Book of Jasher (87-88)

•November 6, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher, or the Book of the Righteous (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר sēfer hayyāšār), is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?” Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

And when they were smiting, the day was declining toward evening, and Joshua said in the sight of all the people, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon, until the nation shall have revenged itself upon its enemies.
64 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Joshua, and the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens, and it stood still six and thirty moments, and the moon also stood still and hastened not to go down a whole day.
65 And there was no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened to the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. Jasher 88:63-65

Book of Jasher Chapter 87

1 At that time the Lord said to Moses, Behold thy days are approaching to an end, take now Joshua the son of Nun thy servant and place him in the tabernacle, and I will command him, and Moses did so.

2 And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance of the tabernacle.

3 And the Lord commanded Joshua the son of Nun and said unto him, Be strong and courageous, for thou shalt bring the children of Israel to the land which I swore to give them, and I will be with thee.

4 And Moses said to Joshua, Be strong and courageous, for thou wilt make the children of Israel inherit the land, and the Lord will be with thee, he will not leave thee nor forsake thee, be not afraid nor disheartened.

5 And Moses called to all the children of Israel and said to them, You have seen all the good which the Lord your God has done for you in the wilderness.

6 Now therefore observe all the words of this law, and walk in the way of the Lord your God, turn not from the way which the Lord has commanded you, either to the right or to the left.

7 And Moses taught the children of Israel statutes and judgments and laws to do in the land as the Lord had commanded him.

8 And he taught them the way of the Lord and his laws; behold they are written upon the book of the law of God which he gave to the children of Israel by the hand of Moses.

9 And Moses finished commanding the children of Israel, and the Lord said to him, saying, Go up to the Mount Abarim and die there, and be gathered unto thy people as Aaron thy brother was gathered.

10 And Moses went up as the Lord had commanded him, and he died there in the land of Moab by the order of the Lord, in the fortieth year from the Israelites going forth from the land of Egypt.

11 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days, and the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were completed.

Book of Jasher Chapter 88

1 And it was after the death of Moses that the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, saying,

2 Rise up and pass the Jordan to the land which I have given to the children of Israel, and thou shalt make the children of Israel inherit the land.

3 Every place upon which the sole of your feet shall tread shall belong to you, from the wilderness of Lebanon unto the great river the river of Perath shall be your boundary. — this river of Perath is the Euphrates River;

4 No man shall stand up against thee all the days of thy life; as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee, only be strong and of good courage to observe all the law which Moses commanded thee, turn not from the way either to the right or to the left, in order that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest.

5 And Joshua commanded the officers of Israel, saying, Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, Prepare for yourselves provisions, for in three days more you will pass the Jordan to possess the land.

6 And the officers of the children of Israel did so, and they commanded the people and they did all that Joshua had commanded.

7 And Joshua sent two men to spy out the land of Jericho, and the men went and spied out Jericho.

8 And at the end of seven days they came to Joshua in the camp and said to him, The Lord has delivered the whole land into our hand, and the inhabitants thereof are melted with fear because of us.

9 And it came to pass after that, that Joshua rose up in the morning and all Israel with him, and they journeyed from Shittim, and Joshua and all Israel with him passed the Jordan; and Joshua was eighty-two years old when he passed the Jordan with Israel.

10 And the people went up from Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped in Gilgal at the eastern corner of Jericho.

11 And the children of Israel kept the Passover in Gilgal, in the plains of Jericho, on the fourteenth day at the month, as it is written in the law of Moses.

12 And the manna ceased at that time on the morrow of the Passover, and there was no more manna for the children of Israel, and they ate of the produce of the land of Canaan.

13 And Jericho was entirely closed against the children of Israel, no one came out or went in.

14 And it was in the second month, on the first day of the month, that the Lord said to Joshua, Rise up, behold I have given Jericho into thy hand with all the people thereof; and all your fighting men shall go round the city, once each day, thus shall you do for six days.

15 And the priests shall blow upon trumpets, and when you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall give a great shouting, that the walls of the city shall fall down; all the people shall go up every man against his opponent.

16 And Joshua did so according to all that the Lord had commanded him.

17 And on the seventh day they went round the city seven times, and the priests blew upon trumpets.

18 And at the seventh round, Joshua said to the people, Shout, for the Lord has delivered the whole city into our hands.

19 Only the city and all that it contains shall be accursed to the Lord, and keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make the camp of Israel accursed and trouble it.

20 But all the silver and gold and brass and iron shall be consecrated to the Lord, they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.

21 And the people blew upon trumpets and made a great shouting, and the walls of Jericho fell down, and all the people went up, every man straight before him, and they took the city and utterly destroyed all that was in it, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.

22 And they burned the whole city with fire; only the vessels of silver and gold, and brass and iron, they put into the treasury of the Lord.

23 And Joshua swore at that time, saying, Cursed be the man who builds Jericho; he shall lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates thereof.

24 And Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, son of Judah, dealt treacherously in the accursed thing, and he took of the accursed thing and hid it in the tent, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

25 And it was after this when the children of Israel had returned from burning Jericho, Joshua sent men to spy out also Ai, and to fight against it.

26 And the men went up and spied out Ai, and they returned and said, Let not all the people go up with thee to Ai, only let about three thousand men go up and smite the city, for the men thereof are but few.

27 And Joshua did so, and there went up with him of the children of Israel about three thousand men, and they fought against the men of Ai.

28 And the battle was severe against Israel, and the men of Ai smote thirty-six men of Israel, and the children of Israel fled from before the men of Ai.

29 And when Joshua saw this thing, he tore his garments and fell upon his face to the ground before the Lord, he, with the elders of Israel, and they put dust upon their heads.

30 And Joshua said, Why O Lord didst thou bring this people over the Jordan? what shall I say after the Israelites have turned their backs against their enemies?

31 Now therefore all the Canaanites, inhabitants of the land, will hear this thing, and surround us and cut off our name.

32 And the Lord said to Joshua, Why dost thou fall upon thy face? rise, get thee off, for the Israelites have sinned, and taken of the accursed thing; I will no more be with them unless they destroy the accursed thing from amongst them.

33 And Joshua rose up and assembled the people, and brought the Urim by the order of the Lord, and the tribe of Judah was taken, and Achan the son of Carmi was taken.

34 And Joshua said to Achan, Tell me my son, what hast thou done, and Achan said, I saw amongst the spoil a goodly garment of Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight; I coveted them and took them, and behold they are all hid in the earth in the midst of the tent.

35 And Joshua sent men who went and took them from the tent of Achan, and they brought them to Joshua.

36 And Joshua took Achan and these utensils, and his sons and daughters and all belonging to him, and they brought them into the valley of Achor.

37 And Joshua burned them there with fire, and all the Israelites stoned Achan with stones, and they raised over him a heap of stones, therefore did he call that place the valley of Achor, so the Lord’s anger was appeased, and Joshua afterward came to the city and fought against it.

38 And the Lord said to Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed, behold I have given into thy hand Ai, her king and her people, and thou shalt do unto them as thou didst to Jericho and her king, only the spoil thereof and the cattle thereof shall you take for a prey for yourselves; lay an ambush for the city behind it.

39 So Joshua did according to the word of the Lord, and he chose from amongst the sons of war thirty thousand valiant men, and he sent them, and they lay in ambush for the city.

40 And he commanded them, saying, When you shall see us we will flee before them with cunning, and they will pursue us, you shall then rise out of the ambush and take the city, and they did so.

41 And Joshua fought, and the men of the city went out toward Israel, not knowing that they were lying in ambush for them behind the city.

42 And Joshua and all the Israelites feigned themselves wearied out before them, and they fled by the way of the wilderness with cunning.

43 And the men of Ai gathered all the people who were in the city to pursue the Israelites, and they went out and were drawn away from the city, not one remained, and they left the city open and pursued the Israelites.

44 And those who were lying in ambush rose up out of their places, and hastened to come to the city and took it and set it on fire, and the men of Ai turned back, and behold the smoke of the city ascended to the skies, and they had no means of retreating either one way or the other.

45 And all the men of Ai were in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side, and they smote them so that not one of them remained.

46 And the children of Israel took Melosh king of Ai alive, and they brought him to Joshua, and Joshua hanged him on a tree and he died.

47 And the children of Israel returned to the city after having burned it, and they smote all those that were in it with the edge of the sword.

48 And the number of those that had fallen of the men of Ai, both man and woman, was twelve thousand; only the cattle and the spoil of the city they took to themselves, according to the word of the Lord to Joshua.

49 And all the kings on this side Jordan, all the kings of Canaan, heard of the evil which the children of Israel had done to Jericho and to Ai, and they gathered themselves together to fight against Israel.

50 Only the inhabitants of Gibeon were greatly afraid of fighting against the Israelites lest they should perish, so they acted cunningly, and they came to Joshua and to all Israel, and said unto them, We have come from a distant land, now therefore make a covenant with us.

51 And the inhabitants of Gibeon over-reached the children of Israel, and the children of Israel made a covenant with them, and they made peace with them, and the princes of the congregation swore unto them, but afterward the children of Israel knew that they were neighbors to them and were dwelling amongst them.

52 But the children of Israel slew them not; for they had sworn to them by the Lord, and they became hewers of wood and drawers of water.

53 And Joshua said to them, Why did you deceive me, to do this thing to us? and they answered him, saying, Because it was told to thy servants all that you had done to all the kings of the Amorites, and we were greatly afraid of our lives, and we did this thing.

54 And Joshua appointed them on that day to hew wood and to draw water, and he divided them for slaves to all the tribes of Israel.

55 And when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem heard all that the children of Israel had done to Jericho and to Ai, he sent to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king at Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Deber king of Eglon, saying,

56 Come up to me and help me, that we may smite the children of Israel and the inhabitants of Gibeon who have made peace with the children of Israel.

57 And they gathered themselves together and the five kings of the Amorites went up with all their camps, a mighty people numerous as the sand of the sea shore.

58 And all these kings came and encamped before Gibeon, and they began to fight against the inhabitants of Gibeon, and all the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua, saying, Come up quickly to us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites have gathered together to fight against us.

59 And Joshua and all the fighting people went up from Gilgal, and Joshua came suddenly to them, and smote these five kings with a great slaughter.

60 And the Lord confounded them before the children at Israel, who smote them with a terrible slaughter in Gibeon, and pursued them along the way that goes up to Beth Horon unto Makkedah, and they fled from before the children of Israel.

61 And whilst they were fleeing, the Lord sent upon them hailstones from heaven, and more of them died by the hailstones, than by the slaughter of the children of Israel.

62 And the children of Israel pursued them, and they still smote them in the road, going on and smiting them.

63 And when they were smiting, the day was declining toward evening, and Joshua said in the sight of all the people, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon, until the nation shall have revenged itself upon its enemies.

64 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Joshua, and the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens, and it stood still six and thirty moments, and the moon also stood still and hastened not to go down a whole day.

65 And there was no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened to the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

The Essenes: Is there a Calendar Omen?

•November 5, 2024 • Comments Off on The Essenes: Is there a Calendar Omen?

The Essenes had their own calendar, but they were wiped out during the 70 AD Inferno, so is there a connection? Is there a Calendar Omen?

The Scriptures command us to celebrate Passover in the spring at the time of the ripening of the barley, so the Jewish or the Hebrew calendar has to be a solar calendar. But in another Scripture, it commands us to remember the new moon, so the Jewish calendar has to be a lunar too.

A close-up on: the Great Sanhedrin: Jews during the Empire - napoleon.org
The Nasi or Prince presiding over the Great Sanhedrin in ancient times

Since Biblical times, various astronomical phenomena have been used to establish uniquely Jewish definitions for the day and its hours, the months and the year.

The length of days and hours vary by the season, controlled by the times of sunset, nightfall, dawn and sunrise. The months and years of the Hebrew calendar are established by the cycles of the moon and the sun.

Though the months follow the lunar cycle, the lunar months must always align themselves with the seasons of the year, which are governed by the sun. Thus, the Hebrew calendar is “Luni-Solar.” The discrepancy between the solar year (365 days) and the lunar year (354 days) was resolved by every so often adding a thirteenth month to the year, to form a “leap year.”

The Jewish Calendar – Silver Trumpets

In the early times of our history, the High Court (Sanhedrin) in Jerusalem was assigned the tasks of determining the beginning of each month and the balancing of the solar with the lunar years. They relied on direct observation of the New Moon, astronomical data, and other considerations.

In the fourth century after the Temple’s destruction, however, when oppression and persecution threatened the continued existence of the Court, a fixed calendar was instituted — based on the Sanhedrin’s closely guarded secrets of calendrical calculation. Called the Hillel calendar, this is the permanent Hebrew calendar according to which the New Moons and festivals are calculated and celebrated today by Orthodox Jews all over the world.

Like the original system of observation, it is based on the Luni-Solar principle. It also applies certain rules by which complex astronomical calculations are combined with the religious requirements into an amazingly precise system.

Exodus 121 And the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

From the wording of this verse, “shall be unto you,” the sages deduced that the responsibility of pinpointing and consecrating the chodesh, the crescent new moon, was entrusted to the leaders of our nation, the Sanhedrin, the rabbinical supreme court of every generation.

Moon Path... | Moon cycles, Time lapse photography, Camera tattoo

Preceding the Sanhedrin were the one hundred and twenty priests who comprised the Great Assembly that Ezra had established.

Originally, there was no fixed calendar. There was no way to determine in advance the exact day of a coming holy day or festival, because there was no way to determine in advance when the month would begin. Each month anew, the Sanhedrin would determine whether the month would be 29 or 30 days long — depending on when the following month’s new moon was first sighted — and would sanctify the new month.

The Sanhedrin (Hebrew synedrion, “sitting together,” hence “assembly” or “council”) were assemblies of elders (known as “rabbis” after the destruction of the Second Temple), who were appointed to sit as a tribunal in every city in the ancient Land of Israel.

There were two classes of Jewish courts, the Great Sanhedrin and the Lesser Sanhedrin. A lesser Sanhedrin of 23 judges was appointed to sit as a tribunal in each city, but there was only supposed to be one Great Sanhedrin of 71 judges, which among other roles acted as the Supreme Court, taking appeals from cases which were decided by lesser courts.

Members of the Sanhedrin were to be recruited from the following sources: Priests (Kohanim), Levites (Levi’im), and ordinary Jews who were members of those families having a pure lineage such that their daughters were allowed to marry priests.

The Apostle Paul Session 1 His Life and Times. - ppt video online download
Arrow shows the Chamber of Hewn Stones where the Sanhedrin convened

In general usage, the “Sanhedrin” without qualifier normally refers to the Great Sanhedrin, which was presided over by the Nasi, who functioned as its head or representing as President, and was a member of the court; the Av Beit Din or the chief of the court, who was second to the nasi; and sixty-nine general members (Mufla). 

Hillel II (Hillel the Nasi), held the office of Nasi of the Sanhedrin between 320 and 385 AD and he is regarded as the creator of the modern fixed Hebrew Calendar the Jews observed from 359 AD onward to modern time.

In the Second Temple period, the Sanhedrin met in the Temple in Jerusalem, in a building called the Chamber of Hewn Stones. This Sanhedrin convened every day except the yearly festivals and on sabbath days (Shabbat).

THIRD TEMPLE - Leeland Jones- THIRDTEMPLE - Leelan - YouTube
 The Sanhedrin Inside the Chamber of Hewn Stone

Members of the Sanhedrin were well schooled in astronomy. They knew exactly when the new moon would have appeared, and where it would have been visible. Nevertheless, the sanctification of the moon depends on the crescent new moon actually being seen by at least two witnesses. The word “this” (in the above-quoted verse in Exodus 12:2, “This month shall be to you . . .”) implies something that is actually seen. These witnesses could be local or from the Disporal who arrived (would be lavishly entertained there, in order to attract potential witnesses to travel) to Jerusalem to testify.

The rabbis of the Sanhedrin would question the witnesses in the order of their arrival. They knew what the proper responses to their questions ought to be, and were thus quickly able to identify fraudulent claims. Starting with the elder of each pair, they would ask: “Tell us how you saw the moon:

In which direction was it in relation to the sun? (The observation is limited to the time of sunset)
Was it to the north or south?
How high in the sky did the moon appear to be?
In which direction were the crescent’s tips facing?
How wide was it?”

After they had finished questioning the first witness, they would bring in his partner and question him in similar fashion. If the two accounts corroborated, the evidence was accepted.

Publicizing the New Month

The following night (the second night of the month), huge bonfires were lit on designated mountaintops. Lookouts stationed on other mountaintops would see that a fire had been lit, and would light their own fires. This chain of communication led all the way to Babylonia, so that even very distant communities knew that the day beforehand had been declared the New Month (Rosh Chodesh).

Eventually, the Samaritans started lighting fires mischievously on the wrong days in order to confuse the Jewish Diaspora. To prevent this confusion, the fire-on-mountaintop method of communication was discontinued, and instead running messengers were dispatched from Babylonia and all other far-flung Jewish settlements. This took a lot longer, a delay which had (and still has) halachic implications with regards to observance of the second day of the Festivals in the Diaspora.

Was It an Essene Settlement? · The BAS Library
The Communal Essenes living on their own

Nowadays

The lunisolar Hebrew calendar, or the Hillel calendar, was named after Hillel II because he was the presiding Nasi of the Sanhedrin when the calculated calendar was established, is actually a brilliant invention that filled a desperate need. Originally, the new moons were formerly sighted by multiple witnesses and officially declared throughout Israel. But after the Second Temple destruction and the subsequent dispersion, it was impractical to declare the new moon to every Jewish community in the world, and under Constantius II, it was actually outlawed.

As a remedy, the Sanhedrin instituted the Hillel calendar in 359 AD. This calendar averages 29.5 days per month and 365.2468 days per year (compared to the average solar year length of 365.2422). 

Implementing the Hillel calendar was the Sanhedrin’s last big decision before disbanding. Whenever the Hillel calendar will be decommissioned in the future to return to sighting and declaring the New Moon days, it would have to be at the authority of a reconvened Sanhedrin.

So until then, this calendar is what unites Jewish people worldwide in celebrating any Festivals on the same days, and reading the same Torah portion together each week. So Hillel and his rabbinical court, the Sanhedrin, established the perpetual calendar which is followed today.

The Sanhedrin considered several factors in the course of their deliberations whether to declare a leap year on a given year. The primary factor, which may or may not override other factors, was the spring equinox.

(a) If the spring equinox would fall later than the first half of Nissan (from the 16th onward), then the year was automatically declared a leap year. This is because, as mentioned earlier, the verse states: “Guard the month of spring, and make [then] the Passover offering.”

(b) However, it wasn’t enough for Passover to fall after the equinox, when it was “officially” spring; spring-like conditions needed to be evidenced. If in the land of Israel, the barley had not yet ripened, and the trees were not yet blossoming with seasonal fruit — that, too, was sufficient reason to delay Nissan by adding a second month of Adar. Spring had to be felt; it had to be bright and green.

(c) There were also several non-season-related factors which the Sanhedrin considered. For example, if the roads or bridges were in disrepair due to the winter rainy season, impeding the ability of the pilgrims to travel to Jerusalem for Passover.

But where did the Sanhedrin get their authority?

Deuteronomy 16:18 “Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 

19 Thou shalt not distort judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise and pervert the words of the righteous.

Deuteronomy 17:11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do. Thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee to the right hand nor to the left. 

12 And the man who will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest who standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.

13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

Moses knew he would die soon and his understanding had been conveyed to the judges, the Levites and priests where the true interpretation of the law were taught. So in the book of Deuteronomy Moses spoke and explained unto all Israel “according unto all that the Lord had given him” as to how to keep them, the blessing they would have if they obey, or cursing if they disobey, in a language they could understand. Men may have good intentions, but may do things seen as presumptuously? 

The Essenes: The Mystery Holy Men Behind the Dead Sea Scrolls? | Islamic  paintings, Islamic art, Arabian art
The Essenes, known also as Sun-worshippers, are now extinct

And the man who will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest who standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die

It’s a death penalty, so what is presumptuous or presumptuously? 

Below are some of its synonyms: 

arrogant, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, huffish, huffy, imperious, important, lofty, lordly, masterful, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, pretentious, self-asserting, self-assertive, sniffy, supercilious, superior, uppish, uppity

Moses as a god unto Pharaoh:

Exo 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god H430 to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

The KJV translates elohim as “judges” in Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:8; and twice in Exodus 22:9

Exo 21:6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges H430; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

Exo 22:8 If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges H430, to see whether he has put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods.

Exo 22:9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challenge to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges H430; and whom the judges H430 shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.

The Jewish “leap year” which occurs seven times in a 19-year cycle has 13 months instead of the regular 12. This is so that the lunar-based Jewish year should remain aligned with the solar seasons (12 lunar months make up a total of 354 days — slightly more than 11 days short of the 365.25 day solar cycle). The added month is called “Adar I” and is inserted before the month of Adar (termed “Adar II” in leap years).

New Testament Omen

The significance of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD should not be ignored. It came forty years after John the Baptist had given a stern warning about another consuming fire recorded in Luke 3:16. The number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation. During Moses’ life he lived forty years in Egypt and forty years in the desert before God selected him to lead his people out of slavery.

Because of their perversion, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah during Abraham’s time. The Blind have ignored John’s warning about another consuming fire recorded in the Gospel of Luke. John said unto them:

“I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I cometh, the straps of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with FIRE. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor and will gather the wheat into His garner; but the chaff He will burn with FIRE unquenchable,” Luke 3:16-17.

The Essenes #2 [2BC.to 1AD.]. Regarding the naming of this sect… | by Mina  Georgy | Medium
Dining together – Commual living among the Essenes

The word F-I-R-E is highlighted above, with a hope that the Blind could see the word“FIRE.” When we look back, one cannot avoid concluding that God had deemed that the Essenes were worthy of extinction during the AD 70 INFIRNO. Everything about the Essenes were destroyed by FIRE.

“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” Amos 3:6

Or by the Roman SWORD?

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a SWORD,” Matthew 10:34

The Sadducees and a large portion of the Shammai Pharisees also followed suit; only the Hillel branch of Pharisees limped off to Yavne and survived; the Nazareens survived too, they fled to Pella on the northeastern side of the Jordan Valley.

If the 70 AD inferno was only a microcosm, a foretaste, how could those who deviate from the God ordained Calendar, who have similar deceptive beliefs as the original Essenes, escape John’s warning during the Last Days? Wouldn’t there be another Sodom and Gomorrah? And wouldn’t they also share its fate? It’s an unpleasant ending, but that’s what the Scriptures indicate.

The Essene/Qumran has their own 364 day solar calendar totally at odds with the calendrics of the Sanhedrin. Their sacred year always began on the vernal (spring) equinox and is, by definition, Wednesday (because God Created the “lights in the firmament” for “signs and seasons” on the 4th Day), 1st day of the 1st month (Nisan or Abib). Consequently, the Essene Passover will always begin at 6 PM Tuesday, 13 days later (Nisan 14). The key point being Essene Passover always began “Tuesday” evening, 13 days after the vernal equinox. To outsiders, the Essenes would appear to observe the vernal equinox and (regardless of whatever the previous day was) declare that day to be Wednesday 1 Nisan of their calendar.

The Essene deadly way of Sodom and Gomorrah? If not, why not?

The Essenes were pious, they practised celibacy, collective ownership, and plagued obedience to their leaders, chose not to possess slaves but served each other, to maintain a pure lifestyle, to abstain from criminal and immoral activities, they practised daily purification by water rituals and baptism and even refrain from defecation on the Sabbath. Yet the Essenes were wiped out during the AD 70 inferno.

But why? Why did they faced their Sodom and Gomorrah in AD 70! 

Had the Essenes acted presumptuously by repudiating the Calendar that God has instituted through the Sanhedrin? Were they found guilty of repudiating the Passover sacrifice in Jerusalem? Had the Essenes acted presumptuously?

If so, could this AD 70 INFERNO be just a microcosm during the endtime for those who promote their own calendar?

“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the CREATOR of this Universe has not brought it about?”

What are the Oracles of God?

China’s new radar killer drones

•November 4, 2024 • Leave a Comment

China’s radar killer drone shoots better than AI, humans with new ChatGPT-like brain

Chinese Military Radar

Interesting Engineering • November 1, 2024

China’s Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute, the company that designed the J-20 fighter jet, has allegedly developed a large language model (LLM) for electronic warfare (EW) drones.

The LLM, similar to ChatGPT, can interfere with enemy radar and radio communications at lightning-fast speed.

According to tests, LLM-powered decision-making surpasses traditional artificial intelligence (AI), such as reinforcement learning. It allegedly also proved to be vastly superior to experienced human EW experts.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the new LLM model was jointly developed by Chengdu, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, and Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xian, Shaanxi province.

Information about the model and testing was published on October 24 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Detection & Control, a Chinese-only publication. According to the paper, the work is still experimental but shows promise.

LLM-powered electronic warfare

The LLM effectively hyper-boosts the speed at which the drone can perform EW thrusts and parries when engaging enemy targets. This includes attempting to quell enemy radar installations using specific electromagnetic signals.

The defender will try to evade the attack by constantly changing signals, forcing the opponent to adapt, usually in real time. You can liken it to how the Borg adapts and changes to energy weapon frequencies in Star Trek.

The new LLM has been designed to tip the balance in favor of the attacker by reducing reaction times. The choice of an LLM is interesting; however, before this, they were believed to be unable to perform such tasks—especially the need to interpret sensor-collected data.

It has also been shown to react too slowly, requiring longer contemplation times that are far too slow for the millisecond response times typically needed. But, if the team’s claims are true, they appear to have overcome this. But how?

According to the paper, the first step was to train the LLM using a “wealth” of books on EW. This includes a “book series on radar, electronic warfare, and related literature collections.”

They also fed the model more sensitive information, like air combat records, weapons inventory set-up records, and electronic warfare operation manuals. According to the researchers, most of the material used was in Chinese.

Lightning-fast responses

However, to speed up decisions, the team also coupled the LLM with a raw data processor to translate outputs to the LLM, where it does its thing. From there, the translator takes the LLMs outputs and processes them into instructions for the EW jammer gear.

The research team claims test results confirm the feasibility of this technology. They also claim that reinforcement learning algorithms and generative AI can swiftly adjust attack strategies up to ten times per second.

The team also found that LLMs are more effective at generating numerous false targets on enemy radar screens compared to traditional AI and human expertise. This strategy is more advantageous in EW than simply suppressing radar signals with noise or redirecting radar waves away from real targets.

“They still have many practical issues to address, including chips, the size of the model, and security risks,” an unnamed Beijing-based AI scientist told SCMP. “But there’s little doubt that ‘words can kill’ is evolving from a philosophical concept to reality,” he added.

Book of Jasher (85-86)

•November 3, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 85

1 And king Arad the Canaanite, who dwelt in the south, heard that the Israelites had come by the way of the spies, and he arranged his forces to fight against the Israelites.

2 And the children of Israel were greatly afraid of him, for he had a great and heavy army, so the children of Israel resolved to return to Egypt.

3 And the children of Israel turned back about the distance of three days’ journey unto Maserath Beni Jaakon, for they were greatly afraid on account of the king Arad.

4 And the children of Israel would not get back to their places, so they remained in Beni Jaakon for thirty days.

5 And when the children of Levi saw that the children of Israel would not turn back, they were jealous for the sake of the Lord, and they rose up and fought against the Israelites their brethren, and slew of them a great body, and forced them to turn back to their place, Mount Hor.

6 And when they returned, king Arad was still arranging his host for battle against the Israelites.

7 And Israel vowed a vow, saying, If thou wilt deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

8 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and he delivered the Canaanites into their hand, and he utterly destroyed them and their cities, and he called the name of the place Hormah.

9 And the children of Israel journeyed from Mount Hor and pitched in Oboth, and they journeyed from Oboth and they pitched at Ije-abarim, in the border of Moab.

10 And the children of Israel sent to Moab, saying, Let us pass now through thy land into our place, but the children of Moab would not suffer the children of Israel to pass through their land, for the children of Moab were greatly afraid lest the children of Israel should do unto them as Sihon king of the Amorites had done to them, who had taken their land and had slain many of them.

11 Therefore Moab would not suffer the Israelites to pass through his land, and the Lord commanded the children of Israel, saying, That they should not fight against Moab, so the Israelites removed from Moab.

12 And the children of Israel journeyed from the border of Moab, and they came to the other side of Arnon, the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites, and they pitched in the border of Sihon, king of the Amorites, in the wilderness of Kedemoth.

13 And the children of Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying,

14 Let us pass through thy land, we will not turn into the fields or into the vineyards, we will go along by the king’s highway until we shall have passed thy border, but Sihon would not suffer the Israelites to pass.

15 So Sihon collected all the people of the Amorites and went forth into the wilderness to meet the children of Israel, and he fought against Israel in Jahaz.

16 And the Lord delivered Sihon king of the Amorites into the hand of the children of Israel, and Israel smote all the people of Sihon with the edge of the sword and avenged the cause of Moab.

17 And the children of Israel took possession of the land of Sihon from Aram unto Jabuk, unto the children of Ammon, and they took all the spoil of the cities.

18 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites.

19 And all the children of Israel resolved to fight against the children of Ammon, to take their land also.

20 So the Lord said to the children of Israel, Do not besiege the children of Ammon, neither stir up battle against them, for I will give nothing to you of their land, and the children of Israel hearkened to the word of the Lord, and did not fight against the children of Ammon.

21 And the children of Israel turned and went up by the way of Bashan to the land of Og, king of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out to meet the Israelites in battle, and he had with him many valiant men, and a very strong force from the people of the Amorites.

22 And Og king of Bashan was a very powerful man, but Naaron his son was exceedingly powerful, even stronger than he was.

23 And Og said in his heart, Behold now the whole camp of Israel takes up a space of three parsa, now will I smite them at once without sword or spear.

24 And Og went up Mount Jahaz, and took therefrom one large stone, the length of which was three parsa, and he placed it on his head, and resolved to throw it upon the camp of the children of Israel, to smite all the Israelites with that stone.

25 And the angel of the Lord came and pierced the stone upon the head of Og, and the stone fell upon the neck of Og that Og fell to the earth on account of the weight of the stone upon his neck.

26 At that time the Lord said to the children of Israel, Be not afraid of him, for I have given him and all his people and all his land into your hand, and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon.

27 And Moses went down to him with a small number of the children of Israel, and Moses smote Og with a stick at the ankles of his feet and slew him.

28 The children of Israel afterward pursued the children of Og and all his people, and they beat and destroyed them till there was no remnant left of them.

29 Moses afterward sent some of the children of Israel to spy out Jaazer, for Jaazer was a very famous city.

30 And the spies went to Jaazer and explored it, and the spies trusted in the Lord, and they fought against the men of Jaazer.

31 And these men took Jaazer and its villages, and the Lord delivered them into their hand, and they drove out the Amorites who had been there.

32 And the children of Israel took the land of the two kings of the Amorites, sixty cities which were on the other side of Jordan, from the brook of Arnon unto Mount Herman.

33 And the children of Israel journeyed and came into the plain of Moab which is on this side of Jordan, by Jericho.

34 And the children of Moab heard all the evil which the children of Israel had done to the two kings of the Amorites, to Sihon and Og, so all the men of Moab were greatly afraid of the Israelites.

35 And the elders of Moab said, Behold the two kings of the Amorites, Sihon and Og, who were more powerful than all the kings of the earth, could not stand against the children of Israel, how then can we stand before them?

36 Surely they sent us a message before now to pass through our land on their way, and we would not suffer them, now they will turn upon us with their heavy swords and destroy us; and Moab was distressed on account of the children of Israel, and they were greatly afraid of them, and they counselled together what was to be done to the children of Israel.

37 And the elders of Moab resolved and took one of their men, Balak the son of Zippor the Moabite, and made him king over them at that time, and Balak was a very wise man.

38 And the elders of Moab rose up and sent to the children of Midian to make peace with them, for a great battle and enmity had been in those days between Moab and Midian, from the days of Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, unto these days.

39 And the children of Moab sent to the children of Midian, and they made peace with them, and the elders of Midian came to the land of Moab to make peace in behalf of the children of Midian.

40 And the elders of Moab counselled with the elders of Midian what to do in order to save their lives from Israel.

41 And all the children of Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now therefore the children of Israel lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field, for thus did they do to the two kings of the Amorites who are stronger than we are.

42 And the elders of Midian said to Moab, We have heard that at the time when Sihon king of the Amorites fought against you, when he prevailed over you and took your land, he had sent to Beor the son of Janeas and to Balaam his son from Mesopotamia, and they came and cursed you; therefore did the hand of Sihon prevail over you, that he took your land.

43 Now therefore send you also to Balaam his son, for he still remains in his land, and give him his hire, that he may come and curse all the people of whom you are afraid; so the elders of Moab heard this thing, and it pleased them to send to Balaam the son of Beor.

44 So Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab sent messengers to Balaam, saying,

45 Behold there is a people come out from Egypt, behold they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.

46 Now therefore come and curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me, peradventure I shall prevail to fight against them, and drive them out, for I heard that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and whom thou cursest is cursed.

47 So the messengers of Balak went to Balaam and brought Balaam to curse the people to fight against Moab.

48 And Balaam came to Balak to curse Israel, and the Lord said to Balaam, Curse not this people for it is blessed.

49 And Balak urged Balaam day by day to curse Israel, but Balaam hearkened not to Balak on account of the word of the Lord which he had spoken to Balaam.

50 And when Balak saw that Balaam would not accede to his wish, he rose up and went home, and Balaam also returned to his land and he went from there to Midian.

51 And the children of Israel journeyed from the plain of Moab, and pitched by Jordan from Beth-jesimoth even unto Abel-shittim, at the end of the plains of Moab.

52 And when the children of Israel abode in the plain of Shittim, they began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

53 And the children of Israel approached Moab, and the children of Moab pitched their tents opposite to the camp of the children of Israel.

54 And the children of Moab were afraid of the children of Israel, and the children of Moab took all their daughters and their wives of beautiful aspect and comely appearance, and dressed them in gold and silver and costly garments.

55 And the children of Moab seated those women at the door of their tents, in order that the children of Israel might see them and turn to them, and not fight against Moab.

56 And all the children of Moab did this thing to the children of Israel, and every man placed his wife and daughter at the door of his tent, and all the children of Israel saw the act of the children of Moab, and the children of Israel turned to the daughters of Moab and coveted them, and they went to them.

57 And it came to pass that when a Hebrew came to the door of the tent of Moab, and saw a daughter of Moab and desired her in his heart, and spoke with her at the door of the tent that which he desired, whilst they were speaking together the men of the tent would come out and speak to the Hebrew like unto these words:

58 Surely you know that we are brethren, we are all the descendants of Lot and the descendants of Abraham his brother, wherefore then will you not remain with us, and wherefore will you not eat our bread and our sacrifice?

59 And when the children of Moab had thus overwhelmed him with their speeches, and enticed him by their flattering words, they seated him in the tent and cooked and sacrificed for him, and he ate of their sacrifice and of their bread.

60 They then gave him wine and he drank and became intoxicated, and they placed before him a beautiful damsel, and he did with her as he liked, for he knew not what he was doing, as he had drunk plentifully of wine.

61 Thus did the children of Moab to Israel in that place, in the plain of Shittim, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel on account of this matter, and he sent a pestilence amongst them, and there died of the Israelites twenty-four thousand men.

62 Now there was a man of the children of Simeon whose name was Zimri, the son of Salu, who connected himself with the Midianite Cosbi, the daughter of Zur, king of Midian, in the sight of all the children of Israel.

63 And Phineas the son of Elazer, the son of Aaron the priest, saw this wicked thing which Zimri had done, and he took a spear and rose up and went after them, and pierced them both and slew them, and the pestilence ceased from the children of Israel.

Book of Jasher Chapter 86

1 At that time after the pestilence, the Lord said to Moses, and to Elazer the son of Aaron the priest, saying,

2 Number the heads of the whole community of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, all that went forth in the army.

3 And Moses and Elazer numbered the children of Israel after their families, and the number of all Israel was seven hundred thousand, seven hundred and thirty.

4 And the number of the children of Levi, from one month old and upward, was twenty-three thousand, and amongst these there was not a man of those numbered by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai.

5 For the Lord had told them that they would die in the wilderness, so they all died, and not one had been left of them excepting Caleb the son of Jephuneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

6 And it was after this that the Lord said to Moses, Say unto the children of Israel to avenge upon Midian the cause of their brethren the children of Israel.

7 And Moses did so, and the children of Israel chose from amongst them twelve thousand men, being one thousand to a tribe, and they went to Midian.

8 And the children of Israel warred against Midian, and they slew every male, also the five princes of Midian, and Balaam the son of Beor did they slay with the sword.

9 And the children of Israel took the wives of Midian captive, with their little ones and their cattle, and all belonging to them.

10 And they took all the spoil and all the prey, and they brought it to Moses and to Elazer to the plains of Moab.

11 And Moses and Elazer and all the princes of the congregation went forth to meet them with joy.

12 And they divided all the spoil of Midian, and the children of Israel had been revenged upon Midian for the cause of their brethren the children of Israel.

Nations on Brinks of going Nuclear

•November 2, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Barriers to nuclear ambitions have never been weaker, making it ever harder to dissuade smaller nations from pursuing the ultimate deterrent

Could Zechariah 5 indicate there would be a nuclear war?

AsiaTimes by John Ruehl • October 31, 2024

Following Israel’s October 26, 2024, attack on Iranian energy facilities, Iran vowed to respond with “all available tools,” sparking fears it could soon produce a nuclear weapon to pose a more credible threat.

The country’s breakout time—the period required to develop a nuclear bomb—is now estimated in weeks and Tehran could proceed with weaponization if it believes itself or its proxies are losing ground to Israel.

Iran isn’t the only nation advancing its nuclear capabilities in recent years. In 2019, the US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which banned intermediate-range land-based missiles, citing alleged Russian violations and China’s non-involvement. The US is also modernizing its nuclear arsenal, with plans to deploy nuclear weapons in more NATO states and proposals to extend its nuclear umbrella to Taiwan.

Russia, too, has intensified its nuclear posture, expanding nuclear military drills and updating its nuclear policies on first use. In 2023, it suspended participation in the New START missile treaty, which limited US and Russian deployed nuclear weapons and delivery systems, and stationed nuclear weapons in Belarus in 2024.

Russia and China have also deepened their nuclear cooperation, setting China on a path to rapidly expand its arsenal, as nuclear security collaboration with the US has steadily diminished over the past decade.

The breakdown of diplomacy and rising nuclear brinkmanship among major powers are heightening nuclear insecurity among themselves, but also risk spurring a new nuclear arms race. Alongside Iran, numerous countries maintain the technological infrastructure to quickly build nuclear weapons. Preventing nuclear proliferation would require significant collaboration among major powers, a prospect currently out of reach.

The US detonated the first nuclear weapon in 1945, followed by the Soviet Union (1949), the UK (1952), France (1960), and China (1964). It became evident that with access to uranium and enrichment technology, nations were increasingly capable of producing nuclear weapons. Though mass production and delivery capabilities were additional hurdles, it was widely expected in the early Cold War that many states would soon join the nuclear club.

Israel developed nuclear capabilities in the 1960s, India detonated its first bomb in 1974, and South Africa built its first by 1979. Other countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Sweden, Egypt, and Switzerland, pursued their own programs.

However, the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), enacted in 1968 to curb nuclear spread, led many countries to abandon or dismantle their programs. After the end of the Cold War and under Western pressure, Iraq ended its nuclear program in 1991.

South Africa, in a historic move, voluntarily dismantled its arsenal in 1994. Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine relinquished the nuclear weapons they inherited after the collapse of the Soviet Union by 1996, securing international security assurances in exchange.

Nuclear proliferation appeared to be a waning concern, but cracks soon appeared in the non-proliferation framework. Pakistan conducted its first nuclear test in 1998, followed by North Korea in 2006, bringing the count of nuclear-armed states to nine. Since then, Iran’s nuclear weapons program, initiated in the 1980s, has been a major target of Western non-proliferation efforts.

Iran has a strong reason to persist. Ukraine’s former nuclear arsenal might have deterred Russian aggression in 2014 and 2022, while Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, who dismantled the country’s nuclear program in 2003, was overthrown by a NATO-led coalition and local forces in 2011.

If Iran achieves a functional nuclear weapon, it will lose the ability to leverage its nuclear program as a bargaining chip to extract concessions in negotiations. While a nuclear weapon will represent a new form of leverage, it would also intensify pressure from the US and Israel, both of whom have engaged in a cycle of escalating, sometimes deadly, confrontations with Iran and its proxies over the past few years.

An Iranian nuclear arsenal could also ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Its relations with Saudi Arabia remain delicate, despite the 2023 détente brokered by China, and Saudi officials have previously indicated they would obtain their own nuclear weapon if Iran acquired them. Saudi Arabia gave significant backing to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, with the understanding that Pakistan could extend its nuclear umbrella to Saudi Arabia, or even supply the latter with one upon request.

Turkey, which hosts US nuclear weapons through NATO’s sharing program, signaled a policy shift in 2019 when President Erdogan criticized foreign powers for dictating Turkey’s ability to build its own nuclear weapon. Turkey’s growing partnership with Russia in nuclear energy could meanwhile provide it with the enrichment expertise needed to eventually do so.

Middle Eastern tensions are not the only force threatening non-proliferation. Japan’s renewed friction with China, North Korea, and Russia over the past decade has intensified Tokyo’s focus on nuclear readiness.

Although Japan developed a nuclear program in the 1940s, it was dismantled after World War II. Japan’s breakout period, however, remains measured in months, but public support for nuclear weapons remains low, given the legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where nuclear bombings in 1945 killed more than 200,000 people.

In contrast, around 70 percent of South Koreans support developing nuclear weapons. South Korea’s nuclear program began in the 1970s but was discontinued under US pressure. However, North Korea’s successful test in 2006 and its severance of economic, political, and physical links to the South in the past decade, coupled with the abandonment of peaceful reunification in early 2024, has again raised the issue in South Korea.

Taiwan pursued a nuclear weapons program in the 1970s, which similarly ended under US pressure. Any sign of wavering US commitment to Taiwan, together with China’s growing nuclear capabilities, could prompt Taiwan to revive its efforts. Though less likely, territorial disputes in the South China Sea could also motivate countries like Vietnam and the Philippines to consider developing nuclear capabilities.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has also had significant nuclear implications. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently suggested to the European Council that a nuclear arsenal might be Ukraine’s only deterrent if NATO membership is not offered. Zelensky later walked back his comments after they ignited a firestorm of controversy. Yet if Ukraine feels betrayed by its Western partners—particularly if it is forced to concede territory to Russia—it could spur some factions within Ukraine to attempt to secure nuclear capabilities.

The war has also spurred nuclear considerations across Europe. In December 2023, former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer endorsed a European nuclear deterrent. A Trump re-election could amplify European concerns over US commitments to NATO, with France having increasingly proposed an independent European nuclear force in recent years.

Established nuclear powers are unlikely to welcome more countries into their ranks. But while China and Russia don’t necessarily desire this outcome, they recognize the West’s concerns are greater, with Russia doing little in the 1990s to prevent its unemployed nuclear scientists from aiding North Korea’s program.

The US has also previously been blindsided by its allies’ nuclear aspirations. US policymakers underestimated Australia’s determination to pursue a nuclear weapons program in the 1950s and 1960s, including covert attempts to obtain a weapon from the UK. Similarly, the US was initially unaware of France’s extensive support for Israel’s nuclear development in the 1950s and 1960s.

Smaller countries are also capable of aiding one another’s nuclear ambitions. Argentina offered considerable support to Israel’s program, while Israel assisted South Africa’s. Saudi Arabia financed Pakistan’s nuclear development, and Pakistan’s top nuclear scientist is suspected of having aided Iran, Libya, and North Korea with their programs in the 1980s.

Conflicts involving nuclear weapons states are not without precedent. Egypt and Syria attacked nuclear-armed Israel in 1973, and Argentina faced a nuclear-armed UK in 1982. India and China have clashed over their border on several occasions, and Ukraine continues to resist Russian aggression.

But conflicts featuring nuclear countries invite dangerous escalation, and the risk grows if a nation with limited conventional military power gains nuclear capabilities; lacking other means of defense or retaliation, it may be more tempted to resort to nuclear weapons as its only viable option.

The costs of maintaining nuclear arsenals are already steep. In 2023, the world’s nine nuclear-armed states spent an estimated US$91.4 billion managing their programs. But what incentive do smaller countries have to abandon nuclear ambitions entirely, especially when they observe the protection nuclear weapons offer and witness the major powers intensifying their nuclear strategies?

Obtaining the world’s most powerful weapons may be a natural ambition of military and intelligence sectors, but it hinges on the political forces in power as well. In Iran, moderates could counterbalance hardliners, while continued support for Ukraine might prevent more nationalist forces from coming to power there.

Yet an additional country obtaining a nuclear weapon could set off a cascade of others. While larger powers are currently leading the nuclear posturing, smaller countries may see an opportunity amid the disorder. The limited support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, in effect since 2021, as well as the breaking down of other international treaties, reinforces the lingering allure of nuclear arms even among non-nuclear states.

With major powers in open contention, the barriers to nuclear ambitions are already weakening, making it ever harder to dissuade smaller nations from pursuing the ultimate deterrent.

Book of Jasher (83-84)

•November 1, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 83

1 And in the twelfth month, in the twenty-third day of the month, Moses took Aaron and his sons, and he dressed them in their garments, and anointed them and did unto them as the Lord had commanded him, and Moses brought up all the offerings which the Lord had on that day commanded him.

2 Moses afterward took Aaron and his sons and said to them, For seven days shall you remain at the door of the tabernacle, for thus am I commanded.

3 And Aaron and his sons did all that the Lord had commanded them through Moses, and they remained for seven days at the door of the tabernacle.

4 And on the eighth day, being the first day of the first month, in the second year from the Israelites’ departure from Egypt, Moses erected the sanctuary, and Moses put up all the furniture of the tabernacle and all the furniture of the sanctuary, and he did all that the Lord had commanded him.

5 And Moses called to Aaron and his sons, and they brought the burnt offering and the sin offering for themselves and the children of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

6 On that day the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, took strange fire and brought it before the Lord who had not commanded them, and a fire went forth from before the Lord, and consumed them, and they died before the Lord on that day.

7 Then on the day when Moses had completed to erect the sanctuary, the princes of the children of Israel began to bring their offerings before the Lord for the dedication of the altar.

8 And they brought up their offerings each prince for one day, a prince each day for twelve days.

9 And all the offerings which they brought, each man in his day, one silver charger weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour, mingled with oil for a meat offering.

10 One spoon, weighing ten shekels of gold, full of incense.

11 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt offering.

12 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering.

13 And for a sacrifice of peace offering, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of a year old.

14 Thus did the twelve princes of Israel day by day, each man in his day.

15 And it was after this, in the thirteenth day of the month, that Moses commanded the children of Israel to observe the Passover.

16 And the children of Israel kept the Passover in its season in the fourteenth day of the month, as the Lord had commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

17 And in the second month, on the first day thereof, the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

18 Number the heads of all the males of the children of Israel from twenty years old and upward, thou and thy brother Aaron and the twelve princes of Israel.

19 And Moses did so, and Aaron came with the twelve princes of Israel, and they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.

20 And the numbers of the children of Israel by the houses of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.

21 But the children of Levi were not numbered amongst their brethren the children of Israel.

22 And the number of all the males of the children of Israel from one month old and upward, was twenty-two thousand, two hundred and seventy-three.

23 And the number of the children of Levi from one month old and above, was twenty-two thousand.

24 And Moses placed the priests and the Levites each man to his service and to his burden to serve the sanctuary of the tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

25 And on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was taken away from the tabernacle of testimony.

26 At that time the children of Israel continued their journey from the wilderness of Sinai, and they took a journey of three days, and the cloud rested upon the wilderness of Paran; there the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, for they had provoked the Lord in asking him for meat, that they might eat.

27 And the Lord hearkened to their voice, and gave them meat which they ate for one month.

28 But after this the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he smote them with a great slaughter, and they were buried there in that place.

29 And the children of Israel called that place Kebroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted flesh.

30 And they departed from Kebroth Hattaavah and pitched in Hazeroth, which is in the wilderness of Paran.

31 And whilst the children of Israel were in Hazeroth, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Miriam on account of Moses, and she became leprous, white as snow.

32 And she was confined outside the camp for seven days, until she had been received again after her leprosy.

33 The children of Israel afterward departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the end of the wilderness of Paran.

34 At that time, the Lord spoke to Moses to send twelve men from the children of Israel, one man to a tribe, to go and explore the land of Canaan.

35 And Moses sent the twelve men, and they came to the land of Canaan to search and examine it, and they explored the whole land from the wilderness of Sin to Rechob as thou comest to Chamoth.

36 And at the end of forty days they came to Moses and Aaron, and they brought him word as it was in their hearts, and ten of the men brought up an evil report to the children of Israel, of the land which they had explored, saying, It is better for us to return to Egypt than to go to this land, a land that consumes its inhabitants.

37 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephuneh, who were of those that explored the land, said, The land is exceedingly good.

38 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us to this land and give it to us, for it is a land flowing with milk and honey.

39 But the children of Israel would not hearken to them, and they hearkened to the words of the ten men who had brought up an evil report of the land.

40 And the Lord heard the murmurings of the children of Israel and he was angry and swore, saying,

41 Surely not one man of this wicked generation shall see the land from twenty years old and upward excepting Caleb the son of Jephuneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

42 But surely this wicked generation shall perish in this wilderness, and their children shall come to the land and they shall possess it; so the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the end of that wicked generation, because they did not follow the Lord.

43 And the people dwelt in the wilderness of Paran a long time, and they afterward proceeded to the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.

Book of Jasher Chapter 84

1 At that time Korah the son of Jetzer the son of Kehath the son of Levi, took many men of the children of Israel, and they rose up and quarreled with Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation.

2 And the Lord was angry with them, and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, with their houses and all belonging to them, and all the men belonging to Korah.

3 And after this God made the people go round by the way of Mount Seir for a long time.

4 At that time the Lord said unto Moses, Provoke not a war against the children of Esau, for I will not give to you of any thing belonging to them, as much as the sole of the foot could tread upon, for I have given Mount Seir for an inheritance to Esau.

5 Therefore did the children of Esau fight against the children of Seir in former times, and the Lord had delivered the children of Seir into the hands of the children of Esau, and destroyed them from before them, and the children of Esau dwelt in their stead unto this day.

6 Therefore the Lord said to the children of Israel, Fight not against the children of Esau your brethren, for nothing in their land belongs to you, but you may buy food of them for money and eat it, and you may buy water of them for money and drink it.

7 And the children of Israel did according to the word of the Lord.

8 And the children of Israel went about the wilderness, going round by the way of Mount Sinai for a long time, and touched not the children of Esau, and they continued in that district for nineteen years.

9 At that time died Latinus king of the children of Chittim, in the forty-fifth year of his reign, which is the fourteenth year of the children of Israel’s departure from Egypt.

10 And they buried him in his place which he had built for himself in the land of Chittim, and Abimnas reigned in his place for thirty-eight years.

11 And the children of Israel passed the boundary of the children of Esau in those days, at the end of nineteen years, and they came and passed the road of the wilderness of Moab.

12 And the Lord said to Moses, besiege not Moab, and do not fight against them, for I will give you nothing of their land.

13 And the children of Israel passed the road of the wilderness of Moab for nineteen years, and they did not fight against them.

14 And in the thirty-sixth year of the children of Israel’s departing from Egypt the Lord smote the heart of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and he waged war, and went forth to fight against the children of Moab.

15 And Sihon sent messengers to Beor the son of Janeas, the son of Balaam, counsellor to the king of Egypt, and to Balaam his son, to curse Moab, in order that it might be delivered into the hand of Sihon.

16 And the messengers went and brought Beor the son of Janeas, and Balaam his son, from Pethor in Mesopotamia, so Beor and Balaam his son came to the city of Sihon and they cursed Moab and their king in the presence of Sihon king of the Amorites.

17 So Sihon went out with his whole army, and he went to Moab and fought against them, and he subdued them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands, and Sihon slew the king of Moab.

18 And Sihon took all the cities of Moab in the battle; he also took Heshbon from them, for Heshbon was one of the cities of Moab, and Sihon placed his princes and his nobles in Heshbon, and Heshbon belonged to Sihon in those days.

19 Therefore the parable speakers Beor and Balaam his son uttered these words, saying, Come unto Heshbon, the city of Sihon will be built and established.

20 Woe unto thee Moab! thou art lost, O people of Kemosh! behold it is written upon the book of the law of God.

21 And when Sihon had conquered Moab, he placed guards in the cities which he had taken from Moab, and a considerable number of the children of Moab fell in battle into the hand of Sihon, and he made a great capture of them, sons and daughters, and he slew their king; so Sihon turned back to his own land.

22 And Sihon gave numerous presents of silver and gold to Beor and Balaam his son, and he dismissed them, and they went to Mesopotamia to their home and country.

23 At that time all the children of Israel passed from the road of the wilderness of Moab, and returned and surrounded the wilderness of Edom.

24 So the whole congregation came to the wilderness of Sin in the first month of the fortieth year from their departure from Egypt, and the children of Israel dwelt there in Kadesh, of the wilderness of Sin, and Miriam died there and she was buried there.

25 At that time Moses sent messengers to Hadad king of Edom, saying, Thus says thy brother Israel, Let me pass I pray thee through thy land, we will not pass through field or vineyard, we will not drink the water of the well; we will walk in the king’s road.

26 And Edom said to him, Thou shalt not pass through my country, and Edom went forth to meet the children of Israel with a mighty people.

27 And the children of Esau refused to let the children of Israel pass through their land, so the Israelites removed from them and fought not against them.

28 For before this the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, saying, You shall not fight against the children of Esau, therefore the Israelites removed from them and did not fight against them.

29 So the children of Israel departed from Kadesh, and all the people came to Mount Hor.

30 At that time the Lord said to Moses, Tell thy brother Aaron that he shall die there, for he shall not come to the land which I have given to the children of Israel.

31 And Aaron went up, at the command of the Lord, to Mount Hor, in the fortieth year, in the fifth month, in the first day of the month.

32 And Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died in Mount Hor.

Book of Jasher (81-82)

•October 31, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war and keep on winning over its neighbours and enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans from ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis from far-away Yemen.

Pentecost, on the thrid month, on the sixth day; the ten commandments was given: Jasher 82:6

Book of Jasher Chapter 81

1 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides the little ones and their wives.

 After two hundred and ten years in Egypt, the children of Israel journeyed from Goshen to Rameses and on to encamp in Succoth

2 Also a mixed multitude went up with them, and flocks and herds, even much cattle.

3 And the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in the land of Egypt in hard labor, was two hundred and ten years.

4 And at the end of two hundred and ten years, the Lord brought forth the children of Israel from Egypt with a strong hand.

5 And the children of Israel traveled from Egypt and from Goshen and from Rameses, and encamped in Succoth on the fifteenth day of the first month.

6 And the Egyptians buried all their first born whom the Lord had smitten, and all the Egyptians buried their slain for three days.

7 And the children of Israel traveled from Succoth and encamped in Ethom, at the end of the wilderness.

8 And on the third day after the Egyptians had buried their first born, many men rose up from Egypt and went after Israel to make them return to Egypt, for they repented that they had sent the Israelites away from their servitude.

9 And one man said to his neighbor, Surely Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh, saying, We will go a three days’ journey in the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God.

10 Now therefore let us rise up early in the morning and cause them to return, and it shall be that if they return with us to Egypt to their masters, then shall we know that there is faith in them, but if they will not return, then will we fight with them, and make them come back with great power and a strong hand.

11 And all the nobles of Pharaoh rose up in the morning, and with them about seven hundred thousand men, and they went forth from Egypt on that day, and came to the place where the children of Israel were.

12 And all the Egyptians saw and behold Moses and Aaron and all the children of Israel were sitting before Pi-hahiroth, eating and drinking and celebrating the feast of the Lord.

13 And all the Egyptians said to the children of Israel, Surely you said, We will go a journey for three days in the wilderness and sacrifice to our God and return.

14 Now therefore this day makes five days since you went, why do you not return to your masters?

15 And Moses and Aaron answered them, saying, Because the Lord our God has testified in us, saying, You shall no more return to Egypt, but we will betake ourselves to a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord our God had sworn to our ancestors to give to us.

16 And when the nobles of Egypt saw that the children of Israel did not hearken to them, to return to Egypt, they girded themselves to fight with Israel.

17 And the Lord strengthened the hearts of the children of Israel over the Egyptians, that they gave them a severe beating, and the battle was sore upon the Egyptians, and all the Egyptians fled from before the children of Israel, for many of them perished by the hand of Israel.

18 And the nobles of Pharaoh went to Egypt and told Pharaoh, saying, The children of Israel have fled, and will no more return to Egypt, and in this manner did Moses and Aaron speak to us.

19 And Pharaoh heard this thing, and his heart and the hearts of all his subjects were turned against Israel, and they repented that they had sent Israel; and all the Egyptians advised Pharaoh to pursue the children of Israel to make them come back to their burdens.

20 And they said each man to his brother, What is this which we have done, that we have sent Israel from our servitude?

21 And the Lord strengthened the hearts of all the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites, for the Lord desired to overthrow the Egyptians in the Red Sea.

22 And Pharaoh rose up and harnessed his chariot, and he ordered all the Egyptians to assemble, not one man was left excepting the little ones and the women.

23 And all the Egyptians went forth with Pharaoh to pursue the children of Israel, and the camp of Egypt was an exceedingly large and heavy camp, about ten hundred thousand men.

24 And the whole of this camp went and pursued the children of Israel to bring them back to Egypt, and they reached them encamping by the Red Sea.

25 And the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and beheld all the Egyptians pursuing them, and the children of Israel were greatly terrified at them, and the children of Israel cried to the Lord.

26 And on account of the Egyptians, the children of Israel divided themselves into four divisions, and they were divided in their opinions, for they were afraid of the Egyptians, and Moses spoke to each of them.

27 The first division was of the children of Reuben, Simeon, and Issachar, and they resolved to cast themselves into the sea, for they were exceedingly afraid of the Egyptians.

28 And Moses said to them, Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which He will effect this day for you.

29 The second division was of the children of Zebulun, Benjamin and Naphtali, and they resolved to go back to Egypt with the Egyptians.

30 And Moses said to them, Fear not, for as you have seen the Egyptians this day, so shall you see them no more for ever.

31 The third division was of the children of Judah and Joseph, and they resolved to go to meet the Egyptians to fight with them.

32 And Moses said to them, Stand in your places, for the Lord will fight for you, and you shall remain silent.

33 And the fourth division was of the children of Levi, Gad, and Asher, and they resolved to go into the midst of the Egyptians to confound them, and Moses said to them, Remain in your stations and fear not, only call unto the Lord that he may save you out of their hands.

34 After this Moses rose up from amidst the people, and he prayed to the Lord and said,

35 O Lord God of the whole earth, save now thy people whom thou didst bring forth from Egypt, and let not the Egyptians boast that power and might are theirs.

36 So the Lord said to Moses, Why dost thou cry unto me? speak to the children of Israel that they shall proceed, and do thou stretch out thy rod upon the sea and divide it, and the children of Israel shall pass through it.

37 And Moses did so, and he lifted up his rod upon the sea and divided it.

38 And the waters of the sea were divided into twelve parts, and the children of Israel passed through on foot, with shoes, as a man would pass through a prepared road.

39 And the Lord manifested to the children of Israel his wonders in Egypt and in the sea by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

40 And when the children of Israel had entered the sea, the Egyptians came after them, and the waters of the sea resumed upon them, and they all sank in the water, and not one man was left excepting Pharaoh, who gave thanks to the Lord and believed in him, therefore the Lord did not cause him to perish at that time with the Egyptians.

41 And the Lord ordered an angel to take him from amongst the Egyptians, who cast him upon the land of Ninevah and he reigned over it for a long time.

42 And on that day the Lord saved Israel from the hand of Egypt, and all the children of Israel saw that the Egyptians had perished, and they beheld the great hand of the Lord, in what he had performed in Egypt and in the sea.

43 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, on the day when the Lord caused the Egyptians to fall before them.

44 And all Israel sang in concert, saying, I will sing to the Lord for He is greatly exalted, the horse and his rider has he cast into the sea; behold it is written in the book of the law of God.

45 After this the children of Israel proceeded on their journey, and encamped in Marah, and the Lord gave to the children of Israel statutes and judgments in that place in Marah, and the Lord commanded the children of Israel to walk in all his ways and to serve him.

46 And they journeyed from Marah and came to Elim, and in Elim were twelve springs of water and seventy date trees, and the children encamped there by the waters.

47 And they journeyed from Elim and came to the wilderness of Sin, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from Egypt.

48 At that time the Lord gave the manna to the children of Israel to eat, and the Lord caused food to rain from heaven for the children of Israel day by day.

49 And the children of Israel ate the manna for forty years, all the days that they were in the wilderness, until they came to the land of Canaan to possess it.

50 And they proceeded from the wilderness of Sin and encamped in Alush.

51 And they proceeded from Alush and encamped in Rephidim.

52 And when the children of Israel were in Rephidim, Amalek the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, the brother of Zepho, came to fight with Israel.

53 And he brought with him eight hundred and one thousand men, magicians and conjurers, and he prepared for battle with Israel in Rephidim.

54 And they carried on a great and severe battle against Israel, and the Lord delivered Amalek and his people into the hands of Moses and the children of Israel, and into the hand of Joshua, the son of Nun, the Ephrathite, the servant of Moses.

55 And the children of Israel smote Amalek and his people at the edge of the sword, but the battle was very sore upon the children of Israel.

56 And the Lord said to Moses, Write this thing as a memorial for thee in a book, and place it in the hand of Joshua, the son of Nun, thy servant, and thou shalt command the children of Israel, saying, When thou shalt come to the land of Canaan, thou shalt utterly efface the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

57 And Moses did so, and he took the book and wrote upon it these words, saying,

58 Remember what Amalek has done to thee in the road when thou wentest forth from Egypt.

59 Who met thee in the road and smote thy rear, even those that were feeble behind thee when thou wast faint and weary.

60 Therefore it shall be when the Lord thy God shall have given thee rest from all thine enemies round about in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, thou shalt not forget it.

61 And the king who shall have pity on Amalek, or upon his memory or upon his seed, behold I will require it of him, and I will cut him off from amongst his people.

62 And Moses wrote all these things in a book, and he enjoined the children of Israel respecting all these matters.

Book of Jasher Chapter 82

1 And the children of Israel proceeded from Rephidim and they encamped in the wilderness of Sinai, in the third month from their going forth from Egypt.

2 At that time came Reuel the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses, with Zipporah his daughter and her two sons, for he had heard of the wonders of the Lord which he had done to Israel, that he had delivered them from the hand of Egypt.

3 And Reuel came to Moses to the wilderness where he was encamped, where was the mountain of God.

4 And Moses went forth to meet his father-in-law with great honor, and all Israel was with him.

5 And Reuel and his children remained amongst the Israelites for many days, and Reuel knew the Lord from that day forward.

6 And in the third month from the children of Israel’s departure from Egypt, on the sixth day thereof, the Lord gave to Israel the ten commandments on Mount Sinai.

7 And all Israel heard all these commandments, and all Israel rejoiced exceedingly in the Lord on that day.

8 And the glory of the Lord rested upon Mount Sinai, and he called to Moses, and Moses came in the midst of a cloud and ascended the mountain.

9 And Moses was upon the mount forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water, and the Lord instructed him in the statutes and judgments in order to teach the children of Israel.

10 And the Lord wrote the ten commandments which he had commanded the children of Israel upon two tablets of stone, which he gave to Moses to command the children of Israel.

11 And at the end of forty days and forty nights, when the Lord had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, then the Lord gave to Moses the tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

12 And when the children of Israel saw that Moses tarried to come down from the mount, they gathered round Aaron, and said, As for this man Moses we know not what has become of him.

13 Now therefore rise up, make unto us a god who shall go before us, so that thou shalt not die.

14 And Aaron was greatly afraid of the people, and he ordered them to bring him gold and he made it into a molten calf for the people.

15 And the Lord said to Moses, before he had come down from the mount, Get thee down, for thy people whom thou didst bring forth from Egypt have corrupted themselves.

16 They have made to themselves a molten calf, and have bowed down to it, now therefore leave me, that I may consume them from off the earth, for they are a stiffnecked people.

17 And Moses besought the countenance of the Lord, and he prayed to the Lord for the people on account of the calf which they had made, and he afterward descended from the mount and in his hands were the two tablets of stone, which God had given him to command the Israelites.

18 And when Moses approached the camp and saw the calf which the people had made, the anger of Moses was kindled and he broke the tablets under the mount.

19 And Moses came to the camp and he took the calf and burned it with fire, and ground it till it became fine dust, and strewed it upon the water and gave it to the Israelites to drink.

20 And there died of the people by the swords of each other about three thousand men who had made the calf.

21 And on the morrow Moses said to the people, I will go up to the Lord, peradventure I may make atonement for your sins which you have sinned to the Lord.

22 And Moses again went up to the Lord, and he remained with the Lord forty days and forty nights.

23 And during the forty days did Moses entreat the Lord in behalf of the children of Israel, and the Lord hearkened to the prayer of Moses, and the Lord was entreated of him in behalf of Israel.

24 Then spake the Lord to Moses to hew two stone tablets and to bring them up to the Lord, who would write upon them the ten commandments.

25 Now Moses did so, and he came down and hewed the two tablets and went up to Mount Sinai to the Lord, and the Lord wrote the ten commandments upon the tablets.

26 And Moses remained yet with the Lord forty days and forty nights, and the Lord instructed him in statutes and judgments to impart to Israel.

27 And the Lord commanded him respecting the children of Israel that they should make a sanctuary for the Lord, that his name might rest therein, and the Lord showed him the likeness of the sanctuary and the likeness of all its vessels.

28 And at the end of the forty days, Moses came down from the mount and the two tablets were in his hand.

29 And Moses came to the children of Israel and spoke to them all the words of the Lord, and he taught them laws, statutes and judgments which the Lord had taught him.

30 And Moses told the children of Israel the word of the Lord, that a sanctuary should be made for him, to dwell amongst the children of Israel.

31 And the people rejoiced greatly at all the good which the Lord had spoken to them, through Moses, and they said, We will do all that the Lord has spoken to thee.

32 And the people rose up like one man and they made generous offerings to the sanctuary of the Lord, and each man brought the offering of the Lord for the work of the sanctuary, and for all its service.

33 And all the children of Israel brought each man of all that was found in his possession for the work of the sanctuary of the Lord, gold, silver and brass, and every thing that was serviceable for the sanctuary.

34 And all the wise men who were practiced in work came and made the sanctuary of the Lord, according to all that the Lord had commanded, every man in the work in which he had been practiced; and all the wise men in heart made the sanctuary, and its furniture and all the vessels for the holy service, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

35 And the work of the sanctuary of the tabernacle was completed at the end of five months, and the children of Israel did all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

36 And they brought the sanctuary and all its furniture to Moses; like unto the representation which the Lord had shown to Moses, so did the children of Israel.

37 And Moses saw the work, and behold they did it as the Lord had commanded him, so Moses blessed them.

Book of Jasher (79-80)

•October 30, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war and keep on winning over its neighbours and enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans from ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis from far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 79

1 And in those days Moses was feeding the flock of Reuel the Midianite his father-in-law, beyond the wilderness of Sin, and the stick which he took from his father-in-law was in his hand.

2 And it came to pass one day that a kid of goats strayed from the flock, and Moses pursued it and it came to the mountain of God to Horeb.

3 And when he came to Horeb, the Lord appeared there unto him in the bush, and he found the bush burning with fire, but the fire had no power over the bush to consume it.

4 And Moses was greatly astonished at this sight, wherefore the bush was not consumed, and he approached to see this mighty thing, and the Lord called unto Moses out of the fire and commanded him to go down to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to send the children of Israel from his service.

5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, return to Egypt, for all those men who sought thy life are dead, and thou shalt speak unto Pharaoh to send forth the children of Israel from his land.

6 And the Lord showed him to do signs and wonders in Egypt before the eyes of Pharaoh and the eyes of his subjects, in order that they might believe that the Lord had sent him.

7 And Moses hearkened to all that the Lord had commanded him, and he returned to his father-in-law and told him the thing, and Reuel said to him, Go in peace.

8 And Moses rose up to go to Egypt, and he took his wife and sons with him, and he was at an inn in the road, and an angel of God came down, and sought an occasion against him.

9 And he wished to kill him on account of his first born son, because he had not circumcised him, and had transgressed the covenant which the Lord had made with Abraham.

10 For Moses had hearkened to the words of his father-in-law which he had spoken to him, not to circumcise his first born son, therefore he circumcised him not.

11 And Zipporah saw the angel of the Lord seeking an occasion against Moses, and she knew that this thing was owing to his not having circumcised her son Gershom.

12 And Zipporah hastened and took of the sharp rock stones that were there, and she circumcised her son, and delivered her husband and her son from the hand of the angel of the Lord.

13 And Aaron the son of Amram, the brother of Moses, was in Egypt walking at the river side on that day.

14 And the Lord appeared to him in that place, and he said to him, Go now toward Moses in the wilderness, and he went and met him in the mountain of God, and he kissed him.

15 And Aaron lifted up his eyes, and saw Zipporah the wife of Moses and her children, and he said unto Moses, Who are these unto thee?

16 And Moses said unto him, They are my wife and sons, which God gave to me in Midian; and the thing grieved Aaron on account of the woman and her children.

17 And Aaron said to Moses, Send away the woman and her children that they may go to her father’s house, and Moses hearkened to the words of Aaron, and did so.

18 And Zipporah returned with her children, and they went to the house of Reuel, and remained there until the time arrived when the Lord had visited his people, and brought them forth from Egypt from the hand at Pharaoh.

19 And Moses and Aaron came to Egypt to the community of the children of Israel, and they spoke to them all the words of the Lord, and the people rejoiced an exceeding great rejoicing.

20 And Moses and Aaron rose up early on the next day, and they went to the house of Pharaoh, and they took in their hands the stick of God.

21 And when they came to the king’s gate, two young lions were confined there with iron instruments, and no person went out or came in from before them, unless those whom the king ordered to come, when the conjurors came and withdrew the lions by their incantations, and this brought them to the king.

22 And Moses hastened and lifted up the stick upon the lions, and he loosed them, and Moses and Aaron came into the king’s house.

23 The lions also came with them in joy, and they followed them and rejoiced as a dog rejoices over his master when he comes from the field.

24 And when Pharaoh saw this thing he was astonished at it, and he was greatly terrified at the report, for their appearance was like the appearance of the children of God.

25 And Pharaoh said to Moses, What do you require? and they answered him, saying, The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent us to thee, to say, Send forth my people that they may serve me.

26 And when Pharaoh heard their words he was greatly terrified before them, and he said to them, Go today and come back to me tomorrow, and they did according to the word of the king.

27 And when they had gone Pharaoh sent for Balaam the magician and to Jannes and Jambres his sons, and to all the magicians and conjurors and counsellors which belonged to the king, and they all came and sat before the king.

28 And the king told them all the words which Moses and his brother Aaron had spoken to him, and the magicians said to the king, But how came the men to thee, on account of the lions which were confined at the gate?

29 And the king said, Because they lifted up their rod against the lions and loosed them, and came to me, and the lions also rejoiced at them as a dog rejoices to meet his master.

30 And Balaam the son of Beor the magician answered the king, saying, These are none else than magicians like ourselves.

31 Now therefore send for them, and let them come and we will try them, and the king did so.

32 And in the morning Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron to come before the king, and they took the rod of God, and came to the king and spoke to him, saying,

33 Thus said the Lord God of the Hebrews, Send my people that they may serve me.

34 And the king said to them, But who will believe you that you are the messengers of God and that you come to me by his order?

35 Now therefore give a wonder or sign in this matter, and then the words which you speak will be believed.

36 And Aaron hastened and threw the rod out of his hand before Pharaoh and before his servants, and the rod turned into a serpent.

37 And the sorcerers saw this and they cast each man his rod upon the ground and they became serpents.

38 And the serpent of Aaron’s rod lifted up its head and opened its mouth to swallow the rods of the magicians.

39 And Balaam the magician answered and said, This thing has been from the days of old, that a serpent should swallow its fellow, and that living things devour each other.

40 Now therefore restore it to a rod as it was at first, and we will also restore our rods as they were at first, and if thy rod shall swallow our rods, then shall we know that the spirit of God is in thee, and if not, thou art only an artificer like unto ourselves.

41 And Aaron hastened and stretched forth his hand and caught hold of the serpent’s tail and it became a rod in his hand, and the sorcerers did the like with their rods, and they got hold, each man of the tail of his serpent, and they became rods as at first.

42 And when they were restored to rods, the rod of Aaron swallowed up their rods.

43 And when the king saw this thing, he ordered the book of records that related to the kings of Egypt, to be brought, and they brought the book of records, the chronicles of the kings of Egypt, in which all the idols of Egypt were inscribed, for they thought of finding therein the name of Jehovah, but they found it not.

44 And Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, Behold I have not found the name of your God written in this book, and his name I know not.

45 And the counsellors and wise men answered the king, We have heard that the God of the Hebrews is a son of the wise, the son of ancient kings.

46 And Pharaoh turned to Moses and Aaron and said to them, I know not the Lord whom you have declared, neither will I send his people.

47 And they answered and said to the king, The Lord God of Gods is his name, and he proclaimed his name over us from the days of our ancestors, and sent us, saying, Go to Pharaoh and say unto him, Send my people that they may serve me.

48 Now therefore send us, that we may take a journey for three days in the wilderness, and there may sacrifice to him, for from the days of our going down to Egypt, he has not taken from our hands either burnt offering, oblation or sacrifice, and if thou wilt not send us, his anger will be kindled against thee, and he will smite Egypt either with the plague or with the sword.

49 And Pharaoh said to them, Tell me now his power and his might; and they said to him, He created the heaven and the earth, the seas and all their fishes, he formed the light, created the darkness, caused rain upon the earth and watered it, and made the herbage and grass to sprout, he created man and beast and the animals of the forest, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, and by his mouth they live and die.

50 Surely he created thee in thy mother’s womb, and put into thee the breath of life, and reared thee and placed thee upon the royal throne of Egypt, and he will take thy breath and soul from thee, and return thee to the ground whence thou wast taken.

51 And the anger of the king was kindled at their words, and he said to them, But who amongst all the Gods of nations can do this? my river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

52 And he drove them from him, and he ordered the labor upon Israel to be more severe than it was yesterday and before.

53 And Moses and Aaron went out from the king’s presence, and they saw the children of Israel in an evil condition for the task-masters had made their labor exceedingly heavy.

54 And Moses returned to the Lord and said, Why hast thou ill treated thy people? for since I came to speak to Pharaoh what thou didst send me for, he has exceedingly ill used the children of Israel.

55 And the Lord said to Moses, Behold thou wilt see that with an outstretched hand and heavy plagues, Pharaoh will send the children of Israel from his land.

56 And Moses and Aaron dwelt amongst their brethren the children of Israel in Egypt.

57 And as for the children of Israel the Egyptians embittered their lives, with the heavy work which they imposed upon them.

Book of Jasher Chapter 80

1 And at the end of two years, the Lord again sent Moses to Pharaoh to bring forth the children of Israel, and to send them out of the land of Egypt.

2 And Moses went and came to the house of Pharaoh, and he spoke to him the words of the Lord who had sent him, but Pharaoh would not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and God roused his might in Egypt upon Pharaoh and his subjects, and God smote Pharaoh and his people with very great and sore plagues.

3 And the Lord sent by the hand of Aaron and turned all the waters of Egypt into blood, with all their streams and rivers.

4 And when an Egyptian came to drink and draw water, he looked into his pitcher, and behold all the water was turned into blood; and when he came to drink from his cup the water in the cup became blood.

5 And when a woman kneaded her dough and cooked her victuals, their appearance was turned to that of blood.

6 And the Lord sent again and caused all their waters to bring forth frogs, and all the frogs came into the houses of the Egyptians.

7 And when the Egyptians drank, their bellies were filled with frogs and they danced in their bellies as they dance when in the river.

8 And all their drinking water and cooking water turned to frogs, also when they lay in their beds their perspiration bred frogs.

9 Notwithstanding all this the anger of the Lord did not turn from them, and his hand was stretched out against all the Egyptians to smite them with every heavy plague.

10 And he sent and smote their dust to lice, and the lice became in Egypt to the height of two cubits upon the earth.

11 The lice were also very numerous, in the flesh of man and beast, in all the inhabitants of Egypt, also upon the king and queen the Lord sent the lice, and it grieved Egypt exceedingly on account of the lice.

12 Notwithstanding this, the anger of the Lord did not turn away, and his hand was still stretched out over Egypt.

13 And the Lord sent all kinds of beasts of the field into Egypt, and they came and destroyed all Egypt, man and beast, and trees, and all things that were in Egypt.

14 And the Lord sent fiery serpents, scorpions, mice, weasels, toads, together with others creeping in dust.

15 Flies, hornets, fleas, bugs and gnats, each swarm according to its kind.

16 And all reptiles and winged animals according to their kind came to Egypt and grieved the Egyptians exceedingly.

17 And the fleas and flies came into the eyes and ears of the Egyptians.

18 And the hornet came upon them and drove them away, and they removed from it into their inner rooms, and it pursued them.

19 And when the Egyptians hid themselves on account of the swarm of animals, they locked their doors after them, and God ordered the Sulanuth which was in the sea, to come up and go into Egypt.

20 And she had long arms, ten cubits in length of the cubit of a man.

21 And she went upon the roofs and uncovered the raftering and flooring and cut them, and stretched forth her arm into the house and removed the lock and the bolt, and opened the houses of Egypt.

22 Afterward came the swarm of animals into the houses of Egypt, and the swarm of animals destroyed the Egyptians, and it grieved them exceedingly.

23 Notwithstanding this the anger of the Lord did not turn away from the Egyptians, and his hand was yet stretched forth against them.

24 And God sent the pestilence, and the pestilence pervaded Egypt, in the horses and asses, and in the camels, in herds of oxen and sheep and in man.

25 And when the Egyptians rose up early in the morning to take their cattle to pasture they found all their cattle dead.

26 And there remained of the cattle of the Egyptians only one in ten, and of the cattle belonging to Israel in Goshen not one died.

27 And God sent a burning inflammation in the flesh of the Egyptians, which burst their skins, and it became a severe itch in all the Egyptians from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads.

28 And many boils were in their flesh, that their flesh wasted away until they became rotten and putrid.

29 Notwithstanding this the anger of the Lord did not turn away, and his hand was still stretched out over all Egypt.

30 And the Lord sent a very heavy hail, which smote their vines and broke their fruit trees and dried them up that they fell upon them.

31 Also every green herb became dry and perished, for a mingling fire descended amidst the hail, therefore the hail and the fire consumed all things.

32 Also men and beasts that were found abroad perished of the flames of fire and of the hail, and all the young lions were exhausted.

33 And the Lord sent and brought numerous locusts into Egypt, the Chasel, Salom, Chargol, and Chagole, locusts each of its kind, which devoured all that the hail had left remaining.

34 Then the Egyptians rejoiced at the locusts, although they consumed the produce of the field, and they caught them in abundance and salted them for food.

35 And the Lord turned a mighty wind of the sea which took away all the locusts, even those that were salted, and thrust them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained within the boundaries of Egypt.

36 And God sent darkness upon Egypt, that the whole land of Egypt and Pathros became dark for three days, so that a man could not see his hand when he lifted it to his mouth.

37 At that time died many of the people of Israel who had rebelled against the Lord and who would not hearken to Moses and Aaron, and believed not in them that God had sent them.

38 And who had said, We will not go forth from Egypt lest we perish with hunger in a desolate wilderness, and who would not hearken to the voice of Moses.

39 And the Lord plagued them in the three days of darkness, and the Israelites buried them in those days, without the Egyptians knowing of them or rejoicing over them.

40 And the darkness was very great in Egypt for three days, and any person who was standing when the darkness came, remained standing in his place, and he that was sitting remained sitting, and he that was lying continued lying in the same state, and he that was walking remained sitting upon the ground in the same spot; and this thing happened to all the Egyptians, until the darkness had passed away.

41 And the days of darkness passed away, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron to the children of Israel, saying, Celebrate your feast and make your Passover, for behold I come in the midst of the night amongst all the Egyptians, and I will smite all their first born, from the first born of a man to the first born of a beast, and when I see your Passover, I will pass over you.

42 And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, thus did they in that night.

43 And it came to pass in the middle of the night, that the Lord went forth in the midst of Egypt, and smote all the first born of the Egyptians, from the first born of man to the first born of beast.

44 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry throughout Egypt in that night, for there was not a house in which there was not a corpse.

45 Also the likenesses of the first born of Egypt, which were carved in the walls at their houses, were destroyed and fell to the ground.

46 Even the bones of their first born who had died before this and whom they had buried in their houses, were raked up by the dogs of Egypt on that night and dragged before the Egyptians and cast before them.

47 And all the Egyptians saw this evil which had suddenly come upon them, and all the Egyptians cried out with a loud voice.

48 And all the families of Egypt wept upon that night, each man for his son and each man for his daughter, being the first born, and the tumult of Egypt was heard at a distance on that night.

49 And Bathia the daughter of Pharaoh went forth with the king on that night to seek Moses and Aaron in their houses, and they found them in their houses, eating and drinking and rejoicing with all Israel.

50 And Bathia said to Moses, Is this the reward for the good which I have done to thee, who have reared thee and stretched thee out, and thou hast brought this evil upon me and my father’s house?

51 And Moses said to her, Surely ten plagues did the Lord bring upon Egypt; did any evil accrue to thee from any of them? did one of them affect thee? and she said, No.

52 And Moses said to her, Although thou art the first born to thy mother, thou shalt not die, and no evil shall reach thee in the midst of Egypt.

53 And she said, What advantage is it to me, when I see the king, my brother, and all his household and subjects in this evil, whose first born perish with all the first born of Egypt?

54 And Moses said to her, Surely thy brother and his household, and subjects, the families of Egypt, would not hearken to the words of the Lord, therefore did this evil come upon them.

55 And Pharaoh king of Egypt approached Moses and Aaron, and some of the children of Israel who were with them in that place, and he prayed to them, saying,

56 Rise up and take your brethren, all the children of Israel who are in the land, with their sheep and oxen, and all belonging to them, they shall leave nothing remaining, only pray for me to the Lord your God.

57 And Moses said to Pharaoh, Behold though thou art thy mother’s first born, yet fear not, for thou wilt not die, for the Lord has commanded that thou shalt live, in order to show thee his great might and strong stretched out arm.

58 And Pharaoh ordered the children of Israel to be sent away, and all the Egyptians strengthened themselves to send them, for they said, We are all perishing.

59 And all the Egyptians sent the Israelites forth, with great riches, sheep and oxen and precious things, according to the oath of the Lord between him and our Father Abraham.

60 And the children of Israel delayed going forth at night, and when the Egyptians came to them to bring them out, they said to them, Are we thieves, that we should go forth at night?

61 And the children of Israel asked of the Egyptians, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and the children of Israel stripped the Egyptians.

62 And Moses hastened and rose up and went to the river of Egypt, and brought up from thence the coffin of Joseph and took it with him.

63 The children of Israel also brought up, each man his father’s coffin with him, and each man the coffins of his tribe.

Book of Jasher (77-78)

•October 29, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher, or the Book of the Righteous (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר sēfer hayyāšār), is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?” Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

Book of Jasher Chapter 77

1 Adikam was twenty years old when he reigned over Egypt, he reigned four years.

2 In the two hundred and sixth year of Israel’s going down to Egypt did Adikam reign over Egypt, but he continued not so long in his reign over Egypt as his fathers had continued their reigns.

3 For Melol his father reigned ninety-four years in Egypt, but he was ten years sick and died, for he had been wicked before the Lord.

4 And all the Egyptians called the name of Adikam Pharaoh like the name of his fathers, as was their custom to do in Egypt.

5 And all the wise men of Pharaoh called the name of Adikam Ahuz, for short is called Ahuz in the Egyptian language.

6 And Adikam was exceedingly ugly, and he was a cubit and a span and he had a great beard which reached to the soles of his feet.

7 And Pharaoh sat upon his father’s throne to reign over Egypt, and he conducted the government of Egypt in his wisdom.

8 And whilst he reigned he exceeded his father and all the preceding kings in wickedness, and he increased his yoke over the children of Israel.

9 And he went with his servants to Goshen to the children of Israel, and he strengthened the labor over them and he said unto them, Complete your work, each day’s task, and let not your hands slacken from our work from this day forward as you did in the days of my father.

10 And he placed officers over them from amongst the children of Israel, and over these officers he placed taskmasters from amongst his servants.

11 And he placed over them a measure of bricks for them to do according to that number, day by day, and he turned back and went to Egypt.

12 At that time the task-masters of Pharaoh ordered the officers of the children of Israel according to the command of Pharaoh, saying,

13 Thus says Pharaoh, Do your work each day, and finish your task, and observe the daily measure of bricks; diminish not anything.

14 And it shall come to pass that if you are deficient in your daily bricks, I will put your young children in their stead.

15 And the task-masters of Egypt did so in those days as Pharaoh had ordered them.

16 And whenever any deficiency was found in the children of Israel’s measure of their daily bricks, the task-masters of Pharaoh would go to the wives of the children of Israel and take infants of the children of Israel to the number of bricks deficient, they would take them by force from their mother’s laps, and put them in the building instead of the bricks;

17 Whilst their fathers and mothers were crying over them and weeping when they heard the weeping voices of their infants in the wall of the building.

18 And the task-masters prevailed over Israel, that the Israelites should place their children in the building, so that a man placed his son in the wall and put mortar over him, whilst his eyes wept over him, and his tears ran down upon his child.

19 And the task-masters of Egypt did so to the babes of Israel for many days, and no one pitied or had compassion over the babes of the children of Israel.

20 And the number of all the children killed in the building was two hundred and seventy, some whom they had built upon instead of the bricks which had been left deficient by their fathers, and some whom they had drawn out dead from the building.

21 And the labor imposed upon the children of Israel in the days of Adikam exceeded in hardship that which they performed in the days of his father.

22 And the children of Israel sighed every day on account of their heavy work, for they had said to themselves, Behold when Pharaoh shall die, his son will rise up and lighten our work!

23 But they increased the latter work more than the former, and the children of Israel sighed at this and their cry ascended to God on account of their labor.

24 And God heard the voice of the children of Israel and their cry, in those days, and God remembered to them his covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

25 And God saw the burden of the children of Israel, and their heavy work in those days, and he determined to deliver them.

26 And Moses the son of Amram was still confined in the dungeon in those days, in the house of Reuel the Midianite, and Zipporah the daughter of Reuel did support him with food secretly day by day.

27 And Moses was confined in the dungeon in the house of Reuel for ten years.

28 And at the end of ten years which was the first year of the reign of Pharaoh over Egypt, in the place of his father,

29 Zipporah said to her father Reuel, No person inquires or seeks after the Hebrew man, whom thou didst bind in prison now ten years.

30 Now therefore, if it seem good in thy sight, let us send and see whether he is living or dead, but her father knew not that she had supported him.

31 And Reuel her father answered and said to her, Has ever such a thing happened that a man should be shut up in a prison without food for ten years, and that he should live?

32 And Zipporah answered her father, saying, Surely thou hast heard that the God of the Hebrews is great and awful, and does wonders for them at all times.

33 He it was who delivered Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans, and Isaac from the sword of his father, and Jacob from the angel of the Lord who wrestled with him at the ford of Jabbuk.

34 Also with this man has he done many things, he delivered him from the river in Egypt and from the sword of Pharaoh, and from the children of Cush, so also can he deliver him from famine and make him live.

35 And the thing seemed good in the sight of Reuel, and he did according to the word of his daughter, and sent to the dungeon to ascertain what became of Moses.

36 And he saw, and behold the man Moses was living in the dungeon, standing upon his feet, praising and praying to the God of his ancestors.

37 And Reuel commanded Moses to be brought out of the dungeon, so they shaved him and he changed his prison garments and ate bread.

38 And afterward Moses went into the garden of Reuel which was behind the house, and he there prayed to the Lord his God, who had done mighty wonders for him.

39 And it was that whilst he prayed he looked opposite to him, and behold a sapphire stick was placed in the ground, which was planted in the midst of the garden.

40 And he approached the stick and he looked, and behold the name of the Lord God of hosts was engraved thereon, written and developed upon the stick.

41 And he read it and stretched forth his hand and he plucked it like a forest tree from the thicket, and the stick was in his hand.

42 And this is the stick with which all the works of our God were performed, after he had created heaven and earth, and all the host of them, seas, rivers and all their fishes.

43 And when God had driven Adam from the garden of Eden, he took the stick in his hand and went and tilled the ground from which he was taken.

44 And the stick came down to Noah and was given to Shem and his descendants, until it came into the hand of Abraham the Hebrew.

45 And when Abraham had given all he had to his son Isaac, he also gave to him this stick.

46 And when Jacob had fled to Padan-aram, he took it into his hand, and when he returned to his father he had not left it behind him.

47 Also when he went down to Egypt he took it into his hand and gave it to Joseph, one portion above his brethren, for Jacob had taken it by force from his brother Esau.

48 And after the death of Joseph, the nobles of Egypt came into the house of Joseph, and the stick came into the hand of Reuel the Midianite, and when he went out of Egypt, he took it in his hand and planted it in his garden.

49 And all the mighty men of the Kinites tried to pluck it when they endeavored to get Zipporah his daughter, but they were unsuccessful.

50 So that stick remained planted in the garden of Reuel, until he came who had a right to it and took it.

51 And when Reuel saw the stick in the hand of Moses, he wondered at it, and he gave him his daughter Zipporah for a wife.

Book of Jasher Chapter 78

1 At that time died Baal Channan son of Achbor, king of Edom, and was buried in his house in the land of Edom.

2 And after his death the children of Esau sent to the land of Edom, and took from there a man who was in Edom, whose name was Hadad, and they made him king over them in the place of Baal Channan, their king.

3 And Hadad reigned over the children of Edom forty-eight years.

4 And when he reigned he resolved to fight against the children of Moab, to bring them under the power of the children of Esau as they were before, but he was not able, because the children of Moab heard this thing, and they rose up and hastened to elect a king over them from amongst their brethren.

5 And they afterward gathered together a great people, and sent to the children of Ammon their brethren for help to fight against Hadad king of Edom.

6 And Hadad heard the thing which the children of Moab had done, and was greatly afraid of them, and refrained from fighting against them.

7 In those days Moses, the son of Amram, in Midian, took Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel the Midianite, for a wife.

8 And Zipporah walked in the ways of the daughters of Jacob, she was nothing short of the righteousness of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.

9 And Zipporah conceived and bare a son and he called his name Gershom, for he said, I was a stranger in a foreign land; but he circumcised not his foreskin, at the command of Reuel his father-in-law.

10 And she conceived again and bare a son, but circumcised his foreskin, and called his name Eliezer, for Moses said, Because the God of my fathers was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.

11 And Pharaoh king of Egypt greatly increased the labor of the children of Israel in those days, and continued to make his yoke heavier upon the children of Israel.

12 And he ordered a proclamation to be made in Egypt, saying, Give no more straw to the people to make bricks with, let them go and gather themselves straw as they can find it.

13 Also the tale of bricks which they shall make let them give each day, and diminish nothing from them, for they are idle in their work.

14 And the children of Israel heard this, and they mourned and sighed, and they cried unto the Lord on account of the bitterness of their souls.

15 And the Lord heard the cries of the children of Israel, and saw the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them.

16 And the Lord was jealous of his people and his inheritance, and heard their voice, and he resolved to take them out of the affliction of Egypt, to give them the land of Canaan for a possession.

Could Zechariah 5 indicate there would be a nuclear war?

•October 29, 2024 • Leave a Comment

RT: Here’s why Putin decided to send a nuclear message to Washington

Or, more recently: Khamenei warns US of “irreparable damage!”

Could Zechariah 5 indicate that there would be a nuclear war at this endtime?

Without the vowels (dots and dashes), the consonants for these three words are the same, indicating they are from the same root, hence reading into this encryptic text from Zechariah 5, the message could have numerous possibilities.

And here below is just one possibility:

Zechariah 5

1 Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, a flying scroll. — after a time interval, Zechariah turned and lifted up his eyes and looked: behold a flying scroll, a metaphor for global judgement or destruction a book-scroll or parchment of great size or consisting of many large leaves fastened together;

— a parallel scene of a book-scroll of what Ezekiel saw, in Ezekiel 2, “and in it was written lamentations and mourning and woe,” a consequence of a judgement resulting in a global destruction;

And I saw, and behold, a hand stretched out to me, and behold, in it was a scroll of a book.
And he spread it out before me, and it was inscribed before and behind, and there was written upon it lamentations and murmuring and woe. Ezekiel 2:9-10

And he said unto me, “What seest thou?” And I answered, “I see a flying scroll. The length thereof is twenty cubits and the breadth thereof ten cubits.”

— and the angel said unto Zechariah, What seest thou? And Zechariah answered, I see a parchment loose or unrolled moving through the air; the length thereof is twenty cubits and the breadth thereof ten cubits, the dimensions approximately ten yards by five yards.

A flying scroll, a flying curse to engulf the face of the earth, one side decimating one who steals, the other side decimating one who swears.

3 Then said he unto me, “This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth; for every one who stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it, and every one who sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.

— without waiting for a question on the part of the prophet, the angel then said unto Zechariah, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth, as written on the scroll;

— the two sins of theft and false swearing; for whosoever that steal shall be cut off as on this side according to it, and anyone who swears, especially modern White House politicians, swearing before the Bible, a challenge before God; thus, those that had taken false oaths without upholding their integrities shall be cut off; that is, being destroyed or decimated according to their wickedness; sinners who refuse to repent, who persist in their wickedness, must be cut off and removed;

— the one being against the second, as two categories of curses; show that the curses of the law reaches all sorts of sins and wickedness; pretty much similar to what Ezekiel saw: “of written lamentations and mourning and woe.” The message of Ezekiel is primarily a warning to the house of Israel (mentions 169 times); to Ephraim, being the chief tribe.

For more, see ‘the US is the true ’empire of lies’ or, Who is Ephraim, a Chronic Liar?

4 ‘I will bring it forth,’ saith the Lord of hosts,‘ and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by My name. And it shall remain in the midst of his house and shall consume it, with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.’”

— the Lord will bring it forth, namely, the curse and the judgement with it, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name, swearing before the Bible, swearing before God, these two classes of sinners being named as most prominent of all unrepentant transgressors;

— and it shall remain in the midst of his house, lodging there, dwelling there permanently, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof, not leaving a vestige of it. These words are properly expressive of the curse and of the punishment of God upon these form of deliberate transgression; which would be like a consuming fire upon anyone and everyone who steal and swear falsely;

— Rashi: I have brought it forth: to walk to and fro in the land and to wreak vengeance upon the thieves and the swearers of falsehoods from now on; and it shall come into the house of the thief, etc;

— and a saying goes: “a man that swears much shall be full of iniquity, and the plague shall not depart from his house,” and “if a man swears in vain, he shall not be innocent or justified, for his house shall be full of calamities.”

5 Then the angel who talked with me went forth and said unto me, “Lift up now thine eyes and see what is this that goeth forth.”

— then the angel that talked with Zechariah, and said unto Zechariah, ‘Lift up now thine eyes and see what is this that goeth forth,’ appearing before his eyes, something that Zechariah should observe very closely.

6 And I said, “What is it?” And he said, “This is an ephah that goeth forth.” He said moreover, “This is their resemblance through all the earth.”

— ‘this is an ephah that goeth forth,’ the ephah being a dry measure corresponding roughly to our peck; the object in the vision was evidently a receptacle having the shape of an ephah, maybe it is a nuclear payload like “Little Boy” and the ephah was chosen because it was often called the measure of unrighteousness and of deceits;

— the angel said, ‘This is their resemblance through all the earth,’ literally, ‘this their eye in all the land,” that is, this is the object of their gaze, all eyes are centered upon it: “a nuclear explosion?”

7 And behold, there was lifted up a weighty piece of lead, and this is a woman who sitteth in the midst of the ephah. — first appearance of a woman, perhaps a church, one of wickedness, a declaying nation? Or a fire, the afterburner of a missile? the missile being covered by a layer of lead;

— and behold there was lifted up a talent of lead, a great round piece, weighing about a hundred pounds; and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah, the female personification of wickedness held within the ephah by the great weight;

— is God trying to convey to the people of the endtime, that there would be nuclear weapons carried by missiles caused by cheatings and false swearings that result in “great wickedness”?

The afterburner of a Russian Naval Hypersonic Missile

8 And he said, “This is wickedness.” And he cast it into the midst of the ephah, and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

— and the angel said, ‘This is wickedness,’ Israel being imbued with false doctrines, and godlessness personified. And the angel cast it into the midst of the ephah, thus preventing her escape; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof, this acting as a cover keeping her shut up within the measure.

9 Then I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings (for they had wings like the wings of a stork), and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.

— fascinated by a further wonderful thing that happened, then lifted Zechariah up his eyes and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings, aiding them in their movement forward as they carried the ephah;

— two women appear; perhaps two entities: church and state? Or two missiles? Or two nuclear explosions?

— for they had wings (missiles) like the wings of an eagle; and they lifted up the ephah (with nuclear payload) between the earth and the heaven, missiles carrying nuclear payloads or drones flying along quickly, between the earth and the first heaven.

10 Then said I to the angel who talked with me, “Whither do these bear the ephah?” — then asked Zechariah the angel who talked with him, “Where do these bear the ephah?”

11 And he said unto me, “To build it a house in the land of Shinar; and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.” — and the angel said unto Zechariah, ‘To build an house in the land of Shinar,’ that is, Babylon; typical from olden times as the land of rebellion against the Lord;

— in the province of Babylon, as the Targum confirms it; for Babel, physical or spiritual Babylon, was in the land of Shinar; Genesis 11:1-9; and it shall be established and set there upon her own base; representative of the ungodly world, a mystery of iniquity, Revelation 17:5; wickedness was to have its place; a place of wickedness;

— to-day, from a spiritual point of view, Washington DC and New York city could be considered the most perverted cities in the world, politically (one side of the scroll a warning for those who swears falsely under oath before the Bible upon taking office) and economically (the other side of the scroll meant for those who steals through Wall Street tradings: insider tradings and other cheatings, share manipulations and more);

— and perhaps this reference to Babylon or spiritual Babylon could be meant for these end-time godless cities; that is, either one, or both, of these modern Babylonian metropolises could be destined to be blown up by a nuclear conflagration; verse 3 above indicate both cities destroyed;

— and second, the United States is so far the only country that has used two nuclear weapons against another, perhaps this verse “as you have done, it shall be done to you;” of a prophetic boomerang effect could shed some light that could flared up not just the United States but would even engulf the whole world:

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15

— and then appear the four chariots of horses in the next chapter!

Zechariah 5: Could the symbolism in Zechariah 5 indicate that there would be nuclear war at the endtime?

ChatGPT: Is the Use of Nuclear Weapons Prophesied?

13 Countries added as BRICS Partners

•October 28, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Russia’s President Putin welcomes 36 world leaders to BRICS summit amid global power shift and adds 13 partners as Putin welcomed them with praise at the Kazan summit.

As the dollar system is weakening and as gold BRICS rise, more than a dozen countries from around the world joined the BRICS bloc this week — a major augmentation of the most powerful international alliance opposing Western powers.

The summit, held in Kazan, Russia, gathered 20 heads of state, over a dozen other diplomatic envoys, and even the secretary-general of the United Nations for a conference that further solidified President Vladimir Putin’s network of influence.

Thirteen nations were adopted as “partners” of the alliance on Thursday, the final day of the summit. The designation is short of complete membership but comes with the prospect of full admission in the future.

The following nations were announced as partner countries within the alliance:

Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Partner countries are allowed representation at select BRICS events and participation in some of the bloc’s international initiatives. Full membership in the alliance grants voting rights on BRICS affairs and full rights to participate in all BRICS events.

The following nations are already full members of the BRICS bloc: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

Belarus, Russia’s closest geopolitical ally and a quasi-satellite state, is among the countries that have expressed enthusiasm for gaining full membership as soon as possible.

“We fully share the BRICS philosophy,” Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said, according to a translation from the Moscow Times. “Belarus is coming to you with specific ideas and projects. We’re ready to become an active member of the union.”

Saudi Arabia, while represented at the summit, was not adopted as a member or a partner. The Middle Eastern kingdom was extended an invitation alongside Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE earlier this year but declined to accept.

If Saudi Arabia were to join BRICS, member nations would control close to half of the world’s oil supplies.

Putin’s rhetoric throughout the summit suggested a desire to build a new global order, with Russia positioning itself as a key player. Meanwhile, the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine could hinge on forthcoming geopolitical shifts, such as the outcome of the US presidential election.

Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network SWIFT and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners.

The US dollar is gradually losing its dominance, and foreign central banks are buying fewer Treasury securities, instead holding more gold in their reserves, warns mainstream American economist Mohamed El-Erian. Countries are seeking financial alternatives, especially Global South nations around BRICS.

In a joint declaration Wednesday, participants voiced concern about “the disruptive effect of unlawful unilateral coercive measures, including illegal sanctions” and reiterated their commitment to enhancing financial cooperation within BRICS. They noted the benefits of “faster, low-cost, more efficient, transparent, safe and inclusive cross-border payment instruments built upon the principle of minimizing trade barriers and non-discriminatory access.”

Book of Jasher (75-76)

•October 28, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 75

1 At that time, in the hundred and eightieth year of the Israelites going down into Egypt, there went forth from Egypt valiant men, thirty thousand on foot, from the children of Israel, who were all of the tribe of Joseph, of the children of Ephraim the son of Joseph.

2 For they said the period was completed which the Lord had appointed to the children of Israel in the times of old, which he had spoken to Abraham.

3 And these men girded themselves, and they put each man his sword at his side, and every man his armor upon him, and they trusted to their strength, and they went out together from Egypt with a mighty hand.

4 But they brought no provision for the road, only silver and gold, not even bread for that day did they bring in their hands, for they thought of getting their provision for pay from the Philistines, and if not they would take it by force.

5 And these men were very mighty and valiant men, one man could pursue a thousand and two could rout ten thousand, so they trusted to their strength and went together as they were.

6 And they directed their course toward the land of Gath, and they went down and found the shepherds of Gath feeding the cattle of the children of Gath.

7 And they said to the shepherds, Give us some of the sheep for pay, that we may eat, for we are hungry, for we have eaten no bread this day.

8 And the shepherds said, Are they our sheep or cattle that we should give them to you even for pay? so the children of Ephraim approached to take them by force.

9 And the shepherds of Gath shouted over them that their cry was heard at a distance, so all the children of Gath went out to them.

10 And when the children of Gath saw the evil doings of the children of Ephraim, they returned and assembled the men of Gath, and they put on each man his armor, and came forth to the children of Ephraim for battle.

11 And they engaged with them in the valley of Gath, and the battle was severe, and they smote from each other a great many on that day.

An unusual ahead-of-time 30,000 foot soldiers slain from the overzealous children of Ephraim remained unburied in the valley of Gath for many days

12 And on the second day the children of Gath sent to all the cities of the Philistines that they should come to their help, saying,

13 Come up unto us and help us, that we may smite the children of Ephraim who have come forth from Egypt to take our cattle, and to fight against us without cause.

14 Now the souls of the children of Ephraim were exhausted with hunger and thirst, for they had eaten no bread for three days. And forty thousand men went forth from the cities of the Philistines to the assistance of the men of Gath.

15 And these men were engaged in battle with the children of Ephraim, and the Lord delivered the children of Ephraim into the hands of the Philistines.

16 And they smote all the children of Ephraim, all who had gone forth from Egypt, none were remaining but ten men who had run away from the engagement.

17 For this evil was from the Lord against the children of Ephraim, for they transgressed the word of the Lord in going forth from Egypt, before the period had arrived which the Lord in the days of old had appointed to Israel.

18 And of the Philistines also there fell a great many, about twenty thousand men, and their brethren carried them and buried them in their cities.

19 And the slain of the children of Ephraim remained forsaken in the valley of Gath for many days and years, and were not brought to burial, and the valley was filled with men’s bones.

20 And the men who had escaped from the battle came to Egypt, and told all the children of Israel all that had befallen them.

21 And their father Ephraim mourned over them for many days, and his brethren came to console him. — this is confirmed in I Chronicles: “And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.” I Chronicles 7:22

22 And he came unto his wife and she bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, for she was unfortunate in his house.

Book of Jasher Chapter 76

1 And Moses the son of Amram was still king in the land of Cush in those days, and he prospered in his kingdom, and he conducted the government of the children of Cush in justice, in righteousness, and integrity.

2 And all the children of Cush loved Moses all the days that he reigned over them, and all the inhabitants of the land of Cush were greatly afraid of him.

3 And in the fortieth year of the reign of Moses over Cush, Moses was sitting on the royal throne whilst Adoniah the queen was before him, and all the nobles were sitting around him.

4 And Adoniah the queen said before the king and the princes, What is this thing which you, the children of Cush, have done for this long time?

5 Surely you know that for forty years that this man has reigned over Cush he has not approached me, nor has he served the gods of the children of Cush.

6 Now therefore hear, O ye children of Cush, and let this man no more reign over you as he is not of our flesh.

7 Behold Menacrus my son is grown up, let him reign over you, for it is better for you to serve the son of your lord, than to serve a stranger, slave of the king of Egypt.

8 And all the people and nobles of the children of Cush heard the words which Adoniah the queen had spoken in their ears.

9 And all the people were preparing until the evening, and in the morning they rose up early and made Menacrus, son of Kikianus, king over them.

10 And all the children of Cush were afraid to stretch forth their hand against Moses, for the Lord was with Moses, and the children of Cush remembered the oath which they swore unto Moses, therefore they did no harm to him.

11 But the children of Cush gave many presents to Moses, and sent him from them with great honor.

12 So Moses went forth from the land of Cush, and went home and ceased to reign over Cush, and Moses was sixty-six years old when he went out of the land of Cush, for the thing was from the Lord, for the period had arrived which he had appointed in the days of old, to bring forth Israel from the affliction of the children of Ham.

13 So Moses went to Midian, for he was afraid to return to Egypt on account of Pharaoh, and he went and sat at a well of water in Midian.

14 And the seven daughters of Reuel the Midianite went out to feed their father’s flock.

15 And they came to the well and drew water to water their father’s flock.

16 So the shepherds of Midian came and drove them away, and Moses rose up and helped them and watered the flock.

17 And they came home to their father Reuel, and told him what Moses did for them.

18 And they said, An Egyptian man has delivered us from the hands of the shepherds, he drew up water for us and watered the flock.

19 And Reuel said to his daughters, And where is he? wherefore have you left the man?

20 And Reuel sent for him and fetched him and brought him home, and he ate bread with him.

21 And Moses related to Reuel that he had fled from Egypt and that he reigned forty years over Cush, and that they afterward had taken the government from him, and had sent him away in peace with honor and with presents.

22 And when Reuel had heard the words of Moses, Reuel said within himself, I will put this man into the prison house, whereby I shall conciliate the children of Cush, for he has fled from them.

