wives, seven hundred daughters of kings, three hundred concubines, one thousand in number.

Although Solomon took to himself these many wives, they did not bare him a single male child, Rehoboam, of Amnan, the daughter of Dan, king of Ammon; who was of a blessed race.

So, again, God would not allow the seed of Canaanites to mingle with that of strange peoples, which God had made strangers.

And this shows that Christ came of the seed of Abraham the blessed father, and of Lot his brothers son.

And all the families of the children of Israel in the land of Egypt, were Levi, Amram, Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh; all these were great chiefs over their peoples.

4:7.

As to Moses, when they had thrown him into the river, Sephorah, the daughter of Pharoh, took him up thence, and brought him up.

She it is, whom the Hebrews call Mariam, the mother of Moses.

And Moses abode forty years in Pharoh’s house; and other forty years in the land of Midian, before God spake to him.

Then again, when God spake to Moses from within the bush his tongue faltered; and (his) tongue was, as God said: From the time that I spake to My servant Moses, he was of a faltering tongue.

And Moses dwelt forty years in the land of Egypt, and forty years in the land of Midian, with the priest Jethro, his fatherin-law; then forty years more in the wilderness; when Moses died, aged one hundred and twenty years.

Then after him arose Joshua, the ton of Nun. He was twenty-seven years judge over the children of Israel, and exercised judgment over them; he was prophet among them, and kept them, and led them in the right way; and he entered into rest and died, when sixty years old.

Then after him arose Kusarat the judge, eight years, and he died; and after him Phutamiral, the son of Kaba, judged the children of Israel forty years, and died.

After him Naod, son of Phuru, judged the children of Israel eighty years.

In the twenty-fifth year of Naod, ended fourr thousand years since Adam.

Naod died, and Sikar judged the children of Israel. in his days a king of Canaan rose against Sikar, wishing to make war against him.

God gave Sikar victory over him, whom he defeated; and Sikar judged forty years.

After him Tarod was judge over the people of Israel, forty years; and after him Abimelec judged ten years, and died.

And after him Banu, son of Tuorani, judged twenty-three years, and died.

After him Yar of Phila, judged twenty-two years, and died.

After him the son of Aminadab, judged fifty-eight years, and died.

And after him the daughter of Nasyamu judged seven years, and died.

After her, Ansyus judged seven years, and died; and after him the Philistine judged forty years.

God gave him into the hands of the champion Samson, who slew him.

Then the champion Samson arose and was judge over the children of Israel twenty years, and then died.

Then the children of Israel were left without a judge twelve years, when Eli the priest began to judge; and judged them forty years, and then died.

After him Samuel was judge over the children of Israel forty years, and died.

Then after him, Saul reigned over them forty years, and died.

Then after him, David reigned over the children of Israel forty years, and then died.

And after him, his son Solomon arose, who also reigned forty years over the children of Israel, and then died.

He wrought more wonders in the earth than all other kings, who were before him. For he was the first whom God filled with wisdom.

So that he made (and did) many things peculiar to him; so far as to make a ship, and go in it to the city of Saphir; (where) he wrought gold in ornaments, and brought it to Jerusalem.

During his reign, there was great peace; there was no trouble; there was peace between him and Hiram king of Tyre; who reigned five hundred years over the city of Tyre, and whose kingdom lasted from the reign of Solomon, to that of Zedekiah;

Until, from the length of his days and of his years, and from the greatness of his kingdom, he exalted himself and said: I am a god, and no man.

God was wroth against him because of his evil deed;

And God looked down upon it, and delivered him into the hands of king Nebuchadnezzar who put him to death; removed his army, and took his spoil.

4:8.

We will inform you of the things king Solomon gave every day in his house.

On account of his many wives, they made bread in his house of thirty cores of fine flour; one hundred cores of wheat flour, which hardly sufficed.

And they slaughtered in his house daily, ten bullocks well-fatted, and twenty fat oxen, and one hundred sheep; besides what they slew of buffaloes, gazelles and wild deer, which they hunted every day.

And in Solomon’s house they drank daily fourr hundred basins of wine. And many other things did they.

And Solomon reigned over his large kingdom with the greatest wisdom ever found. He did not keep his soul; but inclined his heart to the love of women, and forsook God who had created him, and who had given him this kingdom.

And he died in his denial of Him, and in his sins.

After him reigned Rehoboam, his son, seventeen years, and did evil. He defiled Jerusalem with abominable sacrifices, and sacrificed to satan; and adultery increased greatly in his days.

Wherefore God cut of his kingdom swiftly; and took it from the house of David.

In the fifth year of Rehoboam, a king whose name was Susakim came up against Jerusalem.

He took all the spoil of the temple, and spoiled all Rehoboam had, and spoiled all the house of David, and removed them and took them to his own country.

And he boasted, and said to the Jews: The things I have taken from you as spoil, are goods that belonged to my fathers, of which your fathers spoiled them, when they came out of the land of Egypt, and which they brought unto this place; and behold, I have taken them from you.