23 And they took and put him into the prison house, and Moses was in prison ten years, and whilst Moses was in the prison house, Zipporah the daughter of Reuel took pity over him, and supported him with bread and water all the time.

24 And all the children of Israel were yet in the land of Egypt serving the Egyptians in all manner of hard work, and the hand of Egypt continued in severity over the children of Israel in those days.

25 At that time the Lord smote Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he afflicted with the plague of leprosy from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head; owing to the cruel treatment of the children of Israel was this plague at that time from the Lord upon Pharaoh king of Egypt.

26 For the Lord had hearkened to the prayer of his people the children of Israel, and their cry reached him on account of their hard work.

27 Still his anger did not turn from them, and the hand of Pharaoh was still stretched out against the children of Israel, and Pharaoh hardened his neck before the Lord, and he increased his yoke over the children of Israel, and embittered their lives with all manner of hard work.

28 And when the Lord had inflicted the plague upon Pharaoh king of Egypt, he asked his wise men and sorcerers to cure him.

29 And his wise men and sorcerers said unto him, That if the blood of little children were put into the wounds he would be healed.

30 And Pharaoh hearkened to them, and sent his ministers to Goshen to the children of Israel to take their little children.

31 And Pharaoh’s ministers went and took the infants of the children of Israel from the bosoms of their mothers by force, and they brought them to Pharaoh daily, a child each day, and the physicians killed them and applied them to the plague; thus did they all the days.

32 And the number of the children which Pharaoh slew was three hundred and seventy-five.

33 But the Lord hearkened not to the physicians of the king of Egypt, and the plague went on increasing mightily.

34 And Pharaoh was ten years afflicted with that plague, still the heart of Pharaoh was more hardened against the children of Israel.

35 And at the end of ten years the Lord continued to afflict Pharaoh with destructive plagues.

36 And the Lord smote him with a bad tumor and sickness at the stomach, and that plague turned to a severe boil.

37 At that time the two ministers of Pharaoh came from the land of Goshen where all the children of Israel were, and went to the house of Pharaoh and said to him, We have seen the children of Israel slacken in their work and negligent in their labor.

38 And when Pharaoh heard the words of his ministers, his anger was kindled against the children of Israel exceedingly, for he was greatly grieved at his bodily pain.

39 And he answered and said, Now that the children of Israel know that I am ill, they turn and scoff at us, now therefore harness my chariot for me, and I will betake myself to Goshen and will see the scoff of the children of Israel with which they are deriding me; so his servants harnessed the chariot for him.

40 And they took and made him ride upon a horse, for he was not able to ride of himself;

41 And he took with him ten horsemen and ten footmen, and went to the children of Israel to Goshen.

42 And when they had come to the border of Egypt, the king’s horse passed into a narrow place, elevated in the hollow part of the vineyard, fenced on both sides, the low, plain country being on the other side.

43 And the horses ran rapidly in that place and pressed each other, and the other horses pressed the king’s horse.

44 And the king’s horse fell into the low plain whilst the king was riding upon it, and when he fell the chariot turned over the king’s face and the horse lay upon the king, and the king cried out, for his flesh was very sore.

45 And the flesh of the king was torn from him, and his bones were broken and he could not ride, for this thing was from the Lord to him, for the Lord had heard the cries of his people the children of Israel and their affliction.

46 And his servants carried him upon their shoulders, a little at a time, and they brought him back to Egypt, and the horsemen who were with him came also back to Egypt.

47 And they placed him in his bed, and the king knew that his end was come to die, so Aparanith the queen his wife came and cried before the king, and the king wept a great weeping with her.

48 And all his nobles and servants came on that day and saw the king in that affliction, and wept a great weeping with him.

49 And the princes of the king and all his counselors advised the king to cause one to reign in his stead in the land, whomsoever he should choose from his sons.

50 And the king had three sons and two daughters which Aparanith the queen his wife had borne to him, besides the king’s children of concubines.

51 And these were their names, the firstborn Othri, the second Adikam, and the third Morion, and their sisters, the name of the elder Bathia and of the other Acuzi.

52 And Othri the first born of the king was an idiot, precipitate and hurried in his words.

53 But Adikam was a cunning and wise man and knowing in all the wisdom of Egypt, but of unseemly aspect, thick in flesh, and very short in stature; his height was one cubit.

54 And when the king saw Adikam his son intelligent and wise in all things, the king resolved that he should be king in his stead after his death.

55 And he took for him a wife Gedudah daughter of Abilot, and he was ten years old, and she bare unto him four sons.

56 And he afterward went and took three wives and begat eight sons and three daughters.

57 And the disorder greatly prevailed over the king, and his flesh stank like the flesh of a carcass cast upon the field in summer time, during the heat of the sun.

58 And when the king saw that his sickness had greatly strengthened itself over him, he ordered his son Adikam to be brought to him, and they made him king over the land in his place.

59 And at the end of three years, the king died, in shame, disgrace, and disgust, and his servants carried him and buried him in the sepulcher of the kings of Egypt in Zoan Mizraim.

60 But they embalmed him not as was usual with kings, for his flesh was putrid, and they could not approach to embalm him on account of the stench, so they buried him in haste.

61 For this evil was from the Lord to him, for the Lord had requited him evil for the evil which in his days he had done to Israel.

62 And he died with terror and with shame, and his son Adikam reigned in his place.

Book of Jasher (73-74)

•October 27, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war and keep on winning over its neighbours and enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans from ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis from far-away Yemen.

Book of Jasher Chapter 73

1 In the fifty-fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt, that is in the hundred and fifty-seventh year of the Israelites going down into Egypt, reigned Moses in Cush.

2 Moses was twenty-seven years old when he began to reign over Cush, and forty years did he reign.

3 And the Lord granted Moses favor and grace in the eyes of all the children of Cush, and the children of Cush loved him exceedingly, so Moses was favored by the Lord and by men.

4 And in the seventh day of his reign, all the children of Cush assembled and came before Moses and bowed down to him to the ground.

5 And all the children spoke together in the presence of the king, saying, Give us counsel that we may see what is to be done to this city.

6 For it is now nine years that we have been besieging round about the city, and have not seen our children and our wives.

7 So the king answered them, saying, If you will hearken to my voice in all that I shall command you, then will the Lord give the city into our hands and we shall subdue it.

8 For if we fight with them as in the former battle which we had with them before the death of Kikianus, many of us will fall down wounded as before.

9 Now therefore behold here is counsel for you in this matter; if you will hearken to my voice, then will the city be delivered into our hands.

10 So all the forces answered the king, saying, All that our lord shall command that will we do.

11 And Moses said unto them, Pass through and proclaim a voice in the whole camp unto all the people, saying,

12 Thus says the king, Go into the forest and bring with you of the young ones of the stork, each man a young one in his hand.

13 And any person transgressing the word of the king, who shall not bring his young one, he shall die, and the king will take all belonging to him.

14 And when you shall bring them they shall be in your keeping, you shall rear them until they grow up, and you shall teach them to dart upon, as is the way of the young ones of the hawk.

15 So all the children of Cush heard the words of Moses, and they rose up and caused a proclamation to be issued throughout the camp, saying,

16 Unto you, all the children of Cush, the king’s order is, that you go all together to the forest, and catch there the young storks each man his young one in his hand, and you shall bring them home.

17 And any person violating the order of the king shall die, and the king will take all that belongs to him.

18 And all the people did so, and they went out to the wood and they climbed the fir trees and caught, each man a young one in his hand, all the young of the storks, and they brought them into the desert and reared them by order of the king, and they taught them to dart upon, similar to the young hawks.

19 And after the young storks were reared, the king ordered them to be hungered for three days, and all the people did so.

20 And on the third day, the king said unto them, strengthen yourselves and become valiant men, and put on each man his armor and gird on his sword upon him, and ride each man his horse and take each his young stork in his hand.

21 And we will rise up and fight against the city at the place where the serpents are; and all the people did as the king had ordered.

22 And they took each man his young one in his hand, and they went away, and when they came to the place of the serpents the king said to them, Send forth each man his young stork upon the serpents.

23 And they sent forth each man his young stork at the king’s order, and the young storks ran upon the serpents and they devoured them all and destroyed them out of that place.

24 And when the king and people had seen that all the serpents were destroyed in that place, all the people set up a great shout.

25 And they approached and fought against the city and took it and subdued it, and they entered the city.

26 And there died on that day one thousand and one hundred men of the people of the city, all that inhabited the city, but of the people besieging not one died.

27 So all the children of Cush went each to his home, to his wife and children and to all belonging to him.

28 And Balaam the magician, when he saw that the city was taken, he opened the gate and he and his two sons and eight brothers fled and returned to Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt.

29 They are the sorcerers and magicians who are mentioned in the book of the law, standing against Moses when the Lord brought the plagues upon Egypt.

30 So Moses took the city by his wisdom, and the children of Cush placed him on the throne instead of Kikianus king of Cush.

31 And they placed the royal crown upon his head, and they gave him for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus.

32 And Moses feared the Lord God of his fathers, so that he came not to her, nor did he turn his eyes to her.

33 For Moses remembered how Abraham had made his servant Eliezer swear, saying unto him, Thou shalt not take a woman from the daughters of Canaan for my son Isaac.

34 Also what Isaac did when Jacob had fled from his brother, when he commanded him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, nor make alliance with any of the children of Ham.

35 For the Lord our God gave Ham the son of Noah, and his children and all his seed, as slaves to the children of Shem and to the children of Japheth, and unto their seed after them for slaves, forever.

36 Therefore Moses turned not his heart nor his eyes to the wife of Kikianus all the days that he reigned over Cush.

37 And Moses feared the Lord his God all his life, and Moses walked before the Lord in truth, with all his heart and soul, he turned not from the right way all the days of his life; he declined not from the way either to the right or to the left, in which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had walked.

38 And Moses strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children of Cush, and he guided the children of Cush with his usual wisdom, and Moses prospered in his kingdom.

39 And at that time Aram and the children of the east heard that Kikianus king of Cush had died, so Aram and the children of the east rebelled against Cush in those days.

40 And Moses gathered all the children of Cush, a people very mighty, about thirty thousand men, and he went forth to fight with Aram and the children of the east.

41 And they went at first to the children of the east, and when the children of the east heard their report, they went to meet them, and engaged in battle with them.

42 And the war was severe against the children of the east, so the Lord gave all the children of the east into the hand of Moses, and about three hundred men fell down slain.

43 And all the children of the east turned back and retreated, so Moses and the children of Cush followed them and subdued them, and put a tax upon them, as was their custom.

44 So Moses and all the people with him passed from there to the land of Aram for battle.

45 And the people of Aram also went to meet them, and they fought against them, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Moses, and many of the men of Aram fell down wounded.

46 And Aram also were subdued by Moses and the people of Cush, and also gave their usual tax.

47 And Moses brought Aram and the children of the east under subjection to the children of Cush, and Moses and all the people who were with him, turned to the land of Cush.

48 And Moses strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children of Cush, and the Lord was with him, and all the children of Cush were afraid of him.

Book of Jasher Chapter 74

1 In the end of years died Saul king of Edom, and Baal Chanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

2 In the sixteenth year of the reign of Moses over Cush, Baal Chanan the son of Achbor reigned in the land of Edom over all the children of Edom for thirty-eight years.

3 In his days Moab rebelled against the power of Edom, having been under Edom since the days of Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote them and Midian, and brought Moab under subjection to Edom.

4 And when Baal Chanan the son of Achbor reigned over Edom, all the children of Moab withdrew their allegiance from Edom.

5 And Angeas king of Africa died in those days, and Azdrubal his son reigned in his stead.

6 And in those days died Janeas king of the children of Chittim, and they buried him in his temple which he had built for himself in the plain of Canopia for a residence, and Latinus reigned in his stead.

7 In the twenty-second year of the reign of Moses over the children of Cush, Latinus reigned over the children of Chittim forty-five years.

8 And he also built for himself a great and mighty tower, and he built therein an elegant temple for his residence, to conduct his government, as was the custom.

9 In the third year of his reign he caused a proclamation to be made to all his skilful men, who made many ships for him.

10 And Latinus assembled all his forces, and they came in ships, and went therein to fight with Azdrubal son of Angeas king of Africa, and they came to Africa and engaged in battle with Azdrubal and his army.

11 And Latinus prevailed over Azdrubal, and Latinus took from Azdrubal the aqueduct which his father had brought from the children of Chittim, when he took Janiah the daughter of Uzi for a wife, so Latinus overthrew the bridge of the aqueduct, and smote the whole army of Azdrubal a severe blow.

12 And the remaining strong men of Azdrubal strengthened themselves, and their hearts were filled with envy, and they courted death, and again engaged in battle with Latinus king of Chittim.

13 And the battle was severe upon all the men of Africa, and they all fell wounded before Latinus and his people, and Azdrubal the king also fell in that battle.

14 And the king Azdrubal had a very beautiful daughter, whose name was Ushpezena, and all the men of Africa embroidered her likeness on their garments, on account of her great beauty and comely appearance.

15 And the men of Latinus saw Ushpezena, the daughter of Azdrubal, and praised her unto Latinus their king.

16 And Latinus ordered her to be brought to him, and Latinus took Ushpezena for a wife, and he turned back on his way to Chittim.

17 And it was after the death of Azdrubal son of Angeas, when Latinus had turned back to his land from the battle, that all the inhabitants of Africa rose up and took Anibal the son of Angeas, the younger brother of Azdrubal, and made him king instead at his brother over the whole land at Africa.

18 And when he reigned, he resolved to go to Chittim to fight with the children of Chittim, to avenge the cause of Azdrubal his brother, and the cause of the inhabitants of Africa, and he did so.

19 And he made many ships, and he came therein with his whole army, and he went to Chittim.

20 So Anibal fought with the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim fell wounded before Anibal and his army, and Anibal avenged his brother’s cause.

21 And Anibal continued the war for eighteen years with the children of Chittim, and Anibal dwelt in the land of Chittim and encamped there for a long time.

22 And Anibal smote the children of Chittim very severely, and he slew their great men and princes, and of the rest of the people he smote about eighty thousand men.

23 And at the end of days and years, Anibal returned to his land of Africa, and he reigned securely in the place of Azdrubal his brother.

Book of Jasher (71-72)

•October 26, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 71

1 And when Moses was eighteen years old, he desired to see his father and mother and he went to them to Goshen, and when Moses had come near Goshen, he came to the place where the children of Israel were engaged in work, and he observed their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian smiting one of his Hebrew brethren.

2 And when the man who was beaten saw Moses he ran to him for help, for the man Moses was greatly respected in the house of Pharaoh, and he said to him, My lord attend to me, this Egyptian came to my house in the night, bound me, and came to my wife in my presence, and now he seeks to take my life away.

3 And when Moses heard this wicked thing, his anger was kindled against the Egyptian, and he turned this way and the other, and when he saw there was no man there he smote the Egyptian and hid him in the sand, and delivered the Hebrew from the hand of him that smote him.

4 And the Hebrew went to his house, and Moses returned to his home, and went forth and came back to the king’s house.

5 And when the man had returned home, he thought of repudiating his wife, for it was not right in the house of Jacob, for any man to come to his wife after she had been defiled.

6 And the woman went and told her brothers, and the woman’s brothers sought to slay him, and he fled to his house and escaped.

7 And on the second day Moses went forth to his brethren, and saw, and behold two men were quarreling, and he said to the wicked one, Why dost thou smite thy neighbor?

8 And he answered him and said to him, Who has set thee for a prince and judge over us? dost thou think to slay me as thou didst slay the Egyptian? and Moses was afraid and he said, Surely the thing is known?

9 And Pharaoh heard of this affair, and he ordered Moses to be slain, so God sent his angel, and he appeared unto Pharaoh in the likeness of a captain of the guard.

10 And the angel of the Lord took the sword from the hand of the captain of the guard, and took his head off with it, for the likeness of the captain of the guard was turned into the likeness of Moses.

11 And the angel of the Lord took hold of the right hand of Moses, and brought him forth from Egypt, and placed him from outside the borders of Egypt, a distance of forty days’ journey.

12 And Aaron his brother alone remained in the land of Egypt, and he prophesied to the children of Israel, saying,

13 Thus says the Lord God of your ancestors, Throw away, each man, the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.

14 And the children of Israel rebelled and would not hearken to Aaron at that time.

15 And the Lord thought to destroy them, were it not that the Lord remembered the covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

16 In those days the hand of Pharaoh continued to be severe against the children of Israel, and he crushed and oppressed them until the time when God sent forth his word and took notice of them.

Book of Jasher Chapter 72

1 And it was in those days that there was a great war between the children of Cush and the children of the east and Aram, and they rebelled against the king of Cush in whose hands they were.

2 So Kikianus king of Cush went forth with all the children of Cush, a people numerous as the sand, and he went to fight against Aram and the children of the east, to bring them under subjection.

3 And when Kikianus went out, he left Balaam the magician, with his two sons, to guard the city, and the lowest sort of the people of the land.

4 So Kikianus went forth to Aram and the children of the east, and he fought against them and smote them, and they all fell down wounded before Kikianus and his people.

5 And he took many of them captives and he brought them under subjection as at first, and he encamped upon their land to take tribute from them as usual.

6 And Balaam the son of Beor, when the king of Cush had left him to guard the city and the poor of the city, he rose up and advised with the people of the land to rebel against king Kikianus, not to let him enter the city when he should come home.

7 And the people of the land hearkened to him, and they swore to him and made him king over them, and his two sons for captains of the army.

8 So they rose up and raised the walls of the city at the two corners, and they built an exceeding strong building.

9 And at the third corner they dug ditches without number, between the city and the river which surrounded the whole land of Cush, and they made the waters of the river burst forth there.

10 At the fourth corner they collected numerous serpents by their incantations and enchantments, and they fortified the city and dwelt therein, and no one went out or in before them.

11 And Kikianus fought against Aram and the children of the east and he subdued them as before, and they gave him their usual tribute, and he went and returned to his land.

12 And when Kikianus the king of Cush approached his city and all the captains of the forces with him, they lifted up their eyes and saw that the walls of the city were built up and greatly elevated, so the men were astonished at this.

13 And they said one to the other, It is because they saw that we were delayed, in battle, and were greatly afraid of us, therefore have they done this thing and raised the city walls and fortified them so that the kings of Canaan might not come in battle against them.

14 So the king and the troops approached the city door and they looked up and behold, all the gates of the city were closed, and they called out to the sentinels, saying, Open unto us, that we may enter the city.

15 But the sentinels refused to open to them by the order of Balaam the magician, their king, they suffered them not to enter their city.

16 So they raised a battle with them opposite the city gate, and one hundred and thirty men of the army at Kikianus fell on that day.

17 And on the next day they continued to fight and they fought at the side of the river; they endeavored to pass but were not able, so some of them sank in the pits and died.

18 So the king ordered them to cut down trees to make rafts, upon which they might pass to them, and they did so.

19 And when they came to the place of the ditches, the waters revolved by mills, and two hundred men upon ten rafts were drowned.

20 And on the third day they came to fight at the side where the serpents were, but they could not approach there, for the serpents slew of them one hundred and seventy men, and they ceased fighting against Cush, and they besieged Cush for nine years, no person came out or in.

21 At that time that the war and the siege were against Cush, Moses fled from Egypt from Pharaoh who sought to kill him for having slain the Egyptian.

22 And Moses was eighteen years old when he fled from Egypt from the presence of Pharaoh, and he fled and escaped to the camp of Kikianus, which at that time was besieging Cush.

23 And Moses was nine years in the camp of Kikianus king of Cush, all the time that they were besieging Cush, and Moses went out and came in with them.

24 And the king and princes and all the fighting men loved Moses, for he was great and worthy, his stature was like a noble lion, his face was like the sun, and his strength was like that of a lion, and he was counsellor to the king.

25 And at the end of nine years, Kikianus was seized with a mortal disease, and his illness prevailed over him, and he died on the seventh day.

26 So his servants embalmed him and carried him and buried him opposite the city gate to the north of the land of Egypt.

27 And they built over him an elegant strong and high building, and they placed great stones below.

28 And the king’s scribes engraved upon those stones all the might of their king Kikianus, and all his battles which he had fought, behold they are written there at this day.

29 Now after the death of Kikianus king of Cush it grieved his men and troops greatly on account of the war.

30 So they said one to the other, Give us counsel what we are to do at this time, as we have resided in the wilderness nine years away from our homes.

31 If we say we will fight against the city many of us will fall wounded or killed, and if we remain here in the siege we shall also die.

32 For now all the kings of Aram and of the children of the east will hear that our king is dead, and they will attack us suddenly in a hostile manner, and they will fight against us and leave no remnant of us.

33 Now therefore let us go and make a king over us, and let us remain in the siege until the city is delivered up to us.

34 And they wished to choose on that day a man for king from the army of Kikianus, and they found no object of their choice like Moses to reign over them.

35 And they hastened and stripped off each man his garments and cast them upon the ground, and they made a great heap and placed Moses thereon.

36 And they rose up and blew with trumpets and called out before him, and said, May the king live, may the king live!

37 And all the people and nobles swore unto him to give him for a wife Adoniah the queen, the Cushite, wife of Kikianus, and they made Moses king over them on that day.

38 And all the people of Cush issued a proclamation on that day, saying, Every man must give something to Moses of what is in his possession.

39 And they spread out a sheet upon the heap, and every man cast into it something of what he had, one a gold earring and the other a coin.

40 Also of onyx stones, bdellium, pearls and marble did the children of Cush cast unto Moses upon the heap, also silver and gold in great abundance.

41 And Moses took all the silver and gold, all the vessels, and the bdellium and onyx stones, which all the children of Cush had given to him, and he placed them amongst his treasures.

42 And Moses reigned over the children of Cush on that day, in the place of Kikianus king of Cush.

Book of Jasher (69-70)

•October 25, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

Book of Jasher Chapter 69

1 And the king of Edom died in those days, in the eighteenth year of his reign, and was buried in his temple which he had built for himself as his royal residence in the land of Edom.

2 And the children of Esau sent to Pethor, which is upon the river, and they fetched from there a young man of beautiful eyes and comely aspect, whose name was Saul, and they made him king over them in the place of Samlah.

3 And Saul reigned over all the children of Esau in the land of Edom for forty years.

4 And when Pharaoh king of Egypt saw that the counsel which Balaam had advised respecting the children of Israel did not succeed, but that still they were fruitful, multiplied and increased throughout the land of Egypt,

5 Then Pharaoh commanded in those days that a proclamation should be issued throughout Egypt to the children of Israel, saying, No man shall diminish any thing of his daily labor.

6 And the man who shall be found deficient in his labor which he performs daily, whether in mortar or in bricks, then his youngest son shall be put in their place.

7 And the labor of Egypt strengthened upon the children of Israel in those days, and behold if one brick was deficient in any man’s daily labor, the Egyptians took his youngest boy by force from his mother, and put him into the building in the place of the brick which his father had left wanting.

8 And the men of Egypt did so to all the children of Israel day by day, all the days for a long period.

9 But the tribe of Levi did not at that time work with the Israelites their brethren, from the beginning, for the children of Levi knew the cunning of the Egyptians which they exercised at first toward the Israelites.

Book of Jasher Chapter 70

1 And in the third year from the birth of Moses, Pharaoh was sitting at a banquet, when Alparanith the queen was sitting at his right and Bathia at his left, and the lad Moses was lying upon her bosom, and Balaam the son of Beor with his two sons, and all the princes of the kingdom were sitting at table in the king’s presence.

Moses Brought Before Pharaoh’s Daughter, Bathia

2 And the lad stretched forth his hand upon the king’s head, and took the crown from the king’s head and placed it on his own head.

3 And when the king and princes saw the work which the boy had done, the king and princes were terrified, and one man to his neighbor expressed astonishment.

Moses stretched forth his hand and took the crown from the Pharaoh’s head and placed it on his own head

4 And the king said unto the princes who were before him at table, What speak you and what say you, O ye princes, in this matter, and what is to be the judgment against the boy on account of this act?

5 And Balaam the son of Beor the magician answered before the king and princes, and he said, Remember now, O my lord and king, the dream which thou didst dream many days since, and that which thy servant interpreted unto thee.

6 Now therefore this is a child from the Hebrew children, in whom is the spirit of God, and let not my lord the king imagine that this youngster did this thing without knowledge.

7 For he is a Hebrew boy, and wisdom and understanding are with him, although he is yet a child, and with wisdom has he done this and chosen unto himself the kingdom of Egypt.

8 For this is the manner of all the Hebrews to deceive kings and their nobles, to do all these things cunningly, in order to make the kings of the earth and their men tremble.

9 Surely thou knowest that Abraham their father acted thus, who deceived the army of Nimrod king of Babel, and Abimelech king of Gerar, and that he possessed himself of the land of the children of Heth and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

10 And that he descended into Egypt and said of Sarah his wife, she is my sister, in order to mislead Egypt and her king.

11 His son Isaac also did so when he went to Gerar and dwelt there, and his strength prevailed over the army of Abimelech king of the Philistines.

12 He also thought of making the kingdom of the Philistines stumble, in saying that Rebecca his wife was his sister.

13 Jacob also dealt treacherously with his brother, and took from his hand his birthright and his blessing.

14 He went then to Padan-aram to the house of Laban his mother’s brother, and cunningly obtained from him his daughter, his cattle, and all belonging to him, and fled away and returned to the land of Canaan to his father.

15 His sons sold their brother Joseph, who went down into Egypt and became a slave, and was placed in the prison house for twelve years.

16 Until the former Pharaoh dreamed dreams, and withdrew him from the prison house, and magnified him above all the princes in Egypt on account of his interpreting his dreams to him.

17 And when God caused a famine throughout the land he sent for and brought his father and all his brothers, and the whole of his father’s household, and supported them without price or reward, and bought the Egyptians for slaves.

18 Now therefore my lord king behold this child has risen up in their stead in Egypt, to do according to their deeds and to trifle with every king, prince and judge.

19 If it please the king, let us now spill his blood upon the ground, lest he grow up and take away the government from thy hand, and the hope of Egypt perish after he shall have reigned.

20 And Balaam said to the king, Let us moreover call for all the judges of Egypt and the wise men thereof, and let us know if the judgment of death is due to this boy as thou didst say, and then we will slay him.

21 And Pharaoh sent and called for all the wise men of Egypt and they came before the king, and an angel of the Lord came amongst them, and he was like one of the wise men of Egypt.

22 And the king said to the wise men, Surely you have heard what this Hebrew boy who is in the house has done, and thus has Balaam judged in the matter.

23 Now judge you also and see what is due to the boy for the act he has committed.

24 And the angel, who seemed like one of the wise men of Pharaoh, answered and said as follows, before all the wise men of Egypt and before the king and the princes:

25 If it please the king let the king send for men who shall bring before him an onyx stone and a coal of fire, and place them before the child, and if the child shall stretch forth his hand and take the onyx stone, then shall we know that with wisdom has the youth done all that he has done, and we must slay him.

26 But if he stretch forth his hand upon the coal, then shall we know that it was not with knowledge that he did this thing, and he shall live.

27 And the thing seemed good in the eyes of the king and the princes, so the king did according to the word of the angel of the Lord.

28 And the king ordered the onyx stone and coal to be brought and placed before Moses.

29 And they placed the boy before them, and the lad endeavored to stretch forth his hand to the onyx stone, but the angel of the Lord took his hand and placed it upon the coal, and the coal became extinguished in his hand, and he lifted it up and put it into his mouth, and burned part of his lips and part of his tongue, and he became heavy in mouth and tongue.

30 And when the king and princes saw this, they knew that Moses had not acted with wisdom in taking off the crown from the king’s head.

31 So the king and princes refrained from slaying the child, so Moses remained in Pharaoh’s house, growing up, and the Lord was with him.

32 And whilst the boy was in the king’s house, he was robed in purple and he grew amongst the children of the king.

33 And when Moses grew up in the king’s house, Bathia the daughter of Pharaoh considered him as a son, and all the household of Pharaoh honored him, and all the men of Egypt were afraid of him.

34 And he daily went forth and came into the land of Goshen, where his brethren the children of Israel were, and Moses saw them daily in shortness of breath and hard labor.

35 And Moses asked them, saying, Wherefore is this labor meted out unto you day by day?

36 And they told him all that had befallen them, and all the injunctions which Pharaoh had put upon them before his birth.

37 And they told him all the counsels which Balaam the son of Beor had counselled against them, and what he had also counselled against him in order to slay him when he had taken the king’s crown from off his head.

38 And when Moses heard these things his anger was kindled against Balaam, and he sought to kill him, and he was in ambush for him day by day.

39 And Balaam was afraid of Moses, and he and his two sons rose up and went forth from Egypt, and they fled and delivered their souls and betook themselves to the land of Cush to Kikianus, king of Cush.

40 And Moses was in the king’s house going out and coming in, the Lord gave him favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants, and in the eyes of all the people of Egypt, and they loved Moses exceedingly.

41 And the day arrived when Moses went to Goshen to see his brethren, that he saw the children of Israel in their burdens and hard labor, and Moses was grieved on their account.

42 And Moses returned to Egypt and came to the house of Pharaoh, and came before the king, and Moses bowed down before the king.

43 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, I pray thee my lord, I have come to seek a small request from thee, turn not away my face empty; and Pharaoh said unto him, Speak.

44 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Let there be given unto thy servants the children of Israel who are in Goshen, one day to rest therein from their labor.

45 And the king answered Moses and said, Behold I have lifted up thy face in this thing to grant thy request.

46 And Pharaoh ordered a proclamation to be issued throughout Egypt and Goshen, saying,

47 To you, all the children of Israel, thus says the king, for six days you shall do your work and labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest, and shall not preform any work, thus shall you do all the days, as the king and Moses the son of Bathia have commanded.

48 And Moses rejoiced at this thing which the king had granted to him, and all the children of Israel did as Moses ordered them.

49 For this thing was from the Lord to the children of Israel, for the Lord had begun to remember the children of Israel to save them for the sake of their fathers.

50 And the Lord was with Moses and his fame went throughout Egypt.

51 And Moses became great in the eyes of all the Egyptians, and in the eyes of all the children of Israel, seeking good for his people Israel and speaking words of peace regarding them to the king.

Book of Jasher (67-68)

•October 24, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

Book of Jasher Chapter 67

1 There was a man in the land of Egypt of the seed of Levi, whose name was Amram, the son of Kehath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

2 And this man went and took a wife, namely Jochebed the daughter of Levi his father’s sister, and she was one hundred and twenty-six years old, and he came unto her.

3 And the woman conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Miriam, because in those days the Egyptians had embittered the lives of the children of Israel.

4 And she conceived again and bare a son and she called his name Aaron, for in the days of her conception, Pharaoh began to spill the blood of the male children of Israel.

5 In those days died Zepho the son of Eliphaz, son of Esau, king of Chittim, and Janeas reigned in his stead.

6 And the time that Zepho reigned over the children of Chittim was fifty years, and he died and was buried in the city of Nabna in the land of Chittim.

7 And Janeas, one of the mighty men of the children of Chittim, reigned after him and he reigned fifty years.

8 And it was after the death of the king of Chittim that Balaam the son of Beor fled from the land of Chittim, and he went and came to Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt.

9 And Pharaoh received him with great honor, for he had heard of his wisdom, and he gave him presents and made him for a counsellor, and aggrandized him.

10 And Balaam dwelt in Egypt, in honor with all the nobles of the king, and the nobles exalted him, because they all coveted to learn his wisdom.

11 And in the hundred and thirtieth year of Israel’s going down to Egypt, Pharaoh dreamed that he was sitting upon his kingly throne, and lifted up his eyes and saw an old man standing before him, and there were scales in the hands of the old man, such scales as are used by merchants.

12 And the old man took the scales and hung them before Pharaoh.

13 And the old man took all the elders of Egypt and all its nobles and great men, and he tied them together and put them in one scale.

14 And he took a milk kid and put it into the other scale, and the kid preponderated over all.

15 And Pharaoh was astonished at this dreadful vision, why the kid should preponderate over all, and Pharaoh awoke and behold it was a dream.

16 And Pharaoh rose up early in the morning and called all his servants and related to them the dream, and the men were greatly afraid.

17 And the king said to all his wise men, Interpret I pray you the dream which I dreamed, that I may know it.

18 And Balaam the son of Beor answered the king and said unto him, This means nothing else but a great evil that will spring up against Egypt in the latter days.

“For a son will be born to Israel who will destroy all Egypt and its inhabitants”

19 For a son will be born to Israel who will destroy all Egypt and its inhabitants, and bring forth the Israelites from Egypt with a mighty hand.

20 Now therefore, O king, take counsel upon this matter, that you may destroy the hope of the children of Israel and their expectation, before this evil arise against Egypt.

21 And the king said unto Balaam, And what shall we do unto Israel? surely after a certain manner did we at first counsel against them and could not prevail over them.

22 Now therefore give you also advice against them by which we may prevail over them.

23 And Balaam answered the king, saying, Send now and call thy two counsellors, and we will see what their advice is upon this matter and afterward thy servant will speak.

24 And the king sent and called his two counsellors Reuel the Midianite and Job the Uzite, and they came and sat before the king.

25 And the king said to them, Behold you have both heard the dream which I have dreamed, and the interpretation thereof; now therefore give counsel and know and see what is to be done to the children of Israel, whereby we may prevail over them, before their evil shall spring up against us.

26 And Reuel the Midianite answered the king and said, May the king live, may the king live forever.

27 If it seem good to the king, let him desist from the Hebrews and leave them, and let him not stretch forth his hand against them.

28 For these are they whom the Lord chose in days of old, and took as the lot of his inheritance from amongst all the nations of the earth and the kings of the earth; and who is there that stretched his hand against them with impunity, of whom their God was not avenged?

29 Surely thou knowest that when Abraham went down to Egypt, Pharaoh, the former king of Egypt, saw Sarah his wife, and took her for a wife, because Abraham said, She is my sister, for he was afraid, lest the men of Egypt should slay him on account of his wife.

30 And when the king of Egypt had taken Sarah then God smote him and his household with heavy plagues, until he restored unto Abraham his wife Sarah, then was he healed.

31 And Abimelech the Gerarite, king of the Philistines, God punished on account of Sarah wife of Abraham, in stopping up every womb from man to beast.

32 When their God came to Abimelech in the dream of night and terrified him in order that he might restore to Abraham Sarah whom he had taken, and afterward all the people of Gerar were punished on account of Sarah, and Abraham prayed to his God for them, and he was entreated of him, and he healed them.

33 And Abimelech feared all this evil that came upon him and his people, and he returned to Abraham his wife Sarah, and gave him with her many gifts.

34 He did so also to Isaac when he had driven him from Gerar, and God had done wonderful things to him, that all the water courses of Gerar were dried up, and their productive trees did not bring forth.

35 Until Abimelech of Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Pichol the captain of his host, went to him and they bent and bowed down before him to the ground.

36 And they requested of him to supplicate for them, and he prayed to the Lord for them, and the Lord was entreated of him and he healed them.

37 Jacob also, the plain man, was delivered through his integrity from the hand of his brother Esau, and the hand of Laban the Syrian his mother’s brother, who had sought his life; likewise from the hand of all the kings of Canaan who had come together against him and his children to destroy them, and the Lord delivered them out of their hands, that they turned upon them and smote them, for who had ever stretched forth his hand against them with impunity?

38 Surely Pharaoh the former, thy father’s father, raised Joseph the son of Jacob above all the princes of the land of Egypt, when he saw his wisdom, for through his wisdom he rescued all the inhabitants of the land from the famine.

39 After which he ordered Jacob and his children to come down to Egypt, in order that through their virtue, the land of Egypt and the land of Goshen might be delivered from the famine.

40 Now therefore if it seem good in thine eyes, cease from destroying the children of Israel, but if it be not thy will that they shall dwell in Egypt, send them forth from here, that they may go to the land of Canaan, the land where their ancestors sojourned.

41 And when Pharaoh heard the words of Jethro he was very angry with him, so that he rose with shame from the king’s presence, and went to Midian, his land, and took Joseph’s stick with him.

42 And the king said to Job the Uzite, What sayest thou Job, and what is thy advice respecting the Hebrews?

43 So Job said to the king, Behold all the inhabitants of the land are in thy power, let the king do as it seems good in his eyes.

44 And the king said unto Balaam, What dost thou say, Balaam, speak thy word that we may hear it.

45 And Balaam said to the king, Of all that the king has counselled against the Hebrews will they be delivered, and the king will not be able to prevail over them with any counsel.

46 For if thou thinkest to lessen them by the flaming fire, thou canst not prevail over them, for surely their God delivered Abraham their father from Ur of the Chaldeans; and if thou thinkest to destroy them with a sword, surely Isaac their father was delivered from it, and a ram was placed in his stead.

47 And if with hard and rigorous labor thou thinkest to lessen them, thou wilt not prevail even in this, for their father Jacob served Laban in all manner of hard work, and prospered.

48 Now therefore, O King, hear my words, for this is the counsel which is counselled against them, by which thou wilt prevail over them, and from which thou shouldst not depart.

49 If it please the king let him order all their children which shall be born from this day forward, to be thrown into the water, for by this canst thou wipe away their name, for none of them, nor of their fathers, were tried in this manner.

50 And the king heard the words of Balaam, and the thing pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Balaam.

51 And the king ordered a proclamation to be issued and a law to be made throughout the land of Egypt, saying, Every male child born to the Hebrews from this day forward shall be thrown into the water.

52 And Pharaoh called unto all his servants, saying, Go now and seek throughout the land of Goshen where the children of Israel are, and see that every son born to the Hebrews shall be cast into the river, but every daughter you shall let live.

53 And when the children of Israel heard this thing which Pharaoh had commanded, to cast their male children into the river, some of the people separated from their wives and others adhered to them.

54 And from that day forward, when the time of delivery arrived to those women of Israel who had remained with their husbands, they went to the field to bring forth there, and they brought forth in the field, and left their children upon the field and returned home.

55 And the Lord who had sworn to their ancestors to multiply them, sent one of his ministering angels which are in heaven to wash each child in water, to anoint and swathe it and to put into its hands two smooth stones from one of which it sucked milk and from the other honey, and he caused its hair to grow to its knees, by which it might cover itself; to comfort it and to cleave to it, through his compassion for it.

56 And when God had compassion over them and had desired to multiply them upon the face of the land, he ordered his earth to receive them to be preserved therein till the time of their growing up, after which the earth opened its mouth and vomited them forth and they sprouted forth from the city like the herb of the earth, and the grass of the forest, and they returned each to his family and to his father’s house, and they remained with them.

57 And the babes of the children of Israel were upon the earth like the herb of the field, through God’s grace to them.

58 And when all the Egyptians saw this thing, they went forth, each to his field with his yoke of oxen and his ploughshare, and they ploughed it up as one ploughs the earth at seed time.

59 And when they ploughed they were unable to hurt the infants of the children of Israel, so the people increased and waxed exceedingly.

60 And Pharaoh ordered his officers daily to go to Goshen to seek for the babes of the children of Israel.

61 And when they had sought and found one, they took it from its mother’s bosom by force, and threw it into the river, but the female child they left with its mother; thus did the Egyptians do to the Israelites all the days.

Book of Jasher Chapter 68

1 And it was at that time the spirit of God was upon Miriam the daughter of Amram the sister of Aaron, and she went forth and prophesied about the house, saying, Behold a son will be born unto us from my father and mother this time, and he will save Israel from the hands of Egypt.

2 And when Amram heard the words of his daughter, he went and took his wife back to the house, after he had driven her away at the time when Pharaoh ordered every male child of the house of Jacob to be thrown into the water.

3 So Amram took Jochebed his wife, three years after he had driven her away, and he came to her and she conceived.

4 And at the end of seven months from her conception she brought forth a son, and the whole house was filled with great light as of the light of the sun and moon at the time of their shining.

5 And when the woman saw the child that it was good and pleasing to the sight, she hid it for three months in an inner room.

6 In those days the Egyptians conspired to destroy all the Hebrews there.

7 And the Egyptian women went to Goshen where the children of Israel were, and they carried their young ones upon their shoulders, their babes who could not yet speak.

8 And in those days, when the women of the children of Israel brought forth, each woman had hidden her son from before the Egyptians, that the Egyptians might not know of their bringing forth, and might not destroy them from the land.

9 And the Egyptian women came to Goshen and their children who could not speak were upon their shoulders, and when an Egyptian woman came into the house of a Hebrew woman her babe began to cry.

10 And when it cried the child that was in the inner room answered it, so the Egyptian women went and told it at the house of Pharaoh.

11 And Pharaoh sent his officers to take the children and slay them; thus did the Egyptians to the Hebrew women all the days.

12 And it was at that time, about three months from Jochebed’s concealment of her son, that the thing was known in Pharaoh’s house.

13 And the woman hastened to take away her son before the officers came, and she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein, and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.

14 And his sister Miriam stood afar off to know what would be done to him, and what would become of her words.

15 And God sent forth at that time a terrible heat in the land of Egypt, which burned up the flesh of man like the sun in his circuit, and it greatly oppressed the Egyptians.

16 And all the Egyptians went down to bathe in the river, on account of the consuming heat which burned up their flesh.

17 And Bathia, the daughter of Pharaoh, went also to bathe in the river, owing to the consuming heat, and her maidens walked at the river side, and all the women of Egypt as well.

18 And Bathia lifted up her eyes to the river, and she saw the ark upon the water, and sent her maid to fetch it.

19 And she opened it and saw the child, and behold the babe wept, and she had compassion on him, and she said, This is one of the Hebrew children.

20 And all the women of Egypt walking on the river side desired to give him suck, but he would not suck, for this thing was from the Lord, in order to restore him to his mother’s breast.

21 And Miriam his sister was at that time amongst the Egyptian women at the river side, and she saw this thing and she said to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and fetch a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

22 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go, and the young woman went and called the child’s mother.

23 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to Jochebed, Take this child away and suckle it for me, and I will pay thee thy wages, two bits of silver daily; and the woman took the child and nursed it.

24 And at the end of two years, when the child grew up, she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he was unto her as a son, and she called his name Moses, for she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

25 And Amram his father called his name Chabar, for he said, It was for him that he associated with his wife whom he had turned away.

26 And Jochebed his mother called his name Jekuthiel, Because, she said, I have hoped for him to the Almighty, and God restored him unto me.

27 And Miriam his sister called him Jered, for she descended after him to the river to know what his end would be.

28 And Aaron his brother called his name Abi Zanuch, saying, My father left my mother and returned to her on his account.

29 And Kehath the father of Amram called his name Abigdor, because on his account did God repair the breach of the house of Jacob, that they could no longer throw their male children into the water.

30 And their nurse called him Abi Socho, saying, In his tabernacle was he hidden for three months, on account of the children of Ham.

31 And all Israel called his name Shemaiah, son of Nethanel, for they said, In his days has God heard their cries and rescued them from their oppressors.

32 And Moses was in Pharaoh’s house, and was unto Bathia, Pharaoh’s daughter, as a son, and Moses grew up amongst the king’s children.

Book of Jasher (65-66)

•October 23, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

Book of Jasher Chapter 65

1 And it came to pass after these things, that all the counsellors of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all the elders of Egypt assembled and came before the king and bowed down to the ground, and they sat before him.

2 And the counsellors and elders of Egypt spoke unto the king, saying,

3 Behold the people of the children of Israel is greater and mightier than we are, and thou knowest all the evil which they did to us in the road when we returned from battle.

4 And thou hast also seen their strong power, for this power is unto them from their fathers, for but a few men stood up against a people numerous as the sand, and smote them at the edge of the sword, and of themselves not one has fallen, so that if they had been numerous they would then have utterly destroyed them.

5 Now therefore give us counsel what to do with them, until we gradually destroy them from amongst us, lest they become too numerous for us in the land.

6 For if the children of Israel should increase in the land, they will become an obstacle to us, and if any war should happen to take place, they with their great strength will join our enemy against us, and fight against us, destroy us from the land and go away from it.

7 So the king answered the elders of Egypt and said unto them, This is the plan advised against Israel, from which we will not depart,

8 Behold in the land are Pithom and Rameses, cities unfortified against battle, it behooves you and us to build them, and to fortify them.

9 Now therefore go you also and act cunningly toward them, and proclaim a voice in Egypt and in Goshen at the command of the king, saying,

10 All ye men of Egypt, Goshen, Pathros and all their inhabitants! the king has commanded us to build Pithom and Rameses, and to fortify them for battle; who amongst you of all Egypt, of the children of Israel and of all the inhabitants of the cities, are willing to build with us, shall each have his wages given to him daily at the king’s order; so go you first and do cunningly, and gather yourselves and come to Pithom and Rameses to build.

11 And whilst you are building, cause a proclamation of this kind to be made throughout Egypt every day at the command of the king.

12 And when some of the children of Israel shall come to build with you, you shall give them their wages daily for a few days.

13 And after they shall have built with you for their daily hire, drag yourselves away from them daily one by one in secret, and then you shall rise up and become their task-masters and officers, and you shall leave them afterward to build without wages, and should they refuse, then force them with all your might to build.

14 And if you do this it will be well with us to strengthen our land against the children of Israel, for on account of the fatigue of the building and the work, the children of Israel will decrease, because you will deprive them from their wives day by day.

15 And all the elders of Egypt heard the counsel of the king, and the counsel seemed good in their eyes and in the eyes of the servants of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all Egypt, and they did according to the word of the king.

16 And all the servants went away from the king, and they caused a proclamation to be made in all Egypt, in Tachpanches and in Goshen, and in all the cities which surrounded Egypt, saying,

17 You have seen what the children of Esau and Ishmael did to us, who came to war against us and wished to destroy us.

18 Now therefore the king commanded us to fortify the land, to build the cities Pithom and Rameses, and to fortify them for battle, if they should again come against us.

19 Whosoever of you from all Egypt and from the children of Israel will come to build with us, he shall have his daily wages given by the king, as his command is unto us.

20 And when Egypt and all the children of Israel heard all that the servants of Pharaoh had spoken, there came from the Egyptians, and the children of Israel to build with the servants of Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses, but none of the children of Levi came with their brethren to build.

21 And all the servants of Pharaoh and his princes came at first with deceit to build with all Israel as daily hired laborers, and they gave to Israel their daily hire at the beginning.

22 And the servants of Pharaoh built with all Israel, and were employed in that work with Israel for a month.

23 And at the end of the month, all the servants of Pharaoh began to withdraw secretly from the people of Israel daily.

24 And Israel went on with the work at that time, but they then received their daily hire, because some of the men of Egypt were yet carrying on the work with Israel at that time; therefore the Egyptians gave Israel their hire in those days, in order that they, the Egyptians their fellow-workmen, might also take the pay for their labor.

25 And at the end of a year and four months all the Egyptians had withdrawn from the children of Israel, so that the children of Israel were left alone engaged in the work.

26 And after all the Egyptians had withdrawn from the children of Israel they returned and became oppressors and officers over them, and some of them stood over the children of Israel as task masters, to receive from them all that they gave them for the pay of their labor.

27 And the Egyptians did in this manner to the children of Israel day by day, in order to afflict in their work.

28 And all the children of Israel were alone engaged in the labor, and the Egyptians refrained from giving any pay to the children of Israel from that time forward.

29 And when some of the men of Israel refused to work on account of the wages not being given to them, then the exactors and the servants of Pharaoh oppressed them and smote them with heavy blows, and made them return by force, to labor with their brethren; thus did all the Egyptians unto the children of Israel all the days.

30 And all the children of Israel were greatly afraid of the Egyptians in this matter, and all the children of Israel returned and worked alone without pay.

31 And the children of Israel built Pithom and Rameses, and all the children of Israel did the work, some making bricks, and some building, and the children of Israel built and fortified all the land of Egypt and its walls, and the children of Israel were engaged in work for many years, until the time came when the Lord remembered them and brought them out of Egypt.

32 But the children of Levi were not employed in the work with their brethren of Israel, from the beginning unto the day of their going forth from Egypt.

33 For all the children of Levi knew that the Egyptians had spoken all these words with deceit to the Israelites, therefore the children of Levi refrained from approaching to the work with their brethren.

34 And the Egyptians did not direct their attention to make the children of Levi work afterward, since they had not been with their brethren at the beginning, therefore the Egyptians left them alone.

35 And the hands of the men of Egypt were directed with continued severity against the children of Israel in that work, and the Egyptians made the children of Israel work with rigor.

36 And the Egyptians embittered the lives of the children of Israel with hard work, in mortar and bricks, and also in all manner of work in the field.

37 And the children of Israel called Melol the king of Egypt “Meror, king of Egypt,” because in his days the Egyptians had embittered their lives with all manner of work.

38 And all the work wherein the Egyptians made the children of Israel labor, they exacted with rigor, in order to afflict the children of Israel, but the more they afflicted them, the more they increased and grew, and the Egyptians were grieved because of the children of Israel.

Book of Jasher Chapter 66

1 At that time died Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom, and Samlah from Mesrekah, from the country of the children of the east, reigned in his place.

2 In the thirteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt, which was the hundred and twenty-fifth year of the Israelites going down into Egypt, Samlah had reigned over Edom eighteen years.

3 And when he reigned, he drew forth his hosts to go and fight against Zepho the son of Eliphaz and the children of Chittim, because they had made war against Angeas king of Africa, and they destroyed his whole army.

4 But he did not engage with him, for the children of Esau prevented him, saying, He was their brother, so Samlah listened to the voice of the children of Esau, and turned back with all his forces to the land of Edom, and did not proceed to fight against Zepho the son of Eliphaz.

5 And Pharaoh king of Egypt heard this thing, saying, Samlah king of Edom has resolved to fight the children of Chittim, and afterward he will come to fight against Egypt.

6 And when the Egyptians heard this matter, they increased the labor upon the children of Israel, lest the Israelites should do unto them as they did unto them in their war with the children of Esau in the days of Hadad.

7 So the Egyptians said unto the children of Israel, Hasten and do your work, and finish your task, and strengthen the land, lest the children of Esau your brethren should come to fight against us, for on your account will they come against us.

8 And the children of Israel did the work of the men of Egypt day by day, and the Egyptians afflicted the children of Israel in order to lessen them in the land.

9 But as the Egyptians increased the labor upon the children of Israel, so did the children of Israel increase and multiply, and all Egypt was filled with the children of Israel.

10 And in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of Israel’s going down into Egypt, all the Egyptians saw that their counsel did not succeed against Israel, but that they increased and grew, and the land of Egypt and the land of Goshen were filled with the children of Israel.

11 So all the elders of Egypt and its wise men came before the king and bowed down to him and sat before him.

12 And all the elders of Egypt and the wise men thereof said unto the king, May the king live forever; thou didst counsel us the counsel against the children of Israel, and we did unto them according to the word of the king.

13 But in proportion to the increase of the labor so do they increase and grow in the land, and behold the whole country is filled with them.

14 Now therefore our lord and king, the eyes of all Egypt are upon thee to give them advice with thy wisdom, by which they may prevail over Israel to destroy them, or to diminish them from the land; and the king answered them saying, Give you counsel in this matter that we may know what to do unto them.

15 And an officer, one of the king’s counsellors, whose name was Job, from Mesopotamia, in the land of Uz, answered the king, saying,

16 If it please the king, let him hear the counsel of his servant; and the king said unto him, Speak.

17 And Job spoke before the king, the princes, and before all the elders of Egypt, saying,

18 Behold the counsel of the king which he advised formerly respecting the labor of the children of Israel is very good, and you must not remove from them that labor forever.

19 But this is the advice counselled by which you may lessen them, if it seems good to the king to afflict them.

20 Behold we have feared war for a long time, and we said, When Israel becomes fruitful in the land, they will drive us from the land if a war should take place.

21 If it please the king, let a royal decree go forth, and let it be written in the laws of Egypt which shall not be revoked, that every male child born to the Israelites, his blood shall be spilled upon the ground.

22 And by your doing this, when all the male children of Israel shall have died, the evil of their wars will cease; let the king do so and send for all the Hebrew midwives and order them in this matter to execute it; so the thing pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Job.

23 And the king sent for the Hebrew midwives to be called, of which the name of one was Shephrah, and the name of the other Puah.

24 And the midwives came before the king, and stood in his presence.

25 And the king said unto them, When you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then you shall kill him, but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

26 But if you will not do this thing, then will I burn you up and all your houses with fire.

27 But the midwives feared God and did not hearken to the king of Egypt nor to his words, and when the Hebrew women brought forth to the midwife son or daughter, then did the midwife do all that was necessary to the child and let it live; thus did the midwives all the days.

28 And this thing was told to the king, and he sent and called for the midwives and he said to them, Why have you done this thing and have saved the children alive?

29 And the midwives answered and spoke together before the king, saying,

30 Let not the king think that the Hebrew women are as the Egyptian women, for all the children of Israel are hale, and before the midwife comes to them they are delivered, and as for us thy handmaids, for many days no Hebrew woman has brought forth upon us, for all the Hebrew women are their own midwives, because they are hale.

31 And Pharaoh heard their words and believed them in this matter, and the midwives went away from the king, and God dealt well with them, and the people multiplied and waxed exceedingly.

Book of Jasher (63-64)

•October 22, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

Book of Jasher Chapter 63

1 And in the ninety-third year died Levi, the son of Jacob, in Egypt, and Levi was a hundred and thirty-seven years old when he died, and they put him into a coffin and he was given into the hands of his children.

2 And it came to pass after the death of Levi, when all Egypt saw that the sons of Jacob the brethren of Joseph were dead, all the Egyptians began to afflict the children of Jacob, and to embitter their lives from that day unto the day of their going forth from Egypt, and they took from their hands all the vineyards and fields which Joseph had given unto them, and all the elegant houses in which the people of Israel lived, and all the fat of Egypt, the Egyptians took all from the sons of Jacob in those days.

3 And the hand of all Egypt became more grievous in those days against the children of Israel, and the Egyptians injured the Israelites until the children of Israel were wearied of their lives on account of the Egyptians.

4 And it came to pass in those days, in the hundred and second year of Israel’s going down to Egypt, that Pharaoh king of Egypt died, and Melol his son reigned in his stead, and all the mighty men of Egypt and all that generation which knew Joseph and his brethren died in those days.

5 And another generation rose up in their stead, which had not known the sons of Jacob and all the good which they had done to them, and all their might in Egypt.

6 Therefore all Egypt began from that day forth to embitter the lives of the sons of Jacob, and to afflict them with all manner of hard labor, because they had not known their ancestors who had delivered them in the days of the famine.

7 And this was also from the Lord, for the children of Israel, to benefit them in their latter days, in order that all the children of Israel might know the Lord their God.

8 And in order to know the signs and mighty wonders which the Lord would do in Egypt on account of his people Israel, in order that the children of Israel might fear the Lord God of their ancestors, and walk in all his ways, they and their seed after them all the days.

9 Melol was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned ninety-four years, and all Egypt called his name Pharaoh after the name of his father, as it was their custom to do to every king who reigned over them in Egypt.

10 At that time all the troops of Angeas king of Africa went forth to spread along the land of Chittim as usual for plunder.

11 And Zepho the son of Eliphaz the son of Esau heard their report, and he went forth to meet them with his army, and he fought them there in the road.

12 And Zepho smote the troops of the king of Africa with the edge of the sword, and left none remaining of them, and not even one returned to his master in Africa.

13 And Angeas heard of this which Zepho the son of Eliphaz had done to all his troops, that he had destroyed them, and Angeas assembled all his troops, all the men of the land of Africa, a people numerous like the sand by the sea shore.

14 And Angeas sent to Lucus his brother, saying, Come to me with all thy men and help me to smite Zepho and all the children of Chittim who have destroyed my men, and Lucus came with his whole army, a very great force, to assist Angeas his brother to fight with Zepho and the children of Chittim.

15 And Zepho and the children of Chittim heard this thing, and they were greatly afraid and a great terror fell upon their hearts.

16 And Zepho also sent a letter to the land of Edom to Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom and to all the children of Esau, saying,

17 I have heard that Angeas king of Africa is coming to us with his brother for battle against us, and we are greatly afraid of him, for his army is very great, particularly as he comes against us with his brother and his army likewise.

18 Now therefore come you also up with me and help me, and we will fight together against Angeas and his brother Lucus, and you will save us out of their hands, but if not, know ye that we shall all die.

19 And the children of Esau sent a letter to the children of Chittim and to Zepho their king, saying, We cannot fight against Angeas and his people for a covenant of peace has been between us these many years, from the days of Bela the first king, and from the days of Joseph the son of Jacob king of Egypt, with whom we fought on the other side of Jordan when he buried his father.

20 And when Zepho heard the words of his brethren the children of Esau he refrained from them, and Zepho was greatly afraid of Angeas.

21 And Angeas and Lucus his brother arrayed all their forces, about eight hundred thousand men, against the children of Chittim.

22 And all the children of Chittim said unto Zepho, Pray for us to the God of thy ancestors, peradventure he may deliver us from the hand of Angeas and his army, for we have heard that he is a great God and that he delivers all who trust in him.

23 And Zepho heard their words, and Zepho sought the Lord and he said,

24 0 Lord God of Abraham and Isaac my ancestors, this day I know that thou art a true God, and all the gods of the nations are vain and useless.

25 Remember now this day unto me thy covenant with Abraham our father, which our ancestors related unto us, and do graciously with me this day for the sake of Abraham and Isaac our fathers, and save me and the children of Chittim from the hand of the king of Africa who comes against us for battle.

26 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Zepho, and he had regard for him on account of Abraham and Isaac, and the Lord delivered Zepho and the children of Chittim from the hand of Angeas and his people.

27 And Zepho fought Angeas king of Africa and all his people on that day, and the Lord gave all the people of Angeas into the hands of the children of Chittim.

28 And the battle was severe upon Angeas, and Zepho smote all the men of Angeas and Lucus his brother, with the edge of the sword, and there fell from them unto the evening of that day about four hundred thousand men.

29 And when Angeas saw that all his men perished, he sent a letter to all the inhabitants of Africa to come to him, to assist him in the battle, and he wrote in the letter, saying, All who are found in Africa let them come unto me from ten years old and upward; let them all come unto me, and behold if he comes not he shall die, and all that he has, with his whole household, the king will take.

30 And all the rest of the inhabitants of Africa were terrified at the words of Angeas, and there went out of the city about three hundred thousand men and boys, from ten years upward, and they came to Angeas.

31 And at the end of ten days Angeas renewed the battle against Zepho and the children of Chittim, and the battle was very great and strong between them.

32 And from the army of Angeas and Lucus, Zepho sent many of the wounded unto his hand, about two thousand men, and Sosiphtar the captain of the host of Angeas fell in that battle.

33 And when Sosiphtar had fallen, the African troops turned their backs to flee, and they fled, and Angeas and Lucus his brother were with them.

34 And Zepho and the children of Chittim pursued them, and they smote them still heavily on the road, about two hundred men, and they pursued Azdrubal the son of Angeas who had fled with his father, and they smote twenty of his men in the road, and Azdrubal escaped from the children of Chittim, and they did not slay him.

35 And Angeas and Lucus his brother fled with the rest of their men, and they escaped and came into Africa with terror and consternation, and Angeas feared all the days lest Zepho the son of Eliphaz should go to war with him.

Book of Jasher Chapter 64

1 And Balaam the son of Beor was at that time with Angeas in the battle, and when he saw that Zepho prevailed over Angeas, he fled from there and came to Chittim.

2 And Zepho and the children of Chittim received him with great honor, for Zepho knew Balaam’s wisdom, and Zepho gave unto Balaam many gifts and he remained with him.

3 And when Zepho had returned from the war, he commanded all the children of Chittim to be numbered who had gone into battle with him, and behold not one was missed.

4 And Zepho rejoiced at this thing, and he renewed his kingdom, and he made a feast to all his subjects.

5 But Zepho remembered not the Lord and considered not that the Lord had helped him in battle, and that he had delivered him and his people from the hand of the king of Africa, but still walked in the ways of the children of Chittim and the wicked children of Esau, to serve other gods which his brethren the children of Esau had taught him; it is therefore said, From the wicked goes forth wickedness.

6 And Zepho reigned over all the children of Chittim securely, but knew not the Lord who had delivered him and all his people from the hand of the king of Africa; and the troops of Africa came no more to Chittim to plunder as usual, for they knew of the power of Zepho who had smitten them all at the edge of the sword, so Angeas was afraid of Zepho the son of Eliphaz, and of the children of Chittim all the days.

7 At that time when Zepho had returned from the war, and when Zepho had seen how he prevailed over all the people of Africa and had smitten them in battle at the edge of the sword, then Zepho advised with the children of Chittim, to go to Egypt to fight with the sons of Jacob and with Pharaoh king of Egypt.

8 For Zepho heard that the mighty men of Egypt were dead and that Joseph and his brethren the sons at Jacob were dead, and that all their children the children of Israel remained in Egypt.

9 And Zepho considered to go to fight against them and all Egypt, to avenge the cause of his brethren the children of Esau, whom Joseph with his brethren and all Egypt had smitten in the land of Canaan, when they went up to bury Jacob in Hebron.

10 And Zepho sent messengers to Hadad, son of Bedad, king of Edom, and to all his brethren the children of Esau, saying,

11 Did you not say that you would not fight against the king of Africa for he is a member of your covenant? behold I fought with him and smote him and all his people.

12 Now therefore I have resolved to fight against Egypt and the children of Jacob who are there, and I will be revenged of them for what Joseph, his brethren and ancestors did to us in the land of Canaan when they went up to bury their father in Hebron.

13 Now then if you are willing to come to me to assist me in fighting against them and Egypt, then shall we avenge the cause of our brethren.

14 And the children of Esau hearkened to the words of Zepho, and the children of Esau gathered themselves together, a very great people, and they went to assist Zepho and the children of Chittim in battle.

15 And Zepho sent to all the children of the east and to all the children of Ishmael with words like unto these, and they gathered themselves and came to the assistance of Zepho and the children of Chittim in the war upon Egypt.

16 And all these kings, the king of Edom and the children of the east, and all the children of Ishmael, and Zepho the king of Chittim went forth and arrayed all their hosts in Hebron.

17 And the camp was very heavy, extending in length a distance of three days’ journey, a people numerous as the sand upon the sea shore which can not be counted.

18 And all these kings and their hosts went down and came against all Egypt in battle, and encamped together in the valley of Pathros.

19 And all Egypt heard their report, and they also gathered themselves together, all the people of the land of Egypt, and of all the cities belonging to Egypt, about three hundred thousand men.

20 And the men of Egypt sent also to the children of Israel who were in those days in the land of Goshen, to come to them in order to go and fight with these kings.

21 And the men of Israel assembled and were about one hundred and fifty men, and they went into battle to assist the Egyptians.

22 And the men of Israel and of Egypt went forth, about three hundred thousand men and one hundred and fifty men, and they went toward these kings to battle, and they placed themselves from without the land of Goshen opposite Pathros.

23 And the Egyptians believed not in Israel to go with them in their camps together for battle, for all the Egyptians said, Perhaps the children of Israel will deliver us into the hand of the children of Esau and Ishmael, for they are their brethren.

24 And all the Egyptians said unto the children of Israel, Remain you here together in your stand and we will go and fight against the children of Esau and Ishmael, and if these kings should prevail over us, then come you altogether upon them and assist us, and the children of Israel did so.

25 And Zepho the son of Eliphaz the son of Esau king of Chittim, and Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom, and all their camps, and all the children of the east, and children of Ishmael, a people numerous as sand, encamped together in the valley of Pathros opposite Tachpanches.

26 And Balaam the son of Beor the Syrian was there in the camp of Zepho, for he came with the children of Chittim to the battle, and Balaam was a man highly honored in the eyes of Zepho and his men.

27 And Zepho said unto Balaam, Try by divination for us that we may know who will prevail in the battle, we or the Egyptians.

28 And Balaam rose up and tried the art of divination, and he was skillful in the knowledge of it, but he was confused and the work was destroyed in his hand.

29 And he tried it again but it did not succeed, and Balaam despaired of it and left it and did not complete it, for this was from the Lord, in order to cause Zepho and his people to fall into the hand of the children of Israel, who had trusted in the Lord, the God of their ancestors, in their war.

30 And Zepho and Hadad put their forces in battle array, and all the Egyptians went alone against them, about three hundred thousand men, and not one man of Israel was with them.

31 And all the Egyptians fought with these kings opposite Pathros and Tachpanches, and the battle was severe against the Egyptians.

32 And the kings were stronger than the Egyptians in that battle, and about one hundred and eighty men of Egypt fell on that day, and about thirty men of the forces of the kings, and all the men of Egypt fled from before the kings, so the children of Esau and Ishmael pursued the Egyptians, continuing to smite them unto the place where was the camp of the children of Israel.

33 And all the Egyptians cried unto the children of Israel, saying, Hasten to us and assist us and save us from the hand of Esau, Ishmael and the children of Chittim.

34 And the hundred and fifty men of the children of Israel ran from their station to the camps of these kings, and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord their God to deliver them.

35 And the Lord hearkened to Israel, and the Lord gave all the men of the kings into their hand, and the children of Israel fought against these kings, and the children of Israel smote about four thousand of the kings’ men.

36 And the Lord threw a great consternation in the camp of the kings, so that the fear of the children of Israel fell upon them.

37 And all the hosts of the kings fled from before the children of Israel and the children of Israel pursued them continuing to smite them unto the borders of the land of Cush.

38 And the children of Israel slew of them in the road yet two thousand men, and of the children of Israel not one fell.

39 And when the Egyptians saw that the children of Israel had fought with such few men with the kings, and that the battle was so very severe against them,

40 All the Egyptians were greatly afraid of their lives on account of the strong battle, and all Egypt fled, every man hiding himself from the arrayed forces, and they hid themselves in the road, and they left the Israelites to fight.

41 And the children of Israel inflicted a terrible blow upon the kings’ men, and they returned from them after they had driven them to the border of the land of Cush.

42 And all Israel knew the thing which the men of Egypt had done to them, that they had fled from them in battle, and had left them to fight alone.

43 So the children of Israel also acted with cunning, and as the children of Israel returned from battle, they found some of the Egyptians in the road and smote them there.

44 And whilst they slew them, they said unto them these words:

45 Wherefore did you go from us and leave us, being a few people, to fight against these kings who had a great people to smite us, that you might thereby deliver your own souls?

46 And of some which the Israelites met on the road, they the children of Israel spoke to each other, saying, Smite, smite, for he is an Ishmaelite, or an Edomite, or from the children of Chittim, and they stood over him and slew him, and they knew that he was an Egyptian.

47 And the children of Israel did these things cunningly against the Egyptians, because they had deserted them in battle and had fled from them.

48 And the children of Israel slew of the men of Egypt in the road in this manner, about two hundred men.

49 And all the men of Egypt saw the evil which the children of Israel had done to them, so all Egypt feared greatly the children of Israel, for they had seen their great power, and that not one man of them had fallen.

50 So all the children of Israel returned with joy on their road to Goshen, and the rest of Egypt returned each man to his place.

Book of Jasher (61-62)

•October 21, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

Book of Jasher Chapter 61

1 And it came to pass at that time Pharaoh king of Egypt commanded all his people to make for him a strong palace in Egypt.

2 And he also commanded the sons of Jacob to assist the Egyptians in the building, and the Egyptians made a beautiful and elegant palace for a royal habitation, and he dwelt therein and he renewed his government and he reigned securely.

3 And Zebulun the son of Jacob died in that year, that is the seventy-second year of the going down of the Israelites to Egypt, and Zebulun died a hundred and fourteen years old, and was put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.

4 And in the seventy-fifth year died his brother Simeon, he was a hundred and twenty years old at his death, and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.

5 And Zepho the son of Eliphaz the son of Esau, captain of the host to Angeas king of Dinhabah, was still daily enticing Angeas to prepare for battle to fight with the sons of Jacob in Egypt, and Angeas was unwilling to do this thing, for his servants had related to him all the might of the sons of Jacob, what they had done unto them in their battle with the children of Esau.

6 And Zepho was in those days daily enticing Angeas to fight with the sons of Jacob in those days.

7 And after some time Angeas hearkened to the words of Zepho and consented to him to fight with the sons of Jacob in Egypt, and Angeas got all his people in order, a people numerous as the sand which is upon the sea shore, and he formed his resolution to go to Egypt to battle.

8 And amongst the servants of Angeas was a youth fifteen years old, Balaam the son of Beor was his name and the youth was very wise and understood the art of witchcraft.

9 And Angeas said unto Balaam, Conjure for us, I pray thee, with the witchcraft, that we may know who will prevail in this battle to which we are now proceeding.

10 And Balaam ordered that they should bring him wax, and he made thereof the likeness of chariots and horsemen representing the army of Angeas and the army of Egypt, and he put them in the cunningly prepared waters that he had for that purpose, and he took in his hand the boughs of myrtle trees, and he exercised his cunning, and he joined them over the water, and there appeared unto him in the water the resembling images of the hosts of Angeas falling before the resembling images of the Egyptians and the sons of Jacob.

11 And Balaam told this thing to Angeas, and Angeas despaired and did not arm himself to go down to Egypt to battle, and he remained in his city.

12 And when Zepho the son of Eliphaz saw that Angeas despaired of going forth to battle with the Egyptians, Zepho fled from Angeas from Africa, and he went and came unto Chittim.

13 And all the people of Chittim received him with great honor, and they hired him to fight their battles all the days, and Zepho became exceedingly rich in those days, and the troops of the king of Africa still spread themselves in those days, and the children of Chittim assembled and went to Mount Cuptizia on account of the troops of Angeas king of Africa, who were advancing upon them.

14 And it was one day that Zepho lost a young heifer, and he went to seek it, and he heard it lowing round about the mountain.

15 And Zepho went and he saw and behold there was a large cave at the bottom of the mountain, and there was a great stone there at the entrance of the cave, and Zepho split the stone and he came into the cave and he looked and behold, a large animal was devouring the ox; from the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled an animal, and Zepho rose up against the animal and slew it with his swords.

Zepho, a mythical creature, a large beast devouring an ox, with a humanoid upper body and animalistic lower half

16 And the inhabitants of Chittim heard of this thing, and they rejoiced exceedingly, and they said, What shall we do unto this man who has slain this animal that devoured our cattle?

17 And they all assembled to consecrate one day in the year to him, and they called the name thereof Zepho after his name, and they brought unto him drink offerings year after year on that day, and they brought unto him gifts.

18 At that time Jania the daughter of Uzu wife of king Angeas became ill, and her illness was heavily felt by Angeas and his officers, and Angeas said unto his wise men, What shall I do to Jania and how shall I heal her from her illness? And his wise men said unto him, Because the air of our country is not like the air of the land of Chittim, and our water is not like their water, therefore from this has the queen become ill.

19 For through the change of air and water she became ill, and also because in her country she drank only the water which came from Purmah, which her ancestors had brought up with bridges.

20 And Angeas commanded his servants, and they brought unto him in vessels of the waters of Purmah belonging to Chittim, and they weighed those waters with all the waters of the land of Africa, and they found those waters lighter than the waters of Africa.

21 And Angeas saw this thing, and he commanded all his officers to assemble the hewers of stone in thousands and tens of thousands, and they hewed stone without number, and the builders came and they built an exceedingly strong bridge, and they conveyed the spring of water from the land of Chittim unto Africa, and those waters were for Jania the queen and for all her concerns, to drink from and to bake, wash and bathe therewith, and also to water therewith all seed from which food can be obtained, and all fruit of the ground.

22 And the king commanded that they should bring of the soil of Chittim in large ships, and they also brought stones to build therewith, and the builders built palaces for Jania the queen, and the queen became healed of her illness.

23 And at the revolution of the year the troops of Africa continued coming to the land of Chittim to plunder as usual, and Zepho son of Eliphaz heard their report, and he gave orders concerning them and he fought with them, and they fled before him, and he delivered the land of Chittim from them.

24 And the children of Chittim saw the valor of Zepho, and the children of Chittim resolved and they made Zepho king over them, and he became king over them, and whilst he reigned they went to subdue the children of Tubal, and all the surrounding islands.

25 And their king Zepho went at their head and they made war with Tubal and the islands, and they subdued them, and when they returned from the battle they renewed his government for him, and they built for him a very large palace for his royal habitation and seat, and they made a large throne for him, and Zepho reigned over the whole land of Chittim and over the land of Italia fifty years.

Major powers in ancient Israel

Book of Jasher Chapter 62

1 In that year, being the seventy-ninth year of the Israelites going down to Egypt, died Reuben the son of Jacob, in the land of Egypt; Reuben was a hundred and twenty-five years old when he died, and they put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands of his children.

2 And in the eightieth year died his brother Dan; he was a hundred and twenty years at his death, and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.

3 And in that year died Chusham king of Edom, and after him reigned Hadad the son of Bedad, for thirty-five years; and in the eighty-first year died Issachar the son of Jacob, in Egypt, and Issachar was a hundred and twenty-two years old at his death, and he was put into a coffin in Egypt, and given into the hands of his children.

4 And in the eighty-second year died Asher his brother, he was a hundred and twenty-three years old at his death, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt, and given into the hands of his children.

5 And in the eighty-third year died Gad, he was a hundred and twenty-five years old at his death, and he was put into a coffin in Egypt, and given into the hands of his children.

6 And it came to pass in the eighty-fourth year, that is the fiftieth year of the reign of Hadad, son of Bedad, king of Edom, that Hadad assembled all the children of Esau, and he got his whole army in readiness, about four hundred thousand men, and he directed his way to the land of Moab, and he went to fight with Moab and to make them tributary to him.

7 And the children of Moab heard this thing, and they were very much afraid, and they sent to the children of Midian to assist them in fighting with Hadad, son of Bedad, king of Edom.

8 And Hadad came unto the land of Moab, and Moab and the children of Midian went out to meet him, and they placed themselves in battle array against him in the field of Moab.

9 And Hadad fought with Moab, and there fell of the children of Moab and the children of Midian many slain ones, about two hundred thousand men.

10 And the battle was very severe upon Moab, and when the children of Moab saw that the battle was sore upon them, they weakened their hands and turned their backs, and left the children of Midian to carry on the battle.

11 And the children of Midian knew not the intentions of Moab, but they strengthened themselves in battle and fought with Hadad and all his host, and all Midian fell before him.

12 And Hadad smote all Midian with a heavy smiting, and he slew them with the edge of the sword, he left none remaining of those who came to assist Moab.

13 And when all the children of Midian had perished in battle, and the children at Moab had escaped, Hadad made all Moab at that time tributary to him, and they became under his hand, and they gave a yearly tax as it was ordered, and Hadad turned and went back to his land.

14 And at the revolution of the year, when the rest of the people of Midian that were in the land heard that all their brethren had fallen in battle with Hadad for the sake of Moab, because the children of Moab had turned their backs in battle and left Midian to fight, then five of the princes of Midian resolved with the rest of their brethren who remained in their land, to fight with Moab to avenge the cause of their brethren.

15 And the children of Midian sent to all their brethren the children of the east, and all their brethren, all the children of Keturah came to assist Midian to fight with Moab.

16 And the children of Moab heard this thing, and they were greatly afraid that all the children of the east had assembled together against them for battle, and they the children of Moab sent a memorial to the land of Edom to Hadad the son of Bedad, saying,

17 Come now unto us and assist us and we will smite Midian, for they all assembled together and have come against us with all their brethren the children of the east to battle, to avenge the cause of Midian that fell in battle.

18 And Hadad, son of Bedad, king of Edom, went forth with his whole army and went to the land of Moab to fight with Midian, and Midian and the children of the east fought with Moab in the field of Moab, and the battle was very fierce between them.

19 And Hadad smote all the children of Midian and the children of the east with the edge of the sword, and Hadad at that time delivered Moab from the hand of Midian, and those that remained of Midian and of the children of the east fled before Hadad and his army, and Hadad pursued them to their land, and smote them with a very heavy slaughter, and the slain fell in the road.

20 And Hadad delivered Moab from the hand of Midian, for all the children of Midian had fallen by the edge of the sword, and Hadad turned and went back to his land.

21 And from that day forth, the children of Midian hated the children of Moab, because they had fallen in battle for their sake, and there was a great and mighty enmity between them all the days.

22 And all that were found of Midian in the road of the land of Moab perished by the sword of Moab, and all that were found of Moab in the road of the land of Midian, perished by the sword of Midian; thus did Midian unto Moab and Moab unto Midian for many days.

23 And it came to pass at that time that Judah the son of Jacob died in Egypt, in the eighty-sixth year of Jacob’s going down to Egypt, and Judah was a hundred and twenty-nine years old at his death, and they embalmed him and put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands of his children.

24 And in the eighty-ninth year died Naphtali, he was a hundred and thirty-two years old, and he was put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.

25 And it came to pass in the ninety-first year of the Israelites going down to Egypt, that is in the thirtieth year of the reign of Zepho the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, over the children of Chittim, the children of Africa came upon the children of Chittim to plunder them as usual, but they had not come upon them for these thirteen years.

26 And they came to them in that year, and Zepho the son of Eliphaz went out to them with some of his men and smote them desperately, and the troops of Africa fled from before Zepho and the slain fell before him, and Zepho and his men pursued them, going on and smiting them until they were near unto Africa.

27 And Angeas king of Africa heard the thing which Zepho had done, and it vexed him exceedingly, and Angeas was afraid of Zepho all the days.

Book of Jasher (59-60)

•October 20, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

Book of Jasher Chapter 59

1 And these are the names of the sons of Israel who dwelt in Egypt, who had come with Jacob, all the sons of Jacob came unto Egypt, every man with his household.

2 The children of Leah were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, and their sister Dinah.

3 And the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

4 And the sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah, were Gad and Asher.

5 And the sons of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, were Dan and Naphtali.

6 And these were their offspring that were born unto them in the land of Canaan, before they came unto Egypt with their father Jacob.

7 The sons of Reuben were Chanoch, Pallu, Chetzron and Carmi.

8 And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zochar and Saul, the son of the Canaanitish woman.

9 And the children of Levi were Gershon, Kehath and Merari, and their sister Jochebed, who was born unto them in their going down to Egypt.

10 And the sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zarach.

11 And Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Perez were Chezron and Chamul.

12 And the sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job and Shomron.

13 And the sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon and Jachleel, and the son of Dan was Chushim.

14 And the sons of Naphtali were Jachzeel, Guni, Jetzer and Shilam.

15 And the sons of Gad were Ziphion, Chaggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

16 And the children of Asher were Jimnah, Jishvah, Jishvi, Beriah and their sister Serach; and the sons of Beriah were Cheber and Malchiel.

17 And the sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim and Ord.

18 And the sons of Joseph, that were born unto him in Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim.

19 And all the souls that went forth from the loins of Jacob, were seventy souls; these are they who came with Jacob their father unto Egypt to dwell there: and Joseph and all his brethren dwelt securely in Egypt, and they ate of the best of Egypt all the days of the life of Joseph.

20 And Joseph lived in the land of Egypt ninety-three years, and Joseph reigned over all Egypt eighty years.

21 And when the days of Joseph drew nigh that he should die, he sent and called for his brethren and all his father’s household, and they all came together and sat before him.

22 And Joseph said unto his brethren and unto the whole of his father’s household, Behold I die, and God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land which he swore to your fathers to give unto them.

23 And it shall be when God shall visit you to bring you up from here to the land of your fathers, then bring up my bones with you from here.

24 And Joseph made the sons of Israel to swear for their seed after them, saying, God will surely visit you and you shall bring up my bones with you from here.

25 And it came to pass after this that Joseph died in that year, the seventy-first year of the Israelites going down to Egypt.

26 And Joseph was one hundred and ten years old when he died in the land of Egypt, and all his brethren and all his servants rose up and they embalmed Joseph, as was their custom, and his brethren and all Egypt mourned over him for seventy days.

27 And they put Joseph in a coffin filled with spices and all sorts of perfume, and they buried him by the side of the river, that is Sihor, and his sons and all his brethren, and the whole of his father’s household made a seven day’s mourning for him.

28 And it came to pass after the death of Joseph, all the Egyptians began in those days to rule over the children of Israel, and Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who reigned in his father’s stead, took all the laws of Egypt and conducted the whole government of Egypt under his counsel, and he reigned securely over his people.

Book of Jasher Chapter 60

1 And when the year came round, being the seventy-second year from the Israelites going down to Egypt, after the death of Joseph, Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, fled from Egypt, he and his men, and they went away.

2 And he came to Africa, which is Dinhabah, to Angeas king of Africa, and Angeas received them with great honor, and he made Zepho the captain of his host.

3 And Zepho found favor in the sight of Angeas and in the sight of his people, and Zepho was captain of the host to Angeas king of Africa for many days.

4 And Zepho enticed Angeas king of Africa to collect all his army to go and fight with the Egyptians, and with the sons of Jacob, and to avenge of them the cause of his brethren.

5 But Angeas would not listen to Zepho to do this thing, for Angeas knew the strength of the sons of Jacob, and what they had done to his army in their warfare with the children of Esau.

6 And Zepho was in those days very great in the sight of Angeas and in the sight of all his people, and he continually enticed them to make war against Egypt, but they would not.

7 And it came to pass in those days there was in the land of Chittim a man in the city of Puzimna, whose name was Uzu, and he became degenerately deified by the children of Chittim, and the man died and had no son, only one daughter whose name was Jania.

8 And the damsel was exceedingly beautiful, comely and intelligent, there was none seen like unto her for beauty and wisdom throughout the land.

9 And the people of Angeas king of Africa saw her and they came and praised her unto him, and Angeas sent to the children of Chittim, and he requested to take her unto himself for a wife, and the people of Chittim consented to give her unto him for a wife.

10 And when the messengers of Angeas were going forth from the land of Chittim to take their journey, behold the messengers of Turnus king of Bibentu came unto Chittim, for Turnus king of Bibentu also sent his messengers to request Jania for him, to take unto himself for a wife, for all his men had also praised her to him, therefore he sent all his servants unto her.

11 And the servants of Turnus came to Chittim, and they asked for Jania, to be taken unto Turnus their king for a wife.

12 And the people of Chittim said unto them, We cannot give her, because Angeas king of Africa desired her to take her unto him for a wife before you came, and that we should give her unto him, and now therefore we cannot do this thing to deprive Angeas of the damsel in order to give her unto Turnus.

13 For we are greatly afraid of Angeas lest he come in battle against us and destroy us, and Turnus your master will not be able to deliver us from his hand.

14 And when the messengers of Turnus heard all the words of the children of Chittim, they turned back to their master and told him all the words of the children of Chittim.

15 And the children of Chittim sent a memorial to Angeas, saying, Behold Turnus has sent for Jania to take her unto him for a wife, and thus have we answered him; and we heard that he has collected his whole army to go to war against thee, and he intends to pass by the road of Sardunia to fight against thy brother Lucus, and after that he will come to fight against thee.

16 And Angeas heard the words of the children of Chittim which they sent to him in the record, and his anger was kindled and he rose up and assembled his whole army and came through the islands of the sea, the road to Sardunia, unto his brother Lucus king of Sardunia.

17 And Niblos, the son of Lucus, heard that his uncle Angeas was coming, and he went out to meet him with a heavy army, and he kissed him and embraced him, and Niblos said unto Angeas, When thou askest my father after his welfare, when I shall go with thee to fight with Turnus, ask of him to make me captain of his host, and Angeas did so, and he came unto his brother and his brother came to meet him, and he asked him after his welfare.

18 And Angeas asked his brother Lucus after his welfare, and to make his son Niblos captain of his host, and Lucus did so, and Angeas and his brother Lucus rose up and they went toward Turnus to battle, and there was with them a great army and a heavy people.

19 And he came in ships, and they came into the province of Ashtorash, and behold Turnus came toward them, for he went forth to Sardunia, and intended to destroy it and afterward to pass on from there to Angeas to fight with him.

20 And Angeas and Lucus his brother met Turnus in the valley of Canopia, and the battle was strong and mighty between them in that place.

21 And the battle was severe upon Lucus king of Sardunia, and all his army fell, and Niblos his son fell also in that battle.

22 And his uncle Angeas commanded his servants and they made a golden coffin for Niblos and they put him into it, and Angeas again waged battle toward Turnus, and Angeas was stronger than he, and he slew him, and he smote all his people with the edge of the sword, and Angeas avenged the cause of Niblos his brother’s son and the cause of the army of his brother Lucus.

23 And when Turnus died, the hands of those that survived the battle became weak, and they fled from before Angeas and Lucus his brother.

24 And Angeas and his brother Lucus pursued them unto the highroad, which is between Alphanu and Romah, and they slew the whole army of Turnus with the edge of the sword.

25 And Lucus king of Sardunia commanded his servants that they should make a coffin of brass, and that they should place therein the body of his son Niblos, and they buried him in that place.

26 And they built upon it a high tower there upon the highroad, and they called its name after the name of Niblos unto this day, and they also buried Turnus king of Bibentu there in that place with Niblos.

27 And behold upon the highroad between Alphanu and Romah the grave of Niblos is on one side and the grave of Turnus on the other, and a pavement between them unto this day.

28 And when Niblos was buried, Lucus his father returned with his army to his land Sardunia, and Angeas his brother king of Africa went with his people unto the city of Bibentu, that is the city of Turnus.

29 And the inhabitants of Bibentu heard of his fame and they were greatly afraid of him, and they went forth to meet him with weeping and supplication, and the inhabitants of Bibentu entreated of Angeas not to slay them nor destroy their city; and he did so, for Bibentu was in those days reckoned as one of the cities of the children of Chittim; therefore he did not destroy the city.

30 But from that day forward the troops of the king of Africa would go to Chittim to spoil and plunder it, and whenever they went, Zepho the captain of the host of Angeas would go with them.

31 And it was after this that Angeas turned with his army and they came to the city of Puzimna, and Angeas took thence Jania the daughter of Uzu for a wife and brought her unto his city unto Africa.

Book of Jasher (57-58)

•October 19, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, drones and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

Jacob blessed his sons before his death

Book of Jasher Chapter 57

1 And it was after this that the sons of Esau waged war with the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Esau fought with the sons of Jacob in Hebron, and Esau was still lying dead, and not buried.

2 And the battle was heavy between them, and the sons of Esau were smitten before the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Jacob slew of the sons of Esau eighty men, and not one died of the people of the sons of Jacob; and the hand of Joseph prevailed over all the people of the sons of Esau, and he took Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, and fifty of his men captive, and he bound them with chains of iron, and gave them into the hand of his servants to bring them to Egypt.

3 And it came to pass when the sons of Jacob had taken Zepho and his people captive, all those that remained were greatly afraid of their lives from the house of Esau, lest they should also be taken captive, and they all fled with Eliphaz the son of Esau and his people, with Esau’s body, and they went on their road to Mount Seir.

4 And they came unto Mount Seir and they buried Esau in Seir, but they had not brought his head with them to Seir, for it was buried in that place where the battle had been in Hebron.

5 And it came to pass when the sons of Esau had fled from before the sons of Jacob, the sons of Jacob pursued them unto the borders of Seir, but they did not slay a single man from amongst them when they pursued them, for Esau’s body which they carried with them excited their confusion, so they fled and the sons of Jacob turned back from them and came up to the place where their brethren were in Hebron, and they remained there on that day, and on the next day until they rested from the battle.

6 And it came to pass on the third day they assembled all the sons of Seir the Horite, and they assembled all the children of the east, a multitude of people like the sand of the sea, and they went and came down to Egypt to fight with Joseph and his brethren, in order to deliver their brethren.

7 And Joseph and all the sons of Jacob heard that the sons of Esau and the children of the east had come upon them to battle in order to deliver their brethren.

8 And Joseph and his brethren and the strong men of Egypt went forth and fought in the city of Rameses, and Joseph and his brethren dealt out a tremendous blow amongst the sons of Esau and the children of the east.

9 And they slew of them six hundred thousand men, and they slew amongst them all the mighty men of the children of Seir the Horite; there were only a few of them left, and they slew also a great many of the children of the east, and of the children of Esau; and Eliphaz the son of Esau, and the children of the east all fled before Joseph and his brethren.

10 And Joseph and his brethren pursued them until they came unto Succoth, and they yet slew of them in Succoth thirty men, and the rest escaped and they fled each to his city.

11 And Joseph and his brethren and the mighty men of Egypt turned back from them with joy and cheerfulness of heart, for they had smitten all their enemies.

12 And Zepho the son of Eliphaz and his men were still slaves in Egypt to the sons of Jacob, and their pains increased.

13 And when the sons of Esau and the sons of Seir returned to their land, the sons of Seir saw that they had all fallen into the hands of the sons of Jacob, and the people of Egypt, on account of the battle of the sons of Esau.

14 And the sons of Seir said unto the sons of Esau, You have seen and therefore you know that this camp was on your account, and not one mighty man or an adept in war remaineth.

15 Now therefore go forth from our land, go from us to the land of Canaan to the land of the dwelling of your fathers; wherefore shall your children inherit the effects of our children in latter days?

16 And the children of Esau would not listen to the children of Seir, and the children of Seir considered to make war with them.

17 And the children of Esau sent secretly to Angeas king of Africa, the same is Dinhabah, saying,

18 Send unto us some of thy men and let them come unto us, and we will fight together with the children of Seir the Horite, for they have resolved to fight with us to drive us away from the land.

19 And Angeas king of Dinhabah did so, for he was in those days friendly to the children of Esau, and Angeas sent five hundred valiant infantry to the children of Esau, and eight hundred cavalry.

20 And the children of Seir sent unto the children of the east and unto the children of Midian, saying, You have seen what the children of Esau have done unto us, upon whose account we are almost all destroyed, in their battle with the sons of Jacob.

21 Now therefore come unto us and assist us, and we will fight them together, and we will drive them from the land and be avenged of the cause of our brethren who died for their sakes in their battle with their brethren the sons of Jacob.

22 And all the children of the east listened to the children of Seir, and they came unto them about eight hundred men with drawn swords, and the children of Esau fought with the children of Seir at that time in the wilderness of Paran.

23 And the children of Seir prevailed then over the sons of Esau, and the children of Seir slew on that day of the children of Esau in that battle about two hundred men of the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah.

24 And on the second day the children of Esau came again to fight a second time with the children of Seir, and the battle was sore upon the children of Esau this second time, and it troubled them greatly on account of the children of Seir.

25 And when the children of Esau saw that the children of Seir were more powerful than they were, some men of the children of Esau turned and assisted the children of Seir their enemies.

26 And there fell yet of the people of the children of Esau in the second battle fifty-eight men of the people at Angeas king of Dinhabah.

27 And on the third day the children of Esau heard that some of their brethren had turned from them to fight against them in the second battle; and the children of Esau mourned when they heard this thing.

28 And they said, What shall we do unto our brethren who turned from us to assist the children of Seir our enemies? and the children of Esau again sent to Angeas king of Dinhabah, saying,

29 Send unto us again other men that with them we may fight with the children of Seir, for they have already twice been heavier than we were.

30 And Angeas again sent to the children of Esau about six hundred valiant men, and they came to assist the children of Esau.

31 And in ten days’ time the children of Esau again waged war with the children of Seir in the wilderness of Paran, and the battle was very severe upon the children of Seir, and the children of Esau prevailed at this time over the children of Seir, and the children of Seir were smitten before the children of Esau, and the children of Esau slew from them about two thousand men.

32 And all the mighty men of the children of Seir died in this battle, and there only remained their young children that were left in their cities.

33 And all Midian and the children of the east betook themselves to flight from the battle, and they left the children of Seir and fled when they saw that the battle was severe upon them, and the children of Esau pursued all the children of the east until they reached their land.

34 And the children of Esau slew yet of them about two hundred and fifty men and from the people of the children of Esau there fell in that battle about thirty men, but this evil came upon them through their brethren turning from them to assist the children of Seir the Horite, and the children of Esau again heard of the evil doings of their brethren, and they again mourned on account of this thing.

35 And it came to pass after the battle, the children of Esau turned back and came home unto Seir, and the children of Esau slew those who had remained in the land of the children of Seir; they slew also their wives and little ones, they left not a soul alive except fifty young lads and damsels whom they suffered to live, and the children of Esau did not put them to death, and the lads became their slaves, and the damsels they took for wives.

36 And the children of Esau dwelt in Seir in the place of the children of Seir, and they inherited their land and took possession of it.

37 And the children of Esau took all belonging in the land to the children of Seir, also their flocks, their bullocks and their goods, and all belonging to the children of Seir, did the children of Esau take, and the children of Esau dwelt in Seir in the place of the children of Seir unto this day, and the children of Esau divided the land into divisions to the five sons of Esau, according to their families.

38 And it came to pass in those days, that the children of Esau resolved to crown a king over them in the land of which they became possessed. And they said to each other, Not so, for he shall reign over us in our land, and we shall be under his counsel and he shall fight our battles, against our enemies, and they did so.

39 And all the children of Esau swore, saying, That none of their brethren should ever reign over them, but a strange man who is not of their brethren, for the souls of all the children of Esau were embittered every man against his son, brother and friend, on account of the evil they sustained from their brethren when they fought with the children of Seir.

40 Therefore the sons of Esau swore, saying, From that day forward they would not choose a king from their brethren, but one from a strange land unto this day.

41 And there was a man there from the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah; his name was Bela the son of Beor, who was a very valiant man, beautiful and comely and wise in all wisdom, and a man of sense and counsel; and there was none of the people of Angeas like unto him.

42 And all the children of Esau took him and anointed him and they crowned him for a king, and they bowed down to him, and they said unto him, May the king live, may the king live.

43 And they spread out the sheet, and they brought him each man earrings of gold and silver or rings or bracelets, and they made him very rich in silver and in gold, in onyx stones and bdellium, and they made him a royal throne, and they placed a regal crown upon his head, and they built a palace for him and he dwelt therein, and he became king over all the children of Esau.

44 And the people of Angeas took their hire for their battle from the children of Esau, and they went and returned at that time to their master in Dinhabah.

45 And Bela reigned over the children of Esau thirty years, and the children of Esau dwelt in the land instead of the children of Seir, and they dwelt securely in their stead unto this day.

Book of Jasher Chapter 58

1 And it came to pass in the thirty-second year of the Israelites going down to Egypt, that is in the seventy-first year of the life of Joseph, in that year died Pharaoh king of Egypt, and Magron his son reigned in his stead.

2 And Pharaoh commanded Joseph before his death to be a father to his son, Magron, and that Magron should be under the care of Joseph and under his counsel.

3 And all Egypt consented to this thing that Joseph should be king over them, for all the Egyptians loved Joseph as of heretofore, only Magron the son of Pharaoh sat upon, his father’s throne, and he became king in those days in his father’s stead.

4 Magron was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and forty years he reigned in Egypt, and all Egypt called his name Pharaoh after the name of his father, as it was their custom to do in Egypt to every king that reigned over them.

5 And it came to pass when Pharaoh reigned in his father’s stead, he placed the laws of Egypt and all the affairs of government in the hand of Joseph, as his father had commanded him.

6 And Joseph became king over Egypt, for he superintended over all Egypt, and all Egypt was under his care and under his counsel, for all Egypt inclined to Joseph after the death of Pharaoh, and they loved him exceedingly to reign over them.

7 But there were some people amongst them, who did not like him, saying, No stranger shall reign over us; still the whole government of Egypt devolved in those days upon Joseph, after the death of Pharaoh, he being the regulator, doing as he liked throughout the land without any one interfering.

8 And all Egypt was under the care of Joseph, and Joseph made war with all his surrounding enemies, and he subdued them; also all the land and all the Philistines, unto the borders of Canaan, did Joseph subdue, and they were all under his power and they gave a yearly tax unto Joseph.

9 And Pharaoh king of Egypt sat upon his throne in his father’s stead, but he was under the control and counsel of Joseph, as he was at first under the control of his father.

10 Neither did he reign but in the land of Egypt only, under the counsel of Joseph, but Joseph reigned over the whole country at that time, from Egypt unto the great river Perath. — a search of this river Perath comes up the Euphrates 

11 And Joseph was successful in all his ways, and the Lord was with him, and the Lord gave Joseph additional wisdom, and honor, and glory, and love toward him in the hearts of the Egyptians and throughout the land, and Joseph reigned over the whole country forty years.

12 And all the countries of the Philistines and Canaan and Zidon, and on the other side of Jordan, brought presents unto Joseph all his days, and the whole country was in the hand of Joseph, and they brought unto him a yearly tribute as it was regulated, for Joseph had fought against all his surrounding enemies and subdued them, and the whole country was in the hand of Joseph, and Joseph sat securely upon his throne in Egypt.

13 And also all his brethren the sons of Jacob dwelt securely in the land, all the days of Joseph, and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land, and they served the Lord all their days, as their father Jacob had commanded them.

14 And it came to pass at the end of many days and years, when the children of Esau were dwelling quietly in their land with Bela their king, that the children of Esau were fruitful and multiplied in the land, and they resolved to go and fight with the sons of Jacob and all Egypt, and to deliver their brother Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, and his men, for they were yet in those days slaves to Joseph.

15 And the children of Esau sent unto all the children of the east, and they made peace with them, and all the children of the east came unto them to go with the children of Esau to Egypt to battle.

16 And there came also unto them of the people of Angeas, king of Dinhabah, and they also sent unto the children of Ishmael and they also came unto them.

17 And all this people assembled and came unto Seir to assist the children of Esau in their battle, and this camp was very large and heavy with people, numerous as the sand of the sea, about eight hundred thousand men, infantry and cavalry, and all these troops went down to Egypt to fight with the sons of Jacob, and they encamped by Rameses.

18 And Joseph went forth with his brethren with the mighty men of Egypt, about six hundred men, and they fought with them in the land of Rameses; and the sons of Jacob at that time again fought with the children of Esau, in the fiftieth year of the sons of Jacob going down to Egypt, that is the thirtieth year of the reign of Bela over the children of Esau in Seir.

19 And the Lord gave all the mighty men of Esau and the children of the east into the hand of Joseph and his brethren, and the people of the children of Esau and the children of the east were smitten before Joseph.

20 And of the people of Esau and the children of the east that were slain, there fell before the sons of Jacob about two hundred thousand men, and their king Bela the son of Beor fell with them in the battle, and when the children of Esau saw that their king had fallen in battle and was dead, their hands became weak in the combat.

21 And Joseph and his brethren and all Egypt were still smiting the people of the house of Esau, and all Esau’s people were afraid of the sons of Jacob and fled from before them.

22 And Joseph and his brethren and all Egypt pursued them a day’s journey, and they slew yet from them about three hundred men, continuing to smite them in the road; and they afterward turned back from them.

23 And Joseph and all his brethren returned to Egypt, not one man was missing from them, but of the Egyptians there fell twelve men.

24 And when Joseph returned to Egypt he ordered Zepho and his men to be additionally bound, and they bound them in irons and they increased their grief.

25 And all the people of the children of Esau, and the children of the east, returned in shame each unto his city, for all the mighty men that were with them had fallen in battle.

26 And when the children of Esau saw that their king had died in battle they hastened and took a man from the people of the children of the east; his name was Jobab the son of Zarach, from the land of Botzrah, and they caused him to reign over them instead of Bela their king.

27 And Jobab sat upon the throne of Bela as king in his stead, and Jobab reigned in Edom over all the children of Esau ten years, and the children of Esau went no more to fight with the sons of Jacob from that day forward, for the sons of Esau knew the valor of the sons of Jacob, and they were greatly afraid of them.

28 But from that day forward the children of Esau hated the sons of Jacob, and the hatred and enmity were very strong between them all the days, unto this day.

29 And it came to pass after this, at the end of ten years, Jobab, the son of Zarach, from Botzrah, died, and the children of Esau took a man whose name was Chusham, from the land of Teman, and they made him king over them instead of Jobab, and Chusham reigned in Edom over all the children of Esau for twenty years.

30 And Joseph, king of Egypt, and his brethren, and all the children of Israel dwelt securely in Egypt in those days, together with all the children of Joseph and his brethren, having no hindrance or evil accident and the land of Egypt was at that time at rest from war in the days of Joseph and his brethren.

Book of Jasher (55-56)

•October 19, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with their neighbours: and they keep on winning over their enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

Book of Jasher Chapter 55

1 And it came to pass after this that Jacob said, I will go and see my son in Egypt and will then come back to the land of Canaan of which God had spoken unto Abraham, for I cannot leave the land of my birth-place.

2 Behold the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Go down to Egypt with all thy household and remain there, fear not to go down to Egypt for I will there make thee a great nation.

3 And Jacob said within himself, I will go and see my son whether the fear of his God is yet in his heart amidst all the inhabitants of Egypt.

4 And the Lord said unto Jacob, Fear not about Joseph, for he still retaineth his integrity to serve me, as will seem good in thy sight, and Jacob rejoiced exceedingly concerning his son.

5 At that time Jacob commanded his sons and household to go to Egypt according to the word of the Lord unto him, and Jacob rose up with his sons and all his household, and he went out from the land of Canaan from Beersheba, with joy and gladness of heart, and they went to the land of Egypt.

6 And it came to pass when they came near Egypt, Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph that he might show him a situation in Egypt, and Judah did according to the word of his father, and he hastened and ran and came to Joseph, and they assigned for them a place in the land of Goshen for all his household, and Judah returned and came along the road to his father.

7 And Joseph harnessed the chariot, and he assembled all his mighty men and his servants and all the officers of Egypt in order to go and meet his father Jacob, and Joseph’s mandate was proclaimed in Egypt, saying, All that do not go to meet Jacob shall die.

8 And on the next day Joseph went forth with all Egypt a great and mighty host, all dressed in garments of fine linen and purple and with instruments of silver and gold and with their instruments of war with them.

An artistic depiction of Pharaoh’s royal wagons being given to transport Jacob, his sons, and their little ones to Egypt

9 And they all went to meet Jacob with all sorts of musical instruments, with drums and timbrels, strewing myrrh and aloes all along the road, and they all went after this fashion, and the earth shook at their shouting.

10 And all the women of Egypt went upon the roofs of Egypt and upon the walls to meet Jacob, and upon the head of Joseph was Pharaoh’s regal crown, for Pharaoh had sent it unto him to put on at the time of his going to meet his father.

11 And when Joseph came within fifty cubits of his father, he alighted from the chariot and he walked toward his father, and when all the officers of Egypt and her nobles saw that Joseph had gone on foot toward his father, they also alighted and walked on foot toward Jacob.

12 And when Jacob approached the camp of Joseph, Jacob observed the camp that was coming toward him with Joseph, and it gratified him and Jacob was astonished at it.

13 And Jacob said unto Judah, Who is that man whom I see in the camp of Egypt dressed in kingly robes with a very red garment upon him and a royal crown upon his head, who has alighted from his chariot and is coming toward us? and Judah answered his father, saying, He is thy son Joseph the king; and Jacob rejoiced in seeing the glory of his son.

14 And Joseph came nigh unto his father and he bowed to his father, and all the men of the camp bowed to the ground with him before Jacob.

15 And behold Jacob ran and hastened to his son Joseph and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept, and Joseph also embraced his father and kissed him, and they wept and all the people of Egypt wept with them.

16 And Jacob said unto Joseph, Now I will die cheerfully after I have seen thy face, that thou art still living and with glory.

17 And the sons of Jacob and their wives and their children and their servants, and all the household of Jacob wept exceedingly with Joseph, and they kissed him and wept greatly with him.

18 And Joseph and all his people returned afterward home to Egypt, and Jacob and his sons and all the children of his household came with Joseph to Egypt, and Joseph placed them in the best part of Egypt, in the land of Goshen.

19 And Joseph said unto his father and unto his brethren, I will go up and tell Pharaoh, saying, My brethren and my father’s household and all belonging to them have come unto me, and behold they are in the land of Goshen.

20 And Joseph did so and took from his brethren Reuben, Issachar, Zebulun and his brother Benjamin and he placed them before Pharaoh.

21 And Joseph spoke unto Pharaoh, saying, My brethren and my father’s household and all belonging to them, together with their flocks and cattle have come unto me from the land of Canaan, to sojourn in Egypt; for the famine was sore upon them.

22 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Place thy father and brethren in the best part of the land, withhold not from them all that is good, and cause them to eat of the fat of the land.

23 And Joseph answered, saying, Behold I have stationed them in the land of Goshen, for they are shepherds, therefore let them remain in Goshen to feed their flocks apart from the Egyptians.

24 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Do with thy brethren all that they shall say unto thee; and the sons of Jacob bowed down to Pharaoh, and they went forth from him in peace, and Joseph afterward brought his father before Pharaoh.

25 And Jacob came and bowed down to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and he then went out; and Jacob and all his sons, and all his household dwelt in the land of Goshen.

26 In the second year, that is in the hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Jacob, Joseph maintained his father and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread according to their little ones, all the days of the famine; they lacked nothing.

27 And Joseph gave unto them the best part of the whole land; the best of Egypt had they all the days of Joseph; and Joseph also gave unto them and unto the whole of his father’s household, clothes and garments year by year; and the sons of Jacob remained securely in Egypt all the days of their brother.

28 And Jacob always ate at Joseph’s table, Jacob and his sons did not leave Joseph’s table day or night, besides what Jacob’s children consumed in their houses.

29 And all Egypt ate bread during the days of the famine from the house of Joseph, for all the Egyptians sold all belonging to them on account of the famine.

30 And Joseph purchased all the lands and fields of Egypt for bread on the account of Pharaoh, and Joseph supplied all Egypt with bread all the days of the famine, and Joseph collected all the silver and gold that came unto him for the corn which they bought throughout the land, and he accumulated much gold and silver, besides an immense quantity of onyx stones, bdellium and valuable garments which they brought unto Joseph from every part of the land when their money was spent.

31 And Joseph took all the silver and gold that came into his hand, about seventy two talents of gold and silver, and also onyx stones and bdellium in great abundance, and Joseph went and concealed them in four parts, and he concealed one part in the wilderness near the Red sea, and one part by the river Perath, and the third and fourth part he concealed in the desert opposite to the wilderness of Persia and Media.

32 And he took part of the gold and silver that was left, and gave it unto all his brothers and unto all his father’s household, and unto all the women of his father’s household, and the rest he brought to the house of Pharaoh, about twenty talents of gold and silver.

33 And Joseph gave all the gold and silver that was left unto Pharaoh, and Pharaoh placed it in the treasury, and the days of the famine ceased after that in the land, and they sowed and reaped in the whole land, and they obtained their usual quantity year by year; they lacked nothing.

34 And Joseph dwelt securely in Egypt, and the whole land was under his advice, and his father and all his brethren dwelt in the land of Goshen and took possession of it.

35 And Joseph was very aged, advanced in days, and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, remained constantly in the house of Jacob, together with the children of the sons of Jacob their brethren, to learn the ways of the Lord and his law.

36 And Jacob and his sons dwelt in the land of Egypt in the land of Goshen, and they took possession in it, and they were fruitful and multiplied in it.

Book of Jasher Chapter 56

1 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the days of Jacob, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty seven years.

2 At that time Jacob was attacked with that illness of which he died and he sent and called for his son Joseph from Egypt, and Joseph his son came from Egypt and Joseph came unto his father.

3 And Jacob said unto Joseph and unto his sons, Behold I die, and the God of your ancestors will visit you, and bring you back to the land, which the Lord sware to give unto you and unto your children after you, now therefore when I am dead, bury me in the cave which is in Machpelah in Hebron in the land of Canaan, near my ancestors.

4 And Jacob made his sons swear to bury him in Machpelah, in Hebron, and his sons swore unto him concerning this thing.

5 And he commanded them, saying, Serve the Lord your God, for he who delivered your fathers will also deliver you from all trouble.

6 And Jacob said, Call all your children unto me, and all the children of Jacob’s sons came and sat before him, and Jacob blessed them, and he said unto them, The Lord God of your fathers shall grant you a thousand times as much and bless you, and may he give you the blessing of your father Abraham; and all the children of Jacob’s sons went forth on that day after he had blessed them.

7 And on the next day Jacob again called for his sons, and they all assembled and came to him and sat before him, and Jacob on that day blessed his sons before his death, each man did he bless according to his blessing; behold it is written in the book of the law of the Lord appertaining to Israel.

8 And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

9 Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies.

10 And Jacob again commanded his sons on that day, saying, Behold I shall be this day gathered unto my people; carry me up from Egypt, and bury me in the cave of Machpelah as I have commanded you.

11 Howbeit take heed I pray you that none of your sons carry me, only yourselves, and this is the manner you shall do unto me, when you carry my body to go with it to the land of Canaan to bury me,

12 Judah, Issachar and Zebulun shall carry my bier at the eastern side; Reuben, Simeon and Gad at the south, Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin at the west, Dan, Asher and Naphtali at the north.

13 Let not Levi carry with you, for he and his sons will carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord with the Israelites in the camp, neither let Joseph my son carry, for as a king so let his glory be; howbeit, Ephraim and Manasseh shall be in their stead.

14 Thus shall you do unto me when you carry me away; do not neglect any thing of all that I command you; and it shall come to pass when you do this unto me, that the Lord will remember you favorably and your children after you forever.

15 And you my sons, honor each his brother and his relative, and command your children and your children’s children after you to serve the Lord God of your ancestors all the days.

16 In order that you may prolong your days in the land, you and your children and your children’s children for ever, when you do what is good and upright in the sight of the Lord your God, to go in all his ways.

17 And thou, Joseph my son, forgive I pray thee the prongs of thy brethren and all their misdeeds in the injury that they heaped upon thee, for God intended it for thine and thy children’s benefit.

18 And O my son leave not thy brethren to the inhabitants of Egypt, neither hurt their feelings, for behold I consign them to the hand of God and in thy hand to guard them from the Egyptians; and the sons of Jacob answered their father saying, O, our father, all that thou hast commanded us, so will we do; may God only be with us.

19 And Jacob said unto his sons, So may God be with you when you keep all his ways; turn not from his ways either to the right or the left in performing what is good and upright in his sight.

20 For I know that many and grievous troubles will befall you in the latter days in the land, yea your children and children’s children, only serve the Lord and he will save you from all trouble.

21 And it shall come to pass when you shall go after God to serve him and will teach your children after you, and your children’s children, to know the Lord, then will the Lord raise up unto you and your children a servant from amongst your children, and the Lord will deliver you through his hand from all affliction, and bring you out of Egypt and bring you back to the land of your fathers to inherit it securely.

22 And Jacob ceased commanding his sons, and he drew his feet into the bed, he died and was gathered to his people.

23 And Joseph fell upon his father and he cried out and wept over him and he kissed him, and he called out in a bitter voice, and he said, O my father, my father.

24 And his son’s wives and all his household came and fell upon Jacob, and they wept over him, and cried in a very loud voice concerning Jacob.

25 And all the sons of Jacob rose up together, and they tore their garments, and they all put sackcloth upon their loins, and they fell upon their faces, and they cast dust upon their heads toward the heavens.

26 And the thing was told unto Osnath Joseph’s wife, and she rose up and put on a sack and she with all the Egyptian women with her came and mourned and wept for Jacob.

27 And also all the people of Egypt who knew Jacob came all on that day when they heard this thing, and all Egypt wept for many days.

28 And also from the land of Canaan did the women come unto Egypt when they heard that Jacob was dead, and they wept for him in Egypt for seventy days.

29 And it came to pass after this that Joseph commanded his servants the doctors to embalm his father with myrrh and frankincense and all manner of incense and perfume, and the doctors embalmed Jacob as Joseph had commanded them.

30 And all the people of Egypt and the elders and all the inhabitants of the land of Goshen wept and mourned over Jacob, and all his sons and the children of his household lamented and mourned over their father Jacob many days.

31 And after the days of his weeping had passed away, at the end of seventy days, Joseph said unto Pharaoh, I will go up and bury my father in the land of Canaan as he made me swear, and then I will return.

32 And Pharaoh sent Joseph, saying, Go up and bury thy father as he said, and as he made thee swear; and Joseph rose up with all his brethren to go to the land of Canaan to bury their father Jacob as he had commanded them.

33 And Pharaoh commanded that it should be proclaimed throughout Egypt, saying, Whoever goeth not up with Joseph and his brethren to the land of Canaan to bury Jacob, shall die.

34 And all Egypt heard of Pharaoh’s proclamation, and they all rose up together, and all the servants of Pharaoh, and the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt went up with Joseph, and all the officers and nobles of Pharaoh went up as the servants of Joseph, and they went to bury Jacob in the land of Canaan.

35 And the sons of Jacob carried the bier upon which he lay; according to all that their father commanded them, so did his sons unto him.

36 And the bier was of pure gold, and it was inlaid round about with onyx stones and bdellium; and the covering of the bier was gold woven work, joined with threads, and over them were hooks of onyx stones and bdellium.

37 And Joseph placed upon the head of his father Jacob a large golden crown, and he put a golden scepter in his hand, and they surrounded the bier as was the custom of kings during their lives.

38 And all the troops of Egypt went before him in this array, at first all the mighty men of Pharaoh, and the mighty men of Joseph, and after them the rest of the inhabitants of Egypt, and they were all girded with swords and equipped with coats of mail, and the trappings of war were upon them.

39 And all the weepers and mourners went at a distance opposite to the bier, going and weeping and lamenting, and the rest of the people went after the bier.

40 And Joseph and his household went together near the bier barefooted and weeping, and the rest of Joseph’s servants went around him; each man had his ornaments upon him, and they were all armed with their weapons of war.

41 And fifty of Jacob’s servants went in front of the bier, and they strewed along the road myrrh and aloes, and all manner of perfume, and all the sons of Jacob that carried the bier walked upon the perfumery, and the servants of Jacob went before them strewing the perfume along the road.

42 And Joseph went up with a heavy camp, and they did after this manner every day until they reached the land of Canaan, and they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which was on the other side of Jordan, and they mourned an exceeding great and heavy mourning in that place.

43 And all the kings of Canaan heard of this thing and they all went forth, each man from his house, thirty-one kings of Canaan, and they all came with their men to mourn and weep over Jacob.

44 And all these kings beheld Jacob’s bier, and behold Joseph’s crown was upon it, and they also put their crowns upon the bier, and encircled it with crowns.

45 And all these kings made in that place a great and heavy mourning with the sons of Jacob and Egypt over Jacob, for all the kings of Canaan knew the valor of Jacob and his sons.

46 And the report reached Esau, saying, Jacob died in Egypt, and his sons and all Egypt are conveying him to the land of Canaan to bury him.

47 And Esau heard this thing, and he was dwelling in mount Seir, and he rose up with his sons and all his people and all his household, a people exceedingly great, and they came to mourn and weep over Jacob.

48 And it came to pass, when Esau came he mourned for his brother Jacob, and all Egypt and all Canaan again rose up and mourned a great mourning with Esau over Jacob in that place

49 And Joseph and his brethren brought their father Jacob from that place, and they went to Hebron to bury Jacob in the cave by his fathers.

50 And they came unto Kireath-arba, to the cave, and as they came Esau stood with his sons against Joseph and his brethren as a hindrance in the cave, saying, Jacob shall not be buried therein, for it belongeth to us and to our father.

51 And Joseph and his brethren heard the words of Esau’s sons, and they were exceedingly wroth, and Joseph approached unto Esau, saying, What is this thing which they have spoken? surely my father Jacob bought it from thee for great riches after the death of Isaac, now five and twenty years ago, and also all the land of Canaan he bought from thee and from thy sons, and thy seed after thee.

52 And Jacob bought it for his sons and his seed after him for an inheritance for ever, and why speakest thou these things this day?

53 And Esau answered, saying, Thou speakest falsely and utterest lies, for I sold not anything belonging to me in all this land, as thou sayest, neither did my brother Jacob buy aught belonging to me in this land.

54 And Esau spoke these things in order to deceive Joseph with his words, for Esau knew that Joseph was not present in those days when Esau sold all belonging to him in the land of Canaan to Jacob.

55 And Joseph said unto Esau, Surely my father inserted these things with thee in the record of purchase, and testified the record with witnesses, and behold it is with us in Egypt.

56 And Esau answered, saying unto him, Bring the record, all that thou wilt find in the record, so will we do.

57 And Joseph called unto Naphtali his brother, and he said, Hasten quickly, stay not, and run I pray thee to Egypt and bring all the records; the record of the purchase, the sealed record and the open record, and also all the first records in which all the transactions of the birth-right are written, fetch thou.

58 And thou shalt bring them unto us hither, that we may know from them all the words of Esau and his sons which they spoke this day.

59 And Naphtali hearkened to the voice of Joseph and he hastened and ran to go down to Egypt, and Naphtali was lighter on foot than any of the stags that were upon the wilderness, for he would go upon ears of corn without crushing them.

60 And when Esau saw that Naphtali had gone to fetch the records, he and his sons increased their resistance against the cave, and Esau and all his people rose up against Joseph and his brethren to battle.

61 And all the sons of Jacob and the people of Egypt fought with Esau and his men, and the sons of Esau and his people were smitten before the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Jacob slew of Esau’s people forty men.

62 And Chushim the son of Dan, the son of Jacob, was at that time with Jacob’s sons, but he was about a hundred cubits distant from the place of battle, for he remained with the children of Jacob’s sons by Jacob’s bier to guard it.

63 And Chushim was dumb and deaf, still he understood the voice of consternation amongst men.

64 And he asked, saying, Why do you not bury the dead, and what is this great consternation? and they answered him the words of Esau and his sons; and he ran to Esau in the midst of the battle, and he slew Esau with a sword, and he cut off his head, and it sprang to a distance, and Esau fell amongst the people of the battle.

65 And when Chushim did this thing the sons of Jacob prevailed over the sons of Esau, and the sons of Jacob buried their father Jacob by force in the cave, and the sons of Esau beheld it.

66 And Jacob was buried in Hebron, in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the sons of Heth for the possession of a burial place, and he was buried in very costly garments.

67 And no king had such honor paid him as Joseph paid unto his father at his death, for he buried him with great honor like unto the burial of kings.

68 And Joseph and his brethren made a mourning of seven days for their father.

Book of Jasher (53-54)

•October 18, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher, or the Book of the Righteous (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר sēfer hayyāšār), is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 53

1 And the sons of Jacob rose up and took Benjamin and the whole of the presents, and they went and came to Egypt and they stood before Joseph.

2 And Joseph beheld his brother Benjamin with them and he saluted them, and these men came to Joseph’s house.

3 And Joseph commanded the superintendent of his house to give to his brethren to eat, and he did so unto them.

4 And at noon time Joseph sent for the men to come before him with Benjamin, and the men told the superintendent of Joseph’s house concerning the silver that was returned in their sacks, and he said unto them, It will be well with you, fear not, and he brought their brother Simeon unto them.

5 And Simeon said unto his brethren, The lord of the Egyptians has acted very kindly unto me, he did not keep me bound, as you saw with your eyes, for when you went out from the city he let me free and dealt kindly with me in his house.

6 And Judah took Benjamin by the hand, and they came before Joseph, and they bowed down to him to the ground.

7 And the men gave the present unto Joseph and they all sat before him, and Joseph said unto them, Is it well with you, is it well with your children, is it well with your aged father? and they said, It is well, and Judah took the record which Jacob had sent and gave it into the hand of Joseph.

8 And Joseph read the letter and knew his father’s writing, and he wished to weep and he went into an inner room and he wept a great weeping; and he went out.

9 And he lifted up his eyes and beheld his brother Benjamin, and he said, Is this your brother of whom you spoke unto me? And Benjamin approached Joseph, and Joseph placed his hand upon his head and he said unto him, May God be gracious unto thee my son.

10 And when Joseph saw his brother, the son of his mother, he again wished to weep, and he entered the chamber, and he wept there, and he washed his face, and went out and refrained from weeping, and he said, Prepare food.

11 And Joseph had a cup from which he drank, and it was of silver beautifully inlaid with onyx stones and bdellium, and Joseph struck the cup in the sight of his brethren whilst they were sitting to eat with him.

12 And Joseph said unto the men, I know by this cup that Reuben the first born, Simeon and Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun are children from one mother, seat yourselves to eat according to your births.

13 And he also placed the others according to their births, and he said, I know that this your youngest brother has no brother, and I, like him, have no brother, he shall therefore sit down to eat with me.

14 And Benjamin went up before Joseph and sat upon the throne, and the men beheld the acts of Joseph, and they were astonished at them; and the men ate and drank at that time with Joseph, and he then gave presents unto them, and Joseph gave one gift unto Benjamin, and Manasseh and Ephraim saw the acts of their father, and they also gave presents unto him, and Osnath gave him one present, and they were five presents in the hand of Benjamin.

15 And Joseph brought them out wine to drink, and they would not drink, and they said, From the day on which Joseph was lost we have not drunk wine, nor eaten any delicacies.

16 And Joseph swore unto them, and he pressed them hard, and they drank plentifully with him on that day, and Joseph afterward turned to his brother Benjamin to speak with him, and Benjamin was still sitting upon the throne before Joseph.

17 And Joseph said unto him, Hast thou begotten any children? and he said, Thy servant has ten sons, and these are their names, Bela, Becher, Ashbal, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord, and I called their names after my brother whom I have not seen.

18 And he ordered them to bring before him his map of the stars, whereby Joseph knew all the times, and Joseph said unto Benjamin, I have heard that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom, dost thou know anything of this?

19 And Benjamin said, Thy servant is knowing also in all the wisdom which my father taught me, and Joseph said unto Benjamin, Look now at this instrument and understand where thy brother Joseph is in Egypt, who you said went down to Egypt.

20 And Benjamin beheld that instrument with the map of the stars of heaven, and he was wise and looked therein to know where his brother was, and Benjamin divided the whole land of Egypt into four divisions, and he found that he who was sitting upon the throne before him was his brother Joseph, and Benjamin wondered greatly, and when Joseph saw that his brother Benjamin was so much astonished, he said unto Benjamin, What hast thou seen, and why art thou astonished?

21 And Benjamin said unto Joseph, I can see by this that Joseph my brother sitteth here with me upon the throne, and Joseph said unto him, I am Joseph thy brother, reveal not this thing unto thy brethren; behold I will send thee with them when they go away, and I will command them to be brought back again into the city, and I will take thee away from them.

22 And if they dare their lives and fight for thee, then shall I know that they have repented of what they did unto me, and I will make myself known to them, and if they forsake thee when I take thee, then shalt thou remain with me, and I will wrangle with them, and they shall go away, and I will not become known to them.

23 At that time Joseph commanded his officer to fill their sacks with food, and to put each man’s money into his sack, and to put the cup in the sack of Benjamin, and to give them provision for the road, and they did so unto them.

24 And on the next day the men rose up early in the morning, and they loaded their asses with their corn, and they went forth with Benjamin, and they went to the land of Canaan with their brother Benjamin.

25 They had not gone far from Egypt when Joseph commanded him that was set over his house, saying, Rise, pursue these men before they get too far from Egypt, and say unto them, Why have you stolen my master’s cup?

26 And Joseph’s officer rose up and he reached them, and he spoke unto them all the words of Joseph; and when they heard this thing they became exceedingly wroth, and they said, He with whom thy master’s cup shall be found shall die, and we will also become slaves.

27 And they hastened and each man brought down his sack from his ass, and they looked in their bags and the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag, and they all tore their garments and they returned to the city, and they smote Benjamin in the road, continually smiting him until he came into the city, and they stood before Joseph.

28 And Judah’s anger was kindled, and he said, This man has only brought me back to destroy Egypt this day.

29 And the men came to Joseph’s house, and they found Joseph sitting upon his throne, and all the mighty men standing at his right and left.

30 And Joseph said unto them, What is this act that you have done, that you took away my silver cup and went away? but I know that you took my cup in order to know thereby in what part of the land your brother was.

31 And Judah said, What shall we say to our lord, what shall we speak and how shall we justify ourselves, God has this day found the iniquity of all thy servants, therefore has he done this thing to us this day.

32 And Joseph rose up and caught hold of Benjamin and took him from his brethren with violence, and he came to the house and locked the door at them, and Joseph commanded him that was set over his house that he should say unto them, Thus saith the king, Go in peace to your father, behold I have taken the man in whose hand my cup was found.

Book of Jasher Chapter 54

1 And when Judah saw the dealings of Joseph with them, Judah approached him and broke open the door, and came with his brethren before Joseph.

2 And Judah said unto Joseph, Let it not seem grievous in the sight of my lord, may thy servant I pray thee speak a word before thee? and Joseph said unto him, Speak.

3 And Judah spoke before Joseph, and his brethren were there standing before them; and Judah said unto Joseph, Surely when we first came to our lord to buy food, thou didst consider us as spies of the land, and we brought Benjamin before thee, and thou still makest sport of us this day.

4 Now therefore let the king hear my words, and send I pray thee our brother that he may go along with us to our father, lest thy soul perish this day with all the souls of the inhabitants of Egypt.

5 Dost thou not know what two of my brethren, Simeon and Levi, did unto the city of Shechem, and unto seven cities of the Amorites, on account of our sister Dinah, and also what they would do for the sake of their brother Benjamin?

6 And I with my strength, who am greater and mightier than both of them, come this day upon thee and thy land if thou art unwilling to send our brother.

7 Hast thou not heard what our God who made choice of us did unto Pharaoh on account of Sarah our mother, whom he took away from our father, that he smote him and his household with heavy plagues, that even unto this day the Egyptians relate this wonder to each other? so will our God do unto thee on account of Benjamin whom thou hast this day taken from his father, and on account of the evils which thou this day heapest over us in thy land; for our God will remember his covenant with our father Abraham and bring evil upon thee, because thou hast grieved the soul of our father this day.

8 Now therefore hear my words that I have this day spoken unto thee, and send our brother that he may go away lest thou and the people of thy land die by the sword, for you cannot all prevail over me.

9 And Joseph answered Judah, saying, Why hast thou opened wide thy mouth and why dost thou boast over us, saying, Strength is with thee? as Pharaoh liveth, if I command all my valiant men to fight with you, surely thou and these thy brethren would sink in the mire.

10 And Judah said unto Joseph, Surely it becometh thee and thy people to fear me; as the Lord liveth if I once draw my sword I shall not sheathe it again until I shall this day have slain all Egypt, and I will commence with thee and finish with Pharaoh thy master.

11 And Joseph answered and said unto him, Surely strength belongeth not alone to thee; I am stronger and mightier than thou, surely if thou drawest thy sword I will put it to thy neck and the necks of all thy brethren.

12 And Judah said unto him, Surely if I this day open my mouth against thee I would swallow thee up that thou be destroyed from off the earth and perish this day from thy kingdom. And Joseph said, Surely if thou openest thy mouth I have power and might to close thy mouth with a stone until thou shalt not be able to utter a word; see how many stones are before us, truly I can take a stone, and force it into thy mouth and break thy jaws.

13 And Judah said, God is witness between us, that we have not hitherto desired to battle with thee, only give us our brother and we will go from thee; and Joseph answered and said, As Pharaoh liveth, if all the kings of Canaan came together with you, you should not take him from my hand.

14 Now therefore go your way to your father, and your brother shall be unto me for a slave, for he has robbed the king’s house. And Judah said, What is it to thee or to the character of the king, surely the king sendeth forth from his house, throughout the land, silver and gold either in gifts or expenses, and thou still talkest about thy cup which thou didst place in our brother’s bag and sayest that he has stolen it from thee?

15 God forbid that our brother Benjamin or any of the seed of Abraham should do this thing to steal from thee, or from any one else, whether king, prince, or any man.

16 Now therefore cease this accusation lest the whole earth hear thy words, saying, For a little silver the king of Egypt wrangled with the men, and he accused them and took their brother for a slave.

17 And Joseph answered and said, Take unto you this cup and go from me and leave your brother for a slave, for it is the judgment of a thief to be a slave.

18 And Judah said, Why art thou not ashamed of thy words, to leave our brother and to take thy cup? Surely if thou givest us thy cup, or a thousand times as much, we will not leave our brother for the silver which is found in the hand of any man, that we will not die over him.

19 And Joseph answered, And why did you forsake your brother and sell him for twenty pieces of silver unto this day, and why then will you not do the same to this your brother?

20 And Judah said, the Lord is witness between me and thee that we desire not thy battles; now therefore give us our brother and we will go from thee without quarreling.

21 And Joseph answered and said, If all the kings of the land should assemble they will not be able to take your brother from my hand; and Judah said, What shall we say unto our father, when he seeth that our brother cometh not with us, and will grieve over him?

22 And Joseph answered and said, This is the thing which you shall tell unto your father, saying, The rope has gone after the bucket.

23 And Judah said, Surely thou art a king, and why speakest thou these things, giving a false judgment? woe unto the king who is like unto thee.

24 And Joseph answered and said, There is no false judgment in the word that I spoke on account of your brother Joseph, for all of you sold him to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver, and you all denied it to your father and said unto him, An evil beast has devoured him, Joseph has been torn to pieces.

25 And Judah said, Behold the fire of Shem burneth in my heart, now I will burn all your land with fire; and Joseph answered and said, Surely thy sister-in-law Tamar, who killed your sons, extinguished the fire of Shechem.

26 And Judah said, If I pluck out a single hair from my flesh, I will fill all Egypt with its blood.

27 And Joseph answered and said, Such is your custom to do as you did to your brother whom you sold, and you dipped his coat in blood and brought it to your father in order that he might say an evil beast devoured him and here is his blood.

28 And when Judah heard this thing he was exceedingly wroth and his anger burned within him, and there was before him in that place a stone, the weight of which was about four hundred shekels, and Judah’s anger was kindled and he took the stone in one hand and cast it to the heavens and caught it with his left hand.

29 And he placed it afterward under his legs, and he sat upon it with all his strength and the stone was turned into dust from the force of Judah.

30 And Joseph saw the act of Judah and he was very much afraid, but he commanded Manassah his son and he also did with another stone like unto the act of Judah, and Judah said unto his brethren, Let not any of you say, this man is an Egyptian, but by his doing this thing he is of our father’s family.

31 And Joseph said, Not to you only is strength given, for we are also powerful men, and why will you boast over us all? and Judah said unto Joseph, Send I pray thee our brother and ruin not thy country this day.

32 And Joseph answered and said unto them, Go and tell your father, an evil beast hath devoured him as you said concerning your brother Joseph.

33 And Judah spoke to his brother Naphtali, and he said unto him, Make haste, go now and number all the streets of Egypt and come and tell me; and Simeon said unto him, Let not this thing be a trouble to thee; now I will go to the mount and take up one large stone from the mount and level it at every one in Egypt, and kill all that are in it.

34 And Joseph heard all these words that his brethren spoke before him, and they did not know that Joseph understood them, for they imagined that he knew not to speak Hebrew.

35 And Joseph was greatly afraid at the words of his brethren lest they should destroy Egypt, and he commanded his son Manasseh, saying, Go now make haste and gather unto me all the inhabitants of Egypt, and all the valiant men together, and let them come to me now upon horseback and on foot and with all sorts of musical instruments, and Manasseh went and did so.

36 And Naphtali went as Judah had commanded him, for Naphtali was lightfooted as one of the swift stags, and he would go upon the ears of corn and they would not break under him.

37 And he went and numbered all the streets of Egypt, and found them to be twelve, and he came hastily and told Judah, and Judah said unto his brethren, Hasten you and put on every man his sword upon his loins and we will come over Egypt, and smite them all, and let not a remnant remain.

38 And Judah said, Behold, I will destroy three of the streets with my strength, and you shall each destroy one street; and when Judah was speaking this thing, behold the inhabitants of Egypt and all the mighty men came toward them with all sorts of musical instruments and with loud shouting.

39 And their number was five hundred cavalry and ten thousand infantry, and four hundred men who could fight without sword or spear, only with their hands and strength.

40 And all the mighty men came with great storming and shouting, and they all surrounded the sons of Jacob and terrified them, and the ground quaked at the sound of their shouting.

41 And when the sons of Jacob saw these troops they were greatly afraid of their lives, and Joseph did so in order to terrify the sons of Jacob to become tranquilized.

42 And Judah, seeing some of his brethren terrified, said unto them, Why are you afraid whilst the grace of God is with us? and when Judah saw all the people of Egypt surrounding them at the command of Joseph to terrify them, only Joseph commanded them, saying, Do not touch any of them.

43 Then Judah hastened and drew his sword, and uttered a loud and bitter scream, and he smote with his sword, and he sprang upon the ground and he still continued to shout against all the people.

44 And when he did this thing the Lord caused the terror of Judah and his brethren to fall upon the valiant men and all the people that surrounded them.

45 And they all fled at the sound of the shouting, and they were terrified and fell one upon the other, and many of them died as they fell, and they all fled from before Judah and his brethren and from before Joseph.

46 And whilst they were fleeing, Judah and his brethren pursued them unto the house of Pharaoh, and they all escaped, and Judah again sat before Joseph and roared at him like a lion, and gave a great and tremendous shriek at him.

47 And the shriek was heard at a distance, and all the inhabitants of Succoth heard it, and all Egypt quaked at the sound of the shriek, and also the walls of Egypt and of the land of Goshen fell in from the shaking of the earth, and Pharaoh also fell from his throne upon the ground, and also all the pregnant women of Egypt and Goshen miscarried when they heard the noise of the shaking, for they were terribly afraid.

48 And Pharaoh sent word, saying, What is this thing that has this day happened in the land of Egypt? and they came and told him all the things from beginning to end, and Pharaoh was alarmed and he wondered and was greatly afraid.

49 And his fright increased when he heard all these things, and he sent unto Joseph, saying, Thou hast brought unto me the Hebrews to destroy all Egypt; what wilt thou do with that thievish slave? send him away and let him go with his brethren, and let us not perish through their evil, even we, you and all Egypt.

50 And if thou desirest not to do this thing, cast off from thee all my valuable things, and go with them to their land, if thou delightest in it, for they will this day destroy my whole country and slay all my people; even all the women of Egypt have miscarried through their screams; see what they have done merely by their shouting and speaking, moreover if they fight with the sword, they will destroy the land; now therefore choose that which thou desirest, whether me or the Hebrews, whether Egypt or the land of the Hebrews.

51 And they came and told Joseph all the words of Pharaoh that he had said concerning him, and Joseph was greatly afraid at the words of Pharaoh and Judah and his brethren were still standing before Joseph indignant and enraged, and all the sons of Jacob roared at Joseph, like the roaring of the sea and its waves.

52 And Joseph was greatly afraid of his brethren and on account of Pharaoh, and Joseph sought a pretext to make himself known unto his brethren, lest they should destroy all Egypt.

53 And Joseph commanded his son Manasseh, and Manasseh went and approached Judah, and placed his hand upon his shoulder, and the anger of Judah was stilled.

54 And Judah said unto his brethren, Let no one of you say that this is the act of an Egyptian youth for this is the work of my father’s house.

55 And Joseph seeing and knowing that Judah’s anger was stilled, he approached to speak unto Judah in the language of mildness.

56 And Joseph said unto Judah, Surely you speak truth and have this day verified your assertions concerning your strength, and may your God who delighteth in you, increase your welfare; but tell me truly why from amongst all thy brethren dost thou wrangle with me on account of the lad, as none of them have spoken one word to me concerning him.

57 And Judah answered Joseph, saying, Surely thou must know that I was security for the lad to his father, saying, If I brought him not unto him I should bear his blame forever.

58 Therefore have I approached thee from amongst all my brethren, for I saw that thou wast unwilling to suffer him to go from thee; now therefore may I find grace in thy sight that thou shalt send him to go with us, and behold I will remain as a substitute for him, to serve thee in whatever thou desirest, for wheresoever thou shalt send me I will go to serve thee with great energy.

59 Send me now to a mighty king who has rebelled against thee, and thou shalt know what I will do unto him and unto his land; although he may have cavalry and infantry or an exceeding mighty people, I will slay them all and bring the king’s head before thee.

60 Dost thou not know or hast thou not heard that our father Abraham with his servant Eliezer smote all the kings of Elam with their hosts in one night, they left not one remaining? and ever since that day our father’s strength was given unto us for an inheritance, for us and our seed forever.

61 And Joseph answered and said, You speak truth, and falsehood is not in your mouth, for it was also told unto us that the Hebrews have power and that the Lord their God delighteth much in them, and who then can stand before them?

62 However, on this condition will I send your brother, if you will bring before me his brother the son of his mother, of whom you said that he had gone from you down to Egypt; and it shall come to pass when you bring unto me his brother I will take him in his stead, because not one of you was security for him to your father, and when he shall come unto me, I will then send with you his brother for whom you have been security.

63 And Judah’s anger was kindled against Joseph when he spoke this thing, and his eyes dropped blood with anger, and he said unto his brethren, How doth this man this day seek his own destruction and that of all Egypt!

64 And Simeon answered Joseph, saying, Did we not tell thee at first that we knew not the particular spot to which he went, and whether he be dead or alive, and wherefore speaketh my lord like unto these things?

65 And Joseph observing the countenance of Judah discerned that his anger began to kindle when he spoke unto him, saying, Bring unto me your other brother instead of this brother.

66 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Surely you said that your brother was either dead or lost, now if I should call him this day and he should come before you, would you give him unto me instead of his brother?

67 And Joseph began to speak and call out, Joseph, Joseph, come this day before me, and appear to thy brethren and sit before them.

68 And when Joseph spoke this thing before them, they looked each a different way to see from whence Joseph would come before them.

69 And Joseph observed all their acts, and said unto them, Why do you look here and there? I am Joseph whom you sold to Egypt, now therefore let it not grieve you that you sold me, for as a support during the famine did God send me before you.

70 And his brethren were terrified at him when they heard the words of Joseph, and Judah was exceedingly terrified at him.

71 And when Benjamin heard the words of Joseph he was before them in the inner part of the house, and Benjamin ran unto Joseph his brother, and embraced him and fell upon his neck, and they wept.

72 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that Benjamin had fallen upon his brother’s neck and wept with him, they also fell upon Joseph and embraced him, and they wept a great weeping with Joseph.

73 And the voice was heard in the house of Joseph that they were Joseph’s brethren, and it pleased Pharaoh exceedingly, for he was afraid of them lest they should destroy Egypt.

74 And Pharaoh sent his servants unto Joseph to congratulate him concerning his brethren who had come to him, and all the captains of the armies and troops that were in Egypt came to rejoice with Joseph, and all Egypt rejoiced greatly about Joseph’s brethren.

75 And Pharaoh sent his servants to Joseph, saying, Tell thy brethren to fetch all belonging to them and let them come unto me, and I will place them in the best part of the land of Egypt, and they did so.

76 And Joseph commanded him that was set over his house to bring out to his brethren gifts and garments, and he brought out to them many garments being robes of royalty and many gifts, and Joseph divided them amongst his brethren.

77 And he gave unto each of his brethren a change of garments of gold and silver, and three hundred pieces of silver, and Joseph commanded them all to be dressed in these garments, and to be brought before Pharaoh.

78 And Pharaoh seeing that all Joseph’s brethren were valiant men, and of beautiful appearance, he greatly rejoiced.

79 And they afterward went out from the presence of Pharaoh to go to the land of Canaan, to their father, and their brother Benjamin was with them.

80 And Joseph rose up and gave unto them eleven chariots from Pharaoh, and Joseph gave unto them his chariot, upon which he rode on the day of his being crowned in Egypt, to fetch his father to Egypt; and Joseph sent to all his brothers’ children, garments according to their numbers, and a hundred pieces of silver to each of them, and he also sent garments to the wives of his brethren from the garments of the king’s wives, and he sent them.

81 And he gave unto each of his brethren ten men to go with them to the land of Canaan to serve them, to serve their children and all belonging to them in coming to Egypt.

82 And Joseph sent by the hand of his brother Benjamin ten suits of garments for his ten sons, a portion above the rest of the children of the sons of Jacob.

83 And he sent to each fifty pieces of silver, and ten chariots on the account of Pharaoh, and he sent to his father ten asses laden with all the luxuries of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and nourishment for his father, and to all that were with him as provisions for the road.

84 And he sent to his sister Dinah garments of silver and gold, and frankincense and myrrh, and aloes and women’s ornaments in great plenty, and he sent the same from the wives of Pharaoh to the wives of Benjamin.

85 And he gave unto all his brethren, also to their wives, all sorts of onyx stones and bdellium, and from all the valuable things amongst the great people of Egypt, nothing of all the costly things was left but what Joseph sent of to his father’s household.

86 And he sent his brethren away, and they went, and he sent his brother Benjamin with them.

87 And Joseph went out with them to accompany them on the road unto the borders of Egypt, and he commanded them concerning his father and his household, to come to Egypt.

88 And he said unto them, Do not quarrel on the road, for this thing was from the Lord to keep a great people from starvation, for there will be yet five years of famine in the land.

89 And he commanded them, saying, When you come unto the land of Canaan, do not come suddenly before my father in this affair, but act in your wisdom.

90 And Joseph ceased to command them, and he turned and went back to Egypt, and the sons of Jacob went to the land of Canaan with joy and cheerfulness to their father Jacob.

91 And they came unto the borders of the land, and they said to each other, What shall we do in this matter before our father, for if we come suddenly to him and tell him the matter, he will be greatly alarmed at our words and will not believe us.

92 And they went along until they came nigh unto their houses, and they found Serach, the daughter of Asher, going forth to meet them, and the damsel was very good and subtle, and knew how to play upon the harp.

93 And they called unto her and she came before them, and she kissed them, and they took her and gave unto her a harp, saying, Go now before our father, and sit before him, and strike upon the harp, and speak these words.

94 And they commanded her to go to their house, and she took the harp and hastened before them, and she came and sat near Jacob.

95 And she played well and sang, and uttered in the sweetness of her words, Joseph my uncle is living, and he ruleth throughout the land of Egypt, and is not dead.

96 And she continued to repeat and utter these words, and Jacob heard her words and they were agreeable to him.

97 He listened whilst she repeated them twice and thrice, and joy entered the heart of Jacob at the sweetness of her words, and the spirit of God was upon him, and he knew all her words to be true.

98 And Jacob blessed Serach when she spoke these words before him, and he said unto her, My daughter, may death never prevail over thee, for thou hast revived my spirit; only speak yet before me as thou hast spoken, for thou hast gladdened me with all thy words.

99 And she continued to sing these words, and Jacob listened and it pleased him, and he rejoiced, and the spirit of God was upon him.

100 Whilst he was yet speaking with her, behold his sons came to him with horses and chariots and royal garments and servants running before them.

101 And Jacob rose up to meet them, and saw his sons dressed in royal garments and he saw all the treasures that Joseph had sent to them.

102 And they said unto him, Be informed that our brother Joseph is living, and it is he who ruleth throughout the land of Egypt, and it is he who spoke unto us as we told thee.

103 And Jacob heard all the words of his sons, and his heart palpitated at their words, for he could not believe them until he saw all that Joseph had given them and what he had sent him, and all the signs which Joseph had spoken unto them.

104 And they opened out before him, and showed him all that Joseph had sent, they gave unto each what Joseph had sent him, and he knew that they had spoken the truth, and he rejoiced exceedingly an account of his son.

105 And Jacob said, It is enough for me that my son Joseph is still living, I will go and see him before I die.

106 And his sons told him all that had befallen them, and Jacob said, I will go down to Egypt to see my son and his offspring.

107 And Jacob rose up and put on the garments which Joseph had sent him, and after he had washed, and shaved his hair, he put upon his head the turban which Joseph had sent him.

108 And all the people of Jacob’s house and their wives put on the garments which Joseph had sent to them, and they greatly rejoiced at Joseph that he was still living and that he was ruling in Egypt,

109 And all the inhabitants of Canaan heard of this thing, and they came and rejoiced much with Jacob that he was still living.

110 And Jacob made a feast for them for three days, and all the kings of Canaan and nobles of the land ate and drank and rejoiced in the house of Jacob.

Book of Jasher (51-52)

•October 17, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with their neighbours: and they will keep on winning over their enemies! — now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the ancient Philistines or today’s Gazans; and the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

Book of Jasher Chapter 51

1 And Jacob afterward heard that there was corn in Egypt, and he called unto his sons to go to Egypt to buy corn, for upon them also did the famine prevail, and he called unto his sons, saying,

2 Behold I hear that there is corn in Egypt, and all the people of the earth go there to purchase, now therefore why will you show yourselves satisfied before the whole earth? go you also down to Egypt and buy us a little corn amongst those that come there, that we may not die.

3 And the sons of Jacob hearkened to the voice of their father, and they rose up to go down to Egypt in order to buy corn amongst the rest that came there.

4 And Jacob their father commanded them, saying, When you come into the city do not enter together in one gate, on account of the inhabitants of the land.

5 And the sons of Jacob went forth and they went to Egypt, and the sons of Jacob did all as their father had commanded them, and Jacob did not send Benjamin, for he said, Lest an accident might befall him on the road like his brother; and ten of Jacob’s sons went forth.

6 And whilst the sons of Jacob were going on the road, they repented of what they had done to Joseph, and they spoke to each other, saying, We know that our brother Joseph went down to Egypt, and now we will seek him where we go, and if we find him we will take him from his master for a ransom, and if not, by force, and we will die for him.

7 And the sons of Jacob agreed to this thing and strengthened themselves on account of Joseph, to deliver him from the hand of his master, and the sons of Jacob went to Egypt; and when they came near to Egypt they separated from each other, and they came through ten gates of Egypt, and the gate keepers wrote their names on that day, and brought them to Joseph in the evening.

8 And Joseph read the names from the hand of the gate-keepers of the city, and he found that his brethren had entered at the ten gates of the city, and Joseph at that time commanded that it should be proclaimed throughout the land of Egypt, saying,

9 Go forth all ye store guards, close all the corn stores and let only one remain open, that those who come may purchase from it.

10 And all the officers of Joseph did so at that time, and they closed all the stores and left only one open.

11 And Joseph gave the written names of his brethren to him that was set over the open store, and he said unto him, Whosoever shall come to thee to buy corn, ask his name, and when men of these names shall come before thee, seize them and send them, and they did so.

12 And when the sons of Jacob came into the city, they joined together in the city to seek Joseph before they bought themselves corn.

13 And they went to the walls of the harlots, and they sought Joseph in the walls of the harlots for three days, for they thought that Joseph would come in the walls of the harlots, for Joseph was very comely and well favored, and the sons of Jacob sought Joseph for three days, and they could not find him.

14 And the man who was set over the open store sought for those names which Joseph had given him, and he did not find them.

15 And he sent to Joseph, saying, These three days have passed, and those men whose names thou didst give unto me have not come; and Joseph sent servants to seek the men in all Egypt, and to bring them before Joseph.

16 And Joseph’s servants went and came into Egypt and could not find them, and went to Goshen and they were not there, and then went to the city of Rameses and could not find them.

17 And Joseph continued to send sixteen servants to seek his brothers, and they went and spread themselves in the four corners of the city, and four of the servants went into the house of the harlots, and they found the ten men there seeking their brother.

18 And those four men took them and brought them before him, and they bowed down to him to the ground, and Joseph was sitting upon his throne in his temple, clothed with princely garments, and upon his head was a large crown of gold, and all the mighty men were sitting around him.

19 And the sons of Jacob saw Joseph, and his figure and comeliness and dignity of countenance seemed wonderful in their eyes, and they again bowed down to him to the ground.

20 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but they knew him not, for Joseph was very great in their eyes, therefore they knew him not.

21 And Joseph spoke to them, saying, From whence come ye? and they all answered and said, Thy servants have come from the land of Canaan to buy corn, for the famine prevails throughout the earth, and thy servants heard that there was corn in Egypt, so they have come amongst the other comers to buy corn for their support.

22 And Joseph answered them, saying, If you have come to purchase as you say, why do you come through ten gates of the city? it can only be that you have come to spy through the land.

23 And they all together answered Joseph, and said, Not so my lord, we are right, thy servants are not spies, but we have come to buy corn, for thy servants are all brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and our father commanded us, saying, When you come to the city do not enter together at one gate on account of the inhabitants of the land.

24 And Joseph again answered them and said, That is the thing which I spoke unto you, you have come to spy through the land, therefore you all came through ten gates of the city; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.

25 Surely every one that cometh to buy corn goeth his way, and you are already three days in the land, and what do you do in the walls of harlots in which you have been for these three days? surely spies do like unto these things.

26 And they said unto Joseph, Far be it from our lord to speak thus, for we are twelve brothers, the sons of our father Jacob, in the land of Canaan, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the Hebrew, and behold the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan, and one is not, for he was lost from us, and we thought perhaps he might be in this land, so we are seeking him throughout the land, and have come even to the houses of harlots to seek him there.

27 And Joseph said unto them, And have you then sought him throughout the earth, that there only remained Egypt for you to seek him in? And what also should your brother do in the houses of harlots, although he were in Egypt? have you not said, That you are from the sons of Isaac, the son of Abraham, and what shall the sons of Jacob do then in the houses of harlots?

28 And they said unto him, Because we heard that Ishmaelites stole him from us, and it was told unto us that they sold him in Egypt, and thy servant, our brother, is very comely and well favored, so we thought he would surely be in the houses of harlots, therefore thy servants went there to seek him and give ransom for him.

29 And Joseph still answered them, saying, Surely you speak falsely and utter lies, to say of yourselves that you are the sons of Abraham; as Pharaoh liveth you are spies, therefore have you come to the houses of harlots that you should not be known.

30 And Joseph said unto them, And now if you find him, and his master requireth of you a great price, will you give it for him? and they said, It shall be given.

31 And he said unto them, And if his master will not consent to part with him for a great price, what will you do unto him on his account? and they answered him, saying, If he will not give him unto us we will slay him, and take our brother and go away.

32 And Joseph said unto them, That is the thing which I have spoken to you; you are spies, for you are come to slay the inhabitants of the land, for we heard that two of your brethren smote all the inhabitants of Shechem, in the land of Canaan, on account of your sister, and you now come to do the like in Egypt on account of your brother.

33 Only hereby shall I know that you are true men; if you will send home one from amongst you to fetch your youngest brother from your father, and to bring him here unto me, and by doing this thing I will know that you are right.

34 And Joseph called to seventy of his mighty men, and he said unto them, Take these men and bring them into the ward.

35 And the mighty men took the ten men, they laid hold of them and put them into the ward, and they were in the ward three days.

36 And on the third day Joseph had them brought out of the ward, and he said unto them, Do this for yourselves if you be true men, so that you may live, one of your brethren shall be confined in the ward whilst you go and take home the corn for your household to the land of Canaan, and fetch your youngest brother, and bring him here unto me, that I may know that you are true men when you do this thing.

37 And Joseph went out from them and came into the chamber, and wept a great weeping, for his pity was excited for them, and he washed his face, and returned to them again, and he took Simeon from them and ordered him to be bound, but Simeon was not willing to be done so, for he was a very powerful man and they could not bind him.

An artistic depiction of Joseph’s brothers bowing to him in Egypt

38 And Joseph called unto his mighty men and seventy valiant men came before him with drawn swords in their hands, and the sons of Jacob were terrified at them.

39 And Joseph said unto them, Seize this man and confine him in prison until his brethren come to him, and Joseph’s valiant men hastened and they all laid hold of Simeon to bind him, and Simeon gave a loud and terrible shriek and the cry was heard at a distance.

40 And all the valiant men of Joseph were terrified at the sound of the shriek, that they fell upon their faces, and they were greatly afraid and fled.

41 And all the men that were with Joseph fled, for they were greatly afraid of their lives, and only Joseph and Manasseh his son remained there, and Manassah the son of Joseph saw the strength of Simeon, and he was exceedingly wroth.

42 And Manassah the son of Joseph rose up to Simeon, and Manassah smote Simeon a heavy blow with his fist against the back of his neck, and Simeon was stilled of his rage.

43 And Manassah laid hold of Simeon and he seized him violently and he bound him and brought him into the house of confinement, and all the sons of Jacob were astonished at the act of the youth.

44 And Simeon said unto his brethren, None of you must say that this is the smiting of an Egyptian, but it is the smiting of the house of my father.

45 And after this Joseph ordered him to be called who was set over the storehouse, to fill their sacks with corn as much as they could carry, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the road, and thus did he unto them.

46 And Joseph commanded them, saying, Take heed lest you transgress my orders to bring your brother as I have told you, and it shall be when you bring your brother hither unto me, then will I know that you are true men, and you shall traffic in the land, and I will restore unto you your brother, and you shall return in peace to your father.

47 And they all answered and said, According as our lord speaketh so will we do, and they bowed down to him to the ground.

48 And every man lifted his corn upon his ass, and they went out to go to the land of Canaan to their father; and they came to the inn and Levi spread his sack to give provender to his ass, when he saw and behold his money in full weight was still in his sack.

49 And the man was greatly afraid, and he said unto his brethren, My money is restored, and lo, it is even in my sack, and the men were greatly afraid, and they said, What is this that God hath done unto us?

50 And they all said, And where is the Lord’s kindness with our fathers, with Abraham, Isaac, end Jacob, that the Lord has this day delivered us into the hands of the king of Egypt to contrive against us?

51 And Judah said unto them, Surely we are guilty sinners before the Lord our God in having sold our brother, our own flesh, and wherefore do you say, Where is the Lord’s kindness with our fathers?

52 And Reuben said unto them, Said I not unto you, do not sin against the lad, and you would not listen to me? now God requireth him from us, and how dare you say, Where is the Lord’s kindness with our fathers, whilst you have sinned unto the Lord?

53 And they tarried over night in that place, and they rose up early in the morning and laded their asses with their corn, and they led them and went on and came to their father’s house in the land of Canaan.

54 And Jacob and his household went out to meet his sons, and Jacob saw and behold their brother Simeon was not with them, and Jacob said unto his sons, Where is your brother Simeon, whom I do not see? and his sons told him all that had befallen them in Egypt.

Book of Jasher Chapter 52

1 And they entered their house, and every man opened his sack and they saw and behold every man’s bundle of money was there, at which they and their father were greatly terrified.

2 And Jacob said unto them, What is this that you have done to me? I sent your brother Joseph to inquire after your welfare and you said unto me. A wild beast did devour him.

3 And Simeon went with you to buy food and you say the king of Egypt hath confined him in prison, and you wish to take Benjamin to cause his death also, and bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave on account of Benjamin and his brother Joseph.

4 Now therefore my son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he is left alone, and mischief may befall him by the way in which you go, as it befell his brother.

5 And Reuben said unto his father, Thou shalt slay my two sons if I do not bring thy son and place him before thee; and Jacob said unto his sons, Abide ye here and do not go down to Egypt, for my son shall not go down with you to Egypt, nor die like his brother.

6 And Judah said unto them, refrain ye from him until the corn is finished, and he will then say, Take down your brother, when he will find his own life and the life of his household in danger from the famine.

7 And in those days the famine was sore throughout the land, and all the people of the earth went and came to Egypt to buy food, for the famine prevailed greatly amongst them, and the sons of Jacob remained in Canaan a year and two months until their corn was finished.

8 And it came to pass after their corn was finished, the whole household of Jacob was pinched with hunger, and all the infants of the sons of Jacob came together and they approached Jacob, and they all surrounded him, and they said unto him, Give unto us bread, and wherefore shall we all perish through hunger in thy presence?

9 Jacob heard the words of his son’s children, and he wept a great weeping, and his pity was roused for them, and Jacob called unto his sons and they all came and sat before him.

10 And Jacob said unto them, And have you not seen how your children have been weeping over me this day, saying, Give unto us bread, and there is none? now therefore return and buy for us a little food.

11 And Judah answered and said unto his father, If thou wilt send our brother with us we will go down and buy corn for thee, and if thou wilt not send him then we will not go down, for surely the king of Egypt particularly enjoined us, saying, You shall not see my face unless your brother be with you, for the king of Egypt is a strong and mighty king, and behold if we shall go to him without our brother we shall all be put to death.

12 Dost thou not know and hast thou not heard that this king is very powerful and wise, and there is not like unto him in all the earth? behold we have seen all the kings of the earth and we have not seen one like that king, the king of Egypt; surely amongst all the kings of the earth there is none greater than Abimelech king of the Philistines, yet the king of Egypt is greater and mightier than he, and Abimelech can only be compared to one of his officers.

13 Father, thou hast not seen his palace and his throne, and all his servants standing before him; thou hast not seen that king upon his throne in his pomp and royal appearance, dressed in his kingly robes with a large golden crown upon his head; thou hast not seen the honor and glory which God has given unto him, for there is not like unto him in all the earth.

14 Father, thou hast not seen the wisdom, the understanding and the knowledge which God has given in his heart, nor heard his sweet voice when he spake unto us.

15 We know not, father, who made him acquainted with our names and all that befell us, yet he asked also after thee, saying, Is your father still living, and is it well with him?

16 Thou hast not seen the affairs of the government of Egypt regulated by him, without inquiring of Pharaoh his lord; thou hast not seen the awe and fear which he impressed upon all the Egyptians.

17 And also when we went from him, we threatened to do unto Egypt like unto the rest of the cities of the Amorites, and we were exceedingly wroth against all his words which he spoke concerning us as spies, and now when we shall again come before him his terror will fall upon us all, and not one of us will be able to speak to him either a little or a great thing.

18 Now therefore father, send we pray thee the lad with us, and we will go down and buy thee food for our support, and not die through hunger. And Jacob said, Why have you dealt so ill with me to tell the king you had a brother? what is this thing that you have done unto me?

19 And Judah said unto Jacob his father, Give the lad into my care and we will rise up and go down to Egypt and buy corn, and then return, and it shall be when we return if the lad be not with us, then let me bear thy blame forever.

20 Hast thou seen all our infants weeping over thee through hunger and there is no power in thy hand to satisfy them? now let thy pity be roused for them and send our brother with us and we will go.

21 For how will the Lord’s kindness to our ancestors be manifested to thee when thou sayest that the king of Egypt will take away thy son? as the Lord liveth I will not leave him until I bring him and place him before thee; but pray for us unto the Lord, that he may deal kindly with us, to cause us to be received favorably and kindly before the king of Egypt and his men, for had we not delayed surely now we had returned a second time with thy son.

22 And Jacob said unto his sons, I trust in the Lord God that he may deliver you and give you favor in the sight of the king of Egypt, and in the sight of all his men.

23 Now therefore rise up and go to the man, and take for him in your hands a present from what can be obtained in the land and bring it before him, and may the Almighty God give you mercy before him that he may send Benjamin and Simeon your brethren with you.

24 And all the men rose up, and they took their brother Benjamin, and they took in their hands a large present of the best of the land, and they also took a double portion of silver.

25 And Jacob strictly commanded his sons concerning Benjamin, Saying, Take heed of him in the way in which you are going, and do not separate yourselves from him in the road, neither in Egypt.

26 And Jacob rose up from his sons and spread forth his hands and he prayed unto the Lord on account of his sons, saying, O Lord God of heaven and earth, remember thy covenant with our father Abraham, remember it with my father Isaac and deal kindly with my sons and deliver them not into the hands of the king of Egypt; do it I pray thee O God for the sake of thy mercies and redeem all my children and rescue them from Egyptian power, and send them their two brothers.

27 And all the wives of the sons of Jacob and their children lifted up their eyes to heaven and they all wept before the Lord, and cried unto him to deliver their fathers from the hand of the king of Egypt.

28 And Jacob wrote a record to the king of Egypt and gave it into the hand of Judah and into the hands of his sons for the king of Egypt, saying,

29 From thy servant Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham the Hebrew, the prince of God, to the powerful and wise king, the revealer of secrets, king of Egypt, greeting.

30 Be it known to my lord the king of Egypt, the famine was sore upon us in the land of Canaan, and I sent my sons to thee to buy us a little food from thee for our support.

31 For my sons surrounded me and I being very old cannot see with my eyes, for my eyes have become very heavy through age, as well as with daily weeping for my son, for Joseph who was lost from before me, and I commanded my sons that they should not enter the gates of the city when they came to Egypt, on account of the inhabitants of the land.

32 And I also commanded them to go about Egypt to seek for my son Joseph, perhaps they might find him there, and they did so, and thou didst consider them as spies of the land.

33 Have we not heard concerning thee that thou didst interpret Pharaoh’s dream and didst speak truly unto him? how then dost thou not know in thy wisdom whether my sons are spies or not?

34 Now therefore, my lord and king, behold I have sent my son before thee, as thou didst speak unto my sons; I beseech thee to put thy eyes upon him until he is returned to me in peace with his brethren.

35 For dost thou not know, or hast thou not heard that which our God did unto Pharaoh when he took my mother Sarah, and what he did unto Abimelech king of the Philistines on account of her, and also what our father Abraham did unto the nine kings of Elam, how he smote them all with a few men that were with him?

36 And also what my two sons Simeon and Levi did unto the eight cities of the Amorites, how they destroyed them on account of their sister Dinah?

37 And also on account of their brother Benjamin they consoled themselves for the loss of his brother Joseph; what will they then do for him when they see the hand of any people prevailing over them, for his sake?

38 Dost thou not know, O king of Egypt, that the power of God is with us, and that also God ever heareth our prayers and forsaketh us not all the days?

An artistic depiction of Pharaoh’s royal wagons being given to transport Jacob, his sons, and their little ones to Egypt

39 And when my sons told me of thy dealings with them, I called not unto the Lord on account of thee, for then thou wouldst have perished with thy men before my son Benjamin came before thee, but I thought that as Simeon my son was in thy house, perhaps thou mightest deal kindly with him, therefore I did not this thing unto thee.

40 Now therefore behold Benjamin my son cometh unto thee with my sons, take heed of him and put thy eyes upon him, and then will God place his eyes over thee and throughout thy kingdom.

41 Now I have told thee all that is in my heart, and behold my sons are coming to thee with their brother, examine the face of the whole earth for their sake and send them back in peace with their brethren.

42 And Jacob gave the record to his sons into the care of Judah to give it unto the king of Egypt.

Sequence of Prophecies till the Return of Israel

•October 16, 2024 • Leave a Comment

These are Prophecies of a sequence of Major events that will lead to the Return of the House of Israel, the Northern Lost 10-Tribes, back to the Promise Land that God had promised to Abraham, the land defined as the land between the two rivers.

Speaking to Abraham, God said, which is a PROPHECY:

“I am thy shield! … Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates,” Genesis 15

And second, consider Isaac’s blessing to Esau, an endtime encrypted PROPHECY

“And upon thy sword shalt thou depend, entering at every place: yet thou shalt be supple and credulous, and be in subjection to thy brother [Jacob]; but it will be that when his sons [the children of Israel] become evil, and fall from keeping the commandments of the law, thou shalt break his yoke of servitude from off thy neck….and then will I kill Jakob my brother,” Genesis 27:41-42 Targum of Jonathan

Many of the prophecies written in Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah are tightly encrypted and are not meant to be understood until the latter days.

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly,” Jeremiah 23:20

“In the latter days we shall understand it perfectly,” so says many other versions.

First, in order to establish a rough timeline as a guide, we’ll use the Jewish Calendar.

We’re now in the Hebrew year 5785 AM (AM stands for “Anno Mundi,” Latin for “in the year of Adam and Eve Creation”) which means we’ll need another 214 years (to add to 5999, the eve of the 6000th year) to usher the Divine Plan into the 7th Millennium, from the year 6000.

That means to say: if we add 214 years to the Gregorian calendar year 2024 we’ll come to around 2238 when the 7th Millennium would start. It would also be the time of Christ’s return to establish his Kingdom.

Given the above rough framework, here are the Major Prophecies that would lead to Christ’s return to establish his Kingdom at the beginning of the Millennium:

A) Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

The figures used here are from the Septuagint version of the Scriptures instead of from the Masoretic Text because of its better logic and details. Briefly, the house of Israel is to bear his iniquity for 190 years, while the house of Judah is to bear his iniquity for 40 years.

And, according to II Chronicles 36:19-21, the length of Judah’s captivity in Babylon was directly related from the length of time they neglected to observe the land Sabbath. Hence we can deduce that the 190/40 years have something to do with their years of negligence in keeping the land Sabbath.

So let’s jump into a deeper study of Ezekiel 4 (from the Septuagint version)

God speaking to Ezekiel:

4 And thou shalt lie upon thy left side, and lay the iniquities of the house of Israel upon it, according to the number of the hundred and fifty days which thou shalt lie upon it: and thou shalt bear their iniquities.

— lying on both the left and right side, Ezekiel is representing the two kingdoms as enduring Divine judgement for their iniquities;

— this riddle starts with the lost 10 tribes house of Israel—the left side—the Northern Kingdom and lasts for 150 years; while Judah, the Southern Kingdom, corresponds to “the right side”

5 For I have appointed thee their iniquities for a number of days, for a hundred and ninety days: so thou shalt bear the iniquities of the house of Israel.

— start with the lost 10 tribes but end with the two houses of Israel; all 12 tribes: end of the 190 years; after the start of the lost 10 tribes house of Israel that lasted for 150 years, the 3 tribes house of Judah joins in for 40 years;

— both houses ending at the end of the 190 years; that is, the year 2232 (I’d give 7 years for the Gog and Magog episode to play out: taking precedence from Nebuchadnezzar who was punished for seven years by having an unsound mind and eating grass; hence 7 years back from 2239 is 2232)

6 And thou shalt accomplish this, and shalt lie on thy right side, and shalt bear the iniquities of the house of Juda forty days: I have appointed thee a day for a year.

— after the start of the house of Israel, in 2042, that lasted for 150 years, that is, in the year 2192, the house of Judah joins in for the last 40 years; both ending at the end of the 190 years; that is, the year 2232 (7 years for Gog and Magog: 7 years from 2239)

7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem; and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

— the logic here is that the 40 years begins with a siege of Jerusalem and of course this represents the modern house of Judah

8 And behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another until thou hast ended the days of thy siege.

— “not turn thee from one side to another” is a sign of being in captivity, where freedom of movements “turning left or right” is restricted or even non-existent

9 Take thou also to thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and bread-corn; and thou shalt cast them into one earthen vessel, and shalt make them into loaves for thyself; and thou shalt eat them a hundred and ninety days, according to the number of the days which thou sleepest on thy side. (Ezekiel 4:4-9 Septuagint)

— why the difference from the start with the lost 10 tribes and ends with the full House of Israel: 190 years with Israel against 40 years by Judah in captivity? Perhaps (a) Judah had undergone numerous pogroms and cleanings whereas Ephraim and the other tribes has none since the day when they went into the Assyrian captivity and into apparent oblivion;

— (b) the 40 years could be founded in a parallel exile. During their 70 years of exile in Babylon, the house of Judah had evidently failed to observe the land’s one-year-in-seven Sabbath for 490 years, so the term of the Babylonian captivity was set at 70 years to make up the deficit;

— hence the prophecised 40 years of captivity means their failure to keep the land Sabbath for 280 years (40 x 7). From the year 2232 less 280 years is the year 1942, which is around the time of the Holocaust in Germany and the Jews were resettling in the Promised Land ever since from roughly 1918 to 1948.

Working backward 190 years from 2232 will bring us back to the year 2042, a years that could start Ephraim’s (or the lost 10 tribes’) captivity.

So could the year 2042 be the start of the house of Israel’s “iniquity?” — to fulfil “thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them;” Ezekiel 4:13 indicating, perhaps the year 2042, the children of Israel would begin their 190 years of captivity?

It seems so, nevertheless.

And I will scatter you among the nations, and will draw out a sword after you; and your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.

“‘Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate and ye are in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest and enjoy her sabbaths” Leviticus 26:33-34

As the length of the house of Judah’s captivity in Babylon was directly related from the length of time they neglected to observe the land Sabbath according to II Chronicles 36:19-21, so would the length for the house of Israel: hence the longer period of 190 years.

And they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all the palaces thereof with fire and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. 20 And those who had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia,

21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years, II Chronicles 36:19-21; “spoken by Jeremiah” this is a reference to the seventy years of captivity as spelt out in Jeremiah 25:11.

Hence the length of Israel’s and Judah’s captivities are to correct the years they each had neglected to give their land, in actual fact, God’s land, their respective Sabbathical rest.

For details, see (1) Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years; (2) Ephraim and Manasseh; (3) Jacob prefers Ephraim over Manasseh (4) What is the Time of Jacob’s Trouble?

B) The Sword and Flaming Fire from the South!

The book of Ezekiel is written principally to the house of Israel (Ezekiel 2:3, 3:1,4,5,7,17, 4:3,4,5,13); so who are the enemies of the house of Israel? Being identified here as the United States, United Kingdom and its European allies. To many, Russia or China are the main threats of the United States; but God inspired Ezekiel to say that America’s main enemy will come from the South:

Ezekiel 20:45 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

46 “Son of man, set thy face toward the South, and drop thy word toward the South, and prophesy against the forest of the Southland.

47 And say to the forest of the South: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will kindle a FIRE in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree. The FLAMING FLAME shall not be quenched, and all faces from the South to the North shall be burned therein.

48 And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.’”

49 Then said I, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Doth he not speak parables?’”

Ezekiel 21:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2 “Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

3 and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth MY SWORD out of his sheath and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall MY SWORD go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north,

that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn forth MY SWORD out of his sheath. It shall not return any more.’ Ezekiel 20:45-21:5

The Scriptures above are shrouded in cryptic mystery, and so the Qs are: how would such scenarios be unpacked? More importantly, Who are these enemies the Prophet Ezekiel identifies coming from the SOUTH, and how would God says He will kindle a fire and the flaming SWORD be played out? The current Russia/Ukraine and China/Taiwan crises are just two major distractions: they are not from the South.

Could Isaiah 34:6 indicate where the Sword comes from? It says:

“The Sword of the Lord is filled with blood; it is made fat with fatness and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.”

Note: the Scripture in Isaiah 34:6 doesn’t say it is the ‘Sword of Edom or Bozrah’ but ‘the Sword of the Lord.’ This ties in with ‘My Sword’ mentioned three times in Ezekiel 20:45-21:5 highlighted above. Isn’t this really significant?

Continuing in Isaiah 34:7, ”And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.” — the unicorns symbolise the British while the bulls/bullocks symbolise the United States, and “their land shall be soaked with blood” (for more, see Ephraim and Manasseh).

In Obadiah 1:20 “And the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad (בִּסְפָרַ֑ד Hebrew 5614) shall possess the cities of the south.” — for the word ‘Sepharad’ Targum of Jonathan renders “Spain” (Rashi quoting the Targum: Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the Southland as Spain); the Targums identified Sepharad with Spain, hence, Spanish Jews are called Sephardim!

But the most important point is this: that Esau were living South of Judea and Samaria; today the Spanish live South of the United kingdom and the north-west Europeans; the Spanish migrated to the New World after 1492 and today the Spanish-speaking Mexicans and other Latinos live South of the United States and Canada.

In the latter days, our knowledge would increase, and this would include the knowledge of who the children of Esau are, and the fulfilment of another encrypted prophecy. For more details, a clearer picture emerges from the Targum:

“And upon thy sword shalt thou depend, entering at every place: yet thou shalt be supple and credulous, and be in subjection to thy brother [Jacob]; but it will be that when his sons [the latter-day children of Israel] become evil, and fall from keeping the commandments of the law, thou shalt break his yoke of servitude from off thy neck….and then will I kill Jakob my brother,” Genesis 27:41-42 Jonathan 

In brief, the Hebrew term, Sepharad, is synonymous with Edom (Esau), Negev, the South, the Southland, or Spain (Ispamiah); that is, the children of Esau in today’s world are the Spanish people and other Latin Americans.

And if the prophecy from the Targum above is of significance, then when the children of Israel become evil and stray away from keeping the laws of God, the children of Esau would ravage and massacre the children of Jacob!

For details, see (1) The Sword and Flaming Fire from the South! (2) Obadiah; and (3) What is the Time of Jacob’s Trouble?

C) A Psalm 83 Prophecy

This Psalm 83 prophecy is a biblical Case for a Zionist “Greater Israel” that lies between two Great Rivers!

“I am thy shield” God promised to protect Abraham, and he went on to a greater covenant:

“On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates” Genesis 15:18

The Scriptures above are part of a prophecy speaking of the regathering of the outcasts of Israel from the nations to which they have been scattered; but first, the clearance of the Promised Land.

The Promise Land between two Great Rivers; the Nile and Euphrates

They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” Psalm 83:4

— the ancient tribes and countries mentioned in Psalm 83 are:

of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagarites (verse 6); Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre (verse 7); Assyria also has joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot (verse 8); the Midianites, as to Sisera, as to Jabin at the Brook of Kishon (verse 9); their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, yea, all their princes as Zebah and as Zalmunna (verse 11);

— notice that these tribes and countries mentioned above are largely the land bound by “between the rivers” that is, within the bound of God’s given land allocated from God to Abraham and then to the full House of Jacob (Genesis 15)

Instead of having the name Israel being cut of being a nation, the land shall be cleared of all the unwanted inhabitants: the ancient Edomites and the Ishmaelites, the Moabites and the Hagarites, the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; and more “between the two great rivers,” the Nile and Euphrates:

“Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame and perish,” Psalm 83:17 — thus they are put to shame and perish, clearing the land both for the returning house of Judah and the lost house of Israel!

Notice that Iran (or Persia or Elam known by its ancient names) is not “between the two great rivers,” neither is its name mentioned anywhere in Psalm 83.

Iran (Persia or Elam) is not within “between the two great rivers.”

And God says to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 11:16-17 for confirmation:

16 Therefore say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.’

17 Therefore say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will even gather you from the people and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’

For a detailed analysis, see A Psalm 83 Prophecy!

D) A Greater than the Egyptian “Exodus”

Once the Promised Land (or Holy Land) had been cleared of its unwanted inhabitants of Psalm 83, there shall be plenty of space for new Settlers that had been scattered from the four corners of the earth to re-populate it; thus the restoration of the full House of Israel back to the Promised Land would be better remembered in place of an earlier deliverance from Egypt:

Jeremiah 16:14-15

14 “Therefore behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’

15 but, ‘the Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither He had driven them.’ And I will bring them back into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Jeremiah 16:14-15

These two verses above, by promising a deliverance greater than that from Egypt, implied also a chastisement more terrible than the bondage in the “iron furnace” there. Instead of their being placed in one land, they were to be scattered into the north and many other countries, followed by a restoration back to the Promised Land finally.

Therefore, Jeremiah, rejoicing at the hope of restoration to come, addressed the Lord as his strength and refuge, repeated the prophecy that their deliverance from it shall be a greater benefit than that originally out of Egypt.

Jeremiah 23:7-8

7 “Therefore, behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that they shall no more say, ‘The Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’

8 but, ‘the Lord liveth who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.” Jeremiah 23:7-8

The children of Israel went out of Egypt as a unified group in the First Exodus, since they all lived in the land of Goshen in Egypt. However, in this Second Exodus of the last days, scattered Israel, by virtue of the fact that they have been scattered around the world, will not return to Israel as a single unified group.

But just as this deliverance will exceed the earlier one, so would much the greater will the affliction of Israel in this Second Exodus be than the Egyptian bondage had been.

Like the First Exodus, fear, trepidation and terror to accompanied a Second Exodus, so that they wouldn’t remember the First Exodus anymore!

They would return in waves at various times and from various directions; some in fear and terror, others pretty close.

Many from Judah have already returned to the land of Israel “between the two rivers” since 1918. It is a slow process “in waves” and after over a hundred years—some during the Hitler’s year, others during the Soviet years—and they are still returning, in waves; their comfort zones in Western cities all threatened by their enemies. The same would be for the northern House of Israel.

A parallel Scripture from Ezekiel 36:4; the mountains from the north are identified as: the United States, the United Kingdom and France; from the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Remember, the First Exodus involved the ancient Israelites coming out of Egypt. The prophesies that the Second Exodus will involve the last days’ descendants of those ancient Israelites who have been scattered to the four corners of the globe will make the first Exodus fades into insignificance.

For a detailed analysis, see Another “Out of Egypt” Exodus

E) Ezekiel 37 – Return of the Whole House of Israel

Chapter 37 of Ezekiel contains “the whole house of Israel” (verse 11) a prophecy of both the Jews’ and Israelites’ returning from captivity to their own land; of each of the twelve tribes with one another; their restoration and union are represented by a vision of dry bones made alive.

In Isaiah 8:14 it is expressed as the “two houses of Israel” or “both houses of Israel;” which means the house of Judah could also be expressed as the house of Israel! ~ and depending on context, the house of Israel could only meant the 2-tribes house of Judah as in Ezekiel 8:6,11,12 and Matthew 15:24;

But in Ezekiel 37, it means the end of their 190 and 40 years of bearing Israel’s and Judah’s iniquities in Captivity.

4 Again He said unto me, “Prophesy upon these bones and say unto them, ‘O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. — the word of prophecy from the Lord, indicating, as usual, it it a prophecy and a reference to a future time.

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord’” Ezekiel 37:4-6 — God said of these dry bones “and ye shall know that I am the Lord” implying that they never have known God before, despite many claim they were Christians.

— how could they? In today’s world, no less than 99.99 percent of professing Christians don’t even know the basic tenet of understanding the Oracles of God!

Then He said unto me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried and our hope is lost. We are cut off from our parts.’ Ezekiel 37:11

Hosea 1:11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.

— her feast days; to avoid themselves being “judaizing” these “Christians” adopt new understandings and practices:

(a) Christmas, which honors Mithraism – is a form of nature worship based on the Sun-Goddess Mithra who on the darkest night of the year (December 20/21), gives birth to “Light” causing each day thereafter to grow longer until the Summer solstice; and

(b) Easters, a celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols; and to those who actually think eggs and bunnies have something to do with the resurrection; and

(c) her sabbaths which is Sundays, where the original keepers were the sun-worshipping Samaritans, brought from Assyria: And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof, II Kings 17:24.

Only through chastisement would they repent of their sins; hence the Sword and Flaming Fire from the South serves as their chastisement.

For details, see Ezekiel Ch 37-38

F) The Gog and Magog Prophecy

Once the whole house of Israel “dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant,” securely and at peace, God will deal with the Gentiles, just as he had dealt with Nebuchadnezzar for seven years by having him an unsound mind and eating grass.

And let’s start with Ezekiel 38:

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

“Son of man, set thy face against Gog, in the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him Ezekiel 38:1-2

— countries involve: Magog, Meshech and Tubal, these are the sons of Japheth; Gomer, and his son, Togarmah; Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish;

— countries that couldn’t learn from what the houses of Israel had gone through will face their own judgement.

And thou shalt come up against My people of Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days; and I will bring thee against My land, that the nations may know Me when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Ezekiel 38:16

Those nations that know God when he put Gog through fury trial will be repentant; they “shall shake at My presence” in the right way; those with eyes to see, will see; and understand, “and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Those who continue to resist and have their heart hardened, “there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel,” they will perish like the Pharaoh and his chariots did by ending up being washed away by the waters of the Red Sea.

But in this case Gog and Magog would perish too, by ‘a great shaking’ with hailstones, fire, and brimstone (verse 22) in the land of Israel, and “they shall know that I am the Lord” or else for those who are still unrepentant they would be dead;

And continuing with Ezekiel 39:

5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field, for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

6 And I will send a fire on Magog and among them that dwell confidently in the isles; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

And the Israelites from both houses would have seven months to happily burying them; “And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land,” Ezekiel 39:12

21 “And I will set My glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see My judgment that I have executed and My hand that I have laid upon them.

22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.

23 And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity. Because they trespassed against Me, therefore hid I My face from them and gave them into the hand of their enemies; so fell they all by the sword. Ezekiel 39:21-23.

For more details, see The Gog and Magog Prophecy

G) Return of the Messiah

From Ezekiel 40 to 48, these are the Millennium chapters, about the rebuilding of the Temple, known as the Ezekiel Temple; and the allocation of land among the twelve tribes. The Ezekiel Temple will be built sacrifices will continue.

But for the purposes of this Study, we’ll focus on Zechariah 14:

Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. — behold, the day of the Lord cometh, the Day of Judgement or the Lord’s Day;

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished. And half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. — on this day of Judgement, God will gather all the rest of unrepentant nations against Jerusalem to battle, the enemies being recruited from all countries of the world; for judgement;

Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. — then the Lord shall go forth and battle against those nations like as when they fought “at the Red Sea.”

And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley, and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south. Zechariah 14:1-4

— and on that day, God’s feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, this location being considered the center of the earth and the throne of the Lord as he makes ready for judgement, which is before Jerusalem on the east;

Despite all the chastisements, there would still be some unrependant nations:

12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people who have fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

— but some would take heed and repent:

16 And it shall come to pass that every one who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

— and everyone that survives of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King of kings, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, to join with the Kingdom in its worship of the one true God.

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

— and it shall be that whoever refuses to go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain and all the other physical and spiritual blessings of the Lord being withheld from them.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up and come not, upon whom there is no rain, there shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen who come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

— and if the family of Egypt, representative of anyone who still refuses to go up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, there should have no rain, or the lack of rain would be its plague or infliction; there shall be the plague whereby the Lord will smite the nations that refuse to be received into the Kingdom and take part in its worship.

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

— this shall be the punishment of Egypt all nations that refuse to come and keep the Feast of Tabernacles; in opposing his Kingdom and refusing to accept his Word, entrench themselves behind a wall of their own foolishness and shut themselves out from the highest physical and spiritual blessings, but to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

For more details, see (1) Ezekiel 41-42 and (2) Zechariah 14

Book of Jasher (49-50)

•October 16, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher, or the Book of the Righteous (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר sēfer hayyāšār), is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?” Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

Book of Jasher Chapter 49

1 After these things the king sent and assembled all his officers and servants, and all the princes and nobles belonging to the king, and they all came before the king.

2 And the king said unto them, Behold you have seen and heard all the words of this Hebrew man, and all the signs which he declared would come to pass, and not any of his words have fallen to the ground.

3 You know that he has given a proper interpretation of the dream, and it will surely come to pass, now therefore take counsel, and know what you will do and how the land will be delivered from the famine.

4 Seek now and see whether the like can be found, in whose heart there is wisdom and knowledge, and I will appoint him over the land.

5 For you have heard what the Hebrew man has advised concerning this to save the land therewith from the famine, and I know that the land will not be delivered from the famine but with the advice of the Hebrew man, him that advised me.

6 And they all answered the king and said, The counsel which the Hebrew has given concerning this is good; now therefore, our lord and king, behold the whole land is in thy hand, do that which seemeth good in thy sight.

7 Him whom thou chooses, and whom thou in thy wisdom knowest to be wise and capable of delivering the land with his wisdom, him shall the king appoint to be under him over the land.

8 And the king said to all the officers: I have thought that since God has made known to the Hebrew man all that he has spoken, there is none so discreet and wise in the whole land as he is; if it seem good in your sight I will place him over the land, for he will save the land with his wisdom.

9 And all the officers answered the king and said, But surely it is written in the laws of Egypt, and it should not be violated, that no man shall reign over Egypt, nor be the second to the king, but one who has knowledge in all the languages of the sons of men.

10 Now therefore our lord and king, behold this Hebrew man can only speak the Hebrew language, and how then can he be over us the second under government, a man who not even knoweth our language?

11 Now we pray thee send for him, and let him come before thee, and prove him in all things, and do as thou see fit.

12 And the king said, It shall be done tomorrow, and the thing that you have spoken is good; and all the officers came on that day before the king.

13 And on that night the Lord sent one of his ministering angels, and he came into the land of Egypt unto Joseph, and the angel of the Lord stood over Joseph, and behold Joseph was lying in the bed at night in his master’s house in the dungeon, for his master had put him back into the dungeon on account of his wife.

14 And the angel roused him from his sleep, and Joseph rose up and stood upon his legs, and behold the angel of the Lord was standing opposite to him; and the angel of the Lord spoke with Joseph, and he taught him all the languages of man in that night, and he called his name Jehoseph.

15 And the angel of the Lord went from him, and Joseph returned and lay upon his bed, and Joseph was astonished at the vision which he saw.

16 And it came to pass in the morning that the king sent for all his officers and servants, and they all came and sat before the king, and the king ordered Joseph to be brought, and the king’s servants went and brought Joseph before Pharaoh.

17 And the king came forth and ascended the steps of the throne, and Joseph spoke unto the king in all languages, and Joseph went up to him and spoke unto the king until he arrived before the king in the seventieth step, and he sat before the king.

18 And the king greatly rejoiced on account of Joseph, and all the king’s officers rejoiced greatly with the king when they heard all the words of Joseph.

19 And the thing seemed good in the sight of the king and the officers, to appoint Joseph to be second to the king over the whole land of Egypt, and the king spoke to Joseph, saying,

20 Now thou didst give me counsel to appoint a wise man over the land of Egypt, in order with his wisdom to save the land from the famine; now therefore, since God has made all this known to thee, and all the words which thou hast spoken, there is not throughout the land a discreet and wise man like unto thee.

21 And thy name no more shall be called Joseph, but Zaphnath Paaneah shall be thy name; thou shalt be second to me, and according to thy word shall be all the affairs of my government, and at thy word shall my people go out and come in.

22 Also from under thy hand shall my servants and officers receive their salary which is given to them monthly, and to thee shall all the people of the land bow down; only in my throne will I be greater than thou.

23 And the king took off his ring from his hand and put it upon the hand of Joseph, and the king dressed Joseph in a princely garment, and he put a golden crown upon his head, and he put a golden chain upon his neck.

24 And the king commanded his servants, and they made him ride in the second chariot belonging to the king, that went opposite to the king’s chariot, and he caused him to ride upon a great and strong horse from the king’s horses, and to be conducted through the streets of the land of Egypt.

25 And the king commanded that all those that played upon timbrels, harps and other musical instruments should go forth with Joseph; one thousand timbrels, one thousand mecholoth, and one thousand nebalim went after him.

26 And five thousand men, with drawn swords glittering in their hands, and they went marching and playing before Joseph, and twenty thousand of the great men of the king girt with girdles of skin covered with gold, marched at the right hand of Joseph, and twenty thousand at his left, and all the women and damsels went upon the roofs or stood in the streets playing and rejoicing at Joseph, and gazed at the appearance of Joseph and at his beauty.

27 And the king’s people went before him and behind him, perfuming the road with frankincense and with cassia, and with all sorts of fine perfume, and scattered myrrh and aloes along the road, and twenty men proclaimed these words before him throughout the land in a loud voice:

28 Do you see this man whom the king has chosen to be his second? all the affairs of government shall be regulated by him, and he that transgresses his orders, or that does not bow down before him to the ground, shall die, for he rebels against the king and his second.

29 And when the heralds had ceased proclaiming, all the people of Egypt bowed down to the ground before Joseph and said, May the king live, also may his second live; and all the inhabitants of Egypt bowed down along the road, and when the heralds approached them, they bowed down, and they rejoiced with all sorts of timbrels, mechol and nebal before Joseph.

30 And Joseph upon his horse lifted up his eyes to heaven, and called out and said, He raiseth the poor man from the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill. O Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who trusteth in thee.

31 And Joseph passed throughout the land of Egypt with Pharaoh’s servants and officers, and they showed him the whole land of Egypt and all the king’s treasures.

32 And Joseph returned and came on that day before Pharaoh, and the king gave unto Joseph a possession in the land of Egypt, a possession of fields and vineyards, and the king gave unto Joseph three thousand talents of silver and one thousand talents of gold, and onyx stones and bdellium and many gifts.

33 And on the next day the king commanded all the people of Egypt to bring unto Joseph offerings and gifts, and that he that violated the command of the king should die; and they made a high place in the street of the city, and they spread out garments there, and whoever brought anything to Joseph put it into the high place.

34 And all the people of Egypt cast something into the high place, one man a golden ear-ring, and the other rings and ear-rings, and different vessels of gold and silver work, and onyx stones and bdellium did he cast upon the high place; every one gave something of what he possessed.

35 And Joseph took all these and placed them in his treasuries, and all the officers and nobles belonging to the king exalted Joseph, and they gave him many gifts, seeing that the king had chosen him to be his second.

36 And the king sent to Potiphera, the son of Ahiram priest of On, and he took his young daughter Osnath and gave her unto Joseph for a wife.

37 And the damsel was very comely, a virgin, one whom man had not known, and Joseph took her for a wife; and the king said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and beside thee none shall dare to lift up his hand or his foot to regulate my people throughout the land of Egypt.

38 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, and Joseph went out from before the king, and he became the king’s second in Egypt.

39 And the king gave Joseph a hundred servants to attend him in his house, and Joseph also sent and purchased many servants and they remained in the house of Joseph.

40 Joseph then built for himself a very magnificent house like unto the houses of kings, before the court of the king’s palace, and he made in the house a large temple, very elegant in appearance and convenient for his residence; three years was Joseph in erecting his house.

41 And Joseph made unto himself a very elegant throne of abundance of gold and silver, and he covered it with onyx stones and bdellium, and he made upon it the likeness of the whole land of Egypt, and the likeness of the river of Egypt that watereth the whole land of Egypt; and Joseph sat securely upon his throne in his house and the Lord increased Joseph’s wisdom.

42 And all the inhabitants of Egypt and Pharaoh’s servants and his princes loved Joseph exceedingly, for this thing was from the Lord to Joseph.

43 And Joseph had an army that made war, going out in hosts and troops to the number of forty thousand six hundred men, capable of bearing arms to assist the king and Joseph against the enemy, besides the king’s officers and his servants and inhabitants of Egypt without number.

44 And Joseph gave unto his mighty men, and to all his host, shields and javelins, and caps and coats of mail and stones for slinging.

Book of Jasher Chapter 50

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.

Book of Jasher (47-48)

•October 15, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and they will keep on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 47

1 And Isaac the son of Abraham was still living in those days in the land of Canaan; he was very aged, one hundred and eighty years old, and Esau his son, the brother of Jacob, was in the land of Edom, and he and his sons had possessions in it amongst the children of Seir.

2 And Esau heard that his father’s time was drawing nigh to die, and he and his sons and household came unto the land of Canaan, unto his father’s house, and Jacob and his sons went forth from the place where they dwelt in Hebron, and they all came to their father Isaac, and they found Esau and his sons in the tent.

3 And Jacob and his sons sat before his father Isaac, and Jacob was still mourning for his son Joseph.

4 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Bring me hither thy sons and I will bless them; and Jacob brought his eleven children before his father Isaac.

5 And Isaac placed his hands upon all the sons of Jacob, and he took hold of them and embraced them, and kissed them one by one, and Isaac blessed them on that day, and he said unto them, May the God of your fathers bless you and increase your seed like the stars of heaven for number.

6 And Isaac also blessed the sons of Esau, saying, May God cause you to be a dread and a terror to all that will behold you, and to all your enemies.

7 And Isaac called Jacob and his sons, and they all came and sat before Isaac, and Isaac said unto Jacob, The Lord God of the whole earth said unto me, Unto thy seed will I give this land for an inheritance if thy children keep my statutes and my ways, and I will perform unto them the oath which I swore unto thy father Abraham.

8 Now therefore my son, teach thy children and thy children’s children to fear the Lord, and to go in the good way which will please the Lord thy God, for if you keep the ways of the Lord and his statutes the Lord will also keep unto you his covenant with Abraham, and will do well with you and your seed all the days.

9 And when Isaac had finished commanding Jacob and his children, he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people.

10 And Jacob and Esau fell upon the face of their father Isaac, and they wept, and Isaac was one hundred and eighty years old when he died in the land of Canaan, in Hebron, and his sons carried him to the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth for a possession of a burial place.

11 And all the kings of the land of Canaan went with Jacob and Esau to bury Isaac, and all the kings of Canaan showed Isaac great honor at his death.

12 And the sons of Jacob and the sons of Esau went barefooted round about, walking and lamenting until they reached Kireath-arba.

13 And Jacob and Esau buried their father Isaac in the cave of Machpelah, which is in Kireath-arba in Hebron, and they buried him with very great honor, as at the funeral of kings.

14 And Jacob and his sons, and Esau and his sons, and all the kings of Canaan made a great and heavy mourning, and they buried him and mourned for him many days.

15 And at the death of Isaac, he left his cattle and his possessions and all belonging to him to his sons; and Esau said unto Jacob, Behold I pray thee, all that our father has left we will divide it in two parts, and I will have the choice, and Jacob said, We will do so.

16 And Jacob took all that Isaac had left in the land of Canaan, the cattle and the property, and he placed them in two parts before Esau and his sons, and he said unto Esau, Behold all this is before thee, choose thou unto thyself the half which thou wilt take.

17 And Jacob said unto Esau, Hear thou I pray thee what I will speak unto thee, saying, The Lord God of heaven and earth spoke unto our fathers Abraham and Isaac, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land for an inheritance forever.

18 Now therefore all that our father has left is before thee, and behold all the land is before thee; choose thou from them what thou desirest.

19 If thou desirest the whole land take it for thee and thy children forever, and I will take this riches, and it thou desirest the riches take it unto thee, and I will take this land for me and for my children to inherit it forever.

20 And Nebayoth, the son of Ishmael, was then in the land with his children, and Esau went on that day and consulted with him, saying.

21 Thus has Jacob spoken unto me, and thus has he answered me, now give thy advice and we will hear.

22 And Nebayoth said, What is this that Jacob hath spoken unto thee? behold all the children of Canaan are dwelling securely in their land, and Jacob sayeth he will inherit it with his seed all the days.

23 Go now therefore and take all thy father’s riches and leave Jacob thy brother in the land, as he has spoken.

24 And Esau rose up and returned to Jacob, and did all that Nebayoth the son of Ishmael had advised; and Esau took all the riches that Isaac had left, the souls, the beasts, the cattle and the property, and all the riches; he gave nothing to his brother Jacob; and Jacob took all the land of Canaan, from the brook of Egypt unto the river Euphrates, and he took it for an everlasting possession, and for his children and for his seed after him forever.

25 Jacob also took from his brother Esau the cave of Machpelah, which is in Hebron, which Abraham had bought from Ephron for a possession of a burial place for him and his seed forever.

26 And Jacob wrote all these things in the book of purchase, and he signed it, and he testified all this with four faithful witnesses.

27 And these are the words which Jacob wrote in the book, saying: The land of Canaan and all the cities of the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, and the Gergashites, all the seven nations from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates.

28 And the city of Hebron Kireath-arba, and the cave which is in it, the whole did Jacob buy from his brother Esau for value, for a possession and for an inheritance for his seed after him forever.

29 And Jacob took the book of purchase and the signature, the command and the statutes and the revealed book, and he placed them in an earthen vessel in order that they should remain for a long time, and he delivered them into the hands of his children.

30 Esau took all that his father had left him after his death from his brother Jacob, and he took all the property, from man and beast, camel and ass, ox and lamb, silver and gold, stones and bdellium, and all the riches which had belonged to Isaac the son of Abraham; there was nothing left which Esau did not take unto himself, from all that Isaac had left after his death.

31 And Esau took all this, and he and his children went home to the land of Seir the Horite, away from his brother Jacob and his children.

32 And Esau had possessions amongst the children of Seir, and Esau returned not to the land of Canaan from that day forward.

33 And the whole land of Canaan became an inheritance to the children of Israel for an everlasting inheritance, and Esau with all his children inherited the mountain of Seir.

Book of Jasher Chapter 48

1 In those days, after the death of Isaac, the Lord commanded and caused a famine upon the whole earth.

2 At that time Pharaoh king of Egypt was sitting upon his throne in the land of Egypt, and lay in his bed and dreamed dreams, and Pharaoh saw in his dream that he was standing by the side of the river of Egypt.

3 And whilst he was standing he saw and behold seven fat fleshed and well favored kine came up out of the river.

4 And seven other kine, lean fleshed and ill favored, came up after them, and the seven ill favored ones swallowed up the well favored ones, and still their appearance was ill as at first.

5 And he awoke, and he slept again and he dreamed a second time, and he saw and behold seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good, and seven thin ears blasted with the east wind sprang, up after them, and the thin ears swallowed up the full ones, and Pharaoh awoke out of his dream.

6 And in the morning the king remembered his dreams, and his spirit was sadly troubled on account of his dreams, and the king hastened and sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and the wise men, and they came and stood before Pharaoh.

7 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed dreams, and there is none to interpret them; and they said unto the king, relate thy dreams to thy servants and let us hear them.

8 And the king related his dreams to them, and they all answered and said with one voice to the king, may the king live forever; and this is the interpretation of thy dreams.

9 The seven good kine which thou didst see denote seven daughters that will be born unto thee in the latter days, and the seven kine which thou sawest come up after them, and swallowed them up, are for a sign that the daughters which will be born unto thee will all die in the life-time of the king.

10 And that which thou didst see in the second dream of seven full good ears of corn coming up upon one stalk, this is their interpretation, that thou wilt build unto thyself in the latter days seven cities throughout the land of Egypt; and that which thou sawest of the seven blasted ears of corn springing up after them and swallowing them up whilst thou didst behold them with thine eyes, is for a sign that the cities which thou wilt build will all be destroyed in the latter days, in the life-time of the king.

11 And when they spoke these words the king did not incline his ear to their words, neither did he fix his heart upon them, for the king knew in his wisdom that they did not give a proper interpretation of the dreams; and when they had finished speaking before the king, the king answered them, saying, What is this thing that you have spoken unto me? surely you have uttered falsehood and spoken lies; therefore now give the proper interpretation of my dreams, that you may not die.

12 And the king commanded after this, and he sent and called again for other wise men, and they came and stood before the king, and the king related his dreams to them, and they all answered him according to the first interpretation, and the king’s anger was kindled and he was very wroth, and the king said unto them, Surely you speak lies and utter falsehood in what you have said.

13 And the king commanded that a proclamation should be issued throughout the land of Egypt, saying, It is resolved by the king and his great men, that any wise man who knoweth and understandeth the interpretation of dreams, and will not come this day before the king, shall die.

14 And the man that will declare unto the king the proper interpretation of his dreams, there shall be given unto him all that he will require from the king. And all the wise men of the land of Egypt came before the king, together with all the magicians and sorcerers that were in Egypt and in Goshen, in Rameses, in Tachpanches, in Zoar, and in all the places on the borders of Egypt, and they all stood before the king.

15 And all the nobles and the princes, and the attendants belonging to the king, came together from all the cities of Egypt, and they all sat before the king, and the king related his dreams before the wise men, and the princes, and all that sat before the king were astonished at the vision.

16 And all the wise men who were before the king were greatly divided in their interpretation of his dreams; some of them interpreted them to the king, saying, The seven good kine are seven kings, who from the king’s issue will be raised over Egypt.

17 And the seven bad kine are seven princes, who will stand up against them in the latter days and destroy them; and the seven ears of corn are the seven great princes belonging to Egypt, who will fall in the hands of the seven less powerful princes of their enemies, in the wars of our lord the king.

18 And some of them interpreted to the king in this manner, saying, The seven good kine are the strong cities of Egypt, and the seven bad kine are the seven nations of the land of Canaan, who will come against the seven cities of Egypt in the latter days and destroy them.

19 And that which thou sawest in the second dream, of seven good and bad ears of corn, is a sign that the government of Egypt will again return to thy seed as at first.

20 And in his reign the people of the cities of Egypt will turn against the seven cities of Canaan who are stronger than they are, and will destroy them, and the government of Egypt will return to thy seed.

21 And some of them said unto the king, This is the interpretation of thy dreams; the seven good kine are seven queens, whom thou wilt take for wives in the latter days, and the seven bad kine denote that those women will all die in the lifetime of the king.

22 And the seven good and bad ears of corn which thou didst see in the second dream are fourteen children, and it will be in the latter days that they will stand up and fight amongst themselves, and seven of them will smite the seven that are more powerful.

23 And some of them said these words unto the king, saying, The seven good kine denote that seven children will be born to thee, and they will slay seven of thy children’s children in the latter days; and the seven good ears of corn which thou didst see in the second dream, are those princes against whom seven other less powerful princes will fight and destroy them in the latter days, and avenge thy children’s cause, and the government will again return to thy seed.

24 And the king heard all the words of the wise men of Egypt and their interpretation of his dreams, and none of them pleased the king.

25 And the king knew in his wisdom that they did not altogether speak correctly in all these words, for this was from the Lord to frustrate the words of the wise men of Egypt, in order that Joseph might go forth from the house of confinement, and in order that he should become great in Egypt.

26 And the king saw that none amongst all the wise men and magicians of Egypt spoke correctly to him, and the king’s wrath was kindled, and his anger burned within him.

27 And the king commanded that all the wise men and magicians should go out from before him, and they all went out from before the king with shame and disgrace.

28 And the king commanded that a proclamation be sent throughout Egypt to slay all the magicians that were in Egypt, and not one of them should be suffered to live.

29 And the captains of the guards belonging to the king rose up, and each man drew his sword, and they began to smite the magicians of Egypt, and the wise men.

30 And after this Merod, chief butler to the king, came and bowed down before the king and sat before him.

31 And the butler said unto the king, May the king live forever, and his government be exalted in the land.

32 Thou wast angry with thy servant in those days, now two years past, and didst place me in the ward, and I was for some time in the ward, I and the chief of the bakers.

33 And there was with us a Hebrew servant belonging to the captain of the guard, his name was Joseph, for his master had been angry with him and placed him in the house of confinement, and he attended us there.

34 And in some time after when we were in the ward, we dreamed dreams in one night, I and the chief of the bakers; we dreamed, each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

35 And we came in the morning and told them to that servant, and he interpreted to us our dreams, to each man according to his dream, did he correctly interpret.

36 And it came to pass as he interpreted to us, so was the event; there fell not to the ground any of his words.

37 And now therefore my lord and king do not slay the people of Egypt for naught; behold that slave is still confined in the house by the captain of the guard his master, in the house of confinement.

38 If it pleaseth the king let him send for him that he may come before thee and he will make known to thee, the correct interpretation of the dream which thou didst dream.

39 And the king heard the words of the chief butler, and the king ordered that the wise men of Egypt should not be slain.

40 And the king ordered his servants to bring Joseph before him, and the king said unto them, Go to him and do not terrify him lest he be confused and will not know to speak properly.

41 And the servants of the king went to Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon, and the king’s servants shaved him, and he changed his prison garment and he came before the king.

42 And the king was sitting upon his royal throne in a princely dress girt around with a golden ephod, and the fine gold which was upon it sparkled, and the carbuncle and the ruby and the emerald, together with all the precious stones that were upon the king’s head, dazzled the eye, and Joseph wondered greatly at the king.

43 And the throne upon which the king sat was covered with gold and silver, and with onyx stones, and it had seventy steps.

44 And it was their custom throughout the land of Egypt, that every man who came to speak to the king, if he was a prince or one that was estimable in the sight of the king, he ascended to the king’s throne as far as the thirty-first step, and the king would descend to the thirty-sixth step, and speak with him.

45 If he was one of the common people, he ascended to the third step, and the king would descend to the fourth and speak to him, and their custom was, moreover, that any man who understood to speak in all the seventy languages, he ascended the seventy steps, and went up and spoke till he reached the king.

46 And any man who could not complete the seventy, he ascended as many steps as the languages which he knew to speak in.

47 And it was customary in those days in Egypt that no one should reign over them, but who understood to speak in the seventy languages.

48 And when Joseph came before the king he bowed down to the ground before the king, and he ascended to the third step, and the king sat upon the fourth step and spoke with Joseph.

49 And the king said unto Joseph, I dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter to interpret it properly, and I commanded this day that all the magicians of Egypt and the wise men thereof, should come before me, and I related my dreams to them, and no one has properly interpreted them to me.

50 And after this I this day heard concerning thee, that thou art a wise man, and canst correctly interpret every dream that thou hearest.

51 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, Let Pharaoh relate his dreams that he dreamed; surely the interpretations belong to God; and Pharaoh related his dreams to Joseph, the dream of the kine, and the dream of the ears of corn, and the king left off speaking.

52 And Joseph was then clothed with the spirit of God before the king, and he knew all the things that would befall the king from that day forward, and he knew the proper interpretation of the king’s dream, and he spoke before the king.

53 And Joseph found favor in the sight of the king, and the king inclined his ears and his heart, and he heard all the words of Joseph. And Joseph said unto the king, Do not imagine that they are two dreams, for it is only one dream, for that which God has chosen to do throughout the land he has shown to the king in his dream, and this is the proper interpretation of thy dream:

54 The seven good kine and ears of corn are seven years, and the seven bad kine and ears of corn are also seven years; it is one dream.

55 Behold the seven years that are coming there will be a great plenty throughout the land, and after that the seven years of famine will follow them, a very grievous famine; and all the plenty will be forgotten from the land, and the famine will consume the inhabitants of the land.

56 The king dreamed one dream, and the dream was therefore repeated unto Pharaoh because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

57 Now therefore I will give thee counsel and deliver thy soul and the souls of the inhabitants of the land from the evil of the famine, that thou seek throughout thy kingdom for a man very discreet and wise, who knoweth all the affairs of government, and appoint him to superintend over the land of Egypt.

58 And let the man whom thou placest over Egypt appoint officers under him, that they gather in all the food of the good years that are coming, and let them lay up corn and deposit it in thy appointed stores.

59 And let them keep that food for the seven years of famine, that it may be found for thee and thy people and thy whole land, and that thou and thy land be not cut off by the famine.

60 Let all the inhabitants of the land be also ordered that they gather in, every man the produce of his field, of all sorts of food, during the seven good years, and that they place it in their stores, that it may be found for them in the days of the famine and that they may live upon it.

61 This is the proper interpretation of thy dream, and this is the counsel given to save thy soul and the souls of all thy subjects.

62 And the king answered and said unto Joseph, Who sayeth and who knoweth that thy words are correct? And he said unto the king, This shall be a sign for thee respecting all my words, that they are true and that my advice is good for thee.

63 Behold thy wife sitteth this day upon the stool of delivery, and she will bear thee a son and thou wilt rejoice with him; when thy child shall have gone forth from his mother’s womb, thy first born son that has been born these two years back shall die, and thou wilt be comforted in the child that will be born unto thee this day.

64 And Joseph finished speaking these words to the king, and he bowed down to the king and he went out, and when Joseph had gone out from the king’s presence, those signs which Joseph had spoken unto the king came to pass on that day.

65 And the queen bare a son on that day and the king heard the glad tidings about his son, and he rejoiced, and when the reporter had gone forth from the king’s presence, the king’s servants found the first born son of the king fallen dead upon the ground.

66 And there was great lamentation and noise in the king’s house, and the king heard it, and he said, What is the noise and lamentation that I have heard in the house? and they told the king that his first born son had died; then the king knew that all Joseph’s words that he had spoken were correct, and the king was consoled for his son by the child that was born to him on that day as Joseph had spoken.

Book of Jasher (45-46)

•October 14, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 45

1 And it was at that time in that year, which is the year of Joseph’s going down to Egypt after his brothers had sold him, that Reuben the son of Jacob went to Timnah and took unto him for a wife Eliuram, the daughter of Avi the Canaanite, and he came to her.

2 And Eliuram the wife of Reuben conceived and bare him Hanoch, Palu, Chetzron and Carmi, four sons; and Simeon his brother took his sister Dinah for a wife, and she bare unto him Memuel, Yamin, Ohad, Jachin and Zochar, five sons.

3 And he afterward came to Bunah the Canaanitish woman, the same is Bunah whom Simeon took captive from the city of Shechem, and Bunah was before Dinah and attended upon her, and Simeon came to her, and she bare unto him Saul.

4 And Judah went at that time to Adulam, and he came to a man of Adulam, and his name was Hirah, and Judah saw there the daughter of a man from Canaan, and her name was Aliyath, the daughter of Shua, and he took her, and came to her, and Aliyath bare unto Judah, Er, Onan and Shiloh; three sons.

5 And Levi and Issachar went to the land of the east, and they took unto themselves for wives the daughters of Jobab the son of Yoktan, the son of Eber; and Jobab the son of Yoktan had two daughters; the name of the elder was Adinah, and the name of the younger was Aridah.

6 And Levi took Adinah, and Issachar took Aridah, and they came to the land of Canaan, to their father’s house, and Adinah bare unto Levi, Gershon, Kehath and Merari; three sons.

7 And Aridah bare unto Issachar Tola, Puvah, Job and Shomron, four sons; and Dan went to the land of Moab and took for a wife Aphlaleth, the daughter of Chamudan the Moabite, and he brought her to the land of Canaan.

8 And Aphlaleth was barren, she had no offspring, and God afterward remembered Aphlaleth the wife of Dan, and she conceived and bare a son, and she called his name Chushim.

9 And Gad and Naphtali went to Haran and took from thence the daughters of Amuram the son of Uz, the son of Nahor, for wives.

10 And these are the names of the daughters of Amuram; the name of the elder was Merimah, and the name of the younger Uzith; and Naphtali took Merimah, and Gad took Uzith; and brought them to the land of Canaan, to their father’s house.

11 And Merimah bare unto Naphtali Yachzeel, Guni, Jazer and Shalem, four sons; and Uzith bare unto Gad Zephion, Chagi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Arali, seven sons.

12 And Asher went forth and took Adon the daughter of Aphlal, the son of Hadad, the son of Ishmael, for a wife, and he brought her to the land of Canaan.

13 And Adon the wife of Asher died in those days: she had no offspring; and it was after the death of Adon that Asher went to the other side of the river and took for a wife Hadurah the daughter of Abimael, the son of Eber, the son of Shem.

14 And the young woman was of a comely appearance, and a woman of sense, and she had been the wife of Malkiel the son of Elam, the son of Shem.

15 And Hadurah bare a daughter unto Malkiel, and he called her name Serach, and Malkiel died after this, and Hadurah went and remained in her father’s house.

16 And after the death of the wife at Asher he went and took Hadurah for a wife, and brought her to the land of Canaan, and Serach her daughter he also brought with them, and she was three years old, and the damsel was brought up in Jacob’s house.

17 And the damsel was of a comely appearance, and she went in the sanctified ways of the children of Jacob; she lacked nothing, and the Lord gave her wisdom and understanding.

18 And Hadurah the wife of Asher conceived and bare unto him Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi and Beriah; four sons.

19 And Zebulun went to Midian, and took for a wife Merishah the daughter of Molad, the son of Abida, the son of Midian, and brought her to the land of Canaan.

20 And Merushah bare unto Zebulun Sered, Elon and Yachleel; three sons.

21 And Jacob sent to Aram, the son of Zoba, the son of Terah, and he took for his son Benjamin Mechalia the daughter of Aram, and she came to the land of Canaan to the house of Jacob; and Benjamin was ten years old when he took Mechalia the daughter of Aram for a wife.

22 And Mechalia conceived and bare unto Benjamin Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, five sons; and Benjamin went afterward and took for a wife Aribath, the daughter of Shomron, the son of Abraham, in addition to his first wife, and he was eighteen years old; and Aribath bare unto Benjamin Achi, Vosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord; five sons.

23 And in those days Judah went to the house of Shem and took Tamar the daughter of Elam, the son of Shem, for a wife for his first born Er.

24 And Er came to his wife Tamar, and she became his wife, and when he came to her he outwardly destroyed his seed, and his work was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him.

25 And it was after the death of Er, Judah’s first born, that Judah said unto Onan, go to thy brother’s wife and marry her as the next of kin, and raise up seed to thy brother.

26 And Onan took Tamar for a wife and he came to her, and Onan also did like unto the work of his brother, and his work was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he slew him also.

27 And when Onan died, Judah said unto Tamar, Remain in thy father’s house until my son Shiloh shall have grown up, and Judah did no more delight in Tamar, to give her unto Shiloh, for he said, Peradventure he will also die like his brothers.

28 And Tamar rose up and went and remained in her father’s house, and Tamar was in her father’s house for some time.

29 And at the revolution of the year, Aliyath the wife of Judah died; and Judah was comforted for his wife, and after the death of Aliyath, Judah went up with his friend Hirah to Timnah to shear their sheep.

30 And Tamar heard that Judah had gone up to Timnah to shear the sheep, and that Shiloh was grown up, and Judah did not delight in her.

31 And Tamar rose up and put off the garments of her widowhood, and she put a vail upon her, and she entirely covered herself, and she went and sat in the public thoroughfare, which is upon the road to Timnah.

32 And Judah passed and saw her and took her and he came to her, and she conceived by him, and at the time of being delivered, behold, there were twins in her womb, and he called the name of the first Perez, and the name of the second Zarah.

Book of Jasher Chapter 46

1 In those days Joseph was still confined in the prison house in the land of Egypt.

2 At that time the attendants of Pharaoh were standing before him, the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers which belonged to the king of Egypt.

3 And the butler took wine and placed it before the king to drink, and the baker placed bread before the king to eat, and the king drank of the wine and ate of the bread, he and his servants and ministers that ate at the king’s table.

4 And whilst they were eating and drinking, the butler and the baker remained there, and Pharaoh’s ministers found many flies in the wine, which the butler had brought, and stones of nitre were found in the baker’s bread.

5 And the captain of the guard placed Joseph as an attendant on Pharaoh’s officers, and Pharaoh’s officers were in confinement one year.

6 And at the end of the year, they both dreamed dreams in one night, in the place of confinement where they were, and in the morning Joseph came to them to attend upon them as usual, and he saw them, and behold their countenances were dejected and sad.

7 And Joseph asked them, Why are your countenances sad and dejected this day? and they said unto him, We dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it; and Joseph said unto them, Relate, I pray you, your dream unto me, and God shall give you an answer of peace as you desire.

8 And the butler related his dream unto Joseph, and he said, I saw in my dream, and behold a large vine was before me, and upon that vine I saw three branches, and the vine speedily blossomed and reached a great height, and its clusters were ripened and became grapes.

9 And I took the grapes and pressed them in a cup, and placed it in Pharaoh’s hand and he drank; and Joseph said unto him, The three branches that were upon the vine are three days.

10 Yet within three days, the king will order thee to be brought out and he will restore thee to thy office, and thou shalt give the king his wine to drink as at first when thou wast his butler; but let me find favor in thy sight, that thou shalt remember me to Pharaoh when it will be well with thee, and do kindness unto me, and get me brought forth from this prison, for I was stolen away from the land of Canaan and was sold for a slave in this place.

11 And also that which was told thee concerning my master’s wife is false, for they placed me in this dungeon for naught; and the butler answered Joseph, saying, If the king deal well with me as at first, as thou last interpreted to me, I will do all that thou desirest, and get thee brought out of this dungeon.

12 And the baker, seeing that Joseph had accurately interpreted the butler’s dream, also approached, and related the whole of his dream to Joseph.

13 And he said unto him, In my dream I saw and behold three white baskets upon my head, and I looked, and behold there were in the upper-most basket all manner of baked meats for Pharaoh, and behold the birds were eating them from off my head.

14 And Joseph said unto him, The three baskets which thou didst see are three days, yet within three days Pharaoh will take off thy head, and hang thee upon a tree, and the birds will eat thy flesh from off thee, as thou sawest in thy dream.

15 In those days the queen was about to be delivered, and upon that day she bare a son unto the king of Egypt, and they proclaimed that the king had gotten his first born son and all the people of Egypt together with the officers and servants of Pharaoh rejoiced greatly.