And Rehoboam died in his denial (of God);

And after him, his son Abius, reigned twenty years over the children of Israel. He, too, walked in his fathers ways, by reason of Makia his mother, the daughter of Absalom; wherefore, did he many wicked things, and then died.

After him arose Asaph his son, who reigned forty-one years over the children of Israel.

He did what was right, just and good before God; he brake down the idols that were in his day, and removed their images from the face of the land; and he took his wicked mother Anna, and threw her down from the roof (of her house) and she died, because of her adulteries.

After that, came Eleazar a black king, who was king of Endena, to fight Asaph.

God delivered him into the hands of Asaph, who defeated him.

Then Asaph died; and his son Jehoshaphat reigned in his stead. He also did that which is just and good before God, and pleased God all his days, and then died.

Then his son Aram reigned in his stead; he transgressed the commandments of God, and forsook His law, and sacrificed unto idols.

Then Zambri rose up against him, made war against him, and he died in his denial (of God).

Then Yusia, his son, reigned (after him); on account of his transgressions, God delivered him into the hands of his enemies, who put him to death.

When he was dead, his mother rose up against all the royal children and put them to death, and said: I will take the kingdom from the house of David.

Then Yusabet daughter of the king of Aram, arose, took Agragarina, and slew him before the eyes of the royal children that were left.

When she had put him to death, she feared, and hid herself and those with her, under a bed.

And Gotholia was queen over the children of Israel, and died.

Then the whole people of Israel said: Whom shall we make king over us.

Then when Yuda the high priest heard they spake so, he gathered together the whole of the Jews within the Temple, and waited until the messengers of thousands and the messengers of hundreds came;

And then Yuda the high priest, said to them: What do you require of me, and who is he whom you will make king over the house of David.

Then they said to him: You have authority.

Then Yuda rose and took Barsia, and brought him before them, and said to them: Does this one suit you for a king.

The people were pleased with him; so Yuda brought him into the house of God, and set him over the kingdom; then all the people rejoiced, and the whole country was quiet in his days; and he was king in Jerusalem forty years.

Barsia did not bear in mind all the good things Yuda the priest had told him; he took him and put him to death.

After this, enemies rose up against Barsia and put him also to death.

4:9.

After him his son Amazias reigned twenty-nine years, and put to death those who had killed his father; he did not put to death their children, so as to fulfil the law of Moses, that says, You shall not put to death children for the sins of their fathers.

Then Amazias died;

And after him Ozia reigned fifty-two years, and in his reign exercised justice and judgment, and right before God.

Yet did he do one wicked act, and that was that, without due orders, he offered sacrifices unto God, and oblations that did not become him.

So he died. After him Yonathan his son, reigned sixteen years. during his reign, he did evil before God, and angered his Creator, and forsook His commandment and His law; and burnt incense to idols, and sacrificed unto them.

For this reason did God deliver him to death, into the hands of Caran, king of Elmosal.

And when the king of Elmosal led him away (captive), he (Yonathan) took all the vessels he found in the house of God, and sent them all to the great king of Elmosal; and left nothing in the house of God.

In the days of this king, did the children of Israel, go the first time into captivity.

He removed them to his own country, and the land of Israel remained bare.

Then the king of Elmosal, sent people to dwell in the land and to till it, instead of the children of Israel who had left it.

When those people came to dwell in that land, (wild) beasts rent them asunder and devoured them, and prevailed against them in all the borders of the land.

Then they sent word to the king in their own tongue, and asked him to send them Urias the priest, to give them the law, so that wild beasts should no longer come near them, and hurt them.

When the king heard this he sent them Urias the priest, and commanded him to give them a law, for them to keep, so that the wild beasts hurt them not.

Urias the priest came, and did as the king had commanded him, and he gave the people the law of the Jews; it was in their hands, they recited it and ruled themselves after it.

And those were the Samar; whom the king, of whom we have just spoken, had sent to till the land of Israel.

Then Yunathan died, and after him reigned Akaz his son, who did well before God, and then died.

After him reigned his son Hezkias, when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-two years; and did good, and judgment, equity and justice; and he pleased the Lord; he kept His law and His commandments; he brake down the idols, and destroyed their houses.

In the fourth year of his reign, came Sanakreb king of Assarium, and took away captive all that were left and sent them to Babylon.

Hezkias served the Lord God, and fulfilled His law, until he fell sick and became very weak, and was in great distress by reason of his sickness; his heart suffered, and he said to himself: Woe is me! I shall die without a son to reign after me.

And in his sickness he wept before God and said: Woe is me, Lord! behold, I die without a son; and behold the promise You made unto David, shall fail in me; and the kingdom shall pass from the house of David.

Then God looked upon his sorrow of heart, and upon his sickness, for his sickness was sore.

And God had pity on him and gave him fifteen years over and above the rest of his days; and he recovered from his sickness.

Then three years after he had recovered, and God had raised him from his sickness, he begat Manasseh.

And he died, rejoicing greatly at having a son born unto him, to sit upon his throne.

~ by Joel on February 22, 2025.

Posted in Books of Ancients