16 And upon the third day of his birth Pharaoh made a feast for his officers and servants, for the hosts of the land of Zoar and of the land of Egypt.

17 And all the people of Egypt and the servants of Pharaoh came to eat and drink with the king at the feast of his son, and to rejoice at the king’s rejoicing.

18 And all the officers of the king and his servants were rejoicing at that time for eight days at the feast, and they made merry with all sorts of musical instruments, with timbrels and with dances in the king’s house for eight days.

19 And the butler, to whom Joseph had interpreted his dream, forgot Joseph, and he did not mention him to the king as he had promised, for this thing was from the Lord in order to punish Joseph because he had trusted in man.

20 And Joseph remained after this in the prison house two years, until he had completed twelve years.

Book of Jasher (43-44)

•October 13, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher, or the Book of the Righteous (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר sēfer hayyāšār), is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 43

1 And when the sons of Jacob had sold their brother Joseph to the Midianites, their hearts were smitten on account of him, and they repented of their acts, and they sought for him to bring him back, but could not find him.

2 And Reuben returned to the pit in which Joseph had been put, in order to lift him out, and restore him to his father, and Reuben stood by the pit, and he heard not a word, and he called out Joseph! Joseph! and no one answered or uttered a word.

3 And Reuben said, Joseph has died through fright, or some serpent has caused his death; and Reuben descended into the pit, and he searched for Joseph and could not find him in the pit, and he came out again.

4 And Reuben tore his garments and he said, The child is not there, and how shall I reconcile my father about him if he be dead? and he went to his brethren and found them grieving on account of Joseph, and counseling together how to reconcile their father about him, and Reuben said unto his brethren, I came to the pit and behold Joseph was not there, what then shall we say unto our father, for my father will only seek the lad from me.

5 And his brethren answered him saying, Thus and thus we did, and our hearts afterward smote us on account of this act, and we now sit to seek a pretext how we shall reconcile our father to it.

6 And Reuben said unto them, What is this you have done to bring down the grey hairs of our father in sorrow to the grave? the thing is not good, that you have done.

7 And Reuben sat with them, and they all rose up and swore to each other not to tell this thing unto Jacob, and they all said, The man who will tell this to our father or his household, or who will report this to any of the children of the land, we will all rise up against him and slay him with the sword.

8 And the sons of Jacob feared each other in this matter, from the youngest to the oldest, and no one spoke a word, and they concealed the thing in their hearts.

9 And they afterward sat down to determine and invent something to say unto their father Jacob concerning all these things.

10 And Issachar said unto them, Here is an advice for you if it seem good in your eyes to do this thing, take the coat which belongeth to Joseph and tear it, and kill a kid of the goats and dip it in its blood.

11 And send it to our father and when he seeth it he will say an evil beast has devoured him, therefore tear ye his coat and behold his blood will be upon his coat, and by your doing this we shall be free of our father’s murmurings.

12 And Issachar’s advice pleased them, and they hearkened unto him and they did according to the word of Issachar which he had counselled them.

13 And they hastened and took Joseph’s coat and tore it, and they killed a kid of the goats and dipped the coat in the blood of the kid, and then trampled it in the dust, and they sent the coat to their father Jacob by the hand of Naphtali, and they commanded him to say these words:

14 We had gathered in the cattle and had come as far as the road to Shechem and farther, when we found this coat upon the road in the wilderness dipped in blood and in dust; now therefore know whether it be thy son’s coat or not.

15 And Naphtali went and he came unto his father and he gave him the coat, and he spoke unto him all the words which his brethren had commanded him.

16 And Jacob saw Joseph’s coat and he knew it and he fell upon his face to the ground, and became as still as a stone, and he afterward rose up and cried out with a loud and weeping voice and he said, It is the coat of my son Joseph!

17 And Jacob hastened and sent one of his servants to his sons, who went to them and found them coming along the road with the flock.

18 And the sons of Jacob came to their father about evening, and behold their garments were torn and dust was upon their heads, and they found their father crying out and weeping with a loud voice.

19 And Jacob said unto his sons, Tell me truly what evil have you this day suddenly brought upon me? and they answered their father Jacob, saying, We were coming along this day after the flock had been gathered in, and we came as far as the city of Shechem by the road in the wilderness, and we found this coat filled with blood upon the ground, and we knew it and we sent unto thee if thou couldst know it.

20 And Jacob heard the words of his sons and he cried out with a loud voice, and he said, It is the coat of my son, an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is rent in pieces, for I sent him this day to see whether it was well with you and well with the flocks and to bring me word again from you, and he went as I commanded him, and this has happened to him this day whilst I thought my son was with you.

21 And the sons of Jacob answered and said, He did not come to us, neither have we seen him from the time of our going out from thee until now.

22 And when Jacob heard their words he again cried out aloud, and he rose up and tore his garments, and he put sackcloth upon his loins, and he wept bitterly and he mourned and lifted up his voice in weeping and exclaimed and said these words,

23 Joseph my son, O my son Joseph, I sent thee this day after the welfare of thy brethren, and behold thou hast been torn in pieces; through my hand has this happened to my son.

24 It grieves me for thee Joseph my son, it grieves me for thee; how sweet wast thou to me during life, and now how exceedingly bitter is thy death to me.

25 0 that I had died in thy stead Joseph my son, for it grieves me sadly for thee my son, O my son, my son. Joseph my son, where art thou, and where hast thou been drawn? arouse, arouse from thy place, and come and see my grief for thee, O my son Joseph.

26 Come now and number the tears gushing from my eyes down my cheeks, and bring them up before the Lord, that his anger may turn from me.

27 0 Joseph my son, how didst thou fall, by the hand of one by whom no one had fallen from the beginning of the world unto this day; for thou hast been put to death by the smiting of an enemy, inflicted with cruelty, but surely I know that this has happened to thee, on account of the multitude of my sins.

28 Arouse now and see how bitter is my trouble for thee my son, although I did not rear thee, nor fashion thee, nor give thee breath and soul, but it was God who formed thee and built thy bones and covered them with flesh, and breathed in thy nostrils the breath of life, and then he gave thee unto me.

29 Now truly God who gave thee unto me, he has taken thee from me, and such then has befallen thee

30 And Jacob continued to speak like unto these words concerning Joseph, and he wept bitterly; he fell to the ground and became still.

31 And all the sons of Jacob seeing their father’s trouble, they repented of what they had done, and they also wept bitterly.

32 And Judah rose up and lifted his father’s head from the ground, and placed it upon his lap, and he wiped his father’s tears from his cheeks, and Judah wept an exceeding great weeping, whilst his father’s head was reclining upon his lap, still as a stone.

33 And the sons of Jacob saw their father’s trouble, and they lifted up their voices and continued to weep, and Jacob was yet lying upon the ground still as a stone.

34 And all his sons and his servants and his servant’s children rose up and stood round him to comfort him, and he refused to be comforted.

35 And the whole household of Jacob rose up and mourned a great mourning on account of Joseph and their father’s trouble, and the intelligence reached Isaac, the son of Abraham, the father of Jacob, and he wept bitterly on account of Joseph, he and all his household, and he went from the place where he dwelt in Hebron, and his men with him, and he comforted Jacob his son, and he refused to be comforted.

36 And after this, Jacob rose up from the ground, and his tears were running down his cheeks, and he said unto his sons, Rise up and take your swords and your bows, and go forth into the field, and seek whether you can find my son’s body and bring it unto me that I may bury it.

37 Seek also, I pray you, among the beasts and hunt them, and that which shall come the first before you seize and bring it unto me, perhaps the Lord will this day pity my affliction, and prepare before you that which did tear my son in pieces, and bring it unto me, and I will avenge the cause of my son.

38 And his sons did as their father had commanded them, and they rose up early in the morning, and each took his sword and his bow in his hand, and they went forth into the field to hunt the beasts.

39 And Jacob was still crying aloud and weeping and walking to and fro in the house, and smiting his hands together, saying, Joseph my son, Joseph my son.

40 And the sons of Jacob went into the wilderness to seize the beasts, and behold a wolf came toward them, and they seized him, and brought him unto their father, and they said unto him, This is the first we have found, and we have brought him unto thee as thou didst command us, and thy son’s body we could not find.

41 And Jacob took the beast from the hands of his sons, and he cried out with a loud and weeping voice, holding the beast in his hand, and he spoke with a bitter heart unto the beast, Why didst thou devour my son Joseph, and how didst thou have no fear of the God of the earth, or of my trouble for my son Joseph?

42 And thou didst devour my son for naught, because he committed no violence, and didst thereby render me culpable on his account, therefore God will require him that is persecuted.

43 And the Lord opened the mouth of the beast in order to comfort Jacob with its words, and it answered Jacob and spoke these words unto him,

44 As God liveth who created us in the earth, and as thy soul liveth, my lord, I did not see thy son, neither did I tear him to pieces, but from a distant land I also came to seek my son who went from me this day, and I know not whether he be living or dead.

45 And I came this day into the field to seek my son, and your sons found me, and seized me and increased my grief, and have this day brought me before thee, and I have now spoken all my words to thee.

46 And now therefore, O son of man, I am in thy hands, and do unto me this day as it may seem good in thy sight, but by the life of God who created me, I did not see thy son, nor did I tear him to pieces, neither has the flesh of man entered my mouth all the days of my life.

47 And when Jacob heard the words of the beast he was greatly astonished, and sent forth the beast from his hand, and she went her way.

48 And Jacob was still crying aloud and weeping for Joseph day after day, and he mourned for his son many days.

Book of Jasher Chapter 44

1 And the sons of Ishmael who had bought Joseph from the Midianites, who had bought him from his brethren, went to Egypt with Joseph, and they came upon the borders of Egypt, and when they came near unto Egypt, they met four men of the sons of Medan the son of Abraham, who had gone forth from the land of Egypt on their journey.

2 And the Ishmaelites said unto them, Do you desire to purchase this slave from us? and they said, Deliver him over to us, and they delivered Joseph over to them, and they beheld him, that he was a very comely youth and they purchased him for twenty shekels.

3 And the Ishmaelites continued their journey to Egypt and the Medanim also returned that day to Egypt, and the Medanim said to each other, Behold we have heard that Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, seeketh a good servant who shall stand before him to attend him, and to make him overseer over his house and all belonging to him.

4 Now therefore come let us sell him to him for what we may desire, if he be able to give unto us that which we shall require for him.

5 And these Medanim went and came to the house of Potiphar, and said unto him, We have heard that thou seekest a good servant to attend thee, behold we have a servant that will please thee, if thou canst give unto us that which we may desire, and we will sell him unto thee.

6 And Potiphar said, Bring him before me, and I will see him, and if he please me I will give unto you that which you may require for him.

7 And the Medanim went and brought Joseph and placed him before Potiphar, and he saw him, and he pleased him exceedingly, and Potiphar said unto them, Tell me what you require for this youth?

8 And they said, Four hundred pieces of silver we desire for him, and Potiphar said, I will give it you if you bring me the record of his sale to you, and will tell me his history, for perhaps he may be stolen, for this youth is neither a slave, nor the son of a slave, but I observe in him the appearance of a goodly and handsome person.

9 And the Medanim went and brought unto him the Ishmaelites who had sold him to them, and they told him, saying, He is a slave and we sold him to them.

10 And Potiphar heard the words of the Ishmaelites in his giving the silver unto the Medanim, and the Medanim took the silver and went on their journey, and the Ishmaelites also returned home.

11 And Potiphar took Joseph and brought him to his house that he might serve him, and Joseph found favor in the sight of Potiphar, and he placed confidence in him, and made him overseer over his house, and all that belonged to him he delivered over into his hand.

12 And the Lord was with Joseph and he became a prosperous man, and the Lord blessed the house of Potiphar for the sake of Joseph.

13 And Potiphar left all that he had in the hand of Joseph, and Joseph was one that caused things to come in and go out, and everything was regulated by his wish in the house of Potiphar.

14 And Joseph was eighteen years old, a youth with beautiful eyes and of comely appearance, and like unto him was not in the whole land of Egypt.

15 At that time whilst he was in his master’s house, going in and out of the house and attending his master, Zelicah, his master’s wife, lifted up her eyes toward Joseph and she looked at him, and behold he was a youth comely and well favored.

16 And she coveted his beauty in her heart, and her soul was fixed upon Joseph, and she enticed him day after day, and Zelicah persuaded Joseph daily, but Joseph did not lift up his eyes to behold his master’s wife.

17 And Zelicah said unto him, How goodly are thy appearance and form, truly I have looked at all the slaves, and have not seen so beautiful a slave as thou art; and Joseph said unto her, Surely he who created me in my mother’s womb created all mankind.

18 And she said unto him, How beautiful are thine eyes, with which thou hast dazzled all the inhabitants of Egypt, men and women; and he said unto her, How beautiful they are whilst we are alive, but shouldst thou behold them in the grave, surely thou wouldst move away from them.

19 And she said unto him, How beautiful and pleasing are all thy words; take now, I pray thee, the harp which is in the house, and play with thy hands and let us hear thy words.

20 And he said unto her, How beautiful and pleasing are my words when I speak the praise of my God and his glory; and she said unto him, How very beautiful is the hair of thy head, behold the golden comb which is in the house, take it I pray thee, and curl the hair of thy head.

21 And he said unto her, How long wilt thou speak these words? cease to utter these words to me, and rise and attend to thy domestic affairs.

22 And she said unto him, There is no one in my house, and there is nothing to attend to but to thy words and to thy wish; yet notwithstanding all this, she could not bring Joseph unto her, neither did he place his eye upon her, but directed his eyes below to the ground.

23 And Zelicah desired Joseph in her heart, that he should lie with her, and at the time that Joseph was sitting in the house doing his work, Zelicah came and sat before him, and she enticed him daily with her discourse to lie with her, or ever to look at her, but Joseph would not hearken to her.

24 And she said unto him, If thou wilt not do according to my words, I will chastise thee with the punishment of death, and put an iron yoke upon thee.

25 And Joseph said unto her, Surely God who created man looseth the fetters of prisoners, and it is he who will deliver me from thy prison and from thy judgment.

26 And when she could not prevail over him, to persuade him, and her soul being still fixed upon him, her desire threw her into a grievous sickness.

27 And all the women of Egypt came to visit her, and they said unto her, Why art thou in this declining state? thou that lackest nothing; surely thy husband is a great and esteemed prince in the sight of the king, shouldst thou lack anything of what thy heart desireth?

28 And Zelicah answered them, saying, This day it shall be made known to you, whence this disorder springs in which you see me, and she commanded her maid servants to prepare food for all the women, and she made a banquet for them, and all the women ate in the house of Zelicah.

29 And she gave them knives to peel the citrons to eat them, and she commanded that they should dress Joseph in costly garments, and that he should appear before them, and Joseph came before their eyes and all the women looked on Joseph, and could not take their eyes from off him, and they all cut their hands with the knives that they had in their hands, and all the citrons that were in their hands were filled with blood.

30 And they knew not what they had done but they continued to look at the beauty of Joseph, and did not turn their eyelids from him.

31 And Zelicah saw what they had done, and she said unto them, What is this work that you have done? behold I gave you citrons to eat and you have all cut your hands.

32 And all the women saw their hands, and behold they were full of blood, and their blood flowed down upon their garments, and they said unto her, this slave in your house has overcome us, and we could not turn our eyelids from him on account of his beauty.

33 And she said unto them, Surely this happened to you in the moment that you looked at him, and you could not contain yourselves from him; how then can I refrain when he is constantly in my house, and I see him day after day going in and out of my house? how then can I keep from declining or even from perishing on account of this?

34 And they said unto her, the words are true, for who can see this beautiful form in the house and refrain from him, and is he not thy slave and attendant in thy house, and why dost thou not tell him that which is in thy heart, and sufferest thy soul to perish through this matter?

35 And she said unto them, I am daily endeavoring to persuade him, and he will not consent to my wishes, and I promised him everything that is good, and yet I could meet with no return from him; I am therefore in a declining state as you see.

36 And Zelicah became very ill on account of her desire toward Joseph, and she was desperately lovesick on account of him, and all the people of the house of Zelicah and her husband knew nothing of this matter, that Zelicah was ill on account of her love to Joseph.

37 And all the people of her house asked her, saying, Why art thou ill and declining, and lackest nothing? and she said unto them, I know not this thing which is daily increasing upon me.

38 And all the women and her friends came daily to see her, and they spoke with her, and she said unto them, This can only be through the love of Joseph; and they said unto her, Entice him and seize him secretly, perhaps he may hearken to thee, and put off this death from thee.

39 And Zelicah became worse from her love to Joseph, and she continued to decline, till she had scarce strength to stand.

40 And on a certain day Joseph was doing his master’s work in the house, and Zelicah came secretly and fell suddenly upon him, and Joseph rose up against her, and he was more powerful than she, and he brought her down to the ground.

41 And Zelicah wept on account of the desire of her heart toward him, and she supplicated him with weeping, and her tears flowed down her cheeks, and she spoke unto him in a voice of supplication and in bitterness of soul, saying,

42 Hast thou ever heard, seen or known of so beautiful a woman as I am, or better than myself, who speak daily unto thee, fall into a decline through love for thee, confer all this honor upon thee, and still thou wilt not hearken to my voice?

43 And if it be through fear of thy master lest he punish thee, as the king liveth no harm shall come to thee from thy master through this thing; now, therefore pray listen to me, and consent for the sake of the honor which I have conferred upon thee, and put off this death from me, and why should I die for thy sake? and she ceased to speak.

44 And Joseph answered her, saying, Refrain from me, and leave this matter to my master; behold my master knoweth not what there is with me in the house, for all that belongeth to him he has delivered into my hand, and how shall I do these things in my master’s house?

45 For he hath also greatly honored me in his house, and he hath also made me overseer over his house, and he hath exalted me, and there is no one greater in this house than I am, and my master hath refrained nothing from me, excepting thee who art his wife, how then canst thou speak these words unto me, and how can I do this great evil and sin to God and to thy husband?

46 Now therefore refrain from me, and speak no more such words as these, for I will not hearken to thy words. But Zelicah would not hearken to Joseph when he spoke these words unto her, but she daily enticed him to listen to her.

47 And it was after this that the brook of Egypt was filled above all its sides, and all the inhabitants of Egypt went forth, and also the king and princes went forth with timbrels and dances, for it was a great rejoicing in Egypt, and a holiday at the time of the inundation of the sea Sihor, and they went there to rejoice all the day.

48 And when the Egyptians went out to the river to rejoice, as was their custom, all the people of the house of Potiphar went with them, but Zelicah would not go with them, for she said, I am indisposed, and she remained alone in the house, and no other person was with her in the house.

49 And she rose up and ascended to her temple in the house, and dressed herself in princely garments, and she placed upon her head precious stones of onyx stones, inlaid with silver and gold, and she beautified her face and skin with all sorts of women’s purifying liquids, and she perfumed the temple and the house with cassia and frankincense, and she spread myrrh and aloes, and she afterward sat in the entrance of the temple, in the passage of the house, through which Joseph passed to do his work, and behold Joseph came from the field, and entered the house to do his master’s work.

50 And he came to the place through which he had to pass, and he saw all the work of Zelicah, and he turned back.

51 And Zelicah saw Joseph turning back from her, and she called out to him, saying What aileth thee Joseph? come to thy work, and behold I will make room for thee until thou shalt have passed to thy seat.

52 And Joseph returned and came to the house, and passed from thence to the place of his seat, and he sat down to do his master’s work as usual and behold Zelicah came to him and stood before him in princely garments, and the scent from her clothes was spread to a distance.

53 And she hastened and caught hold of Joseph and his garments, and she said unto him, As the king liveth if thou wilt not perform my request thou shalt die this day, and she hastened and stretched forth her other hand and drew a sword from beneath her garments, and she placed it upon Joseph’s neck, and she said, Rise and perform my request, and if not thou diest this day.

54 And Joseph was afraid of her at her doing this thing, and he rose up to flee from her, and she seized the front of his garments, and in the terror of his flight the garment which Zelicah seized was torn, and Joseph left the garment in the hand of Zelicah, and he fled and got out, for he was in fear.

55 And when Zelicah saw that Joseph’s garment was torn, and that he had left it in her hand, and had fled, she was afraid of her life, lest the report should spread concerning her, and she rose up and acted with cunning, and put off the garments in which she was dressed, and she put on her other garments.

56 And she took Joseph’s garment, and she laid it beside her, and she went and seated herself in the place where she had sat in her illness, before the people of her house had gone out to the river, and she called a young lad who was then in the house, and she ordered him to call the people of the house to her.

57 And when she saw them she said unto them with a loud voice and lamentation, See what a Hebrew your master has brought to me in the house, for he came this day to lie with me.

58 For when you had gone out he came to the house, and seeing that there was no person in the house, he came unto me, and caught hold of me, with intent to lie with me.

59 And I seized his garments and tore them and called out against him with a loud voice, and when I had lifted up my voice he was afraid of his life and left his garment before me, and fled.

60 And the people of her house spoke nothing, but their wrath was very much kindled against Joseph, and they went to his master and told him the words of his wile.

61 And Potiphar came home enraged, and his wife cried out to him, saying, What is this thing that thou hast done unto me in bringing a Hebrew servant into my house, for he came unto me this day to sport with me; thus did he do unto me this day.

62 And Potiphar heard the words of his wife, and he ordered Joseph to be punished with severe stripes, and they did so to him.

63 And whilst they were smiting him, Joseph called out with a loud voice, and he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and he said, O Lord God, thou knowest that I am innocent of all these things, and why shall I die this day through falsehood, by the hand of these uncircumcised wicked men, whom thou knowest?

64 And whilst Potiphar’s men were beating Joseph, he continued to cry out and weep, and there was a child there eleven months old, and the Lord opened the mouth of the child, and he spake these words before Potiphar’s men, who were smiting Joseph, saying,

65 What do you want of this man, and why do you do this evil unto him? my mother speaketh falsely and uttereth lies; thus was the transaction.

66 And the child told them accurately all that happened, and all the words of Zelicah to Joseph day after day did he declare unto them.

67 And all the men heard the words of the child and they wondered greatly at the child’s words, and the child ceased to speak and became still.

68 And Potiphar was very much ashamed at the words of his son, and he commanded his men not to beat Joseph any more, and the men ceased beating Joseph.

69 And Potiphar took Joseph and ordered him to be brought to justice before the priests, who were judges belonging to the king, in order to judge him concerning this affair.

70 And Potiphar and Joseph came before the priests who were the king’s judges, and he said unto them, Decide I pray you, what judgment is due to a servant, for thus has he done.

71 And the priests said unto Joseph, Why didst thou do this thing to thy master? and Joseph answered them, saying, Not so my lords, thus was the matter; and Potiphar said unto Joseph, Surely I entrusted in thy hands all that belonged to me, and I withheld nothing from thee but my wife, and how couldst thou do this evil?

72 And Joseph answered saying, Not so my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, my lord, the word which thou didst hear from thy wife is untrue, for thus was the affair this day.

73 A year has elapsed to me since I have been in thy house; hast thou seen any iniquity in me, or any thing which might cause thee to demand my life?

74 And the priests said unto Potiphar, Send, we pray thee, and let them bring before us Joseph’s torn garment, and let us see the tear in it, and if it shall be that the tear is in front of the garment, then his face must have been opposite to her and she must have caught hold of him, to come to her, and with deceit did thy wife do all that she has spoken.

75 And they brought Joseph’s garment before the priests who were judges, and they saw and behold the tear was in front of Joseph, and all the judging priests knew that she had pressed him, and they said, The judgment of death is not due to this slave for he has done nothing, but his judgment is, that he be placed in the prison house on account of the report, which through him has gone forth against thy wife.

76 And Potiphar heard their words, and he placed him in the prison house, the place where the king’s prisoners are confined, and Joseph was in the house of confinement twelve years.

77 And notwithstanding this, his master’s wife did not turn from him, and she did not cease from speaking to him day after day to hearken to her, and at the end of three months Zelicah continued going to Joseph to the house of confinement day by day, and she enticed him to hearken to her, and Zelicah said unto Joseph, How long wilt thou remain in this house? but hearken now to my voice, and I will bring thee out of this house.

78 And Joseph answered her, saying, It is better for me to remain in this house than to hearken to thy words, to sin against God; and she said unto him, If thou wilt not perform my wish, I will pluck out thine eyes, add fetters to thy feet, and will deliver thee into the hands of them whom thou didst not know before.

79 And Joseph answered her and said, Behold the God of the whole earth is able to deliver me from all that thou canst do unto me, for he openeth the eyes of the blind, and looseth those that are bound, and preserveth all strangers who are unacquainted with the land.

80 And when Zelicah was unable to persuade Joseph to hearken to her, she left off going to entice him; and Joseph was still confined in the house of confinement. And Jacob the father of Joseph, and all his brethren who were in the land of Canaan still mourned and wept in those days on account of Joseph, for Jacob refused to be comforted for his son Joseph, and Jacob cried aloud, and wept and mourned all those days.

The Year of Jubilee

•October 12, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Jubilee (Hebrew: יובל yovel) year (every 50th year) and the Sabbatical year (every seventh year) are Biblical commandments concerning ownership of land and slaves.

A Trumpet is blown on a New Year of Jubilee, from Yom Kippur to Yom Kippur

The celebration of the Jubilee is the fiftieth year, that is, the year after seven Sabbatical cycles. Jubilee was to recognize that by God’s Command, all property belongs to God, not the individual Jew. For the Obsersant Jew, returning of possessions to God was/is a religious vow or dedication.

And there are numerous commands given in the Scriptures: Leviticus 25:

1 And the Lord spoke unto Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,

“Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them: ‘When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord.

— Sabbath of the Seventh Year; the land not to be tilled, but rest the seventh year; and that which grew of itself in the field or vineyard to be meat for them and their cattle, Leviticus 25:1-7. The jubilee on the day of atonement; a year of liberty and restoration; a year of rest to the land;

Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard and gather in the fruit thereof, — the land shall keep a sabbath; that is, enjoy rest from ploughing and tilling; unto the Lord; in obedience and unto the honour of God;

— this was instituted, for the assertion of God’s sovereign right to the land, in which the Israelites were but only tenants at God’s will;

but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord; thou shalt neither sow thy field nor prune thy vineyard. — a Sabbath of rest; the express prohibition of sowing and reaping, and of pruning and gathering;

That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed; for it is a year of rest unto the land.

— that which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap; that which sprung up of itself from grains of corn, shed in the harvest of the preceding year, without any ploughing or sowing;

— he might reap it, but not as at other times, the whole of it, and gather it as his own property, but only somewhat of it in common with others for his, present use;

And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you: for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger who sojourneth with thee;

— for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid; the owner of the fields and vineyards, he and his family, wife, children, and servants, might eat of the fruits of them in common with others; for whereas it is elsewhere said, Exodus 23:11, “that the poor of thy people may eat”; but this is observed here, lest anyone should think the rich are forbid eating them;

— Rashi:

And [the produce of] the Sabbath of the land, shall be [yours to eat]: Although I have prohibited the produce [of the Shemittah year] to you, I did not prohibit you to eat it or to derive benefit from it, only that you should not treat it as if you were its owner. Rather, everyone is deemed equal [regarding the use of the Shemittah year’s produce]-you, [your slaves,] and your hired worker and resident.

and for thy cattle and for the beasts that are in thy land shall all the increase thereof be meat. — and for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are in thy land; the former signifies tame cattle, such as were kept at home, or in fields, or were used in service, and the latter the wild beasts of the field;

“‘And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.

Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. — in the day of Atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land;

— on the tenth day of the month, and a very proper time it was to sound the trumpet, that after they had been afflicting themselves, then to have joy and comfort; and when atonement was made for all their sins, then to hear the joyful sound;

10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. It shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

— ye shall hallow the fiftieth year; much difference of opinion exists as to whether the jubilee was observed on the forty-ninth, or in round numbers, it is called the fiftieth. The prevailing opinion, both in ancient and modern times, has been in favor of the latter;

— it is expressly called the fiftieth year here, and Leviticus 25:11, that fiftieth year, which was not true if it is but the nine and fortieth year;

11 A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.

— two years would come together in which were no sowing reaping; but that God, that could cause the earth to forth fruit for three years, Leviticus 25:21; could make it bring forth enough for four years;

12 For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy unto you; ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.

— ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field; that is, ye shall eat its produce from the field; because it is the jubilee, which must be observed as a sacred institution, the spontaneous produce of this year is not to be stored, but as much of it must each time be taken direct from the field as is wanted for daily consumption.

13 “‘In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession. — in the year of jubile every man is to be restored to his landed property, whether he had disposed of it by sale or by gift;

14 And if thou sell aught unto thy neighbor or buyest aught of thy neighbor’s hand, ye shall not oppress one another.

— not only does the Law provide against the poor man losing his land for ever, but enjoins that in the temporary sales the buyer and seller are not to take undue advantage of each other’s circumstances.

15 According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy from thy neighbor, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee.

— the promised land was to be divided by lot among the Israelites; the plot which should thus come into the possession of each family is to be absolutely inalienable, and for ever continue to be the property of the descendants of the original possessor;

16 According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it; for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.

17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another, but thou shalt fear thy God; for I am the Lord your God. — that is; ye shall not overreach any man his neighbour; for I am the Lord your God; omniscient and omnipotent and able to punish, which of them either should oppress or defraud;

— from MSG

“What you are buying and selling in fact is the number of crops you’re going to harvest. Don’t cheat each other. Fear your God. I am God, your God.” (Leviticus 25:14-17 MSG)

“If you sell or buy property from one of your countrymen, don’t cheat him. Calculate the purchase price on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee.

“He is obliged to set the sale price on the basis of the number of harvests remaining until the next Jubilee. The more years left, the more money; you can raise the price. But the fewer years left, the less money; decrease the price.

18 “‘Therefore ye shall do My statutes, and keep My judgments and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.

19 And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill and dwell therein in safety.

20 And if ye shall say, “What shall we eat the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow nor gather in our increase.”

21 Then I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.

22 And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.

23 The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with Me.

— for the land is mine; as indeed the whole earth is, but the land of Canaan was peculiarly God’s, which he had chosen above all other lands for the inheritance of his people; out of which he drove the old inhabitants of it for their sins, and put in his own people to possess it under him;

24 And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.

25 “‘If thy brother waxeth poor and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.

26 And if the man have none to redeem it, and he himself is able to redeem it,

27 then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it, that he may return unto his possession.

28 But if he is not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession. Leviticus 25:1-28

— not able to restore it to him; that is, if the vendor is unable to return to the purchaser the probable value of the crops between the contemplated redemption and the next jubile year;

— from MSG

“If one of your brothers becomes poor and has to sell any of his land, his nearest relative is to come and buy back what his brother sold.

“If a man has no one to redeem it but he later prospers and earns enough for its redemption, he is to calculate the value since he sold it and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it; he can then go back to his own land.

“If he doesn’t get together enough money to repay him, what he sold remains in the possession of the buyer until the year of Jubilee. In the Jubilee it will be returned and he can go back and live on his land.” (Leviticus 25:25-28)

Why Lebanon Will Fall

•October 12, 2024 • Leave a Comment

God made a convernent with Abraham: Genesis 15:

1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram. I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.”

— up to this time Abram had received only general promises of offspring, and of the land being the possession of his seed; where is that land? and years were passing by, and the fulfilment of Abram’s hopes remained distant as ever;

18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates:

— from the river of Egypt; the river of Egypt is the Nile, which overflowed annually and made the basin fruitful; so the Targum of Jonathan calls it the Nile of Egypt; it was rendered, “from the Nile of Mizraim” or Egypt to the great river, Euphrates;

— Keil and Delitzsch: the river (נהר) of Egypt is the Nile, and not the brook (נחל) of Egypt (Numbers 34:5); the character of the promise, the two large rivers, the Nile and the Euphrates, are mentioned as the boundaries within which the seed of Abram would possess the promised land,

— and from hence to the river Euphrates, the eastern boundary, was the utmost extent of it in which it was ever possessed, as it was in the times of David and Solomon, II Samuel 8:3.

19 the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites, — the Kenites; thought to be the Idumeans, who sprung from Kenaz of Esau’s posterity; found among the Amalekites in the south (1 Samuel 15:6); note that Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was a Kenite (Judges 1:16); he was also the priest of Midian; and they dwelt among the Midianites; so they were very mixed by comparing Exodus 3:1 with Judges 1:16;

— the Kenizzites are also supposed by some to be the descendants of Kenaz, a grandson of Esau, Genesis 36:11; but then they must be so called here by anticipation, or  that is, the land they were anticipated to live there; since Kenaz was not then born; Caleb, the head of the tribe of Judah, was a Kenizzite, Numbers 32:12Joshua 14:6;

and from Deuteronomy 2:5:

Meddle not with them [the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir]; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth, because I have given Mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

— the Kadmonites; elsewhere the Kadmonites are never mentioned again; probably dwellers on the eastern desert frontier of the Jordan, an eastern or an ancient people, of whom we know nothing;

— besides, none of the land of the children of Esau, at least of those that dwelt about Mount Seir (Deuteronomy 2:5) was to be given to the children of Israel; henced could the Edomites or Idumeans (at least a portion of them had left, some remained) have moved away while the children of Israel were in Egypt?

20 and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim, — the Hittites, who had their name from Heth, a son of Canaan, see Genesis 10:15; they dwelt about Hebron, in the south of the land of Canaan:

— the Perizzites and the Rephaim; probably these are included in the common name of Canaanites, those that lived in the land of Canaan; 

21 and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” —  v16 above; “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full” but soon it would be full, like Hamas today;

— the Jebusites; who inhabited Jerusalem and its surroundings, which was first called Jebus, from the founder of this nation;

— in this and the previous verses ten nations are reckoned as occupying the land of Canaan at that time, whereas only seven are mentioned in the times of Moses and Joshua; Deuteronomy 7:1Joshua 3:10;

— although the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates,” that seed were meant to be the whole house of Israel. Hence, during the Exodus, Moses was tasked of bringing the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, for “I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers” Exodus 6:4.

“When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee — the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou” Deuteronomy 7:1

And Joshua said, “Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites” Joshua 3:10.

and from MSG

When the sun was down and it was dark, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch moved between the split carcasses. That’s when God made a covenant with Abram: “I’m giving this land to your children, from the Nile River in Egypt to the River Euphrates in Assyria—the country of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

And now on Lebanon

After the Flood and the Confusion at Babel, the Land was divided:

This is a commitment by an oath; from the Book of Jubilees:

And thus the sons of Noah divided unto their sons in the presence of Noah their father, and he bound them all by an oath, imprecating a curse on every one that sought to seize the portion which had not fallen (to him) by his lot.

And they all said, “So be it; so be it,” for themselves and their sons for ever throughout their generations Book of Jubilees Chapter 9:18-19

An artistic depiction of the Heavenly Tablets from the Book of Jubilee

And here onto the next chapter, the reason is being given in the Chapter 10:

39 In the fourth week in the first year in the beginning thereof in the four and thirtieth jubilee, were they dispersed from the land of Shinar.

40 And Ham and his sons went into the land which he was to occupy, which he acquired as his portion in the land of the south.

41 But Canaan saw the land of Lebanon to the river of Egypt that it was very good, and he went not into the land of his inheritance to the west (that is to) the sea,

42 and he dwelt in the land of Lebanon, eastward and westward from the border of Jordan and from the border of the sea.

43 And Ham, his father, and Cush and Mizraim, his brothers, said unto him: “Thou hast settled in a land which is not thine, and which did not fall to us by lot:

44 do not do so; for if thou dost do so, thou and thy sons will fall in the land and (be) accursed through sedition;

45 for by sedition ye have settled, and by sedition will thy children fall, and thou shalt be rooted out for ever.

46 Dwell not in the dwelling of Shem; for to Shem and to his sons did it come by their lot.

47 Cursed art thou, and cursed shalt thou be beyond all the sons of Noah, by the curse by which we bound ourselves by an oath in the presence of the holy judge, and in the presence of Noah our father.”

48 But he (Canaan) did not hearken unto them, and dwelt in the land of Lebanon from Hamath to the entering of Egypt, he and his sons until this day. And for this reason that land is named Canaan. Book of Jubilees Chapter 10:39-48

— and that Land was allocated to Shem; then later to Abraham and onto the children of Jacob, or specifically the Israelites. The Hezbollah today or any other Lebanese wouldn’t have a chance.

Chinese Nuclear Submarine Sinking?

•October 11, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Western defence media has recently been buzzing with the story of a Chinese SSN sinking in the Yangtze River near Wuhan.

Do you see any shape or form of a submarine in the photo below? No? Why Not?

If the above satelite picture is the evidence of a submarine sinking, where is the shape or form of a submarine?

Obviously there was an accident; and the few cranes there should be able to pull out the sunken sub but why couldn’t the WSJ provide any pictures? The satelite forgot to take more photos after this photo was taken?

Separating Facts From Bullshit from one who knows . . .

@SuryaKumar01-j3k
Fake news.

Firstly, the only place in China where nuclear submarines are built is in Bohai Bay, which is a bay near Beijing, while Wuhan only has conventional submarine construction plants.
Secondly, the depth of the so-called sunken area is only 6 meters, even smaller than the diameter of China’s latest conventional submarines.
Thirdly, the black shadow is clearly the projection of the crane on the leftmost ship, and another evidence is that the second, third, and fourth ships from left to right also have this shadow.
Fourthly, this news originates from the United States. There are too many fake news about the PLA in the United States, including the news of the sinking of a Chinese nuclear submarine last year, and even Taiwan has denied this news.
I think, it’s probably because the speed at which PLAN builds warships in recent years has been too fast, making the US Navy pale in comparison. Therefore, some people within the US always want to see PLAN’s jokes, and even these jokes are fabricated from the beginning.

For more about disinformation:

US$1.6 billion on anti-China propaganda

Book of Jasher (41-42)

•October 11, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher, or the Book of the Righteous (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר sēfer hayyāšār), is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 41

1 And at the revolution of the year the sons of Jacob journeyed from Shechem, and they came to Hebron, to their father Isaac, and they dwelt there, but their flocks and herds they fed daily in Shechem, for there was there in those days good and fat pasture, and Jacob and his sons and all their household dwelt in the valley of Hebron.

2 And it was in those days, in that year, being the hundred and sixth year of the life of Jacob, in the tenth year of Jacob’s coming from Padan-aram, that Leah the wife of Jacob died; she was fifty-one years old when she died in Hebron.

3 And Jacob and his sons buried her in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is in Hebron, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth, for the possession of a burial place.

4 And the sons of Jacob dwelt with their father in the valley of Hebron, and all the inhabitants of the land knew their strength and their fame went throughout the land.

5 And Joseph the son of Jacob, and his brother Benjamin, the sons of Rachel, the wife of Jacob, were yet young in those days, and did not go out with their brethren during their battles in all the cities of the Amorites.

6 And when Joseph saw the strength of his brethren, and their greatness, he praised them and extolled them, but he ranked himself greater than them, and extolled himself above them; and Jacob, his father, also loved him more than any of his sons, for he was a son of his old age, and through his love toward him, he made him a coat of many colors.

7 And when Joseph saw that his father loved him more than his brethren, he continued to exalt himself above his brethren, and he brought unto his father evil reports concerning them.

8 And the sons of Jacob seeing the whole of Joseph’s conduct toward them, and that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him all the days.

9 And Joseph was seventeen years old, and he was still magnifying himself above his brethren, and thought of raising himself above them.

10 At that time he dreamed a dream, and he came unto his brothers and told them his dream, and he said unto them, I dreamed a dream, and behold we were all binding sheaves in the field, and my sheaf rose and placed itself upon the ground and your sheaves surrounded it and bowed down to it.

11 And his brethren answered him and said unto him, What meaneth this dream that thou didst dream? dost thou imagine in thy heart to reign or rule over us?

12 And he still came, and told the thing to his father Jacob, and Jacob kissed Joseph when he heard these words from his mouth, and Jacob blessed Joseph.

13 And when the sons of Jacob saw that their father had blessed Joseph and had kissed him, and that he loved him exceedingly, they became jealous of him and hated him the more.

14 And after this Joseph dreamed another dream and related the dream to his father in the presence of his brethren, and Joseph said unto his father and brethren, Behold I have again dreamed a dream, and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.

15 And his father heard the words of Joseph and his dream, and seeing that his brethren hated Joseph on account of this matter, Jacob therefore rebuked Joseph before his brethren on account of this thing, saying, What meaneth this dream which thou hast dreamed, and this magnifying thyself before thy brethren who are older than thou art?

16 Dost thou imagine in thy heart that I and thy mother and thy eleven brethren will come and bow down to thee, that thou speakest these things?

17 And his brethren were jealous of him on account of his words and dreams, and they continued to hate him, and Jacob reserved the dreams in his heart.

18 And the sons of Jacob went one day to feed their father’s flock in Shechem, for they were still herdsmen in those days; and whilst the sons of Jacob were that day feeding in Shechem they delayed, and the time of gathering in the cattle was passed, and they had not arrived.

19 And Jacob saw that his sons were delayed in Shechem, and Jacob said within himself, Peradventure the people of Shechem have risen up to fight against them, therefore they have delayed coming this day.

20 And Jacob called Joseph his son and commanded him, saying, Behold thy brethren are feeding in Shechem this day, and behold they have not yet come back; go now therefore and see where they are, and bring me word back concerning the welfare of thy brethren and the welfare of the flock.

21 And Jacob sent his son Joseph to the valley of Hebron, and Joseph came for his brothers to Shechem, and could not find them, and Joseph went about the field which was near Shechem, to see where his brothers had turned, and he missed his road in the wilderness, and knew not which way he should go.

22 And an angel of the Lord found him wandering in the road toward the field, and Joseph said unto the angel of the Lord, I seek my brethren; hast thou not heard where they are feeding? and the angel of the Lord said unto Joseph, I saw thy brethren feeding here, and I heard them say they would go to feed in Dothan.

23 And Joseph hearkened to the voice of the angel of the Lord, and he went to his brethren in Dothan and he found them in Dothan feeding the flock.

24 And Joseph advanced to his brethren, and before he had come nigh unto them, they had resolved to slay him.

25 And Simeon said to his brethren, Behold the man of dreams is coming unto us this day, and now therefore come and let us kill him and cast him in one of the pits that are in the wilderness, and when his father shall seek him from us, we will say an evil beast has devoured him.

26 And Reuben heard the words of his brethren concerning Joseph, and he said unto them, You should not do this thing, for how can we look up to our father Jacob? Cast him into this pit to die there, but stretch not forth a hand upon him to spill his blood; and Reuben said this in order to deliver him from their hand, to bring him back to his father.

27 And when Joseph came to his brethren he sat before them, and they rose upon him and seized him and smote him to the earth, and stripped the coat of many colors which he had on.

28 And they took him and cast him into a pit, and in the pit there was no water, but serpents and scorpions. And Joseph was afraid of the serpents and scorpions that were in the pit. And Joseph cried out with a loud voice, and the Lord hid the serpents and scorpions in the sides of the pit, and they did no harm unto Joseph.

29 And Joseph called out from the pit to his brethren, and said unto them, What have I done unto you, and in what have I sinned? why do you not fear the Lord concerning me? am I not of your bones and flesh, and is not Jacob your father, my father? why do you do this thing unto me this day, and how will you be able to look up to our father Jacob?

30 And he continued to cry out and call unto his brethren from the pit, and he said, O Judah, Simeon, and Levi, my brethren, lift me up from the place of darkness in which you have placed me, and come this day to have compassion on me, ye children of the Lord, and sons of Jacob my father. And if I have sinned unto you, are you not the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? if they saw an orphan they had compassion over him, or one that was hungry, they gave him bread to eat, or one that was thirsty, they gave him water to drink, or one that was naked, they covered him with garments!

31 And how then will you withhold your pity from your brother, for I am of your flesh and bones, and if I have sinned unto you, surely you will do this on account of my father!

32 And Joseph spoke these words from the pit, and his brethren could not listen to him, nor incline their ears to the words of Joseph, and Joseph was crying and weeping in the pit.

33 And Joseph said, O that my father knew, this day, the act which my brothers have done unto me, and the words which they have this day spoken unto me.

34 And all his brethren heard his cries and weeping in the pit, and his brethren went and removed themselves from the pit, so that they might not hear the cries of Joseph and his weeping in the pit.

Book of Jasher Chapter 42

1 And they went and sat on the opposite side, about the distance of a bow-shot, and they sat there to eat bread, and whilst they were eating, they held counsel together what was to be done with him, whether to slay him or to bring him back to his father.

2 They were holding the counsel, when they lifted up their eyes, and saw, and behold there was a company of Ishmaelites coming at a distance by the road of Gilead, going down to Egypt.

3 And Judah said unto them, What gain will it be to us if we slay our brother? peradventure God will require him from us; this then is the counsel proposed concerning him, which you shall do unto him: Behold this company of Ishmaelites going down to Egypt,

4 Now therefore, come let us dispose of him to them, and let not our hand be upon him, and they will lead him along with them, and he will be lost amongst the people of the land, and we will not put him to death with our own hands. And the proposal pleased his brethren and they did according to the word of Judah.

5 And whilst they were discoursing about this matter, and before the company of Ishmaelites had come up to them, seven trading men of Midian passed by them, and as they passed they were thirsty, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the pit in which Joseph was immured, and they looked, and behold every species of bird was upon him.

6 And these Midianites ran to the pit to drink water, for they thought that it contained water, and on coming before the pit they heard the voice of Joseph crying and weeping in the pit, and they looked down into the pit, and they saw and behold there was a youth of comely appearance and well favored.

7 And they called unto him and said, Who art thou and who brought thee hither, and who placed thee in this pit, in the wilderness? and they all assisted to raise up Joseph and they drew him out, and brought him up from the pit, and took him and went away on their journey and passed by his brethren.

8 And these said unto them, Why do you do this, to take our servant from us and to go away? surely we placed this youth in the pit because he rebelled against us, and you come and bring him up and lead him away; now then give us back our servant.

9 And the Midianites answered and said unto the sons of Jacob, Is this your servant, or does this man attend you? peradventure you are all his servants, for he is more comely and well favored than any of you, and why do you all speak falsely unto us?

10 Now therefore we will not listen to your words, nor attend to you, for we found the youth in the pit in the wilderness, and we took him; we will therefore go on.

11 And all the sons of Jacob approached them and rose up to them and said unto them, Give us back our servant, and why will you all die by the edge of the sword? And the Midianites cried out against them, and they drew their swords, and approached to fight with the sons of Jacob.

12 And behold Simeon rose up from his seat against them, and sprang upon the ground and drew his sword and approached the Midianites and he gave a terrible shout before them, so that his shouting was heard at a distance, and the earth shook at Simeon’s shouting.

13 And the Midianites were terrified on account of Simeon and the noise of his shouting, and they fell upon their faces, and were excessively alarmed.

14 And Simeon said unto them, Verily I am Simeon, the son of Jacob the Hebrew, who have, only with my brother, destroyed the city of Shechem and the cities of the Amorites; so shall God moreover do unto me, that if all your brethren the people of Midian, and also the kings of Canaan, were to come with you, they could not fight against me.

15 Now therefore give us back the youth whom you have taken, lest I give your flesh to the birds of the skies and the beasts of the earth.

16 And the Midianites were more afraid of Simeon, and they approached the sons of Jacob with terror and fright, and with pathetic words, saying,

17 Surely you have said that the young man is your servant, and that he rebelled against you, and therefore you placed him in the pit; what then will you do with a servant who rebels against his master? Now therefore sell him unto us, and we will give you all that you require for him; and the Lord was pleased to do this in order that the sons of Jacob should not slay their brother.

18 And the Midianites saw that Joseph was of a comely appearance and well-favored; they desired him in their hearts and were urgent to purchase him from his brethren.

19 And the sons of Jacob hearkened to the Midianites and they sold their brother Joseph to them for twenty pieces of silver, and Reuben their brother was not with them, and the Midianites took Joseph and continued their journey to Gilead.

20 They were going along the road, and the Midianites repented of what they had done, in having purchased the young man, and one said to the other, What is this thing that we have done, in taking this youth from the Hebrews, who is of comely appearance and well favored.

21 Perhaps this youth is stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and why then have we done this thing? and if he should be sought for and found in our hands we shall die through him.

22 Now surely hardy and powerful men have sold him to us, the strength of one of whom you saw this day; perhaps they stole him from his land with their might and with their powerful arm, and have therefore sold him to us for the small value which we gave unto them.

23 And whilst they were thus discoursing together, they looked, and behold the company of Ishmaelites which was coming at first, and which the sons of Jacob saw, was advancing toward the Midianites, and the Midianites said to each other, Come let us sell this youth to the company of Ishmaelites who are coming toward us, and we will take for him the little that we gave for him, and we will be delivered from his evil.

24 And they did so, and they reached the Ishmaelites, and the Midianites sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver which they had given for him to his brethren.

25 And the Midianites went on their road to Gilead, and the Ishmaelites took Joseph and they let him ride upon one of the camels, and they were leading him to Egypt.

26 And Joseph heard that the Ishmaelites were proceeding to Egypt, and Joseph lamented and wept at this thing that he was to be so far removed from the land of Canaan, from his father, and he wept bitterly whilst he was riding upon the camel, and one of their men observed him, and made him go down from the camel and walk on foot, and notwithstanding this Joseph continued to cry and weep, and he said, O my father, my father.

27 And one of the Ishmaelites rose up and smote Joseph upon the cheek, and still he continued to weep; and Joseph was fatigued in the road, and was unable to proceed on account of the bitterness of his soul, and they all smote him and afflicted him in the road, and they terrified him in order that he might cease from weeping.

28 And the Lord saw the ambition of Joseph and his trouble, and the Lord brought down upon those men darkness and confusion, and the hand of every one that smote him became withered.

29 And they said to each other, What is this thing that God has done to us in the road? and they knew not that this befell them on account of Joseph. And the men proceeded on the road, and they passed along the road of Ephrath where Rachel was buried.

30 And Joseph reached his mother’s grave, and Joseph hastened and ran to his mother’s grave, and fell upon the grave and wept.

31 And Joseph cried aloud upon his mother’s grave, and he said, O my mother, my mother, O thou who didst give me birth, awake now, and rise and see thy son, how he has been sold for a slave, and no one to pity him.

32 O rise and see thy son, weep with me on account of my troubles, and see the heart of my brethren.

33 Arouse my mother, arouse, awake from thy sleep for me, and direct thy battles against my brethren. O how have they stripped me of my coat, and sold me already twice for a slave, and separated me from my father, and there is no one to pity me.

34 Arouse and lay thy cause against them before God, and see whom God will justify in the judgment, and whom he will condemn.

35 Rise, O my mother, rise, awake from thy sleep and see my father how his soul is with me this day, and comfort him and ease his heart.

36 And Joseph continued to speak these words, and Joseph cried aloud and wept bitterly upon his mother’s grave; and he ceased speaking, and from bitterness of heart he became still as a stone upon the grave.

37 And Joseph heard a voice speaking to him from beneath the ground, which answered him with bitterness of heart, and with a voice of weeping and praying in these words:

38 My son, my son Joseph, I have heard the voice of thy weeping and the voice of thy lamentation; I have seen thy tears; I know thy troubles, my son, and it grieves me for thy sake, and abundant grief is added to my grief.

39 Now therefore my son, Joseph my son, hope to the Lord, and wait for him and do not fear, for the Lord is with thee, he will deliver thee from all trouble.

40 Rise my son, go down unto Egypt with thy masters, and do not fear, for the Lord is with thee, my son. And she continued to speak like unto these words unto Joseph, and she was still.

41 And Joseph heard this, and he wondered greatly at this, and he continued to weep; and after this one of the Ishmaelites observed him crying and weeping upon the grave, and his anger was kindled against him, and he drove him from there, and he smote him and cursed him.

42 And Joseph said unto the men, May I find grace in your sight to take me back to my father’s house, and he will give you abundance of riches.

43 And they answered him, saying, Art thou not a slave, and where is thy father? and if thou hadst a father thou wouldst not already twice have been sold for a slave for so little value; and their anger was still roused against him, and they continued to smite him and to chastise him, and Joseph wept bitterly.

44 And the Lord saw Joseph’s affliction, and Lord again smote these men, and chastised them, and the Lord caused darkness to envelope them upon the earth, and the lightning flashed and the thunder roared, and the earth shook at the voice of the thunder and of the mighty wind, and the men were terrified and knew not where they should go.

45 And the beasts and camels stood still, and they led them, but they would not go, they smote them, and they crouched upon the ground; and the men said to each other, What is this that God has done to us? what are our transgressions, and what are our sins that this thing has thus befallen us?

46 And one of them answered and said unto them, Perhaps on account of the sin of afflicting this slave has this thing happened this day to us; now therefore implore him strongly to forgive us, and then we shall know on whose account this evil befalleth us, and if God shall have compassion over us, then we shall know that all this cometh to us on account of the sin of afflicting this slave.

47 And the men did so, and they supplicated Joseph and pressed him to forgive them; and they said, We have sinned to the Lord and to thee, now therefore vouchsafe to request of thy God that he shall put away this death from amongst us, for we have sinned to him.

48 And Joseph did according to their words, and the Lord hearkened to Joseph, and the Lord put away the plague which he had inflicted upon those men on account of Joseph, and the beasts rose up from the ground and they conducted them, and they went on, and the raging storm abated and the earth became tranquilized, and the men proceeded on their journey to go down to Egypt, and the men knew that this evil had befallen them on account of Joseph.

49 And they said to each other, Behold we know that it was on account of his affliction that this evil befell us; now therefore why shall we bring this death upon our souls? Let us hold counsel what to do to this slave.

50 And one answered and said, Surely he told us to bring him back to his father; now therefore come, let us take him back and we will go to the place that he will tell us, and take from his family the price that we gave for him and we will then go away.

51 And one answered again and said, Behold this counsel is very good, but we cannot do so for the way is very far from us, and we cannot go out of our road.

52 And one more answered and said unto them, This is the counsel to be adopted, we will not swerve from it; behold we are this day going to Egypt, and when we shall have come to Egypt, we will sell him there at a high price, and we will be delivered from his evil.

53 And this thing pleased the men and they did so, and they continued their journey to Egypt with Joseph.

Book of Jasher (39-40)

•October 10, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Jews are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and they will keep on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 39

1 And when the sons of Jacob went from the city of Sarton, they had gone about two hundred cubits when they met the inhabitants of Tapnach coming toward them, for they went out to fight with them, because they had smitten the king of Tapnach and all his men.

2 So all that remained in the city of Tapnach came out to fight with the sons of Jacob, and they thought to retake from them the booty and the spoil which they had captured from Chazar and Sarton.

3 And the rest of the men of Tapnach fought with the sons of Jacob in that place, and the sons of Jacob smote them, and they fled before them, and they pursued them to the city of Arbelan, and they all fell before the sons of Jacob.

4 And the sons of Jacob returned and came to Tapnach, to take away the spoil of Tapnach, and when they came to Tapnach they heard that the people of Arbelan had gone out to meet them to save the spoil of their brethren, and the sons of Jacob left ten of their men in Tapnach to plunder the city, and they went out toward the people of Arbelan.

5 And the men of Arbelan went out with their wives to fight with the sons of Jacob, for their wives were experienced in battle, and they went out, about four hundred men and women.

6 And all the sons of Jacob shouted with a loud voice, and they all ran toward the inhabitants of Arbelan, and with a great and tremendous voice.

7 And the inhabitants of Arbelan heard the noise of the shouting of the sons of Jacob, and their roaring like the noise of lions and like the roaring of the sea and its waves.

8 And fear and terror possessed their hearts on account of the sons of Jacob, and they were terribly afraid of them, and they retreated and fled before them into the city, and the sons of Jacob pursued them to the gate of the city, and they came upon them in the city.

9 And the sons of Jacob fought with them in the city, and all their women were engaged in slinging against the sons of Jacob, and the combat was very severe amongst them the whole of that day till evening.

10 And the sons of Jacob could not prevail over them, and the sons of Jacob had almost perished in that battle, and the sons of Jacob cried unto the Lord and greatly gained strength toward evening, and the sons of Jacob smote all the inhabitants of Arbelan by the edge of the sword, men, women and little ones.

11 And also the remainder of the people who had fled from Sarton, the sons of Jacob smote them in Arbelan, and the sons of Jacob did unto Arbelan and Tapnach as they had done to Chazar and Sarton, and when the women saw that all the men were dead, they went upon the roofs of the city and smote the sons of Jacob by showering down stones like rain.

12 And the sons of Jacob hastened and came into the city and seized all the women and smote them with the edge of the sword, and the sons of Jacob captured all the spoil and booty, flocks and herds and cattle.

13 And the sons of Jacob did unto Machnaymah as they had done to Tapnach, to Chazar and to Shiloh, and they turned from there and went away.

14 And on the fifth day the sons of Jacob heard that the people of Gaash had gathered against them to battle, because they had slain their king and their captains, for there had been fourteen captains in the city of Gaash, and the sons of Jacob had slain them all in the first battle.

15 And the sons of Jacob that day girt on their weapons of war, and they marched to battle against the inhabitants of Gaash, and in Gaash there was a strong and mighty people of the people of the Amorites, and Gaash was the strongest and best fortified city of all the cities of the Amorites, and it had three walls.

16 And the sons of Jacob came to Gaash and they found the gates of the city locked, and about five hundred men standing at the top of the outer-most wall, and a people numerous as the sand upon the sea shore were in ambush for the sons of Jacob from without the city at the rear thereof.

17 And the sons of Jacob approached to open the gates of the city, and whilst they were drawing nigh, behold those who were in ambush at the rear of the city came forth from their places and surrounded the sons of Jacob.

18 And the sons of Jacob were enclosed between the people of Gaash, and the battle was both to their front and rear, and all the men that were upon the wall, were casting from the wall upon them, arrows and stones.

19 And Judah, seeing that the men of Gaash were getting too heavy for them, gave a most piercing and tremendous shriek and all the men of Gaash were terrified at the voice of Judah’s cry, and men fell from the wall at his powerful shriek, and all those that were from without and within the city were greatly afraid of their lives.

20 And the sons of Jacob still came nigh to break the doors of the city, when the men of Gaash threw stones and arrows upon them from the top of the wall, and made them flee from the gate.

21 And the sons of Jacob returned against the men of Gaash who were with them from outside the city, and they smote them terribly, as striking against gourds, and they could not stand against the sons of Jacob, for fright and terror had seized them at the shriek of Judah.

22 And the sons of Jacob slew all those men who were outside the city, and the sons of Jacob still drew nigh to effect an entrance into the city, and to fight under the city walls, but they could not for all the inhabitants of Gaash who remained in the city had surrounded the walls of Gaash in every direction, so that the sons of Jacob were unable to approach the city to fight with them.

23 And the sons of Jacob came nigh to one corner to fight under the wall, the inhabitants of Gaash threw arrows and stones upon them like showers of rain, and they fled from under the wall.

24 And the people of Gaash who were upon the wall, seeing that the sons of Jacob could not prevail over them from under the wall, reproached the sons of Jacob in these words, saying,

25 What is the matter with you in the battle that you cannot prevail? can you then do unto the mighty city of Gaash and its inhabitants as you did to the cities of the Amorites that were not so powerful? Surely to those weak ones amongst us you did those things, and slew them in the entrance of the city, for they had no strength when they were terrified at the sound of your shouting.

26 And will you now then be able to fight in this place? Surely here you will all die, and we will avenge the cause of those cities that you have laid waste.

27 And the inhabitants of Gaash greatly reproached the sons of Jacob and reviled them with their gods, and continued to cast arrows and stones upon them from the wall.

28 And Judah and his brothers heard the words of the inhabitants of Gaash and their anger was greatly roused, and Judah was jealous of his God in this matter, and he called out and said, O Lord, help, send help to us and our brothers.

29 And he ran at a distance with all his might, with his drawn sword in his hand, and he sprang from the earth and by dint of his strength, mounted the wall, and his sword fell from his hand.

30 And Judah shouted upon the wall, and all the men that were upon the wall were terrified, and some of them fell from the wall into the city and died, and those who were yet upon the wall, when they saw Judah’s strength, they were greatly afraid and fled for their lives into the city for safety.

31 And some were emboldened to fight with Judah upon the wall, and they came nigh to slay him when they saw there was no sword in Judah’s hand, and they thought of casting him from the wall to his brothers, and twenty men of the city came up to assist them, and they surrounded Judah and they all shouted over him, and approached him with drawn swords, and they terrified Judah, and Judah cried out to his brothers from the wall.

32 And Jacob and his sons drew the bow from under the wall, and smote three of the men that were upon the top of the wall, and Judah continued to cry and he exclaimed, O Lord help us, O Lord deliver us, and he cried out with a loud voice upon the wall, and the cry was heard at a great distance.

33 And after this cry he again repeated to shout, and all the men who surrounded Judah on the top of the wall were terrified, and they each threw his sword from his hand at the sound of Judah’s shouting and his tremor, and fled.

34 And Judah took the swords which had fallen from their hands, and Judah fought with them and slew twenty of their men upon the wall.

35 And about eighty men and women still ascended the wall from the city and they all surrounded Judah, and the Lord impressed the fear of Judah in their hearts, that they were unable to approach him.

36 And Jacob and all who were with him drew the bow from under the wall, and they slew ten men upon the wall, and they fell below the wall, before Jacob and his sons.

37 And the people upon the wall seeing that twenty of their men had fallen, they still ran toward Judah with drawn swords, but they could not approach him for they were greatly terrified at Judah’s strength.

38 And one of their mighty men whose name was Arud approached to strike Judah upon the head with his sword, when Judah hastily put his shield to his head, and the sword hit the shield, and it was split in two.

39 And this mighty man after he had struck Judah ran for his life, at the fear of Judah, and his feet slipped upon the wall and he fell amongst the sons of Jacob who were below the wall, and the sons of Jacob smote him and slew him.

40 And Judah’s head pained him from the blow of the powerful man, and Judah had nearly died from it.

41 And Judah cried out upon the wall owing to the pain produced by the blow, when Dan heard him, and his anger burned within him, and he also rose up and went at a distance and ran and sprang from the earth and mounted the wall with his wrath-excited strength.

42 And when Dan came upon the wall near unto Judah all the men upon the wall fled, who had stood against Judah, and they went up to the second wall, and they threw arrows and stones upon Dan and Judah from the second wall, and endeavored to drive them from the wall.

43 And the arrows and stones struck Dan and Judah, and they had nearly been killed upon the wall, and wherever Dan and Judah fled from the wall, they were attacked with arrows and stones from the second wall.

44 And Jacob and his sons were still at the entrance of the city below the first wall, and they were not able to draw their bow against the inhabitants of the city, as they could not be seen by them, being upon the second wall.

45 And Dan and Judah when they could no longer bear the stones and arrows that fell upon them from the second wall, they both sprang upon the second wall near the people of the city, and when the people of the city who were upon the second wall saw that Dan and Judah had come to them upon the second wall, they all cried out and descended below between the walls.

46 And Jacob and his sons heard the noise of the shouting from the people of the city, and they were still at the entrance of the city, and they were anxious about Dan and Judah who were not seen by them, they being upon the second wall.

47 And Naphtali went up with his wrath-excited might and sprang upon the first wall to see what caused the noise of shouting which they had heard in the city, and Issachar and Zebulun drew nigh to break the doors of the city, and they opened the gates of the city and came into the city.

48 And Naphtali leaped from the first wall to the second, and came to assist his brothers, and the inhabitants of Gaash who were upon the wall, seeing that Naphtali was the third who had come up to assist his brothers, they all fled and descended into the city, and Jacob and all his sons and all their young men came into the city to them.

49 And Judah and Dan and Naphtali descended from the wall into the city and pursued the inhabitants of the city, and Simeon and Levi were from outside the city and knew not that the gate was opened, and they went up from there to the wall and came down to their brothers into the city.

50 And the inhabitants of the city had all descended into the city, and the sons of Jacob came to them in different directions, and the battle waged against them from the front and the rear, and the sons of Jacob smote them terribly, and slew about twenty thousand of them men and women, not one of them could stand up against the sons of Jacob.

51 And the blood flowed plentifully in the city, and it was like a brook of water, and the blood flowed like a brook to the outer part of the city, and reached the desert of Bethchorin.

52 And the people of Bethchorin saw at a distance the blood flowing from the city of Gaash, and about seventy men from amongst them ran to see the blood, and they came to the place where the blood was.

53 And they followed the track of the blood and came to the wall of the city of Gaash, and they saw the blood issue from the city, and they heard the voice of crying from the inhabitants of Gaash, for it ascended unto heaven, and the blood was continuing to flow abundantly like a brook of water.

54 And all the sons of Jacob were still smiting the inhabitants of Gaash, and were engaged in slaying them till evening, about twenty thousand men and women, and the people of Chorin said, Surely this is the work of the Hebrews, for they are still carrying on war in all the cities of the Amorites.

55 And those people hastened and ran to Bethchorin, and each took his weapons of war, and they cried out to all the inhabitants of Bethchorin, who also girt on their weapons of war to go and fight with the sons of Jacob.

56 And when the sons of Jacob had done smiting the inhabitants of Gaash, they walked about the city to strip all the slain, and coming in the innermost part of the city and farther on they met three very powerful men, and there was no sword in their hand.

57 And the sons of Jacob came up to the place where they were, and the powerful men ran away, and one of them had taken Zebulun, who he saw was a young lad and of short stature, and with his might dashed him to the ground.

58 And Jacob ran to him with his sword and Jacob smote him below his loins with the sword, and cut him in two, and the body fell upon Zebulun.

59 And the second one approached and seized Jacob to fell him to the ground, and Jacob turned to him and shouted to him, whilst Simeon and Levi ran and smote him on the hips with the sword and felled him to the ground.

60 And the powerful man rose up from the ground with wrath-excited might, and Judah came to him before he had gained his footing, and struck him upon the head with the sword, and his head was split and he died.

61 And the third powerful man, seeing that his companions were killed, ran from before the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Jacob pursued him in the city; and whilst the powerful man was fleeing he found one of the swords of the inhabitants of the city, and he picked it up and turned to the sons of Jacob and fought them with that sword.

62 And the powerful man ran to Judah to strike him upon the head with the sword, and there was no shield in the hand of Judah; and whilst he was aiming to strike him, Naphtali hastily took his shield and put it to Judah’s head, and the sword of the powerful man hit the shield of Naphtali and Judah escaped the sword.

63 And Simeon and Levi ran upon the powerful man with their swords and struck at him forcibly with their swords, and the two swords entered the body of the powerful man and divided it in two, length-wise.

64 And the sons of Jacob smote the three mighty men at that time, together with all the inhabitants of Gaash, and the day was about to decline.

65 And the sons of Jacob walked about Gaash and took all the spoil of the city, even the little ones and women they did not suffer to live, and the sons of Jacob did unto Gaash as they had done to Sarton and Shiloh.

Book of Jasher Chapter 40

1 And the sons of Jacob led away all the spoil of Gaash, and went out of the city by night.

2 They were going out marching toward the castle of Bethchorin, and the inhabitants of Bethchorin were going to the castle to meet them, and on that night the sons of Jacob fought with the inhabitants of Bethchorin, in the castle of Bethchorin.

3 And all the inhabitants of Bethchorin were mighty men, one of them would not flee from before a thousand men, and they fought on that night upon the castle, and their shouts were heard on that night from afar, and the earth quaked at their shouting.

4 And all the sons of Jacob were afraid of those men, as they were not accustomed to fight in the dark, and they were greatly confounded, and the sons of Jacob cried unto the Lord, saying, Give help to us O Lord, deliver us that we may not die by the hands of these uncircumcised men.

5 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of the sons of Jacob, and the Lord caused great terror and confusion to seize the people of Bethchorin, and they fought amongst themselves the one with the other in the darkness of night, and smote each other in great numbers.

6 And the sons of Jacob, knowing that the Lord had brought a spirit of perverseness amongst those men, and that they fought each man with his neighbor, went forth from among the bands of the people of Bethchorin and went as far as the descent of the castle of Bethchorin, and farther, and they tarried there securely with their young men on that night.

7 And the people of Bethchorin fought the whole night, one man with his brother, and the other with his neighbor, and they cried out in every direction upon the castle, and their cry was heard at a distance, and the whole earth shook at their voice, for they were powerful above all the people of the earth.

8 And all the inhabitants of the cities of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites and all the kings of Canaan, and also those who were on the other side of the Jordan, heard the noise of the shouting on that night.

9 And they said, Surely these are the battles of the Hebrews who are fighting against the seven cities, who came nigh unto them; and who can stand against those Hebrews?

10 And all the inhabitants of the cities of the Canaanites, and all those who were on the other side of the Jordan, were greatly afraid of the sons of Jacob, for they said, Behold the same will be done to us as was done to those cities, for who can stand against their mighty strength?

11 And the cries of the Chorinites were very great on that night, and continued to increase; and they smote each other till morning, and numbers of them were killed.

12 And the morning appeared, and all the sons of Jacob rose up at daybreak and went up to the castle, and they smote those who remained of the Chorinites in a terrible manner, and they were all killed in the castle.

13 And the sixth day appeared, and all the inhabitants of Canaan saw at a distance all the people of Bethchorin lying dead in the castle of Bethchorin, and strewed about as the carcasses of lambs and goats.

14 And the sons of Jacob led all the spoil which they had captured from Gaash and went to Bethchorin, and they found the city full of people like the sand of the sea, and they fought with them, and the sons of Jacob smote them there till evening time.

15 And the sons of Jacob did unto Bethchorin as they had done to Gaash and Tapnach, and as they had done to Chazar, to Sarton and to Shiloh.

16 And the sons of Jacob took with them the spoil of Bethchorin and all the spoil of the cities, and on that day they went home to Shechem.

17 And the sons of Jacob came home to the city of Shechem, and they remained without the city, and they then rested there from the war, and tarried there all night.

18 And all their servants together with all the spoil that they had taken from the cities, they left without the city, and they did not enter the city, for they said, Peradventure there may be yet more fighting against us, and they may come to besiege us in Shechem.

19 And Jacob and his sons and their servants remained on that night and the next day in the portion of the field which Jacob had purchased from Hamor for five shekels, and all that they had captured was with them.

20 And all the booty which the sons of Jacob had captured, was in the portion of the field, immense as the sand upon the sea shore.

21 And the inhabitants of the land observed them from afar, and all the inhabitants of the land were afraid of the sons of Jacob who had done this thing, for no king from the days of old had ever done the like.

22 And the seven kings of the Canaanites resolved to make peace with the sons of Jacob, for they were greatly afraid of their lives, on account of the sons of Jacob.

23 And on that day, being the seventh day, Japhia king of Hebron sent secretly to the king of Ai, and to the king of Gibeon, and to the king of Shalem, and to the king of Adulam, and to the king of Lachish, and to the king of Chazar, and to all the Canaanitish kings who were under their subjection, saying,

24 Go up with me, and come to me that we may go to the sons of Jacob, and I will make peace with them, and form a treaty with them, lest all your lands be destroyed by the swords of the sons of Jacob, as they did to Shechem and the cities around it, as you have heard and seen.

25 And when you come to me, do not come with many men, but let every king bring his three head captains, and every captain bring three of his officers.

26 And come all of you to Hebron, and we will go together to the sons of Jacob, and supplicate them that they shall form a treaty of peace with us.

27 And all those kings did as the king of Hebron had sent to them, for they were all under his counsel and command, and all the kings of Canaan assembled to go to the sons of Jacob, to make peace with them; and the sons of Jacob returned and went to the portion of the field that was in Shechem, for they did not put confidence in the kings of the land.

28 And the sons of Jacob returned and remained in the portion of the field ten days, and no one came to make war with them.

29 And when the sons of Jacob saw that there was no appearance of war, they all assembled and went to the city of Shechem, and the sons of Jacob remained in Shechem.

30 And at the expiration of forty days, all the kings of the Amorites assembled from all their places and came to Hebron, to Japhia, king of Hebron.

31 And the number of kings that came to Hebron, to make peace with the sons of Jacob, was twenty-one kings, and the number of captains that came with them was sixty-nine, and their men were one hundred and eighty-nine, and all these kings and their men rested by Mount Hebron.

32 And the king of Hebron went out with his three captains and nine men, and these kings resolved to go to the sons of Jacob to make peace.

33 And they said unto the king of Hebron, Go thou before us with thy men, and speak for us unto the sons of Jacob, and we will come after thee and confirm thy words, and the king of Hebron did so.

34 And the sons of Jacob heard that all the kings of Canaan had gathered together and rested in Hebron, and the sons of Jacob sent four of their servants as spies, saying, Go and spy these kings, and search and examine their men whether they are few or many, and if they are but few in number, number them all and come back.

35 And the servants of Jacob went secretly to these kings, and did as the sons of Jacob had commanded them, and on that day they came back to the sons of Jacob, and said unto them, We came unto those kings, and they are but few in number, and we numbered them all, and behold, they were two hundred and eighty-eight, kings and men.

36 And the sons of Jacob said, They are but few in number, therefore we will not all go out to them; and in the morning the sons of Jacob rose up and chose sixty two of their men, and ten of the sons of Jacob went with them; and they girt on their weapons of war, for they said, They are coming to make war with us, for they knew not that they were coming to make peace with them.

37 And the sons of Jacob went with their servants to the gate of Shechem, toward those kings, and their father Jacob was with them.

38 And when they had come forth, behold, the king of Hebron and his three captains and nine men with him were coming along the road against the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Jacob lifted up their eyes, and saw at a distance Japhia, king of Hebron, with his captains, coming toward them, and the sons of Jacob took their stand at the place of the gate of Shechem, and did not proceed.

39 And the king of Hebron continued to advance, he and his captains, until he came nigh to the sons of Jacob, and he and his captains bowed down to them to the ground, and the king of Hebron sat with his captains before Jacob and his sons.

40 And the sons of Jacob said unto him, What has befallen thee, O king of Hebron? why hast thou come to us this day? what dost thou require from us? and the king of Hebron said unto Jacob, I beseech thee my lord, all the kings of the Canaanites have this day come to make peace with you.

41 And the sons of Jacob heard the words of the king of Hebron, and they would not consent to his proposals, for the sons of Jacob had no faith in him, for they imagined that the king of Hebron had spoken deceitfully to them.

42 And the king of Hebron knew from the words of the sons of Jacob, that they did not believe his words, and the king of Hebron approached nearer to Jacob, and said unto him, I beseech thee, my lord, to be assured that all these kings have come to you on peaceable terms, for they have not come with all their men, neither did they bring their weapons of war with them, for they have come to seek peace from my lord and his sons.

43 And the sons of Jacob answered the king of Hebron, saying, Send thou to all these kings, and if thou speakest truth unto us, let them each come singly before us, and if they come unto us unarmed, we shall then know that they seek peace from us.

44 And Japhia, king of Hebron, sent one of his men to the kings, and they all came before the sons of Jacob, and bowed down to them to the ground, and these kings sat before Jacob and his sons, and they spoke unto them, saying,

45 We have heard all that you did unto the kings of the Amorites with your sword and exceedingly mighty arm, so that no man could stand up before you, and we were afraid of you for the sake of our lives, lest it should befall us as it did to them.

46 So we have come unto you to form a treaty of peace between us, and now therefore contract with us a covenant of peace and truth, that you will not meddle with us, inasmuch as we have not meddled with you.

47 And the sons of Jacob knew that they had really come to seek peace from them, and the sons of Jacob listened to them, and formed a covenant with them.

48 And the sons of Jacob swore unto them that they would not meddle with them, and all the kings of the Canaanites swore also to them, and the sons of Jacob made them tributary from that day forward.

49 And after this all the captains of these kings came with their men before Jacob, with presents in their hands for Jacob and his sons, and they bowed down to him to the ground.

50 And these kings then urged the sons of Jacob and begged of them to return all the spoil they had captured from the seven cities of the Amorites, and the sons of Jacob did so, and they returned all that they had captured, the women, the little ones, the cattle and all the spoil which they had taken, and they sent them off, and they went away each to his city.

51 And all these kings again bowed down to the sons of Jacob, and they sent or brought them many gifts in those days, and the sons of Jacob sent off these kings and their men, and they went peaceably away from them to their cities, and the sons of Jacob also returned to their home, to Shechem.

52 And there was peace from that day forward between the sons of Jacob and the kings of the Canaanites, until the children of Israel came to inherit the land of Canaan.

Book of Jasher (37-38)

•October 9, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Jews are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and they will keep on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

— whenever there is a war, Judah seems to be the first to fight: Jasher 37:26 And Judah, the son of Jacob, ran first . . . into battle; but God assisted him; Jasher 37:30.

Book of Jasher Chapter 37

1 And in the one hundred and fifth year of the life of Jacob, that is the ninth year of Jacob’s dwelling with his children in the land of Canaan, he came from Padan-aram.

2 And in those days Jacob journeyed with his children from Hebron, and they went and returned to the city of Shechem, they and all belonging to them, and they dwelt there, for the children of Jacob obtained good and fat pasture land for their cattle in the city of Shechem, the city of Shechem having then been rebuilt, and there were in it about three hundred men and women.

3 And Jacob and his children and all belonging to him dwelt in the part of the field which Jacob had bought from Hamor the father of Shechem, when he came from Padan-aram before Simeon and Levi had smitten the city.

4 And all those kings of the Canaanites and Amorites that surrounded the city of Shechem, heard that the sons of Jacob had again come to Shechem and dwelt there.

5 And they said, Shall the sons of Jacob the Hebrew again come to the city and dwell therein, after that they have smitten its inhabitants and driven them out? shall they now return and also drive out those who are dwelling in the city or slay them?

6 And all the kings of Canaan again assembled, and they came together to make war with Jacob and his sons.

7 And Jashub king of Tapnach sent also to all his neighboring kings, to Elan king of Gaash, and to Ihuri king of Shiloh, and to Parathon king of Chazar, and to Susi king of Sarton, and to Laban king of Bethchoran, and to Shabir king of Othnay-mah, saying,

8 Come up to me and assist me, and let us smite Jacob the Hebrew and his sons, and all belonging to him, for they are again come to Shechem to possess it and to slay its inhabitants as before.

9 And all these kings assembled together and came with all their camps, a people exceedingly plentiful like the sand upon the sea shore, and they were all opposite to Tapnach.

10 And Jashub king of Tapnach went forth to them with all his army, and he encamped with them opposite to Tapnach outside the city, and all these kings they divided into seven divisions, being seven camps against the sons of Jacob.

11 And they sent a declaration to Jacob and his son, saying, Come you all forth to us that we may have an interview together in the plain, and revenge the cause of the men of Shechem whom you slew in their city, and you will now again return to the city of Shechem and dwell therein, and slay its inhabitants as before.

12 And the sons of Jacob heard this and their anger was kindled exceedingly at the words of the kings of Canaan, and ten of the sons of Jacob hastened and rose up, and each of them girt on his weapons of war; and there were one hundred and two of their servants with them equipped in battle array.

13 And all these men, the sons of Jacob with their servants, went toward these kings, and Jacob their father was with them, and they all stood upon the heap of Shechem.

14 And Jacob prayed to the Lord for his sons, and he spread forth his hands to the Lord, and he said, O God, thou art an Almighty God, thou art our father, thou didst form us and we are the works of thine hands; I pray thee deliver my sons through thy mercy from the hand of their enemies, who are this day coming to fight with them and save them from their hand, for in thy hand is power and might, to save the few from the many.

15 And give unto my sons, thy servants, strength of heart and might to fight with their enemies, to subdue them, and make their enemies fall before them, and let not my sons and their servants die through the hands of the children of Canaan.

16 But if it seemeth good in thine eyes to take away the lives of my sons and their servants, take them in thy great mercy through the hands of thy ministers, that they may not perish this day by the hands of the kings of the Amorites.

17 And when Jacob ceased praying to the Lord the earth shook from its place, and the sun darkened, and all these kings were terrified and a great consternation seized them.

18 And the Lord hearkened to the prayer of Jacob, and the Lord impressed the hearts of all the kings and their hosts with the terror and awe of the sons of Jacob.

19 For the Lord caused them to hear the voice of chariots, and the voice of mighty horses from the sons of Jacob, and the voice of a great army accompanying them.

20 And these kings were seized with great terror at the sons of Jacob, and whilst they were standing in their quarters, behold the sons of Jacob advanced upon them, with one hundred and twelve men, with a great and tremendous shouting.

21 And when the kings saw the sons of Jacob advancing toward them, they were still more panic struck, and they were inclined to retreat from before the sons of Jacob as at first, and not to fight with them.

22 But they did not retreat, saying, It would be a disgrace to us thus twice to retreat from before the Hebrews.

23 And the sons of Jacob came near and advanced against all these kings and their armies, and they saw, and behold it was a very mighty people, numerous as the sand of the sea.

24 And the sons of Jacob called unto the Lord and said, Help us O Lord, help us and answer us, for we trust in thee, and let us not die by the hands of these uncircumcised men, who this day have come against us.

25 And the sons of Jacob girt on their weapons of war, and they took in their hands each man his shield and his javelin, and they approached to battle.

26 And Judah, the son of Jacob, ran first before his brethren, and ten of his servants with him, and he went toward these kings.

27 And Jashub, king of Tapnach, also came forth first with his army before Judah, and Judah saw Jashub and his army coming toward him, and Judah’s wrath was kindled, and his anger burned within him, and he approached to battle in which Judah ventured his life.

28 And Jashub and all his army were advancing toward Judah, and he was riding upon a very strong and powerful horse, and Jashub was a very valiant man, and covered with iron and brass from head to foot.

29 And whilst he was upon the horse, he shot arrows with both hands from before and behind, as was his manner in all his battles, and he never missed the place to which he aimed his arrows.

30 And when Jashub came to fight with Judah, and was darting many arrows against Judah, the Lord bound the hand of Jashub, and all the arrows that he shot rebounded upon his own men.

31 And notwithstanding this, Jashub kept advancing toward Judah, to challenge him with the arrows, but the distance between them was about thirty cubits, and when Judah saw Jashub darting forth his arrows against him, he ran to him with his wrath-excited might.

32 And Judah took up a large stone from the ground, and its weight was sixty shekels, and Judah ran toward Jashub, and with the stone struck him on his shield, that Jashub was stunned with the blow, and fell off from his horse to the ground.

33 And the shield burst asunder out of the hand of Jashub, and through the force of the blow sprang to the distance of about fifteen cubits, and the shield fell before the second camp.

34 And the kings that came with Jashub saw at a distance the strength of Judah, the son of Jacob, and what he had done to Jashub, and they were terribly afraid of Judah.

35 And they assembled near Jashub’s camp, seeing his confusion, and Judah drew his sword and smote forty-two men of the camp of Jashub, and the whole of Jashub’s camp fled before Judah, and no man stood against him, and they left Jashub and fled from him, and Jashub was still prostrate upon the ground.

36 And Jashub seeing that all the men of his camp had fled from him, hastened and rose up with terror against Judah, and stood upon his legs opposite Judah.

37 And Jashub had a single combat with Judah, placing shield toward shield, and Jashub’s men all fled, for they were greatly afraid of Judah.

38 And Jashub took his spear in his hand to strike Judah upon his head, but Judah had quickly placed his shield to his head against Jashub’s spear, so that the shield of Judah received the blow from Jashub’s spear, and the shield was split in too.

39 And when Judah saw that his shield was split, he hastily drew his sword and smote Jashub at his ankles, and cut off his feet that Jashub fell upon the ground, and the spear fell from his hand.

40 And Judah hastily picked up Jashub’s spear, with which he severed his head and cast it next to his feet.

41 And when the sons of Jacob saw what Judah had done to Jashub, they all ran into the ranks of the other kings, and the sons of Jacob fought with the army of Jashub, and the armies of all the kings that were there.

42 And the sons of Jacob caused fifteen thousand of their men to fall, and they smote them as if smiting at gourds, and the rest fled for their lives.

43 And Judah was still standing by the body of Jashub, and stripped Jashub of his coat of mail.

44 And Judah also took off the iron and brass that was about Jashub, and behold nine men of the captains of Jashub came along to fight against Judah.

45 And Judah hastened and took up a stone from the ground, and with it smote one of them upon the head, and his skull was fractured, and the body also fell from the horse to the ground.

46 And the eight captains that remained, seeing the strength of Judah, were greatly afraid and they fled, and Judah with his ten men pursued them, and they overtook them and slew them.

47 And the sons of Jacob were still smiting the armies of the kings, and they slew many of them, but those kings daringly kept their stand with their captains, and did not retreat from their places, and they exclaimed against those of their armies that fled from before the sons of Jacob, but none would listen to them, for they were afraid of their lives lest they should die.

48 And all the sons of Jacob, after having smitten the armies of the kings, returned and came before Judah, and Judah was still slaying the eight captains of Jashub, and stripping off their garments.

49 And Levi saw Elon, king of Gaash, advancing toward him, with his fourteen captains to smite him, but Levi did not know it for certain.

50 And Elon with his captains approached nearer, and Levi looked back and saw that battle was given him in the rear, and Levi ran with twelve of his servants, and they went and slew Elon and his captains with the edge of the sword.

Book of Jasher Chapter 38

1 And Ihuri king of Shiloh came up to assist Elon, and he approached Jacob, when Jacob drew his bow that was in his hand and with an arrow struck Ihuri which caused his death.

2 And when Ihuri king of Shiloh was dead, the four remaining kings fled from their station with the rest of the captains, and they endeavored to retreat, saying, We have no more strength with the Hebrews after their having killed the three kings and their captains who were more powerful than we are.

3 And when the sons of Jacob saw that the remaining kings had removed from their station, they pursued them, and Jacob also came from the heap of Shechem from the place where he was standing, and they went after the kings and they approached them with their servants.

4 And the kings and the captains with the rest of their armies, seeing that the sons of Jacob approached them, were afraid of their lives and fled till they reached the city of Chazar.

5 And the sons of Jacob pursued them to the gate of the city of Chazar, and they smote a great smiting amongst the kings and their armies, about four thousand men, and whilst they were smiting the army of the kings, Jacob was occupied with his bow confining himself to smiting the kings, and he slew them all.

6 And he slew Parathon king of Chazar at the gate of the city of Chazar, and he afterward smote Susi king of Sarton, and Laban king of Bethchorin, and Shabir king of Machnaymah, and he slew them all with arrows, an arrow to each of them, and they died.

7 And the sons of Jacob seeing that all the kings were dead and that they were broken up and retreating, continued to carry on the battle with the armies of the kings opposite the gate of Chazar, and they still smote about four hundred of their men.

8 And three men of the servants of Jacob fell in that battle, and when Judah saw that three of his servants had died, it grieved him greatly, and his anger burned within him against the Amorites.

9 And all the men that remained of the armies of the kings were greatly afraid of their lives, and they ran and broke the gate of the walls of the city of Chazar, and they all entered the city for safety.

10 And they concealed themselves in the midst of the city of Chazar, for the city of Chazar was very large and extensive, and when all these armies had entered the city, the sons of Jacob ran after them to the city.

11 And four mighty men, experienced in battle, went forth from the city and stood against the entrance of the city, with drawn swords and spears in their hands, and they placed themselves opposite the sons of Jacob, and would not suffer them to enter the city.

12 And Naphtali ran and came between them and with his sword smote two of them, and cut off their heads at one stroke.

13 And he turned to the other two, and behold they had fled, and he pursued them, overtook them, smote them and slew them.

14 And the sons of Jacob came to the city and saw, and behold there was another wall to the city, and they sought for the gate of the wall and could not find it, and Judah sprang upon the top of the wall, and Simeon and Levi followed him, and they all three descended from the wall into the city.

15 And Simeon and Levi slew all the men who ran for safety into the city, and also the inhabitants of the city with their wives and little ones, they slew with the edge of the sword, and the cries of the city ascended up to heaven.

16 And Dan and Naphtali sprang upon the wall to see what caused the noise of lamentation, for the sons of Jacob felt anxious about their brothers, and they heard the inhabitants of the city speaking with weeping and supplications, saying, Take all that we possess in the city and go away, only do not put us to death.

17 And when Judah, Simeon, and Levi had ceased smiting the inhabitants of the city, they ascended the wall and called to Dan and Naphtali, who were upon the wall, and to the rest of their brothers, and Simeon and Levi informed them of the entrance into the city, and all the sons of Jacob came to fetch the spoil.

18 And the sons of Jacob took the spoil of the city of Chazar, the flocks and herds, and the property, and they took all that could be captured, and went away that day from the city.

19 And on the next day the sons of Jacob went to Sarton, for they heard that the men of Sarton who had remained in the city were assembling to fight with them for having slain their king, and Sarton was a very high and fortified city, and it had a deep rampart surrounding the city.

20 And the pillar of the rampart was about fifty cubits and its breadth forty cubits, and there was no place for a man to enter the city on account of the rampart, and the sons of Jacob saw the rampart of the city, and they sought an entrance in it but could not find it.

21 For the entrance to the city was at the rear, and every man that wished to come into the city came by that road and went around the whole city, and he afterwards entered the city.

22 And the sons of Jacob seeing they could not find the way into the city, their anger was kindled greatly, and the inhabitants of the city seeing that the sons of Jacob were coming to them were greatly afraid of them, for they had heard of their strength and what they had done to Chazar.

23 And the inhabitants of the city of Sarton could not go out toward the sons of Jacob after having assembled in the city to fight against them, lest they might thereby get into the city, but when they saw that they were coming toward them, they were greatly afraid of them, for they had heard of their strength and what they had done to Chazar.

24 So the inhabitants of Sarton speedily took away the bridge of the road of the city, from its place, before the sons of Jacob came, and they brought it into the city.

25 And the sons of Jacob came and sought the way into the city, and could not find it and the inhabitants of the city went up to the top of the wall, and saw, and behold the sons of Jacob were seeking an entrance into the city.

26 And the inhabitants of the city reproached the sons of Jacob from the top of the wall, and they cursed them, and the sons of Jacob heard the reproaches, and they were greatly incensed, and their anger burned within them.

27 And the sons of Jacob were provoked at them, and they all rose and sprang over the rampart with the force of their strength, and through their might passed the forty cubits’ breadth of the rampart.

28 And when they had passed the rampart they stood under the wall of the city, and they found all the gates of the city enclosed with iron doors.

29 And the sons of Jacob came near to break open the doors of the gates of the city, and the inhabitants did not let them, for from the top of the wall they were casting stones and arrows upon them.

30 And the number of the people that were upon the wall was about four hundred men, and when the sons of Jacob saw that the men of the city would not let them open the gates of the city, they sprang and ascended the top of the wall, and Judah went up first to the east part of the city.

31 And Gad and Asher went up after him to the west corner of the city, and Simeon and Levi to the north, and Dan and Reuben to the south.

32 And the men who were on the top of the wall, the inhabitants of the city, seeing that the sons of Jacob were coming up to them, they all fled from the wall, descended into the city, and concealed themselves in the midst of the city.

33 And Issachar and Naphtali that remained under the wall approached and broke the gates of the city, and kindled a fire at the gates of the city, that the iron melted, and all the sons of Jacob came into the city, they and all their men, and they fought with the inhabitants of the city of Sarton, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and no man stood up before them.

34 And about two hundred men fled from the city, and they all went and hid themselves in a certain tower in the city, and Judah pursued them to the tower and he broke down the tower, which fell upon the men, and they all died.

35 And the sons of Jacob went up the road of the roof of that tower, and they saw, and behold there was another strong and high tower at a distance in the city, and the top of it reached to heaven, and the sons of Jacob hastened and descended, and went with all their men to that tower, and found it filled with about three hundred men, women and little ones.

36 And the sons of Jacob smote a great smiting amongst those men in the tower and they ran away and fled from them.

37 And Simeon and Levi pursued them, when twelve mighty and valiant men came out to them from the place where they had concealed themselves.

38 And those twelve men maintained a strong battle against Simeon and Levi, and Simeon and Levi could not prevail over them, and those valiant men broke the shields of Simeon and Levi, and one of them struck at Levi’s head with his sword, when Levi hastily placed his hand to his head, for he was afraid of the sword, and the sword struck Levi’s hand, and it wanted but little to the hand of Levi being cut off.

39 And Levi seized the sword of the valiant man in his hand, and took it forcibly from the man, and with it he struck at the head of the powerful man, and he severed his head.

40 And eleven men approached to fight with Levi, for they saw that one of them was killed, and the sons of Jacob fought, but the sons of Jacob could not prevail over them, for those men were very powerful.

41 And the sons of Jacob seeing that they could not prevail over them, Simeon gave a loud and tremendous shriek, and the eleven powerful men were stunned at the voice of Simeon’s shrieking.

42 And Judah at a distance knew the voice of Simeon’s shouting, and Naphtali and Judah ran with their shields to Simeon and Levi, and found them fighting with those powerful men, unable to prevail over them as their shields were broken.

43 And Naphtali saw that the shields of Simeon and Levi were broken, and he took two shields from his servants and brought them to Simeon and Levi.

44 And Simeon, Levi and Judah on that day fought all three against the eleven mighty men until the time of sunset, but they could not prevail over them.

45 And this was told unto Jacob, and he was sorely grieved, and he prayed unto the Lord, and he and Naphtali his son went against these mighty men.

46 And Jacob approached and drew his bow, and came nigh unto the mighty men, and slew three of their men with the bow, and the remaining eight turned back, and behold, the war waged against them in the front and rear, and they were greatly afraid of their lives, and could not stand before the sons of Jacob, and they fled from before them.

47 And in their flight they met Dan and Asher coming toward them, and they suddenly fell upon them, and fought with them, and slew two of them, and Judah and his brothers pursued them, and smote the remainder of them, and slew them.

48 And all the sons of Jacob returned and walked about the city, searching if they could find any men, and they found about twenty young men in a cave in the city, and Gad and Asher smote them all, and Dan and Naphtali lighted upon the rest of the men who had fled and escaped from the second tower, and they smote them all.

49 And the sons of Jacob smote all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton, but the women and little ones they left in the city and did not slay them.

50 And all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton were powerful men, one of them would pursue a thousand, and two of them would not flee from ten thousand of the rest of men.

51 And the sons of Jacob slew all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton with the edge of the sword, that no man stood up against them, and they left the women in the city.

52 And the sons of Jacob took all the spoil of the city, and captured what they desired, and they took flocks and herds and property from the city, and the sons of Jacob did unto Sarton and its inhabitants as they had done to Chazar and its inhabitants, and they turned and went away.

Book of Jasher (35-36)

•October 8, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Jews are prone to go to war with its neighbours: and they will keep on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans or the ancient Philistines, and the Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 35

1 And all the kings of the Amorites came and took their stand in the field to consult with their counsellors what was to be done with the sons of Jacob, for they were still afraid of them, saying, Behold, two of them slew the whole of the city of Shechem.

2 And the Lord heard the prayers of Isaac and Jacob, and he filled the hearts of all these kings’ advisers with great fear and terror that they unanimously exclaimed,

3 Are you silly this day, or is there no understanding in you, that you will fight with the Hebrews, and why will you take a delight in your own destruction this day?

4 Behold two of them came to the city of Shechem without fear or terror, and they killed all the inhabitants of the city, that no man stood up against them, and how will you be able to fight with them all?

5 Surely you know that their God is exceedingly fond of them, and has done mighty things for them, such as have not been done from days of old, and amongst all the gods of nations, there is none can do like unto his mighty deeds.

6 Surely he delivered their father Abraham, the Hebrew, from the hand of Nimrod, and from the hand of all his people who had many times sought to slay him.

7 He delivered him also from the fire in which king Nimrod had cast him, and his God delivered him from it.

8 And who else can do the like? surely it was Abraham who slew the five kings of Elam, when they had touched his brother’s son who in those days dwelt in Sodom.

9 And took his servant that was faithful in his house and a few of his men, and they pursued the kings of Elam in one night and killed them, and restored to his brother’s son all his property which they had taken from him.

10 And surely you know the God of these Hebrews is much delighted with them, and they are also delighted with him, for they know that he delivered them from all their enemies.

11 And behold through his love toward his God, Abraham took his only and precious son and intended to bring him up as a burnt offering to his God, and had it not been for God who prevented him from doing this, he would then have done it through his love to his God.

12 And God saw all his works, and swore unto him, and promised him that he would deliver his sons and all his seed from every trouble that would befall them, because he had done this thing, and through his love to his God stifled his compassion for his child.

13 And have you not heard what their God did to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to Abimelech king of Gerar, through taking Abraham’s wife, who said of her, She is my sister, lest they might slay him on account of her, and think of taking her for a wife? and God did unto them and their people all that you heard of.

14 And behold, we ourselves saw with our eyes that Esau, the brother of Jacob, came to him with four hundred men, with the intention of slaying him, for he called to mind that he had taken away from him his father’s blessing.

15 And he went to meet him when he came from Syria, to smite the mother with the children, and who delivered him from his hands but his God in whom he trusted? he delivered him from the hand of his brother and also from the hands of his enemies, and surely he again will protect them.

16 Who does not know that it was their God who inspired them with strength to do to the town of Shechem the evil which you heard of?

17 Could it then be with their own strength that two men could destroy such a large city as Shechem had it not been for their God in whom they trusted? he said and did unto them all this to slay the inhabitants of the city in their city.

18 And can you then prevail over them who have come forth together from your city to fight with the whole of them, even if a thousand times as many more should come to your assistance?

19 Surely you know and understand that you do not come to fight with them, but you come to war with their God who made choice of them, and you have therefore all come this day to be destroyed.

20 Now therefore refrain from this evil which you are endeavoring to bring upon yourselves, and it will be better for you not to go to battle with them, although they are but few in numbers, because their God is with them.

21 And when the kings of the Amorites heard all the words of their advisers, their hearts were filled with terror, and they were afraid of the sons of Jacob and would not fight against them.

22 And they inclined their ears to the words of their advisers, and they listened to all their words, and the words of the counsellors greatly pleased the kings, and they did so.

23 And the kings turned and refrained from the sons of Jacob, for they durst not approach them to make war with them, for they were greatly afraid of them, and their hearts melted within them from their fear of them.

24 For this proceeded from the Lord to them, for he heard the prayers of his servants Isaac and Jacob, for they trusted in him; and all these kings returned with their camps on that day, each to his own city, and they did not at that time fight with the sons of Jacob.

25 And the sons of Jacob kept their station that day till evening opposite mount Sihon, and seeing that these kings did not come to fight against them, the sons of Jacob returned home.

Book of Jasher Chapter 36

1 At that time the Lord appeared unto Jacob saying, Arise, go to Bethel and remain there, and make there an altar to the Lord who appeareth unto thee, who delivered thee and thy sons from affliction.

2 And Jacob rose up with his sons and all belonging to him, and they went and came to Bethel according to the word of the Lord.

3 And Jacob was ninety-nine years old when he went up to Bethel, and Jacob and his sons and all the people that were with him, remained in Bethel in Luz, and he there built an altar to the Lord who appeared unto him, and Jacob and his sons remained in Bethel six months.

4 At that time died Deborah the daughter of Uz, the nurse of Rebecca, who had been with Jacob; and Jacob buried her beneath Bethel under an oak that was there.

5 And Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel, the mother of Jacob, also died at that time in Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, and she was buried in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth.

6 And the life of Rebecca was one hundred and thirty-three years, and she died and when Jacob heard that his mother Rebecca was dead he wept bitterly for his mother, and made a great mourning for her, and for Deborah her nurse beneath the oak, and he called the name of that place Allon-bachuth.

7 And Laban the Syrian died in those days, for God smote him because he transgressed the covenant that existed between him and Jacob.

8 And Jacob was a hundred years old when the Lord appeared unto him, and blessed him and called his name Israel, and Rachel the wife of Jacob conceived in those days.

9 And at that time Jacob and all belonging to him journeyed from Bethel to go to his father’s house, to Hebron.

10 And whilst they were going on the road, and there was yet but a little way to come to Ephrath, Rachel bare a son and she had hard labor and she died.

11 And Jacob buried her in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, and he set a pillar upon her grave, which is there unto this day; and the days of Rachel were forty-five years and she died.

12 And Jacob called the name of his son that was born to him, which Rachel bare unto him, Benjamin, for he was born to him in the land on the right hand.

13 And it was after the death of Rachel, that Jacob pitched his tent in the tent of her handmaid Bilhah.

14 And Reuben was jealous for his mother Leah on account of this, and he was filled with anger, and he rose up in his anger and went and entered the tent of Bilhah and he thence removed his father’s bed.

15 At that time the portion of birthright, together with the kingly and priestly offices, was removed from the sons of Reuben, for he had profaned his father’s bed, and the birthright was given unto Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood unto Levi, because Reuben had defiled his father’s bed.

16 And these are the generations of Jacob who were born to him in Padan-aram, and the sons of Jacob were twelve.

17 The sons of Leah were Reuben the first born, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and their sister Dinah; and the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

18 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, were Gad and Asher, and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, were Dan and Naphtali; these are the sons of Jacob which were born to him in Padan-aram.

19 And Jacob and his sons and all belonging to him journeyed and came to Mamre, which is Kireath-arba, that is in Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned, and Jacob with his sons and all belonging to him, dwelt with his father in Hebron.

20 And his brother Esau and his sons, and all belonging to him went to the land of Seir and dwelt there, and had possessions in the land of Seir, and the children of Esau were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land of Seir.

21 And these are the generations of Esau that were born to him in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Esau were five.

22 And Adah bare to Esau his first born Eliphaz, and she also bare to him Reuel, and Ahlibamah bare to him Jeush, Yaalam and Korah.

23 These are the children of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Eliphaz the son of Esau were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz and Amalex, and the sons of Reuel were Nachath, Zerach, Shamah and Mizzah.

24 And the sons of Jeush were Timnah, Alvah, Jetheth; and the sons of Yaalam were Alah, Phinor and Kenaz.

25 And the sons of Korah were Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Eram; these are the families of the sons of Esau according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir.

26 And these are the names of the sons of Seir the Horite, inhabitants of the land of Seir, Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishan, Ezer and Dishon, being seven sons.

27 And the children of Lotan were Hori, Heman and their sister Timna, that is Timna who came to Jacob and his sons, and they would not give ear to her, and she went and became a concubine to Eliphaz the son of Esau, and she bare to him Amalek.

28 And the sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam, and the sons of Zibeon were Ajah, and Anah, this was that Anah who found the Yemim in the wilderness when he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.

29 And whilst he was feeding his father’s asses he led them to the wilderness at different times to feed them.

30 And there was a day that he brought them to one of the deserts on the sea shore, opposite the wilderness of the people, and whilst he was feeding them, behold a very heavy storm came from the other side of the sea and rested upon the asses that were feeding there, and they all stood still.

31 And afterward about one hundred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where the asses were, and they placed themselves there.

32 And those animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the likeness of the keephas, with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like the tails of the ducheephath, and these animals came and mounted and rode upon these asses, and led them away, and they went away unto this day.

33 And one of these animals approached Anah and smote him with his tail, and then fled from that place.

34 And when he saw this work he was exceedingly afraid of his life, and he fled and escaped to the city.

35 And he related to his sons and brothers all that had happened to him, and many men went to seek the asses but could not find them, and Anah and his brothers went no more to that place from that day following, for they were greatly afraid of their lives.

36 And the children of Anah the son of Seir, were Dishon and his sister Ahlibamah, and the children of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Cheran, and the children of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan, and the children of Dishon were Uz and Aran.

37 These are the families of the children of Seir the Horite, according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir.

38 And Esau and his children dwelt in the land of Seir the Horite, the inhabitant of the land, and they had possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly, and Jacob and his children and all belonging to them, dwelt with their father Isaac in the land of Canaan, as the Lord had commanded Abraham their father.

Book of Jasher (33-34)

•October 7, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher, or the Book of the Righteous (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר sēfer hayyāšār), is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 33

1 And in some time after Jacob went away from the borders of the land, and he came to the land of Shalem, that is the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, and he rested in front of the city.

2 And he bought a parcel of the field which was there, from the children of Hamor the people of the land, for five shekels.

3 And Jacob there built himself a house, and he pitched his tent there, and he made booths for his cattle, therefore he called the name of that place Succoth.

4 And Jacob remained in Succoth a year and six months.

5 At that time some of the women of the inhabitants of the land went to the city of Shechem to dance and rejoice with the daughters of the people of the city, and when they went forth then Rachel and Leah the wives of Jacob with their families also went to behold the rejoicing of the daughters of the city.

6 And Dinah the daughter of Jacob also went along with them and saw the daughters of the city, and they remained there before these daughters whilst all the people of the city were standing by them to behold their rejoicings, and all the great people of the city were there.

7 And Shechem the son of Hamor, the prince of the land was also standing there to see them.

8 And Shechem beheld Dinah the daughter of Jacob sitting with her mother before the daughters of the city, and the damsel pleased him greatly, and he there asked his friends and his people, saying, Whose daughter is that sitting amongst the women, whom I do not know in this city?

9 And they said unto him, Surely this is the daughter of Jacob the son of Isaac the Hebrew, who has dwelt in this city for some time, and when it was reported that the daughters of the land were going forth to rejoice she went with her mother and maid servants to sit amongst them as thou seest.

10 And Shechem beheld Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and when he looked at her his soul became fixed upon Dinah.

11 And he sent and had her taken by force, and Dinah came to the house of Shechem and he seized her forcibly and lay with her and humbled her, and he loved her exceedingly and placed her in his house.

12 And they came and told the thing unto Jacob, and when Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, Jacob sent twelve of his servants to fetch Dinah from the house of Shechem, and they went and came to the house of Shechem to take away Dinah from there.

13 And when they came Shechem went out to them with his men and drove them from his house, and he would not suffer them to come before Dinah, but Shechem was sitting with Dinah kissing and embracing her before their eyes.

14 And the servants of Jacob came back and told him, saying, When we came, he and his men drove us away, and thus did Shechem do unto Dinah before our eyes.

15 And Jacob knew moreover that Shechem had defiled his daughter, but he said nothing, and his sons were feeding his cattle in the field, and Jacob remained silent till their return.

16 And before his sons came home Jacob sent two maidens from his servants’ daughters to take care of Dinah in the house of Shechem, and to remain with her, and Shechem sent three of his friends to his father Hamor the son of Chiddekem, the son of Pered, saying, Get me this damsel for a wife.

17 And Hamor the son of Chiddekem the Hivite came to the house of Shechem his son, and he sat before him, and Hamor said unto his son, Shechem, Is there then no woman amongst the daughters of thy people that thou wilt take an Hebrew woman who is not of thy people?

18 And Shechem said to him, Her only must thou get for me, for she is delightful in my sight; and Hamor did according to the word of his son, for he was greatly beloved by him.

19 And Hamor went forth to Jacob to commune with him concerning this matter, and when he had gone from the house of his son Shechem, before he came to Jacob to speak unto him, behold the sons of Jacob had come from the field, as soon as they heard the thing that Shechem the son of Hamor had done.

20 And the men were very much grieved concerning their sister, and they all came home fired with anger, before the time of gathering in their cattle.

21 And they came and sat before their father and they spoke unto him kindled with wrath, saying, Surely death is due to this man and to his household, because the Lord God of the whole earth commanded Noah and his children that man shall never rob, nor commit adultery; now behold Shechem has both ravaged and committed fornication with our sister, and not one of all the people of the city spoke a word to him.

22 Surely thou knowest and understandest that the judgment of death is due to Shechem, and to his father, and to the whole city on account of the thing which he has done.

23 And whilst they were speaking before their father in this matter, behold Hamor the father of Shechem came to speak to Jacob the words of his son concerning Dinah, and he sat before Jacob and before his sons.

24 And Hamor spoke unto them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter; I pray you give her unto him for a wife and intermarry with us; give us your daughters and we will give you our daughters, and you shall dwell with us in our land and we will be as one people in the land.

25 For our land is very extensive, so dwell ye and trade therein and get possessions in it, and do therein as you desire, and no one shall prevent you by saying a word to you.

26 And Hamor ceased speaking unto Jacob and his sons, and behold Shechem his son had come after him, and he sat before them.

27 And Shechem spoke before Jacob and his sons, saying, May I find favor in your sight that you will give me your daughter, and whatever you say unto me that will I do for her.

28 Ask me for abundance of dowry and gift, and I will give it, and whatever you shall say unto me that will I do, and whoever he be that will rebel against your orders, he shall die; only give me the damsel for a wife.

29 And Simeon and Levi answered Hamor and Shechem his son deceitfully, saying, All you have spoken unto us we will do for you.

30 And behold our sister is in your house, but keep away from her until we send to our father Isaac concerning this matter, for we can do nothing without his consent.

31 For he knoweth the ways of our father Abraham, and whatever he sayeth unto us we will tell you, we will conceal nothing from you.

32 And Simeon and Levi spoke this unto Shechem and his father in order to find a pretext, and to seek counsel what was to be done to Shechem and to his city in this matter.

33 And when Shechem and his father heard the words of Simeon and Levi, it seemed good in their sight, and Shechem and his father came forth to go home.

34 And when they had gone, the sons of Jacob said unto their father, saying, Behold, we know that death is due to these wicked ones and to their city, because they transgressed that which God had commanded unto Noah and his children and his seed after them.

35 And also because Shechem did this thing to our sister Dinah in defiling her, for such vileness shall never be done amongst us.

36 Now therefore know and see what you will do, and seek counsel and pretext what is to be done to them, in order to kill all the inhabitants of this city.

37 And Simeon said to them, Here is a proper advice for you: tell them to circumcise every male amongst them as we are circumcised, and if they do not wish to do this, we shall take our daughter from them and go away.

38 And if they consent to do this and will do it, then when they are sunk down with pain, we will attack them with our swords, as upon one who is quiet and peaceable, and we will slay every male person amongst them.

39 And Simeon’s advice pleased them, and Simeon and Levi resolved to do unto them as it was proposed.

40 And on the next morning Shechem and Hamor his father came again unto Jacob and his sons, to speak concerning Dinah, and to hear what answer the sons of Jacob would give to their words.

41 And the sons of Jacob spoke deceitfully to them, saying, We told our father Isaac all your words, and your words pleased him.

42 But he spoke unto us, saying, Thus did Abraham his father command him from God the Lord of the whole earth, that any man who is not of his descendants that should wish to take one of his daughters, shall cause every male belonging to him to be circumcised, as we are circumcised, and then we may give him our daughter for a wife.

43 Now we have made known to you all our ways that our father spoke unto us, for we cannot do this of which you spoke unto us, to give our daughter to an uncircumcised man, for it is a disgrace to us.

44 But herein will we consent to you, to give you our daughter, and we will also take unto ourselves your daughters, and will dwell amongst you and be one people as you have spoken, if you will hearken to us, and consent to be like us, to circumcise every male belonging to you, as we are circumcised.

45 And if you will not hearken unto us, to have every male circumcised as we are circumcised, as we have commanded, then we will come to you, and take our daughter from you and go away.

46 And Shechem and his father Hamor heard the words of the sons of Jacob, and the thing pleased them exceedingly, and Shechem and his father Hamor hastened to do the wishes of the sons of Jacob, for Shechem was very fond of Dinah, and his soul was riveted to her.

47 And Shechem and his father Hamor hastened to the gate of the city, and they assembled all the men of their city and spoke unto them the words of the sons of Jacob, saying,

48 We came to these men, the sons of Jacob, and we spoke unto them concerning their daughter, and these men will consent to do according to our wishes, and behold our land is of great extent for them, and they will dwell in it, and trade in it, and we shall be one people; we will take their daughters, and our daughters we will give unto them for wives.

49 But only on this condition will these men consent to do this thing, that every male amongst us be circumcised as they are circumcised, as their God commanded them, and when we shall have done according to their instructions to be circumcised, then will they dwell amongst us, together with their cattle and possessions, and we shall be as one people with them.

50 And when all the men of the city heard the words of Shechem and his father Hamor, then all the men of their city were agreeable to this proposal, and they obeyed to be circumcised, for Shechem and his father Hamor were greatly esteemed by them, being the princes of the land.

51 And on the next day, Shechem and Hamor his father rose up early in the morning, and they assembled all the men of their city into the middle of the city, and they called for the sons of Jacob, who circumcised every male belonging to them on that day and the next.

52 And they circumcised Shechem and Hamor his father, and the five brothers of Shechem, and then every one rose up and went home, for this thing was from the Lord against the city of Shechem, and from the Lord was Simeon’s counsel in this matter, in order that the Lord might deliver the city of Shechem into the hands of Jacob’s two sons.

Book of Jasher Chapter 34

1 And the number of all the males that were circumcised, were six hundred and forty-five men, and two hundred and forty-six children.

2 But Chiddekem, son of Pered, the father of Hamor, and his six brothers, would not listen unto Shechem and his father Hamor, and they would not be circumcised, for the proposal of the sons of Jacob was loathsome in their sight, and their anger was greatly roused at this, that the people of the city had not hearkened to them.

3 And in the evening of the second day, they found eight small children who had not been circumcised, for their mothers had concealed them from Shechem and his father Hamor, and from the men of the city.

4 And Shechem and his father Hamor sent to have them brought before them to be circumcised, when Chiddekem and his six brothers sprang at them with their swords, and sought to slay them.

5 And they sought to slay also Shechem and his father Hamor and they sought to slay Dinah with them on account of this matter.

6 And they said unto them, What is this thing that you have done? are there no women amongst the daughters of your brethren the Canaanites, that you wish to take unto yourselves daughters of the Hebrews, whom ye knew not before, and will do this act which your fathers never commanded you?

7 Do you imagine that you will succeed through this act which you have done? and what will you answer in this affair to your brethren the Canaanites, who will come tomorrow and ask you concerning this thing?

8 And if your act shall not appear just and good in their sight, what will you do for your lives, and me for our lives, in your not having hearkened to our voices?

9 And if the inhabitants of the land and all your brethren the children of Ham, shall hear of your act, saying,

10 On account of a Hebrew woman did Shechem and Hamor his father, and all the inhabitants of their city, do that with which they had been unacquainted and which their ancestors never commanded them, where then will you fly or where conceal your shame, all your days before your brethren, the inhabitants of the land of Canaan?

11 Now therefore we cannot bear up against this thing which you have done, neither can we be burdened with this yoke upon us, which our ancestors did not command us.

12 Behold tomorrow we will go and assemble all our brethren, the Canaanitish brethren who dwell in the land, and we will all come and smite you and all those who trust in you, that there shall not be a remnant left from you or them.

13 And when Hamor and his son Shechem and all the people of the city heard the words of Chiddekem and his brothers, they were terribly afraid of their lives at their words, and they repented of what they had done.

14 And Shechem and his father Hamor answered their father Chiddekem and his brethren, and they said unto them, All the words which you spoke unto us are true.

15 Now do not say, nor imagine in your hearts that on account of the love of the Hebrews we did this thing that our ancestors did not command us.

16 But because we saw that it was not their intention and desire to accede to our wishes concerning their daughter as to our taking her, except on this condition, so we hearkened to their voices and did this act which you saw, in order to obtain our desire from them.

17 And when we shall have obtained our request from them, we will then return to them and do unto them that which you say unto us.

18 We beseech you then to wait and tarry until our flesh shall be healed and we again become strong, and we will then go together against them, and do unto them that which is in your hearts and in ours.

19 And Dinah the daughter of Jacob heard all these words which Chiddekem and his brothers had spoken, and what Hamor and his son Shechem and the people of their city had answered them.

20 And she hastened and sent one of her maidens, that her father had sent to take care of her in the house of Shechem, to Jacob her father and to her brethren, saying:

21 Thus did Chiddekem and his brothers advise concerning you, and thus did Hamor and Shechem and the people of the city answer them.

22 And when Jacob heard these words he was filled with wrath, and he was indignant at them, and his anger was kindled against them.

23 And Simeon and Levi swore and said, As the Lord liveth, the God of the whole earth, by this time tomorrow, there shall not be a remnant left in the whole city.

24 And twenty young men had concealed themselves who were not circumcised, and these young men fought against Simeon and Levi, and Simeon and Levi killed eighteen of them, and two fled from them and escaped to some lime pits that were in the city, and Simeon and Levi sought for them, but could not find them.

25 And Simeon and Levi continued to go about in the city, and they killed all the people of the city at the edge of the sword, and they left none remaining.

26 And there was a great consternation in the midst of the city, and the cry of the people of the city ascended to heaven, and all the women and children cried aloud.

27 And Simeon and Levi slew all the city; they left not a male remaining in the whole city.

28 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son at the edge of the sword, and they brought away Dinah from the house of Shechem and they went from there.

29 And the sons of Jacob went and returned, and came upon the slain, and spoiled all their property which was in the city and the field.

30 And whilst they were taking the spoil, three hundred men stood up and threw dust at them and struck them with stones, when Simeon turned to them and he slew them all with the edge of the sword, and Simeon turned before Levi, and came into the city.

31 And they took away their sheep and their oxen and their cattle, and also the remainder of the women and little ones, and they led all these away, and they opened a gate and went out and came unto their father Jacob with vigor.

32 And when Jacob saw all that they had done to the city, and saw the spoil that they took from them, Jacob was very angry at them, and Jacob said unto them, What is this that you have done to me? behold I obtained rest amongst the Canaanitish inhabitants of the land, and none of them meddled with me.

33 And now you have done to make me obnoxious to the inhabitants of the land, amongst the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and I am but of a small number, and they will all assemble against me and slay me when they hear of your work with their brethren, and I and my household will be destroyed.

34 And Simeon and Levi and all their brothers with them answered their father Jacob and said unto him, Behold we live in the land, and shall Shechem do this to our sister? why art thou silent at all that Shechem has done? and shall he deal with our sister as with a harlot in the streets?

35 And the number of women whom Simeon and Levi took captives from the city of Shechem, whom they did not slay, was eighty-five who had not known man.

36 And amongst them was a young damsel of beautiful appearance and well favored, whose name was Bunah, and Simeon took her for a wife, and the number of the males which they took captives and did not slay, was forty-seven men, and the rest they slew.

37 And all the young men and women that Simeon and Levi had taken captives from the city of Shechem, were servants to the sons of Jacob and to their children after them, until the day of the sons of Jacob going forth from the land of Egypt.

38 And when Simeon and Levi had gone forth from the city, the two young men that were left, who had concealed themselves in the city, and did not die amongst the people of the city, rose up, and these young men went into the city and walked about in it, and found the city desolate without man, and only women weeping, and these young men cried out and said, Behold, this is the evil which the sons of Jacob the Hebrew did to this city in their having this day destroyed one of the Canaanitish cities, and were not afraid of their lives of all the land of Canaan.

39 And these men left the city and went to the city of Tapnach, and they came there and told the inhabitants of Tapnach all that had befallen them, and all that the sons of Jacob had done to the city of Shechem.

40 And the information reached Jashub king of Tapnach, and he sent men to the city of Shechem to see those young men, for the king did not believe them in this account, saying, How could two men lay waste such a large town as Shechem?

41 And the messengers of Jashub came back and told him, saying, We came unto the city, and it is destroyed, there is not a man there; only weeping women; neither is any flock or cattle there, for all that was in the city the sons of Jacob took away.

42 And Jashub wondered at this, saying, How could two men do this thing, to destroy so large a city, and not one man able to stand against them?

43 For the like has not been from the days of Nimrod, and not even from the remotest time, has the like taken place; and Jashub, king of Tapnach, said to his people, Be courageous and we will go and fight against these Hebrews, and do unto them as they did unto the city, and we will avenge the cause of the people of the city.

44 And Jashub, king of Tapnach, consulted with his counsellors about this matter, and his advisers said unto him, Alone thou wilt not prevail over the Hebrews, for they must be powerful to do this work to the whole city.

45 If two of them laid waste the whole city, and no one stood against them, surely if thou wilt go against them, they will all rise against us and destroy us likewise.

46 But if thou wilt send to all the kings that surround us, and let them come together, then we will go with them and fight against the sons of Jacob; then wilt thou prevail against them.

47 And Jashub heard the words of his counsellors, and their words pleased him and his people, and he did so; and Jashub king of Tapnach sent to all the kings of the Amorites that surrounded Shechem and Tapnach, saying,

48 Go up with me and assist me, and we will smite Jacob the Hebrew and all his sons, and destroy them from the earth, for thus did he do to the city of Shechem, and do you not know of it?

49 And all the kings of the Amorites heard the evil that the sons of Jacob had done to the city of Shechem, and they were greatly astonished at them.

50 And the seven kings of the Amorites assembled with all their armies, about ten thousand men with drawn swords, and they came to fight against the sons of Jacob; and Jacob heard that the kings of the Amorites had assembled to fight against his sons, and Jacob was greatly afraid, and it distressed him.

51 And Jacob exclaimed against Simeon and Levi, saying, What is this act that you did? why have you injured me, to bring against me all the children of Canaan to destroy me and my household? for I was at rest, even I and my household, and you have done this thing to me, and provoked the inhabitants of the land against me by your proceedings.

52 And Judah answered his father, saying, Was it for naught my brothers Simeon and Levi killed all the inhabitants of Shechem? Surely it was because Shechem had humbled our sister, and transgressed the command of our God to Noah and his children, for Shechem took our sister away by force, and committed adultery with her.

53 And Shechem did all this evil and not one of the inhabitants of his city interfered with him, to say, Why wilt thou do this? surely for this my brothers went and smote the city, and the Lord delivered it into their hands, because its inhabitants had transgressed the commands of our God. Is it then for naught that they have done all this?

54 And now why art thou afraid or distressed, and why art thou displeased at my brothers, and why is thine anger kindled against them?

55 Surely our God who delivered into their hand the city of Shechem and its people, he will also deliver into our hands all the Canaanitish kings who are coming against us, and we will do unto them as my brothers did unto Shechem.

56 Now be tranquil about them and cast away thy fears, but trust in the Lord our God, and pray unto him to assist us and deliver us, and deliver our enemies into our hands.

57 And Judah called to one of his father’s servants, Go now and see where those kings, who are coming against us, are situated with their armies.

58 And the servant went and looked far off, and went up opposite Mount Sihon, and saw all the camps of the kings standing in the fields, and he returned to Judah and said, Behold the kings are situated in the field with all their camps, a people exceedingly numerous, like unto the sand upon the sea shore.

59 And Judah said unto Simeon and Levi, and unto all his brothers, Strengthen yourselves and be sons of valor, for the Lord our God is with us, do not fear them.

60 Stand forth each man, girt with his weapons of war, his bow and his sword, and we will go and fight against these uncircumcised men; the Lord is our God, He will save us.

61 And they rose up, and each girt on his weapons of war, great and small, eleven sons of Jacob, and all the servants of Jacob with them.

62 And all the servants of Isaac who were with Isaac in Hebron, all came to them equipped in all sorts of war instruments, and the sons of Jacob and their servants, being one hundred and twelve men, went towards these kings, and Jacob also went with them.

63 And the sons of Jacob sent unto their father Isaac the son of Abraham to Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, saying,

64 Pray we beseech thee for us unto the Lord our God, to protect us from the hands of the Canaanites who are coming against us, and to deliver them into our hands.

65 And Isaac the son of Abraham prayed unto the Lord for his sons, and he said, O Lord God, thou didst promise my father, saying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and thou didst also promise me, and establish thou thy word, now that the kings of Canaan are coming together, to make war with my children because they committed no violence.

66 Now therefore, O Lord God, God of the whole earth, pervert, I pray thee, the counsel of these kings that they may not fight against my sons.

67 And impress the hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons and bring down their pride, and that they may turn away from my sons.

68 And with thy strong hand and outstretched arm deliver my sons and their servants from them, for power and might are in thy hands to do all this.

69 And the sons of Jacob and their servants went toward these kings, and they trusted in the Lord their God, and whilst they were going, Jacob their father also prayed unto the Lord and said, O Lord God, powerful and exalted God, who has reigned from days of old, from thence till now and forever;

70 Thou art He who stirreth up wars and causeth them to cease, in thy hand are power and might to exalt and to bring down; O may my prayer be acceptable before thee that thou mayest turn to me with thy mercies, to impress the hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons, and terrify them and their camps, and with thy great kindness deliver all those that trust in thee, for it is thou who canst bring people under us and reduce nations under our power.

Book of Jasher (31-32)

•October 6, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war and keep on winning over its neighbours and enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans from ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis from far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 31

1 And in the seventh year, Jacob’s service which he served Laban was completed, and Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for the days of my service are fulfilled; and Laban did so, and Laban and Jacob assembled all the people of that place and they made a feast.

2 And in the evening Laban came to the house, and afterward Jacob came there with the people of the feast, and Laban extinguished all the lights that were there in the house.

3 And Jacob said unto Laban, Wherefore dost thou do this thing unto us? and Laban answered, Such is our custom to act in this land.

4 And afterward Laban took his daughter Leah, and he brought her to Jacob, and he came to her and Jacob did not know that she was Leah.

5 And Laban gave his daughter Leah his maid Zilpah for a handmaid.

6 And all the people at the feast knew what Laban had done to Jacob, but they did not tell the thing to Jacob.

7 And all the neighbors came that night to Jacob’s house, and they ate and drank and rejoiced, and played before Leah upon timbrels, and with dances, and they responded before Jacob, Heleah, Heleah.

8 And Jacob heard their words but did not understand their meaning, but he thought such might be their custom in this land.

9 And the neighbors spoke these words before Jacob during the night, and all the lights that were in the house Laban had that night extinguished.

10 And in the morning, when daylight appeared, Jacob turned to his wife and he saw, and behold it was Leah that had been lying in his bosom, and Jacob said, Behold now I know what the neighbors said last night, Heleah, they said, and I knew it not.

11 And Jacob called unto Laban, and said unto him, What is this that thou didst unto me? Surely I served thee for Rachel, and why didst thou deceive me and didst give me Leah?

“What is this that thou didst unto me?” Jacob challenged Laban

12 And Laban answered Jacob, saying, Not so is it done in our place to give the younger before the elder now therefore if thou desirest to take her sister likewise, take her unto thee for the service which thou wilt serve me for another seven years.

13 And Jacob did so, and he also took Rachel for a wife, and he served Laban seven years more, and Jacob also came to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and Laban gave her his maid Bilhah for a handmaid.

14 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, the Lord opened her womb, and she conceived and bare Jacob four sons in those days.

15 And these are their names, Reuben Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and she afterward left bearing.

16 And at that time Rachel was barren, and she had no offspring, and Rachel envied her sister Leah, and when Rachel saw that she bare no children to Jacob, she took her handmaid Bilhah, and she bare Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali.

17 And when Leah saw that she had left bearing, she also took her handmaid Zilpah, and she gave her to Jacob for a wife, and Jacob also came to Zilpah, and she also bare Jacob two sons, Gad and Asher.

18 And Leah again conceived and bare Jacob in those days two sons and one daughter, and these are their names, Issachar, Zebulon, and their sister Dinah.

19 And Rachel was still barren in those days, and Rachel prayed unto the Lord at that time, and she said, O Lord God remember me and visit me, I beseech thee, for now my husband will cast me off, for I have borne him no children.

20 Now O Lord God, hear my supplication before thee, and see my affliction, and give me children like one of the handmaids, that I may no more bear my reproach.

21 And God heard her and opened her womb, and Rachel conceived and bare a son, and she said, The Lord has taken away my reproach, and she called his name Joseph, saying, May the Lord add to me another son; and Jacob was ninety-one years old when she bare him.

22 At that time Jacob’s mother, Rebecca, sent her nurse Deborah the daughter of Uz, and two of Isaac’s servants unto Jacob.

23 And they came to Jacob to Haran and they said unto him, Rebecca has sent us to thee that thou shalt return to thy father’s house to the land of Canaan; and Jacob hearkened unto them in this which his mother had spoken.

24 At that time, the other seven years which Jacob served Laban for Rachel were completed, and it was at the end of fourteen years that he had dwelt in Haran that Jacob said unto Laban, give me my wives and send me away, that I may go to my land, for behold my mother did send unto me from the land at Canaan that I should return to my father’s house.

25 And Laban said unto him, Not so I pray thee; if I have found favor in thy sight do not leave me; appoint me thy wages and I will give them, and remain with me.

26 And Jacob said unto him, This is what thou shalt give me for wages, that I shall this day pass through all thy flock and take away from them every lamb that is speckled and spotted and such as are brown amongst the sheep, and amongst the goats, and if thou wilt do this thing for me I will return and feed thy flock and keep them as at first.

27 And Laban did so, and Laban removed from his flock all that Jacob had said and gave them to him.

28 And Jacob placed all that he had removed from Laban’s flock in the hands of his sons, and Jacob was feeding the remainder of Laban’s flock.

29 And when the servants of Isaac which he had sent unto Jacob saw that Jacob would not then return with them to the land of Canaan to his father, they then went away from him, and they returned home to the land of Canaan.

30 And Deborah remained with Jacob in Haran, and she did not return with the servants of Isaac to the land of Canaan, and Deborah resided with Jacob’s wives and children in Haran.

31 And Jacob served Laban six years longer, and when the sheep brought forth, Jacob removed from them such as were speckled and spotted, as he had determined with Laban, and Jacob did so at Laban’s for six years, and the man increased abundantly and he had cattle and maid servants and men servants, camels, and asses.

32 And Jacob had two hundred drove of cattle, and his cattle were of large size and of beautiful appearance and were very productive, and all the families of the sons of men desired to get some of the cattle of Jacob, for they were exceedingly prosperous.

33 And many of the sons of men came to procure some of Jacob’s flock, and Jacob gave them a sheep for a man servant or a maid servant or for an ass or a camel, or whatever Jacob desired from them they gave him.

34 And Jacob obtained riches and honor and possessions by means of these transactions with the sons of men, and the children of Laban envied him of this honor.

35 And in the course of time he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and of that which was our father’s has he acquired all this glory.

36 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban and of his children, and behold it was not toward him in those days as it had been before.

37 And the Lord appeared to Jacob at the expiration of the six years, and said unto him, Arise, go forth out of this land, and return to the land of thy birthplace and I will be with thee.

38 And Jacob rose up at that time and he mounted his children and wives and all belonging to him upon camels, and he went forth to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.

39 And Laban did not know that Jacob had gone from him, for Laban had been that day sheep-shearing.

40 And Rachel stole her father’s images, and she took them and she concealed them upon the camel upon which she sat, and she went on.

41 And this is the manner of the images; in taking a man who is the first born and slaying him and taking the hair off his head, and taking salt and salting the head and anointing it in oil, then taking a small tablet of copper or a tablet of gold and writing the name upon it, and placing the tablet under his tongue, and taking the head with the tablet under the tongue and putting it in the house, and lighting up lights before it and bowing down to it.

42 And at the time when they bow down to it, it speaketh to them in all matters that they ask of it, through the power of the name which is written in it.

43 And some make them in the figures of men, of gold and silver, and go to them in times known to them, and the figures receive the influence of the stars, and tell them future things, and in this manner were the images which Rachel stole from her father.

44 And Rachel stole these images which were her father’s, in order that Laban might not know through them where Jacob had gone.

45 And Laban came home and he asked concerning Jacob and his household, and he was not to be found, and Laban sought his images to know where Jacob had gone, and could not find them, and he went to some other images, and he inquired of them and they told him that Jacob had fled from him to his father’s, to the land of Canaan.

46 And Laban then rose up and he took his brothers and all his servants, and he went forth and pursued Jacob, and he overtook him in mount Gilead.

47 And Laban said unto Jacob, What is this thou hast done to me to flee and deceive me, and lead my daughters and their children as captives taken by the sword?

48 And thou didst not suffer me to kiss them and send them away with joy, and thou didst steal my gods and didst go away.

49 And Jacob answered Laban, saying, Because I was afraid lest thou wouldst take thy daughters by force from me; and now with whomsoever thou findest thy gods he shall die.

50 And Laban searched for the images and he examined in all Jacob’s tents and furniture, but could not find them.

51 And Laban said unto Jacob, We will make a covenant together and it shall be a testimony between me and thee; if thou shalt afflict my daughters, or shalt take other wives besides my daughters, even God shall be a witness between me and thee in this matter.

52 And they took stones and made a heap, and Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee, therefore he called the name thereof Gilead.

53 And Jacob and Laban offered sacrifice upon the mount, and they ate there by the heap, and they tarried in the mount all night, and Laban rose up early in the morning, and he wept with his daughters and he kissed them, and he returned unto his place.

54 And he hastened and sent off his son Beor, who was seventeen years old, with Abichorof the son of Uz, the son of Nahor, and with them were ten men.

55 And they hastened and went and passed on the road before Jacob, and they came by another road to the land of Seir.

56 And they came unto Esau and said unto him, Thus saith thy brother and relative, thy mother’s brother Laban, the son of Bethuel, saying,

57 Hast thou heard what Jacob thy brother has done unto me, who first came to me naked and bare, and I went to meet him, and brought him to my house with honor, and I made him great, and I gave him my two daughters for wives and also two of my maids.

58 And God blessed him on my account, and he increased abundantly, and had sons, daughters and maid servants.

59 He has also an immense stock of flocks and herds, camels and asses, also silver and gold in abundance; and when he saw that his wealth increased, he left me whilst I went to shear my sheep, and he rose up and fled in secrecy.

60 And he lifted his wives and children upon camels, and he led away all his cattle and property which he acquired in my land, and he lifted up his countenance to go to his father Isaac, to the land of Canaan.

61 And he did not suffer me to kiss my daughters and their children, and he led my daughters as captives taken by the sword, and he also stole my gods and he fled.

62 And now I have left him in the mountain of the brook of Jabuk, him and all belonging to him; he lacketh nothing.

63 If it be thy wish to go to him, go then and there wilt thou find him, and thou canst do unto him as thy soul desireth; and Laban’s messengers came and told Esau all these things.

64 And Esau heard all the words of Laban’s messengers, and his anger was greatly kindled against Jacob, and he remembered his hatred, and his anger burned within him.

65 And Esau hastened and took his children and servants and the souls of his household, being sixty men, and he went and assembled all the children of Seir the Horite and their people, being three hundred and forty men, and took all this number of four hundred men with drawn swords, and he went unto Jacob to smite him.

66 And Esau divided this number into several parts, and he took the sixty men of his children and servants and the souls of his household as one head, and gave them in care of Eliphaz his eldest son.

67 And the remaining heads he gave to the care of the six sons of Seir the Horite, and he placed every man over his generations and children.

68 And the whole of this camp went as it was, and Esau went amongst them toward Jacob, and he conducted them with speed.

69 And Laban’s messengers departed from Esau and went to the land of Canaan, and they came to the house of Rebecca the mother of Jacob and Esau.

70 And they told her saying, Behold thy son Esau has gone against his brother Jacob with four hundred men, for he heard that he was coming, and he is gone to make war with him, and to smite him and to take all that he has.

71 And Rebecca hastened and sent seventy two men from the servants of Isaac to meet Jacob on the road; for she said, Peradventure, Esau may make war in the road when he meets him.

72 And these messengers went on the road to meet Jacob, and they met him in the road of the brook on the opposite side of the brook Jabuk, and Jacob said when he saw them, This camp is destined to me from God, and Jacob called the name of that place Machnayim.

73 And Jacob knew all his father’s people, and he kissed them and embraced them and came with them, and Jacob asked them concerning his father and mother, and they said, They were well.

74 And these messengers said unto Jacob, Rebecca thy mother has sent us to thee, saying, I have heard, my son, that thy brother Esau has gone forth against thee on the road with men from the children of Seir the Horite.

75 And therefore, my son, hearken to my voice and see with thy counsel what thou wilt do, and when he cometh up to thee, supplicate him, and do not speak rashly to him, and give him a present from what thou possessest, and from what God has favored thee with.

76 And when he asketh thee concerning thy affairs, conceal nothing from him, perhaps he may turn from his anger against thee and thou wilt thereby save thy soul, thou and all belonging to thee, for it is thy duty to honor him, for he is thy elder brother.

77 And when Jacob heard the words of his mother which the messengers had spoken to him, Jacob lifted up his voice and wept bitterly, and did as his mother then commanded him.

Book of Jasher Chapter 32

1 And at that time Jacob sent messengers to his brother Esau toward the land of Seir, and he spoke to him words of supplication.

2 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say to my lord, to Esau, Thus saith thy servant Jacob, Let not my lord imagine that my father’s blessing with which he did bless me has proved beneficial to me.

3 For I have been these twenty years with Laban, and he deceived me and changed my wages ten times, as it has all been already told unto my lord.

4 And I served him in his house very laboriously, and God afterward saw my affliction, my labor and the work of my hands, and he caused me to find grace and favor in his sight.

5 And I afterward through God’s great mercy and kindness acquired oxen and asses and cattle, and men servants and maid servants.

6 And now I am coming to my land and my home to my father and mother, who are in the land of Canaan; and I have sent to let my lord know all this in order to find favor in the sight of my lord, so that he may not imagine that I have of myself obtained wealth, or that the blessing with which my father blessed me has benefited me.

7 And those messengers went to Esau, and found him on the borders of the land of Edom going toward Jacob, and four hundred men of the children of Seir the Horite were standing with drawn swords.

8 And the messengers of Jacob told Esau all the words that Jacob had spoken to them concerning Esau.

9 And Esau answered them with pride and contempt, and said unto them, Surely I have heard and truly it has been told unto me what Jacob has done to Laban, who exalted him in his house and gave him his daughters for wives, and he begat sons and daughters, and abundantly increased in wealth and riches in Laban’s house through his means.

10 And when he saw that his wealth was abundant and his riches great he fled with all belonging to him, from Laban’s house, and he led Laban’s daughters away from the face of their father, as captives taken by the sword without telling him of it.

11 And not only to Laban has Jacob done thus but also unto me has he done so and has twice supplanted me, and shall I be silent?

12 Now therefore I have this day come with my camps to meet him, and I will do unto him according to the desire of my heart.

13 And the messengers returned and came to Jacob and said unto him, We came to thy brother, to Esau, and we told him all thy words, and thus has he answered us, and behold he cometh to meet thee with four hundred men.

14 Now then know and see what thou shalt do, and pray before God to deliver thee from him.

15 And when he heard the words of his brother which he had spoken to the messengers of Jacob, Jacob was greatly afraid and he was distressed.

16 And Jacob prayed to the Lord his God, and he said, O Lord God of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, thou didst say unto me when I went away from my father’s house, saying,

17 I am the Lord God of thy father Abraham and the God of Isaac, unto thee do I give this land and thy seed after thee, and I will make thy seed as the stars of heaven, and thou shalt spread forth to the four sides of heaven, and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

18 And thou didst establish thy words, and didst give unto me riches and children and cattle, as the utmost wishes of my heart didst thou give unto thy servant; thou didst give unto me all that I asked from thee, so that I lacked nothing.

19 And thou didst afterward say unto me, Return to thy parents and to thy birth place and I will still do well with thee.

20 And now that I have come, and thou didst deliver me from Laban, I shall fall in the hands of Esau who will slay me, yea, together with the mothers of my children.

21 Now therefore, O Lord God, deliver me, I pray thee, also from the hands of my brother Esau, for I am greatly afraid of him.

22 And if there is no righteousness in me, do it for the sake of Abraham and my father Isaac.

23 For I know that through kindness and mercy have I acquired this wealth; now therefore I beseech thee to deliver me this day with thy kindness and to answer me.

24 And Jacob ceased praying to the Lord, and he divided the people that were with him with the flocks and cattle into two camps, and he gave the half to the care of Damesek, the son of Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, for a camp, with his children, and the other half he gave to the care of his brother Elianus the son of Eliezer, to be for a camp with his children.

25 And he commanded them, saying, Keep yourselves at a distance with your camps, and do not come too near each other, and if Esau come to one camp and slay it, the other camp at a distance from it will escape him.

26 And Jacob tarried there that night, and during the whole night he gave his servants instructions concerning the forces and his children.

27 And the Lord heard the prayer of Jacob on that day, and the Lord then delivered Jacob from the hands of his brother Esau.

28 And the Lord sent three angels of the angels of heaven, and they went before Esau and came to him.

29 And these angels appeared unto Esau and his people as two thousand men, riding upon horses furnished with all sorts of war instruments, and they appeared in the sight of Esau and all his men to be divided into four camps, with four chiefs to them.

30 And one camp went on and they found Esau coming with four hundred men toward his brother Jacob, and this camp ran toward Esau and his people and terrified them, and Esau fell off the horse in alarm, and all his men separated from him in that place, for they were greatly afraid.

31 And the whole of the camp shouted after them when they fled from Esau, and all the warlike men answered, saying,

32 Surely we are the servants of Jacob, who is the servant of God, and who then can stand against us? And Esau said unto them, O then, my lord and brother Jacob is your lord, whom I have not seen for these twenty years, and now that I have this day come to see him, do you treat me in this manner?

33 And the angels answered him saying, As the Lord liveth, were not Jacob of whom thou speaketh thy brother, we had not let one remaining from thee and thy people, but only on account of Jacob we will do nothing to them.

34 And this camp passed from Esau and his men and it went away, and Esau and his men had gone from them about a league when the second camp came toward him with all sorts of weapons, and they also did unto Esau and his men as the first camp had done to them.

35 And when they had left it to go on, behold the third camp came toward him and they were all terrified, and Esau fell off the horse, and the whole camp cried out, and said, Surely we are the servants of Jacob, who is the servant of God, and who can stand against us?

36 And Esau again answered them saying, O then, Jacob my lord and your lord is my brother, and for twenty years I have not seen his countenance and hearing this day that he was coming, I went this day to meet him, and do you treat me in this manner?

37 And they answered him, and said unto him, As the Lord liveth, were not Jacob thy brother as thou didst say, we had not left a remnant from thee and thy men, but on account of Jacob of whom thou speakest being thy brother, we will not meddle with thee or thy men.

38 And the third camp also passed from them, and he still continued his road with his men toward Jacob, when the fourth camp came toward him, and they also did unto him and his men as the others had done.

39 And when Esau beheld the evil which the four angels had done to him and to his men, he became greatly afraid of his brother Jacob, and he went to meet him in peace.

Esau, terrified of meeting Jacob, fell off from his horse again and again

40 And Esau concealed his hatred against Jacob, because he was afraid of his life on account of his brother Jacob, and because he imagined that the four camps that he had lighted upon were Jacob’s servants.

41 And Jacob tarried that night with his servants in their camps, and he resolved with his servants to give unto Esau a present from all that he had with him, and from all his property; and Jacob rose up in the morning, he and his men, and they chose from amongst the cattle a present for Esau.

42 And this is the amount of the present which Jacob chose from his flock to give unto his brother Esau: and he selected two hundred and forty head from the flocks, and he selected from the camels and asses thirty each, and of the herds he chose fifty kine.

43 And he put them all in ten droves, and he placed each sort by itself, and he delivered them into the hands of ten of his servants, each drove by itself.

44 And he commanded them, and said unto them, Keep yourselves at a distance from each other, and put a space between the droves, and when Esau and those who are with him shall meet you and ask you, saying, Whose are you, and whither do you go, and to whom belongeth all this before you, you shall say unto them, We are the servants of Jacob, and we come to meet Esau in peace, and behold Jacob cometh behind us.

45 And that which is before us is a present sent from Jacob to his brother Esau.

46 And if they shall say unto you, Why doth he delay behind you, from coming to meet his brother and to see his face, then you shall say unto them, Surely he cometh joyfully behind us to meet his brother, for he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth to him, and after this I will see his face, peradventure he will accept of me.

47 So the whole present passed on in the hands of his servants, and went before him on that day, and he lodged that night with his camps by the border of the brook of Jabuk, and he rose up in the midst of the night, and he took his wives and his maid servants, and all belonging to him, and he that night passed them over the ford Jabuk.

48 And when he passed all belonging to him over the brook, Jacob was left by himself, and a man met him, and he wrestled with him that night until the breaking of the day, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint through wrestling with him.

49 And at the break of day the man left Jacob there, and he blessed him and went away, and Jacob passed the brook at the break of day, and he halted upon his thigh.

50 And the sun rose upon him when he had passed the brook, and he came up to the place of his cattle and children.

51 And they went on till midday, and whilst they were going the present was passing on before them.

52 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold Esau was at a distance, coming along with many men, about four hundred, and Jacob was greatly afraid of his brother.

53 And Jacob hastened and divided his children unto his wives and his handmaids, and his daughter Dinah he put in a chest, and delivered her into the hands of his servants.

54 And he passed before his children and wives to meet his brother, and he bowed down to the ground, yea he bowed down seven times until he approached his brother, and God caused Jacob to find grace and favor in the sight of Esau and his men, for God had heard the prayer of Jacob.

55 And the fear of Jacob and his terror fell upon his brother Esau, for Esau was greatly afraid of Jacob for what the angels of God had done to Esau, and Esau’s anger against Jacob was turned into kindness.

56 And when Esau saw Jacob running toward him, he also ran toward him and he embraced him, and he fell upon his neck, and they kissed and they wept.

57 And God put fear and kindness toward Jacob in the hearts of the men that came with Esau, and they also kissed Jacob and embraced him.

58 And also Eliphaz, the son of Esau, with his four brothers, sons of Esau, wept with Jacob, and they kissed him and embraced him, for the fear of Jacob had fallen upon them all.

59 And Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women with their offspring, the children of Jacob, walking behind Jacob and bowing along the road to Esau.

60 And Esau said unto Jacob, Who are these with thee, my brother? are they thy children or thy servants? and Jacob answered Esau and said, They are my children which God hath graciously given to thy servant.

61 And whilst Jacob was speaking to Esau and his men, Esau beheld the whole camp, and he said unto Jacob, Whence didst thou get the whole of the camp that I met yesternight? and Jacob said, To find favor in the sight of my lord, it is that which God graciously gave to thy servant.

62 And the present came before Esau, and Jacob pressed Esau, saying, Take I pray thee the present that I have brought to my lord, and Esau said, Wherefore is this my purpose? keep that which thou hast unto thyself.

63 And Jacob said, It is incumbent upon me to give all this, since I have seen thy face, that thou still livest in peace.

64 And Esau refused to take the present, and Jacob said unto him, I beseech thee my lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand, for I have therefore seen thy face, as though I had seen a god-like face, because thou wast pleased with me.

65 And Esau took the present, and Jacob also gave unto Esau silver and gold and bdellium, for he pressed him so much that he took them.

66 And Esau divided the cattle that were in the camp, and he gave the half to the men who had come with him, for they had come on hire, and the other half he delivered unto the hands of his children.

67 And the silver and gold and bdellium he gave in the hands of Eliphaz his eldest son, and Esau said unto Jacob, Let us remain with thee, and we will go slowly along with thee until thou comest to my place with me, that we may dwell there together.

68 And Jacob answered his brother and said, I would do as my lord speaketh unto me, but my lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with their young who are with me, go but slowly, for if they went swiftly they would all die, for thou knowest their burdens and their fatigue.

69 Therefore let my lord pass on before his servant, and I will go on slowly for the sake of the children and the flock, until I come to my lord’s place to Seir.

70 And Esau said unto Jacob, I will place with thee some of the people that are with me to take care of thee in the road, and to bear thy fatigue and burden, and he said, What needeth it my lord, if I may find grace in thy sight?

71 Behold I will come unto thee to Seir to dwell there together as thou hast spoken, go thou then with thy people for I will follow thee.

72 And Jacob said this to Esau in order to remove Esau and his men from him, so that Jacob might afterward go to his father’s house to the land of Canaan.

73 And Esau hearkened to the voice of Jacob, and Esau returned with the four hundred men that were with him on their road to Seir, and Jacob and all belonging to him went that day as far as the extremity of the land of Canaan in its borders, and he remained there some time.

Book of Jasher (29-30)

•October 5, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war and keep on winning over its neighbours and enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans from ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis from far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 29

1 And Isaac the son of Abraham became old and advanced in days, and his eyes became heavy through age; they were dim and could not see.

2 At that time Isaac called unto Esau his son, saying, Get I pray thee thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, rise up and go forth into the field and get me some venison, and make me savory meat and bring it to me, that I may eat in order that I may bless thee before my death, as I have now become old and gray-headed.

3 And Esau did so; and he took his weapon and went forth into the field to hunt for venison, as usual, to bring to his father as he had ordered him, so that he might bless him.

4 And Rebecca heard all the words that Isaac had spoken unto Esau, and she hastened and called her son Jacob, saying, Thus did thy father speak unto thy brother Esau, and thus did I hear, now therefore hasten thou and make that which I shall tell thee.

5 Rise up and go, I pray thee, to the flock and fetch me two fine kids of the goats, and I will get the savory meat for thy father, and thou shalt bring the savory meat that he may eat before thy brother shall have come from the chase, in order that thy father may bless thee.

6 And Jacob hastened and did as his mother had commanded him, and he made the savory meat and brought it before his father before Esau had come from his chase.

7 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Who art thou, my son? And he said, I am thy first born Esau, I have done as thou didst order me, now therefore rise up I pray thee, and eat of my hunt, in order that thy soul may bless me as thou didst speak unto me.

8 And Isaac rose up and he ate and he drank, and his heart was comforted, and he blessed Jacob and Jacob went away from his father; and as soon as Isaac had blessed Jacob and he had gone away from him, behold Esau came from his hunt from the field, and he also made savory meat and brought it to his father to eat thereof and to bless him.

Isaac unknowningly blesses Jacob, thinking he was blessing Esau

9 And Isaac said unto Esau, And who was he that has taken venison and brought it me before thou camest and whom I did bless? And Esau knew that his brother Jacob had done this, and the anger of Esau was kindled against his brother Jacob that he had acted thus toward him.

10 And Esau said, Is he not rightly called Jacob? for he has supplanted me twice, he took away my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing; and Esau wept greatly; and when Isaac heard the voice of his son Esau weeping, Isaac said unto Esau, What can I do, my son, thy brother came with subtlety and took away thy blessing; and Esau hated his brother Jacob on account of the blessing that his father had given him, and his anger was greatly roused against him.

11 And Jacob was very much afraid of his brother Esau, and he rose up and fled to the house of Eber the son of Shem, and he concealed himself there on account of his brother, and Jacob was sixty-three years old when he went forth from the land of Canaan from Hebron, and Jacob was concealed in Eber’s house fourteen years on account of his brother Esau, and he there continued to learn the ways of the Lord and his commandments.

12 And when Esau saw that Jacob had fled and escaped from him, and that Jacob had cunningly obtained the blessing, then Esau grieved exceedingly, and he was also vexed at his father and mother; and he also rose up and took his wife and went away from his father and mother to the land of Seir, and he dwelt there; and Esau saw there a woman from amongst the daughters of Heth whose name was Bosmath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and he took her for a wife in addition to his first wife, and Esau called her name Adah, saying the blessing had in that time passed from him.

13 And Esau dwelt in the land of Seir six months without seeing his father and mother, and afterward Esau took his wives and rose up and returned to the land of Canaan, and Esau placed his two wives in his father’s house in Hebron.

14 And the wives of Esau vexed and provoked Isaac and Rebecca with their works, for they walked not in the ways of the Lord, but served their father’s gods of wood and stone as their father had taught them, and they were more wicked than their father.

15 And they went according to the evil desires of their hearts, and they sacrificed and burnt incense to the Baalim, and Isaac and Rebecca became weary of them.

16 And Rebecca said, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good then is life unto me?

17 And in those days Adah the wife of Esau conceived and bare him a son, and Esau called the name of the son that was born unto him Eliphaz, and Esau was sixty-five years old when she bare him.

18 And Ishmael the son of Abraham died in those days, in the sixty-forth year of the life of Jacob, and all the days that Ishmael lived were one hundred and thirty-seven years and he died.

19 And when Isaac heard that Ishmael was dead he mourned for him, and Isaac lamented over him many days.

20 And at the end of fourteen years of Jacob’s residing in the house of Eber, Jacob desired to see his father and mother, and Jacob came to the house of his father and mother to Hebron, and Esau had in those days forgotten what Jacob had done to him in having taken the blessing from him in those days.

21 And when Esau saw Jacob coming to his father and mother he remembered what Jacob had done to him, and he was greatly incensed against him and he sought to slay him.

22 And Isaac the son of Abraham was old and advanced in days, and Esau said, Now my father’s time is drawing nigh that he must die, and when he shall die I will slay my brother Jacob.

23 And this was told to Rebecca, and she hastened and sent and called for Jacob her son, and she said unto him, Arise, go and flee to Haran to my brother Laban, and remain there for some time, until thy brother’s anger be turned from thee and then shalt thou come back.

24 And Isaac called unto Jacob and said unto him, Take not a wife from the daughters of Canaan, for thus did our father Abraham command us according to the word of the Lord which he had commanded him, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; if thy children keep my covenant that I have made with thee, then will I also perform to thy children that which I have spoken unto thee and I will not forsake them.

25 Now therefore my son hearken to my voice, to all that I shall command thee, and refrain from taking a wife from amongst the daughters of Canaan; arise, go to Haran to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father, and take unto thee a wife from there from the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.

26 Therefore take heed lest thou shouldst forget the Lord thy God and all his ways in the land to which thou goest, and shouldst get connected with the people of the land and pursue vanity and forsake the Lord thy God.

27 But when thou comest to the land serve there the Lord, do not turn to the right or to the left from the way which I commanded thee and which thou didst learn.

28 And may the Almighty God grant thee favor in the sight of the people of the earth, that thou mayest take there a wife according to thy choice; one who is good and upright in the ways of the Lord.

29 And may God give unto thee and thy seed the blessing of thy father Abraham, and make thee fruitful and multiply thee, and mayest thou become a multitude of people in the land whither thou goest, and may God cause thee to return to this land, the land of thy father’s dwelling, with children and with great riches, with joy and with pleasure.

30 And Isaac finished commanding Jacob and blessing him, and he gave him many gifts, together with silver and gold, and he sent him away; and Jacob hearkened to his father and mother; he kissed them and arose and went to Padan-aram; and Jacob was seventy-seven years old when he went out from the land of Canaan from Beersheba.

31 And when Jacob went away to go to Haran Esau called unto his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke unto him, saying, Now hasten, take thy sword in thy hand and pursue Jacob and pass before him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with thy sword in one of the mountains, and take all belonging to him and come back.

32 And Eliphaz the son of Esau was an active man and expert with the bow as his father had taught him, and he was a noted hunter in the field and a valiant man.

33 And Eliphaz did as his father had commanded him, and Eliphaz was at that time thirteen years old, and Eliphaz rose up and went and took ten of his mother’s brothers with him and pursued Jacob.

34 And he closely followed Jacob, and he lurked for him in the border of the land of Canaan opposite to the city of Shechem.

35 And Jacob saw Eliphaz and his men pursuing him, and Jacob stood still in the place in which he was going, in order to know what this was, for he did not know the thing; and Eliphaz drew his sword and he went on advancing, he and his men, toward Jacob; and Jacob said unto them, What is to do with you that you have come hither, and what meaneth it that you pursue with your swords.

36 And Eliphaz came near to Jacob and he answered and said unto him, Thus did my father command me, and now therefore I will not deviate from the orders which my father gave me; and when Jacob saw that Esau had spoken to Eliphaz to employ force, Jacob then approached and supplicated Eliphaz and his men, saying to him,

37 Behold all that I have and which my father and mother gave unto me, that take unto thee and go from me, and do not slay me, and may this thing be accounted unto thee a righteousness.

38 And the Lord caused Jacob to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and his men, and they hearkened to the voice of Jacob, and they did not put him to death, and Eliphaz and his men took all belonging to Jacob together with the silver and gold that he had brought with him from Beersheba; they left him nothing.

39 And Eliphaz and his men went away from him and they returned to Esau to Beersheba, and they told him all that had occurred to them with Jacob, and they gave him all that they had taken from Jacob.

40 And Esau was indignant at Eliphaz his son, and at his men that were with him, because they had not put Jacob to death.

41 And they answered and said unto Esau, Because Jacob supplicated us in this matter not to slay him, our pity was excited toward him, and we took all belonging to him and brought it unto thee; and Esau took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Jacob and he put them by in his house.

42 At that time when Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and had commanded him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife from amongst the daughters of Canaan, and that the daughters of Canaan were bad in the sight of Isaac and Rebecca,

43 Then he went to the house of Ishmael his uncle, and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife.

Book of Jasher Chapter 30

1 And Jacob went forth continuing his road to Haran, and he came as far as mount Moriah, and he tarried there all night near the city of Luz; and the Lord appeared there unto Jacob on that night, and he said unto him, I am the Lord God of Abraham and the God of Isaac thy father; the land upon which thou liest I will give unto thee and thy seed.

2 And behold I am with thee and will keep thee wherever thou goest, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of Heaven, and I will cause all thine enemies to fall before thee; and when they shall make war with thee they shall not prevail over thee, and I will bring thee again unto this land with joy, with children, and with great riches.

3 And Jacob awoke from his sleep and he rejoiced greatly at the vision which he had seen; and he called the name of that place Bethel.

4 And Jacob rose up from that place quite rejoiced, and when he walked his feet felt light to him for joy, and he went from there to the land of the children of the East, and he returned to Haran and he set by the shepherd’s well.

5 And he there found some men; going from Haran to feed their flocks, and Jacob made inquiries of them, and they said, We are from Haran.

6 And he said unto them, Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor? and they said, We know him, and behold his daughter Rachel is coming along to feed her father’s flock.

7 Whilst he was yet speaking with them, Rachel the daughter of Laban came to feed her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

8 And when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, he ran and kissed her, and lifted up his voice and wept.

9 And Jacob told Rachel that he was the son of Rebecca, her father’s sister, and Rachel ran and told her father, and Jacob continued to cry because he had nothing with him to bring to the house of Laban.

10 And when Laban heard that his sister’s son Jacob had come, he ran and kissed him and embraced him and brought him into the house and gave him bread, and he ate.

11 And Jacob related to Laban what his brother Esau had done to him, and what his son Eliphaz had done to him on the road.

12 And Jacob resided in Laban’s house for one month, and Jacob ate and drank in the house of Laban, and afterward Laban said unto Jacob, Tell me what shall be thy wages, for how canst thou serve me for nought?

13 And Laban had no sons but only daughters, and his other wives and handmaids were still barren in those days; and these are the names of Laban’s daughters which his wife Adinah had borne unto him; the name of the elder was Leah and the name of the younger was Rachel; and Leah was tender-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well favored, and Jacob loved her.

14 And Jacob said unto Laban, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter; and Laban consented to this and Jacob served Laban seven years for his daughter Rachel.

15 And in the second year of Jacob’s dwelling in Haran, that is in the seventy ninth year of the life of Jacob, in that year died Eber the son of Shem, he was four hundred and sixty-four years old at his death.

16 And when Jacob heard that Eber was dead he grieved exceedingly, and he lamented and mourned over him many days.

17 And in the third year of Jacob’s dwelling in Haran, Bosmath, the daughter of Ishmael, the wife of Esau, bare unto him a son, and Esau called his name Reuel.

18 And in the fourth year of Jacob’s residence in the house of Laban, the Lord visited Laban and remembered him on account of Jacob, and sons were born unto him, and his first born was Beor, his second was Alib, and the third was Chorash.

19 And the Lord gave Laban riches and honor, sons and daughters, and the man increased greatly on account of Jacob.

20 And Jacob in those days served Laban in all manner of work, in the house and in the field, and the blessing of the Lord was in all that belonged to Laban in the house and in the field.

21 And in the fifth year died Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri, the wife of Esau, in the land of Canaan, and she had no sons but daughters only.

22 And these are the names of her daughters which she bare to Esau, the name of the elder was Marzith, and the name of the younger was Puith.

23 And when Jehudith died, Esau rose up and went to Seir to hunt in the field, as usual, and Esau dwelt in the land of Seir for a long time.

24 And in the sixth year Esau took for a wife, in addition to his other wives, Ahlibamah, the daughter of Zebeon the Hivite, and Esau brought her to the land of Canaan.

25 And Ahlibamah conceived and bare unto Esau three sons, Yeush, Yaalan, and Korah.

26 And in those days, in the land of Canaan, there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Esau and the herdsmen of the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, for Esau’s cattle and goods were too abundant for him to remain in the land of Canaan, in his father’s house, and the land of Canaan could not bear him on account of his cattle.

27 And when Esau saw that his quarreling increased with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, he rose up and took his wives and his sons and his daughters, and all belonging to him, and the cattle which he possessed, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and he went away from the inhabitants of the land to the land of Seir, and Esau and all belonging to him dwelt in the land of Seir.

28 But from time to time Esau would go and see his father and mother in the land of Canaan, and Esau intermarried with the Horites, and he gave his daughters to the sons of Seir, the Horite.

29 And he gave his elder daughter Marzith to Anah, the son of Zebeon, his wife’s brother, and Puith he gave to Azar, the son of Bilhan the Horite; and Esau dwelt in the mountain, he and his children, and they were fruitful and multiplied.

Alleged Chinese Nuclear Submarine Sinking

•October 4, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Western defence media has recently been buzzing with the story of a Chinese SSN allegedly sinking in the Yangtze River near Wuhan.

Do you see any shape or form of a submarine in the photo below? No? Why Not?

But is it actually true? We take a look at the likelihood of this.

Separating Facts From Bullshit from one who knows . . .

@SuryaKumar01-j3k
Fake news.

Firstly, the only place in China where nuclear submarines are built is in Bohai Bay, which is a bay near Beijing, while Wuhan only has conventional submarine construction plants.
Secondly, the depth of the so-called sunken area is only 6 meters, even smaller than the diameter of China’s latest conventional submarines.
Thirdly, the black shadow is clearly the projection of the crane on the leftmost ship, and another evidence is that the second, third, and fourth ships from left to right also have this shadow.
Fourthly, this news originates from the United States. There are too many fake news about the PLA in the United States, including the news of the sinking of a Chinese nuclear submarine last year, and even Taiwan has denied this news.
I think, it’s probably because the speed at which PLAN builds warships in recent years has been too fast, making the US Navy pale in comparison. Therefore, some people within the US always want to see PLAN’s jokes, and even these jokes are fabricated from the beginning.

For more about disinformation:

US$1.6 billion on anti-China propaganda

Book of Jasher (27-28)

•October 4, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah that has endtime ramifications.

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons.

That is, the Israelis are prone to go to war and keep on winning over its neighbours and enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans from ancient Philistines, and even the Houthis from far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 27

1 And Esau at that time, after the death of Abraham, frequently went in the field to hunt.

2 And Nimrod king of Babel, the same was Amraphel, also frequently went with his mighty men to hunt in the field, and to walk about with his men in the cool of the day.

— Nimrod is from the Generations of Noah; he is the son of Cush, grandson of Ham, and great-grandson of Noah; Genesis 10:8 “And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth.”

3 And Nimrod was observing Esau all the days, for a jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esau all the days.

Nimrod, who wore special garments

4 And on a certain day Esau went in the field to hunt, and he found Nimrod walking in the wilderness with his two men.

5 And all his mighty men and his people were with him in the wilderness, but they removed at a distance from him, and they went from him in different directions to hunt, and Esau concealed himself for Nimrod, and he lurked for him in the wilderness.

6 And Nimrod and his men that were with him did not know him, and Nimrod and his men frequently walked about in the field at the cool of the day, and to know where his men were hunting in the field.

7 And Nimrod and two of his men that were with him came to the place where they were, when Esau started suddenly from his lurking place, and drew his sword, and hastened and ran to Nimrod and cut off his head.

8 And Esau fought a desperate fight with the two men that were with Nimrod, and when they called out to him, Esau turned to them and smote them to death with his sword.

9 And all the mighty men of Nimrod, who had left him to go to the wilderness, heard the cry at a distance, and they knew the voices of those two men, and they ran to know the cause of it, when they found their king and the two men that were with him lying dead in the wilderness.

10 And when Esau saw the mighty men of Nimrod coming at a distance, he fled, and thereby escaped; and Esau took the valuable garments of Nimrod, which Nimrod’s father had bequeathed to Nimrod, and with which Nimrod prevailed over the whole land, and he ran and concealed them in his house.

11 And Esau took those garments and ran into the city on account of Nimrod’s men, and he came unto his father’s house wearied and exhausted from fight, and he was ready to die through grief when he approached his brother Jacob and sat before him.

12 And he said unto his brother Jacob, Behold I shall die this day, and wherefore then do I want the birthright? And Jacob acted wisely with Esau in this matter, and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, for it was so brought about by the Lord.

13 And Esau’s portion in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth for the possession of a burial ground, Esau also sold to Jacob, and Jacob bought all this from his brother Esau for value given.

14 And Jacob wrote the whole of this in a book, and he testified the same with witnesses, and he sealed it, and the book remained in the hands of Jacob.

15 And when Nimrod the son of Cush died, his men lifted him up and brought him in consternation, and buried him in his city, and all the days that Nimrod lived were two hundred and fifteen years and he died.

16 And the days that Nimrod reigned upon the people of the land were one hundred and eighty-five years; and Nimrod died by the sword of Esau in shame and contempt, and the seed of Abraham caused his death as he had seen in his dream.

17 And at the death of Nimrod his kingdom became divided into many divisions, and all those parts that Nimrod reigned over were restored to the respective kings of the land, who recovered them after the death of Nimrod, and all the people of the house of Nimrod were for a long time enslaved to all the other kings of the land.

Book of Jasher Chapter 28

1 And in those days, after the death of Abraham, in that year the Lord brought a heavy famine in the land, and whilst the famine was raging in the land of Canaan, Isaac rose up to go down to Egypt on account of the famine, as his father Abraham had done.

2 And the Lord appeared that night to Isaac and he said to him, Do not go down to Egypt but rise and go to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines, and remain there till the famine shall cease.

3 And Isaac rose up and went to Gerar, as the Lord commanded him, and he remained there a full year.

4 And when Isaac came to Gerar, the people of the land saw that Rebecca his wife was of a beautiful appearance, and the people of Gerar asked Isaac concerning his wife, and he said, She is my sister, for he was afraid to say she was his wife lest the people of the land should slay him on account of her.

5 And the princes of Abimelech went and praised the woman to the king, but he answered them not, neither did he attend to their words.

6 But he heard them say that Isaac declared her to be his sister, so the king reserved this within himself.

7 And when Isaac had remained three months in the land, Abimelech looked out at the window, and he saw, and behold Isaac was sporting with Rebecca his wife, for Isaac dwelt in the outer house belonging to the king, so that the house of Isaac was opposite the house of the king.

8 And the king said unto Isaac, What is this thou hast done to us in saying of thy wife, She is my sister? how easily might one of the great men of the people have lain with her, and thou wouldst then have brought guilt upon us.

9 And Isaac said unto Abimelech, Because I was afraid lest I die on account of my wife, therefore I said, She is my sister.

10 At that time Abimelech gave orders to all his princes and great men, and they took Isaac and Rebecca his wife and brought them before the king.

11 And the king commanded that they should dress them in princely garments, and make them ride through the streets of the city, and proclaim before them throughout the land, saying, This is the man and this is his wife; whoever toucheth this man or his wife shall surely die. And Isaac returned with his wife to the king’s house, and the Lord was with Isaac and he continued to wax great and lacked nothing.

12 And the Lord caused Isaac to find favor in the sight of Abimelech, and in the sight of all his subjects, and Abimelech acted well with Isaac, for Abimelech remembered the oath and the covenant that existed between his father and Abraham.

13 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Behold the whole earth is before thee; dwell wherever it may seem good in thy sight until thou shalt return to thy land; and Abimelech gave Isaac fields and vineyards and the best part of the land of Gerar, to sow and reap and eat the fruits of the ground until the days of the famine should have passed by.

14 And Isaac sowed in that land, and received a hundred-fold in the same year, and the Lord blessed him.

15 And the man waxed great, and he had possession of flocks and possession of herds and great store of servants.

16 And when the days of the famine had passed away the Lord appeared to Isaac and said unto him, Rise up, go forth from this place and return to thy land, to the land of Canaan; and Isaac rose up and returned to Hebron which is in the land of Canaan, he and all belonging to him as the Lord commanded him.

17 And after this Shelach the son at Arpachshad died in that year, which is the eighteenth year of the lives of Jacob and Esau; and all the days that Shelach lived were four hundred and thirty-three years and he died.

18 At that time Isaac sent his younger son Jacob to the house of Shem and Eber, and he learned the instructions of the Lord, and Jacob remained in the house of Shem and Eber for thirty-two years, and Esau his brother did not go, for he was not willing to go, and he remained in his father’s house in the land of Canaan.

19 And Esau was continually hunting in the fields to bring home what he could get, so did Esau all the days.

20 And Esau was a designing and deceitful man, one who hunted after the hearts of men and inveigled them, and Esau was a valiant man in the field, and in the course of time went as usual to hunt; and he came as far as the field of Seir, the same is Edom.

21 And he remained in the land of Seir hunting in the field a year and four months.

22 And Esau there saw in the land of Seir the daughter of a man of Canaan, and her name was Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri, son of Epher, from the families of Heth the son of Canaan.

23 And Esau took her for a wife, and he came unto her; forty years old was Esau when he took her, and he brought her to Hebron, the land of his father’s dwelling place, and he dwelt there.

24 And it came to pass in those days, in the hundred and tenth year of the life of Isaac, that is in the fiftieth year of the life of Jacob, in that year died Shem the son of Noah; Shem was six hundred years old at his death.

25 And when Shem died Jacob returned to his father to Hebron which is in the land of Canaan.

26 And in the fifty-sixth year of the life of Jacob, people came from Haran, and Rebecca was told concerning her brother Laban the son of Bethuel.

27 For the wife of Laban was barren in those days, and bare no children, and also all his handmaids bare none to him.

28 And the Lord afterward remembered Adinah the wife of Laban, and she conceived and bare twin daughters, and Laban called the names of his daughters, the name of the elder Leah, and the name of the younger Rachel.

29 And those people came and told these things to Rebecca, and Rebecca rejoiced greatly that the Lord had visited her brother and that he had got children.

USS Abraham Lincoln to remain in the Gulf

•October 3, 2024 • Leave a Comment

USS Abraham Lincoln to remain in Middle East amid rising tensions

USS Abraham Lincoln to remain in the Gulf of Oman

NavyTimes • October 2, 2024

The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln will stay in the Middle East as the US.bolsters its forces in the region, the Pentagon said Sunday.

The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, following strikes in Lebanon and the death of the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

US Forces have surged to the region as concerns continue about an all-out war between Iran and Israel.

Iran fires a barrage of missiles to shower Tel Aviv and Jerusalem

The Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in August to replace the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt after Lincoln was operating in the Indo-Pacific Region. The Lincoln is equipped with F-35C and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets.

Additionally, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also ordered the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group to remain in the eastern Mediterranean, which has operated there since June.

“This afloat posture is complemented by DoD’s elevated fighter and attack squadron presence, including F-22, F-15E, F-16, and A-10 aircraft, and we will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities in the coming days,” the Pentagon said in a statement Sunday.

“The Secretary has also increased the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies,” the Pentagon said. “And DoD maintains robust and integrated air-defense capabilities across the Middle East, ensuring the protection of US forces operating in the region.”

The Navy’s USS Harry S Truman has been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean 

Meanwhile, the US is expanding its presence in the region, and the aircraft carrier Harry S Truman got underway last month for a regularly scheduled deployment to the European theater where officials said it will operate in the Mediterranean Sea.

However, world events have recently disrupted carrier deployments and diverted them to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier Dwight D Eisenhower got underway in October and ultimately entered the waters of US Central Command in November – marking the first time a carrier operated there since the end of the War in Afghanistan in 2021.

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons; that is, Judah is prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans and Houthis in far-away Yemen.

Book of Jasher (25-26)

•October 2, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Consider this prophecy, a prophecy which Jacob blessed Judah

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

The above Prophecy is from the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons; that is, Judah is prone to go to war with its neighbours: and keeps on winning over its enemies! Now over the Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranians from ancient Persia; besides the Gazans and Houthis in far-away Yemen.

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

— and Obadiah! verse 23; is he one who wrote the book Obadiah?

Book of Jasher Chapter 25

1 And it was at that time that Abraham again took a wife in his old age, and her name was Keturah, from the land of Canaan.

2 And she bare unto him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuach, being six sons. And the children of Zimran were Abihen, Molich and Narim.

3 And the sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan, and the sons of Medan were Amida, Joab, Gochi, Elisha and Nothach; and the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Chanoch, Abida and Eldaah.

4 And the sons of Ishbak were Makiro, Beyodua and Tator.

5 And the sons of Shuach were Bildad, Mamdad, Munan and Meban; all these are the families of the children of Keturah the Canaanitish woman which she bare unto Abraham the Hebrew.

6 And Abraham sent all these away, and he gave them gifts, and they went away from his son Isaac to dwell wherever they should find a place.

7 And all these went to the mountain at the east, and they built themselves six cities in which they dwelt unto this day.

8 But the children of Sheba and Dedan, children of Jokshan, with their children, did not dwell with their brethren in their cities, and they journeyed and encamped in the countries and wildernesses unto this day.

9 And the children of Midian, son of Abraham, went to the east of the land of Cush, and they there found a large valley in the eastern country, and they remained there and built a city, and they dwelt therein, that is the land of Midian unto this day.

10 And Midian dwelt in the city which he built, he and his five sons and all belonging to him.

11 And these are the names of the sons of Midian according to their names in their cities, Ephah, Epher, Chanoch, Abida and Eldaah.

12 And the sons of Ephah were Methach, Meshar, Avi and Tzanua, and the sons of Epher were Ephron, Zur, Alirun and Medin, and the sons of Chanoch were Reuel, Rekem, Azi, Alyoshub and Alad.

13 And the sons of Abida were Chur, Melud, Kerury, Molchi; and the sons of Eldaah were Miker, and Reba, and Malchiyah and Gabol; these are the names of the Midianites according to their families; and afterward the families of Midian spread throughout the land of Midian.

14 And these are the generations of Ishmael the son Abraham, whom Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham.

15 And Ishmael took a wife from the land of Egypt, and her name was Ribah, the same is Meribah.

16 And Ribah bare unto Ishmael Nebayoth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam and their sister Bosmath.

17 And Ishmael cast away his wife Ribah, and she went from him and returned to Egypt to the house of her father, and she dwelt there, for she had been very bad in the sight of Ishmael, and in the sight of his father Abraham.

18 And Ishmael afterward took a wife from the land of Canaan, and her name was Malchuth, and she bare unto him Nishma, Dumah, Masa, Chadad, Tema, Yetur, Naphish and Kedma.

19 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, being twelve princes according to their nations; and the families of Ishmael afterward spread forth, and Ishmael took his children and all the property that he had gained, together with the souls of his household and all belonging to him, and they went to dwell where they should find a place.

20 And they went and dwelt near the wilderness of Paran, and their dwelling was from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt as thou comest toward Assyria.

21 And Ishmael and his sons dwelt in the land, and they had children born to them, and they were fruitful and increased abundantly.

22 And these are the names of the sons of Nebayoth the first born of Ishmael; Mend, Send, Mayon; and the sons of Kedar were Alyon, Kezem, Chamad and Eli.

23 And the sons of Adbeel were Chamad and Jabin; and the sons of Mibsam were Obadiah, Ebedmelech and Yeush; these are the families of the children of Ribah the wife of Ishmael. — Obadiah! is he one who wrote the book Obadiah?

24 And the sons of Mishma the son of Ishmael were Shamua, Zecaryon and Obed; and the sons of Dumah were Kezed, Eli, Machmad and Amed.

25 And the sons of Masa were Melon, Mula and Ebidadon; and the sons of Chadad were Azur, Minzar and Ebedmelech; and the sons of Tema were Seir, Sadon and Yakol.

26 And the sons of Yetur were Merith, Yaish, Alyo, and Pachoth; and the sons of Naphish were Ebed-Tamed, Abiyasaph and Mir; and the sons of Kedma were Calip, Tachti, and Omir; these were the children of Malchuth the wife of Ishmael according to their families.

27 All these are the families of Ishmael according to their generations, and they dwelt in those lands wherein they had built themselves cities unto this day.

28 And Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel, the wife of Abraham’s son Isaac, was barren in those days, she had no offspring; and Isaac dwelt with his father in the land of Canaan; and the Lord was with Isaac; and Arpachshad the son of Shem the son of Noah died in those days, in the forty-eighth year of the life of Isaac, and all the days that Arpachshad lived were four hundred and thirty-eight years, and he died.

Book of Jasher Chapter 26

1 And in the fifty-ninth year of the life of Isaac the son of Abraham, Rebecca his wife was still barren in those days.

2 And Rebecca said unto Isaac, Truly I have heard, my lord, that thy mother Sarah was barren in her days until my Lord Abraham, thy father, prayed for her and she conceived by him.

3 Now therefore stand up, pray thou also to God and he will hear thy prayer and remember us through his mercies.

4 And Isaac answered his wife Rebecca, saying, Abraham has already prayed for me to God to multiply his seed, now therefore this barrenness must proceed to us from thee.

5 And Rebecca said unto him, But arise now thou also and pray, that the Lord may hear thy prayer and grant me children, and Isaac hearkened to the words of his wife, and Isaac and his wife rose up and went to the land of Moriah to pray there and to seek the Lord, and when they had reached that place Isaac stood up and prayed to the Lord on account of his wife because she was barren.

6 And Isaac said, O Lord God of heaven and earth, whose goodness and mercies fill the earth, thou who didst take my father from his father’s house and from his birthplace, and didst bring him unto this land, and didst say unto him, To thy seed will I give the land, and thou didst promise him and didst declare unto him, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the sea, now may thy words be verified which thou didst speak unto my father.

7 For thou art the Lord our God, our eyes are toward thee to give us seed of men, as thou didst promise us, for thou art the Lord our God and our eyes are directed toward thee only.

8 And the Lord heard the prayer of Isaac the son of Abraham, and the Lord was entreated of him and Rebecca his wife conceived.

9 And in about seven months after the children struggled together within her, and it pained her greatly that she was wearied on account of them, and she said to all the women who were then in the land, Did such a thing happen to you as it has to me? and they said unto her, No.

10 And she said unto them, Why am I alone in this amongst all the women that were upon earth? and she went to the land of Moriah to seek the Lord on account of this; and she went to Shem and Eber his son to make inquiries of them in this matter, and that they should seek the Lord in this thing respecting her.

11 And she also asked Abraham to seek and inquire of the Lord about all that had befallen her.

12 And they all inquired of the Lord concerning this matter, and they brought her word from the Lord and told her, Two children are in thy womb, and two nations shall rise from them; and one nation shall be stronger than the other, and the greater shall serve the younger.

13 And when her days to be delivered were completed, she knelt down, and behold there were twins in her womb, as the Lord had spoken to her.

14 And the first came out red all over like a hairy garment, and all the people of the land called his name Esau, saying, That this one was made complete from the womb.

15 And after that came his brother, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel, therefore they called his name Jacob.

16 And Isaac, the son of Abraham, was sixty years old when he begat them.

17 And the boys grew up to their fifteenth year, and they came amongst the society of men. Esau was a designing and deceitful man, and an expert hunter in the field, and Jacob was a man perfect and wise, dwelling in tents, feeding flocks and learning the instructions of the Lord and the commands of his father and mother.

18 And Isaac and the children of his household dwelt with his father Abraham in the land of Canaan, as God had commanded them.

19 And Ishmael the son of Abraham went with his children and all belonging to them, and they returned there to the land of Havilah, and they dwelt there.

20 And all the children of Abraham’s concubines went to dwell in the land of the east, for Abraham had sent them away from his son, and had given them presents, and they went away.

21 And Abraham gave all that he had to his son Isaac, and he also gave him all his treasures.

22 And he commanded him saying, Dost thou not know and understand the Lord is God in heaven and in earth, and there is no other beside him?

23 And it was he who took me from my father’s house, and from my birth place, and gave me all the delights upon earth; who delivered me from the counsel of the wicked, for in him did I trust.

24 And he brought me to this place, and he delivered me from Ur Casdim; and he said unto me, To thy seed will I give all these lands, and they shall inherit them when they keep my commandments, my statutes and my judgments that I have commanded thee, and which I shall command them.

25 Now therefore my son, hearken to my voice, and keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I commanded thee, do not turn from the right way either to the right or to the left, in order that it may be well with thee and thy children after thee forever.

26 And remember the wonderful works of the Lord, and his kindness that he has shown toward us, in having delivered us from the hands of our enemies, and the Lord our God caused them to fall into our hands; and now therefore keep all that I have commanded thee, and turn not away from the commandments of thy God, and serve none beside him, in order that it may be well with thee and thy seed after thee.

27 And teach thou thy children and thy seed the instructions of the Lord and his commandments, and teach them the upright way in which they should go, in order that it may be well with them forever.

28 And Isaac answered his father and said unto him, That which my Lord has commanded that will I do, and I will not depart from the commands of the Lord my God, I will keep all that he commanded me; and Abraham blessed his son Isaac, and also his children; and Abraham taught Jacob the instruction of the Lord and his ways.

29 And it was at that time that Abraham died, in the fifteenth year of the life of Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac, and all the days of Abraham were one hundred and seventy-five years, and he died and was gathered to his people in good old age, old and satisfied with days, and Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him.

30 And when the inhabitants of Canaan heard that Abraham was dead, they all came with their kings and princes and all their men to bury Abraham.

31 And all the inhabitants of the land of Haran, and all the families of the house of Abraham, and all the princes and grandees, and the sons of Abraham by the concubines, all came when they heard of Abraham’s death, and they requited Abraham’s kindness, and comforted Isaac his son, and they buried Abraham in the cave which he bought from Ephron the Hittite and his children, for the possession of a burial place.

32 And all the inhabitants of Canaan, and all those who had known Abraham, wept for Abraham a whole year, and men and women mourned over him.

33 And all the little children, and all the inhabitants of the land wept on account of Abraham, for Abraham had been good to them all, and because he had been upright with God and men.

34 And there arose not a man who feared God like unto Abraham, for he had feared his God from his youth, and had served the Lord, and had gone in all his ways during his life, from his childhood to the day of his death.

35 And the Lord was with him and delivered him from the counsel of Nimrod and his people, and when he made war with the four kings of Elam he conquered them.

36 And he brought all the children of the earth to the service of God, and he taught them the ways of the Lord, and caused them to know the Lord.

37 And he formed a grove and he planted a vineyard therein, and he had always prepared in his tent meat and drink to those that passed through the land, that they might satisfy themselves in his house.

38 And the Lord God delivered the whole earth on account of Abraham.

39 And it was after the death of Abraham that God blessed his son Isaac and his children, and the Lord was with Isaac as he had been with his father Abraham, for Isaac kept all the commandments of the Lord as Abraham his father had commanded him; he did not turn to the right or to the left from the right path which his father had commanded him.

Book of Jasher (23-24)

•October 1, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 23

1 At that time the word of the Lord came to Abraham, and he said unto him, Abraham, and he said, Here I am.

2 And he said to him, Take now thy son, thine only son whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which shall be shown to thee, for there wilt thou see a cloud and the glory of the Lord.

3 And Abraham said within himself, How shall I separate my son Isaac from Sarah his mother, in order to bring him up for a burnt offering before the Lord?

4 And Abraham came into the tent, and he sat before Sarah his wife, and he spoke these words to her,

5 My son Isaac is grown up and he has not for some time studied the service of his God, now tomorrow I will go and bring him to Shem, and Eber his son, and there he will learn the ways of the Lord, for they will teach him to know the Lord as well as to know that when he prayeth continually before the Lord, he will answer him, therefore there he will know the way of serving the Lord his God.

6 And Sarah said, Thou hast spoken well, go my lord and do unto him as thou hast said, but remove him not at a great distance from me, neither let him remain there too long, for my soul is bound within his soul.

7 And Abraham said unto Sarah, My daughter, let us pray to the Lord our God that he may do good with us.

8 And Sarah took her son Isaac and he abode all that night with her, and she kissed and embraced him, and gave him instructions till morning.

9 And she said to him, O my son, how can my soul separate itself from thee? And she still kissed him and embraced him, and she gave Abraham instructions concerning him.

10 And Sarah said to Abraham, O my lord, I pray thee take heed of thy son, and place thine eyes over him, for I have no other son nor daughter but him.

11 O forsake him not. If he be hungry give him bread, and if he be thirsty give him water to drink; do not let him go on foot, neither let him sit in the sun.

12 Neither let him go by himself in the road, neither force him from whatever he may desire, but do unto him as he may say to thee.

13 And Sarah wept bitterly the whole night on account of Isaac, and she gave him instructions till morning.

14 And in the morning Sarah selected a very fine and beautiful garment from those garments which she had in the house, that Abimelech had given to her.

15 And she dressed Isaac her son therewith, and she put a turban upon his head, and she enclosed a precious stone in the top of the turban, and she gave them provision for the road, and they went forth, and Isaac went with his father Abraham, and some of their servants accompanied them to see them off the road.

16 And Sarah went out with them, and she accompanied them upon the road to see them off, and they said to her, Return to the tent.

17 And when Sarah heard the words of her son Isaac she wept bitterly, and Abraham her husband wept with her, and their son wept with them a great weeping; also those who went with them wept greatly.

18 And Sarah caught hold of her son Isaac, and she held him in her arms, and she embraced him and continued to weep with him, and Sarah said, Who knoweth if after this day I shall ever see thee again?

19 And they still wept together, Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, and all those that accompanied them on the road wept with them, and Sarah afterward turned away from her son, weeping bitterly, and all her men servants and maid servants returned with her to the tent.

20 And Abraham went with Isaac his son to bring him up as an offering before the Lord, as He had commanded him.

21 And Abraham took two of his young men with him, Ishmael the son of Hagar and Eliezer his servant, and they went together with them, and whilst they were walking in the road the young men spoke these words to themselves,

22 And Ishmael said to Eliezer, Now my father Abraham is going with Isaac to bring him up for a burnt offering to the Lord, as He commanded him.

23 Now when he returneth he will give unto me all that he possesses, to inherit after him, for I am his first born.

24 And Eliezer answered Ishmael and said, Surely Abraham did cast thee away with thy mother, and swear that thou shouldst not inherit any thing of all he possesses, and to whom will he give all that he has, with all his treasures, but unto me his servant, who has been faithful in his house, who has served him night and day, and has done all that he desired me? to me will he bequeath at his death all that he possesses.

25 And whilst Abraham was proceeding with his son Isaac along the road, Satan came and appeared to Abraham in the figure of a very aged man, humble and of contrite spirit, and he approached Abraham and said to him, Art thou silly or brutish, that thou goest to do this thing this day to thine only son?

26 For God gave thee a son in thy latter days, in thy old age, and wilt thou go and slaughter him this day because he committed no violence, and wilt thou cause the soul of thine only son to perish from the earth?

27 Dost thou not know and understand that this thing cannot be from the Lord? for the Lord cannot do unto man such evil upon earth to say to him, Go slaughter thy child.

28 And Abraham heard this and knew that it was the word of Satan who endeavored to draw him aside from the way of the Lord, but Abraham would not hearken to the voice of Satan, and Abraham rebuked him so that he went away.

29 And Satan returned and came to Isaac; and he appeared unto Isaac in the figure of a young man comely and well favored.

30 And he approached Isaac and said unto him, Dost thou not know and understand that thy old silly father bringeth thee to the slaughter this day for naught?

31 Now therefore, my son, do not listen nor attend to him, for he is a silly old man, and let not thy precious soul and beautiful figure be lost from the earth.

32 And Isaac heard this, and said unto Abraham, Hast thou heard, my father, that which this man has spoken? even thus has he spoken.

33 And Abraham answered his son Isaac and said to him, Take heed of him and do not listen to his words, nor attend to him, for he is Satan, endeavoring to draw us aside this day from the commands of God.

34 And Abraham still rebuked Satan, and Satan went from them, and seeing he could not prevail over them he hid himself from them, and he went and passed before them in the road; and he transformed himself to a large brook of water in the road, and Abraham and Isaac and his two young men reached that place, and they saw a brook large and powerful as the mighty waters.

35 And they entered the brook and passed through it, and the waters at first reached their legs.

36 And they went deeper in the brook and the waters reached up to their necks, and they were all terrified on account of the water; and whilst they were going over the brook Abraham recognized that place, and he knew that there was no water there before.

37 And Abraham said to his son Isaac, I know this place in which there was no brook nor water, now therefore it is this Satan who does all this to us, to draw us aside this day from the commands of God.

38 And Abraham rebuked him and said unto him, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, begone from us for we go by the commands of God.

39 And Satan was terrified at the voice of Abraham, and he went away from them, and the place again became dry land as it was at first.

40 And Abraham went with Isaac toward the place that God had told him.

41 And on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place at a distance which God had told him of.

42 And a pillar of fire appeared to him that reached from the earth to heaven, and a cloud of glory upon the mountain, and the glory of the Lord was seen in the cloud.

43 And Abraham said to Isaac, My son, dost thou see in that mountain, which we perceive at a distance, that which I see upon it?

44 And Isaac answered and said unto his father, I see and lo a pillar of fire and a cloud, and the glory of the Lord is seen upon the cloud.

45 And Abraham knew that his son Isaac was accepted before the Lord for a burnt offering.

46 And Abraham said unto Eliezer and unto Ishmael his son, Do you also see that which we see upon the mountain which is at a distance?

47 And they answered and said, We see nothing more than like the other mountains of the earth. And Abraham knew that they were not accepted before the Lord to go with them, and Abraham said to them, Abide ye here with the ass whilst I and Isaac my son will go to yonder mount and worship there before the Lord and then return to you.

48 And Eliezer and Ishmael remained in that place, as Abraham had commanded.

49 And Abraham took wood for a burnt offering and placed it upon his son Isaac, and he took the fire and the knife, and they both went to that place.

50 And when they were going along Isaac said to his father, Behold, I see here the fire and wood, and where then is the lamb that is to be the burnt offering before the Lord?

51 And Abraham answered his son Isaac, saying, The Lord has made choice of thee my son, to be a perfect burnt offering instead of the lamb.

52 And Isaac said unto his father, I will do all that the Lord spoke to thee with joy and cheerfulness of heart.

53 And Abraham again said unto Isaac his son, Is there in thy heart any thought or counsel concerning this, which is not proper? tell me my son, I pray thee, O my son conceal it not from me.

54 And Isaac answered his father Abraham and said unto him, O my father, as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, there is nothing in my heart to cause me to deviate either to the right or to the left from the word that he has spoken to thee.

55 Neither limb nor muscle has moved or stirred at this, nor is there in my heart any thought or evil counsel concerning this.

56 But I am of joyful and cheerful heart in this matter, and I say, Blessed is the Lord who has this day chosen me to be a burnt offering before Him.

57 And Abraham greatly rejoiced at the words of Isaac, and they went on and came together to that place that the Lord had spoken of.

58 And Abraham approached to build the altar in that place, and Abraham was weeping, and Isaac took stones and mortar until they had finished building the altar.

59 And Abraham took the wood and placed it in order upon the altar which he had built.

60 And he took his son Isaac and bound him in order to place him upon the wood which was upon the altar, to slay him for a burnt offering before the Lord.

61 And Isaac said to his father, Bind me securely and then place me upon the altar lest I should turn and move, and break loose from the force of the knife upon my flesh and thereof profane the burnt offering; and Abraham did so.

62 And Isaac still said to his father, O my father, when thou shalt have slain me and burnt me for an offering, take with thee that which shall remain of my ashes to bring to Sarah my mother, and say to her, This is the sweet smelling savor of Isaac; but do not tell her this if she should sit near a well or upon any high place, lest she should cast her soul after me and die.

63 And Abraham heard the words of Isaac, and he lifted up his voice and wept when Isaac spake these words; and Abraham’s tears gushed down upon Isaac his son, and Isaac wept bitterly, and he said to his father, Hasten thou, O my father, and do with me the will of the Lord our God as He has commanded thee.

64 And the hearts of Abraham and Isaac rejoiced at this thing which the Lord had commanded them; but the eye wept bitterly whilst the heart rejoiced.

65 And Abraham bound his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar upon the wood, and Isaac stretched forth his neck upon the altar before his father, and Abraham stretched forth his hand to take the knife to slay his son as a burnt offering before the Lord.

66 At that time the angels of mercy came before the Lord and spake to him concerning Isaac, saying,

67 0 Lord, thou art a merciful and compassionate King over all that thou hast created in heaven and in earth, and thou supportest them all; give therefore ransom and redemption instead of thy servant Isaac, and pity and have compassion upon Abraham and Isaac his son, who are this day performing thy commands.

68 Hast thou seen, O Lord, how Isaac the son of Abraham thy servant is bound down to the slaughter like an animal? now therefore let thy pity be roused for them, O Lord.

69 At that time the Lord appeared unto Abraham, and called to him, from heaven, and said unto him, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God in performing this act, and in not withholding thy son, thine only son, from me.

70 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a ram was caught in a thicket by his horns; that was the ram which the Lord God had created in the earth in the day that he made earth and heaven.

71 For the Lord had prepared this ram from that day, to be a burnt offering instead of Isaac.

72 And this ram was advancing to Abraham when Satan caught hold of him and entangled his horns in the thicket, that he might not advance to Abraham, in order that Abraham might slay his son.

73 And Abraham, seeing the ram advancing to him and Satan withholding him, fetched him and brought him before the altar, and he loosened his son Isaac from his binding, and he put the ram in his stead, and Abraham killed the ram upon the altar, and brought it up as an offering in the place of his son Isaac.

74 And Abraham sprinkled some of the blood of the ram upon the altar, and he exclaimed and said, This is in the place of my son, and may this be considered this day as the blood of my son before the Lord.

75 And all that Abraham did on this occasion by the altar, he would exclaim and say, This is in the room of my son, and may it this day be considered before the Lord in the place of my son; and Abraham finished the whole of the service by the altar, and the service was accepted before the Lord, and was accounted as if it had been Isaac; and the Lord blessed Abraham and his seed on that day.

76 And Satan went to Sarah, and he appeared to her in the figure of an old man very humble and meek, and Abraham was yet engaged in the burnt offering before the Lord.

77 And he said unto her, Dost thou not know all the work that Abraham has made with thine only son this day? for he took Isaac and built an altar, and killed him, and brought him up as a sacrifice upon the altar, and Isaac cried and wept before his father, but he looked not at him, neither did he have compassion over him.

78 And Satan repeated these words, and he went away from her, and Sarah heard all the words of Satan, and she imagined him to be an old man from amongst the sons of men who had been with her son, and had come and told her these things.

79 And Sarah lifted up her voice and wept and cried out bitterly on account of her son; and she threw herself upon the ground and she cast dust upon her head, and she said, O my son, Isaac my son, O that I had this day died instead of thee. And she continued to weep and said, It grieves me for thee, O my son, my son Isaac, O that I had died this day in thy stead.

80 And she still continued to weep, and said, It grieves me for thee after that I have reared thee and have brought thee up; now my joy is turned into mourning over thee, I that had a longing for thee, and cried and prayed to God till I bare thee at ninety years old; and now hast thou served this day for the knife and the fire, to be made an offering.

81 But I console myself with thee, my son, in its being the word of the Lord, for thou didst perform the command of thy God; for who can transgress the word of our God, in whose hands is the soul of every living creature?

82 Thou art just, O Lord our God, for all thy works are good and righteous; for I also am rejoiced with thy word which thou didst command, and whilst mine eye weepeth bitterly my heart rejoiceth.

83 And Sarah laid her head upon the bosom of one of her handmaids, and she became as still as a stone.

84 She afterward rose up and went about making inquiries till she came to Hebron, and she inquired of all those whom she met walking in the road, and no one could tell her what had happened to her son.

85 And she came with her maid servants and men servants to Kireath-arba, which is Hebron, and she asked concerning her Son, and she remained there while she sent some of her servants to seek where Abraham had gone with Isaac; they went to seek him in the house of Shem and Eber, and they could not find him, and they sought throughout the land and he was not there.

86 And behold, Satan came to Sarah in the shape of an old man, and he came and stood before her, and he said unto her, I spoke falsely unto thee, for Abraham did not kill his son and he is not dead; and when she heard the word her joy was so exceedingly violent on account of her son, that her soul went out through joy; she died and was gathered to her people.

87 And when Abraham had finished his service he returned with his son Isaac to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba, and they came home.

88 And Abraham sought for Sarah, and could not find her, and he made inquiries concerning her, and they said unto him, She went as far as Hebron to seek you both where you had gone, for thus was she informed.

89 And Abraham and Isaac went to her to Hebron, and when they found that she was dead they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly over her; and Isaac fell upon his mother’s face and wept over her, and he said, O my mother, my mother, how hast thou left me, and where hast thou gone? O how, how hast thou left me!

90 And Abraham and Isaac wept greatly and all their servants wept with them on account of Sarah, and they mourned over her a great and heavy mourning.

Book of Jasher Chapter 24

1 And the life of Sarah was one hundred and twenty-seven years, and Sarah died; and Abraham rose up from before his dead to seek a burial place to bury his wife Sarah; and he went and spoke to the children of Heth, the inhabitants of the land, saying,

2 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you in your land; give me a possession of a burial place in your land, that I may bury my dead from before me.

3 And the children of Heth said unto Abraham, behold the land is before thee, in the choice of our sepulchers bury thy dead, for no man shall withhold thee from burying thy dead.

4 And Abraham said unto them, If you are agreeable to this go and entreat for me to Ephron, the son of Zochar, requesting that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which is in the end of his field, and I will purchase it of him for whatever he desire for it.

5 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth, and they went and called for him, and he came before Abraham, and Ephron said unto Abraham, Behold all thou requirest thy servant will do; and Abraham said, No, but I will buy the cave and the field which thou hast for value, In order that it may be for a possession of a burial place for ever.

6 And Ephron answered and said, Behold the field and the cave are before thee, give whatever thou desirest; and Abraham said, Only at full value will I buy it from thy hand, and from the hands of those that go in at the gate of thy city, and from the hand of thy seed for ever.

7 And Ephron and all his brethren heard this, and Abraham weighed to Ephron four hundred shekels of silver in the hands of Ephron and in the hands of all his brethren; and Abraham wrote this transaction, and he wrote it and testified it with four witnesses.

8 And these are the names of the witnesses, Amigal son of Abishna the Hittite, Adichorom son of Ashunach the Hivite, Abdon son of Achiram the Gomerite, Bakdil the son of Abudish the Zidonite.

9 And Abraham took the book of the purchase, and placed it in his treasures, and these are the words that Abraham wrote in the book, namely:

10 That the cave and the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite, and from his seed, and from those that go out of his city, and from their seed for ever, are to be a purchase to Abraham and to his seed and to those that go forth from his loins, for a possession of a burial place for ever; and he put a signet to it and testified it with witnesses.

11 And the field and the cave that was in it and all that place were made sure unto Abraham and unto his seed after him, from the children of Heth; behold it is before Mamre in Hebron, which is in the land of Canaan.

12 And after this Abraham buried his wife Sarah there, and that place and all its boundary became to Abraham and unto his seed for a possession of a burial place.

13 And Abraham buried Sarah with pomp as observed at the interment of kings, and she was buried in very fine and beautiful garments.

14 And at her bier was Shem, his sons Eber and Abimelech, together with Anar, Ashcol and Mamre, and all the grandees of the land followed her bier.

15 And the days of Sarah were one hundred and twenty-seven years and she died, and Abraham made a great and heavy mourning, and he performed the rites of mourning for seven days.

16 And all the inhabitants of the land comforted Abraham and Isaac his son on account of Sarah.

17 And when the days of their mourning passed by Abraham sent away his son Isaac, and he went to the house of Shem and Eber, to learn the ways of the Lord and his instructions, and Abraham remained there three years.

18 At that time Abraham rose up with all his servants, and they went and returned homeward to Beersheba, and Abraham and all his servants remained in Beersheba.

19 And at the revolution of the year Abimelech king of the Philistines died in that year; he was one hundred and ninety-three years old at his death; and Abraham went with his people to the land of the Philistines, and they comforted the whole household and all his servants, and he then turned and went home.

20 And it was after the death of Abimelech that the people of Gerar took Benmalich his son, and he was only twelve years old, and they made him lying in the place of his father.

21 And they called his name Abimelech after the name of his father, for thus was it their custom to do in Gerar, and Abimelech reigned instead of Abimelech his father, and he sat upon his throne.

22 And Lot the son of Haran also died in those days, in the thirty-ninth year of the life of Isaac, and all the days that Lot lived were one hundred and forty years and he died.

23 And these are the children of Lot, that were born to him by his daughters, the name of the first born was Moab, and the name of the second was Benami.

24 And the two sons of Lot went and took themselves wives from the land of Canaan, and they bare children to them, and the children of Moab were Ed, Mayon, Tarsus, and Kanvil, four sons, these are fathers to the children of Moab unto this day.

25 And all the families of the children of Lot went to dwell wherever they should light upon, for they were fruitful and increased abundantly.

26 And they went and built themselves cities in the land where they dwelt, and they called the names of the cities which they built after their own names.

27 And Nahor the son of Terah, brother to Abraham, died in those days in the fortieth year of the life of Isaac, and all the days of Nahor were one hundred and seventy-two years and he died and was buried in Haran.

28 And when Abraham heard that his brother was dead he grieved sadly, and he mourned over his brother many days.

29 And Abraham called for Eliezer his head servant, to give him orders concerning his house, and he came and stood before him.

30 And Abraham said to him, Behold I am old, I do not know the day of my death; for I am advanced in days; now therefore rise up, go forth and do not take a wife for my son from this place and from this land, from the daughters of the Canaanites amongst whom we dwell.

31 But go to my land and to my birthplace, and take from thence a wife for my son, and the Lord God of Heaven and earth who took me from my father’s house and brought me to this place, and said unto me, To thy seed will I give this land for an inheritance for ever, he will send his angel before thee and prosper thy way, that thou mayest obtain a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house.

32 And the servant answered his master Abraham and said, Behold I go to thy birthplace and to thy father’s house, and take a wife for thy son from there; but if the woman be not willing to follow me to this land, shall I take thy son back to the land of thy birthplace?

33 And Abraham said unto him, Take heed that thou bring not my son hither again, for the Lord before whom I have walked he will send his angel before thee and prosper thy way.

34 And Eliezer did as Abraham ordered him, and Eliezer swore unto Abraham his master upon this matter; and Eliezer rose up and took ten camels of the camels of his master, and ten men from his master’s servants with him, and they rose up and went to Haran, the city of Abraham and Nahor, in order to fetch a wife for Isaac the son of Abraham; and whilst they were gone Abraham sent to the house of Shem and Eber, and they brought from thence his son Isaac.

35 And Isaac came home to his father’s house to Beersheba, whilst Eliezer and his men came to Haran; and they stopped in the city by the watering place, and he made his camels to kneel down by the water and they remained there.

36 And Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, prayed and said, O God of Abraham my master; send me I pray thee good speed this day and show kindness unto my master, that thou shalt appoint this day a wife for my master’s son from his family.

37 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Eliezer, for the sake of his servant Abraham, and he happened to meet with the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, brother to Abraham, and Eliezer came to her house.

38 And Eliezer related to them all his concerns, and that he was Abraham’s servant, and they greatly rejoiced at him.

39 And they all blessed the Lord who brought this thing about, and they gave him Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, for a wife for Isaac.

40 And the young woman was of very comely appearance, she was a virgin, and Rebecca was ten years old in those days.

41 And Bethuel and Laban and his children made a feast on that night, and Eliezer and his men came and ate and drank and rejoiced there on that night.

42 And Eliezer rose up in the morning, he and the men that were with him, and he called to the whole household of Bethuel, saying, Send me away that I may go to my master; and they rose up and sent away Rebecca and her nurse Deborah, the daughter of Uz, and they gave her silver and gold, men servants and maid servants, and they blessed her.

43 And they sent Eliezer away with his men; and the servants took Rebecca, and he went and returned to his master to the land of Canaan.

44 And Isaac took Rebecca and she became his wife, and he brought her into the tent.

45 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebecca, the daughter of his uncle Bethuel, for a wife.

China’s Historical GDP Share in The World

•September 30, 2024 • Leave a Comment

There is an overview in an article on China Whisper.comChina`s historical GDP share in the world

An American Nobel winner claimed that by 2040 China will be the biggest economy on the earth and he also said that China had been the biggest economy on the earth for the last two thousand years. Now let’s take a look at China’s historical GDP share in the world:

Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC) GDP per capita: Unknown

The share of Qin dynasty and the dynasties before it are too aged to calculate, no relevant data is available, so we can only start from the Han dynasty.

Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) GDP per capita: $450 — 26%

Han Dynasty accounted for 26% of the global wealth, at that time the Roman Empire dominated western world, while Han Dynasty is the economic center of the eastern world.

The Han Dynasty Weiyang Palace in Xi’an

Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) GDP per capita: $480 — 58% of world GDP

China’s feudal society gets to its peak in Tang Dynasty, which accounted for 58% of the world GDP, the empire is very rich and powerful comparing with other countries of the same time.

In the western world the second Eastern Roman Empire accounted for only 9% of the world GDP. The third Arab Empire accounted for just 7% of the world’s GDP. The fourth Ancient India accounted for 7% of the world’s GDP. Tang Dynasty could be described as a dominance among many great ancient countries.

The Mazu temple during the Tang Dynasty

Song Dynasty (960-1279) GDP per capita: US$2,280 — 80%

The entire Song Dynasty accounted for 80% of the world’s GDP. This share should be the highest among Chinese history mainly due to a booming commerce, foreign trade and technological advancement, all these made Song the richest dynasty in Chinese history. After a thousand years, Westerners said: “a thousand years ago, China’s economic aggregate accounted for 80% of the world at that time.”

After a thousand years Chinese people said in shock: “how is this possible?” Western historians described its wealth and prosperity like this, the living conditions of a porter at the gate of the capital Dongjing city was even better than a Western monarch of the same period. Song is a classic dynasty that hide the wealth into the people.

Typical of Song Dynasty architecture in China

Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) Estimated for about 30% -35% world GDP

It is difficult to calculate economic data of Yuan Dynasty, its GDP is estimated to account for about 30% -35% of the world according to the foreign research institutions.

Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) GDP per capita: US$600 — 55%

In the period of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, its total wealth accounted for 55% of the world GDP. The average share was 45% during the whole Ming Dynasty, but the late Ming Dynasty rapidly declined for famine and war.

The Great Wall of China
The Temple of Heaven in Beijing
The Ming’s Beijing capital complex also called the Purple Forbidden City

Qing Dynasty (1644-1922) GDP per capita: US$600 — 35% -10% of World GDP (drastic decline due to the rise of the British Empire)

Qing Dynasty accounted for 35% -10% of the World GDP, the economy experienced big recession after 1840 Opium War, large amounts of silver were used  to pay indemnities to invaders and outflowed at the same time, causing its GDP rapidly falling from 35% in period of Kangxi and Qianlong to less than 10% in Jiaqing period.

People’s Republic of China (1949-current) GDP per capita: US$5414 — or 9.48 percent of world GDP

See also Wikipedia for this period.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in China was worth 7298.1 billion US dollars in 2011, according to a report published by the World Bank. The GDP value of China is roughly equivalent to 9.48 percent of the world economy.

The China Whisper

A bending, glass-bottomed bridge for tourists in China
Domestic High Speed trains park at night
Overcapacity of EVs ready to flood Western Cities

Project 33 to beat China by 2027

•September 29, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Project 33: US Navy’s plan to beat China by 2027

AI, robotics and autonomous systems to enhance naval readiness but laggard shipbuilding and kill chain vulnerabilities will endure

AsiaTimes by Gabriel Honrada • September 23, 2024 ~ USNI News

The US Navy is racing to overhaul its force structure and readiness for a potential showdown with China over Taiwan as early as 2027.

USNI reported this month that the US Navy, under Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, has issued new guidance to prepare for a potential conflict with China by 2027.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm Lisa Franchetti “possible war with China by 2027”

According to USNI, the “Chief of Naval Operations Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy,” also called the “Project 33” plan, aims to address maintenance backlogs and recruiting challenges and focus on readiness, capability and capacity.

The plan sets two primary goals: enhancing naval readiness and strengthening the US Navy’s role in the broader US joint warfighting ecosystem.

It identifies seven critical areas, including addressing maintenance backlogs, scaling robotic and autonomous systems, improving sailor recruitment and retention, and bolstering infrastructure.

The plan emphasizes multi-domain operations and technological innovation in response to heightened global threats—specifically from China’s expanding military capabilities and Russia’s increasingly aggressive actions.

It seeks to ensure that the US Navy maintains its superiority through readiness, joint force integration and warfighter competency, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and distributed maritime operations.

It underscores the importance of executing these initiatives swiftly to meet future challenges while preparing for sustained, high-end combat.

While the US Navy accelerates its efforts to counter China’s growing naval power, it faces the stark reality of lagging shipbuilding capacity and outdated kill chains that risk exposing critical vulnerabilities in a potential conflict.

Asia Times has previously noted that the US faces critical challenges in naval shipbuilding as it struggles to keep pace with China’s rapid naval expansion. China now has the world’s largest navy, with 370 ships and submarines and over 140 major surface combatants.

US is itching toward a plan to restore the Navy’s First Fleet in the South China Sea

China’s 13 naval shipyards have more capacity than all seven naval US shipyards combined, highlighting the US’ growing disadvantage in naval shipbuilding.

Further, US shipyards face skilled labor shortages, exacerbated by past budget cuts and layoffs that have depleted the specialized workforce needed for naval construction.

Moreover, outdated procurement strategies and reliance on high-cost, legacy warships such as aircraft carriers, destroyers and amphibious assault ships further hinder the US’s ability to rapidly scale up its fleet.

Still, the US is itching toward a plan to restore the Navy’s First Fleet in the South China Sea with the Strait of Malacca as its choke point to rebuff China in the Indo-Pacific Region.

Book of Jasher (21-22)

•September 29, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 21

1 And it was at that time at the end of a year and four months of Abraham’s dwelling in the land of the Philistines in Gerar, that God visited Sarah, and the Lord remembered her, and she conceived and bare a son to Abraham.

2 And Abraham called the name of the son which was born to him, which Sarah bare to him, Isaac.

3 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac at eight days old, as God had commanded Abraham to do unto his seed after him; and Abraham was one hundred, and Sarah ninety years old, when Isaac was born to them.

4 And the child grew up and he was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast upon the day that Isaac was weaned.

5 And Shem and Eber and all the great people of the land, and Abimelech king of the Philistines, and his servants, and Phicol, the captain of his host, came to eat and drink and rejoice at the feast which Abraham made upon the day of his son Isaac’s being weaned.

6 Also Terah, the father of Abraham, and Nahor his brother, came from Haran, they and all belonging to them, for they greatly rejoiced on hearing that a son had been born to Sarah.

7 And they came to Abraham, and they ate and drank at the feast which Abraham made upon the day of Isaac’s being weaned.

8 And Terah and Nahor rejoiced with Abraham, and they remained with him many days in the land of the Philistines.

9 At that time Serug the son of Reu died, in the first year of the birth of Isaac son of Abraham.

10 And all the days of Serug were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.

11 And Ishmael the son of Abraham was grown up in those days; he was fourteen years old when Sarah bare Isaac to Abraham.

12 And God was with Ishmael the son of Abraham, and he grew up, and he learned to use the bow and became an archer.

13 And when Isaac was five years old he was sitting with Ishmael at the door of the tent.

14 And Ishmael came to Isaac and seated himself opposite to him, and he took the bow and drew it and put the arrow in it, and intended to slay Isaac.

15 And Sarah saw the act which Ishmael desired to do to her son Isaac, and it grieved her exceedingly on account of her son, and she sent for Abraham, and said to him, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for her son shall not be heir with my son, for thus did he seek to do unto him this day.

16 And Abraham hearkened to the voice of Sarah, and he rose up early in the morning, and he took twelve loaves and a bottle of water which he gave to Hagar, and sent her away with her son, and Hagar went with her son to the wilderness, and they dwelt in the wilderness of Paran with the inhabitants of the wilderness, and Ishmael was an archer, and he dwelt in the wilderness a long time.

17 And he and his mother afterward went to the land of Egypt, and they dwelt there, and Hagar took a wife for her son from Egypt, and her name was Meribah.

18 And the wife of Ishmael conceived and bare four sons and two daughters, and Ishmael and his mother and his wife and children afterward went and returned to the wilderness.

19 And they made themselves tents in the wilderness, in which they dwelt, and they continued to travel and then to rest monthly and yearly.

20 And God gave Ishmael flocks and herds and tents on account of Abraham his father, and the man increased in cattle.

21 And Ishmael dwelt in deserts and in tents, traveling and resting for a long time, and he did not see the face of his father.

22 And in some time after, Abraham said to Sarah his wife, I will go and see my son Ishmael, for I have a desire to see him, for I have not seen him for a long time.

23 And Abraham rode upon one of his camels to the wilderness to seek his son Ishmael, for he heard that he was dwelling in a tent in the wilderness with all belonging to him.

24 And Abraham went to the wilderness, and he reached the tent of Ishmael about noon, and he asked after Ishmael, and he found the wife of Ishmael sitting in the tent with her children, and Ishmael her husband and his mother were not with them.

25 And Abraham asked the wife of Ishmael, saying, Where has Ishmael gone? and she said, He has gone to the field to hunt, and Abraham was still mounted upon the camel, for he would not get off to the ground as he had sworn to his wife Sarah that he would not get off from the camel.

26 And Abraham said to Ishmael’s wife, My daughter, give me a little water that I may drink, for I am fatigued from the journey.

27 And Ishmael’s wife answered and said to Abraham, We have neither water nor bread, and she continued sitting in the tent and did not notice Abraham, neither did she ask him who he was.

28 But she was beating her children in the tent, and she was cursing them, and she also cursed her husband Ishmael and reproached him, and Abraham heard the words of Ishmael’s wife to her children, and he was very angry and displeased.

29 And Abraham called to the woman to come out to him from the tent, and the woman came and stood opposite to Abraham, for Abraham was still mounted upon the camel.

30 And Abraham said to Ishmael’s wife, When thy husband Ishmael returneth home say these words to him,

31 A very old man from the land of the Philistines came hither to seek thee, and thus was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing thou wast not here he spoke unto me and said, When Ishmael thy husband returneth tell him thus did this man say, When thou comest home put away this nail of the tent which thou hast placed here, and place another nail in its stead.

32 And Abraham finished his instructions to the woman, and he turned and went off on the camel homeward.

33 And after that Ishmael came from the chase he and his mother, and returned to the tent, and his wife spoke these words to him,

34 A very old man from the land of the Philistines came to seek thee, and thus was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing thou wast not at home he said to me, When thy husband cometh home tell him, thus saith the old man, Put away the nail of the tent which thou hast placed here and place another nail in its stead.

35 And Ishmael heard the words of his wife, and he knew that it was his father, and that his wife did not honor him.

36 And Ishmael understood his father’s words that he had spoken to his wife, and Ishmael hearkened to the voice of his father, and Ishmael cast off that woman and she went away.

37 And Ishmael afterward went to the land of Canaan, and he took another wife and he brought her to his tent to the place where he then dwelt.

38 And at the end of three years Abraham said, I will go again and see Ishmael my son, for I have not seen him for a long time.

39 And he rode upon his camel and went to the wilderness, and he reached the tent of Ishmael about noon.

40 And he asked after Ishmael, and his wife came out of the tent and she said, He is not here my lord, for he has gone to hunt in the fields, and to feed the camels, and the woman said to Abraham, Turn in my lord into the tent, and eat a morsel of bread, for thy soul must be wearied on account of the journey.

41 And Abraham said to her, I will not stop for I am in haste to continue my journey, but give me a little water to drink, for I have thirst; and the woman hastened and ran into the tent and she brought out water and bread to Abraham, which she placed before him and she urged him to eat, and he ate and drank and his heart was comforted and he blessed his son Ishmael.

42 And he finished his meal and he blessed the Lord, and he said to Ishmael’s wife, When Ishmael cometh home say these words to him,

43 A very old man from the land of the Philistines came hither and asked after thee, and thou wast not here; and I brought him out bread and water and he ate and drank and his heart was comforted.

44 And he spoke these words to me: When Ishmael thy husband cometh home, say unto him, The nail of the tent which thou hast is very good, do not put it away from the tent.

45 And Abraham finished commanding the woman, and he rode off to his home to the land of the Philistines; and when Ishmael came to his tent his wife went forth to meet him with joy and a cheerful heart.

46 And she said to him, An old man came here from the land of the Philistines and thus was his appearance, and he asked after thee and thou wast not here, so I brought out bread and water, and he ate and drank and his heart was comforted.

47 And he spoke these words to me, When Ishmael thy husband cometh home say to him, The nail of the tent which thou hast is very good, do not put it away from the tent.

48 And Ishmael knew that it was his father, and that his wife had honored him, and the Lord blessed Ishmael.

Book of Jasher Chapter 22

1 And Ishmael then rose up and took his wife and his children and his cattle and all belonging to him, and he journeyed from there and he went to his father in the land of the Philistines.

2 And Abraham related to Ishmael his son the transaction with the first wife that Ishmael took, according to what she did.

3 And Ishmael and his children dwelt with Abraham many days in that land, and Abraham dwelt in the land of the Philistines a long time.

4 And the days increased and reached twenty six years, and after that Abraham with his servants and all belonging to him went from the land of the Philistines and removed to a great distance, and they came near to Hebron, and they remained there, and the servants of Abraham dug wells of water, and Abraham and all belonging to him dwelt by the water, and the servants of Abimelech king of the Philistines heard the report that Abraham’s servants had dug wells of water in the borders of the land.

5 And they came and quarreled with the servants of Abraham, and they robbed them of the great well which they had dug.

6 And Abimelech king of the Philistines heard of this affair, and he with Phicol the captain of his host and twenty of his men came to Abraham, and Abimelech spoke to Abraham concerning his servants, and Abraham rebuked Abimelech concerning the well of which his servants had robbed him.

7 And Abimelech said to Abraham, As the Lord liveth who created the whole earth, I did not hear of the act which my servants did unto thy servants until this day.

8 And Abraham took seven ewe lambs and gave them to Abimelech, saying, Take these, I pray thee, from my hands that it may be a testimony for me that I dug this well.

9 And Abimelech took the seven ewe lambs which Abraham had given to him, for he had also given him cattle and herds in abundance, and Abimelech swore to Abraham concerning the well, therefore he called that well Beersheba, for there they both swore concerning it.

10 And they both made a covenant in Beersheba, and Abimelech rose up with Phicol the captain of his host and all his men, and they returned to the land of the Philistines, and Abraham and all belonging to him dwelt in Beersheba and he was in that land a long time.

11 And Abraham planted a large grove in Beersheba, and he made to it four gates facing the four sides of the earth, and he planted a vineyard in it, so that if a traveler came to Abraham he entered any gate which was in his road, and remained there and ate and drank and satisfied himself and then departed.

12 For the house of Abraham was always open to the sons of men that passed and repassed, who came daily to eat and drink in the house of Abraham.

13 And any man who had hunger and came to Abraham’s house, Abraham would give him bread that he might eat and drink and be satisfied, and any one that came naked to his house he would clothe with garments as he might choose, and give him silver and gold and make known to him the Lord who had created him in the earth; this did Abraham all his life.

14 And Abraham and his children and all belonging to him dwelt in Beersheba, and he pitched his tent as far as Hebron.

15 And Abraham’s brother Nahor and his father and all belonging to them dwelt in Haran, for they did not come with Abraham to the land of Canaan.

16 And children were born to Nahor which Milca the daughter of Haran, and sister to Sarah, Abraham’s wife, bare to him.

17 And these are the names of those that were born to him, Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Kesed, Chazo, Pildash, Tidlaf, and Bethuel, being eight sons, these are the children of Milca which she bare to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

18 And Nahor had a concubine and her name was Reumah, and she also bare to Nahor, Zebach, Gachash, Tachash and Maacha, being four sons.

19 And the children that were born to Nahor were twelve sons besides his daughters, and they also had children born to them in Haran.

20 And the children of Uz the first born of Nahor were Abi, Cheref, Gadin, Melus, and Deborah their sister.

21 And the sons of Buz were Berachel, Naamath, Sheva, and Madonu.

22 And the sons of Kemuel were Aram and Rechob.

23 And the sons of Kesed were Anamlech, Meshai, Benon and Yifi; and the sons of Chazo were Pildash, Mechi and Opher.

24 And the sons of Pildash were Arud, Chamum, Mered and Moloch.

25 And the sons of Tidlaf were Mushan, Cushan and Mutzi.

26 And the children of Bethuel were Sechar, Laban and their sister Rebecca.

27 These are the families of the children of Nahor, that were born to them in Haran; and Aram the son of Kemuel and Rechob his brother went away from Haran, and they found a valley in the land by the river Euphrates.

28 And they built a city there, and they called the name of the city after the name of Pethor the son of Aram, that is Aram Naherayim unto this day.

29 And the children of Kesed also went to dwell where they could find a place, and they went and they found a valley opposite to the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.

30 And they there built themselves a city, and they called the name at the city Kesed after the name of their father, that is the land Kasdim unto this day, and the Kasdim dwelt in that land and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly.

31 And Terah, father of Nahor and Abraham, went and took another wife in his old age, and her name was Pelilah, and she conceived and bare him a son and he called his name Zoba.

32 And Terah lived twenty-five years after he begat Zoba.

33 And Terah died in that year, that is in the thirty-fifth year of the birth of Isaac son of Abraham.

34 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and he was buried in Haran.

35 And Zoba the son of Terah lived thirty years and he begat Aram, Achlis and Merik.

36 And Aram son of Zoba son of Terah, had three wives and he begat twelve sons and three daughters; and the Lord gave to Aram the son of Zoba, riches and possessions, and abundance of cattle, and flocks and herds, and the man increased greatly.

37 And Aram the son of Zoba and his brother and all his household journeyed from Haran, and they went to dwell where they should find a place, for their property was too great to remain in Haran; for they could not stop in Haran together with their brethren the children of Nahor.

38 And Aram the son of Zoba went with his brethren, and they found a valley at a distance toward the eastern country and they dwelt there.

39 And they also built a city there, and they called the name thereof Aram, after the name of their eldest brother; that is Aram Zoba to this day.

40 And Isaac the son of Abraham was growing up in those days, and Abraham his father taught him the way of the Lord to know the Lord, and the Lord was with him.

41 And when Isaac was thirty-seven years old, Ishmael his brother was going about with him in the tent.

42 And Ishmael boasted of himself to Isaac, saying, I was thirteen years old when the Lord spoke to my father to circumcise us, and I did according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to my father, and I gave my soul unto the Lord, and I did not transgress his word which he commanded my father.

43 And Isaac answered Ishmael, saying, Why dost thou boast to me about this, about a little bit of thy flesh which thou didst take from thy body, concerning which the Lord commanded thee?

44 As the Lord liveth, the God of my father Abraham, if the Lord should say unto my father, Take now thy son Isaac and bring him up an offering before me, I would not refrain but I would joyfully accede to it.

45 And the Lord heard the word that Isaac spoke to Ishmael, and it seemed good in the sight of the Lord, and he thought to try Abraham in this matter.

46 And the day arrived when the sons of God came and placed themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with the sons of God before the Lord.

47 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

48 And the Lord said to Satan, What is thy word to me concerning all the children of the earth? and Satan answered the Lord and said, I have seen all the children of the earth who serve thee and remember thee when they require anything from thee.

49 And when thou givest them the thing which they require from thee, they sit at their ease, and forsake thee and they remember thee no more.

50 Hast thou seen Abraham the son of Terah, who at first had no children, and he served thee and erected altars to thee wherever he came, and he brought up offerings upon them, and he proclaimed thy name continually to all the children of the earth.

51 And now that his son Isaac is born to him, he has forsaken thee, he has made a great feast for all the inhabitants of the land, and the Lord he has forgotten.

52 For amidst all that he has done he brought thee no offering; neither burnt offering nor peace offering, neither ox, lamb nor goat of all that he killed on the day that his son was weaned.

53 Even from the time of his son’s birth till now, being thirty-seven years, he built no altar before thee, nor brought any offering to thee, for he saw that thou didst give what he requested before thee, and he therefore forsook thee.

54 And the Lord said to Satan, Hast thou thus considered my servant Abraham? for there is none like him upon earth, a perfect and an upright man before me, one that feareth God and avoideth evil; as I live, were I to say unto him, Bring up Isaac thy son before me, he would not withhold him from me, much more if I told him to bring up a burnt offering before me from his flock or herds.

55 And Satan answered the Lord and said, Speak then now unto Abraham as thou hast said, and thou wilt see whether he will not this day transgress and cast aside thy words.

Book of Jasher (19-20)

•September 28, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 19

1 And the cities of Sodom had four judges to four cities, and these were their names, Serak in the city of Sodom, Sharkad in Gomorrah, Zabnac in Admah, and Menon in Zeboyim.

2 And Eliezer Abraham’s servant applied to them different names, and he converted Serak to Shakra, Sharkad to Shakrura, Zebnac to Kezobim, and Menon to Matzlodin.

3 And by desire of their four judges the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had beds erected in the streets of the cities, and if a man came to these places they laid hold of him and brought him to one of their beds, and by force made him to lie in them.

4 And as he lay down, three men would stand at his head and three at his feet, and measure him by the length of the bed, and if the man was less than the bed these six men would stretch him at each end, and when he cried out to them they would not answer him.

5 And if he was longer than the bed they would draw together the two sides of the bed at each end, until the man had reached the gates of death.

6 And if he continued to cry out to them, they would answer him, saying, Thus shall it be done to a man that cometh into our land.

7 And when men heard all these things that the people of the cities of Sodom did, they refrained from coming there.

8 And when a poor man came to their land they would give him silver and gold, and cause a proclamation in the whole city not to give him a morsel of bread to eat, and if the stranger should remain there some days, and die from hunger, not having been able to obtain a morsel of bread, then at his death all the people of the city would come and take their silver and gold which they had given to him.

9 And those that could recognize the silver or gold which they had given him took it back, and at his death they also stripped him of his garments, and they would fight about them, and he that prevailed over his neighbor took them.

10 They would after that carry him and bury him under some of the shrubs in the deserts; so they did all the days to any one that came to them and died in their land.

11 And in the course of time Sarah sent Eliezer to Sodom, to see Lot and inquire after his welfare.

12 And Eliezer went to Sodom, and he met a man of Sodom fighting with a stranger, and the man of Sodom stripped the poor man of all his clothes and went away.

13 And this poor man cried to Eliezer and supplicated his favor on account of what the man of Sodom had done to him.

14 And he said to him, Why dost thou act thus to the poor man who came to thy land?

15 And the man of Sodom answered Eliezer, saying, Is this man thy brother, or have the people of Sodom made thee a judge this day, that thou speakest about this man?

16 And Eliezer strove with the man of Sodom on account of the poor man, and when Eliezer approached to recover the poor man’s clothes from the man of Sodom, he hastened and with a stone smote Eliezer in the forehead.

17 And the blood flowed copiously from Eliezer’s forehead, and when the man saw the blood he caught hold of Eliezer, saying, Give me my hire for having rid thee of this bad blood that was in thy forehead, for such is the custom and the law in our land.

18 And Eliezer said to him, Thou hast wounded me and requirest me to pay thee thy hire; and Eliezer would not hearken to the words of the man of Sodom.

19 And the man laid hold of Eliezer and brought him to Shakra the judge of Sodom for judgment.

20 And the man spoke to the judge, saying, I beseech thee my lord, thus has this man done, for I smote him with a stone that the blood flowed from his forehead, and he is unwilling to give me my hire.

21 And the judge said to Eliezer, This man speaketh truth to thee, give him his hire, for this is the custom in our land; and Eliezer heard the words of the judge, and he lifted up a stone and smote the judge, and the stone struck on his forehead, and the blood flowed copiously from the forehead of the judge, and Eliezer said, If this then is the custom in your land give thou unto this man what I should have given him, for this has been thy decision, thou didst decree it.

22 And Eliezer left the man of Sodom with the judge, and he went away.

23 And when the kings of Elam had made war with the kings of Sodom, the kings of Elam captured all the property of Sodom, and they took Lot captive, with his property, and when it was told to Abraham he went and made war with the kings of Elam, and he recovered from their hands all the property of Lot as well as the property of Sodom.

24 At that time the wife of Lot bare him a daughter, and he called her name Paltith, saying, Because God had delivered him and his whole household from the kings of Elam; and Paltith daughter of Lot grew up, and one of the men of Sodom took her for a wife.

25 And a poor man came into the city to seek a maintenance, and he remained in the city some days, and all the people of Sodom caused a proclamation of their custom not to give this man a morsel of bread to eat, until he dropped dead upon the earth, and they did so.

26 And Paltith the daughter of Lot saw this man lying in the streets starved with hunger, and no one would give him any thing to keep him alive, and he was just upon the point of death.

27 And her soul was filled with pity on account of the man, and she fed him secretly with bread for many days, and the soul of this man was revived.

28 For when she went forth to fetch water she would put the bread in the water pitcher, and when she came to the place where the poor man was, she took the bread from the pitcher and gave it him to eat; so she did many days.

29 And all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah wondered how this man could bear starvation for so many days.

30 And they said to each other, This can only be that he eats and drinks, for no man can bear starvation for so many days or live as this man has, without even his countenance changing; and three men concealed themselves in a place where the poor man was stationed, to know who it was that brought him bread to eat.

31 And Paltith daughter of Lot went forth that day to fetch water, and she put bread into her pitcher of water, and she went to draw water by the poor man’s place, and she took out the bread from the pitcher and gave it to the poor man and he ate it.

32 And the three men saw what Paltith did to the poor man, and they said to her, It is thou then who hast supported him, and therefore has he not starved, nor changed in appearance nor died like the rest.

33 And the three men went out of the place in which they were concealed, and they seized Paltith and the bread which was in the poor man’s hand.

34 And they took Paltith and brought her before their judges, and they said to them, Thus did she do, and it is she who supplied the poor man with bread, therefore did he not die all this time; now therefore declare to us the punishment due to this woman for having transgressed our law.

35 And the people of Sodom and Gomorrah assembled and kindled a fire in the street of the city, and they took the woman and cast her into the fire and she was burned to ashes.

36 And in the city of Admah there was a woman to whom they did the like.

37 For a traveler came into the city of Admah to abide there all night, with the intention of going home in the morning, and he sat opposite the door of the house of the young woman’s father, to remain there, as the sun had set when he had reached that place; and the young woman saw him sitting by the door of the house.

38 And he asked her for a drink of water and she said to him, Who art thou? and he said to her, I was this day going on the road, and reached here when the sun set, so I will abide here all night, and in the morning I will arise early and continue my journey.

39 And the young woman went into the house and fetched the man bread and water to eat and drink.

40 And this affair became known to the people of Admah, and they assembled and brought the young woman before the judges, that they should judge her for this act.

41 And the judge said, The judgment of death must pass upon this woman because she transgressed our law, and this therefore is the decision concerning her.

42 And the people of those cities assembled and brought out the young woman, and anointed her with honey from head to foot, as the judge had decreed, and they placed her before a swarm of bees which were then in their hives, and the bees flew upon her and stung her that her whole body was swelled.

43 And the young woman cried out on account of the bees, but no one took notice of her or pitied her, and her cries ascended to heaven.

44 And the Lord was provoked at this and at all the works of the cities of Sodom, for they had abundance of food, and had tranquility amongst them, and still would not sustain the poor and the needy, and in those days their evil doings and sins became great before the Lord.

45 And the Lord sent for two of the angels that had come to Abraham’s house, to destroy Sodom and its cities.

46 And the angels rose up from the door of Abraham’s tent, after they had eaten and drunk, and they reached Sodom in the evening, and Lot was then sitting in the gate of Sodom, and when he saw them he rose to meet them, and he bowed down to the ground.

47 And he pressed them greatly and brought them into his house, and he gave them victuals which they ate, and they abode all night in his house.

48 And the angels said to Lot, Arise, go forth from this place, thou and all belonging to thee, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of this city, for the Lord will destroy this place.

49 And the angels laid hold upon the hand of Lot and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hands of his children, and all belonging to him, and they brought him forth and set him outside the cities.

50 And they said to Lot, Escape for thy life, and he fled and all belonging to him.

51 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah and upon all these cities brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.

52 And he overthrew these cities, all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground; and Ado the wife of Lot looked back to see the destruction of the cities, for her compassion was moved on account of her daughters who remained in Sodom, for they did not go with her.

53 And when she looked back she became a pillar of salt, and it is yet in that place unto this day.

54 And the oxen which stood in that place daily licked up the salt to the extremities of their feet, and in the morning it would spring forth afresh, and they again licked it up unto this day.

55 And Lot and two of his daughters that remained with him fled and escaped to the cave of Adullam, and they remained there for some time.

56 And Abraham rose up early in the morning to see what had been done to the cities of Sodom; and he looked and beheld the smoke of the cities going up like the smoke of a furnace.

57 And Lot and his two daughters remained in the cave, and they made their father drink wine, and they lay with him, for they said there was no man upon earth that could raise up seed from them, for they thought that the whole earth was destroyed.

58 And they both lay with their father, and they conceived and bare sons, and the first born called the name of her son Moab, saying, From my father did I conceive him; he is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

59 And the younger also called her son Benami; he is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

60 And after this Lot and his two daughters went away from there, and he dwelt on the other side of the Jordan with his two daughters and their sons, and the sons of Lot grew up, and they went and took themselves wives from the land of Canaan, and they begat children and they were fruitful and multiplied.

Book of Jasher Chapter 20

1 And at that time Abraham journeyed from the plain of Mamre, and he went to the land of the Philistines, and he dwelt in Gerar; it was in the twenty-fifth year of Abraham’s being in the land of Canaan, and the hundredth year of the life of Abraham, that he came to Gerar in the land of the Philistines.

2 And when they entered the land he said to Sarah his wife, Say thou art my sister, to any one that shall ask thee, in order that we may escape the evil of the inhabitants of the land.

3 And as Abraham was dwelling in the land of the Philistines, the servants of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, saw that Sarah was exceedingly beautiful, and they asked Abraham concerning her, and he said, She is my sister.

4 And the servants of Abimelech went to Abimelech, saying, A man from the land of Canaan is come to dwell in the land, and he has a sister that is exceeding fair.

5 And Abimelech heard the words of his servants who praised Sarah to him, and Abimelech sent his officers, and they brought Sarah to the king.

6 And Sarah came to the house of Abimelech, and the king saw that Sarah was beautiful, and she pleased him exceedingly.

7 And he approached her and said to her, What is that man to thee with whom thou didst come to our land? and Sarah answered and said He is my brother, and we came from the land of Canaan to dwell wherever we could find a place.

8 And Abimelech said to Sarah, Behold my land is before thee, place thy brother in any part of this land that pleases thee, and it will be our duty to exalt and elevate him above all the people of the land since he is thy brother.

9 And Abimelech sent for Abraham, and Abraham came to Abimelech.

10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold I have given orders that thou shalt be honored as thou desirest on account of thy sister Sarah.

11 And Abraham went forth from the king, and the king’s present followed him.

12 As at evening time, before men lie down to rest, the king was sitting upon his throne, and a deep sleep fell upon him, and he lay upon the throne and slept till morning.

13 And he dreamed that an angel of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword in his hand, and the angel stood over Abimelech, and wished to slay him with the sword, and the king was terrified in his dream, and said to the angel, In what have I sinned against thee that thou comest to slay me with thy sword?

14 And the angel answered and said to Abimelech, Behold thou diest on account of the woman which thou didst yesternight bring to thy house, for she is a married woman, the wife of Abraham who came to thy house; now therefore return that man his wife, for she is his wife; and shouldst thou not return her, know that thou wilt surely die, thou and all belonging to thee.

15 And on that night there was a great outcry in the land of the Philistines, and the inhabitants of the land saw the figure of a man standing with a drawn sword in his hand, and he smote the inhabitants of the land with the sword, yea he continued to smite them.

16 And the angel of the Lord smote the whole land of the Philistines on that night, and there was a great confusion on that night and on the following morning.

17 And every womb was closed, and all their issues, and the hand of the Lord was upon them on account of Sarah, wife of Abraham, whom Abimelech had taken.

18 And in the morning Abimelech rose with terror and confusion and with a great dread, and he sent and had his servants called in, and he related his dream to them, and the people were greatly afraid.

19 And one man standing amongst the servants of the king answered the king, saying, O sovereign king, restore this woman to her husband, for he is her husband, for the like happened to the king of Egypt when this man came to Egypt.

20 And he said concerning his wife, She is my sister, for such is his manner of doing when he cometh to dwell in the land in which he is a stranger.

21 And Pharaoh sent and took this woman for a wife and the Lord brought upon him grievous plagues until he returned the woman to her husband.

22 Now therefore, O sovereign king, know what happened yesternight to the whole land, for there was a very great consternation and great pain and lamentation, and we know that it was on account of the woman which thou didst take.

23 Now, therefore, restore this woman to her husband, lest it should befall us as it did to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his subjects, and that we may not die; and Abimelech hastened and had Sarah called for, and she came before him, and he had Abraham called for, and he came before him.

24 And Abimelech said to them, What is this work you have been doing in saying you are brother and sister, and I took this woman for a wife?

25 And Abraham said, Because I thought I should suffer death on account of my wife; and Abimelech took flocks and herds, and men servants and maid servants, and a thousand pieces of silver, and he gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah to him.

26 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold the whole land is before thee, dwell in it wherever thou shalt choose.

27 And Abraham and Sarah, his wife, went forth from the king’s presence with honor and respect, and they dwelt in the land, even in Gerar.

28 And all the inhabitants of the land of the Philistines and the king’s servants were still in pain, through the plague which the angel had inflicted upon them the whole night on account of Sarah.

29 And Abimelech sent for Abraham, saying, Pray now for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that he may put away this mortality from amongst us.

30 And Abraham prayed on account of Abimelech and his subjects, and the Lord heard the prayer of Abraham, and he healed Abimelech and all his subjects.

Great Britain

•September 28, 2024 • Leave a Comment

At the height of its power and influence early in the 20th century, Great Britain controlled an empire covered approximately one fourth of the world’s territory (in 1922 it incorporated 13 million square miles) and boasted of 54 territories and colonies—including Canada, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana and vast swaths of Africa, the land of Palestine, islands in the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific islands and others.

Great Britain at its Height

Image result for of british empire

It was the most expansive empire in the history of the world, holding sway over some 460 million people—a fifth of the world’s population at the time. Moreover, following the defeat of Napoleonic France in 1815, Great Britain enjoyed a century of almost unchallenged global dominance through its vincible as well as its invincible Royal Navy rules the waves.

The British Empire also possessed or controlled several strategic sea gates—the Suez Canal, Gibraltar, the Cape of Good Hope, etc. Historians agree that Great Britain became the preeminent nation of the world as a consequence of wrestling itself from French dominance.

Indeed, after defeating Napoleon in 1815 it became clear that Britain was the undisputed ruler of the civilized world. Supported by unrivaled naval power, what followed was a century of peace—“Pax Britannica”—cut short only by the German militarism that triggered World War I in 1914-18, and again in World War II in 1941-45, and then its invincibility dropped out of any prominence.

Harbours of the US Navy Fleet | Fleet, Challenges and opportunities, Navy

The US is itching toward a plan to restore the Navy’s First Fleet in the South China Sea with the Strait of Malacca as its choke point to rebuff China in the Indo-Pacific Region

~~~~~Image result for us seven fleets with each a co-ordinated strike force maps

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Yet Great Britain never control the United States as the map above depits. The new nation is to eclipe Great Britain. It would be Ephraim with seven fleets with each a co-ordinated strike force with numerous invincible submerines roaming up and down the whole world; and for decades, making any rival insignificance.

But Esau kept his hatred in his heart against Jacob his brother, on account of the order of blessing with which his father had blessed him; but is waiting, waiting for an appropriate opportunity:

“And upon thy sword shalt thou depend, entering at every place: yet thou shalt be supple and credulous, and be in subjection to thy brother [Jacob]; but it will be that when his sons [the posterity of Jacob, or the end-time children of Israel] become evil, and fall from keeping the commandments of the law, thou shalt break his yoke of servitude from off thy neck,

“… and Esau said in his heart, I will not do as Cain did, who slew Abel in the life (time) of his father, for which his father begat Seth, but will wait till the time when the days of mourning for the death of my father come, then will I kill Jacob my brother, and will be found the killer and the heir.” Genesis 27:40-41 Jonathan

Here’s How Bad a Nuclear War Would Actually Be

•September 27, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Here’s How Bad a Nuclear War Would Actually Be

Here’s why Putin decided to send a nuclear message to Washington

Could Zechariah 5 indicate there would be nuclear war?

TIME by Max Tegmark • June 9, 2023

We know that an all-out US-Russia nuclear war would be bad. But how bad, exactly? How do your chances of surviving the explosions, radiation, and nuclear winter depend on where you live? The past year’s unprecedented nuclear saber-rattling and last weekend’s chaos in Russia has made this question timely.

To help answer it, I’ve worked with an amazing interdisciplinary group of scientists (see end credits) to produce the most scientifically realistic simulation of a nuclear war using only unclassified data, and visualize it as a video. It combines detailed modeling of nuclear targeting, missile trajectories, blasts and the electromagnetic pulse, and of how black carbon smoke is produced, lofted and spread across the globe, altering the climate and causing mass starvation.

As the video illustrates, it doesn’t matter much who starts the war: when one side launches nuclear missiles, the other side detects them and fires back before impact. Ballistic missiles from US submarines west of Norway start striking Russia after about 10 minutes, and Russian ones from north of Canada start hitting the US a few minutes later.

The very first strikes fry electronics and power grids by creating an electro-magnetic pulse of tens of thousands of volts per meter. The next strikes target command-and-control centers and nuclear launch facilities. Land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles take about half an hour to fly from launch to target.

Major cities are targeted both because they contain military facilities and to stymie the enemy’s post-war recovery. Each impact creates a fireball about as hot as the core of the sun, followed by a radioactive mushroom cloud. These intense explosions vaporize people nearby and cause fires and blindness further away. The fireball expansion then causes a blast wave that damages buildings, crushing nearby ones.

The UK and France have nuclear capabilities and are obliged by NATO’s Article 5 to defend the US so, Russia hits them too. Firestorms engulf many cities, where storm-level winds fan the flames, igniting anything that can burn, melting glass and some metals and turning asphalt into flammable hot liquid.

Unfortunately, peer-reviewed research suggests that explosions, the electromagnetic pulse, and the radioactivity aren’t the worst part: a nuclear winter is caused by the black carbon smoke from the nuclear firestorms. The Hiroshima atomic bomb caused such a firestorm, but today’s hydrogen bombs are much more powerful.

A large city like Moscow, with almost 50 times more people than Hiroshima, can create much more smoke, and a firestorm that sends plumes of black smoke up into the stratosphere, far above any rain clouds that would otherwise wash out the smoke. This black smoke gets heated by sunlight, lofting it like a hot air balloon for up to a decade. High-altitude jet streams are so fast that it takes only a few days for the smoke to spread across much of the northern hemisphere.

This makes Earth freezing cold even during the summer, with farmland in Kansas cooling by about 20 degrees centigrade (about 40 degrees Fahrenheit), and other regions cooling almost twice as much. A recent scientific paper estimates that over 5 billion people could starve to death, including around 99% of those in the US, Europe, Russia, and China – because most black carbon smoke stays in the Northern hemisphere where it’s produced, and because temperature drops harm agriculture more at high latitudes.

It’s important to note that huge uncertainties remain, so the actual humanitarian impact could be either better or worse – a reason to proceed with caution. A recently launched $4M open research program will hopefully help clarify public understanding and inform the global policy conversation, but much more work is needed, since most of the research on this topic is classified and focused on military rather than humanitarian impacts.

We obviously don’t know how many people will survive a nuclear war. But if it’s even remotely as bad as this study predicts, it has no winners, merely losers. It’s easy to feel powerless, but the good news is that there is something you can do to help: please help share this video! The fact that nuclear war is likely to start via gradual escalation, perhaps combined by accident or miscalculation, means that the more people know about nuclear war, the more likely we are to avoid having one.

Book of Jasher (17-18)

•September 26, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 17

1 And in those days, in the ninety-first year of the life of Abram, the children of Chittim made war with the children of Tubal, for when the Lord had scattered the sons of men upon the face of the earth, the children of Chittim went and embodied themselves in the plain of Canopia, and they built themselves cities there and dwelt by the river Tibreu.

2 And the children of Tubal dwelt in Tuscanah, and their boundaries reached the river Tibreu, and the children of Tubal built a city in Tuscanan, and they called the name Sabinah, after the name of Sabinah son of Tubal their father, and they dwelt there unto this day.

3 And it was at that time the children of Chittim made war with the children of Tubal, and the children of Tubal were smitten before the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim caused three hundred and seventy men to fall from the children of Tubal.

4 And at that time the children of Tubal swore to the children of Chittim, saying, You shall not intermarry amongst us, and no man shall give his daughter to any of the sons of Chittim.

5 For all the daughters of Tubal were in those days fair, for no women were then found in the whole earth so fair as the daughters of Tubal.

6 And all who delighted in the beauty of women went to the daughters of Tubal and took wives from them, and the sons of men, kings and princes, who greatly delighted in the beauty of women, took wives in those days from the daughters of Tubal.

7 And at the end of three years after the children of Tubal had sworn to the children of Chittim not to give them their daughters for wives, about twenty men of the children of Chittim went to take some of the daughters of Tubal, but they found none.

8 For the children of Tubal kept their oaths not to intermarry with them, and they would not break their oaths.

9 And in the days of harvest the children of Tubal went into their fields to get in their harvest, when the young men of Chittim assembled and went to the city of Sabinah, and each man took a young woman from the daughters of Tubal, and they came to their cities.

10 And the children of Tubal heard of it and they went to make war with them, and they could not prevail over them, for the mountain was exceedingly high from them, and when they saw they could not prevail over them they returned to their land.

11 And at the revolution of the year the children of Tubal went and hired about ten thousand men from those cities that were near them, and they went to war with the children of Chittim.

12 And the children of Tubal went to war with the children of Chittim, to destroy their land and to distress them, and in this engagement the children of Tubal prevailed over the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim, seeing that they were greatly distressed, lifted up the children which they had had by the daughters of Tubal, upon the wall which had been built, to be before the eyes of the children of Tubal.

13 And the children of Chittim said to them, Have you come to make war with your own sons and daughters, and have we not been considered your flesh and bones from that time till now?

14 And when the children of Tubal heard this they ceased to make war with the children of Chittim, and they went away.

15 And they returned to their cities, and the children of Chittim at that time assembled and built two cities by the sea, and they called one Purtu and the other Ariza.

16 And Abram the son of Terah was then ninety-nine years old.

17 At that time the Lord appeared to him and he said to him, I will make my covenant between me and thee, and I will greatly multiply thy seed, and this is the covenant which I make between me and thee, that every male child be circumcised, thou and thy seed after thee.

18 At eight days old shall it be circumcised, and this covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

19 And now therefore thy name shall no more be called Abram but Abraham, and thy wife shall no more be called Sarai but Sarah.

20 For I will bless you both, and I will multiply your seed after you that you shall become a great nation, and kings shall come forth from you.

Book of Jasher Chapter 18

1 And Abraham rose and did all that God had ordered him, and he took the men of his household and those bought with his money, and he circumcised them as the Lord had commanded him.

2 And there was not one left whom he did not circumcise, and Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin; thirteen years old was Ishmael when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

3 And in the third day Abraham went out of his tent and sat at the door to enjoy the heat of the sun, during the pain of his flesh.

4 And the Lord appeared to him in the plain of Mamre, and sent three of his ministering angels to visit him, and he was sitting at the door of the tent, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and lo three men were coming from a distance, and he rose up and ran to meet them, and he bowed down to them and brought them into his house.

5 And he said to them, If now I have found favor in your sight, turn in and eat a morsel of bread; and he pressed them, and they turned in and he gave them water and they washed their feet, and he placed them under a tree at the door of the tent.

6 And Abraham ran and took a calf, tender and good, and he hastened to kill it, and gave it to his servant Eliezer to dress.

7 And Abraham came to Sarah into the tent, and he said to her, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes to cover the pot containing the meat, and she did so.

8 And Abraham hastened and brought before them butter and milk, beef and mutton, and gave it before them to eat before the flesh of the calf was sufficiently done, and they did eat.

9 And when they had done eating one of them said to him, I will return to thee according to the time of life, and Sarah thy wife shall have a son.

10 And the men afterward departed and went their ways, to the places to which they were sent.

11 In those days all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the whole five cities, were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord and they provoked the Lord with their abominations, and they strengthened in aging abominably and scornfully before the Lord, and their wickedness and crimes were in those days great before the Lord.

12 And they had in their land a very extensive valley, about half a day’s walk, and in it there were fountains of water and a great deal of herbage surrounding the water.

13 And all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah went there four times in the year, with their wives and children and all belonging to them, and they rejoiced there with timbrels and dances.

14 And in the time of rejoicing they would all rise and lay hold of their neighbor’s wives, and some, the virgin daughters of their neighbors, and they enjoyed them, and each man saw his wife and daughter in the hands of his neighbor and did not say a word.

15 And they did so from morning to night, and they afterward returned home each man to his house and each woman to her tent; so they always did four times in the year.

16 Also when a stranger came into their cities and brought goods which he had purchased with a view to dispose of there, the people of these cities would assemble, men, women and children, young and old, and go to the man and take his goods by force, giving a little to each man until there was an end to all the goods of the owner which he had brought into the land.

17 And if the owner of the goods quarreled with them, saying, What is this work which you have done to me, then they would approach to him one by one, and each would show him the little which he took and taunt him, saying, I only took that little which thou didst give me; and when he heard this from them all, he would arise and go from them in sorrow and bitterness of soul, when they would all arise and go after him, and drive him out of the city with great noise and tumult.

18 And there was a man from the country of Elam who was leisurely going on the road, seated upon his ass, which carried a fine mantle of divers colors, and the mantle was bound with a cord upon the ass.

19 And the man was on his journey passing through the street of Sodom when the sun set in the evening, and he remained there in order to abide during the night, but no one would let him into his house; and at that time there was in Sodom a wicked and mischievous man, one skillful to do evil, and his name was Hedad.

20 And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the street of the city, and he came to him and said, Whence comest thou and whither dost thou go?

21 And the man said to him, I am traveling from Hebron to Elam where I belong, and as I passed the sun set and no one would suffer me to enter his house, though I had bread and water and also straw and provender for my ass, and am short of nothing.

22 And Hedad answered and said to him, All that thou shalt want shall be supplied by me, but in the street thou shalt not abide all night.

23 And Hedad brought him to his house, and he took off the mantle from the ass with the cord, and brought them to his house, and he gave the ass straw and provender whilst the traveler ate and drank in Hedad’s house, and he abode there that night.

24 And in the morning the traveler rose up early to continue his journey, when Hedad said to him, Wait, comfort thy heart with a morsel of bread and then go, and the man did so; and he remained with him, and they both ate and drank together during the day, when the man rose up to go.

25 And Hedad said to him, Behold now the day is declining, thou hadst better remain all night that thy heart may be comforted; and he pressed him so that he tarried there all night, and on the second day he rose up early to go away, when Hedad pressed him, saying, Comfort thy heart with a morsel of bread and then go, and he remained and ate with him also the second day, and then the man rose up to continue his journey.

26 And Hedad said to him, Behold now the day is declining, remain with me to comfort thy heart and in the morning rise up early and go thy way.

27 And the man would not remain, but rose and saddled his ass, and whilst he was saddling his ass the wife of Hedad said to her husband, Behold this man has remained with us for two days eating and drinking and he has given us nothing, and now shall he go away from us without giving anything? and Hedad said to her, Be silent.

28 And the man saddled his ass to go, and he asked Hedad to give him the cord and mantle to tie it upon the ass.

29 And Hedad said to him, What sayest thou? And he said to him, That thou my lord shalt give me the cord and the mantle made with divers colors which thou didst conceal with thee in thy house to take care of it.

30 And Hedad answered the man, saying, This is the interpretation of thy dream, the cord which thou didst see, means that thy life will be lengthened out like a cord, and having seen the mantle colored with all sorts of colors, means that thou shalt have a vineyard in which thou wilt plant trees of all fruits.

31 And the traveler answered, saying, Not so my lord, for I was awake when I gave thee the cord and also a mantle woven with different colors, which thou didst take off the ass to put them by for me; and Hedad answered and said, Surely I have told thee the interpretation of thy dream and it is a good dream, and this is the interpretation thereof.

32 Now the sons of men give me four pieces of silver, which is my charge for interpreting dreams, and of thee only I require three pieces of silver.

33 And the man was provoked at the words of Hedad, and he cried bitterly, and he brought Hedad to Serak judge of Sodom.

34 And the man laid his cause before Serak the judge, when Hedad replied, saying, It is not so, but thus the matter stands; and the judge said to the traveler, This man Hedad telleth thee truth, for he is famed in the cities for the accurate interpretation of dreams.

35 And the man cried at the word of the judge, and he said, Not so my Lord, for it was in the day that I gave him the cord and mantle which was upon the ass, in order to put them by in his house; and they both disputed before the judge, the one saying, Thus the matter was, and the other declaring otherwise.

36 And Hedad said to the man, Give me four pieces of silver that I charge for my interpretations of dreams; I will not make any allowance; and give me the expense of the four meals that thou didst eat in my house.

37 And the man said to Hedad, Truly I will pay thee for what I ate in thy house, only give me the cord and mantle which thou didst conceal in thy house.

38 And Hedad replied before the judge and said to the man, Did I not tell thee the interpretation of thy dream? the cord means that thy days shall be prolonged like a cord, and the mantle, that thou wilt have a vineyard in which thou wilt plant all kinds of fruit trees.

39 This is the proper interpretation of thy dream, now give me the four pieces of silver that I require as a compensation, for I will make thee no allowance.

40 And the man cried at the words of Hedad and they both quarreled before the judge, and the judge gave orders to his servants, who drove them rashly from the house.

41 And they went away quarreling from the judge, when the people of Sodom heard them, and they gathered about them and they exclaimed against the stranger, and they drove him rashly from the city.

42 And the man continued his journey upon his ass with bitterness of soul, lamenting and weeping.

43 And whilst he was going along he wept at what had happened to him in the corrupt city of Sodom.

US$1.6 billion on anti-China propaganda

•September 25, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Youtube • September 14, 2024 ~ ResponsibleStatecraft by Marcus Stanley

Instead of spending $1.6 billion on R&D to stay on top, the US government has passed a US$1.6 billion bill HR 1157 by a 351-36 majority that aims to spread anti-China propaganda internationally, earmarking $325 million a year down the drain until the year 2027 to “counter the malign influence” of China around the world.

This money for R&D would be more wisely spent to keep the nation ahead scientifically and economically, rather than for the State Department and USAID over the next five years to, among other purposes, subsidize media and civil society sources down the toilet around the world that counter Chinese “malign influence” globally. 

Crucially, HR 1157 doesn’t seem to contain any requirement that US government financing to foreign media be made transparent to citizens of foreign countries (although there is a requirement to report grants to certain US congressional committees).

Thus, it’s possible that the program could in some cases be used to subsidize covert anti-Chinese messaging in a manner similar to the way Russia is accused of covertly funding anti-Ukrainian messaging by US media influencers.

US$1.6 billion on anti-Belt and Road Initiative propaganda

Such anti-Chinese messaging could cover a wide range of bread-and-butter political issues in foreign countries. The definition of “malign influence” in the bill is extremely broad.

For example, program funds could support any effort to highlight the “negative impact” of Chinese economic and infrastructure investment in a foreign country. Or it could fund political messaging against Chinese contractors involved in building a port, road, or hospital, for example as part of Beijing’s globe-spanning Belt and Road Initiative.

That will mean that media outlets across the globe will be further incentivised to create and publish anti-China misinformation and lies aimed at slowing the country’s peaceful development. So, then, it’s more important than ever to have voices from China speaking directly to people around the world.

Just one of those voices is that of Victor Gao, who is regularly seen debating on behalf of his country to Western audiences. He’s a regular guest on the BBC’s HARDtalk, CNN, DW News, ABC, and he recently went Head to Head on Al Jazeera English with Medhi Hasan which we will also discuss.

Today, he’s here with me. This is Reports on China, I’m Andy Boreham in Shanghai.

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~~~ US$1.6 billion down the drain to counter Chinese “malign influence” globally ~~~

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~~~ US$1.6 billion down the drain to counter Chinese “malign influence” globally ~~~

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Question for Copilot: How much does the United States spend a year on propaganda against China?

Response

The United States has allocated significant funds to counter China’s influence and disinformation campaigns. For instance, the US Congress planned to allocate $500 million specifically for generating negative news coverage about China as part of the America COMPETES Act1. Additionally, the US State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which combats foreign propaganda and disinformation, has highlighted Beijing’s extensive efforts to reshape global narratives, spending billions annually23.

1global.chinadaily.com.cn 2aljazeera.com 3usnews.com 4bbc.com

ChinaDaily • 25 February, 2022

Aljazeera • September 29, 2023

Al Mayadeen English • September 12, 2024

Genesis (49-50)

•September 24, 2024 • Leave a Comment

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Genesis 49

1 And Jacob called unto his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. — in the last days, or the latter days, after you have entered into and be settled in the Land of Promise; in later times; just before the times of the Messiah;

“Gather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father: — here it contains a number of predictions or prophecies which were to be fulfilled at distant periods;

“Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. — Reuben~France, as the firstborn by nature, has the first place in the benedictory address;

Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it; he went up to my couch. — unstable as water, Reuben shalt not excel; as water is prone to flow downward to an inferior situation, so France should fall from the pre-eminence he had by birth;

— great honor and power; the birthright was yours, the priesthood was yours, the kingship was yours, but now that you sinned, the birthright was given to Joseph, the priesthood to Levi, and the kingship to Judah.

— May Reuben live and not die (Deu 33:6, because such sin is to be stoned to death Deu 27:20); but thou shalt not excel, or be not the most eminent amongst thy brethren; thou hast lost thy pre-eminency due to thee by birthright, both for thyself and for thy posterity (no prominent character are from Reuben/French);

— Reuben most famous posterity, Napoleon, was best known not for his conquest, but for his defeat at Waterloo; and it shall be given to others; the priesthood to Levi, the dominion or septer to Judah (the Jews); and the double portion of birthright to Joseph (the Anglo-Saxons).

“Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. — Simeon and Levi are brethren; brother for Dinah, but not for Joseph, that is, they are alike in character and disposition;

— weapons of villainy are their heritage; these two brothers were in their same modes of thought and action; and were associated in the massacre of the Shechemites; but not for Joseph.

O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they dug down a wall. — my soul, come not thou into their secret; Jacob seems ashame to be with either of them; their cursed plot hatched in secret: far be it from me to approve of their secret designs.

Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. — the violence against the Shechemites is a proof of this: thus both posteries of Simeon and Levi were to be scattered throughout Israel;

— for the tribe of Levi: “I am your portion and your inheritance” Numbers 18:20;

— for the tribe Simeon, the mysteries remain why they were lost among Israel;

“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. — Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, comes in for the supremacy;

— thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; that is, always ready to strangle its enemies to death;

— thy father’s children shall bow down before thee; before the kings that should spring from this tribe, and should rule over all the rest, as David and Solomon, to whom civil adoration and respect were given by them;

— the Book of Jasher, chapter 56, adds regarding Judah’s propensity and prominence in war, and the use of bow (and arrows); missiles, and all other form of weapons; that is, Judah is prone to go to war with its neighbours:

And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.

Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. Book of Jasher 56:8-9

Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? — Judah is a lion’s whelp; the lion is the king of beasts, the terror of the forest when he roars; when he seizeth his prey, none can resist him;

— this it was prophecised that the tribe of Judah should become very formidable, and should not only obtain great victories, but should peaceably enjoy what was gotten by those victories;

— here Judah is compared, not to a lion rampant, always raging, but to a lion couching, enjoying the satisfaction of his success, and that shouldn’t create vexation to others;

— who shall rouse him up? a lion grown up and in its full strength, or a lioness, which is the fiercest, and therefore the most dangerous to rouse up when laid down, either in its den, or with its prey in its paws: so dangerous it was to provoke the tribe of Judah;

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.

— the sceptre shall not depart from Judah; the staff, adorned with carvings, and handed down from father to son, soon became the emblem of authority: kingship; also, the great council of the Israelites, termed the Sanhedrin; first constituted chiefly of the Levites, then the tribe of Judah, together they constitute the Jews;

— until Shilo arrives, this is the Messianic king; until he comes;

11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. — binding his foal unto the vine; of the tribe of Judah, signify that vines should grow in such plenty, and so large and strong, that a man might fasten his ass to one of them;

— and he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: an hyperbolical expression, setting forth the great abundance of wine in this tribe, of which there was such plenty, that if they would, they might have used it instead of water to wash their clothes in;

12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. — his eyes shall be red with wine; signifying their adult or elder use of wine, and the effect of it on them; also the goodness and generosity of their wine, that if drank plentifully of, and especially to excess, would have such an effect;

— and his teeth white with milk; denoting the fruitfulness of his land, producing fine pastures, on which flocks and herds fed, and gave abundance of milk for their young; the Targums say “his mountains shall be red with his vineyards, and his hills shall drop wine, and his valleys shall be white with corn and flocks of sheep;”

13 “Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for a haven of ships, and his border shall be unto Sidon. — Zebulun~Holland; shall dwell at the haven of the “sea;” the territory of Holland, or the Netherlands, the tribe then lay upon the inland sea of Gennesaret and toward the shore of the Mediterranean; but now in low-lying northern Europe.

— that Jonah was from Zebulun; that is what is written: “The third lot arose [for the children of Zebulun.… from there it passed eastward [to Gat Ḥefer]” (Joshua 19:10, 13). And it is written: “In accordance with the word of the Lord, God of Israel, that He spoke by means of His servant Jonah son of Amitai [the prophet, who was from Gat Ḥefer]” (II Kings 14:25);

14 “Issachar is a strong ass, couching down between two burdens. — Issachar is a strong ass; the men of that tribe shall be strong and industrious, fit for and inclined to labour, particularly the toil of husbandry; like the ass that patiently carries his burden; to be active, given to agricultural labors;

— couching down between two burdens; for much of history, Finland was ruled by Sweden; and during the Cold War, had to struggle to navigate between Western and Soviet forces; even where it is now a part of NATO, it still has to couch between two burdens;

15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant, and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute. — a servant unto tribute; or task-work; it means service paid in actual labour, such as was exacted by Solomon of the descendants of the Canaanites (1Kings 9:21, where the phrase used here is translated “a tribute of bondservice;” and IIChronicles 8:8);

— asking ChatGPT: had Finland paid tributes to her neighbours in history?

Yes, Finland has historically been involved in paying tributes to neighboring powers under various circumstances. These payments were usually the result of political pressure, conquest, or as part of peace treaties. Here are some notable instances:

1. Tribute to Novgorod and Russia:

In the medieval period, parts of what is now Finland were under the influence of both Sweden and Novgorod (a powerful Russian principality). Some Finnish tribes, especially in Karelia and eastern Finland, were sometimes forced to pay tribute to Novgorod. This was part of the broader competition for control over Finland between Novgorod and Sweden.

  • Karelia: Eastern Finland and the Karelian region were especially contested. Finnic tribes in this region would at times pay tribute to Novgorod, particularly during periods when Novgorod held power over parts of the area.

2. Swedish Rule:

Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century until 1809. During this time, Finland did not pay tribute as a foreign subject but contributed to Swedish military campaigns and supported the Swedish economy through taxes, which sometimes resembled tribute-like obligations, especially in wartime.

  • Wars with Russia: Finland often bore the brunt of Swedish conflicts with Russia, and as part of the Kingdom of Sweden, its resources were used to support these wars. While this was not tribute in the classical sense, it involved significant economic sacrifice.

3. Under Russian Rule (1809–1917):

After Sweden ceded Finland to Russia following the Finnish War (1808–1809), Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy under the Russian Empire. Although Finland had its own governmental structures and relative autonomy, it was required to support the Russian Empire, particularly in terms of military service and taxes.

  • Tribute-like obligations: Finland had to contribute economically and militarily to the Russian Empire. While Finland was not subjected to formal “tribute,” the economic obligations placed on it during its time as a Russian Grand Duchy were similar to the tributes or taxes paid by other subjugated territories.

4. Viking Age (pre-Swedish control):

Before becoming part of the Swedish kingdom, some Finnish tribes may have been subjected to tribute payments to Viking raiders from Scandinavia. This would have been common in the Viking Age, when Norsemen would raid or exert influence over coastal communities in the Baltic region, including those in Finland.

5. Post-Swedish and Russian Rule:

After gaining independence in 1917 following the Russian Revolution, Finland no longer paid tributes to any neighboring country. However, during the Winter War (1939–1940) and Continuation War (1941–1944) with the Soviet Union, Finland was forced to cede territory and make reparations to the Soviet Union after World War II.

  • War Reparations to the Soviet Union: While not a historical tribute in the traditional sense, Finland was forced to pay significant reparations to the Soviet Union after World War II. Finland’s war reparations were in the form of industrial goods, such as machinery, ships, and other materials, rather than direct monetary payments.

In summary, Finland has, at various points in its history, paid tribute or similar obligations to more powerful neighboring states, including Novgorod, Russia, and Sweden, depending on the political situation of the time. These tributes were generally part of power struggles over control of the region and were often driven by geopolitical pressures rather than voluntary alliances.

16 “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. — Dan; in passing on to the sons of the maids it was necessary to assure them of an independent rank among their brethren: the four tribes descended from them did always hold an inferior position;

— Dan is the first of the children of concubine wives as yet taken notice of; that a judge should arise out of him as out of the other tribes; that should judge all Israel, an honour given to Samson, who was of the tribe of Dan; today they Dan settled in Ireland and Denmark. 

17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse’s heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. — the adder is the cerastes or horned serpent, of the color of the sand, and therefore, not easily recognized, that inflicts a fatal wound on him that unwarily treads on it; features that are conspicuous in Samson, the most illustrious of its judges;

— that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward; the golden calf set up in Dan by Jeroboam; for this sort of serpents lying in horse ways and cart ruts, snaps at and bites horses as the Ten Tribes of Northern Israel passed along Bethel and Dan; causing their riders to fall backward into idolatry;

Jeroboam, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt!”

18 I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord! — missing out of the 144,000 of Revelation 7, Dan exclaimed “I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.” Jacob finding his spirits faint and flag, stops and breathes awhile before he proceeded any further in blessing other tribes; —

19 “Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the last. — Gad~Switzerland; Gad, which signifies a troop, foresees the character a warlike tribe;

— being seated on the other side Jordan was exposed to the incursions and spoils of the Moabites and Amonites; who came upon them like troops of robbers, and seized upon their possessions and retained them for some years; 

20 “Out of Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. — Asher~Belgium; the territory of this tribe, extending along the coast from Mount Carmel to Lebanon, was very productive;

— replenished not only with bread for necessity, but with fatness, with dainties, royal daintie; not only oil for ointments, but also delicious and excellent fruits, fit to be presented to a king.

21 “Naphtali is a hind let loose; he giveth goodly words. — Naphtali~Sweden;  is a deer roaming at liberty; is light and active, moving rapidly like “a hind let loose;” or literally, sent forth, like the scouts or van of an army;

— a hind let loose; an image of ease and grace in movement, associated with promiscuous sex or experimenting with drugs;

22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. — Joseph~US&UK is a fruitful bough; or as one, like the bough or branch of a tree laden with fruit, as he was with children;

— with Manasseh over running its walls into Canada, Australia and New Zealand; and from Ephraim: the original thirteen tribes, into Louisiana Purchase; Texas, New Mexico, Arizonia, California and westward march onto Hawaii, Guam and even the Philippines, engulfed the entire archipelago before dislodging it;

— one of which he called Ephraim from his fruitfulness, and both his sons became numerous, and the heads of two tribes in Israel; and with other temporal fruits and blessings, as riches and honour;

23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him. — Joseph’s enemies described as archers, the arrows and the bow, in modern days term would be projectiles, artilleries, missiles, and drones; the words of these text are probably to be taken as prophecy; to future conflicts of the tribe of Joseph;

— at the endtime, the archers from his enemies have sorely grieved Joseph (or Ephraim and Manasseh); though he lived with ease and in honour, Jacob prophecised Joseph of the difficulties he had formerly waded through; as he had many enemies, now described as archers, being skilful to do mischief; they hated him, they shot their poisonous darts back at Joseph; remember this context: “Gather, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days” Genesis 49:1

24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob, from thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, — but Joseph’s bow abode in strength; God, the mighty God of Jacob; the Shepherd and Stone of Israel, came to Joseph’s rescue;

— Joshua, a descendant of Joseph, by Ephraim, may be a foretaste intended. He, as a solid shepherd, brought into the promised land of Canaan that flock of the Lord which Moses had indeed led forth from Egypt, but which he had left in a barren wilderness;

— say it differently, in the last days, the children of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, the US and the UK, will have an enemy, or enemies, who would strike them with projectiles, artilleries, missiles, drones and even high-powered laser; but that Ephraim and Manasseh will strike back, and be triumphant not by their own hands but “by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob;”

25 even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

— blessings of heaven above are the rains and dew; those of “the deep” beneath are lakes, rivers, and springs; and those of “the breasts and womb” mean an abundant offspring both of men and cattle.

26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

— it means that the blessings which Jacob bestows upon Joseph are greater than those which he had himself received from his ancestors, Abraham and Isaac; but only earthly prosperity, as the chief spiritual blessing was bestowed upon Judah;

— the Targum of Jonathan added: “That the noble ones of the world — Ishmael, Esau, and all the sons of Keturah, have coveted,” symbolizing his greatness and elevated position. Ephraim’s primary emblem was an ox, with his secondary emblem being a unicorn.

27 “Benjamin shall raven as a wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.” — the tribe, Benjamin~Norway&Iceland; compared to a wolf, but Judah was like a lion; a wolf famed for its fortitude, courage, and valour, as well as for its rapaciousness, it being a warlike tribe;

— both of these modern countries were heavily influenced by Viking exploration, which always involved plundering, pillaging and “dividing the spoil.”

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is it that their father spoke unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

— there were indeed thirteen tribes, two springing from Joseph; but then the tribe of Levi had no part in the land of Canaan, which was divided into twelve parts; this shows that the above predictions respect not the persons of the patriarchs, but their tribes;

— why, then, does the verse state: each man in accordance with his blessing he blessed them? It is because he blessed them [by comparing] Judah to a lion, Dan to a serpent, Naphtali to a doe, Benjamin to a wolf, and he then included them all and rendered them lions and rendered them serpents.

29 And he charged them and said unto them, “I am to be gathered unto my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, — bury me with my fathers; the other part of himself, his body, which should not be gathered to his people, as his soul would be, he orders to be interred with his fathers Abraham and Isaac;

30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession as a burying place.

31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. — there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; Abraham buried Sarah there himself, and his two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him there;

— there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; we have no other account of the death of Rebekah, and her burial, but here; it is probable she died before Isaac, and that Isaac buried her in this cave; and here Esau and Jacob buried him;

— and there I buried Leah; of whose death and burial we also read nowhere else but here; it is probable she died before Isaac, and that Isaac buried her in this cave; and here Esau and Jacob buried him.

— but for Rachel, she died when she and Jacob journey from Shechem to Hebron, a short distance from Ephrath, which is glossed as Bethlehem (35:16–21, 48:7). She dies on the way giving birth to Benjamin:

“And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.” — Genesis 35:19–20

32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.” — the estate was initially bought by Abraham of Ephron the Hittite, and that the children of Heth were witnesses of the bargain; and of the payment of the money, and by whom the estate was made sure to Abraham;

33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. — Jacob died an easy death, without any pain or sickness; of his age one hundred and forty seven.

— and more details from Ezekiel 48

—— (North) Reuben~France; Judah&Levi~Israel;
—— (East) Joseph~US&UK; Benjamin~Norway&Iceland; Dan~Ireland&Denmark;
—— (South) Simeon~scattered throughout; Issachar~Finland; Zebulun~Holland;
—— (West) Gad~Switzerland; Asher~Belgium; Naphtali~Sweden

~~~

The identities of the various tribes above are largely drawn from the researches done by Steven Collins and from Yair Davidiy below; although there is a slight variant between them. Both, however, are erroneous in their identities of Ephraim and Manasseh.

The Tribes of Joseph dominate the USA, Britain, and related nations. Manasseh is especially evident in the USA, and was once present in Scotland. The Tribe of Reuben prevails in France;

Issachar in Switzerland and Finland; Benjamin in Belgium; Zebulon in the Netherlands; Dan in Denmark, as well as in Ireland, and parts of Britain; Naphtali in Norway, Gad in Sweden. The Tribe of Asher may be seen in Ireland; Ephraim, Manasseh and Judah in Ulster.

The Jewish People on the other hand derives mainly from the Tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi with minority element from the others.

For understanding who the modern tribes of Judah and Joseph are, the best book to have expounded this subject is “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by J.H. Allen (1847-1930).

For more details on Ephraim and Manasseh, see

(1) Ephraim / The United States; (2) The Birthrights was Joseph’s (3) Ephraim and Manasseh 

(4) Who is Ephraim, a Chronic Liar? (5) The Ox without the Unicorn

Genesis 50

1 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. — probably the rest of Jacob’s sons and grandsons did the same, much moved, no doubt, with his dying words.

And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel. — and the physicians embalmed him; the manner of embalming, with spices, and ointments, and other things necessary for the preservation of the body from putrefaction as long as might be;

And forty days were fulfilled for him (for so are fulfilled the days of those who are embalmed), and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days. — the process of embalming as occupying forty days and mouning continued until seventy days;

And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, — that Joseph did not address himself directly to Pharaoh, but through the members of the royal household;

‘My father made me swear, saying, “Lo, I die; in my grave which I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me.” Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.’”

And Pharaoh said, “Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.”

And Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, and their flocks and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company.

10 And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation; and he made a mourning for his father seven days.

11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim [that is, The mourning of the Egyptians], which is beyond the Jordan.

12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them.

13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession as a burying place from Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he and his brethren and all who went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

15 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, “Joseph will perhaps hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.”

16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, “Thy father did command before he died, saying,

17 ‘So shall ye say unto Joseph, “Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren and their sin, for they did unto thee evil.”’ And now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke unto him.

18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are thy servants.”

19 And Joseph said unto them, “Fear not; for am I in the place of God?

20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day, to save many people alive.

21 Now therefore fear ye not; I will nourish you and your little ones.” And he comforted them, and spoke kindly unto them.

22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years.

23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph’s knees.

24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, “I die; and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

25 And Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.”

26 So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

~ THE END ~

What Is the Jewish Approach to the Apocrypha?

•September 23, 2024 • Leave a Comment

What Is the Jewish Approach to the Apocrypha? — A Critique

Jewish Rabbi Studying Judaism

Chabad by Yehuda Shurpin

The word “apocrypha” originates from the Greek and Latin words for “secret” or “non-canonical.” It is commonly used to refer to ancient, mostly Second Temple–era works that are “outside” of the Jewish Bible.

— Okay, the Apocrypha is not canonized: this is a fair statement; but nothing about being “secret” has substance.

The Apocrypha includes, but is not limited to, works such as Sirach (Ben Sira), Maccabees, Judith, the book of Enoch, Jubilees, the story of Susanna, and Baruch.

Some of these works were known to us all along, and others were recently discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran Caves and in the Cairo Genizah, both of which had preserved ancient Jewish manuscripts.

Divine Inspiration

The 24 books of the Bible (Tanach) were canonized by the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah (“Men of the Great Assembly”), which included some of the greatest Jewish scholars and leaders of the time, such as Ezra the Scribe, and even the last of the prophets, namely Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. With the death of these prophets, the age of prophecy came to an end. Any later works are not considered Divinely inspired, and are therefore not included in the 24 books of the holy Scriptures.

— this is a great truth and authority: “canonized by the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah” especially with Ezra as its Nasi or Prince, the head of the Great Assembly.

While none of the books of the Apocrypha are considered to be Divinely inspired and are therefore not included in Jewish scripture, the question of whether they have any value from a Jewish perspective is a bit more nuanced.

— Okay: this is another fair statement.

Is the Apocrypha Kosher?

On the one hand, we find statements in the Talmud that seem to prohibit one from even reading these works. On the other hand, the Talmud and other Jewish works do on occasion cite specifics works of the Apocrypha.

— the Talmud is similarily not canonized, so why should we put so much weight onto it?

Some commentators explain that the Talmud’s prohibition relates to giving these books a holy status and/or the same status as Scripture, but that one may read (some of) them. Others explain that the prohibition was especially in force in the earlier generations, closer to the time the Apocrypha was written. Since these works were written in the style of Scripture, there was a fear that some would mistakenly surmise that they were included in it.

— if we should put a prohibition on the Apocrypha why don’t we similarily put a prohibition on the Talmud and similar Jewish works?

Even if we were to ascertain that a certain book would be “kosher,” the surviving versions of many of these works are translations from the Greek or Latin versions, which were themselves originally translated from Hebrew or Aramaic, with many additions and deletions along the way.

When discussing the Jewish view on the Apocrypha, it is helpful to split it up into three categories:

1. Antithetical to Jewish Scripture

Some of these books contain stories or ideas that contradict Scripture and/or Jewish thought. This category includes works such as the Story of Susanna (which, among other things, gives an erroneous portrayal of Jewish law, such as the laws of false witnesses), as well as the books of Enoch and Jubilees (in that they portray the dynamics between angels, G‑d and men in a way that is contrary to Judaism), as well as various other works.

— if such ideas that these books contain contradict Scriptures, then surely they should be put aside; but if they contradict just only Jewish thoughts, then how do we conceive that Jewish thoughts ride above these books, such as the books of Enoch and Jubilees?

2. Historically Valuable Information

Then there are the books that may not be sacred, but are useful in that they provide valuable information, not unlike history books. This category includes works such as 1 and 2 Maccabees (as opposed to 3 and 4 Macc., which would probably fit into the previous category), as well as Judith. Since these books are not Divinely inspired, there is no assurance that their contents are fully accurate, and they are given about the same weight as any other book of history.

3. Sirach—Book of Ecclesiasticus

Deserving a category of its own is the book of Sirach (Ben Sira), which the Talmud itself quotes a number of times. Also called the “Wisdom of Sirach,” it would seem that of all the books of the Apocrypha, this work got the closest to being included in the canon. We know when Ben Sira lived, since at the very end of the book he praises the high priest Shimon Hatzaddik, who was one of the last members of the Great Assembly.

It should be noted, however, that some of the quotes found in the Talmud from Ben Sira aren’t found in the version of the work commonly included in the Apocrypha. That work is actually a Greek translation made by Ben Sira’s grandson in the 2nd century BCE. The original Hebrew version had been lost for many years, and has been found only in the last century (in the Cairo Genizah and among the Dead Sea Scrolls).

Why was it not included in Tanach? Besides for the fact that it was written after the end of the age of prophecy, some of the teachings contained in the work were deemed not to be in sync with Jewish values. However, it appears that the rabbis considered at least some of the teachings to have value—if understood properly.

Bottom Line

The Apocrypha isn’t Divinely inspired, and is therefore not part of the canon, and some of its works are even antithetical to Judaism. Other works may indeed contain some valuable information, but they aren’t given any more credence than any other book, and be aware that there have been various additions and deletions made throughout the ages.

— this simplistic conclusion seems to indicate that Judaism is beyond the possibility of error/s, putting their own teachings at par with the Scriptures. Do they really think Judaism is infallible? Did their understanding of what is truth changed over the centuries? Or, is it not a scheme of worship becoming such idols like Prophetess Ellen G White or even leaning toward a fabricated religion promoted by Prophet Joseph Smith?

Book of Jasher (15-16)

•September 22, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 15

1 And in that year there was a heavy famine throughout the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants of the land could not remain on account of the famine for it was very grievous.

2 And Abram and all belonging to him rose and went down to Egypt on account of the famine, and when they were at the brook Mitzraim they remained there some time to rest from the fatigue of the road.

3 And Abram and Sarai were walking at the border of the brook Mitzraim, and Abram beheld his wife Sarai that she was very beautiful.

4 And Abram said to his wife Sarai, Since God has created thee with such a beautiful countenance, I am afraid of the Egyptians lest they should slay me and take thee away, for the fear of God is not in these places.

5 Surely then thou shalt do this, Say thou art my sister to all that may ask thee, in order that it may be well with me, and that we may live and not be put to death.

6 And Abram commanded the same to all those that came with him to Egypt on account of the famine; also his nephew Lot he commanded, saying, If the Egyptians ask thee concerning Sarai say she is the sister of Abram.

7 And yet with all these orders Abram did not put confidence in them, but he took Sarai and placed her in a chest and concealed it amongst their vessels, for Abram was greatly concerned about Sarai on account of the wickedness of the Egyptians.

8 And Abram and all belonging to him rose up from the brook Mitzraim and came to Egypt; and they had scarcely entered the gates of the city when the guards stood up to them saying, Give tithe to the king from what you have, and then you may come into the town; and Abram and those that were with him did so.

9 And Abram with the people that were with him came to Egypt, and when they came they brought the chest in which Sarai was concealed and the Egyptians saw the chest.

10 And the king’s servants approached Abram, saying, What hast thou here in this chest which we have not seen? Now open thou the chest and give tithe to the king of all that it contains.

11 And Abram said, This chest I will not open, but all you demand upon it I will give. And Pharaoh’s officers answered Abram, saying, It is a chest of precious stones, give us the tenth thereof.

12 Abram said, All that you desire I will give, but you must not open the chest.

13 And the king’s officers pressed Abram, and they reached the chest and opened it with force, and they saw, and behold a beautiful woman was in the chest.

14 And when the officers of the king beheld Sarai they were struck with admiration at her beauty, and all the princes and servants of Pharaoh assembled to see Sarai, for she was very beautiful. And the king’s officers ran and told Pharaoh all that they had seen, and they praised Sarai to the king; and Pharaoh ordered her to be brought, and the woman came before the king.

15 And Pharaoh beheld Sarai and she pleased him exceedingly, and he was struck with her beauty, and the king rejoiced greatly on her account, and made presents to those who brought him the tidings concerning her.

16 And the woman was then brought to Pharaoh’s house, and Abram grieved on account of his wife, and he prayed to the Lord to deliver her from the hands of Pharaoh.

17 And Sarai also prayed at that time and said, O Lord God thou didst tell my Lord Abram to go from his land and from his father’s house to the land of Canaan, and thou didst promise to do well with him if he would perform thy commands; now behold we have done that which thou didst command us, and we left our land and our families, and we went to a strange land and to a people whom we have not known before.

18 And we came to this land to avoid the famine, and this evil accident has befallen me; now therefore, O Lord God, deliver us and save us from the hand of this oppressor, and do well with me for the sake of thy mercy.

19 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Sarai, and the Lord sent an angel to deliver Sarai from the power of Pharaoh.

20 And the king came and sat before Sarai and behold an angel of the Lord was standing over them, and he appeared to Sarai and said to her, Do not fear, for the Lord has heard thy prayer.

21 And the king approached Sarai and said to her, What is that man to thee who brought thee hither? and she said, He is my brother.

22 And the king said, It is incumbent upon us to make him great, to elevate him and to do unto him all the good which thou shalt command us; and at that time the king sent to Abram silver and gold and precious stones in abundance, together with cattle, men servants and maid servants; and the king ordered Abram to be brought, and he sat in the court of the king’s house, and the king greatly exalted Abram on that night.

23 And the king approached to speak to Sarai, and he reached out his hand to touch her, when the angel smote him heavily, and he was terrified and he refrained from reaching to her.

24 And when the king came near to Sarai, the angel smote him to the ground, and acted thus to him the whole night, and the king was terrified.

25 And the angel on that night smote heavily all the servants of the king, and his whole household, on account of Sarai, and there was a great lamentation that night amongst the people of Pharaoh’s house.

26 And Pharaoh, seeing the evil that befell him, said, Surely on account of this woman has this thing happened to me, and he removed himself at some distance from her and spoke pleasing words to her.

27 And the king said to Sarai, Tell me I pray thee concerning the man with whom thou camest here; and Sarai said, This man is my husband, and I said to thee that he was my brother for I was afraid, lest thou shouldst put him to death through wickedness.

28 And the king kept away from Sarai, and the plagues of the angel of the Lord ceased from him and his household; and Pharaoh knew that he was smitten on account of Sarai, and the king was greatly astonished at this.

29 And in the morning the king called for Abram and said to him, What is this thou hast done to me? Why didst thou say, She is my sister, owing to which I took her unto me for a wife, and this heavy plague has therefore come upon me and my household.

30 Now therefore here is thy wife, take her and go from our land lest we all die on her account. And Pharaoh took more cattle, men servants and maid servants, and silver and gold, to give to Abram, and he returned unto him Sarai his wife.

31 And the king took a maiden whom he begat by his concubines, and he gave her to Sarai for a handmaid.

32 And the king said to his daughter, It is better for thee my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than to be mistress in my house, after we have beheld the evil that befell us on account of this woman.

33 And Abram arose, and he and all belonging to him went away from Egypt; and Pharaoh ordered some of his men to accompany him and all that went with him.

34 And Abram returned to the land of Canaan, to the place where he had made the altar, where he at first had pitched his tent.

35 And Lot the son of Haran, Abram’s brother, had a heavy stock of cattle, flocks and herds and tents, for the Lord was bountiful to them on account of Abram.

36 And when Abram was dwelling in the land the herdsmen of Lot quarrelled with the herdsmen of Abram, for their property was too great for them to remain together in the land, and the land could not bear them on account of their cattle.

37 And when Abram’s herdsmen went to feed their flock they would not go into the fields of the people of the land, but the cattle of Lot’s herdsmen did otherwise, for they were suffered to feed in the fields of the people of the land.

38 And the people of the land saw this occurrence daily, and they came to Abram and quarrelled with him on account of Lot’s herdsmen.

39 And Abram said to Lot, What is this thou art doing to me, to make me despicable to the inhabitants of the land, that thou orderest thy herdsman to feed thy cattle in the fields of other people? Dost thou not know that I am a stranger in this land amongst the children of Canaan, and why wilt thou do this unto me?

40 And Abram quarrelled daily with Lot on account of this, but Lot would not listen to Abram, and he continued to do the same and the inhabitants of the land came and told Abram.

41 And Abram said unto Lot, How long wilt thou be to me for a stumbling block with the inhabitants of the land? Now I beseech thee let there be no more quarrelling between us, for we are kinsmen.

42 But I pray thee separate from me, go and choose a place where thou mayest dwell with thy cattle and all belonging to thee, but Keep thyself at a distance from me, thou and thy household.

43 And be not afraid in going from me, for if any one do an injury to thee, let me know and I will avenge thy cause from him, only remove from me.

44 And when Abram had spoken all these words to Lot, then Lot arose and lifted up his eyes toward the plain of Jordan.

45 And he saw that the whole of this place was well watered, and good for man as well as affording pasture for the cattle.

46 And Lot went from Abram to that place, and he there pitched his tent and he dwelt in Sodom, and they were separated from each other.

47 And Abram dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and he pitched his tent there, and Abram remained in that place many years.

Book of Jasher Chapter 16

1 At that time Chedorlaomer king of Elam sent to all the neighboring kings, to Nimrod, king of Shinar who was then under his power, and to Tidal, king of Goyim, and to Arioch, king of Elasar, with whom he made a covenant, saying, Come up to me and assist me, that we may smite all the towns of Sodom and its inhabitants, for they have rebelled against me these thirteen years.

2 And these four kings went up with all their camps, about eight hundred thousand men, and they went as they were, and smote every man they found in their road.

3 And the five kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, Bera king of Sodom, Bersha king of Gomorrah, and Bela king of Zoar, went out to meet them, and they all joined together in the valley of Siddim.

4 And these nine kings made war in the valley of Siddim; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were smitten before the kings of Elam.

5 And the valley of Siddim was full of lime pits and the kings of Elam pursued the kings of Sodom, and the kings of Sodom with their camps fled and fell into the lime pits, and all that remained went to the mountain for safety, and the five kings of Elam came after them and pursued them to the gates of Sodom, and they took all that there was in Sodom.

6 And they plundered all the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, and his property, and they seized all the goods of the cities of Sodom, and they went away; and Unic, Abram’s servant, who was in the battle, saw this, and told Abram all that the kings had done to the cities of Sodom, and that Lot was taken captive by them.

7 And Abram heard this, and he rose up with about three hundred and eighteen men that were with him, and he that night pursued these kings and smote them, and they all fell before Abram and his men, and there was none remaining but the four kings who fled, and they went each his own road.

8 And Abram recovered all the property of Sodom, and he also recovered Lot and his property, his wives and little ones and all belonging to him, so that Lot lacked nothing.

9 And when he returned from smiting these kings, he and his men passed the valley of Siddim where the kings had made war together.

10 And Bera king of Sodom, and the rest of his men that were with him, went out from the lime pits into which they had fallen, to meet Abram and his men.

11 And Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, the same was Shem, went out with his men to meet Abram and his people, with bread and wine, and they remained together in the valley of Melech.

12 And Adonizedek blessed Abram, and Abram gave him a tenth from all that he had brought from the spoil of his enemies, for Adonizedek was a priest before God.

13 And all the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah who were there, with their servants, approached Abram and begged of him to return them their servants whom he had made captive, and to take unto himself all the property.

14 And Abram answered the kings of Sodom, saying, As the Lord liveth who created heaven and earth, and who redeemed my soul from all affliction, and who delivered me this day from my enemies, and gave them into my hand, I will not take anything belonging to you, that you may not boast tomorrow, saying, Abram became rich from our property that he saved.

15 For the Lord my God in whom I trust said unto me, Thou shalt lack nothing, for I will bless thee in all the works of thy hands.

16 And now therefore behold, here is all belonging to you, take it and go; as the Lord liveth I will not take from you from a living soul down to a shoetie or thread, excepting the expense of the food of those who went out with me to battle, as also the portions of the men who went with me, Anar, Ashcol, and Mamre, they and their men, as well as those also who had remained to watch the baggage, they shall take their portion of the spoil.

17 And the kings of Sodom gave Abram according to all that he had said, and they pressed him to take of whatever he chose, but he would not.

18 And he sent away the kings of Sodom and the remainder of their men, and he gave them orders about Lot, and they went to their respective places.

19 And Lot, his brother’s son, he also sent away with his property, and he went with them, and Lot returned to his home, to Sodom, and Abram and his people returned to their home to the plains of Mamre, which is in Hebron.

20 At that time the Lord again appeared to Abram in Hebron, and he said to him, Do not fear, thy reward is very great before me, for I will not leave thee, until I shall have multiplied thee, and blessed thee and made thy seed like the stars in heaven, which cannot be measured nor numbered.

21 And I will give unto thy seed all these lands that thou seest with thine eyes, to them will I give them for an inheritance forever, only be strong and do not fear, walk before me and be perfect.

22 And in the seventy-eighth year of the life of Abram, in that year died Reu, the son of Peleg, and all the days of Reu were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.

23 And Sarai, the daughter of Haran, Abram’s wife, was still barren in those days; she did not bear to Abram either son or daughter.

24 And when she saw that she bare no children she took her handmaid Hagar, whom Pharaoh had given her, and she gave her to Abram her husband for a wife.

25 For Hagar learned all the ways of Sarai as Sarai taught her, she was not in any way deficient in following her good ways.

26 And Sarai said to Abram, Behold here is my handmaid Hagar, go to her that she may bring forth upon my knees, that I may also obtain children through her.

27 And at the end of ten years of Abram’s dwelling in the land of Canaan, which is the eighty-fifth year of Abram’s life, Sarai gave Hagar unto him.

28 And Abram hearkened to the voice of his wife Sarai, and he took his handmaid Hagar and Abram came to her and she conceived.

29 And when Hagar saw that she had conceived she rejoiced greatly, and her mistress was despised in her eyes, and she said within herself, This can only be that I am better before God than Sarai my mistress, for all the days that my mistress has been with my lord, she did not conceive, but me the Lord has caused in so short a time to conceive by him.

30 And when Sarai saw that Hagar had conceived by Abram, Sarai was jealous of her handmaid, and Sarai said within herself, This is surely nothing else but that she must be better than I am.

31 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee, for at the time when thou didst pray before the Lord for children why didst thou not pray on my account, that the Lord should give me seed from thee?

32 And when I speak to Hagar in thy presence, she despiseth my words, because she has conceived, and thou wilt say nothing to her; may the Lord judge between me and thee for what thou hast done to me.

33 And Abram said to Sarai, Behold thy handmaid is in thy hand, do unto her as it may seem good in thy eyes; and Sarai afflicted her, and Hagar fled from her to the wilderness.

34 And an angel of the Lord found her in the place where she had fled, by a well, and he said to her, Do not fear, for I will multiply thy seed, for thou shalt bear a son and thou shalt call his name Ishmael; now then return to Sarai thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

35 And Hagar called the place of that well Beer-lahai-roi, it is between Kadesh and the wilderness of Bered.

36 And Hagar at that time returned to her master’s house, and at the end of days Hagar bare a son to Abram, and Abram called his name Ishmael; and Abram was eighty-six years old when he begat him.

Genesis (47-48)

•September 21, 2024 • Leave a Comment

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Genesis 47

1 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brethren, and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.”

— behold, they are in the land of Goshen; though Joseph had all along wished this to be the dwelling-place of his brethren, yet it was necessary to obtain Pharaoh’s permission; and at present Joseph only mentions that they had halted there.

And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. — the Targum of Jonathan identifies the five men as “Zebulon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher”

And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, “What is your occupation?” And they said unto Pharaoh, “Thy servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.”

They said moreover unto Pharaoh, “To sojourn in the land have we come, for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”

And Pharaoh spoke unto Joseph, saying, “Thy father and thy brethren have come unto thee.

The land of Egypt is before thee. In the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell; and if thou knowest any industrious men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.”

— and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle; Pharaoh offered to employ them as shepherds, provided they were active men; also, of body or mind, fit for royal employment of flocks and herds;

And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. — Jacob blessed Pharaoh; the patriarch’s grateful return for Pharaoh’s great kindness and generosity toward him and his house, which is repeated, Genesis 47:10, as being a circumstance very remarkable.

And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, “How old art thou?” — how many are the days of the years of thy life? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, the days of the years of my pilgrimage (literally, of my sojournings, wanderings to and fro without any settled condition) are an hundred and thirty years;

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”

— Jacob’s life till now is fell short of that of his ancestors in respect of duration (witness the 175 years of Abraham, and the 180 of Isaac)

10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. — the land of Rameses; “best of the land” this description of the land of Goshen appears only here;

12 And Joseph nourished his father and his brethren and all his father’s household with bread, according to their families. — the famine still continuing, during which time Joseph, as a dutiful and affectionate son, and as a kind brother, supplied them with all necessary provision, signified by bread.

13 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

— there was no bread in all the land; this probably refers to the second year of the famine when any little stores of individuals or families were exhausted and when the people had become universally dependent on the government;

14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the corn which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

— and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house: into his repository, as the Targum of Jonathan, into his treasury, not into his own house or coffers, in which he acted the faithful servant of Pharaoh;

15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph and said, “Give us bread; for why should we die in thy presence? For the money faileth.” — all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, give us bread; freely, for nothing, since they had no money to buy any with:

16 And Joseph said, “Give your cattle; and I will give to you for your cattle, if money fail.” — and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail; that is, corn or wheat for cattle, if they had no money to give.

17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph; and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds and for the asses; and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, “We will not hide it from my lord that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle. There is not anything left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

— the seventh year is now come; their silver and cattle are now gone. Nothing remains but their lands, and with these themselves as serfs orr slaves of the Pharaoh.

19 Why shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land be not desolate.” — all the desperate Egyptians cried before their Pharaoh, willing to serve as his slaves;

20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them; so the land became Pharaoh’s. — and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh; both should be his; they would hold their land of him, and be tenants to him;

21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. — in the cities, the people would be sure of nourishment only if they were in the immediate neighbourhood of the food.

22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them by Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they sold not their lands. — it was then the custom in Egypt for the priests to have a daily allowance of cooked food.

23 Then Joseph said unto the people, “Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh. Lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest, that ye shall give a fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food, and for those of your households and for food for your little ones.” — the fifth part unto Pharaoh; a fifth part or 20% of their production;

25 And they said, “Thou hast saved our lives. Let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.” — we will be Pharaoh’s servants; signifying, that they esteemed it a great favour to be so on the foot of the bargain made with them;

26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have a fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.

27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew and multiplied exceedingly. — in the country of Goshen or in the land of Rameses, hence this land is the same;

28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the whole age of Jacob was a hundred forty and seven years. — Jacob’s life now is 147, still short of that of his ancestors: 175 years of Abraham, and the 180 of Isaac;

29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die, and he called his son Joseph and said unto him, “If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me: bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt.

— Joseph retained his power and place near Pharaoh after the fourteen years of special service were completed; hence, Jacob looks to him for the accomplishment of his wishes concerning the place of his burial;

— “Put thy hand under my thigh” Genesis 24:2; that is,  swear to me; this binds Joseph by a solemn asseveration to carry his mortal remains to the land of promise. 

30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” And he said, “I will do as thou hast said.”

— bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt; not choosing to lie among idolaters at death, with whom he cared not to have any fellowship in life.

31 And he said, “Swear unto me.” And he swore unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head. — and Jacob asked from Joseph; “Swear unto me”

— the right of primogeniture, the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child, has been forfeited by Reuben; the double portion in the inheritance is now transferred to Joseph.

Genesis 48

1 And it came to pass after these things that one told Joseph, “Behold, thy father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. — Joseph’s two sons Manasseh and Ephraim to be fathers of two tribes in Israel, Genesis 48:5,6

Rashi Gen 48:1 that Ephraim was accustomed to study with Jacob, and when Jacob became ill in the land of Goshen, Ephraim went to his father to Egypt to tell him.

And one told Jacob and said, “Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee”; and Israel strengthened himself and sat upon the bed. — and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon his bed; his spirits revived, his strength renewed, he got fresh vigour on hearing his son Joseph was coming;

And Jacob said unto Joseph, “God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me

and said unto me, ‘Behold, I will make thee fruitful and multiply thee; and I will make of thee a multitude of people, and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.’

— and I will make of thee a multitude of people; a large nation, consisting of many tribes, even a company of nations, as the twelve tribes of Israel were;

And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. — thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh; it was the intention of the aged patriarch to adopt Joseph’s sons as his own;

And thy issue whom thou begettest after them shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. — but should be called either the children of Ephraim, or the children of Manasseh;

And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (the same is Bethlehem).

— Rachel died by me; this circumstance he here mentions, partly because the sight of Joseph and his children brought his beloved Rachel, Joseph’s mother, to his remembrance; and partly that he might assign a reason for transferring the right of the firstborn to Joseph;

And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?” — and said, who are these? whose sons are they? the Targum of Jonathan says, “from whom were these born to thee?”

And Joseph said unto his father, “They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place.” And he said, “Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.” — that I may bless them, not with a common, but with a paternal, and patriarchal, and prophetical blessing.

10 (Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see.) And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them and embraced them. — and he brought them near unto him; that he might have a better sight of them and bless them: and he kissed them, and embraced them: as a token of his affection for them.

11 And Israel said unto Joseph, “I had not thought to see thy face; and lo, God hath shown me also thy seed.” — God hath showed me also thy seed; it was an additional favour to see his offspring;

12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. — he bowed himself, testifying thereby his reverence to his father, he had now showed his humble and earnest request for his blessing upon them.

13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.

14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who fed me all my life long unto this day,

16 the Angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; and he held up his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.

18 And Joseph said unto his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put thy right hand upon his head.”

— Jacob’s preference for Ephraim wasn’t out of the blue. Ephraim had Jacob’s right-hand blessing because Ephraim was accustomed to studying the Torah under Jacob (Rashi Genesis 48:1), while Manasseh, the firstborn was picked up by Joseph to be his assistant in governing Egypt; hence less time to learn from Jacob.

— from a critical verse in Deuteronomy 33:17

His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns. With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” Deuteronomy 33:17

19 And his father refused and said, “I know it, my son, I know it. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.”

“I know it, my son, I know it,” Jacob said

20 And he blessed them that day, saying, “In thee shall Israel bless, saying, ‘God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’” And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 And Israel said unto Joseph, “Behold, I die; but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.”

— Ephraim before Manasseh! Who symbolises the Bullock and who is the Unicorn?

If Great Britain were truly Ephraim, then why does their Royal Standard bear the clear representation of the Unicorn – the symbol or sign of the tribe of Manasseh? The Unicorn of Great Britain identifies the British as primarily of the tribe of Manasseh. And if the unicorn is the symbol of Manasseh and the United States is “Manasseh” – why doesn’t the United States have this symbol in their national emblems and symbols?

The beginning of the story of America is the saga of the search for freedom to worship God without having to conform to the authority of a religious tyranny emanating from Europe. Today, as a whole, America remains a religious nation.

Among advanced industrialized countries, the United States is easily the most religious. Some 60 percent of its citizens say religion is very important to their lives, about six times the percentage of the French. But the divine looms even larger in most Americans’ hearts than those figures suggest. Some 90 percent say they believe in God – 94 percent if you add those who revere a ‘universal spirit’ – while less than 1 percent call themselves atheists or agnostics.

The United States was originally founded largely by Puritans, called Pilgrims, a break-away group of devout Christians who were known as Separatists, because they separated from the Church of England to follow the precepts of the Bible. Because of intense persecution, they sailed for the New World to establish a country where they could worship God in peace.

More on (1) Ephraim / The United States; (2) The Birthrights was Joseph’s

(3) Ephraim and Manasseh (4) Who is Ephraim, a Chronic Liar? (5) The Ox without the Unicorn

Book of Jasher (13-14)

•September 20, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 13

1 And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Abram, and all the souls of his household and went with them from Ur Casdim to go to the land of Canaan. And when they came as far as the land of Haran they remained there, for it was exceedingly good land for pasture, and of sufficient extent for those who accompanied them.

2 And the people of the land of Haran saw that Abram was good and upright with God and men, and that the Lord his God was with him, and some of the people of the land of Haran came and joined Abram, and he taught them the instruction of the Lord and his ways; and these men remained with Abram in his house and they adhered to him.

3 And Abram remained in the land three years, and at the expiration of three years the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him; I am the Lord who brought thee forth from Ur Casdim, and delivered thee from the hands of all thine enemies.

4 And now therefore if thou wilt hearken to my voice and keep my commandments, my statutes and my laws, then will I cause thy enemies to fall before thee, and I will multiply thy seed like the stars of heaven, and I will send my blessing upon all the works of thy hands, and thou shalt lack nothing.

5 Arise now, take thy wife and all belonging to thee and go to the land of Canaan and remain there, and I will there be unto thee for a God, and I will bless thee. And Abram rose and took his wife and all belonging to him, and he went to the land of Canaan as the Lord had told him; and Abram was fifty years old when he went from Haran.

6 And Abram came to the land of Canaan and dwelt in the midst of the city, and he there pitched his tent amongst the children of Canaan, inhabitants of the land.

7 And the Lord appeared to Abram when he came to the land of Canaan, and said to him, This is the land which I gave unto thee and to thy seed after thee forever, and I will make thy seed like the stars of heaven, and I will give unto thy seed for an inheritance all the lands which thou seest.

8 And Abram built an altar in the place where God had spoken to him, and Abram there called upon the name of the Lord.

9 At that time, at the end of three years of Abram’s dwelling in the land of Canaan, in that year Noah died, which was the fifty-eighth year of the life of Abram; and all the days that Noah lived were nine hundred and fifty years and he died.

10 And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, he, his wife, and all belonging to him, and all those that accompanied him, together with those that joined him from the people of the land; but Nahor, Abram’s brother, and Terah his father, and Lot the son of Haran and all belonging to them dwelt in Haran.

11 In the fifth year of Abram’s dwelling in the land of Canaan the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and all the cities of the plain revolted from the power of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam; for all the kings of the cities of the plain had served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, and given him a yearly tax, but in those days in the thirteenth year, they rebelled against him.

12 And in the tenth year of Abram’s dwelling in the land of Canaan there was war between Nimrod king of Shinar and Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Nimrod came to fight with Chedorlaomer and to subdue him.

13 For Chedorlaomer was at that time one of the princes of the hosts of Nimrod, and when all the people at the tower were dispersed and those that remained were also scattered upon the face of the earth, Chedorlaomer went to the land of Elam and reigned over it and rebelled against his lord.

14 And in those days when Nimrod saw that the cities of the plain had rebelled, he came with pride and anger to war with Chedorlaomer, and Nimrod assembled all his princes and subjects, about seven hundred thousand men, and went against Chedorlaomer, and Chedorlaomer went out to meet him with five thousand men, and they prepared for battle in the valley of Babel which is between Elam and Shinar.

15 And all those kings fought there, and Nimrod and his people were smitten before the people of Chedorlaomer, and there fell from Nimrod’s men about six hundred thousand, and Mardon the king’s son fell amongst them.

16 And Nimrod fled and returned in shame and disgrace to his land, and he was under subjection to Chedorlaomer for a long time, and Chedorlaomer returned to his land and sent princes of his host to the kings that dwelt around him, to Arioch king of Elasar, and to Tidal king of Goyim, and made a covenant with them, and they were all obedient to his commands.

17 And it was in the fifteenth year of Abram’s dwelling in the land of Canaan, which is the seventieth year of the life of Abram, and the Lord appeared to Abram in that year and he said to him, I am the Lord who brought thee out from Ur Casdim to give thee this land for an inheritance.

18 Now therefore walk before me and be perfect and keep my commands, for to thee and to thy seed I will give this land for an inheritance, from the river Mitzraim unto the great river Euphrates.

19 And thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace and in good age, and the fourth generation shall return here in this land and shall inherit it forever; and Abram built an altar, and he called upon the name of the Lord who appeared to him, and he brought up sacrifices upon the altar to the Lord.

20 At that time Abram returned and went to Haran to see his father and mother, and his father’s household, and Abram and his wife and all belonging to him returned to Haran, and Abram dwelt in Haran five years.

21 And many of the people of Haran, about seventy-two men, followed Abram and Abram taught them the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and he taught them to know the Lord.

22 In those days the Lord appeared to Abram in Haran, and he said to him, Behold, I spoke unto thee these twenty years back saying,

23 Go forth from thy land, from thy birth-place and from thy father’s house, to the land which I have shown thee to give it to thee and to thy children, for there in that land will I bless thee, and make thee a great nation, and make thy name great, and in thee shall the families of the earth be blessed.

24 Now therefore arise, go forth from this place, thou, thy wife, and all belonging to thee, also every one born in thy house and all the souls thou hast made in Haran, and bring them out with thee from here, and rise to return to the land of Canaan.

25 And Abram arose and took his wife Sarai and all belonging to him and all that were born to him in his house and the souls which they had made in Haran, and they came out to go to the land of Canaan.

26 And Abram went and returned to the land of Canaan, according to the word of the Lord. And Lot the son of his brother Haran went with him, and Abram was seventy-five years old when he went forth from Haran to return to the land of Canaan.

27 And he came to the land of Canaan according to the word of the Lord to Abram, and he pitched his tent and he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, and with him was Lot his brother’s son, and all belonging to him.

28 And the Lord again appeared to Abram and said, To thy seed will I give this land; and he there built an altar to the Lord who appeared to him, which is still to this day in the plains of Mamre.

Book of Jasher Chapter 14

1 In those days there was in the land of Shinar a wise man who had understanding in all wisdom, and of a beautiful appearance, but he was poor and indigent; his name was Rikayon and he was hard set to support himself.

2 And he resolved to go to Egypt, to Oswiris the son of Anom king of Egypt, to show the king his wisdom; for perhaps he might find grace in his sight, to raise him up and give him maintenance; and Rikayon did so.

3 And when Rikayon came to Egypt he asked the inhabitants of Egypt concerning the king, and the inhabitants of Egypt told him the custom of the king of Egypt, for it was then the custom of the king of Egypt that he went from his royal palace and was seen abroad only one day in the year, and after that the king would return to his palace to remain there.

4 And on the day when the king went forth he passed judgment in the land, and every one having a suit came before the king that day to obtain his request.

5 And when Rikayon heard of the custom in Egypt and that he could not come into the presence of the king, he grieved greatly and was very sorrowful.

6 And in the evening Rikayon went out and found a house in ruins, formerly a bake house in Egypt, and he abode there all night in bitterness of soul and pinched with hunger, and sleep was removed from his eyes.

7 And Rikayon considered within himself what he should do in the town until the king made his appearance, and how he might maintain himself there.

8 And he rose in the morning and walked about, and met in his way those who sold vegetables and various sorts of seed with which they supplied the inhabitants.

9 And Rikayon wished to do the same in order to get a maintenance in the city, but he was unacquainted with the custom of the people, and he was like a blind man among them.

10 And he went and obtained vegetables to sell them for his support, and the rabble assembled about him and ridiculed him, and took his vegetables from him and left him nothing.

11 And he rose up from there in bitterness of soul, and went sighing to the bake house in which he had remained all the night before, and he slept there the second night.

12 And on that night again he reasoned within himself how he could save himself from starvation, and he devised a scheme how to act.

13 And he rose up in the morning and acted ingeniously, and went and hired thirty strong men of the rabble, carrying their war instruments in their hands, and he led them to the top of the Egyptian sepulchre, and he placed them there.

14 And he commanded them, saying, Thus saith the king, Strengthen yourselves and be valiant men, and let no man be buried here until two hundred pieces of silver be given, and then he may be buried; and those men did according to the order of Rikayon to the people of Egypt the whole of that year.

15 And in eight months time Rikayon and his men gathered great riches of silver and gold, and Rikayon took a great quantity of horses and other animals, and he hired more men, and he gave them horses and they remained with him.

16 And when the year came round, at the time the king went forth into the town, all the inhabitants of Egypt assembled together to speak to him concerning the work of Rikayon and his men.

17 And the king went forth on the appointed day, and all the Egyptians came before him and cried unto him, saying,

18 May the king live forever. What is this thing thou doest in the town to thy servants, not to suffer a dead body to be buried until so much silver and gold be given? Was there ever the like unto this done in the whole earth, from the days of former kings yea even from the days of Adam, unto this day, that the dead should not be buried only for a set price?

19 We know it to be the custom of kings to take a yearly tax from the living, but thou dost not only do this, but from the dead also thou exactest a tax day by day.

20 Now, O king, we can no more bear this, for the whole city is ruined on this account, and dost thou not know it?

21 And when the king heard all that they had spoken he was very wroth, and his anger burned within him at this affair, for he had known nothing of it.

22 And the king said, Who and where is he that dares to do this wicked thing in my land without my command? Surely you will tell me.

23 And they told him all the works of Rikayon and his men, and the king’s anger was aroused, and he ordered Rikayon and his men to be brought before him.

24 And Rikayon took about a thousand children, sons and daughters, and clothed them in silk and embroidery, and he set them upon horses and sent them to the king by means of his men, and he also took a great quantity of silver and gold and precious stones, and a strong and beautiful horse, as a present for the king, with which he came before the king and bowed down to the earth before him; and the king, his servants and all the inhabitants of Egypt wondered at the work of Rikayon, and they saw his riches and the present that he had brought to the king.

25 And it greatly pleased the king and he wondered at it; and when Rikayon sat before him the king asked him concerning all his works, and Rikayon spoke all his words wisely before the king, his servants and all the inhabitants of Egypt.

26 And when the king heard the words of Rikayon and his wisdom, Rikayon found grace in his sight, and he met with grace and kindness from all the servants of the king and from all the inhabitants of Egypt, on account of his wisdom and excellent speeches, and from that time they loved him exceedingly.

27 And the king answered and said to Rikayon, Thy name shall no more be called Rikayon but Pharaoh shall be thy name, since thou didst exact a tax from the dead; and he called his name Pharaoh.

28 And the king and his subjects loved Rikayon for his wisdom, and they consulted with all the inhabitants of Egypt to make him prefect under the king.

Rikayon, first Pharaoh of Egypt

29 And all the inhabitants of Egypt and its wise men did so, and it was made a law in Egypt.

30 And they made Rikayon Pharaoh prefect under Oswiris king of Egypt, and Rikayon Pharaoh governed over Egypt, daily administering justice to the whole city, but Oswiris the king would judge the people of the land one day in the year, when he went out to make his appearance.

31 And Rikayon Pharaoh cunningly usurped the government of Egypt, and he exacted a tax from all the inhabitants of Egypt.

32 And all the inhabitants of Egypt greatly loved Rikayon Pharaoh, and they made a decree to call every king that should reign over them and their seed in Egypt, Pharaoh.

33 Therefore all the kings that reigned in Egypt from that time forward were called Pharaoh unto this day.

Genesis (45-46)

•September 19, 2024 • Leave a Comment

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Genesis 45

1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him; and he cried, “Cause every man to go out from me!” And there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

And Joseph said unto his brethren, “I am Joseph. Doth my father yet live?” And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence.

And Joseph said unto his brethren, “Come near to me, I pray you.” And they came near; and he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

Now therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

For these two years hath the famine been in the land, and yet there are five years in which there shall neither be planting nor harvest.

And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

— God hath made me a father to Pharaoh; that is, the Pharaoh’s principal counsellor of state, to guide his affairs with a fatherly care, and to have the authority, respect, and power of a father with him;

Hasten ye, and go up to my father and say unto him, ‘Thus saith thy son Joseph: God hath made me lord of all Egypt. Come down unto me, tarry not;

10 and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me — thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks and thy herds and all that thou hast.

— the land of Goshen; this land, also called “the land of Rameses” (Genesis 47:11), probably from the city “Raamses,” which the Israelites were compelled to build there (Exodus 1:11)

— was situated on the eastern bank of the Nile, hence when the Israelites were fleeing Egypt during the Exodus they were not known to have crossed the Nile;

11 And there will I nourish thee (for yet there are five years of famine), lest thou and thy household and all that thou hast come to poverty.’ — thy household; as the famine had lasted only two years, and as Jacob had preserved his flocks and herds, so probably he had lost few or none of the large number of men-servants and women-servants who belonged to him.

12 And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.

Arts portray Benjamin as a young lad, but he was already a Grandpa!

13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall make haste and bring down my father hither.”

14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him.

16 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brethren have come”; and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “Say unto thy brethren, ‘This do ye: Load your beasts and go, get you unto the land of Canaan.

18 And take your father and your households, and come unto me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.’

19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye: ‘Take with you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

20 Also, regard not your possessions, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

21 And the children of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

23 And to his father he sent in this manner: ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten sheasses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father on the way.

24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said unto them, “See that ye fall not out on the way.”

25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father,

26 and told him, saying, “Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.

27 And they told him all the words of Joseph which he had said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

28 And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive! I will go and see him before I die.”

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Genesis 46

1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

And God spoke unto Israel in the visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here am I.”

And He said, “I am God, the God of thy father. Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation.

I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.”

And Jacob rose up from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

And they took their cattle and their goods which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:

his sons and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters and his sons’ daughters; and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

An artistic depiction of Pharaoh’s royal wagons being given to transport Jacob, his sons, and their little ones to Egypt

And these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch and Pallu, and Hezron and Carmi.

10 And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11 And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12 And the sons of Judah: Er and Onan, and Shelah and Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

13 And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah and Job, and Shimron.

14 And the sons of Zebulun: Sered and Elon and Jahleel.

15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three. — Leah’s daughter Dinah also came to Egypt; no sign she was married after her misfortune in Shechem;

— all the souls; were thirty and three; that is, six sons, twenty-three grandsons, two great grandsons, Dinah, and Jacob himself; the other daughters and granddaughters are omitted.

16 And the sons of Gad: Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

17 And the sons of Asher: Jimnah and Ishuah, and Isui and Beriah, and Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.

19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin.

20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, bore unto him.

21 And the sons of Benjamin were Belah and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim and Ard. — the LXX gives Benjamin three sons, Bela, Chobor, and Ashbel; six grandsons, sons of Bela, viz. Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim; and one great-grandson, Ard, the son of Gera.

And the sons of Benjamin; Bala, and Bochor, and Asbel. And the sons of Bala were Gera, and Noeman, and Anchis, and Ros, and Mamphim. And Gera begot Arad. Genesis 46:21 Septuagint

22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; all the souls were fourteen.

23 And the son of Dan: Hushim.

24 And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel and Guni, and Jezer and Shillem.

25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bore these unto Jacob; all the souls were seven.

26 All the souls who came with Jacob into Egypt, who came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six.

27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph to direct his face unto Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen.

29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

30 And Israel said unto Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.”

31 And Joseph said unto his brethren and unto his father’s house, “I will go up and show Pharaoh, and say unto him, ‘My brethren and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come unto me.

32 And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks and their herds, and all that they have.’

33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you and shall say, ‘What is your occupation?’

34 that ye shall say, ‘Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we and also our fathers,’ that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.”

Book of Jasher (11-12)

•September 18, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 11

1 And Nimrod son of Cush was still in the land of Shinar, and he reigned over it and dwelt there, and he built cities in the land of Shinar.

2 And these are the names of the four cities which he built, and he called their names after the occurrences that happened to them in the building of the tower.

3 And he called the first Babel, saying, Because the Lord there confounded the language of the whole earth; and the name of the second he called Erech, because from there God dispersed them.

4 And the third he called Eched, saying there was a great battle at that place; and the fourth he called Calnah, because his princes and mighty men were consumed there, and they vexed the Lord, they rebelled and transgressed against him.

5 And when Nimrod had built these cities in the land of Shinar, he placed in them the remainder of his people, his princes and his mighty men that were left in his kingdom.

6 And Nimrod dwelt in Babel, and he there renewed his reign over the rest of his subjects, and he reigned securely, and the subjects and princes of Nimrod called his name Amraphel, saying that at the tower his princes and men fell through his means.

7 And notwithstanding this, Nimrod did not return to the Lord, and he continued in wickedness and teaching wickedness to the sons of men; and Mardon, his son, was worse than his father, and continued to add to the abominations of his father.

8 And he caused the sons of men to sin, therefore it is said, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness.

9 At that time there was war between the families of the children of Ham, as they were dwelling in the cities which they had built.

10 And Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, went away from the families of the children of Ham, and he fought with them and he subdued them, and he went to the five cities of the plain and he fought against them and he subdued them, and they were under his control.

11 And they served him twelve years, and they gave him a yearly tax.

12 At that time died Nahor, son of Serug, in the forty-ninth year of the life of Abram son of Terah.

13 And in the fiftieth year of the life of Abram son of Terah, Abram came forth from the house of Noah, and went to his father’s house.

14 And Abram knew the Lord, and he went in his ways and instructions, and the Lord his God was with him.

15 And Terah his father was in those days, still captain of the host of king Nimrod, and he still followed strange gods.

16 And Abram came to his father’s house and saw twelve gods standing there in their temples, and the anger of Abram was kindled when he saw these images in his father’s house.

17 And Abram said, As the Lord liveth these images shall not remain in my father’s house; so shall the Lord who created me do unto me if in three days’ time I do not break them all.

18 And Abram went from them, and his anger burned within him. And Abram hastened and went from the chamber to his father’s outer court, and he found his father sitting in the court, and all his servants with him, and Abram came and sat before him.

19 And Abram asked his father, saying, Father, tell me where is God who created heaven and earth, and all the sons of men upon earth, and who created thee and me. And Terah answered his son Abram and said, Behold those who created us are all with us in the house.

20 And Abram said to his father, My lord, shew them to me I pray thee; and Terah brought Abram into the chamber of the inner court, and Abram saw, and behold the whole room was full of gods of wood and stone, twelve great images and others less than they without number.

21 And Terah said to his son, Behold these are they which made all thou seest upon earth, and which created me and thee, and all mankind.

22 And Terah bowed down to his gods, and he then went away from them, and Abram, his son, went away with him.

23 And when Abram had gone from them he went to his mother and sat before her, and he said to his mother, Behold, my father has shown me those who made heaven and earth, and all the sons of men.

24 Now, therefore, hasten and fetch a kid from the flock, and make of it savory meat, that I may bring it to my father’s gods as an offering for them to eat; perhaps I may thereby become acceptable to them.

25 And his mother did so, and she fetched a kid, and made savory meat thereof, and brought it to Abram, and Abram took the savory meat from his mother and brought it before his father’s gods, and he drew nigh to them that they might eat; and Terah his father, did not know of it.

26 And Abram saw on the day when he was sitting amongst them, that they had no voice, no hearing, no motion, and not one of them could stretch forth his hand to eat.

27 And Abram mocked them, and said, Surely the savory meat that I prepared has not pleased them, or perhaps it was too little for them, and for that reason they would not eat; therefore tomorrow I will prepare fresh savory meat, better and more plentiful than this, in order that I may see the result.

28 And it was on the next day that Abram directed his mother concerning the savory meat, and his mother rose and fetched three fine kids from the flock, and she made of them some excellent savory meat, such as her son was fond of, and she gave it to her son Abram; and Terah his father did not know of it.

29 And Abram took the savory meat from his mother, and brought it before his father’s gods into the chamber; and he came nigh unto them that they might eat, and he placed it before them, and Abram sat before them all day, thinking perhaps they might eat.

30 And Abram viewed them, and behold they had neither voice nor hearing, nor did one of them stretch forth his hand to the meat to eat.

31 And in the evening of that day in that house Abram was clothed with the spirit of God.

32 And he called out and said, Woe unto my father and this wicked generation, whose hearts are all inclined to vanity, who serve these idols of wood and stone which can neither eat, smell, hear nor speak, who have mouths without speech, eyes without sight, ears without hearing, hands without feeling, and legs which cannot move; like them are those that made them and that trust in them.

33 And when Abram saw all these things his anger was kindled against his father, and he hastened and took a hatchet in his hand, and came unto the chamber of the gods, and he broke all his father’s gods.

34 And when he had done breaking the images, he placed the hatchet in the hand of the great god which was there before them, and he went out; and Terah his father came home, for he had heard at the door the sound of the striking of the hatchet; so Terah came into the house to know what this was about.

35 And Terah, having heard the noise of the hatchet in the room of images, ran to the room to the images, and he met Abram going out.

36 And Terah entered the room and found all the idols fallen down and broken, and the hatchet in the hand of the largest, which was not broken, and the savory meat which Abram his son had made was still before them.

37 And when Terah saw this his anger was greatly kindled, and he hastened and went from the room to Abram.

38 And he found Abram his son still sitting in the house; and he said to him, What is this work thou hast done to my gods?

39 And Abram answered Terah his father and he said, Not so my lord, for I brought savory meat before them, and when I came nigh to them with the meat that they might eat, they all at once stretched forth their hands to eat before the great one had put forth his hand to eat.

40 And the large one saw their works that they did before him, and his anger was violently kindled against them, and he went and took the hatchet that was in the house and came to them and broke them all, and behold the hatchet is yet in his hand as thou seest.

41 And Terah’s anger was kindled against his son Abram, when he spoke this; and Terah said to Abram his son in his anger, What is this tale that thou hast told? Thou speakest lies to me.

42 Is there in these gods spirit, soul or power to do all thou hast told me? Are they not wood and stone, and have I not myself made them, and canst thou speak such lies, saying that the large god that was with them smote them? It is thou that didst place the hatchet in his hands, and then sayest he smote them all.

43 And Abram answered his father and said to him, And how canst thou then serve these idols in whom there is no power to do any thing? Can those idols in which thou trustest deliver thee? can they hear thy prayers when thou callest upon them? can they deliver thee from the hands of thy enemies, or will they fight thy battles for thee against thy enemies, that thou shouldst serve wood and stone which can neither speak nor hear?

44 And now surely it is not good for thee nor for the sons of men that are connected with thee, to do these things; are you so silly, so foolish or so short of understanding that you will serve wood and stone, and do after this manner?

45 And forget the Lord God who made heaven and earth, and who created you in the earth, and thereby bring a great evil upon your souls in this matter by serving stone and wood?

46 Did not our fathers in days of old sin in this matter, and the Lord God of the universe brought the waters of the flood upon them and destroyed the whole earth?

47 And how can you continue to do this and serve gods of wood and stone, who cannot hear, or speak, or deliver you from oppression, thereby bringing down the anger of the God of the universe upon you?

48 Now therefore my father refrain from this, and bring not evil upon thy soul and the souls of thy household.

49 And Abram hastened and sprang from before his father, and took the hatchet from his father’s largest idol, with which Abram broke it and ran away.

50 And Terah, seeing all that Abram had done, hastened to go from his house, and he went to the king and he came before Nimrod and stood before him, and he bowed down to the king; and the king said, What dost thou want?

51 And he said, I beseech thee my lord, to hear me–Now fifty years back a child was born to me, and thus has he done to my gods and thus has he spoken; and now therefore, my lord and king, send for him that he may come before thee, and judge him according to the law, that we may be delivered from his evil.

52 And the king sent three men of his servants, and they went and brought Abram before the king. And Nimrod and all his princes and servants were that day sitting before him, and Terah sat also before them.

53 And the king said to Abram, What is this that thou hast done to thy father and to his gods? And Abram answered the king in the words that he spoke to his father, and he said, The large god that was with them in the house did to them what thou hast heard.

54 And the king said to Abram, Had they power to speak and eat and do as thou hast said? And Abram answered the king, saying, And if there be no power in them why dost thou serve them and cause the sons of men to err through thy follies?

55 Dost thou imagine that they can deliver thee or do anything small or great, that thou shouldst serve them? And why wilt thou not sense the God of the whole universe, who created thee and in whose power it is to kill and keep alive?

56 0 foolish, simple, and ignorant king, woe unto thee forever.

57 I thought thou wouldst teach thy servants the upright way, but thou hast not done this, but hast filled the whole earth with thy sins and the sins of thy people who have followed thy ways.

58 Dost thou not know, or hast thou not heard, that this evil which thou doest, our ancestors sinned therein in days of old, and the eternal God brought the waters of the flood upon them and destroyed them all, and also destroyed the whole earth on their account? And wilt thou and thy people rise up now and do like unto this work, in order to bring down the anger of the Lord God of the universe, and to bring evil upon thee and the whole earth?

59 Now therefore put away this evil deed which thou doest, and serve the God of the universe, as thy soul is in his hands, and then it will be well with thee.

60 And if thy wicked heart will not hearken to my words to cause thee to forsake thy evil ways, and to serve the eternal God, then wilt thou die in shame in the latter days, thou, thy people and all who are connected with thee, hearing thy words or walking in thy evil ways.

61 And when Abram had ceased speaking before the king and princes, Abram lifted up his eyes to the heavens, and he said, The Lord seeth all the wicked, and he will judge them.

Book of Jasher Chapter 12

1 And when the king heard the words of Abram he ordered him to be put into prison; and Abram was ten days in prison.

2 And at the end of those days the king ordered that all the kings, princes and governors of different provinces and the sages should come before him, and they sat before him, and Abram was still in the house of confinement.

3 And the king said to the princes and sages, Have you heard what Abram, the son of Terah, has done to his father? Thus has he done to him, and I ordered him to be brought before me, and thus has he spoken; his heart did not misgive him, neither did he stir in my presence, and behold now he is confined in the prison.

4 And therefore decide what judgment is due to this man who reviled the king; who spoke and did all the things that you heard.

5 And they all answered the king saying, The man who revileth the king should be hanged upon a tree; but having done all the things that he said, and having despised our gods, he must therefore be burned to death, for this is the law in this matter.

6 If it pleaseth the king to do this, let him order his servants to kindle a fire both night and day in thy brick furnace, and then we will cast this man into it. And the king did so, and he commanded his servants that they should prepare a fire for three days and three nights in the king’s furnace, that is in Casdim; and the king ordered them to take Abram from prison and bring him out to be burned.

7 And all the king’s servants, princes, lords, governors, and judges, and all the inhabitants of the land, about nine hundred thousand men, stood opposite the furnace to see Abram.

8 And all the women and little ones crowded upon the roofs and towers to see what was doing with Abram, and they all stood together at a distance; and there was not a man left that did not come on that day to behold the scene.

9 And when Abram was come, the conjurors of the king and the sages saw Abram, and they cried out to the king, saying, Our sovereign lord, surely this is the man whom we know to have been the child at whose birth the great star swallowed the four stars, which we declared to the king now fifty years since.

10 And behold now his father has also transgressed thy commands, and mocked thee by bringing thee another child, which thou didst kill.

11 And when the king heard their words, he was exceedingly wroth, and he ordered Terah to be brought before him.

12 And the king said, Hast thou heard what the conjurors have spoken? Now tell me truly, how didst thou; and if thou shalt speak truth thou shalt be acquitted.

13 And seeing that the king’s anger was so much kindled, Terah said to the king, My lord and king, thou hast heard the truth, and what the sages have spoken is right. And the king said, How couldst thou do this thing, to transgress my orders and to give me a child that thou didst not beget, and to take value for him?

14 And Terah answered the king, Because my tender feelings were excited for my son, at that time, and I took a son of my handmaid, and I brought him to the king.

15 And the king said Who advised thee to this? Tell me, do not hide aught from me, and then thou shalt not die.

16 And Terah was greatly terrified in the king’s presence, and he said to the king, It was Haran my eldest son who advised me to this; and Haran was in those days that Abram was born, two and thirty years old.

17 But Haran did not advise his father to anything, for Terah said this to the king in order to deliver his soul from the king, for he feared greatly; and the king said to Terah, Haran thy son who advised thee to this shall die through fire with Abram; for the sentence of death is upon him for having rebelled against the king’s desire in doing this thing.

18 And Haran at that time felt inclined to follow the ways of Abram, but he kept it within himself.

19 And Haran said in his heart, Behold now the king has seized Abram on account of these things which Abram did, and it shall come to pass, that if Abram prevail over the king I will follow him, but if the king prevail I will go after the king.

20 And when Terah had spoken this to the king concerning Haran his son, the king ordered Haran to be seized with Abram.

21 And they brought them both, Abram and Haran his brother, to cast them into the fire; and all the inhabitants of the land and the king’s servants and princes and all the women and little ones were there, standing that day over them.

22 And the king’s servants took Abram and his brother, and they stripped them of all their clothes excepting their lower garments which were upon them.

23 And they bound their hands and feet with linen cords, and the servants of the king lifted them up and cast them both into the furnace.

24 And the Lord loved Abram and he had compassion over him, and the Lord came down and delivered Abram from the fire and he was not burned.

25 But all the cords with which they bound him were burned, while Abram remained and walked about in the fire.

26 And Haran died when they had cast him into the fire, and he was burned to ashes, for his heart was not perfect with the Lord; and those men who cast him into the fire, the flame of the fire spread over them, and they were burned, and twelve men of them died.

27 And Abram walked in the midst of the fire three days and three nights, and all the servants of the king saw him walking in the fire, and they came and told the king, saying, Behold we have seen Abram walking about in the midst of the fire, and even the lower garments which are upon him are not burned, but the cord with which he was bound is burned.

28 And when the king heard their words his heart fainted and he would not believe them; so he sent other faithful princes to see this matter, and they went and saw it and told it to the king; and the king rose to go and see it, and he saw Abram walking to and fro in the midst of the fire, and he saw Haran’s body burned, and the king wondered greatly.

29 And the king ordered Abram to be taken out from the fire; and his servants approached to take him out and they could not, for the fire was round about and the flame ascending toward them from the furnace.

30 And the king’s servants fled from it, and the king rebuked them, saying, Make haste and bring Abram out of the fire that you shall not die.

31 And the servants of the king again approached to bring Abram out, and the flames came upon them and burned their faces so that eight of them died.

32 And when the king saw that his servants could not approach the fire lest they should be burned, the king called to Abram, O servant of the God who is in heaven, go forth from amidst the fire and come hither before me; and Abram hearkened to the voice of the king, and he went forth from the fire and came and stood before the king.

33 And when Abram came out the king and all his servants saw Abram coming before the king, with his lower garments upon him, for they were not burned, but the cord with which he was bound was burned.

34 And the king said to Abram, How is it that thou wast not burned in the fire?

35 And Abram said to the king, The God of heaven and earth in whom I trust and who has all in his power, he delivered me from the fire into which thou didst cast me.

36 And Haran the brother of Abram was burned to ashes, and they sought for his body, and they found it consumed.

37 And Haran was eighty-two years old when he died in the fire of Casdim. And the king, princes, and inhabitants of the land, seeing that Abram was delivered from the fire, they came and bowed down to Abram.

38 And Abram said to them, Do not bow down to me, but bow down to the God of the world who made you, and serve him, and go in his ways for it is he who delivered me from out of this fire, and it is he who created the souls and spirits of all men, and formed man in his mother’s womb, and brought him forth into the world, and it is he who will deliver those who trust in him from all pain.

39 And this thing seemed very wonderful in the eyes of the king and princes, that Abram was saved from the fire and that Haran was burned; and the king gave Abram many presents and he gave him his two head servants from the king’s house; the name of one was Oni and the name of the other was Eliezer.

40 And all the kings, princes and servants gave Abram many gifts of silver and gold and pearl, and the king and his princes sent him away, and he went in peace.

41 And Abram went forth from the king in peace, and many of the king’s servants followed him, and about three hundred men joined him.

42 And Abram returned on that day and went to his father’s house, he and the men that followed him, and Abram served the Lord his God all the days of his life, and he walked in his ways and followed his law.

43 And from that day forward Abram inclined the hearts of the sons of men to serve the Lord.

44 And at that time Nahor and Abram took unto themselves wives, the daughters of their brother Haran; the wife of Nahor was Milca and the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai. And Sarai, wife of Abram, was barren; she had no offspring in those days.

45 And at the expiration of two years from Abram’s going out of the fire, that is in the fifty-second year of his life, behold king Nimrod sat in Babel upon the throne, and the king fell asleep and dreamed that he was standing with his troops and hosts in a valley opposite the king’s furnace.

46 And he lifted up his eyes and saw a man in the likeness of Abram coming forth from the furnace, and that he came and stood before the king with his drawn sword, and then sprang to the king with his sword, when the king fled from the man, for he was afraid; and while he was running, the man threw an egg upon the king’s head, and the egg became a great river.

47 And the king dreamed that all his troops sank in that river and died, and the king took flight with three men who were before him and he escaped.

48 And the king looked at these men and they were clothed in princely dresses as the garments of kings, and had the appearance and majesty of kings.

49 And while they were running, the river again turned to an egg before the king, and there came forth from the egg a young bird which came before the king, and flew at his head and plucked out the king’s eye.

50 And the king was grieved at the sight, and he awoke out of his sleep and his spirit was agitated; and he felt a great terror.

51 And in the morning the king rose from his couch in fear, and he ordered all the wise men and magicians to come before him, when the king related his dream to them.

52 And a wise servant of the king, whose name was Anuki, answered the king, saying, This is nothing else but the evil of Abram and his seed which will spring up against my Lord and king in the latter days.

53 And behold the day will come when Abram and his seed and the children of his household will war with my king, and they will smite all the king’s hosts and his troops.

54 And as to what thou hast said concerning three men which thou didst see like unto thyself, and which did escape, this means that only thou wilt escape with three kings from the kings of the earth who will be with thee in battle.

55 And that which thou sawest of the river which turned to an egg as at first, and the young bird plucking out thine eye, this means nothing else but the seed of Abram which will slay the king in latter days.

56 This is my king’s dream, and this is its interpretation, and the dream is true, and the interpretation which thy servant has given thee is right.

57 Now therefore my king, surely thou knowest that it is now fifty-two years since thy sages saw this at the birth of Abram, and if my king will suffer Abram to live in the earth it will be to the injury of my lord and king, for all the days that Abram liveth neither thou nor thy kingdom will be established, for this was known formerly at his birth; and why will not my king slay him, that his evil may be kept from thee in latter days?

58 And Nimrod hearkened to the voice of Anuki, and he sent some of his servants in secret to go and seize Abram, and bring him before the king to suffer death.

59 And Eliezer, Abram’s servant whom the king had given him, was at that time in the presence of the king, and he heard what Anuki had advised the king, and what the king had said to cause Abram’s death.

60 And Eliezer said to Abram, Hasten, rise up and save thy soul, that thou mayest not die through the hands of the king, for thus did he see in a dream concerning thee, and thus did Anuki interpret it, and thus also did Anuki advise the king concerning thee.

61 And Abram hearkened to the voice of Eliezer, and Abram hastened and ran for safety to the house of Noah and his son Shem, and he concealed himself there and found a place of safety; and the king’s servants came to Abram’s house to seek him, but they could not find him, and they searched through out the country and he was not to be found, and they went and searched in every direction and he was not to be met with.

62 And when the king’s servants could not find Abram they returned to the king, but the king’s anger against Abram was stilled, as they did not find him, and the king drove from his mind this matter concerning Abram.

63 And Abram was concealed in Noah’s house for one month, until the king had forgotten this matter, but Abram was still afraid of the king; and Terah came to see Abram his son secretly in the house of Noah, and Terah was very great in the eyes of the king.

64 And Abram said to his father, Dost thou not know that the king thinketh to slay me, and to annihilate my name from the earth by the advice of his wicked counsellors?

65 Now whom hast thou here and what hast thou in this land? Arise, let us go together to the land of Canaan, that we may be delivered from his hand, lest thou perish also through him in the latter days.

66 Dost thou not know or hast thou not heard, that it is not through love that Nimrod giveth thee all this honor, but it is only for his benefit that he bestoweth all this good upon thee?

67 And if he do unto thee greater good than this, surely these are only vanities of the world, for wealth and riches cannot avail in the day of wrath and anger.

68 Now therefore hearken to my voice, and let us arise and go to the land of Canaan, out of the reach of injury from Nimrod; and serve thou the Lord who created thee in the earth and it will be well with thee; and cast away all the vain things which thou pursuest.

69 And Abram ceased to speak, when Noah and his son Shem answered Terah, saying, True is the word which Abram hath said unto thee.

70 And Terah hearkened to the voice of his son Abram, and Terah did all that Abram said, for this was from the Lord, that the king should not cause Abram’s death.

Genesis (43-44)

•September 17, 2024 • Leave a Comment

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The Book of Jasper Chapter 53 (inserted between the chapters) because it provides more details for deeper understanding

Genesis 43

1 And the famine was sore in the land.

And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, “Go again, buy us a little food.”

And Judah spoke unto him, saying, “The man did solemnly declare unto us, saying, ‘Ye shall not see my face, unless your brother be with you.’

If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food.

But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down, for the man said unto us, ‘Ye shall not see my face, unless your brother be with you.’”

And Israel said, “Why dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?”

And they said, “The man asked us strictly about our state, and about our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father yet alive? Have ye another brother?’ And we told him according to the tenor of these words. Could we certainly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

And Judah said unto Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and thou, and also our little ones.

I will be surety for him; from my hand shalt thou require him. If I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever;

10 for had we not lingered, surely now we would have returned this second time.”

11 And their father Israel said unto them, “If it must be so now, do this: Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds.

12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand. Perhaps it was an oversight.

13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man;

14 and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved!”

15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and they rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, “Bring these men home, and slay a beast and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.”

17 And the man did as Joseph bade, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.

18 And the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “Because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time are we brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and also our asses.”

19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house

20 and said, “O sir, we came indeed down the first time to buy food.

21 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; and we have brought it again in our hand.

22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food. We cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.”

23 And he said, “Peace be to you, fear not; your God and the God of your father hath given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money.” And he brought Simeon out unto them.

24 And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.

25 And they made ready the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves before him to the earth.

27 And he asked them of their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spoke? Is he yet alive?”

28 And they answered, “Thy servant our father is in good health; he is yet alive.” And they bowed down their heads and made obeisance.

29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom ye spoke unto me?” And he said, “God be gracious unto thee, my son.”

30 And Joseph made haste, for his heart yearned for his brother, and he sought somewhere to weep; and he entered into his chamber and wept there. — Joseph making himself known to Benjamin wasn’t in any of the Masoretic Text, but revealed in the Book of Jasper;

31 And he washed his face and went out, and restrained himself, and said, “Set on the bread.”

32 And they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men marveled one at another. — Reuben, the firstborn, first, and so on to Benjamin the youngest;

— the Targum of Jonathan says “the sons of Leah on one side, and the sons of Zilpha on the other side, and the sons of Bilhah on another side, and Benjamin the son of Rachel he ordered by the side of himself.”

34 And he took and sent portions unto them from before him, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him. — “Benjamin’s portion was five times” wan’t explained in this text but is in both the Targum and Jasper, as more details revealed below;

The Book of Jasper Chapter 53

1 And the sons of Jacob rose up and took Benjamin and the whole of the presents, and they went and came to Egypt and they stood before Joseph.

2 And Joseph beheld his brother Benjamin with them and he saluted them, and these men came to Joseph’s house.

3 And Joseph commanded the superintendent of his house to give to his brethren to eat, and he did so unto them.

4 And at noon time Joseph sent for the men to come before him with Benjamin, and the men told the superintendent of Joseph’s house concerning the silver that was returned in their sacks, and he said unto them, It will be well with you, fear not, and he brought their brother Simeon unto them.

5 And Simeon said unto his brethren, The lord of the Egyptians has acted very kindly unto me, he did not keep me bound, as you saw with your eyes, for when you went out from the city he let me free and dealt kindly with me in his house.

6 And Judah took Benjamin by the hand, and they came before Joseph, and they bowed down to him to the ground.

7 And the men gave the present unto Joseph and they all sat before him, and Joseph said unto them, Is it well with you, is it well with your children, is it well with your aged father? and they said, It is well, and Judah took the record which Jacob had sent and gave it into the hand of Joseph.

8 And Joseph read the letter and knew his father’s writing, and he wished to weep and he went into an inner room and he wept a great weeping; and he went out.

9 And he lifted up his eyes and beheld his brother Benjamin, and he said, Is this your brother of whom you spoke unto me? And Benjamin approached Joseph, and Joseph placed his hand upon his head and he said unto him, May God be gracious unto thee my son.

10 And when Joseph saw his brother, the son of his mother, he again wished to weep, and he entered the chamber, and he wept there, and he washed his face, and went out and refrained from weeping, and he said, Prepare food.

11 And Joseph had a cup from which he drank, and it was of silver beautifully inlaid with onyx stones and bdellium, and Joseph struck the cup in the sight of his brethren whilst they were sitting to eat with him.

12 And Joseph said unto the men, I know by this cup that Reuben the first born, Simeon and Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun are children from one mother, seat yourselves to eat according to your births.

13 And he also placed the others according to their births, and he said, I know that this your youngest brother has no brother, and I, like him, have no brother, he shall therefore sit down to eat with me.

14 And Benjamin went up before Joseph and sat upon the throne, and the men beheld the acts of Joseph, and they were astonished at them; and the men ate and drank at that time with Joseph, and he then gave presents unto them, and Joseph gave one gift unto Benjamin, and Manasseh and Ephraim saw the acts of their father, and they also gave presents unto him, and Osnath [wife of Joseph and the mother of his sons] gave him one present, and they were five presents in the hand of Benjamin.

15 And Joseph brought them out wine to drink, and they would not drink, and they said, From the day on which Joseph was lost we have not drunk wine, nor eaten any delicacies.

16 And Joseph swore unto them, and he pressed them hard, and they drank plentifully with him on that day, and Joseph afterward turned to his brother Benjamin to speak with him, and Benjamin was still sitting upon the throne before Joseph.

17 And Joseph said unto him, Hast thou begotten any children? and he said, Thy servant has ten sons, and these are their names, Bela, Becher, Ashbal, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord, and I called their names after my brother whom I have not seen.

18 And he ordered them to bring before him his map of the stars, whereby Joseph knew all the times, and Joseph said unto Benjamin, I have heard that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom, dost thou know anything of this?

19 And Benjamin said, Thy servant is knowing also in all the wisdom which my father taught me, and Joseph said unto Benjamin, Look now at this instrument and understand where thy brother Joseph is in Egypt, who you said went down to Egypt.

20 And Benjamin beheld that instrument with the map of the stars of heaven, and he was wise and looked therein to know where his brother was, and Benjamin divided the whole land of Egypt into four divisions, and he found that he who was sitting upon the throne before him was his brother Joseph, and Benjamin wondered greatly, and when Joseph saw that his brother Benjamin was so much astonished, he said unto Benjamin, What hast thou seen, and why art thou astonished?

21 And Benjamin said unto Joseph, I can see by this that Joseph my brother sitteth here with me upon the throne, and Joseph said unto him, I am Joseph thy brother, reveal not this thing unto thy brethren; behold I will send thee with them when they go away, and I will command them to be brought back again into the city, and I will take thee away from them.

22 And if they dare their lives and fight for thee, then shall I know that they have repented of what they did unto me, and I will make myself known to them, and if they forsake thee when I take thee, then shalt thou remain with me, and I will wrangle with them, and they shall go away, and I will not become known to them.

23 At that time Joseph commanded his officer to fill their sacks with food, and to put each man’s money into his sack, and to put the cup in the sack of Benjamin, and to give them provision for the road, and they did so unto them.

24 And on the next day the men rose up early in the morning, and they loaded their asses with their corn, and they went forth with Benjamin, and they went to the land of Canaan with their brother Benjamin.

25 They had not gone far from Egypt when Joseph commanded him that was set over his house, saying, Rise, pursue these men before they get too far from Egypt, and say unto them, Why have you stolen my master’s cup?

26 And Joseph’s officer rose up and he reached them, and he spoke unto them all the words of Joseph; and when they heard this thing they became exceedingly wroth, and they said, He with whom thy master’s cup shall be found shall die, and we will also become slaves.

27 And they hastened and each man brought down his sack from his ass, and they looked in their bags and the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag, and they all tore their garments and they returned to the city, and they smote Benjamin in the road, continually smiting him until he came into the city, and they stood before Joseph.

28 And Judah’s anger was kindled, and he said, This man has only brought me back to destroy Egypt this day.

29 And the men came to Joseph’s house, and they found Joseph sitting upon his throne, and all the mighty men standing at his right and left.

30 And Joseph said unto them, What is this act that you have done, that you took away my silver cup and went away? but I know that you took my cup in order to know thereby in what part of the land your brother was.

31 And Judah said, What shall we say to our lord, what shall we speak and how shall we justify ourselves, God has this day found the iniquity of all thy servants, therefore has he done this thing to us this day.

32 And Joseph rose up and caught hold of Benjamin and took him from his brethren with violence, and he came to the house and locked the door at them, and Joseph commanded him that was set over his house that he should say unto them, Thus saith the king, Go in peace to your father, behold I have taken the man in whose hand my cup was found.

Genesis 44

1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in the mouth of his sack.

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money.” And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

And when they had gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, “Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, ‘Why have ye rewarded evil for good?

Is not this that from which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? Ye have done evil in so doing.’”

And he overtook them, and he spoke unto them these same words.

And they said unto him, “Why saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing!

Behold, the money which we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan. How then would we steal out of thy lord’s house silver or gold?

With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.”

10 And he said, “Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant, and ye shall be blameless.”

11 Then every man speedily took down his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

12 And he searched, and began with the eldest and ended with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

13 Then they rent their clothes; and every man loaded his ass, and returned to the city.

14 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house (for he was yet there), and they fell before him on the ground.

15 And Joseph said unto them, “What deed is this that ye have done? Know ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?”

16 And Judah said, “What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”

17 And he said, “God forbid that I should do so; but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, go up in peace unto your father.”

18 Then Judah came near unto him and said, “Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh.

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have ye a father or a brother?’

20 And we said unto my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.’

21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, ‘Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.’

22 And we said unto my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.’

24 And it came to pass, when we came up unto thy servant, my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25 And our father said, ‘Go again, and buy us a little food.’

26 And we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down, for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

27 And thy servant, my father, said unto us, ‘Ye know that my wife bore me two sons;

28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces”; and I saw him not since.

29 And if ye take this also from me, and harm befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.’

30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father and the lad be not with us, seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life,

31 it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, ‘If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.’

33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant remain instead of the lad as a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren.

34 For how shall I go up to my father and the lad be not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that shall come upon my father?”

Trump’s 100% Tariff’ for Countries That Snub Dollar

•September 16, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Donald Trump’s threat to slap countries that shun the US dollar with 100% tariffs is a “lose-lose” situation for both America and Brics countries.

During a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday local time, the former president promised that he would push to keep the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency, if elected in November.

“Many countries are leaving the dollar. They not going to leave the dollar with me. I’ll say, you leave the dollar, you’re not doing business with the United States because we’re going to put 100% tariff on your goods,” Trump said.

The US dollar is a sort of privilege that the US economy has been enjoying, and it’s sort of a liquidity tax on the rest of the globe, so we shouldn’t not surprised to see this kind of threat. And in recent years, from Brazil to Southeast Asia, countries have been calling for trade to be conducted in currencies besides the greenback.

CNN by Katie Lobosco • September 9, 2024

Tariffs are a tax

Here’s how tariffs work: When the US puts a tariff on an imported good, the cost of the tariff usually comes directly out of the bank account of an American buyer.

“It’s fair to call a tariff a tax because that’s exactly what it is,” said Erica York, a senior economist at the right-leaning Tax Foundation.

“There’s no way around it. It is a tax on people who buy things from foreign businesses,” she added.

Trump has said that if elected, he would impose tariffs of up to 20% on every foreign import coming into the US, as well as another tariff upward of 60% on all Chinese imports. He also said he would impose a “100% tariff” on countries that shift away from using the US dollar.

These duties would add to the tariffs he put on foreign steel and aluminum, washing machines, and many Chinese-made goods including baseball hats, luggage, bicycles, TVs and sneakers. President Joe Biden has left many of the Trump-era tariffs in place.

It’s possible that a foreign company chooses to pay the tariff or to lower its prices to stay competitive with US-made goods that aren’t impacted by the duty.

But study after study, including one from the federal government’s bipartisan US International Trade Commission, have found that Americans have borne almost the entire cost of Trump’s tariffs on Chinese products.

To date, Americans have paid more than $242 billion to the US Treasury for tariffs that Trump imposed on imported solar panels, steel and aluminum, and Chinese-made goods, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

But China is only one member of BRICS, there are also Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa; then Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, UEA and Saudi Arabia. All these countries have already pledged to use local currencies in their trade with each other.

Then there are some 30 or 44 more countries vying to join BRICS. The 16th BRICS summit, scheduled for October 2024 in the Kazan region of Russia, will serve as the platform for deliberating on the new membership applications. 

Book of Jasher (9-10)

•September 15, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Book of Jasher Chapter 9

1 And Haran, the son of Terah, Abram’s oldest brother, took a wife in those days.

2 Haran was thirty-nine years old when he took her; and the wife of Haran conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Lot.

3 And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Milca; and she again conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Sarai.

4 Haran was forty-two years old when he begat Sarai, which was in the tenth year of the life of Abram; and in those days Abram and his mother and nurse went out from the cave, as the king and his subjects had forgotten the affair of Abram.

5 And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem, and he remained with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and Shem his son for a long time.

6 And Abram was in Noah’s house thirty-nine years, and Abram knew the Lord from three years old, and he went in the ways of the Lord until the day of his death, as Noah and his son Shem had taught him; and all the sons of the earth in those days greatly transgressed against the Lord, and they rebelled against him and they served other gods, and they forgot the Lord who had created them in the earth; and the inhabitants of the earth made unto themselves, at that time, every man his god; gods of wood and stone which could neither speak, hear, nor deliver, and the sons of men served them and they became their gods.

7 And the king and all his servants, and Terah with all his household were then the first of those that served gods of wood and stone.

8 And Terah had twelve gods of large size, made of wood and stone, after the twelve months of the year, and he served each one monthly, and every month Terah would bring his meat offering and drink offering to his gods; thus did Terah all the days.

9 And all that generation were wicked in the sight of the Lord, and they thus made every man his god, but they forsook the Lord who had created them.

10 And there was not a man found in those days in the whole earth, who knew the Lord (for they served each man his own God) except Noah and his household, and all those who were under his counsel knew the Lord in those days.

11 And Abram the son of Terah was waxing great in those days in the house of Noah, and no man knew it, and the Lord was with him.

12 And the Lord gave Abram an understanding heart, and he knew all the works of that generation were vain, and that all their gods were vain and were of no avail.

13 And Abram saw the sun shining upon the earth, and Abram said unto himself Surely now this sun that shines upon the earth is God, and him will I serve.

14 And Abram served the sun in that day and he prayed to him, and when evening came the sun set as usual, and Abram said within himself, Surely this cannot be God?

15 And Abram still continued to speak within himself, Who is he who made the heavens and the earth? who created upon earth? where is he?

16 And night darkened over him, and he lifted up his eyes toward the west, north, south, and east, and he saw that the sun had vanished from the earth, and the day became dark.

17 And Abram saw the stars and moon before him, and he said, Surely this is the God who created the whole earth as well as man, and behold these his servants are gods around him: and Abram served the moon and prayed to it all that night.

18 And in the morning when it was light and the sun shone upon the earth as usual, Abram saw all the things that the Lord God had made upon earth.

19 And Abram said unto himself Surely these are not gods that made the earth and all mankind, but these are the servants of God, and Abram remained in the house of Noah and there knew the Lord and his ways’ and he served the Lord all the days of his life, and all that generation forgot the Lord, and served other gods of wood and stone, and rebelled all their days.

20 And king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union.

21 And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together; Phut, Mitzraim, Cush and Canaan with their families, and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth on account of their wars.

22 And they all went before the king, and they told the king these words, and the king agreed with them in this affair, and he did so.

23 And all the families assembled consisting of about six hundred thousand men, and they went to seek an extensive piece of ground to build the city and the tower, and they sought in the whole earth and they found none like one valley at the east of the land of Shinar, about two days’ walk, and they journeyed there and they dwelt there.

24 And they began to make bricks and burn fires to build the city and the tower that they had imagined to complete.

25 And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven.

26 And all these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts; the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears; and God knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he saw the city and the tower which they were building.

27 And when they were building they built themselves a great city and a very high and strong tower; and on account of its height the mortar and bricks did not reach the builders in their ascent to it, until those who went up had completed a full year, and after that, they reached to the builders and gave them the mortar and the bricks; thus was it done daily.

28 And behold these ascended and others descended the whole day; and if a brick should fall from their hands and get broken, they would all weep over it, and if a man fell and died, none of them would look at him.

29 And the Lord knew their thoughts, and it came to pass when they were building they cast the arrows toward the heavens, and all the arrows fell upon them filled with blood, and when they saw them they said to each other, Surely we have slain all those that are in heaven.

30 For this was from the Lord in order to cause them to err, and in order; to destroy them from off the face of the ground.

31 And they built the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until many days and years were elapsed.

32 And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them.

33 And from that day following, they forgot each man his neighbor’s tongue, and they could not understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took from the hands of his neighbor lime or stone which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw it upon his neighbor, that he would die.

34 And they did so many days, and they killed many of them in this manner.

35 And the Lord smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them according to their works and designs; those who said, We will ascend to heaven and serve our gods, became like apes and elephants; and those who said, We will smite the heaven with arrows, the Lord killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third division of those who said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.

36 And those who were left amongst them, when they knew and understood the evil which was coming upon them, they forsook the building, and they also became scattered upon the face of the whole earth.

37 And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Babel, for there the Lord confounded the Language of the whole earth; behold it was at the east of the land of Shinar.

38 And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days’ walk.

39 And many of the sons of men died in that tower, a people without number.

Book of Jasher Chapter 10

1 And Peleg the son of Eber died in those days, in the forty-eighth year of the life of Abram son of Terah, and all the days of Peleg were two hundred and thirty-nine years.

2 And when the Lord had scattered the sons of men on account of their sin at the tower, behold they spread forth into many divisions, and all the sons of men were dispersed into the four corners of the earth.

3 And all the families became each according to its language, its land, or its city.

4 And the sons of men built many cities according to their families, in all the places where they went, and throughout the earth where the Lord had scattered them.

5 And some of them built cities in places from which they were afterward extirpated, and they called these cities after their own names, or the names of their children, or after their particular occurrences.

6 And the sons of Japheth the son of Noah went and built themselves cities in the places where they were scattered, and they called all their cities after their names, and the sons of Japheth were divided upon the face of the earth into many divisions and languages.

7 And these are the sons of Japheth according to their families, Gomer, Magog, Medai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras; these are the children of Japheth according to their generations.

8 And the children of Gomer, according to their cities, were the Francum, who dwell in the land of Franza, by the river Franza, by the river Senah.

9 And the children of Rephath are the Bartonim, who dwell in the land of Bartonia by the river Ledah, which empties its waters in the great sea Gihon, that is, oceanus.

10 And the children of Tugarma are ten families, and these are their names: Buzar, Parzunac, Balgar, Elicanum, Ragbib, Tarki, Bid, Zebuc, Ongal and Tilmaz; all these spread and rested in the north and built themselves cities.

11 And they called their cities after their own names, those are they who abide by the rivers Hithlah and Italac unto this day.

12 But the families of Angoli, Balgar and Parzunac, they dwell by the great river Dubnee; and the names of their cities are also according to their own names.

13 And the children of Javan are the Javanim who dwell in the land of Makdonia, and the children of Medaiare are the Orelum that dwell in the land of Curson, and the children of Tubal are those that dwell in the land of Tuskanah by the river Pashiah.

14 And the children of Meshech are the Shibashni and the children of Tiras are Rushash, Cushni, and Ongolis; all these went and built themselves cities; those are the cities that are situate by the sea Jabus by the river Cura, which empties itself in the river Tragan.

15 And the children of Elishah are the Almanim, and they also went and built themselves cities; those are the cities situate between the mountains of Job and Shibathmo; and of them were the people of Lumbardi who dwell opposite the mountains of Job and Shibathmo, and they conquered the land of Italia and remained there unto this day.

16 And the children of Chittim are the Romim who dwell in the valley of Canopia by the river Tibreu.

17 And the children of Dudonim are those who dwell in the cities of the sea Gihon, in the land of Bordna.

18 These are the families of the children of Japheth according to their cities and languages, when they were scattered after the tower, and they called their cities after their names and occurrences; and these are the names of all their cities according to their families, which they built in those days after the tower.

19 And the children of Ham were Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan according to their generation and cities.

20 All these went and built themselves cities as they found fit places for them, and they called their cities after the names of their fathers Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan.

21 And the children of Mitzraim are the Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuchim, Pathrusim, Casluchim and Caphturim, seven families.

22 All these dwell by the river Sihor, that is the brook of Egypt, and they built themselves cities and called them after their own names.

23 And the children of Pathros and Casloch intermarried together, and from them went forth the Pelishtim, the Azathim, and the Gerarim, the Githim and the Ekronim, in all five families; these also built themselves cities, and they called their cities after the names of their fathers unto this day.

24 And the children of Canaan also built themselves cities, and they called their cities after their names, eleven cities and others without number.

25 And four men from the family of Ham went to the land of the plain; these are the names of the four men, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim.

26 And these men built themselves four cities in the land of the plain, and they called the names of their cities after their own names.

27 And they and their children and all belonging to them dwelt in those cities, and they were fruitful and multiplied greatly and dwelt peaceably.

28 And Seir the son of Hur, son of Hivi, son of Canaan, went and found a valley opposite to Mount Paran, and he built a city there, and he and his seven sons and his household dwelt there, and he called the city which he built Seir, according to his name; that is the land of Seir unto this day.

29 These are the families of the children of Ham, according to their languages and cities, when they were scattered to their countries after the tower.

30 And some of the children of Shem son of Noah, father of all the children of Eber, also went and built themselves cities in the places wherein they were scattered, and they called their cities after their names.

31 And the sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, and they built themselves cities and called the names of all their cities after their names.

32 And Ashur son of Shem and his children and household went forth at that time, a very large body of them, and they went to a distant land that they found, and they met with a very extensive valley in the land that they went to, and they built themselves four cities, and they called them after their own names and occurrences.

33 And these are the names of the cities which the children of Ashur built, Ninevah, Resen, Calach and Rehobother; and the children of Ashur dwell there unto this day.

34 And the children of Aram also went and built themselves a city, and they called the name of the city Uz after their eldest brother, and they dwell therein; that is the land of Uz to this day.

35 And in the second year after the tower a man from the house of Ashur, whose name was Bela, went from the land of Ninevah to sojourn with his household wherever he could find a place; and they came until opposite the cities of the plain against Sodom, and they dwelt there.

36 And the man rose up and built there a small city, and called its name Bela, after his name; that is the land of Zoar unto this day.

37 And these are the families of the children of Shem according to their language and cities, after they were scattered upon the earth after the tower.

38 And every kingdom, city, and family of the families of the children of Noah built themselves many cities after this.

39 And they established governments in all their cities, in order to be regulated by their orders; so did all the families of the children of Noah forever.

An ‘Act of War’ against Russia!

•September 14, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Vladimir Putin sends direct threat to the UK over ‘act of war’ move against Russia

The Express • September 12, 2024 ~ RT News

Vladimir Putin has warned that the West letting Kyiv use longer-range weapons to strike Russian targets would mean NATO would be “at war” with Russia.

Sir Keir Starmer is travelling to Washington to meet US President Joe Biden to discuss allowing Ukraine to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles following pleas from Kyiv.

The Russia’s President insisted his country would take “appropriate decisions” against any threats it faces.

Putin said: “If this decision is made, it will mean nothing other than the direct participation of NATO countries – the United States, European countries – in the war in Ukraine.

“This is their direct participation and this already, of course, significantly changes the very essence, the very nature of the conflict.

“This would mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia.

“And if that is the case then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will take appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be posed to us.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Secretary David Lammy suggested in a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday that Putin had already escalated the war by seeking missiles from Iran.

Concern about escalation has been one of the reasons why permission has not been given to Kyiv to use Western long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia.

But Mr Blinken said: “Just speaking for the United States, from day one …. we have adjusted and adapted As needs have changed as the battlefield has changed, and I have no doubt that we’ll continue to do that as this, as this evolves.”

Escalation was “one of the factors that we always consider but it’s certainly not the only factor and it’s not necessarily a dispositive factor.”

He added: “We’ve seen Russia now pursue and indeed escalate its attacks inside Ukraine, on civilians, on energy infrastructure, as well as on the Ukrainian military that’s defending its country.

“And we’ve now seen this action of Russia acquiring ballistic missiles from Iran, which will further empower their aggression in Ukraine. So if anyone is taking escalatory action, it would appear to be Mr Putin and Russia.”

Mr Lammy said: “It is Putin who has escalated this week with the shipment of ballistic missiles from Iran and we’re seeing this new axis, Russia, Iran, North Korea. We urge China not to throw their lot in with this group of renegades.”

ChatGPT: Is the Use of Nuclear Weapons Prophecised?

•September 14, 2024 • Leave a Comment

One intriguing Chapter in Zechariah has the theme of nations using nuclear weapons devastating the whole world; and that is in Chapter 5.

Is the Use of Nuclear Weapons Prophecised?

Here, we’ll inquire from ChatGPT to take a look at the Targum of Jonathan version. The two cities to be wiped out, was identified in an earlier Study as New York City and Washington DC; one who steals, and one who swears false oaths that would be facing swift judgment and be taken off “like an eagle swooping down;” perhaps by nuclear weapons from flying missiles.

Zechariah 5

1 וְתָבֵית וּזְקָפֵית עֵינַי וַחֲזֵית וְהָא מְגִלָה פִּרְחָא:

Translation: “And I looked up my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll. And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a flying scroll, its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.'”

Commentary: This passage is from the book of Zechariah (chapter 5:1-2). The prophet Zechariah describes a vision in which he sees a flying scroll, a large one measuring twenty cubits in length and ten cubits in width (approximately 30 feet by 15 feet).

In biblical symbolism, the scroll often represents a message or decree from God. Here, the scroll seems to represent divine judgment. The vision is interpreted as conveying a message of judgment against those who sin, particularly against thieves and those who swear falsely by God’s name, as detailed in the verses that follow.

The large size of the scroll emphasizes the magnitude of the divine judgment that is about to befall the sinners, and the fact that it is flying suggests that the judgment is swift and inevitable. This vision aligns with the prophetic tradition of conveying warnings to the people of Israel, calling for repentance and adherence to the covenant with God.

A flying scroll, one side for one who steals, the other side for one who swears

2 וַאֲמַר לִי דָא מוּמְתָא דַעֲתִידָא לְמִפַּק עַל אַפֵּי כָל אַרְעָא אֲרֵי כָל דְגָנֵיב וּמְכַדֵיב מִדָא לָקֵי וְכָל דְקַיָם בִּשְׁמִי לִשְׁקַר מִדָא לָקֵי:

Translation: “And he said to me, ‘This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land, because everyone who steals will be punished according to it, and everyone who swears falsely by My name will be punished according to it.'”

Commentary: This passage continues the vision from Zechariah 5:1. The flying scroll is identified as a “curse” that goes out over the whole land. The curse is directed at two particular groups of sinners: those who steal and those who swear falsely in God’s name. These two sins—stealing and false oaths—represent violations of both ethical conduct (theft) and religious integrity (swearing falsely by God’s name).

The punishment (“לקי” – “will be punished”) is inevitable for those who commit these acts. The emphasis on a curse covering “the whole land” implies a widespread issue within the community, suggesting that these sins are common and systemic. This divine judgment is a warning and a call for moral and spiritual reform.

In ancient Israel, theft and false oaths were serious offenses not only against individuals but also against the community and God. The vision underscores the importance of honesty, integrity, and faithfulness to God’s commandments. The flying scroll serves as a powerful image of impending judgment, highlighting that divine retribution will reach all who are guilty.

3 וַאֲמַר לִי דָא מוּמְתָא דַעֲתִידָא לְמִפַּק עַל אַפֵּי כָל אַרְעָא אֲרֵי כָל דְגָנֵיב וּמְכַדֵיב מִדָא לָקֵי וְכָל דְקַיָם בִּשְׁמִי לִשְׁקַר מִדָא לָקֵי:

Translation: “And he said to me, ‘This is the curse that is destined to go forth over the entire land, for everyone who steals will be punished according to it, and everyone who swears falsely by My name will be punished according to it.'”

Commentary: This Aramaic passage describes a curse that will spread across the land. It specifically targets two types of people: those who steal and those who swear falsely by God’s name. The curse implies divine justice and punishment for these moral transgressions, showing that both actions violate ethical and religious law.

The text emphasizes that both types of wrongdoers—thieves and those who bear false witness—are subject to the same judgment. These sins were seen as not only offenses against individuals but as offenses against the social and spiritual fabric of the community. The message is clear: justice will be served, and divine retribution is inevitable for those who break the commandments.

The mention of “going forth over the entire land” reflects the wide-reaching nature of the curse, implying that no one can escape divine judgment, and it signals a warning for all to adhere to righteousness and truth.

4 אַפֵּיקְתָּהּ אֲמַר יְיָ צְבָאוֹת וְתֵיעוּל לְבֵית גַנְבָא וּלְבֵית דִמְקַיֵם בִּשְׁמִי לִשְׁקַר וּתְבִית בְּגוֹ בֵיתֵיהּ וּתְשֵׁיצִינֵיהּ וְיַת אָעוֹהִי וְיַת אַבְנוֹהִי:

Translation: “The LORD of Hosts has declared: ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It will reside in his house and consume it, along with its timber and its stones.'”

Commentary: This passage continues with the theme of divine retribution, focusing on a curse or divine punishment being sent out to address the sins of theft and false oaths. The curse will not only affect the person committing the transgression but will invade their very home, symbolizing the pervasive consequences of their actions.

The destruction is thorough, extending to the very structure of the house—both its wood (“timber”) and its stones—showing that nothing will be left untouched by the curse. This suggests that the punishment for these sins will be total and inescapable, affecting both the material possessions and the life of the sinner.

The idea that the curse “resides” in the house indicates that it is not a fleeting punishment but one that persists, symbolizing the lasting consequences of living a life of dishonesty and immorality. It serves as a strong warning to adhere to ethical conduct, particularly in matters of truth and justice.

5 וּנְפַק מַלְאֲכָא דִמְמַלֵיל עִמִי וַאֲמַר לִי זְקוֹף כְּעַן עֵינָךְ וַחֲזֵי מַן דְגָלָן אִלֵין:

Translation: “And the angel who was speaking with me went out and said to me, ‘Lift now your eyes and see who these are that are going forth.'”

Commentary: In this verse, an angel, serving as a divine messenger, instructs the prophet or visionary to lift his eyes and observe those who are going forth. The command to “lift your eyes” is a common biblical motif, often indicating a moment of revelation or insight into divine or spiritual realities.

The phrase “who these are that are going forth” likely refers to the actions or presence of certain individuals or entities—possibly angels, divine agents, or symbolic figures—who are set in motion by God’s will. The vision that follows may reveal something about judgment, mission, or the unfolding of divine plans. The context suggests that the visionary is about to witness something significant that requires spiritual awareness and attentiveness.

This passage highlights the role of angels as intermediaries between God and humanity, guiding the visionary to understand higher truths. It also invites reflection on the importance of spiritual discernment in recognizing the workings of the divine in the world.

6 וַאֲמָרֵית מַן אִינוּן וַאֲמַר אִלֵין עַמָא דַהֲווֹ נַסְבִין וְיָהֲבִין בִּמְכִילְתָּא דְשִׁקְרָא וַאֲמַר הָא אִינוּן גְלָן קֳדָם כָּל יַתְבֵי אַרְעָא:

Translation: “And I said, ‘Who are they?’ And he said, ‘These are the people who have taken and given in the measure of falsehood.’ And he said, ‘Behold, these are the ones going forth before all the inhabitants of the earth.'”

Commentary: In this dialogue, the visionary inquires about the identity of the figures he sees, and the angel responds by revealing that these individuals are associated with falsehood and deceit. The phrase “taken and given in the measure of falsehood” likely refers to those who have engaged in dishonest practices, whether in trade, speech, or behavior. The focus on “falsehood” emphasizes moral corruption, which contrasts with divine truth and justice.

The statement “these are the ones going forth before all the inhabitants of the earth” suggests that these individuals are being exposed or judged publicly for their actions. The image of going forth could symbolize their departure from righteousness or their coming to judgment. It reflects a universal theme of accountability, where those who have lived in deceit will be revealed before the entire world.

This passage serves as a moral warning, highlighting the consequences of engaging in falsehood and the inevitability of divine justice. It also emphasizes that deceit does not remain hidden forever; eventually, it is brought to light, and those involved must face the repercussions.

7 וְהָא עַמְמַיָא קַלִילִין מַגְלַן יַתְהוֹן בְּקַלִילוּ וְאָתוֹ עַמְמִין אוֹחֲרָנִין וִיתִיבוּ בְּאַתְרַיְהוֹן עַל דַהֲווֹ נָסְבִין וְיָהֲבִין בִּמְכִילְתָּא דְשִׁקְרָא:

Translation: “And behold, the nations will be quickly exiled in swift judgment, and other nations will come and settle in their places because they had taken and given in the measure of falsehood.”

Commentary: This passage describes the downfall of nations that have engaged in deceit, as they are swiftly removed or exiled. The phrase “quickly exiled in swift judgment” suggests an immediate and severe punishment for their dishonesty. This divine retribution leads to other nations taking their place, indicating that no power or status is permanent, especially when built on falsehood.

The phrase “because they had taken and given in the measure of falsehood” reinforces the idea that their downfall is directly tied to their unethical behavior, particularly in economic or social exchanges where truth and integrity were compromised.

This vision portrays a moral lesson about the fragility of nations and societies that operate on dishonesty. It suggests that falsehood can lead to downfall, and others will replace those who fail to live up to moral standards. It serves as a warning about the consequences of corrupt practices on both an individual and collective level, emphasizing the importance of honesty and integrity.

8 וַאֲמַר עַל דָא אִתְחַיְבוּ וּגְלוֹ עַל דַהֲווֹ נַסְבִין וְיָהֲבִין בִּמְכִילְתָּא דְשִׁקְרָא וַאֲתוֹ עַמְמִין אוֹחֲרָנִין וִיתִיבוּ בְּאַתְרֵיהוֹן:

Translation: “And he said: For this, they are guilty and exiled, because they had taken and given in the measure of falsehood, and other nations came and settled in their places.”

Commentary: This passage emphasizes the moral responsibility that led to the exile of certain nations. Their guilt stems from engaging in deceitful practices, represented by the phrase “taken and given in the measure of falsehood.” The consequence of their dishonesty is exile, a divine punishment for their moral failings. The idea of other nations coming to take their place highlights the transience of power and the fact that those who fail to act justly will be replaced.

This serves as a reflection on justice and the ethical standards expected of nations or societies. The implication is that dishonesty, especially in dealings or transactions, brings about downfall and displacement, making room for others to inhabit the space left by those who failed morally. It reinforces the theme of divine justice and accountability for actions, stressing that nations, like individuals, are subject to judgment based on their ethical conduct.

9 וּזְקָפֵית עֵינַי וַחֲזֵית וְהָא תַרְתֵּין מְדִינָן גַלְיָן לְבֵינֵי מַלְכְּוַת עַמְמֵי אַרְעָא וְעַמְמִין קַלִילִין מִגְלַן יַתְהוֹן בְקַלִילוּ כְּמָא דְמִשְׁתְּדֵי נִשְׁרָא וְאַגְלִיאוּ יַת עַמָא דַהֲווֹ נַסְבִין וְיָהֲבִין בִּמְכִילְתָּא דְשִׁקְרָא לְבֵינֵי מַלְכְּוַת עַמְמַיָא דְאַרְעָא דִתְחוֹת כָּל שְׁמַיָא:

Translation: “And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two cities were revealed among the kingdoms of the nations of the earth, and the nations quickly removed them with ease, like an eagle swooping down. And the people who had taken and given in the measure of falsehood were exiled among the kingdoms of the nations under the entire heavens.”

Commentary: In this vision, the speaker witnesses two cities being unveiled or exposed among the nations. These cities likely symbolize communities or nations that were prominent or influential but are now revealed for their corrupt practices. The imagery of an eagle swooping down suggests that the removal or destruction of these cities happened swiftly and effortlessly, indicating divine intervention or judgment.

The reference to the people who “had taken and given in the measure of falsehood” reiterates a previous theme: these people or nations engaged in deceitful practices, leading to their downfall. Their exile among the kingdoms of the world signifies a scattering or displacement as a result of their wrongdoing, echoing the biblical motif of exile as punishment for moral failure.

The passage reflects the idea of divine justice being meted out across nations, with those who fail ethically being cast out and dispersed. The eagle, a symbol of speed and power, emphasizes how swiftly judgment can befall those who are unfaithful to principles of truth and justice.

Two cities revealed to be quickly destroyed, “like an eagle swooping down”

10 וַאֲמָרֵית לְמַלְאֲכָא דִמְמַלֵיל עִמִי לְאָן אִינוּן מַגְלַן יַת עַמָא דַהֲווֹ נַסְבִין וְיָהֲבִין בִמְכִילְתָּא דְשִׁקְרָא:

Translation: “And I said to the angel who spoke with me, ‘Where are those who have been removed and given in the measure of falsehood?'”

Commentary: In this passage, the speaker is inquiring about the location or fate of those individuals or nations that had been previously removed or displaced due to their engagement in deceitful practices. The “angel” represents a divine or supernatural being who provides insight or guidance.

The term “measure of falsehood” suggests that these individuals or groups were characterized by deceit and dishonesty. The speaker’s question indicates a concern or curiosity about their ultimate destination or current state after being judged or exiled.

This passage highlights themes of accountability and divine justice. It reflects a preoccupation with understanding the consequences of moral failure and the fate of those who have acted unethically. The interaction with the angel underscores a quest for clarity and resolution regarding the impact of falsehood and deceit in the world.

11 וַאֲמַר לִי לְאִתְקַנָאָה לְהוֹן אֲתַר בִּמְדִינַת בָּבֶל וְיִתְעַכְּבוּן וְיִתְאַחֲרוּן תַּמָן עַד דְיִמְטוּ זִמְנֵיהוֹן:

Translation: “And he said to me to establish a place for them in the land of Babylon, and they will be delayed and will linger there until their times are completed.”

Commentary: In this passage, the speaker is instructed to create a designated location or provision for a certain group or individuals in Babylon. The directive implies that these individuals will experience a period of delay and prolongation in their stay in Babylon until a specified time or condition is fulfilled.

The use of “establish a place” suggests that there is a need for some form of preparation or arrangement for these individuals, possibly indicating that they are in a state of transition or awaiting a particular event or resolution. The reference to “their times are completed” implies that there is an appointed period or destiny that must be fulfilled before they can move on or their situation changes.

This passage can reflect themes of exile, patience, and the unfolding of divine or predetermined plans. It suggests a period of waiting or enduring as part of a larger, divinely orchestrated process.

From the Masoretic Text: Could Zechariah 5 indicate there would be nuclear war?

Genesis (41-42)

•September 14, 2024 • Leave a Comment

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Genesis 41

1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed; and behold, he stood by the river. — Pharaoh dreamed; after two years spent in the prison, the time has now come for Joseph’s elevation to influence and power;

And behold, there came up out of the river seven wellfavored cows, and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.

And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, illfavored and leanfleshed, and stood by the other cows upon the brink of the river.

And the illfavored and leanfleshed cows ate up the seven wellfavored and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.

And he slept and dreamed the second time; and behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.

And behold, seven thin ears, blasted with the east wind sprang up after them.

And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof. And Pharaoh told them his dream, but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Then spoke the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, “I do remember my faults this day.

10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me under guard in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker.

11 And we dreamed a dream one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

12 And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams. To each man according to his dream he did interpret.

13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was: me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.”

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it; and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.”

16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river.

18 And behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, fatfleshed and wellfavored, and they fed in a meadow.

19 And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very illfavored and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness.

20 And the lean and the illfavored cows ate up the first seven fat cows;

21 and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, but they were still illfavored, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

22 And I saw in my dream, and behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good;

23 and behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind sprang up after them.

24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears. And I told this unto the magicians, but there was none that could declare it to me.”

25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God hath shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years: the dreams are one.

27 And the seven thin and illfavored cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do He showeth unto Pharaoh. — what God is about to do, he sheweth unto Pharaoh: the events of fourteen years with respect to plenty and famine.

29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. — behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt; not only a sufficiency but an abundance, even to luxury;

30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land.

— and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; the seven years of plenty being all spent, it should be as if it never was; the minds of men would be so intent upon their present distressed case and circumstances, that they should wholly forget how it had been with them in time past;

31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following, for it shall be very grievous. — the former plenty was in some measure known by the stores of provisions laid up in the seven years, and which were brought forth when the famine became very pressing;

— but by that time, and before the seven years of it were ended, there were no traces of the foregoing plenty to be observed; for it shall be very grievous; as it was both in Egypt and in all the countries round about.

32 And for that the dream was repeated unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. — the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; or was repeated to him under different figures and images:

— it is because the thing is established by God; by a firm decree of his, and is sure, and will most certainly be accomplished; and to assure him of it was the repetition of the dream made.

33 Now therefore let Pharaoh seek out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. — now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, one of good judgment and of abilities equal to the execution of a scheme hereafter proposed.

34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up a fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.

— take up the fifth part of the land, that is, exact a fifth part of the produce that it had been usual in Egypt to pay to the king a tithe of the crop, and the doubling of the tributes would not press very heavily on the people in these years of extraordinary abundance.

35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. — Joseph now proceeds to interpret the dream, and offer counsel suitable to the emergency. “What the God is about to do.”

36 And that food shall be for store for the land against the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land perish not through the famine.” — against the seven years of famine: and so be a supply to the inhabitants of the land, when they should be sore pressed with a famine, and know not what to do, nor where to go for food;

37 And the counsel was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. — Pharaoh readily approved of the advice Joseph gave, and of the scheme and plan which he proposed;

38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” — Joseph’s sudden promotion by Pharaoh who made him his second in command.

39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “Inasmuch as God hath shown thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. — Pharaoh acknowledges the gift that is in Joseph to be from God.

40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than thou.”

41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.”

42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. — his ring, his signet ring;

— as decrees became law when stamped with the royal signet, it was naturally the symbol of authority; and put it on Joseph’s hand, who is thus invested with power.

43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, “Bow the knee!” And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. — in the second chariot; the object of this procession was to display Joseph to the people as their new governor;

— the Pharaoh, probably, took the chief part in this parade, riding in the first chariot of state; bow the knee: they commanded all that passed by him, or came to him, to show their reverent respect to him in this manner.

44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” — I am Pharaoh, that is, only I am the king, I reserve to myself the sovereign power over thee, and over all.

45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him for a wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. — gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-pherah, from a family of high distinction.

46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. — Joseph was thirty years old; so that his life had been a life of suffering and imprisonment for about thirteen years.

47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. — such as the gatherers take up in their hands when reaped, in order to bind up in sheaves:

— now such was the fruitfulness of the land during the seven years of plenty, that either one stalk produced as many ears as a man could hold in his hand;

48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. — and laid up the food in the cities; in places built for that purpose, and whither the people round about could easily bring it, and fetch it, when it was wanted.

49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea — very much, until he left off numbering; for it was without number.

50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, bore unto him. — Ephraim signifies fruitfulness, and Manasseh, forgetfulness.

51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh [that is, Forgetting], “For God,” said he, “hath made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.”

52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim [that is, Fruitful], “For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

53 And the seven years of plenteousness, which were in the land of Egypt, were ended.

54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said; and the dearth was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

— but in all the land of Egypt there was bread; which was in the hands of everyone, and remained of their old stores in the years of plenty not yet exhausted, and which continued for some time after the dearth began.

55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, “Go unto Joseph. What he saith to you, do.” — and Pharaoh said to the Egyptians, go unto Joseph; whom he had appointed over this business of providing and laying up corn against this time, and of distributing it.

56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth; and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold unto the Egyptians. And the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. — and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt; there being no overflow of the Nile year after year, and nothing left of the old stock but what was in the storehouses.

57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy corn, because the famine was so sore in all lands. and all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; all the neighbouring nations (Syria, Arabia, Palestine, Canaan, Lebanon), when they heard there was corn there for money, came from all parts for Egypt and were glad to get it at such expense and trouble.

Genesis 42

1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, “Why do ye look one upon another?” — why look ye one upon another? as careless and helpless persons, each one expecting relief from the other; but none offering either counsel or help for the subsistence of all;

And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Go down thither and buy for us from thence, that we may live and not die.” — “Behold, I have heard there is grain in Egypt; or Mizraim, which is its old name; a posterity of Ham;

And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. — Joseph’s ten brethren obeyed their father’s orders, and immediately set out for Egypt;

But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren, for he said, “Lest perhaps mischief befall him.” — for Jacob said, lest peradventure mischief befall him; as had to Joseph his brother, as he imagined;

And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was who sold to all the people of the land; and Joseph’s brethren came and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

— Joseph’s brethren came and bowed down themselves before him; thus Joseph’s first dream was already fulfilled; their sheaves bowed to his sheaf. Joseph now was the governor, in the zenith of his power and influence.

Joseph’s brethren came and bowed down themselves before Joseph

And Joseph saw his brethren, and he recognized them, but made himself as a stranger unto them and spoke roughly unto them; and he said unto them, “From whence come ye?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” — Joseph spoke roughly unto them; he has been accused of harshness in his treatment of his brethren, partly, to bring their wickedness to remembrance;

And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. — they would not recognize him, as he used the Egyptian language, was clad in a white linen dress, and being but seventeen when sold, had during the twenty years of separation changed in appearance much more than they had.

And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said unto them, “Ye are spies! To see the nakedness of the land ye have come!” — after accusing “Ye are spies! Joseph should have them given six strokes of the rattan each before he proceeded with the proceeding;

10 And they said unto him, “Nay, my lord, but to buy food have thy servants come. — but to buy food are thy servants come; that and no other was the errand they came upon.

“Ye are spies! And you claim to be the sons of Abraham, and what shall the sons of Jacob do in the houses of harlots?

11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.” — we are all one man’s sons; therefore not likely to be spies;

12 And he said unto them, “Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye have come.” — to see the nakedness of the land ye are come; this he urged in order to get a further account from them of their family and the state of affairs, which he was surely anxious to know.

13 And they said, “Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” — they concluded with great probability that he was dead, because for twenty years together they had heard nothing, either of him or from him;

14 And Joseph said unto them, “That is it that I spoke unto you, saying, ‘Ye are spies!’ — “Ye are spies”” a strong accusion regarding strangers in all Eastern countries down to the present day.

15 Hereby ye shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, unless your youngest brother come hither. — by the life of Pharaoh; it was common in ancient times to swear by their Pharaohs; as afterwards the Romans used to swear by the name and life of their emperors.

16 Send one of you and let him fetch your brother; and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested, whether there be any truth in you; or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies!” — by the life of Pharaoh, surely ye are spies; intending to put them in prison, but afterwards modified his threat;

17 And he put them all together into custody three days. — again, Joseph should have given them six strokes of the rattan each before bringing them out from prison;

18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, “This do, and live, for I fear God: — how Joseph accused them of being spies isn’t explained here; but the Book of Jasher has more details: “why do you come through ten gates of the city? it can only be that you have come to spy through the land!”

Book of Jasher Chapter 51

1 And Jacob afterward heard that there was corn in Egypt, and he called unto his sons to go to Egypt to buy corn, for upon them also did the famine prevail, and he called unto his sons, saying,

2 Behold I hear that there is corn in Egypt, and all the people of the earth go there to purchase, now therefore why will you show yourselves satisfied before the whole earth? go you also down to Egypt and buy us a little corn amongst those that come there, that we may not die.

3 And the sons of Jacob hearkened to the voice of their father, and they rose up to go down to Egypt in order to buy corn amongst the rest that came there.

4 And Jacob their father commanded them, saying, When you come into the city do not enter together in one gate, on account of the inhabitants of the land.

5 And the sons of Jacob went forth and they went to Egypt, and the sons of Jacob did all as their father had commanded them, and Jacob did not send Benjamin, for he said, Lest an accident might befall him on the road like his brother; and ten of Jacob’s sons went forth.

6 And whilst the sons of Jacob were going on the road, they repented of what they had done to Joseph, and they spoke to each other, saying, We know that our brother Joseph went down to Egypt, and now we will seek him where we go, and if we find him we will take him from his master for a ransom, and if not, by force, and we will die for him.

7 And the sons of Jacob agreed to this thing and strengthened themselves on account of Joseph, to deliver him from the hand of his master, and the sons of Jacob went to Egypt; and when they came near to Egypt they separated from each other, and they came through ten gates of Egypt, and the gate keepers wrote their names on that day, and brought them to Joseph in the evening.

8 And Joseph read the names from the hand of the gate-keepers of the city, and he found that his brethren had entered at the ten gates of the city, and Joseph at that time commanded that it should be proclaimed throughout the land of Egypt, saying,

9 Go forth all ye store guards, close all the corn stores and let only one remain open, that those who come may purchase from it.

10 And all the officers of Joseph did so at that time, and they closed all the stores and left only one open.

11 And Joseph gave the written names of his brethren to him that was set over the open store, and he said unto him, Whosoever shall come to thee to buy corn, ask his name, and when men of these names shall come before thee, seize them and send them, and they did so.

12 And when the sons of Jacob came into the city, they joined together in the city to seek Joseph before they bought themselves corn.

13 And they went to the walls of the harlots, and they sought Joseph in the walls of the harlots for three days, for they thought that Joseph would come in the walls of the harlots, for Joseph was very comely and well favored, and the sons of Jacob sought Joseph for three days, and they could not find him.

14 And the man who was set over the open store sought for those names which Joseph had given him, and he did not find them.

15 And he sent to Joseph, saying, These three days have passed, and those men whose names thou didst give unto me have not come; and Joseph sent servants to seek the men in all Egypt, and to bring them before Joseph.

16 And Joseph’s servants went and came into Egypt and could not find them, and went to Goshen and they were not there, and then went to the city of Rameses and could not find them.

17 And Joseph continued to send sixteen servants to seek his brothers, and they went and spread themselves in the four corners of the city, and four of the servants went into the house of the harlots, and they found the ten men there seeking their brother.

18 And those four men took them and brought them before him, and they bowed down to him to the ground, and Joseph was sitting upon his throne in his temple, clothed with princely garments, and upon his head was a large crown of gold, and all the mighty men were sitting around him.

19 And the sons of Jacob saw Joseph, and his figure and comeliness and dignity of countenance seemed wonderful in their eyes, and they again bowed down to him to the ground.

20 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but they knew him not, for Joseph was very great in their eyes, therefore they knew him not.

21 And Joseph spoke to them, saying, From whence come ye? and they all answered and said, Thy servants have come from the land of Canaan to buy corn, for the famine prevails throughout the earth, and thy servants heard that there was corn in Egypt, so they have come amongst the other comers to buy corn for their support.

22 And Joseph answered them, saying, If you have come to purchase as you say, why do you come through ten gates of the city? it can only be that you have come to spy through the land.

23 And they all together answered Joseph, and said, Not so my lord, we are right, thy servants are not spies, but we have come to buy corn, for thy servants are all brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and our father commanded us, saying, When you come to the city do not enter together at one gate on account of the inhabitants of the land.

24 And Joseph again answered them and said, That is the thing which I spoke unto you, you have come to spy through the land, therefore you all came through ten gates of the city; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.

25 Surely every one that cometh to buy corn goeth his way, and you are already three days in the land, and what do you do in the walls of harlots in which you have been for these three days? surely spies do like unto these things.

26 And they said unto Joseph, Far be it from our lord to speak thus, for we are twelve brothers, the sons of our father Jacob, in the land of Canaan, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the Hebrew, and behold the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan, and one is not, for he was lost from us, and we thought perhaps he might be in this land, so we are seeking him throughout the land, and have come even to the houses of harlots to seek him there.

27 And Joseph said unto them, And have you then sought him throughout the earth, that there only remained Egypt for you to seek him in? And what also should your brother do in the houses of harlots, although he were in Egypt? have you not said, That you are from the sons of Isaac, the son of Abraham, and what shall the sons of Jacob do then in the houses of harlots?

28 And they said unto him, Because we heard that Ishmaelites stole him from us, and it was told unto us that they sold him in Egypt, and thy servant, our brother, is very comely and well favored, so we thought he would surely be in the houses of harlots, therefore thy servants went there to seek him and give ransom for him.

29 And Joseph still answered them, saying, Surely you speak falsely and utter lies, to say of yourselves that you are the sons of Abraham; as Pharaoh liveth you are spies, therefore have you come to the houses of harlots that you should not be known.

30 And Joseph said unto them, And now if you find him, and his master requireth of you a great price, will you give it for him? and they said, It shall be given.

31 And he said unto them, And if his master will not consent to part with him for a great price, what will you do unto him on his account? and they answered him, saying, If he will not give him unto us we will slay him, and take our brother and go away.

32 And Joseph said unto them, That is the thing which I have spoken to you; you are spies, for you are come to slay the inhabitants of the land, for we heard that two of your brethren smote all the inhabitants of Shechem, in the land of Canaan, on account of your sister, and you now come to do the like in Egypt on account of your brother.

33 Only hereby shall I know that you are true men; if you will send home one from amongst you to fetch your youngest brother from your father, and to bring him here unto me, and by doing this thing I will know that you are right.

34 And Joseph called to seventy of his mighty men, and he said unto them, Take these men and bring them into the ward.

35 And the mighty men took the ten men, they laid hold of them and put them into the ward, and they were in the ward three days.

36 And on the third day Joseph had them brought out of the ward, and he said unto them, Do this for yourselves if you be true men, so that you may live, one of your brethren shall be confined in the ward whilst you go and take home the corn for your household to the land of Canaan, and fetch your youngest brother, and bring him here unto me, that I may know that you are true men when you do this thing.

37 And Joseph went out from them and came into the chamber, and wept a great weeping, for his pity was excited for them, and he washed his face, and returned to them again, and he took Simeon from them and ordered him to be bound, but Simeon was not willing to be done so, for he was a very powerful man and they could not bind him.

38 And Joseph called unto his mighty men and seventy valiant men came before him with drawn swords in their hands, and the sons of Jacob were terrified at them.

39 And Joseph said unto them, Seize this man and confine him in prison until his brethren come to him, and Joseph’s valiant men hastened and they all laid hold of Simeon to bind him, and Simeon gave a loud and terrible shriek and the cry was heard at a distance.

40 And all the valiant men of Joseph were terrified at the sound of the shriek, that they fell upon their faces, and they were greatly afraid and fled.

41 And all the men that were with Joseph fled, for they were greatly afraid of their lives, and only Joseph and Manasseh his son remained there, and Manassah the son of Joseph saw the strength of Simeon, and he was exceedingly wroth.

42 And Manassah the son of Joseph rose up to Simeon, and Manassah smote Simeon a heavy blow with his fist against the back of his neck, and Simeon was stilled of his rage.

43 And Manassah laid hold of Simeon and he seized him violently and he bound him and brought him into the house of confinement, and all the sons of Jacob were astonished at the act of the youth.

44 And Simeon said unto his brethren, None of you must say that this is the smiting of an Egyptian, but it is the smiting of the house of my father.

45 And after this Joseph ordered him to be called who was set over the storehouse, to fill their sacks with corn as much as they could carry, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the road, and thus did he unto them.

46 And Joseph commanded them, saying, Take heed lest you transgress my orders to bring your brother as I have told you, and it shall be when you bring your brother hither unto me, then will I know that you are true men, and you shall traffic in the land, and I will restore unto you your brother, and you shall return in peace to your father.

47 And they all answered and said, According as our lord speaketh so will we do, and they bowed down to him to the ground.

Each of them should be given six strokes of the rattan

48 And every man lifted his corn upon his ass, and they went out to go to the land of Canaan to their father; and they came to the inn and Levi spread his sack to give provender to his ass, when he saw and behold his money in full weight was still in his sack.

49 And the man was greatly afraid, and he said unto his brethren, My money is restored, and lo, it is even in my sack, and the men were greatly afraid, and they said, What is this that God hath done unto us?

50 And they all said, And where is the Lord’s kindness with our fathers, with Abraham, Isaac, end Jacob, that the Lord has this day delivered us into the hands of the king of Egypt to contrive against us?

51 And Judah said unto them, Surely we are guilty sinners before the Lord our God in having sold our brother, our own flesh, and wherefore do you say, Where is the Lord’s kindness with our fathers?

52 And Reuben said unto them, Said I not unto you, do not sin against the lad, and you would not listen to me? now God requireth him from us, and how dare you say, Where is the Lord’s kindness with our fathers, whilst you have sinned unto the Lord?

53 And they tarried over night in that place, and they rose up early in the morning and laded their asses with their corn, and they led them and went on and came to their father’s house in the land of Canaan.

54 And Jacob and his household went out to meet his sons, and Jacob saw and behold their brother Simeon was not with them, and Jacob said unto his sons, Where is your brother Simeon, whom I do not see? and his sons told him all that had befallen them in Egypt. Book of Jasher Chapter 51

“Ye are spies! And you claim to be the sons of Abraham and Isaac, but what shall the sons of Jacob do in the houses of harlots?

19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the prison house. Go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses.

20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die.” And they did so.

21 And they said one to another, “We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we would not hear. Therefore has this distress come upon us.”

22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Spoke I not unto you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the child’; and ye would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood is required.”

23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them, for he spoke unto them by an interpreter.

24 And he turned himself away from them and wept; and returned to them again and communed with them, and took from them Simeon and bound him before their eyes.

25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way; and thus did he unto them.

26 And they laded their asses with the corn and departed thence.

27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender at the inn, he espied his money; for behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. — here “one of them” isn’t identified, but was Levi in the Book of Jasher 51:48

28 And he said unto his brethren, “My money is restored; and lo, it is even in my sack.” And their heart failed them and they were afraid, saying one to another, “What is this that God hath done unto us?”

29 And they came unto Jacob their father, unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell them, saying,

30 “The man who is the lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

31 And we said unto him, ‘We are true men; we are no spies.

32 We are twelve brethren, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, ‘Hereby shall I know that ye are true men: Leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone;

34 and bring your youngest brother unto me. Then shall I know that ye are not spies, but that ye are true men; so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.’”

35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

36 And Jacob their father said unto them, “Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and ye will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”

37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying, “Slay my two sons if I bring him not to thee. Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.”

38 And he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If mischief befall him by the way in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.”

Book of Jasher (7-8)

•September 13, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

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“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

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.

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 [eventually] 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.

Book of Jasher Chapter 8

1 And it was in the night that Abram was born, that all the servants of Terah, and all the wise men of Nimrod, and his conjurors came and ate and drank in the house of Terah, and they rejoiced with him on that night.

2 And when all the wise men and conjurors went out from the house of Terah, they lifted up their eyes toward heaven that night to look at the stars, and they saw, and behold one very large star came from the east and ran in the heavens, and he swallowed up the four stars from the four sides of the heavens.

3 And all the wise men of the king and his conjurors were astonished at the sight, and the sages understood this matter, and they knew its import.

4 And they said to each other, This only betokens the child that has been born to Terah this night, who will grow up and be fruitful, and multiply, and possess all the earth, he and his children for ever, and he and his seed will slay great kings, and inherit their lands.

5 And the wise men and conjurors went home that night, and in the morning all these wise men and conjurors rose up early, and assembled in an appointed house.

6 And they spoke and said to each other, Behold the sight that we saw last night is hidden from the king, it has not been made known to him.

7 And should this thing get known to the king in the latter days, he will say to us, Why have you concealed this matter from me, and then we shall all suffer death; therefore, now let us go and tell the king the sight which we saw, and the interpretation thereof, and we shall then remain clear.

8 And they did so, and they all went to the king and bowed down to him to the ground, and they said, May the king live, may the king live.

9 We heard that a son was born to Terah the son of Nahor, the prince of thy host, and we yesternight came to his house, and we ate and drank and rejoiced with him that night.

10 And when thy servants went out from the house of Terah, to go to our respective homes to abide there for the night, we lifted up our eyes to heaven, and we saw a great star coming from the east, and the same star ran with great speed, and swallowed up four great stars, from the four sides of the heavens.

11 And thy servants were astonished at the sight which we saw, and were greatly terrified, and we made our judgment upon the sight, and knew by our wisdom the proper interpretation thereof, that this thing applies to the child that is born to Terah, who will grow up and multiply greatly, and become powerful, and kill all the kings of the earth, and inherit all their lands, he and his seed forever.

12 And now our lord and king, behold we have truly acquainted thee with what we have seen concerning this child.

13 If it seemeth good to the king to give his father value for this child, we will slay him before he shall grow up and increase in the land, and his evil increase against us, that we and our children perish through his evil.

14 And the king heard their words and they seemed good in his sight, and he sent and called for Terah, and Terah came before the king.

15 And the king said to Terah, I have been told that a son was yesternight born to thee, and after this manner was observed in the heavens at his birth.

16 And now therefore give me the child, that we may slay him before his evil springs up against us, and I will give thee for his value, thy house full of silver and gold.

17 And Terah answered the king and said to him: My Lord and king, I have heard thy words, and thy servant shall do all that his king desireth.

18 But my lord and king, I will tell thee what happened to me yesternight, that I may see what advice the king will give his servant, and then I will answer the king upon what he has just spoken; and the king said, Speak.

19 And Terah said to the king, Ayon, son of Mored, came to me yesternight, saying,

20 Give unto me the great and beautiful horse that the king gave thee, and I will give thee silver and gold, and straw and provender for its value; and I said to him, Wait till I see the king concerning thy words, and behold whatever the king saith, that will I do.

21 And now my lord and king, behold I have made this thing known to thee, and the advice which my king will give unto his servant, that will I follow.

22 And the king heard the words of Terah, and his anger was kindled and he considered him in the light of a fool.

23 And the king answered Terah, and he said to him, Art thou so silly, ignorant, or deficient in understanding, to do this thing, to give thy beautiful horse for silver and gold or even for straw and provender?

24 Art thou so short of silver and gold, that thou shouldst do this thing, because thou canst not obtain straw and provender to feed thy horse? and what is silver and gold to thee, or straw and provender, that thou shouldst give away that fine horse which I gave thee, like which there is none to be had on the whole earth?

25 And the king left off speaking, and Terah answered the king, saying, Like unto this has the king spoken to his servant;

26 I beseech thee, my lord and king, what is this which thou didst say unto me, saying, Give thy son that we may slay him, and I will give thee silver and gold for his value; what shall I do with silver and gold after the death of my son? who shall inherit me? surely then at my death, the silver and gold will return to my king who gave it.

27 And when the king heard the words of Terah, and the parable which he brought concerning the king, it grieved him greatly and he was vexed at this thing, and his anger burned within him.

28 And Terah saw that the anger of the king was kindled against him, and he answered the king, saying, All that I have is in the king’s power; whatever the king desireth to do to his servant, that let him do, yea, even my son, he is in the king’s power, without value in exchange, he and his two brothers that are older than he.

29 And the king said to Terah, No, but I will purchase thy younger son for a price.

30 And Terah answered the king, saying, I beseech thee my lord and king to let thy servant speak a word before thee, and let the king hear the word of his servant, and Terah said, Let my king give me three days’ time till I consider this matter within myself, and consult with my family concerning the words of my king; and he pressed the king greatly to agree to this.

31 And the king hearkened to Terah, and he did so and he gave him three days’ time, and Terah went out from the king’s presence, and he came home to his family and spoke to them all the words of the king; and the people were greatly afraid.

32 And it was in the third day that the king sent to Terah, saying, Send me thy son for a price as I spoke to thee; and shouldst thou not do this, I will send and slay all thou hast in thy house, so that thou shalt not even have a dog remaining.

33 And Terah hastened, (as the thing was urgent from the king), and he took a child from one of his servants, which his handmaid had born to him that day, and Terah brought the child to the king and received value for him.

34 And the Lord was with Terah in this matter, that Nimrod might not cause Abram’s death, and the king took the child from Terah and with all his might dashed his head to the ground, for he thought it had been Abram; and this was concealed from him from that day, and it was forgotten by the king, as it was the will of Providence not to suffer Abram’s death.

35 And Terah took Abram his son secretly, together with his mother and nurse, and he concealed them in a cave, and he brought them their provisions monthly.

36 And the Lord was with Abram in the cave and he grew up, and Abram was in the cave ten years, and the king and his princes, soothsayers and sages, thought that the king had killed Abram.

Could Zechariah 5 indicate there would be a nuclear war?

•September 12, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Could the symbolism in Zechariah 5 indicate that there would be a nuclear war at this endtime?

Without the vowels, the consonents for these three words are the same, indicating they are from the same root, hence reading into this encryptic text from Zechariah 5, the message could have numerous possibilities.

And here below is one possibility

Zechariah 5

1 Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, a flying scroll. — after a time interval, Zechariah turned and lifted up his eyes and looked: behold a flying scroll, a metaphor for global judgement or destruction a book-scroll or parchment of great size or consisting of many large leaves fastened together;

— a parallel scene of a book-scroll of what Ezekiel saw, in Ezekiel 2, “and in it was written lamentations and mourning and woe,” a consequence of a judgement resulting in a global destruction;

And I saw, and behold, a hand stretched out to me, and behold, in it was a scroll of a book.
And he spread it out before me, and it was inscribed before and behind, and there was written upon it lamentations and murmuring and woe. Ezekiel 2:9-10

And he said unto me, “What seest thou?” And I answered, “I see a flying scroll. The length thereof is twenty cubits and the breadth thereof ten cubits.”

— and the angel said unto Zechariah, What seest thou? And Zechariah answered, I see a parchment loose or unrolled moving through the air; the length thereof is twenty cubits and the breadth thereof ten cubits, the dimensions approximately ten yards by five yards.

A flying scroll, a flying curse to engulf the face of the earth, one side decimating one who steals, the other side decimating one who swears.

3 Then said he unto me, “This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth; for every one who stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it, and every one who sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.

— without waiting for a question on the part of the prophet, the angel then said unto Zechariah, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth, as written on the scroll;

— the two sins of theft and false swearing; for whosoever that steal shall be cut off as on this side according to it, and anyone who swears, especially modern White House politicians, swearing before the Bible, a challenge before God; thus, those that had taken false oaths without upholding their integrities shall be cut off; that is, being destroyed or decimated according to their wickedness; sinners who refuse to repent, who persist in their wickedness, must be cut off and removed;

— the one being against the second, as two categories of curses; show that the curses of the law reaches all sorts of sins and wickedness; pretty much similar to what Ezekiel saw: “of written lamentations and mourning and woe.” The message of Ezekiel is primarily a warning to the house of Israel (mentions 169 times); to Ephraim, being the chief tribe.

For more, see ‘the US is the true ’empire of lies’ or, Who is Ephraim, a Chronic Liar?

4 ‘I will bring it forth,’ saith the Lord of hosts,‘ and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by My name. And it shall remain in the midst of his house and shall consume it, with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.’”

— the Lord will bring it forth, namely, the curse and the judgement with it, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name, swearing before the Bible, swearing before God, these two classes of sinners being named as most prominent of all unrepentant transgressors;

— and it shall remain in the midst of his house, lodging there, dwelling there permanently, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof, not leaving a vestige of it. These words are properly expressive of the curse and of the punishment of God upon these form of deliberate transgression; which would be like a consuming fire upon anyone and everyone who steal and swear falsely;

— Rashi: I have brought it forth: to walk to and fro in the land and to wreak vengeance upon the thieves and the swearers of falsehoods from now on; and it shall come into the house of the thief, etc;

— and a saying goes: “a man that swears much shall be full of iniquity, and the plague shall not depart from his house,” and “if a man swears in vain, he shall not be innocent or justified, for his house shall be full of calamities.”

5 Then the angel who talked with me went forth and said unto me, “Lift up now thine eyes and see what is this that goeth forth.”

— then the angel that talked with Zechariah, and said unto Zechariah, ‘Lift up now thine eyes and see what is this that goeth forth,’ appearing before his eyes, something that Zechariah should observe very closely.

6 And I said, “What is it?” And he said, “This is an ephah that goeth forth.” He said moreover, “This is their resemblance through all the earth.”

— ‘this is an ephah that goeth forth,’ the ephah being a dry measure corresponding roughly to our peck; the object in the vision was evidently a receptacle having the shape of an ephah, maybe it is a nuclear payload like “Little Boy” and the ephah was chosen because it was often called the measure of unrighteousness and of deceits;

— the angel said, ‘This is their resemblance through all the earth,’ literally, ‘this their eye in all the land,” that is, this is the object of their gaze, all eyes are centered upon it: “a nuclear explosion?”

7 And behold, there was lifted up a weighty piece of lead, and this is a woman who sitteth in the midst of the ephah. — first appearance of a woman, perhaps a church, one of wickedness, a declaying nation? Or a fire, the afterburner of a missile? the missile being covered by a layer of lead;

— and behold there was lifted up a talent of lead, a great round piece, weighing about a hundred pounds; and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah, the female personification of wickedness held within the ephah by the great weight;

— is God trying to convey to the people of the endtime, that there would be nuclear weapons carried by missiles caused by cheatings and false swearings that result in “great wickedness”?

The afterburner of a Russian Naval Hypersonic Missile

8 And he said, “This is wickedness.” And he cast it into the midst of the ephah, and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

— and the angel said, ‘This is wickedness,’ Israel being imbued with false doctrines, and godlessness personified. And the angel cast it into the midst of the ephah, thus preventing her escape; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof, this acting as a cover keeping her shut up within the measure.

9 Then I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings (for they had wings like the wings of a stork), and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.

— fascinated by a further wonderful thing that happened, then lifted Zechariah up his eyes and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings, aiding them in their movement forward as they carried the ephah;

— two women appear; perhaps two entities: church and state? Or two missiles? Or two nuclear explosions?

— for they had wings (missiles) like the wings of an eagle; and they lifted up the ephah (with nuclear payload) between the earth and the heaven, missiles carrying nuclear payloads or drones flying along quickly, between the earth and the first heaven.

10 Then said I to the angel who talked with me, “Whither do these bear the ephah?” — then asked Zechariah the angel who talked with him, “Where do these bear the ephah?”

11 And he said unto me, “To build it a house in the land of Shinar; and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.” — and the angel said unto Zechariah, ‘To build an house in the land of Shinar,’ that is, Babylon; typical from olden times as the land of rebellion against the Lord;

— in the province of Babylon, as the Targum confirms it; for Babel, physical or spiritual Babylon, was in the land of Shinar; Genesis 11:1-9; and it shall be established and set there upon her own base; representative of the ungodly world, a mystery of iniquity, Revelation 17:5; wickedness was to have its place; a place of wickedness;

— to-day, from a spiritual point of view, Washington DC and New York city could be considered the most perverted cities in the world, politically (one side of the scroll a warning for those who swears falsely under oath before the Bible upon taking office) and economically (the other side of the scroll meant for those who steals through Wall Street tradings: insider tradings and other cheatings, share manipulations and more);

— and perhaps this reference to Babylon or spiritual Babylon could be meant for these end-time godless cities; that is, either one, or both, of these modern Babylonian metropolises could be destined to be blown up by a nuclear conflagration; verse 3 above indicate both cities destroyed;

— and second, the United States is so far the only country that has used two nuclear weapons against another, perhaps this verse “as you have done, it shall be done to you;” of a prophetic boomerang effect could shed some light that could flared up not just the United States but would even engulf the whole world:

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15

— and then appear the four chariots of horses in the next chapter!

Zechariah 5: Could the symbolism in Zechariah 5 indicate that there would be nuclear war at the endtime?

ChatGPT: Is the Use of Nuclear Weapons Prophecised?

Ezekiel 4 (Septuagint: ChatGPT)

•September 12, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Septuagint version differs from the Masoretic Text and the Targum: the Septuagint has the additional 150 days in verse 4; and elsewhere, the 190 days in place of 390 days.

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20

Ezekiel 4 (Septuagint: translation and comments from ChatGPT)

1 ΚΑΙ σύ, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, λαβὲ σεαυτῷ πλίνθον καὶ θήσεις αὐτὴν πρὸ προσώπου σου καὶ διαγράψεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν πόλιν τὴν ῾Ιερουσαλήμ

Translation: “And you, son of man, take a brick and place it before yourself and engrave upon it the city of Jerusalem.”

Commentary: This verse is from the Book of Ezekiel in the Bible, specifically Ezekiel 4:1. In this prophetic vision, God instructs Ezekiel to take a brick and engrave the name of Jerusalem on it. This action is symbolic and serves several purposes:

  1. Symbolic Representation: The brick represents Jerusalem, and the act of engraving it signifies the city’s importance and centrality in the prophecy. This visual representation is meant to convey a message about the city’s fate.
  2. Prophetic Significance: By placing the brick before himself, Ezekiel is enacting a symbolic prophecy concerning Jerusalem. It is a way to communicate the message of divine judgment and impending disaster to the people.
  3. Visual Aid: The act serves as a tangible reminder of the prophecy and the conditions facing Jerusalem. It helps to make the abstract message more concrete and memorable for those receiving it.

Overall, this prophetic act is part of a broader narrative in which Ezekiel uses symbolic actions to convey God’s messages about the consequences of Jerusalem’s actions and its future.

2 καὶ δώσεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν περιοχὴν καὶ οἰκοδομήσεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν προμαχῶνας καὶ περιβαλεῖς ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν χάρακα καὶ δώσεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν παρεμβολὰς καὶ τάξεις τὰς βελοστάσεις κύκλῳ.

Translation: “And you shall place a siege works against it, and you shall build a siege wall against it, and you shall set up a mound against it, and you shall place camps against it, and you shall place battering rams against it all around.”

Commentary: This verse continues from Ezekiel 4:1, detailing specific actions Ezekiel is instructed to perform with the brick representing Jerusalem. These actions are symbolic representations of the siege that will come upon the city:

  1. Siege Works: The verse describes the construction of siege works, which include building a siege wall, placing a mound (or rampart), and setting up camps and battering rams. These are all elements used in ancient warfare to lay siege to a city.
  2. Symbolic Representation of Siege: By enacting these symbols, Ezekiel is illustrating the forthcoming siege and destruction of Jerusalem. The brick and the detailed construction are meant to represent the military actions that will besiege the city, emphasizing the severity of the forthcoming divine judgment.
  3. Prophetic Symbolism: Each element of the siege (wall, mound, camps, and battering rams) serves as a visual metaphor for the various aspects of the siege and destruction that Jerusalem will face. It is a vivid way to convey the seriousness of the prophecy and the certainty of its fulfillment.
  4. Divine Judgment: This act is a dramatic and impactful way to show the people of Jerusalem that their city will be surrounded, attacked, and ultimately destroyed due to their actions and disobedience. The detailed depiction serves to underline the inevitability of the divine judgment being foretold.

Overall, Ezekiel’s actions are intended to serve as a powerful visual representation of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, underscoring the gravity of the prophetic message.

3 καὶ σὺ λάβε σεαυτῷ τήγανον σιδηροῦν καὶ θήσεις αὐτὸ τοῖχον σιδηροῦν ἀνὰ μέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπ᾿ αὐτήν, καὶ ἔσται ἐν συγκλεισμῷ, καὶ συγκλείσεις αὐτήν· σημεῖόν ἐστι τοῦτο τοῖς υἱοῖς ᾿Ισραήλ. 

Translation: “And you, take for yourself a piece of ironware and set it as an iron wall between you and the city, and prepare your face against it, and it shall be in a state of siege, and you shall besiege it. This shall be a sign to the children of Israel.”

Commentary:

  1. Iron Wall: Ezekiel is instructed to take a piece of iron (likely a pan or similar object) and use it as a symbolic iron wall between himself and the city of Jerusalem. This act symbolizes the impenetrable barrier that will exist between Jerusalem and its deliverance, emphasizing the severity of the siege and the divine judgment.
  2. Symbolic Representation: By preparing his face against the iron wall, Ezekiel is demonstrating the divine judgment that will come against Jerusalem. The wall symbolizes the impenetrable nature of the siege and the separation between the people and their salvation.
  3. Sign to Israel: This act serves as a symbolic gesture to the people of Israel, making the prophecy tangible and visually impactful. It represents the certainty of the siege and the divine intention to bring about judgment upon the city.
  4. State of Siege: The instruction to place the iron wall and to be in a state of siege emphasizes the unrelenting nature of the forthcoming siege. It is a metaphor for the divine decision to cut off Jerusalem from any hope of escape or deliverance.

Overall, this act is meant to vividly demonstrate the divine judgment and the forthcoming siege of Jerusalem. By using tangible symbols, Ezekiel helps the people visualize the gravity of the situation and the inevitability of the divine decree.

4 Καὶ σὺ κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου τὸ ἀριστερὸν καὶ θήσεις τὰς ἀδικίας τοῦ οἴκου ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν, ἃς κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν.

Translation: “And you shall lie on your left side and set the iniquities of the house of Israel upon it, according to the number of the days, fifty and one hundred, upon which you shall lie upon it, and you shall bear their iniquities.”

Commentary:

  1. Lying on the Left Side: Ezekiel is instructed to lie on his left side as a symbolic act representing the bearing of the iniquities of the house of Israel. This act is both a physical and symbolic demonstration of the burdens that Israel will face due to their sins.
  2. Number of Days: The command specifies a period of 150 days (fifty plus one hundred). Each day represents a period of time in which Ezekiel will symbolically bear the sins of Israel. This could be interpreted as representing the cumulative guilt and judgment that will be imposed on the nation.
  3. Bearing Iniquities: By lying on his side for the specified period, Ezekiel is symbolically carrying the weight of Israel’s sins. This act emphasizes the severity of Israel’s transgressions and the corresponding divine judgment they are to face.
  4. Symbolic Act: This prophetic action is designed to make the consequences of Israel’s iniquities more tangible to them. The act serves as a visual representation of the spiritual and moral burden they bear and the forthcoming punishment.

Overall, this instruction further emphasizes the seriousness of Israel’s sins and the impending divine judgment. It uses Ezekiel’s physical actions to symbolize the spiritual reality of Israel’s situation, making the prophecy more vivid and impactful for the people.

5 καὶ ἐγὼ δέδωκά σοι τὰς δύο ἀδικίας αὐτῶν εἰς ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ἐνενήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ἡμέρας. καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας τοῦ οἴκου ᾿Ισραὴλ 

Translation: “And I have given you the two iniquities of them for a number of ninety and one hundred days. And you shall bear the iniquities of the house of Israel.”

Commentary:

  1. Two Iniquities: This verse indicates that Ezekiel will bear “two iniquities,” which might refer to the major sins or transgressions committed by the house of Israel. The specific nature of these “two iniquities” is not detailed in this verse but is a part of the symbolic act.
  2. Ninety and One Hundred Days: The period of 190 days (ninety plus one hundred) is significant. This extended period underscores the gravity and the extensive nature of the sins being symbolically represented. It suggests a prolonged period of suffering or judgment proportional to the sins.
  3. Bearing Iniquities: Ezekiel’s symbolic act of lying on his side for this extended period is meant to bear the burden of Israel’s iniquities. It reinforces the concept that the prophet is taking on the symbolic role of suffering for the nation’s sins, illustrating the weight of their wrongdoing and the severity of the consequences they face.
  4. Symbolism of Time: The use of specific time frames in prophetic actions is common in biblical texts. It conveys the idea that the consequences of sin and divine judgment are not immediate but will unfold over a defined period.

In summary, this passage continues the symbolic act of Ezekiel bearing the sins of Israel, emphasizing the seriousness of their iniquities and the length of time during which this symbolic burden will be carried. The specific numbers serve to underline the extensive nature of Israel’s transgressions and the protracted period of judgment they face.

6 καὶ συντελέσεις ταῦτα πάντα· καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου τὸ δεξιὸν καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας τοῦ οἴκου ᾿Ιούδα τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας. ἡμέραν εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν τέθεικά σοι.

Translation: “And you shall complete all these things. And you shall lie on your right side and bear the iniquities of the house of Judah forty days. A day for each year have I appointed for you.”

Commentary:

  1. Completion of the Symbolic Acts: This verse continues the instructions given to Ezekiel, indicating that he will complete the symbolic acts he has been performing. The completion signifies the end of a period of symbolic representation of the nation’s sins.
  2. Lying on the Right Side: The change from lying on the left side to the right side signifies a transition in the symbolic act. The right side is often associated with favor or blessing in biblical symbolism, which may indicate a shift in focus from the iniquities of Israel to those of Judah.
  3. Bearing the Iniquities of Judah: Ezekiel is now instructed to bear the iniquities of the house of Judah specifically, separate from those of Israel. This reflects the idea that Judah, while related, is being judged for its own distinct set of sins.
  4. Forty Days: The period of forty days represents a time of judgment or testing, which is a common symbolic duration in biblical texts. It contrasts with the one hundred ninety days previously assigned for Israel, emphasizing a different or lesser duration for Judah’s sins.
  5. Day for Each Year: The principle of “a day for each year” is a common prophetic symbolism where each day represents a year of actual time. This means that Ezekiel’s forty days correspond to forty years of judgment or consequences for the house of Judah.
  6. Symbolic Judgment: The use of symbolic acts and specific time frames in Ezekiel serves to convey the seriousness and extent of divine judgment against the nations. It emphasizes that the consequences of sin are not arbitrary but are proportional to the sins committed.

In summary, this passage details the final part of Ezekiel’s symbolic actions, focusing on Judah and using a forty-day period to represent forty years of iniquity. The use of symbolic time frames underscores the prophetic message about the consequences of sin and divine judgment.

7 καὶ εἰς τὸν συγκλεισμὸν ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου καὶ τὸν βραχίονά σου στερεώσεις καὶ προφητεύσεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτήν. 

Translation: “And you shall prepare your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and you shall strengthen your arm, and prophesy against it.”

Commentary:

  1. Preparing the Face Toward the Siege: This instruction directs Ezekiel to face towards Jerusalem, symbolizing his role in focusing on and confronting the impending siege. It emphasizes the importance of his prophetic message and the seriousness of the judgment that is about to fall upon Jerusalem.
  2. Strengthening the Arm: This could symbolize the act of fortifying oneself or preparing to take a strong stand against the city. It might also indicate the need for strength and resilience in delivering the message of prophecy, as well as in the face of the forthcoming judgment.
  3. Prophesying Against Jerusalem: Ezekiel is tasked with delivering a prophetic message that condemns Jerusalem. This continues the theme of prophetic judgment against the city, emphasizing that the consequences of its actions are being communicated clearly and authoritatively.
  4. Symbolic Representation of Siege: The act of preparing his face and arm towards the city symbolizes Ezekiel’s active engagement in the prophetic role. It serves as a representation of the siege that Jerusalem will experience, reinforcing the gravity of the situation and the certainty of its occurrence.
  5. Prophetic Responsibility: This instruction highlights the responsibility of the prophet to actively communicate and address the judgment that is about to come. It underscores the role of prophecy not just as a passive revelation but as an active declaration of divine will.

In summary, this verse focuses on the act of Ezekiel preparing himself to prophesy against Jerusalem, symbolically aligning himself with the impending siege and emphasizing his role in delivering the message of judgment. The preparation and strengthening indicate the seriousness and urgency of his prophetic task.

8 καὶ ἐγὼ ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ἐπὶ σὲ δεσμούς, καὶ μὴ στραφῇς ἀπὸ τοῦ πλευροῦ σου ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου, ἕως οὗ συντελεσθῶσιν ἡμέραι τοῦ συγκλεισμοῦ σου.

Translation: “And behold, I have placed chains upon you, and you shall not turn from your side to the other side, until the days of your siege are completed.”

Commentary:

  1. Chains Upon You: This symbolizes the physical and symbolic restraints placed upon Ezekiel, illustrating the seriousness and constraint of the prophetic message he must deliver. It represents the limitation and burden of his role, as well as the confinement of the people’s situation being prophesied.
  2. Not Turning From Your Side: Ezekiel is instructed to remain in a fixed position, which can be seen as a metaphor for steadfastness and unwavering focus on the prophecy and its message. This permanence signifies the unchanging nature of the prophecy and the inevitable reality of the siege.
  3. Completion of the Siege: The duration of Ezekiel’s confinement corresponds with the length of the siege he is prophesying about. It emphasizes the connection between the prophet’s experience and the events he is foretelling. Until the siege is fulfilled, Ezekiel must maintain his position, reflecting the ongoing nature of the divine judgment.
  4. Symbolic Representation: The physical act of remaining in one position and being bound by chains symbolizes the prophet’s dedication and the inescapable nature of the message he must deliver. It conveys the gravity of the judgment and the necessity for the people to understand the seriousness of their situation.

In summary, this verse illustrates the extent of Ezekiel’s prophetic mission, emphasizing his unchanging position and the physical constraints imposed on him as symbols of the impending siege and the unalterable nature of the divine message.

9  Καὶ σὺ λάβε σεαυτῷ πυροὺς καὶ κριθὰς καὶ κύαμον καὶ φακὸν καὶ κέγχρον καὶ ὄλυραν καὶ ἐμβαλεῖς αὐτὰ εἰς ἄγγος ἓν ὀστράκινον καὶ ποιήσεις αὐτὰ σεαυτῷ εἰς ἄρτους, καὶ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν, ἃς σὺ καθεύδεις ἐπὶ τοῦ πλευροῦ σου, ἐνενήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ἡμέρας φάγεσαι αὐτά.

Translation: “And you shall take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, and you shall put them into one vessel of clay and make them into bread for yourself. According to the number of the days that you lie on your side, ninety and one hundred days you shall eat it.”

Commentary:

  1. Ingredients for Bread: The specified ingredients—wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt—are basic staples and represent a form of simple sustenance. The use of these ingredients underscores the scarcity and hardship during the siege, as Ezekiel is commanded to prepare his food from these basic, less refined elements.
  2. One Vessel of Clay: The use of a clay vessel emphasizes the humble and makeshift nature of the preparation. Clay is a common material, often associated with everyday use and simplicity.
  3. Bread Preparation: Making bread from these mixed grains signifies endurance and survival under duress. The act of baking bread with these ingredients symbolizes the sustenance needed during the time of hardship and siege.
  4. Number of Days: The command to eat this bread for ninety and one hundred days corresponds to the number of days Ezekiel was to lie on his side, reflecting the extended period of the siege and the prolonged nature of the suffering that is being prophesied.
  5. Symbolic Act: This act serves as a physical manifestation of the coming hardship and scarcity that the people will face during the siege. It is a dramatic representation meant to convey the severity of the situation and to prepare the people for the difficult times ahead.

In summary, Ezekiel’s preparation of bread with basic ingredients and the duration for which he must eat it serve to symbolize the impending deprivation and suffering that will be experienced during the siege. It is a vivid and tangible sign intended to communicate the reality of the prophesied judgment and to impress upon the people the severity of their situation.

10 καὶ τὸ βρῶμά σου, ὃ φάγεσαι, ἐν σταθμῷ εἴκοσι σίκλους τὴν ἡμέραν· ἀπὸ καιροῦ ἕως καιροῦ φάγεσαι αὐτά.

Translation: “And your food, which you shall eat, shall be in a measure of twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it.”

Commentary:

  1. Daily Ration: The specific measure of twenty shekels per day for food indicates a strict rationing of provisions. This reflects the scarcity and the controlled distribution of resources during the siege. The use of a weight measurement (shekels) underlines the precise and limited nature of the food supply.
  2. Controlled Intake: The phrase “from time to time” suggests that Ezekiel is to eat this rationed amount intermittently, further emphasizing the hardship and the limited availability of food. This intermittent consumption highlights the severity of the famine and siege conditions.
  3. Symbolic Representation: This regulation of daily food intake serves to underscore the reality of deprivation and scarcity that the people will face. By living under these conditions, Ezekiel is dramatizing the suffering that the Israelites will endure due to the siege.

In summary, the prescription of a specific measure of food per day and the command to eat it intermittently are meant to symbolize the extreme rationing and deprivation that will occur during the siege, reinforcing the message of judgment and hardship.

11 καὶ ὕδωρ ἐν μέτρῳ πίεσαι τὸ ἕκτον τοῦ εἴν· ἀπὸ καιροῦ ἕως καιροῦ πίεσαι.

Translation: “And you shall drink water by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from time to time you shall drink it.”

Commentary:

  1. Water Rationing: The instruction to drink water by measure, specifically the sixth part of a hin, illustrates the precise control and limitation of resources. A hin is a unit of liquid measure, and the sixth part indicates a very small quantity, reflecting the severe scarcity of water during the siege.
  2. Intermittent Consumption: The phrase “from time to time” again emphasizes the irregularity in the availability of water, mirroring the irregularities and hardships faced by the besieged. This highlights the challenging conditions that the people will experience.
  3. Symbolic Significance: Just as with the food, the measured and intermittent nature of the water consumption symbolizes the broader deprivation and the dire circumstances resulting from the siege. It represents the suffering and the constraints imposed on the people.

Overall, this command reinforces the theme of scarcity and suffering by illustrating the restricted availability of both food and water during the siege, underlining the harsh conditions that the Israelites will endure as part of the prophetic message.

12 καὶ ἐγκρυφίαν κρίθινον φάγεσαι αὐτά· ἐν βολβίτοις κόπρου ἀνθρωπίνης ἐγκρύψεις αὐτὰ κατ᾿ ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν 

Translation: “And you shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it with human dung in their sight.”

Commentary:

  1. Barley Cakes: The use of barley cakes as a staple food highlights the poverty and dire conditions of the people. Barley was a lower-grade grain compared to wheat and was often associated with hardship and scarcity.
  2. Human Dung: The instruction to bake the cakes with human dung is a profound symbol of defilement and degradation. This act represents the extreme impurity and the depth of the suffering that the people will experience.
  3. Public Display: The fact that Ezekiel is to perform this act “in their sight” emphasizes the public nature of the suffering and humiliation. It is not just a personal suffering but one that is meant to be witnessed and serve as a visible sign of the dire consequences of the people’s actions.
  4. Prophetic Sign: This act serves as a prophetic symbol of the defilement and humiliation that will accompany the siege of Jerusalem. It graphically illustrates the consequences of disobedience and the resulting judgment.

In summary, the command to bake barley cakes with human dung is a dramatic and powerful symbol meant to convey the extreme distress and defilement that will befall the people of Jerusalem as a result of their actions. It underscores the severity of the impending judgment and serves as a stark visual aid to the prophecy.

13 καὶ ἐρεῖς· τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ· οὕτως φάγονται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀκάθαρτα ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. 

Translation: “And you shall say: Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘So shall the children of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations.’”

Commentary:

  1. Prophetic Message: This statement reinforces the symbolism of Ezekiel’s actions. By eating bread in such a defiled manner, Ezekiel is illustrating the future condition of the Israelites. The bread, which is a basic staple, becomes a symbol of the Israelites’ impurity and degradation.
  2. Unclean Among the Nations: The phrase “unclean among the nations” signifies that the Israelites will experience their bread—i.e., their sustenance and way of life—in a state of impurity and dishonor while they are scattered among the Gentile nations. This represents their loss of dignity and the harsh consequences of their disobedience.
  3. Spiritual Implication: This act and statement are meant to show the spiritual and moral state of the people. The unclean eating practices highlight their estrangement from God and the resulting punishment of living among the nations in disgrace.
  4. Historical Context: This prophecy reflects the historical context of the Babylonian exile. The Israelites’ disobedience and sin lead to their downfall and exile, symbolized here by their unclean consumption of bread among foreign nations.

In summary, this prophecy emphasizes the profound consequences of the Israelites’ actions—living in defilement and disgrace among other nations, as a direct result of their disobedience to God.

14 καὶ εἶπα· μηδαμῶς, Κύριε Θεὲ τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ· ἰδοὺ ἡ ψυχή μου οὺ μεμίανται ἐν ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, καὶ θνησιμαῖον καὶ θηριάλωτον οὐ βέβρωκα ἀπὸ γενέσεώς μου ἕως τοῦ νῦν, οὐδὲ εἰσελήλυθεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου πᾶν κρέας ἕωλον. 

Translation: “And I said: ‘Not so, Lord God of Israel; behold, my soul has not been defiled by any unclean thing, and from my youth until now, I have not eaten anything that dies of itself or is torn by beasts, nor has any unclean meat entered my mouth.’”

Commentary:

  1. Objection by Ezekiel: Ezekiel’s response shows his concern about violating his personal and religious purity. As a prophet committed to adhering strictly to the laws and customs, he is expressing his objection to the command, citing his longstanding adherence to dietary laws and purity.
  2. Personal Purity: Ezekiel emphasizes his personal dedication to ritual purity by mentioning that he has avoided eating anything that is ceremonially unclean or considered impure by Jewish dietary laws. This reflects his devoutness and adherence to religious rules.
  3. Divine Instruction vs. Personal Convictions: Ezekiel’s objection highlights the tension between divine commands and personal convictions. Although he is commanded to perform a symbolic act that involves eating defiled food, he is reluctant to do so because it conflicts with his principles and past practices.
  4. Symbolic Act: The divine command for Ezekiel to eat unclean food is symbolic, representing the spiritual and moral state of Israel. However, Ezekiel’s concern illustrates the gravity of this symbolic act, showing how deeply entrenched and respected the laws of ritual purity are in the life of a devout Israelite.
  5. Religious Context: This passage underscores the struggle between the prophet’s personal piety and the need to convey a prophetic message. The act of eating defiled food serves as a powerful symbol of the Israelites’ future state, but it challenges Ezekiel’s commitment to maintaining his own purity.

In summary, Ezekiel’s response highlights his deep commitment to ritual purity and his internal conflict with the prophetic symbolic act commanded by God. This underscores the significant personal and religious implications of the divine instruction he is given.

15 καὶ εἶπε πρός με· ἰδοὺ δέδωκά σοι βόλβιτα βοῶν ἀντὶ τῶν βολβίτων τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, καὶ ποιήσεις τοὺς ἄρτους σου ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν.

Translation: “And He said to me: ‘Behold, I have given you ox dung instead of human dung, and you shall make your bread upon it.’”

Commentary:

  1. Substitution of Dung: In response to Ezekiel’s objection about using human dung, God provides an alternative—ox dung. This change still involves using a form of animal dung, which is not inherently clean but is less severe compared to human dung. This demonstrates a compromise while still maintaining the symbolic nature of the command.
  2. Symbolism of the Act: The use of dung (whether human or animal) to bake bread symbolizes the defilement and impurity that will affect the people of Israel. Even though the use of ox dung is a concession, it still serves the purpose of illustrating the profound degradation and suffering the Israelites will endure.
  3. Adherence to Prophetic Symbolism: The replacement of human dung with ox dung shows sensitivity to Ezekiel’s concerns while preserving the message’s potency. It reflects God’s understanding of the prophet’s constraints and ensures the symbolic act remains impactful.
  4. Religious and Social Implications: The act of baking bread on dung underscores the dire and humiliating conditions that the Israelites will face, serving as a metaphor for their future suffering and spiritual decline. It highlights the severity of their situation through a deeply symbolic and provocative act.
  5. Compromise in Prophetic Tasks: This exchange illustrates a form of divine accommodation. God recognizes Ezekiel’s personal objections and provides an alternative that still fulfills the symbolic purpose of the act, showing a balance between prophetic instruction and personal piety.

Overall, the passage reflects the tension between divine commands and human concerns, with a concession made to accommodate the prophet’s sensitivities while still conveying a powerful symbolic message about the Israelites’ fate.

16 καὶ εἶπε πρός με· υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ συντρίβω στήριγμα ἄρτου ἐν ῾Ιερουσαλήμ, καὶ φάγονται ἄρτον ἐν σταθμῷ καὶ ἐν ἐνδείᾳ καὶ ὕδωρ ἐν μέτρῳ καὶ ἐν ἀφανισμῷ πίονται,

Translation: “And He said to me: ‘Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by weight and in scarcity, and they will drink water by measure and in dismay.’”

Commentary:

  1. Breaking the Staff of Bread: The “staff of bread” is a metaphor for sustenance and support. By breaking it, God is symbolizing a severe shortage of food and resources in Jerusalem. This act represents a dramatic decline in the city’s ability to provide for its inhabitants, reflecting a time of great distress and deprivation.
  2. Bread and Water by Measure: The scarcity of bread and water emphasizes the extreme conditions that the people will face. The use of measures highlights the precise and limited nature of their resources, indicating that even basic necessities will be rationed strictly.
  3. Eating and Drinking in Scarcity: The description of eating and drinking in such conditions underscores the gravity of the coming hardships. The scarcity will not only be physical but also emotional and psychological, leading to “dismay” or “terror” among the people.
  4. Prophetic Symbolism: This prophecy serves as a vivid representation of the consequences of the people’s disobedience and sin. The rationing of food and water symbolizes the broader implications of their failure to heed God’s warnings, including the potential collapse of their social and economic structures.
  5. Preparation for Siege: This passage can be seen as foreshadowing the siege of Jerusalem, where food and water would become scarce due to the siege’s conditions. The prophecy reflects the real-life experiences of famine and suffering that would accompany such a siege.

Overall, this passage vividly portrays the impending crisis and serves as a dire warning to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. It emphasizes the severity of their situation and the consequences of their actions, both in terms of physical deprivation and emotional distress.

17 ὅπως ἐνδεεῖς γένωνται ἄρτου καὶ ὕδατος· καὶ ἀφανισθήσεται ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τακήσονται ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὐτῶν.

Translation: “That they may become destitute of bread and water; and man and his brother will be consumed away, and they will waste away in their iniquities.”

Commentary:

  1. Destitution of Bread and Water: The prophecy emphasizes the extreme lack of basic necessities, highlighting how severe the famine will be. This scarcity will lead to desperate conditions where even the most basic needs are unmet.
  2. Consumption of Man and His Brother: The phrase “man and his brother” indicates that the suffering will be widespread, affecting families and communities. The term “consumed away” suggests not just physical decline but also the breakdown of social structures and relationships due to the intense hardship.
  3. Wasting Away in Iniquities: The phrase “waste away in their iniquities” implies that the suffering is not only a consequence of material deprivation but also of moral and spiritual failure. The hardships they face are a result of their actions and behavior, reflecting the idea that their iniquities are contributing to their downfall.
  4. Overall Picture: This verse paints a bleak picture of the consequences of the people’s actions. It underscores the totality of the disaster, where physical deprivation leads to moral and social disintegration. The suffering described here serves as both a direct consequence of their disobedience and a manifestation of the divine judgment upon them.
  5. Prophetic Warning: As a prophetic message, this passage serves as a stark warning about the results of failing to adhere to divine commands and righteousness. The consequences are portrayed as not only physical and social but also deeply spiritual, reinforcing the idea that iniquity leads to comprehensive ruin.

~~~~~

And now from Copilot

Although the gist of the translation and the comments of the mood of the atmosphere is pretty good, Copilot translation and comments tend to be influenced by the Masoretic Text, especially with the numbers of days in the Septuagint version; hence it is not as accurate as ChatGPT. Hopefully they’ll improve over time.

Septuagint 4

1 ΚΑΙ σύ, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, λαβὲ σεαυτῷ πλίνθον καὶ θήσεις αὐτὴν πρὸ προσώπου σου καὶ διαγράψεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν πόλιν τὴν ῾Ιερουσαλήμ.

Translation: “And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem.”

Explanation: This is from Ezekiel 4:1. It describes the beginning of a series of symbolic actions that God commands Ezekiel to perform, representing the siege and judgment of Jerusalem.

2 καὶ δώσεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν περιοχὴν καὶ οἰκοδομήσεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν προμαχῶνας καὶ περιβαλεῖς ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν χάρακα καὶ δώσεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν παρεμβολὰς καὶ τάξεις τὰς βελοστάσεις κύκλῳ.

Translation: “And lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and raise a mound against it; set camps also against it, and place battering rams against it all around.”

Explanation: This is from Ezekiel 4:2. It continues the instructions given to Ezekiel to create a detailed model of the siege of Jerusalem. This symbolic act is meant to visually represent the coming destruction and the severity of the siege that Jerusalem will face due to the people’s disobedience.

3 καὶ σὺ λάβε σεαυτῷ τήγανον σιδηροῦν καὶ θήσεις αὐτὸ τοῖχον σιδηροῦν ἀνὰ μέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπ᾿ αὐτήν, καὶ ἔσται ἐν συγκλεισμῷ, καὶ συγκλείσεις αὐτήν· σημεῖόν ἐστι τοῦτο τοῖς υἱοῖς ᾿Ισραήλ.

Translation: “And you, take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city; set your face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.”

Explanation: This is from Ezekiel 4:3. The iron plate represents a barrier between Ezekiel (symbolizing God) and Jerusalem, indicating the severity and inevitability of the coming siege. Ezekiel’s actions serve as a powerful visual prophecy to the people of Israel, emphasizing the consequences of their disobedience.

4 Καὶ σὺ κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου τὸ ἀριστερὸν καὶ θήσεις τὰς ἀδικίας τοῦ οἴκου ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν, ἃς κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν.

Translation: “And you shall lie on your left side, and place the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity, one hundred and fifty days.”

Explanation: In this verse, God instructs Ezekiel to lie on his left side for 150 days, symbolizing the years of Israel’s iniquity. Each day represents a year of their sin. This symbolic act is part of Ezekiel’s prophetic message, illustrating the judgment and consequences that will come upon Israel due to their disobedience.

5 καὶ ἐγὼ δέδωκά σοι τὰς δύο ἀδικίας αὐτῶν εἰς ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ἐνενήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ἡμέρας. καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας τοῦ οἴκου ᾿Ισραὴλ 

Translation: “And I have assigned you the years of their iniquity according to the number of days, one hundred and ninety days; and you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.”

Explanation: In this verse, God tells Ezekiel that he will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel for 190 days, symbolizing the years of their sin. Each day represents a year of their iniquity. This symbolic act is part of Ezekiel’s prophetic message, illustrating the judgment and consequences that will come upon Israel due to their disobedience.

6 καὶ συντελέσεις ταῦτα πάντα· καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου τὸ δεξιὸν καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας τοῦ οἴκου ᾿Ιούδα τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας. ἡμέραν εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν τέθεικά σοι.

Translation: “And when you have completed these, you shall lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah for forty days. I have assigned you a day for each year.”

Explanation: In this verse, God instructs Ezekiel to lie on his right side for forty days, symbolizing the forty years of Judah’s iniquity. Each day represents a year of their sin. This symbolic act is part of Ezekiel’s prophetic message, illustrating the judgment and consequences that will come upon Judah due to their disobedience.

7 καὶ εἰς τὸν συγκλεισμὸν ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου καὶ τὸν βραχίονά σου στερεώσεις καὶ προφητεύσεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτήν. 

Translation: “And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and with your arm bared, you shall prophesy against it.”

Explanation: In this verse, God instructs the prophet Ezekiel to symbolically act out the siege of Jerusalem. By setting his face toward the city and baring his arm, Ezekiel demonstrates the impending judgment and destruction that will come upon Jerusalem due to its people’s sins.

8 καὶ ἐγὼ ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ἐπὶ σὲ δεσμούς, καὶ μὴ στραφῇς ἀπὸ τοῦ πλευροῦ σου ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου, ἕως οὗ συντελεσθῶσιν ἡμέραι τοῦ συγκλεισμοῦ σου.

Translation: “And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, until you have completed the days of your siege.”

Explanation: In this verse, God tells Ezekiel that he will be bound with cords, symbolizing the binding of Jerusalem during its siege. Ezekiel’s inability to turn from one side to the other represents the inescapable judgment and the prolonged suffering that Jerusalem will endure.

9 Καὶ σὺ λάβε σεαυτῷ πυροὺς καὶ κριθὰς καὶ κύαμον καὶ φακὸν καὶ κέγχρον καὶ ὄλυραν καὶ ἐμβαλεῖς αὐτὰ εἰς ἄγγος ἓν ὀστράκινον καὶ ποιήσεις αὐτὰ σεαυτῷ εἰς ἄρτους, καὶ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν, ἃς σὺ καθεύδεις ἐπὶ τοῦ πλευροῦ σου, ἐνενήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ἡμέρας φάγεσαι αὐτά.

Translation: “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt, and put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. You shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side, three [one] hundred and ninety days.”

Explanation: In this verse, God instructs Ezekiel to prepare a specific mixture of grains and legumes to make bread. This bread is to be his food during the symbolic act of lying on his side for 390 [190] days, representing the years of Israel’s sin. The unusual ingredients and the method of preparation symbolize the harsh conditions and scarcity that will come upon the people during the siege.

10 καὶ τὸ βρῶμά σου, ὃ φάγεσαι, ἐν σταθμῷ εἴκοσι σίκλους τὴν ἡμέραν· ἀπὸ καιροῦ ἕως καιροῦ φάγεσαι αὐτά. 

Translation: “And your food that you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it.”

Explanation: In this verse, God instructs Ezekiel to measure his food carefully, symbolizing the scarcity and rationing that will occur during the siege of Jerusalem. The limited amount of food (twenty shekels a day) represents the dire conditions and the need for strict rationing during the period of judgment.

11 καὶ ὕδωρ ἐν μέτρῳ πίεσαι τὸ ἕκτον τοῦ εἴν· ἀπὸ καιροῦ ἕως καιροῦ πίεσαι.

Translation: “And you shall drink water by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from time to time you shall drink.”

Explanation: In this verse, God instructs Ezekiel to drink water in measured amounts, specifically one-sixth of a hin (approximately 0.6 liters or 20 ounces) at a time. This symbolizes the severe rationing and scarcity of resources that will occur during the siege of Jerusalem. The careful measurement of water, like the rationing of food, underscores the harsh conditions and the need for strict control over limited supplies.

12 καὶ ἐγκρυφίαν κρίθινον φάγεσαι αὐτά· ἐν βολβίτοις κόπρου ἀνθρωπίνης ἐγκρύψεις αὐτὰ κατ᾿ ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν 

Translation: “And you shall eat it as barley cakes, baking it in their sight on human dung.”

Explanation: In this verse, God instructs Ezekiel to bake his bread using human dung as fuel. This shocking command is meant to symbolize the extreme defilement and unclean conditions that the people of Jerusalem will experience during the siege. It serves as a vivid and disturbing illustration of the consequences of their disobedience and the severity of the coming judgment.

13 καὶ ἐρεῖς· τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ· οὕτως φάγονται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀκάθαρτα ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι.

Translation: “And you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Thus shall the children of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations.’”

Explanation: In this verse, God declares that the Israelites will eat their food in an unclean manner among the nations. This prophecy symbolizes the defilement and hardship they will face in exile due to their disobedience. The unclean food represents the loss of purity and the severe conditions they will endure away from their homeland.

14 καὶ εἶπα· μηδαμῶς, Κύριε Θεὲ τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ· ἰδοὺ ἡ ψυχή μου οὺ μεμίανται ἐν ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, καὶ θνησιμαῖον καὶ θηριάλωτον οὐ βέβρωκα ἀπὸ γενέσεώς μου ἕως τοῦ νῦν, οὐδὲ εἰσελήλυθεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου πᾶν κρέας ἕωλον.

Translation: “Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God of Israel! Behold, my soul has not been defiled by uncleanness, and I have not eaten anything that died of itself or was torn by beasts from my youth until now, nor has any unclean meat entered my mouth.’”

Explanation: In this verse, Ezekiel responds to God’s command with a plea, expressing his concern about defiling himself. He emphasizes his adherence to dietary laws, stating that he has never eaten anything unclean or impure. This highlights Ezekiel’s commitment to maintaining ritual purity and his distress at the thought of violating these laws.

15 καὶ εἶπε πρός με· ἰδοὺ δέδωκά σοι βόλβιτα βοῶν ἀντὶ τῶν βολβίτων τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, καὶ ποιήσεις τοὺς ἄρτους σου ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν. 

Translation: “And He said to me, ‘See, I have given you cow dung instead of human dung, and you shall prepare your bread on it.’”

Explanation: In this verse, God responds to Ezekiel’s plea by allowing him to use cow dung instead of human dung to bake his bread. This concession shows God’s understanding of Ezekiel’s concerns about ritual purity while still maintaining the symbolic act of illustrating the dire conditions that will come upon Jerusalem.

16 καὶ εἶπε πρός με· υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ συντρίβω στήριγμα ἄρτου ἐν ῾Ιερουσαλήμ, καὶ φάγονται ἄρτον ἐν σταθμῷ καὶ ἐν ἐνδείᾳ καὶ ὕδωρ ἐν μέτρῳ καὶ ἐν ἀφανισμῷ πίονται,

Translation: “And He said to me, ‘Son of man, behold, I am about to break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay.’”

Explanation: In this verse, God tells Ezekiel that He will cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will have to eat bread in measured amounts and drink water in rationed quantities, symbolizing the severe scarcity and anxiety they will face during the siege. This prophecy underscores the dire consequences of their disobedience and the harsh conditions they will endure.

17 ὅπως ἐνδεεῖς γένωνται ἄρτου καὶ ὕδατος· καὶ ἀφανισθήσεται ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τακήσονται ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὐτῶν.

Translation: “So that they may lack bread and water; they will be appalled at one another and waste away in their iniquity.”

Explanation: In this verse, God continues to describe the severe conditions that will befall the people of Jerusalem. The scarcity of food and water will lead to extreme distress and suffering. The people will be horrified by their situation and will waste away due to their sins. This verse emphasizes the dire consequences of their disobedience and the harsh reality of the impending judgment.

​​​​​​​America’s Top Oil Field Terrorized By Venezuelan Gangs

•September 11, 2024 • Leave a Comment

​​​​​​​It’s Spreading: America’s Top Oil Field Terrorized By Armed Venezuelan Gangs

When Mexicans recongnize these as “Occupied Territories” they will fight back!

ZeroHedge by Tyler Durden • September 6, 2024

It’s only going to get worse from here, as the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous open border policies have now come to a ‘neighborhood near you’ (for some of you). In the past week, we saw armed Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua members terrorize the northern Denver suburb of Aurora and other sanctuary cities run by far-left Democrats. New concerns out Thursday afternoon indicate critical infrastructure is now under threat from migrant cartel members

According to Libs of TikTok, a Texas-based oil/gas company issued a memo to employees informing them that police and the FBI have warned armed Cuba and Venezuela migrant gangs are committing thefts in the Permian Basin (America’s highest producing oil field). 

Here’s the memo:

Industry peers and law enforcement in West Texas (WTX) are aware of a recent increase in organized criminal activity inclusive of violent crimes, gang activity and oil field thefts in and around WTX operational areas. Specifically, regional law enforcement and the FBI advised that gang members emanating from Cuba and Venezuela are organizing and working in concert to commit thefts within the Permian Basin. These individuals and groups are armed, violent in nature and will not hesitate to use force.

Crimes associated with these groups include the theft of oil, diesel fuel, copper wire, and catalyst elements. Recent incidents have also included two assaults by water haulers who were attempting to steal oil from WTX oilfield sites. After the thieves were observed by witnesses who drove up to investigate, the thieves attempted to use their vehicles to run the witnesses off the road. In another incident, a thief, acting as a spotter and following a water hauler who had stolen oil, also attempted to run a witness off the road. There have been numerous reports of second vehicles acting as spotters for water haulers committing oil thefts.

An industry peer provided the below snapshot of a video surveillance of an armed thief checking out an area before stealing diesel from the location.

We highlighted earlier this week that law-abiding Americans must be made well aware of the cities, counties, and states that have laws, ordinances, and policies that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield illegal alien criminals from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This is because these areas are increasingly becoming dangerous, with migrant criminals running amok. Aurora is a prime example

Armed illegal alien gangs are now posing a threat to critical energy infrastructure in the Permian Basin. The nation is sleepwalking into a disaster.

Why isn’t this considered a national security threat by the current administration? Of course it’s because they caused it – plus, it’s an election year.

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

Book of Jasher (5-6)

•September 10, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

~~~~

~~ “How are the mighty fallen!” ~~

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.

The ‘Glory Days’ for global automakers are over

•September 9, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The ‘Glory Days’ for global automakers in China or anywhere else are over

Posing with XPeng’s new Mona M03 model at its launch in Beijing

CNN Business September 3, 2024

London CNN — Foreign automakers have dominated China’s car market for decades, selling millions of vehicles and raking in enormous profits. That golden era is now coming to an abrupt end.

The rapid rise of China’s homegrown electric vehicle (EV) makers, such as BYD and Xpeng, is upending the largest passenger car market on the planet and leaving the world’s biggest carmakers on the losing end.

The latest sign of the steep challenges facing traditional automakers came Monday, when Volkswagen warned it could close plants in Germany for the first time in its history, in an effort to cut costs.

The German car giant has seen its deliveries in China, its single largest market, tumble by more than a quarter from just three years ago to 1.34 million in the first half of this year. And last year, the company lost its crown as China’s biggest-selling car brand to BYD, sheddinga title it had held since at least 2000.

But Volkswagen, the world’s second-largest carmaker after Toyota, is not the only company in trouble. Ford and General Motors are also among firms seeing sales and market share vanish in China as local consumers spurn overseas brands to buy Chinese instead.

In July, foreign carmakers’ share of auto sales in China slipped to 33% from 53% in the same month two years earlier, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Automakers’ profits in China are coming under pressure too. In the quarter ended June 30, income from Toyota’s Chinese joint ventures plummeted 73% compared with a year earlier, according to financial statements.

Worse still, GM’s joint ventures in China (it has 10 in the country) reported consecutive quarterly losses this year. The American automaker’s sales in China have halved from a peak of above 4 million in 2017 to 2.1 million last year.

“Very few people are making money (in China),” its CEO Mary Barra told analysts on a recent earnings call. “It’s unsustainable because the amount of companies losing money there cannot continue indefinitely. And really, when you get into the type of pricing war that’s going on now, it’s really a race to the bottom.”

China’s brutal and prolonged EV price war has already claimed several local carmakers. Foreign automakers have also had to restructure their businesses or shut down once-sprawling operations in the country.

In October, Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors announced it would end production of its cars at its joint venture in China, following years of declining sales. Honda, Hyundai, and Ford have also taken drastic steps, including layoffs and factory closures, to cut costs, according to stock exchange filings and state media reports.

“The glory days of … enjoying high rates of growth and huge profits (in China) are over,” said Michael Dunne, an auto industry veteran and the CEO of Dunne Insights, a consultancy focused on EVs.

“If you’re a mass-market brand in China, your days are numbered.”

A Tesla Model 3 at a delivery ceremony in Tesla’s Shanghai factory

The Tesla ‘miracle’

For global automakers, the sudden change in fortunes follows some two decades of uninterrupted growth in sales and profits in China, beginning in the early 2000s. Volkswagen and GM, which began operations in the country many years earlier, have enjoyed an even longer run of financial rewards.

So strong was the sense that the good times would never end that, according to Dunne, one auto executive quipped: “We make more money than God here.”

Even after the Chinese government began pouring money into local EV and battery manufacturers in the mid-2010s, under leader Xi Jinping’s “Made in China 2025” strategy, foreign automakers continued to grow market share. Chinese consumers still preferred conventional cars from well-established brands.

Then, say analysts, Tesla (TSLA) arrived. In December 2019, the first China-made Tesla Model 3 rolled off a production line in Shanghai and everything changed.

“Overnight, it’s as if a miracle occurred,” said Dunne, describing it as a “monumental” turning point. “Tesla’s manufacturing of the Model 3 in Shanghai transformed consumers’ perspective of electric cars.” They became “the new cool,” he added.

Tesla had a “halo effect”on Chinese EV makers, such as BYD, Neo, and Li Auto, according to Dunne, which had been steadily improving their electric cars over several years and were ready to capitalize on the sudden spike in demand.

The International Energy Agency predicts that sales of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in China will hit 10 million this year accounting for almost half of car sales in the country up from just 1.1 million four years ago.

Crowding around BYDs at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition

Generational shifts have also helped Chinese brands.

“In the 1990s and 2000s, it was the parents that bought a lot of the cars and (they) didn’t trust any of the Chinese brands,” said Tu Le, managing director at Sino Auto Insights, a consulting firm.

“The current market is their kids … they grew up buying things on Alibaba, buying things on JD.com, using WeChat, so the thought of buying a Chinese brand (doesn’t have) this negative connotation to it,” he told CNN.

Established automakers were caught badly off guard by the abrupt shift to EVs in China. The timing only made things worse: Months after Tesla kickstarted demand for EVs, China went into a years-long coronavirus lockdown.

Auto executives couldn’t visit China every year to see what was happening for themselves, said Le.

When it finally dawned on them just how far behind their firms had fallen on everything from vehicle software and production speed to battery technology and control of supply chains crucial to making EVs, it was almost too late to recover the lost ground.

Last year, BYD sold a record 3.02 million vehicles globally, including plug-in hybrids, up 62% from 2022. By comparison, Volkswagen delivered 1.02 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, up 26% on 2022. Meanwhile, Tesla, which makes only fully electric cars, sold 1.8 million.

“Global automakers were caught flat-footed on EVs, lulled into complacency by years of winning at selling gasoline-powered vehicles,” Dunne wrote in a recent newsletter.

“Almost every non-Chinese brand … is feeling shell-shocked as they watch their market shares disappear.”

Chinese EVs at the Port of San Antonio, accounting for 40% of the Chilean market

The world’s new auto center

And China’s EV makers are not satisfied with success only at home.

The country’s passenger car exports are soaring: They jumped more than 60% last year compared with the previous year to top 4 million. By some measures, that made China the world’s largest car exporter, ahead of Japan and Germany. More than a quarter of those exports were electric, according to the CPCA.

By 2030, Chinese carmakers could see their share of the global EV market double to roughly a third, UBS has forecast, with European firms suffering the biggest loss of market share as a result.

The threat that poses to the storied auto industries of Europe and North America has triggered a wave of tariff hikes on China-made EVs. But it’s unclear whether higher import duties will be enough to stop the onslaught.

Back in China — a market too big to leave altogether and fast becoming a global hub for making and exporting EVs — global automakers are leaning heavily into local partnerships.

Last year, Volkswagen bought a 5% stake in Xpeng for $700 million and agreed a strategic partnership to jointly develop vehicles as it attempts to reverse a decline in sales in China.

Months later, Stellantis, which makes Citroen, Fiat, and Peugeot cars, bought a 20% stake in Chinese EV maker Leapmotor for about €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion).

Starting this month, Stellantis will begin selling Leapmotor vehicles in nine European countries, highlighting the growing clout of Chinese EV brands in overseas markets as well.

At the same time, Chinese carmakers are rapidly growing their global footprints, with BYD planning plants in Thailand and Hungary, among other countries. The company is also buying its German distributor Hedin Electric, as it moves to scale up in Europe, according to a statement Friday.

“The new center of the world’s automotive industry is China,” said Dunne.

“Everybody is still trying to come to terms with: where to (go) from here? How do we compete with the Chinese?”

Jonathan: A Sword from the South!

•September 8, 2024 • Leave a Comment

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20

A Flaming Sword Killing all Flesh from the South to the North!

Ezekiel 20 (21KJ Version)

45 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

46 “Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the southland.

47 And say to the forest of the south: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree. The flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

48 And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.’”

49 Then said I, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Doth he not speak parables?’”


Ezekiel 21

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

“Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth My sword out of his sheath and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north,

A Flaming Sword from the Forest of the South to the North!

that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn forth My sword out of his sheath. It shall not return any more.’

Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins, and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.

And it shall be, when they say unto thee, ‘Why sighest thou?’ that thou shalt answer, ‘For the tidings, because it cometh; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water.’ Behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 20:45-21:7)

Jonathan: Translation and Comments From ChatGPT

In the Targum of Jonathan translation, the last 5 verses of Ezekiel 20 are being transfered to the beginning of Ezekiel 21.

Ezekiel 21 (Jonathan)

1 “And the word of prophecy came from before the Lord with me to say:”

This phrase serves as an introduction to another divine message or instruction, indicating that what follows is a direct communication from God. It’s a common way to begin a prophetic declaration, emphasizing that the words are not the prophet’s own, but are coming directly from God. This sets the stage for the prophecy that will be delivered next.

2 “Son of man, set your face toward the way of the south, and go southward, and prophesy against the forest of the south field.”

In this passage, the prophet is commanded to direct his attention and actions toward the south. The specific mention of the “forest of the south field” suggests that the prophecy will be directed against a particular region or area in the southern part of the land. The “forest” here may symbolize a place or community that is about to face judgment or destruction. This instruction to prophesy against the south likely indicates an impending warning or judgment for that region, consistent with the broader themes of divine retribution in prophetic literature.

3 “And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it.”

This passage conveys a severe message of divine judgment. The “forest of the south” symbolizes the region or people being addressed, and the “fire” represents the destruction that God will bring upon them. The fire will be so intense that it will consume both “every green tree and every dry tree,” symbolizing the totality of the destruction—both the flourishing and the withered will be affected. The fire’s unquenchable nature emphasizes the inevitability and inescapability of this judgment. The phrase “all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it” indicates that this destruction will be widespread, affecting everyone in its path. This prophecy serves as a dire warning of the consequences of the people’s actions and the severity of the impending divine retribution.

4 “And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”

This statement emphasizes the undeniable and inescapable nature of the divine judgment being pronounced. The phrase “all flesh” indicates that everyone will witness the event, making it clear that the fire (symbolizing judgment or destruction) is directly initiated by God. The assertion that “it shall not be quenched” reinforces the idea that this judgment is final and unstoppable. This passage serves as a powerful conclusion to the prophecy, underlining the seriousness of the situation and the certainty that God’s will shall be accomplished.

5 “And I said, ‘Ah, Lord God, they say of me, “Is he not just speaking in parables?”‘”

In this passage, the prophet expresses concern to God, noting that the people are dismissing his words as mere parables or symbolic stories, rather than taking them seriously as warnings of impending judgment. The phrase reflects the frustration or worry that the prophet feels, as his audience is not recognizing the gravity of his message. Instead, they are interpreting his prophecies as allegorical or metaphorical, potentially underestimating the reality and immediacy of the divine warnings being communicated.

6 “And the word of prophecy came from before the Lord with me to say:”

This phrase introduces the next prophetic message or declaration. It indicates that the words to follow are a direct communication from God, emphasizing that the message is not from the prophet’s own initiative but is a divine revelation. This type of introduction is typical in prophetic literature, setting the stage for the delivery of important divine instructions or warnings.

7 “Son of man, prophesy against Jerusalem, and direct your prophecy against the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel.”

In this passage, the prophet is instructed to deliver a prophetic message targeting specific areas:

  • Jerusalem: The capital city, often symbolic of the entire nation.
  • The sanctuaries: This likely refers to the holy places or temples, indicating a focus on the sacred sites that are central to worship and religious life.
  • The land of Israel: The entire territory, emphasizing the broad scope of the prophecy’s impact.

This directive suggests that the prophecy will address issues related to both the religious and national aspects of the people, indicating a comprehensive message of judgment or warning. The focus on Jerusalem and the sanctuaries highlights the significance of both the political and religious dimensions of the divine message.

8 “And say to the land of Israel: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am sending my fury upon you, and I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Because of this, my sword will be drawn against all flesh from the south to the north.”

In this passage:

  • “Sending my fury upon you”: Indicates that God’s anger or divine wrath is being directed at the land of Israel.
  • “Draw my sword from its sheath”: Symbolizes the initiation of judgment or warfare.
  • “Cut off from you the righteous and the wicked”: Suggests that the judgment will affect everyone without exception, regardless of their righteousness or wickedness.
  • “My sword will be drawn against all flesh from the south to the north”: Emphasizes the widespread and comprehensive nature of the divine judgment, affecting the entire land.

This message conveys the seriousness and totality of the impending judgment, reinforcing that no one will escape the consequences of God’s wrath.

9 “After I have drawn my sword from its sheath against you, and have made it clear that you are guilty of shedding blood, thus my sword will be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north.”

In this passage:

  • “Drawn my sword from its sheath”: Continues the symbolism of divine judgment or warfare being initiated.
  • “Made it clear that you are guilty of shedding blood”: Indicates that the judgment is due to the land’s guilt or sin.
  • “My sword will be drawn against all flesh from the south to the north”: Emphasizes that the judgment will be widespread and comprehensive, affecting everyone across the entire region.

The passage reinforces the idea that the divine judgment is inevitable and will have far-reaching consequences, impacting all people across the land regardless of their location.

10 “And all the people of Israel shall know that I, the Lord, have drawn my sword from its sheath; it shall not return anymore.”

In this passage:

  • “All the people of Israel shall know”: Indicates that the entire nation will become aware of the divine action.
  • “I, the Lord, have drawn my sword from its sheath”: Refers to the initiation of divine judgment or punishment.
  • “It shall not return anymore”: Emphasizes that once the judgment has begun, it will not be halted or reversed.

The passage conveys a message of finality and inevitability, asserting that the divine judgment is irrevocable and will proceed without reprieve.

11 “And you, son of man, sigh with anguish and groan in bitterness before their eyes.”

In this passage, the prophet is instructed to display deep sorrow and distress openly:

  • “Sigh with anguish”: Indicates a profound expression of grief or distress.
  • “Groan in bitterness”: Emphasizes the depth of emotional suffering.
  • “Before their eyes”: The prophet is to show his sorrow visibly in front of the people, making his emotions and the gravity of the situation apparent to them.

This instruction is meant to vividly convey the seriousness of the impending judgment and to help the people understand the weight of their situation through the prophet’s visible and emotional response.

12 “And it will be that when they ask you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the tidings that are coming; every heart will melt, every hand will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and every knee shall be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it shall be fulfilled,’ says the Lord God.”

In this passage:

  • “When they ask you, ‘Why are you sighing?'”: The people will inquire about the prophet’s visible distress.
  • “Because of the tidings that are coming”: The prophet will explain that his anguish is due to the bad news or impending calamity.
  • “Every heart will melt, every hand will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and every knee shall be weak as water”: These phrases describe the fear and weakness that will overwhelm the people in response to the forthcoming judgment.
  • “Behold, it is coming, and it shall be fulfilled”: The prophet affirms that the prophesied events are imminent and will indeed come to pass.

This response is intended to communicate the severity of the forthcoming events and the profound impact they will have on the people, reinforcing the gravity of the prophecy and ensuring that the message is understood clearly.

Jonathan: Translation and Comments From Copilot

1 “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:”

It is a common introductory phrase in the prophetic books of the Bible, indicating that the following message is a direct revelation from God to the prophet. This specific phrase appears in various places, including the Book of Ezekiel and the Book of Jeremiah, where it introduces God’s instructions or messages to the prophet.

2 “Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field.”

This passage is from the Book of Ezekiel, specifically Ezekiel 20:46. In this context, God is instructing Ezekiel to prophesy against the southern region, symbolizing judgment against the land and its inhabitants.

3 “And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it.”

This passage is from Ezekiel 20:47. It continues the prophecy against the southern region, symbolizing a devastating judgment that will affect all, both the righteous (green tree) and the wicked (dry tree). The unquenchable fire represents the severity and inevitability of God’s judgment.

4 “And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”

This passage is from Ezekiel 20:48. It emphasizes the visibility and undeniability of God’s judgment. The fire that God kindles represents His wrath and the certainty that His judgment will be seen and acknowledged by all.

5 “Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not a maker of parables?’”

This passage is from Ezekiel 20:49. Here, Ezekiel expresses his concern to God that the people are dismissing his prophecies as mere parables or stories, rather than taking them seriously as divine messages.

6 “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:”

It is a common introductory phrase in the prophetic books of the Bible, indicating that the following message is a direct revelation from God to the prophet. This specific phrase appears in various places, including the Book of Ezekiel and the Book of Jeremiah, where it introduces God’s instructions or messages to the prophet.

7 “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach against the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel.”

This passage is from the Book of Ezekiel, specifically Ezekiel 21:2. In this context, God is instructing Ezekiel to prophesy against Jerusalem and its sanctuaries, indicating impending judgment and destruction due to the people’s disobedience.

8 “And say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am against you, and will draw my sword out of its sheath and cut off from you both righteous and wicked.”

This passage is from Ezekiel 21:3. It continues the prophecy of judgment against the land of Israel, emphasizing that God’s judgment will be comprehensive, affecting both the righteous and the wicked. The imagery of the sword being drawn from its sheath signifies the imminent and unavoidable nature of this divine judgment.

9 “Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north.”

This passage is from Ezekiel 21:4. It emphasizes the comprehensive nature of God’s judgment, affecting everyone from the south to the north. The imagery of the sword being drawn from its sheath signifies the imminent and unavoidable nature of this divine judgment.

10 “And all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, have drawn my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.”

This passage is from Ezekiel 21:5. It emphasizes the certainty and finality of God’s judgment. The imagery of the sword being drawn and not returning to its sheath signifies that the judgment is irrevocable and will be fully executed.

11 “And you, son of man, groan with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes.”

This passage is from Ezekiel 21:6. Here, God instructs Ezekiel to express deep sorrow and anguish visibly, symbolizing the intense grief and suffering that will accompany the coming judgment. Ezekiel’s actions are meant to convey the seriousness and emotional weight of the prophecy to the people.

12 “And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,’ declares the Lord God.”

This passage is from Ezekiel 21:7. It explains that when people ask Ezekiel why he is groaning, he is to tell them it is because of the impending news of judgment. The description of hearts melting, hands becoming feeble, spirits fainting, and knees becoming weak as water emphasizes the overwhelming fear and despair that will accompany the fulfillment of God’s judgment.

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The Prophecy of Obadiah

The Targum of Jonathan Translation and Comment from ChatGPT

Obadiah 1:1 נְבוּאַת עוֹבַדְיָה כִּדְנַן אֲמַר יְיָ אֱלֹהִים לֶאֱדוֹם בְּסוֹרָא שְׁמַעְנָא מִן קֳדָם יְיָ וְאִזְגַד בְּעַמְמַיָא שְׁלִיחַ קוּמוּ וְנִתְעַתַּד עֲלָהּ לִקְרָבָא:

The passage you provided is a fragment from the Book of Obadiah in the Bible, specifically focusing on the prophecy against Edom. Here is a translation and explanation of the text:

  • “נְבוּאַת עוֹבַדְיָה” (Nevu’at Ovadiah): “The prophecy of Obadiah.”
  • “כִּדְנַן אֲמַר יְיָ אֱלֹהִים” (Kidnan Amar YHWH Elohim): “As the Lord God said.”
  • “לֶאֱדוֹם” (Le-Edom): “Against Edom.”
  • “בְּסוֹרָא שְׁמַעְנָא מִן קֳדָם יְיָ” (Be-Sora Sh’ma-na Mi-kodam YHWH): “In the hearing of the Lord, we have heard.”
  • “וְאִזְגַד בְּעַמְמַיָא” (V’izgad B’am’maya): “And in the assembly of the people.”
  • “שְׁלִיחַ קוּמוּ וְנִתְעַתַּד עֲלָהּ” (Sh’li’ach Kumu V’nit’adad Alah): “The messenger, rise up and prepare yourself against it.”
  • “לִקְרָבָא” (Li-k’rava): “For battle” or “to fight.”

Putting it all together, a coherent translation would be:

“The prophecy of Obadiah: Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations. Arise, let us rise up against her for battle.”

This passage refers to a prophetic message from Obadiah about Edom, indicating that God has spoken against Edom, and a call to action is being issued to prepare for battle against Edom. The prophecy conveys the divine judgment and impending conflict against Edom, signaling a response to their actions or behavior.

Obadiah 1:2 הָא חֲלָשׁ יְהַבְתָּךְ בְּעַמְמַיָא בְּסִיר אַתְּ לַחֲדָא:

The phrase you’ve provided can be translated as follows:

  • “הָא” (Ha): “This” or “Behold” (indicating attention or emphasis).
  • “חֲלָשׁ” (Chalas): “Weak” or “Feeble.”
  • “יְהַבְתָּךְ” (Yehav’tach): “Your giving” or “Your provision.”
  • “בְּעַמְמַיָא” (B’am’maya): “To the people” or “Among the people.”
  • “בְּסִיר” (B’sir): “In a pot” or “In a place” (context-specific, often referring to something hidden or contained).
  • “אַתְּ לַחֲדָא” (At’ l’chada): “You alone” or “Only you.”

Putting it together, the translation could be:

“Behold, your provision to the people is weak, you alone are in a contained place.”

This might imply that the support or resources you are providing are insufficient or limited, and that you are isolated or solitary in your current state or location. The context seems to reflect a critique or observation about one’s effectiveness or situation in relation to a larger group or setting.

Obadiah 1:3 רְשַׁע לִבָּךְ אַטְעַיָךְ דְאַתְּ דָמֵי לְנִשְׁרָא דְשָׁרֵי בְשִׁינֵי כֵיפָא בְּרוֹמָא מוֹתְבֵיהּ אֲמַר בְּלִבֵּיהּ מַן יַחֲתִינַנִי לְאַרְעָא:

This text appears to be a piece of classical or mystical Hebrew writing, possibly with a tone of lamentation or reflection on divine justice or authority. Here is a breakdown of the translation:

  • “רְשַׁע לִבָּךְ” (Resha libecha): “Evil is in your heart” or “Your heart is wicked” (indicating a moral or spiritual state).
  • “אַטְעַיָךְ” (At’ayach): “Your intentions” or “Your plans” (referring to one’s actions or schemes).
  • “דְאַתְּ דָמֵי לְנִשְׁרָא” (D’atei damay l’nishra): “That you are like the blood of an eagle” (suggesting that one’s actions are as significant or impactful as the blood of an eagle, a metaphorical or possibly symbolic statement).
  • “דְשָׁרֵי בְשִׁינֵי כֵיפָא” (D’sharei b’shinei keifa): “Which are tied with the teeth of a horse” or “Bound by the teeth of a horse” (symbolizing a strong and perhaps harsh or controlling force).
  • “בְּרוֹמָא מוֹתְבֵיהּ” (B’roma mot’vayhu): “In Rome, his dwelling” or “In Rome, it is situated” (implying a significant or prominent place or position).
  • “אֲמַר בְּלִבֵּיהּ” (Amar b’libeihu): “Says in his heart” or “He says in his heart” (referring to internal thoughts or sentiments).
  • “מַן יַחֲתִינַנִי לְאַרְעָא” (Man yachat’ni l’ar’a): “Who will bring me down to the ground?” or “Who will cast me down to the earth?” (a rhetorical question about vulnerability or the potential for downfall).

So, a possible translation of this passage might be:

“Evil is in your heart; your intentions are like the blood of an eagle bound by the teeth of a horse in Rome. He says in his heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the earth?'”

This text seems to reflect on the tension between power or high status and the ultimate vulnerability to divine or cosmic forces that can alter one’s fate. The imagery of eagles and horses could symbolize various elements of power and control, and the rhetorical question expresses a sense of invulnerability or challenge to divine authority.

Obadiah 1:4 אִם תְּרִים כְּנִשְׁרָא וְאִם בֵּינֵי כוֹכְבַיָא תְּשַׁוֵי מְדוֹרָךְ מִתַּמָן אַחֲתִינָךְ אֲמַר יְיָ:

The text you’re referring to seems to be expressing a statement or prophecy involving celestial imagery. Here’s a translation and breakdown of the meaning:

  • “אִם תְּרִים כְּנִשְׁרָא” (Im terim k’nishra): “If you lift yourself like an eagle” or “If you ascend like an eagle” (using the metaphor of an eagle to signify elevation or high status).
  • “וְאִם בֵּינֵי כוֹכְבַיָא” (V’im b’nei kochavaya): “And if among the stars” or “And if among the constellations” (referring to celestial or high positions).
  • “תְּשַׁוֵי מְדוֹרָךְ” (T’shavi m’dorach): “You make your dwelling” or “You set your dwelling” (implying establishing a place or status).
  • “מִתַּמָן אַחֲתִינָךְ” (Mitan achatinach): “From there, I will bring you down” or “From there, I will bring you back” (referring to a divine or prophetic action of lowering or returning).
  • “אֲמַר יְיָ” (Amar Yah): “Says the Lord” or “Says YHVH.”

So, the text can be translated as:

“If you lift yourself like an eagle, and if you set your dwelling among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord.”

This passage uses the imagery of high elevation and celestial dwelling to emphasize that no matter how high or secure one might feel, divine intervention or judgment can bring them down. It conveys a message of divine authority and the inevitability of God’s will.

Obadiah 1:5 אִם גַנָבִים אֲתוֹ עֲלָךְ אִם בְּזוֹזֵי לֵילְיָא אֵיכְדֵין הֲוֵיתָא דָמִיךְ עַד דִגְנָבוּ מִסִתְהוֹן וְאִם חָטוֹפִין כְּקִטוּפִין אָתוּ עֲלָךְ הֲלָא מַשְׁאֲרִין עוֹלְלָן:

The text you’re referring to is examining how Esau’s situation has changed or been affected by external actions such as theft or plundering. Here’s a breakdown of the translation and meaning:

  • “אִם גַנָבִים אֲתוֹ עֲלָךְ” (Im ganavim ato alach): “If thieves have come upon you” or “If thieves have come against you.”
  • “אִם בְּזוֹזֵי לֵילְיָא” (Im bezosei leilya): “Or if plunderers of the night” or “Or if night marauders” (referring to those who steal or plunder during the night).
  • “אֵיכְדֵין” (Eichdin): “How” or “in what way.”
  • “הֲוֵיתָא דָמִיךְ” (Havita damich): “Is your blood” or “your situation” (literal and figurative meaning can be intended).
  • “עַד דִגְנָבוּ מִסִתְהוֹן” (Ad dignavu mistihon): “Until they have stolen from it” or “until they have taken from it.”
  • “וְאִם חָטוֹפִין כְּקִטוּפִין” (V’im chatofin k’kitufin): “And if robbers like those who harvest” (comparing robbers to harvesters).
  • “אָתוּ עֲלָךְ” (Atu alach): “Come upon you” or “have come upon you.”
  • “הֲלָא מַשְׁאֲרִין עוֹלְלָן” (Hala mash’arim ol’lan): “Are not the despoilers (or plunderers) ruining them?” or “Aren’t the despoilers (or thieves) ravaging them?”

Putting it together:

“And you will say, ‘Receive my petition, Lord God. Do you see, they are saying to me: Isn’t it true that it is delayed or suspended?'”

The text is questioning how the situation, particularly in the context of loss or damage, relates to the actions of thieves or robbers. It’s inquiring how Esau’s fortunes or circumstances have been impacted by such external threats or attacks.

Obadiah 1:6 אֵיכְדֵין אִתְבְּלֵשׁ עֵשָׂו אִתְגַלְיָן מַטְמוֹרוֹהִי:

The phrase translates to:

“How did Esau’s hidden things become revealed?”

Breaking it down:

  • “אֵיכְדֵין” (Eichdin): This means “how” or “in what way.”
  • “אִתְבְּלֵשׁ” (It’bleish): This means “to be revealed” or “to become exposed.”
  • “עֵשָׂו” (Esav): Refers to Esau, a biblical figure known for his conflict with Jacob (Israel).
  • “אִתְגַלְיָן” (It’galyan): This means “to be revealed” or “to come to light.”
  • “מַטְמוֹרוֹהִי” (Matmorohi): This means “his secrets” or “hidden things.”

So the phrase asks about how Esau’s secrets or hidden aspects became exposed or revealed. It reflects a curiosity or inquiry into how the concealed or unknown aspects of Esau’s character or situation have become known.

Obadiah 1:7 מִן תְּחוּמָךְ אַגְלְיוּךְ כֹּל אֱנָשָׁא קְיָמָךְ אַטְעֲיוּךְ יְכִילוּ לָךְ אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלָמָךְ אָכְלֵי פְתוֹרָךְ שַׁוִיאוּ תַקְלָא תְּחוֹתָךְ מִדְלֵית בָּךְ סוּכְלְתָנוּ:

The passage translates to:

“From your territory, I will expel all people. Your standing will be challenged, and the people of your peace will consume your bread. They will turn away from you and become enemies, and you will suffer disgrace beneath them due to your own folly.”

Breaking it down:

  • “From your territory, I will expel all people”: Indicates that from the area or domain of the person being addressed, all inhabitants will be removed or driven out.
  • “Your standing will be challenged”: Suggests that the status or position of the individual will be questioned or undermined.
  • “The people of your peace will consume your bread”: Refers to those who were once allies or friends (the “people of your peace”) will now benefit from or take advantage of the individual’s resources (“consume your bread”).
  • “They will turn away from you and become enemies”: Implies a reversal of loyalty, where former allies will become adversaries.
  • “And you will suffer disgrace beneath them due to your own folly”: Indicates that the individual will experience dishonor or disgrace, which is attributed to their own mistakes or misjudgments.

This passage reflects a prophecy or statement about a significant downfall and betrayal, where allies become enemies, leading to the individual’s disgrace.

Obadiah 1:8 הֲלָא בְּעִדָנָא הַהִיא אֲמַר יְיָ וְאוֹבֵד חַכִּימִין מֵאֱדוֹם וְכָל גְבַר דְבֵיהּ סוּכְלְתָנוּתָא מִכְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו:

The passage translates to:

“Is it not at that time that the Lord said: ‘And He will destroy the wise men from Edom, and all the men of his house will be removed from the region of Esau’?”

In this context:

  • “Is it not at that time”: Refers to a specific period or event.
  • “The Lord said”: Indicates a divine proclamation or prophecy.
  • “He will destroy the wise men from Edom”: Suggests that the knowledgeable or influential individuals from Edom (often associated with the descendants of Esau) will be removed or eliminated.
  • “And all the men of his house will be removed from the region of Esau”: Implies that the entire household or lineage associated with Esau will be displaced or destroyed.

The passage is referencing a prophecy or statement from God about the downfall and removal of the wise and influential people from Edom, along with the entire lineage associated with the region of Esau.

Obadiah 1:9 וְיִתַּבְּרוּן גִבָּרָךְ יַתְבֵי דָרוֹמָא בְּדִיל דְיִשְׁתֵּיצֵי גְבַר דְבֵיהּ צוֹרְבָא מִכְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו מִקְטוֹל:

The passage translates to:

“And your warriors will be strengthened, the men of the south, so that they will remain secure, for the man of the house of the fortress from the region of Esau will be killed.”

In this passage:

  • “And your warriors will be strengthened”: Refers to the fortification or empowerment of your defenders or warriors.
  • “The men of the south”: Indicates those from the southern regions, possibly allies or inhabitants of southern territories.
  • “So that they will remain secure”: Implies that they will be protected and safe.
  • “For the man of the house of the fortress from the region of Esau will be killed”: Suggests that a key adversary or a significant figure from the region associated with Esau (often representing Edom or its descendants) will be defeated or eliminated.

This passage speaks to the strengthening and security of your forces, particularly those from the southern regions, in the context of a significant threat or opponent from the region of Esau.

Obadiah 1:10 מֵחֲטוֹף אֲחוּךְ יַעֲקֹב תַּחְפִּינָךְ בִּהֲתָא וְתִשְׁתֵּיצֵי לַעֲלָם:

The passage translates to:

“From the captivity of the end, Jacob will hide you in safety, and you will remain forever.”

In this passage:

  • “From the captivity of the end”: Refers to a period of final or ultimate captivity or distress.
  • “Jacob will hide you in safety”: Indicates that Jacob (symbolic of the people of Israel) will provide protection and shelter for you.
  • “You will remain forever”: Suggests that you will be preserved or sustained eternally.

This passage conveys a promise of protection and enduring safety despite a period of severe captivity or distress, with Jacob (representative of the people or heritage of Israel) ensuring that you are kept safe and that this state of safety will be everlasting.

Obadiah 1:11 בְּיוֹם מְקִימָךְ מִקְבֵיל בְּיוֹמָא דְבָזוּ עַמְמַיָא נִכְסוֹהִי וְנִכְרָאִין עָלוּ בְקִרְוֹהִי וְעַל יְרוּשְׁלֵם רְמוֹ עַדְבִין אַף אַתְּ כְּחַד מִנְהוֹן:

The passage translates to:

“On the day you are established, you will receive on the day of their judgment, when the possessions of the nations are taken and seized in their cities and on Jerusalem, and you will be like one of them.”

In this passage:

  • “On the day you are established”: Refers to the time when you are firmly established or come into your own.
  • “You will receive on the day of their judgment”: Indicates that you will be involved or take part in the events of judgment.
  • “When the possessions of the nations are taken and seized in their cities and on Jerusalem”: Refers to the seizure or removal of the possessions of various nations, including those in Jerusalem.
  • “And you will be like one of them”: Suggests that you will be treated or considered as one of those who are being judged or seized.

This passage implies a future time when, upon being established, you will experience or participate in the judgment and seizure of possessions from various nations and Jerusalem, and will be regarded similarly to those being judged.

Obadiah 1:12 וְדַחֲזֵיתָא בְיוֹמָא דְאֲחוּךְ בְּיוֹם תְּבִירֵיהּ וְדַחֲדִיתָא לִבְנֵי יְהוּדָה בְּיוֹם תְּבִירְהוֹן וּדְאַסְגֵיתָא לְמַלָלָא רַבְרְבָן בְּעִדַן עָקָא:

The passage translates to:

“And you will see on the day of the end, on the day of their judgment, and you will be distressed for the children of Judah on the day of their judgment, and you will be carried away to a great assembly at that time.”

In this passage:

  • “You will see on the day of the end”: Refers to witnessing events at the end times or at the conclusion of a period of reckoning.
  • “On the day of their judgment”: Indicates the specific day when judgment is passed on the people.
  • “You will be distressed for the children of Judah”: Implies that you will feel sorrow or anguish concerning the fate of the children of Judah during their judgment.
  • “You will be carried away to a great assembly at that time”: Suggests that you will be taken to or gathered in a significant assembly or meeting during this period.

This passage describes a time of profound judgment and distress, where one will not only witness the end times and the judgment of others but also experience personal anguish for the fate of the children of Judah, culminating in a gathering or assembly at that critical moment.

Obadiah 1:13 וּדְעַלְתָּא בְתַרְעֵי עַמִי בְּיוֹם תְּבִירְהוֹן וְדַחֲזֵיתָא אַף אַתְּ בְּבִישְׁתֵּיהּ בְּיוֹם תְּבִירֵיהּ וּדְאוֹשִׁיטְתָא יְדָךְ בְּנִכְסוֹהִי בְּיוֹם תְּבִירֵיהּ:

The passage translates to:

“And at that time, among the two peoples, on the day of their judgment, you will see even you being ashamed on the day of your judgment, and you will extend your hand towards their possessions on the day of your judgment.”

In this passage:

  • “At that time, among the two peoples”: Refers to a time when there will be judgment or reckoning involving two distinct groups or peoples.
  • “On the day of their judgment”: Indicates the specific time when these peoples will face divine judgment.
  • “You will see even you being ashamed”: Suggests that you (the addressed individual or group) will also experience shame or embarrassment on your own judgment day.
  • “You will extend your hand towards their possessions”: Implies that you will seek or desire what belongs to others during this judgment period.
  • “On the day of your judgment”: Reinforces that this will all occur during the time of reckoning for your own actions.

This passage highlights that everyone, including the addressed individual or group, will face judgment and potentially experience shame, while also desiring or reaching for the possessions of others during this period of divine reckoning.

Obadiah 1:14 וּדְקַמְתָּא עַל פִּרְקָא לְשֵׁיצָאָה יַת מְעַרְקוֹהִי וְדִמְסַרְתָּא מְשֵׁיזְבוֹהִי בְּעִדַן עָקָא:

The passage translates to:

“And when you rise up to the judgment of retribution, your iniquities and the sins you have committed will be remembered and will be judged at that time.”

In this passage:

  • “When you rise up to the judgment of retribution”: Refers to the moment when one stands before divine judgment for their actions.
  • “Your iniquities and the sins you have committed will be remembered”: Indicates that all past wrongdoings will be brought to light and recalled.
  • “And will be judged at that time”: Implies that these iniquities and sins will be evaluated and judged during this period of reckoning.

This passage underscores the idea that all actions, especially wrongdoings, will be remembered and judged in the divine reckoning, reinforcing the principle of accountability and retribution.

Obadiah 1:15 אֲרֵי קָרִיב יוֹמָא דְעָתִיד לְמֵיתֵי מִן קֳדָם יְיָ עַל כָּל עַמְמַיָא כְּמָא דַעֲבָדַת יִתְעֲבֵיד לָךְ גַמְלָךְ יִתְּתָב בְּרֵישָׁךְ:

The passage translates to:

“For when the day of the Lord approaches to bring judgment upon all the nations, just as you have done, so will it be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.”

In this passage:

  • “When the day of the Lord approaches”: Refers to a future time of divine judgment or reckoning.
  • “To bring judgment upon all the nations”: Indicates that all nations will be judged by God.
  • “Just as you have done, so will it be done to you”: Means that the nations will be judged according to their own actions.
  • “Your deeds will return upon your own head”: Suggests that the consequences of one’s actions will come back to affect them directly.

This passage emphasizes the principle of divine justice and retribution, where the nations will face the consequences of their own deeds in the coming judgment.

Obadiah 1:16 אֲרֵי כְּמָא דַחֲדֵיתוּן עַל מְחַת טוּרָא דְקוּדְשִׁי יִשְׁתּוּן כָּל עַמְמַיָא כֵּס פּוּרְעֲנוּתְהוֹן תְּדִירָא וְיִשְׁתּוּן וְיִסְתַּלְעֲמוּן וִיהוֹן כִּדְלָא הֲווֹ:

The passage translates to:

“For as they have been gathered upon the mountain of holiness, all the nations will drink the cup of their punishment continually; they will drink and be erased, and they will be as though they had never been.”

In this passage:

  • “As they have been gathered upon the mountain of holiness”: Refers to the nations coming together or being judged on a sacred or holy mountain, which could symbolize a place of divine judgment.
  • “All the nations will drink the cup of their punishment continually”: Indicates that the nations will continually experience the consequences of their actions or divine retribution.
  • “They will drink and be erased”: Suggests that they will suffer punishment to the point of being completely wiped out or erased.
  • “And they will be as though they had never been”: Implies total obliteration or that they will be forgotten as if they had never existed.

This passage expresses a vision of severe judgment and punishment for the nations, leading to their complete destruction and erasure from history.

Obadiah 1:17 וּבְטוּרָא דְצִיוֹן תְּהֵי מְשֵׁיזַבְתָּא וִיהוֹן קַדִישִׁין וְיַחְסְנוּן דְבֵית יַעֲקֹב נִכְסֵי עַמְמַיָא דַהֲווֹ מַחְסְנִין לְהוֹן:

The passage translates to:

“And on the mountain of Zion there will be a remnant, and there will be holy ones; and the house of Jacob will inherit the possessions of the nations that were their treasures.”

In this passage:

  • “On the mountain of Zion there will be a remnant”: Refers to a surviving group or faithful remnant that will remain in Zion (Jerusalem).
  • “There will be holy ones”: Indicates that this remnant will be composed of people who are consecrated or righteous.
  • “The house of Jacob will inherit the possessions of the nations”: Suggests that the Israelites (house of Jacob) will receive or reclaim the treasures and properties that belonged to the other nations.
  • “That were their treasures”: Emphasizes that these possessions were once considered valuable by those nations.

This passage conveys a vision of restoration and divine favor, where the faithful in Zion will remain and the house of Jacob will gain back valuable possessions from other nations.

Obadiah 1:18 וִיהוֹן דְבֵית יַעֲקֹב תְּקִיפִין כְּאֵשָׁתָא וּדְבֵית יוֹסֵף חֲסִינִין כְּשַׁלְהוֹבִיתָא וּדְבֵית עֵשָׂו חֲלָשִׁין כְּקַשָׁא וְיִשְׁלְטוּן בְּהוֹן וְיִקְטְלוֹנוּנוּן וְלָא יְהֵי שֵׁיזְבָא לְבֵית עֵשָׂו אֲרֵי יְיָ גְזִיר כֵּן:

The passage translates to:

“And the house of Jacob will be strong like a fire, and the house of Joseph will be fortified like a flame; but the house of Esau will be weak like stubble. They will dominate over them and will destroy them, and there will be no survivors for the house of Esau, for the Lord has decreed it.”

In this passage:

  • “The house of Jacob will be strong like a fire”: Symbolizes that the house of Jacob (representing the Israelites) will be powerful and enduring.
  • “The house of Joseph will be fortified like a flame”: Suggests that the house of Joseph (another representation of the Israelites) will be strong and intense in its power.
  • “The house of Esau will be weak like stubble”: Indicates that the house of Esau (representing Edom) will be weak and easily destroyed.
  • “They will dominate over them and will destroy them”: Refers to the Israelites’ eventual victory and dominance over the Edomites.
  • “There will be no survivors for the house of Esau”: Foretells total destruction of the house of Esau.
  • “For the Lord has decreed it”: Affirms that this outcome is divinely ordained.

This passage emphasizes the disparity in strength and the fate of the houses of Jacob, Joseph, and Esau, with a clear declaration of divine judgment and the ultimate triumph of the Israelites over their enemies.

Obadiah 1:19 וְיַחְסְנוּן יַתְבֵי דָרוֹמָא יַת כְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו וְיַתְבֵי שְׁפֶלְתָּא יַת אַרְעָא דִפְלִשְׁתָּאֵי וְיַחְסְנוּן יַת קִרְוֵי אֶפְרַיִם וְיַת קִרְוֵי שֹׁמְרוֹן וּדְבֵית בִּנְיָמִין יַת יַתְבֵי אַרְעָא דְגִלְעָד:

The passage translates to:

“And they will settle in the houses of the south, in the cities of Esau; and they will dwell in the lowlands, in the land of the Philistines; and they will settle in the cities of Ephraim and the cities of Samaria, and the house of Benjamin will dwell in the land of Gilead.”

In this passage:

  • “They will settle in the houses of the south, in the cities of Esau”: Refers to the settling of people in the southern regions, particularly in areas associated with Esau, which may denote regions historically linked to Edom.
  • “They will dwell in the lowlands, in the land of the Philistines”: Indicates that they will also settle in the lowland areas that were once occupied by the Philistines.
  • “They will settle in the cities of Ephraim and the cities of Samaria”: Specifies that the people will move to these historically significant regions within Israel.
  • “The house of Benjamin will dwell in the land of Gilead”: Indicates that the tribe of Benjamin will settle in Gilead, which is a region east of the Jordan River.

This passage describes the dispersion and resettlement of different groups within various significant historical and geographic areas, reflecting the wide-ranging impact of the exile or migration described.

Obadiah 1:20 וְגָלוּת עַמָא הָדֵין דִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל דִבְאַרְעָא כְנַעֲנָאֵי עַד צָרְפַת וְגָלוּת יְרוּשְׁלֵם דִבְאַסְפַּמְיָא יַחְסְנוּן יַת קִרְוֵי אַרְעָא דְדָרוֹמָא:

The passage translates to:

“And the exile of the people, these children of Israel, from the land of Canaan to the land of Sepharad, and the exile of Jerusalem to the land of Aspamia; they will dwell in the cities of the southern land.”

In this passage:

  • “The exile of the people, these children of Israel”: Refers to the dispersion or exile of the Israelites.
  • “From the land of Canaan to the land of Sepharad”: Indicates a migration from Canaan to a place identified as Sepharad. Sepharad is often understood to refer to a region in the Iberian Peninsula or possibly a broader geographical area.
  • “The exile of Jerusalem to the land of Aspamia”: Suggests that the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be exiled to a place called Aspamia. Aspamia may refer to a region associated with the Persian Empire or a distant land.
  • “They will dwell in the cities of the southern land”: Implies that the exiled people will settle in the southern regions of their new locations.

This passage describes a significant dispersion of the Israelites to various regions, including a specific reference to the movement from Canaan and Jerusalem to other lands. It underscores the breadth of the exile and the dispersion of the people to different areas.

Obadiah 1:21 וְיִסְקוּן מְשֵׁיזְבִין בְּטוּרָא דְצִיוֹן לְמֵידַן יַת כְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו וְתִתְגְלֵי מַלְכוּתָא דַייָ עַל כָּל יַתְבֵי אַרְעָא:

Here’s a breakdown and translation of the text:

  • וְיִסְקוּן מְשֵׁיזְבִין (Ve’yiskun Mesheizin): “And saviors will ascend” or “deliverers will go up.”
  • בְּטוּרָא דְצִיוֹן (Be’tura de’Tziyon): “On Mount Zion.”
  • לְמֵידַן (Le’medan): “To judge.”
  • יַת כְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו (Yat Keraka de’Esav): “The mountain of Esau” or “the territory of Esau.”
  • וְתִתְגְלֵי מַלְכוּתָא דַייָ (Ve’tit’galei Malchuta de’YHVH): “And the kingdom of the Lord will be revealed.”
  • עַל כָּל יַתְבֵי אַרְעָא (Al kol yatvei ar’a): “Over all the inhabitants of the earth.”

Putting it together:

“And saviors will ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain (or territory) of Esau, and the kingdom of the Lord shall be revealed over all the inhabitants of the earth.”

This passage reflects a prophetic vision where deliverers or saviors rise up on Mount Zion to bring judgment upon Esau’s territory. This act symbolizes the establishment of divine justice and the ultimate revelation of God’s kingdom over the entire world. The phrase resonates with themes of redemption, judgment, and the universal reign of the divine.

Translation and Comment from Copilot

Obadiah 1:20

“And this first exile of the children of Israel who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exile of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.”

This passage is from the Book of Obadiah, specifically Obadiah 1:20. It refers to the exiles of Israel and Judah and their eventual return and possession of the land. The mention of Zarephath and Sepharad indicates the far-reaching extent of the exile and the promise of restoration.

ChatGPT: Is the posterity of Esau prophecised?

•September 8, 2024 • Leave a Comment
If so, who are they; and where and how will they be played out?

Question for ChatGPT: Is the posterity of Esau prophecised? If so, who are they; and where and how will they be played out?

ChatGPT Response: Yes, the posterity of Esau is prophesied in the Bible, particularly regarding his descendants, the Edomites. Esau’s lineage plays a significant role in biblical prophecy, mainly focusing on their relationship with Israel, their actions, and their eventual downfall. Below is an overview of the biblical prophecies concerning Esau’s descendants, who they are, and how these prophecies are fulfilled or expected to unfold:

Who Are Esau’s Descendants?

Esau, also called Edom, became the father of the Edomites. These people settled in the region southeast of Israel, in what is now southern Jordan, an area called Edom or Seir in the Bible. The nation of Edom descended from Esau through his sons and grandsons, who are listed in Genesis 36. The Edomites had a complex and often hostile relationship with the Israelites (the descendants of Esau’s brother, Jacob).

Key Biblical Prophecies Regarding Esau’s Descendants:

1. Genesis 25:23 (Birth Prophecy)

  • Prophecy: When Rebekah was pregnant with Esau and Jacob, God told her that two nations were in her womb, and the elder (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob).
  • Fulfillment: This prophecy is seen in the tension between the Edomites and the Israelites, where Israel would often dominate Edom in later history.

2. Isaac’s Blessing of Esau (Genesis 27:39-40)

  • Prophecy: Esau received a mixed blessing from Isaac:
    • Esau’s descendants will live by the sword and away from the fertile land.
    • They will serve his brother (Israel), but there would be times when they would throw off Jacob’s yoke.
  • Fulfillment: Historically, Edom was subjected to Israelite control at various points, particularly under King David and Solomon. However, Edom rebelled during the reign of King Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20-22), fulfilling the part of the prophecy that foretold Esau breaking free.

3. Obadiah (The Downfall of Edom)

  • Prophecy: The book of Obadiah is entirely focused on the judgment of Edom. It predicts:
    • Destruction due to Edom’s violence against Israel during times of Israel’s vulnerability, especially during the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem (Obadiah 1:10-14).
    • Edom’s Complete Ruin: “The house of Jacob will be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau will be stubble” (Obadiah 1:18).
    • Loss of Territory: Edom’s lands would be taken over by others, and the Edomites would be dispossessed.
  • Fulfillment: Historically, Edom was conquered by various powers, including the Babylonians and later the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty. By the 1st century CE, the Edomites (Idumeans) had largely lost their national identity.

4. Ezekiel 25:12-14 and Ezekiel 35 (Judgment Against Edom)

  • Prophecy: Ezekiel prophesies that Edom will be punished for taking revenge on the house of Judah, predicting that God will lay waste to Edom and that Israel will be an instrument of that judgment.
  • Fulfillment: Edom faced significant military defeats, including at the hands of the Babylonians and later the Maccabean Jewish forces. The Hasmoneans forced the Idumeans to convert to Judaism, after which they lost their independence and were assimilated.

5. Isaiah 34:5-17 (Destruction of Edom as a Symbol of Divine Judgment)

  • Prophecy: Isaiah describes Edom’s destruction as part of God’s judgment on the nations. This passage uses symbolic language, depicting Edom as a place of eternal desolation, overrun by wild animals and never rebuilt.
  • Fulfillment: This prophecy is seen as both historical and eschatological. Historically, Edom’s cities were destroyed, and the region was abandoned. In some interpretations, Edom is also seen as a symbolic representation of all nations hostile to God’s people in the end times.

6. Amos 1:11-12 (Wrath Against Edom)

  • Prophecy: Amos condemns Edom for its persistent anger and violent actions against Israel. He predicts fire and destruction upon Edom’s cities.
  • Fulfillment: This aligns with Edom’s eventual downfall, as seen in their subjugation by the Babylonians and others.

7. Malachi 1:2-4 (God’s Rejection of Esau)

  • Prophecy: God contrasts His love for Jacob (Israel) with His rejection of Esau (Edom). Edom may try to rebuild, but God will demolish whatever they attempt to restore, and they will be known as a people “always under the wrath of the Lord.”
  • Fulfillment: Despite Edom’s attempts to survive and rebuild, they eventually ceased to exist as a nation. This prophecy underscores the finality of God’s judgment on Edom.

Future or Eschatological Fulfillment

Some of the prophecies against Edom, especially in Isaiah and Obadiah, are interpreted by some as not just historical but also having eschatological (end-times) implications. In this interpretation, Edom becomes a symbol of all nations that oppose God’s people, and the prophecies against Edom represent a broader theme of divine judgment against the enemies of Israel and God.

For example:

  • Isaiah 63:1-6 describes a figure coming from Edom, with garments stained in blood, symbolizing God’s wrath against Edom. Some interpret this as a future judgment when God will bring justice to all nations hostile to His people.

Summary of Prophecies:

  • Posterity of Esau: Esau’s descendants are the Edomites, who lived in Edom (southeast of Israel).
  • Prophecies Against Edom:
    • The elder Esau will serve the younger Jacob.
    • Edom will experience temporary rebellion against Israel but will ultimately be destroyed due to its violence and opposition to Israel.
    • Edom’s destruction is seen as both historical and symbolic of broader divine judgment against those who oppose God’s people.
  • Fulfillment: Historically, Edom was subjugated, conquered, and absorbed into other nations, eventually ceasing to exist as an independent people. Some prophecies are also interpreted eschatologically, symbolizing God’s final judgment against all nations hostile to Israel in the end times.

In short, the posterity of Esau is prophesied primarily through the nation of Edom, which faces divine judgment and ultimate destruction due to its enmity toward Israel. Historically, these prophecies were fulfilled in Edom’s downfall, but some interpretations suggest a future, symbolic application as well.

Obadiah (ChatGPT Jonathan)

•September 7, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Prophecy of Obadiah

For another revealing Study on Esau, see Obadiah

The Prophet Obadiah. a prophecy to the modern House of Esau

The Prophecy of Obadiah is a Prophecy of the posterity of Jacob (especially of Joseph) against the posterity of Esau. This would be played out in the latter days in the New World: of South Americas (the Latinos) against North Americas (Canada and the United States).

The Targum of Jonathan; with Translation and Comments from ChatGPT

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Obadiah 1:1 נְבוּאַת עוֹבַדְיָה כִּדְנַן אֲמַר יְיָ אֱלֹהִים לֶאֱדוֹם בְּסוֹרָא שְׁמַעְנָא מִן קֳדָם יְיָ וְאִזְגַד בְּעַמְמַיָא שְׁלִיחַ קוּמוּ וְנִתְעַתַּד עֲלָהּ לִקְרָבָא:

The passage you provided is a fragment from the Book of Obadiah in the Bible, specifically focusing on the prophecy against Edom. Here is a translation and explanation of the text:

  • “נְבוּאַת עוֹבַדְיָה” (Nevu’at Ovadiah): “The prophecy of Obadiah.”
  • “כִּדְנַן אֲמַר יְיָ אֱלֹהִים” (Kidnan Amar YHVH Elohim): “As the Lord God said.”
  • “לֶאֱדוֹם” (Le-Edom): “Against Edom.”
  • “בְּסוֹרָא שְׁמַעְנָא מִן קֳדָם יְיָ” (Be-Sora Sh’ma-na Mi-kodam YHVH): “In the hearing of the Lord, we have heard.”
  • “וְאִזְגַד בְּעַמְמַיָא” (V’izgad B’am’maya): “And in the assembly of the people.”
  • “שְׁלִיחַ קוּמוּ וְנִתְעַתַּד עֲלָהּ” (Sh’li’ach Kumu V’nit’adad Alah): “The messenger, rise up and prepare yourself against it.”
  • “לִקְרָבָא” (Li-k’rava): “For battle” or “to fight.”

Putting it all together, a coherent translation would be:

“The prophecy of Obadiah: Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations. Arise, let us rise up against her for battle.”

This passage refers to a prophetic message from Obadiah about Edom, indicating that God has spoken against Edom, and a call to action is being issued to prepare for battle against Edom. The prophecy conveys the divine judgment and impending conflict against Edom, signaling a response to their actions or behavior.

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Obadiah 1:2 הָא חֲלָשׁ יְהַבְתָּךְ בְּעַמְמַיָא בְּסִיר אַתְּ לַחֲדָא:

The phrase you’ve provided can be translated as follows:

  • “הָא” (Ha): “This” or “Behold” (indicating attention or emphasis).
  • “חֲלָשׁ” (Chalas): “Weak” or “Feeble.”
  • “יְהַבְתָּךְ” (Yehav’tach): “Your giving” or “Your provision.”
  • “בְּעַמְמַיָא” (B’am’maya): “To the people” or “Among the people.”
  • “בְּסִיר” (B’sir): “In a pot” or “In a place” (context-specific, often referring to something hidden or contained).
  • “אַתְּ לַחֲדָא” (At’ l’chada): “You alone” or “Only you.”

Putting it together, the translation could be:

“Behold, your provision to the people is weak, you alone are in a contained place.”

This might imply that the support or resources you are providing are insufficient or limited, and that you are isolated or solitary in your current state or location. The context seems to reflect a critique or observation about one’s effectiveness or situation in relation to a larger group or setting.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:3 רְשַׁע לִבָּךְ אַטְעַיָךְ דְאַתְּ דָמֵי לְנִשְׁרָא דְשָׁרֵי בְשִׁינֵי כֵיפָא בְּרוֹמָא מוֹתְבֵיהּ אֲמַר בְּלִבֵּיהּ מַן יַחֲתִינַנִי לְאַרְעָא:

This text appears to be a piece of classical or mystical Hebrew writing, possibly with a tone of lamentation or reflection on divine justice or authority. Here is a breakdown of the translation:

  • “רְשַׁע לִבָּךְ” (Resha libecha): “Evil is in your heart” or “Your heart is wicked” (indicating a moral or spiritual state).
  • “אַטְעַיָךְ” (At’ayach): “Your intentions” or “Your plans” (referring to one’s actions or schemes).
  • “דְאַתְּ דָמֵי לְנִשְׁרָא” (D’atei damay l’nishra): “That you are like the blood of an eagle” (suggesting that one’s actions are as significant or impactful as the blood of an eagle, a metaphorical or possibly symbolic statement).
  • “דְשָׁרֵי בְשִׁינֵי כֵיפָא” (D’sharei b’shinei keifa): “Which are tied with the teeth of a horse” or “Bound by the teeth of a horse” (symbolizing a strong and perhaps harsh or controlling force).
  • “בְּרוֹמָא מוֹתְבֵיהּ” (B’roma mot’vayhu): “In Rome, his dwelling” or “In Rome, it is situated” (implying a significant or prominent place or position).
  • “אֲמַר בְּלִבֵּיהּ” (Amar b’libeihu): “Says in his heart” or “He says in his heart” (referring to internal thoughts or sentiments).
  • “מַן יַחֲתִינַנִי לְאַרְעָא” (Man yachat’ni l’ar’a): “Who will bring me down to the ground?” or “Who will cast me down to the earth?” (a rhetorical question about vulnerability or the potential for downfall).

So, a possible translation of this passage might be:

“Evil is in your heart; your intentions are like the blood of an eagle bound by the teeth of a horse in Rome. He says in his heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the earth?'”

This text seems to reflect on the tension between power or high status and the ultimate vulnerability to divine or cosmic forces that can alter one’s fate. The imagery of eagles and horses could symbolize various elements of power and control, and the rhetorical question expresses a sense of invulnerability or challenge to divine authority.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:4 אִם תְּרִים כְּנִשְׁרָא וְאִם בֵּינֵי כוֹכְבַיָא תְּשַׁוֵי מְדוֹרָךְ מִתַּמָן אַחֲתִינָךְ אֲמַר יְיָ:

The text you’re referring to seems to be expressing a statement or prophecy involving celestial imagery. Here’s a translation and breakdown of the meaning:

  • “אִם תְּרִים כְּנִשְׁרָא” (Im terim k’nishra): “If you lift yourself like an eagle” or “If you ascend like an eagle” (using the metaphor of an eagle to signify elevation or high status).
  • “וְאִם בֵּינֵי כוֹכְבַיָא” (V’im b’nei kochavaya): “And if among the stars” or “And if among the constellations” (referring to celestial or high positions).
  • “תְּשַׁוֵי מְדוֹרָךְ” (T’shavi m’dorach): “You make your dwelling” or “You set your dwelling” (implying establishing a place or status).
  • “מִתַּמָן אַחֲתִינָךְ” (Mitan achatinach): “From there, I will bring you down” or “From there, I will bring you back” (referring to a divine or prophetic action of lowering or returning).
  • “אֲמַר יְיָ” (Amar Yah): “Says the Lord” or “Says YHVH.”

So, the text can be translated as:

“If you lift yourself like an eagle, and if you set your dwelling among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord.”

This passage uses the imagery of high elevation and celestial dwelling to emphasize that no matter how high or secure one might feel, divine intervention or judgment can bring them down. It conveys a message of divine authority and the inevitability of God’s will.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:5 אִם גַנָבִים אֲתוֹ עֲלָךְ אִם בְּזוֹזֵי לֵילְיָא אֵיכְדֵין הֲוֵיתָא דָמִיךְ עַד דִגְנָבוּ מִסִתְהוֹן וְאִם חָטוֹפִין כְּקִטוּפִין אָתוּ עֲלָךְ הֲלָא מַשְׁאֲרִין עוֹלְלָן:

The text you’re referring to is examining how Esau’s situation has changed or been affected by external actions such as theft or plundering. Here’s a breakdown of the translation and meaning:

  • “אִם גַנָבִים אֲתוֹ עֲלָךְ” (Im ganavim ato alach): “If thieves have come upon you” or “If thieves have come against you.”
  • “אִם בְּזוֹזֵי לֵילְיָא” (Im bezosei leilya): “Or if plunderers of the night” or “Or if night marauders” (referring to those who steal or plunder during the night).
  • “אֵיכְדֵין” (Eichdin): “How” or “in what way.”
  • “הֲוֵיתָא דָמִיךְ” (Havita damich): “Is your blood” or “your situation” (literal and figurative meaning can be intended).
  • “עַד דִגְנָבוּ מִסִתְהוֹן” (Ad dignavu mistihon): “Until they have stolen from it” or “until they have taken from it.”
  • “וְאִם חָטוֹפִין כְּקִטוּפִין” (V’im chatofin k’kitufin): “And if robbers like those who harvest” (comparing robbers to harvesters).
  • “אָתוּ עֲלָךְ” (Atu alach): “Come upon you” or “have come upon you.”
  • “הֲלָא מַשְׁאֲרִין עוֹלְלָן” (Hala mash’arim ol’lan): “Are not the despoilers (or plunderers) ruining them?” or “Aren’t the despoilers (or thieves) ravaging them?”

Putting it together:

“And you will say, ‘Receive my petition, Lord God. Do you see, they are saying to me: Isn’t it true that it is delayed or suspended?'”

The text is questioning how the situation, particularly in the context of loss or damage, relates to the actions of thieves or robbers. It’s inquiring how Esau’s fortunes or circumstances have been impacted by such external threats or attacks.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:6 אֵיכְדֵין אִתְבְּלֵשׁ עֵשָׂו אִתְגַלְיָן מַטְמוֹרוֹהִי:

The phrase translates to:

“How did Esau’s hidden things become revealed?”

Breaking it down:

  • “אֵיכְדֵין” (Eichdin): This means “how” or “in what way.”
  • “אִתְבְּלֵשׁ” (It’bleish): This means “to be revealed” or “to become exposed.”
  • “עֵשָׂו” (Esav): Refers to Esau, a biblical figure known for his conflict with Jacob (Israel).
  • “אִתְגַלְיָן” (It’galyan): This means “to be revealed” or “to come to light.”
  • “מַטְמוֹרוֹהִי” (Matmorohi): This means “his secrets” or “hidden things.”

So the phrase asks about how Esau’s secrets or hidden aspects became exposed or revealed. It reflects a curiosity or inquiry into how the concealed or unknown aspects of Esau’s character or situation have become known.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:7 מִן תְּחוּמָךְ אַגְלְיוּךְ כֹּל אֱנָשָׁא קְיָמָךְ אַטְעֲיוּךְ יְכִילוּ לָךְ אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלָמָךְ אָכְלֵי פְתוֹרָךְ שַׁוִיאוּ תַקְלָא תְּחוֹתָךְ מִדְלֵית בָּךְ סוּכְלְתָנוּ:

The passage translates to:

“From your territory, I will expel all people. Your standing will be challenged, and the people of your peace will consume your bread. They will turn away from you and become enemies, and you will suffer disgrace beneath them due to your own folly.”

Breaking it down:

  • “From your territory, I will expel all people”: Indicates that from the area or domain of the person being addressed, all inhabitants will be removed or driven out.
  • “Your standing will be challenged”: Suggests that the status or position of the individual will be questioned or undermined.
  • “The people of your peace will consume your bread”: Refers to those who were once allies or friends (the “people of your peace”) will now benefit from or take advantage of the individual’s resources (“consume your bread”).
  • “They will turn away from you and become enemies”: Implies a reversal of loyalty, where former allies will become adversaries.
  • “And you will suffer disgrace beneath them due to your own folly”: Indicates that the individual will experience dishonor or disgrace, which is attributed to their own mistakes or misjudgments.

This passage reflects a prophecy or statement about a significant downfall and betrayal, where allies become enemies, leading to the individual’s disgrace.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:8 הֲלָא בְּעִדָנָא הַהִיא אֲמַר יְיָ וְאוֹבֵד חַכִּימִין מֵאֱדוֹם וְכָל גְבַר דְבֵיהּ סוּכְלְתָנוּתָא מִכְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו:

The passage translates to:

“Is it not at that time that the Lord said: ‘And He will destroy the wise men from Edom, and all the men of his house will be removed from the region of Esau’?”

In this context:

  • “Is it not at that time”: Refers to a specific period or event.
  • “The Lord said”: Indicates a divine proclamation or prophecy.
  • “He will destroy the wise men from Edom”: Suggests that the knowledgeable or influential individuals from Edom (often associated with the descendants of Esau) will be removed or eliminated.
  • “And all the men of his house will be removed from the region of Esau”: Implies that the entire household or lineage associated with Esau will be displaced or destroyed.

The passage is referencing a prophecy or statement from God about the downfall and removal of the wise and influential people from Edom, along with the entire lineage associated with the region of Esau.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:9 וְיִתַּבְּרוּן גִבָּרָךְ יַתְבֵי דָרוֹמָא בְּדִיל דְיִשְׁתֵּיצֵי גְבַר דְבֵיהּ צוֹרְבָא מִכְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו מִקְטוֹל:

The passage translates to:

“And your warriors will be strengthened, the men of the south, so that they will remain secure, for the man of the house of the fortress from the region of Esau will be killed.”

In this passage:

  • “And your warriors will be strengthened”: Refers to the fortification or empowerment of your defenders or warriors.
  • “The men of the south”: Indicates those from the southern regions, possibly allies or inhabitants of southern territories.
  • “So that they will remain secure”: Implies that they will be protected and safe.
  • “For the man of the house of the fortress from the region of Esau will be killed”: Suggests that a key adversary or a significant figure from the region associated with Esau (often representing Edom or its descendants) will be defeated or eliminated.

This passage speaks to the strengthening and security of your forces, particularly those from the southern regions, in the context of a significant threat or opponent from the region of Esau.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:10 מֵחֲטוֹף אֲחוּךְ יַעֲקֹב תַּחְפִּינָךְ בִּהֲתָא וְתִשְׁתֵּיצֵי לַעֲלָם:

The passage translates to:

“From the captivity of the end, Jacob will hide you in safety, and you will remain forever.”

In this passage:

  • “From the captivity of the end”: Refers to a period of final or ultimate captivity or distress.
  • “Jacob will hide you in safety”: Indicates that Jacob (symbolic of the people of Israel) will provide protection and shelter for you.
  • “You will remain forever”: Suggests that you will be preserved or sustained eternally.

This passage conveys a promise of protection and enduring safety despite a period of severe captivity or distress, with Jacob (representative of the people or heritage of Israel) ensuring that you are kept safe and that this state of safety will be everlasting.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:11 בְּיוֹם מְקִימָךְ מִקְבֵיל בְּיוֹמָא דְבָזוּ עַמְמַיָא נִכְסוֹהִי וְנִכְרָאִין עָלוּ בְקִרְוֹהִי וְעַל יְרוּשְׁלֵם רְמוֹ עַדְבִין אַף אַתְּ כְּחַד מִנְהוֹן:

The passage translates to:

“On the day you are established, you will receive on the day of their judgment, when the possessions of the nations are taken and seized in their cities and on Jerusalem, and you will be like one of them.”

In this passage:

  • “On the day you are established”: Refers to the time when you are firmly established or come into your own.
  • “You will receive on the day of their judgment”: Indicates that you will be involved or take part in the events of judgment.
  • “When the possessions of the nations are taken and seized in their cities and on Jerusalem”: Refers to the seizure or removal of the possessions of various nations, including those in Jerusalem.
  • “And you will be like one of them”: Suggests that you will be treated or considered as one of those who are being judged or seized.

This passage implies a future time when, upon being established, you will experience or participate in the judgment and seizure of possessions from various nations and Jerusalem, and will be regarded similarly to those being judged.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:12 וְדַחֲזֵיתָא בְיוֹמָא דְאֲחוּךְ בְּיוֹם תְּבִירֵיהּ וְדַחֲדִיתָא לִבְנֵי יְהוּדָה בְּיוֹם תְּבִירְהוֹן וּדְאַסְגֵיתָא לְמַלָלָא רַבְרְבָן בְּעִדַן עָקָא:

The passage translates to:

“And you will see on the day of the end, on the day of their judgment, and you will be distressed for the children of Judah on the day of their judgment, and you will be carried away to a great assembly at that time.”

In this passage:

  • “You will see on the day of the end”: Refers to witnessing events at the end times or at the conclusion of a period of reckoning.
  • “On the day of their judgment”: Indicates the specific day when judgment is passed on the people.
  • “You will be distressed for the children of Judah”: Implies that you will feel sorrow or anguish concerning the fate of the children of Judah during their judgment.
  • “You will be carried away to a great assembly at that time”: Suggests that you will be taken to or gathered in a significant assembly or meeting during this period.

This passage describes a time of profound judgment and distress, where one will not only witness the end times and the judgment of others but also experience personal anguish for the fate of the children of Judah, culminating in a gathering or assembly at that critical moment.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:13 וּדְעַלְתָּא בְתַרְעֵי עַמִי בְּיוֹם תְּבִירְהוֹן וְדַחֲזֵיתָא אַף אַתְּ בְּבִישְׁתֵּיהּ בְּיוֹם תְּבִירֵיהּ וּדְאוֹשִׁיטְתָא יְדָךְ בְּנִכְסוֹהִי בְּיוֹם תְּבִירֵיהּ:

The passage translates to:

“And at that time, among the two peoples, on the day of their judgment, you will see even you being ashamed on the day of your judgment, and you will extend your hand towards their possessions on the day of your judgment.”

In this passage:

  • “At that time, among the two peoples”: Refers to a time when there will be judgment or reckoning involving two distinct groups or peoples.
  • “On the day of their judgment”: Indicates the specific time when these peoples will face divine judgment.
  • “You will see even you being ashamed”: Suggests that you (the addressed individual or group) will also experience shame or embarrassment on your own judgment day.
  • “You will extend your hand towards their possessions”: Implies that you will seek or desire what belongs to others during this judgment period.
  • “On the day of your judgment”: Reinforces that this will all occur during the time of reckoning for your own actions.

This passage highlights that everyone, including the addressed individual or group, will face judgment and potentially experience shame, while also desiring or reaching for the possessions of others during this period of divine reckoning.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:14 וּדְקַמְתָּא עַל פִּרְקָא לְשֵׁיצָאָה יַת מְעַרְקוֹהִי וְדִמְסַרְתָּא מְשֵׁיזְבוֹהִי בְּעִדַן עָקָא:

The passage translates to:

“And when you rise up to the judgment of retribution, your iniquities and the sins you have committed will be remembered and will be judged at that time.”

In this passage:

  • “When you rise up to the judgment of retribution”: Refers to the moment when one stands before divine judgment for their actions.
  • “Your iniquities and the sins you have committed will be remembered”: Indicates that all past wrongdoings will be brought to light and recalled.
  • “And will be judged at that time”: Implies that these iniquities and sins will be evaluated and judged during this period of reckoning.

This passage underscores the idea that all actions, especially wrongdoings, will be remembered and judged in the divine reckoning, reinforcing the principle of accountability and retribution.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:15 אֲרֵי קָרִיב יוֹמָא דְעָתִיד לְמֵיתֵי מִן קֳדָם יְיָ עַל כָּל עַמְמַיָא כְּמָא דַעֲבָדַת יִתְעֲבֵיד לָךְ גַמְלָךְ יִתְּתָב בְּרֵישָׁךְ:

The passage translates to:

“For when the day of the Lord approaches to bring judgment upon all the nations, just as you have done, so will it be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.”

In this passage:

  • “When the day of the Lord approaches”: Refers to a future time of divine judgment or reckoning.
  • “To bring judgment upon all the nations”: Indicates that all nations will be judged by God.
  • “Just as you have done, so will it be done to you”: Means that the nations will be judged according to their own actions.
  • “Your deeds will return upon your own head”: Suggests that the consequences of one’s actions will come back to affect them directly.

This passage emphasizes the principle of divine justice and retribution, where the nations will face the consequences of their own deeds in the coming judgment.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:16 אֲרֵי כְּמָא דַחֲדֵיתוּן עַל מְחַת טוּרָא דְקוּדְשִׁי יִשְׁתּוּן כָּל עַמְמַיָא כֵּס פּוּרְעֲנוּתְהוֹן תְּדִירָא וְיִשְׁתּוּן וְיִסְתַּלְעֲמוּן וִיהוֹן כִּדְלָא הֲווֹ:

The passage translates to:

“For as they have been gathered upon the mountain of holiness, all the nations will drink the cup of their punishment continually; they will drink and be erased, and they will be as though they had never been.”

In this passage:

  • “As they have been gathered upon the mountain of holiness”: Refers to the nations coming together or being judged on a sacred or holy mountain, which could symbolize a place of divine judgment.
  • “All the nations will drink the cup of their punishment continually”: Indicates that the nations will continually experience the consequences of their actions or divine retribution.
  • “They will drink and be erased”: Suggests that they will suffer punishment to the point of being completely wiped out or erased.
  • “And they will be as though they had never been”: Implies total obliteration or that they will be forgotten as if they had never existed.

This passage expresses a vision of severe judgment and punishment for the nations, leading to their complete destruction and erasure from history.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:17 וּבְטוּרָא דְצִיוֹן תְּהֵי מְשֵׁיזַבְתָּא וִיהוֹן קַדִישִׁין וְיַחְסְנוּן דְבֵית יַעֲקֹב נִכְסֵי עַמְמַיָא דַהֲווֹ מַחְסְנִין לְהוֹן:

The passage translates to:

“And on the mountain of Zion there will be a remnant, and there will be holy ones; and the house of Jacob will inherit the possessions of the nations that were their treasures.”

In this passage:

  • “On the mountain of Zion there will be a remnant”: Refers to a surviving group or faithful remnant that will remain in Zion (Jerusalem).
  • “There will be holy ones”: Indicates that this remnant will be composed of people who are consecrated or righteous.
  • “The house of Jacob will inherit the possessions of the nations”: Suggests that the Israelites (house of Jacob) will receive or reclaim the treasures and properties that belonged to the other nations.
  • “That were their treasures”: Emphasizes that these possessions were once considered valuable by those nations.

This passage conveys a vision of restoration and divine favor, where the faithful in Zion will remain and the house of Jacob will gain back valuable possessions from other nations.

~~~~~

Obadiah 1:18 וִיהוֹן דְבֵית יַעֲקֹב תְּקִיפִין כְּאֵשָׁתָא וּדְבֵית יוֹסֵף חֲסִינִין כְּשַׁלְהוֹבִיתָא וּדְבֵית עֵשָׂו חֲלָשִׁין כְּקַשָׁא וְיִשְׁלְטוּן בְּהוֹן וְיִקְטְלוֹנוּנוּן וְלָא יְהֵי שֵׁיזְבָא לְבֵית עֵשָׂו אֲרֵי יְיָ גְזִיר כֵּן:

The passage translates to:

“And the house of Jacob will be strong like a fire, and the house of Joseph will be fortified like a flame; but the house of Esau will be weak like stubble. They will dominate over them and will destroy them, and there will be no survivors for the house of Esau, for the Lord has decreed it.”

In this passage:

  • “The house of Jacob will be strong like a fire”: Symbolizes that the house of Jacob (representing the Israelites) will be powerful and enduring.
  • “The house of Joseph will be fortified like a flame”: Suggests that the house of Joseph (another representation of the Israelites) will be strong and intense in its power.
  • “The house of Esau will be weak like stubble”: Indicates that the house of Esau (representing Edom) will be weak and easily destroyed.
  • “They will dominate over them and will destroy them”: Refers to the Israelites’ eventual victory and dominance over the Edomites.
  • “There will be no survivors for the house of Esau”: Foretells total destruction of the house of Esau.
  • “For the Lord has decreed it”: Affirms that this outcome is divinely ordained.

This passage emphasizes the disparity in strength and the fate of the houses of Jacob, Joseph, and Esau, with a clear declaration of divine judgment and the ultimate triumph of the Israelites over their enemies.

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The Prophecy of Obadiah is a Prophecy of the posterity of Jacob (especially of Joseph) against the posterity of Esau. This would be played out in the latter days in the New World: of South Americas (the Latinos) against North Americas (Canada and the United States).

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Obadiah 1:19 וְיַחְסְנוּן יַתְבֵי דָרוֹמָא יַת כְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו וְיַתְבֵי שְׁפֶלְתָּא יַת אַרְעָא דִפְלִשְׁתָּאֵי וְיַחְסְנוּן יַת קִרְוֵי אֶפְרַיִם וְיַת קִרְוֵי שֹׁמְרוֹן וּדְבֵית בִּנְיָמִין יַת יַתְבֵי אַרְעָא דְגִלְעָד:

The passage translates to:

“And they will settle in the houses of the south, in the cities of Esau; and they will dwell in the lowlands, in the land of the Philistines; and they will settle in the cities of Ephraim and the cities of Samaria, and the house of Benjamin will dwell in the land of Gilead.”

In this passage:

  • “They will settle in the houses of the south, in the cities of Esau”: Refers to the settling of people in the southern regions, particularly in areas associated with Esau, which may denote regions historically linked to Edom.
  • “They will dwell in the lowlands, in the land of the Philistines”: Indicates that they will also settle in the lowland areas that were once occupied by the Philistines.
  • “They will settle in the cities of Ephraim and the cities of Samaria”: Specifies that the people will move to these historically significant regions within Israel.
  • “The house of Benjamin will dwell in the land of Gilead”: Indicates that the tribe of Benjamin will settle in Gilead, which is a region east of the Jordan River.

This passage describes the dispersion and resettlement of different groups within various significant historical and geographic areas, reflecting the wide-ranging impact of the exile or migration described.

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Obadiah 1:20 וְגָלוּת עַמָא הָדֵין דִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל דִבְאַרְעָא כְנַעֲנָאֵי עַד צָרְפַת וְגָלוּת יְרוּשְׁלֵם דִבְאַסְפַּמְיָא יַחְסְנוּן יַת קִרְוֵי אַרְעָא דְדָרוֹמָא:

The passage translates to:

“And the exile of the people, these children of Israel, from the land of Canaan to the land of Sepharad, and the exile of Jerusalem to the land of Aspamia; they will dwell in the cities of the southern land.”

In this passage:

  • “The exile of the people, these children of Israel”: Refers to the dispersion or exile of the Israelites.
  • “From the land of Canaan to the land of Sepharad”: Indicates a migration from Canaan to a place identified as Sepharad. Sepharad is often understood to refer to a region in the Iberian Peninsula or possibly a broader geographical area.
  • “The exile of Jerusalem to the land of Aspamia”: Suggests that the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be exiled to a place called Aspamia. Aspamia may refer to a region associated with the Persian Empire or a distant land.
  • “They will dwell in the cities of the southern land”: Implies that the exiled people will settle in the southern regions of their new locations.

This passage describes a significant dispersion of the Israelites to various regions, including a specific reference to the movement from Canaan and Jerusalem to other lands. It underscores the breadth of the exile and the dispersion of the people to different areas.

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Obadiah 1:21 וְיִסְקוּן מְשֵׁיזְבִין בְּטוּרָא דְצִיוֹן לְמֵידַן יַת כְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו וְתִתְגְלֵי מַלְכוּתָא דַייָ עַל כָּל יַתְבֵי אַרְעָא:

Here’s a breakdown and translation of the text:

  • וְיִסְקוּן מְשֵׁיזְבִין (Ve’yiskun Mesheizin): “And saviors will ascend” or “deliverers will go up.”
  • בְּטוּרָא דְצִיוֹן (Be’tura de’Tziyon): “On Mount Zion.”
  • לְמֵידַן (Le’medan): “To judge.”
  • יַת כְּרַכָּא דְעֵשָׂו (Yat Keraka de’Esav): “The mountain of Esau” or “the territory of Esau.”
  • וְתִתְגְלֵי מַלְכוּתָא דַייָ (Ve’tit’galei Malchuta de’YHWH): “And the kingdom of the Lord will be revealed.”
  • עַל כָּל יַתְבֵי אַרְעָא (Al kol yatvei ar’a): “Over all the inhabitants of the earth.”

Putting it together:

“And saviors will ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain (or territory) of Esau, and the kingdom of the Lord shall be revealed over all the inhabitants of the earth.”

This passage reflects a prophetic vision where deliverers or saviors rise up on Mount Zion to bring judgment upon Esau’s territory. This act symbolizes the establishment of divine justice and the ultimate revelation of God’s kingdom over the entire world. The phrase resonates with themes of redemption, judgment, and the universal reign of the divine.

For another revealing Study on Esau, see Obadiah

US in ‘fast lane’ to bankruptcy – Musk

•September 6, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Government overspending is to blame for inflation in America, the tech billionaire has argued

US in ‘fast lane’ to bankruptcy – Musk

RT World News • September 1, 2024

The US is rapidly moving towards bankruptcy because the government in Washington is spending too much money, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has warned.

On Thursday, Musk shared a post on his X (formerly Twitter) platform by another user, who cited a forecast from the US government budget for fiscal year 2025 that said that the budget deficit could increase from the current $1.8 trillion to almost $16.3 trillion by 2035.

“At current rates of government spending, America is in the fast lane to bankruptcy,” Musk wrote.

The tech billionaire also suggested that “government overspending is what causes inflation” in the country.

The US annual inflation rate dipped below 3% in July for the first time since 2021, according to a Labor Department report, issued two weeks ago. The prices for goods and services went up by 2.9%, while core inflation, which excludes food and energy industries, rose by 3.2% over the previous 12 months.

In late July, the US Treasury Department announced that the country’s national debt surpassed $35 trillion for the first time in history, increasing by a trillion since January.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicted that by 2034 the debt will exceed $50 trillion, amounting to more than 122% of America’s GDP. The CBO also said that it expects the country’s average annual GDP growth rate to be at around 1.8% from 2029 to 2034.

In June, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) think tank claimed that the national debt grew by $4.3 billion under incumbent US President Joe Biden, compared to $8.4 billion during Donald Trump’s term in office.

In August, Trump gave a lengthy interview to Musk on X. Shortly after that, the Republican presidential candidate said that he would consider the tech billionaire, whom he described as a “brilliant guy,” for a role in his administration if he wins the election in November. Musk replied to the offer in a post, stressing that he is “willing to serve.”

Book of Jasher (3-4)

•September 5, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

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All the days that Enoch lived upon earth were three hundred and sixty-five years

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.

Enoch Carried Into Heaven in a Chariot 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.

The Treaty of Aigun (1858)

•September 4, 2024 • Leave a Comment

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Under the Treaty of Aigun of 1858, Russia plundered over 600,000 square kilometers (231,660 sq mi) of land from the Qing Dynasty of China known as Outer Manchuria

Reuters • September 2, 2024

Speaking in an interview with a Taiwanese television station broadcast late on Sunday, Taiwan President Lai, who China calls a “separatist,” brought up the 1858 Treaty of Aigun in which China signed over a vast tract of land in what is now Russia’s far east to the Russian empire, forming much of the present day border along the Amur River.

“If China wants Taiwan it should also take back land from Russia,” Taiwan President Lai Ching-te says; referring the to land lost throught the Treaty of Aigun 1858.

China’s Qing dynasty, then in terminal decline, originally refused to ratify the treaty but it was affirmed two years later in the Convention of Peking, one of what China refers to as the “unequal” treaties with foreign powers in the 19th Century.

Wikipeadia (Treaty of Aigun of 1858)

The Treaty of Aigun was an 1858 treaty between the Russian Empire and Yishan, official of the Qing dynasty of China. It established much of the modern border between the Russian Far East and China by ceding much of Manchuria (the ancestral homeland of the Manchu people), now known as Northeast China.

Negotiations began after China was threatened with war on a second front by Governor-General of the Far East Nikolay Muraviev when China was suppressing the Taiping Rebellion. It reversed the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) by transferring the land between the Stanovoy Range and the Amur River from the Qing dynasty to the Russian Empire.

Russia received over 600,000 square kilometers (231,660 sq mi) of what became known as Outer Manchuria. While the Qing government initially refused to recognize the validity of the treaty, the Russian gains under the Treaty of Aigun was affirmed as part of the 1860 Sino-Russian Convention of Peking.

Background

Since the reign of Catherine the Great (1762 – 1796), Russia had desired to become a naval power in the Pacific. It gradually achieved its goals by annexing the Kamchatka Peninsula and establishing the naval outpost of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in 1740, naval outposts in Russian America and near the Amur watershed, encouraging Russians to go there and settle, and slowly developing a strong military presence in the Amur region.

From 1850 to 1864, when China was heavily involved in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion, and Governor-General of the Far East Nikolay Muraviev camped tens of thousands of troops on the borders of Mongolia and Manchuria, preparing to make legal Russian de facto control over the Amur from past settlement.

Muraviev seized the opportunity when it was clear that China was losing the Second Opium War, and threatened China with a war on a second front. The Qing dynasty agreed to enter negotiations with Russia.

Signing

The Russian general Muraviev and the Qing official Yishan, both military governors of the area, signed the treaty on May 28, 1858, in the town of Aigun. The Qing government initially refused to ratify the treaty and considered the treaty invalid, but in 1860 the Sino-Russian Convention of Peking affirmed Russian gains under the Treaty of Aigun and also ceded Primorye and the Ussuri region to the Russians.

Effects

The resulting treaty established a border between the Russian and Chinese Empires along the Amur River. (Chinese and Manchu residents of the Sixty-Four Villages East of the River would be allowed to remain, under the jurisdiction of Manchu government.)

The Amur, Sungari, and Ussuri rivers were to be open exclusively to both Chinese and Russian ships. The territory bounded on the west by the Ussuri, on the north by the Amur, and on the east and south by the Sea of Japan was to be jointly administered by Russia and China—a “condominium” arrangement similar to that which the British and Americans had agreed upon for the Oregon Territory in the Treaty of 1818.(Russia gained sole control of this land two years later.)

  • The inhabitants along the Amur, Sungari, and Ussuri rivers were to be allowed to trade with each other.
  • The Russians would retain Russian and Manchu copies of the text, and the Chinese would retain Manchu and Mongolian copies of the text.
  • All restrictions on trade to be lifted along the border.

Perception in China

In China, especially after the rise of Chinese nationalism in the 1920s, the treaty has been denounced as an unequal treaty.

Genesis (39-40)

•September 3, 2024 • Leave a Comment

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Genesis 39

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down thither. — and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian;

— as his name also shows, which signifies the fruit of Pot or Phut, that is, the son or grandson of one of that name; which might be common in Egypt, since it was the name of a son of Ham, Genesis 10:6, from whom Joseph came into the land of Egypt; called the land of Ham, Psalm 105:23;

And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. — Joseph was banished from his father’s house, but the Lord was with him; it is God’s presence that make him prosperous;

And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. — which led to the conviction of Potiphar concerning Joseph was of remarkable success which he saw attending all his efforts and undertakings.

And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him. And he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. — and he made him overseer over his house; that is, after he had served him some time, he advanced Joseph and made him the head servant, or steward of his house;

And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field.

— that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; that is, much more than before; everything under his hands succeeded, now much more abundantly;

And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not anything he had, save the bread which he ate. And Joseph was a goodly person, and wellfavored. — everything went on smoothly; and with Joseph as manager he had no need to think of a thing, except as regards food.

And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, “Lie with me.” — lie with me; now directly, there being both opportunity and convenience, perhaps her chamber was near: this was a very great temptation to a young man in single life and living well, from his mistress;

But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, “Behold, my master knoweth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. — but he refused, and said unto his master’s wife; reasoning with her about the evil nature of the crime she tempted him to;

There is none greater in this house than I, neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” — how can I do this great wickedness? how can I, to whom my master has shown so much kindness, when I was a forlorn stranger from a foreign land, and was offered to him in the capacity of a slave; 

— and sin against God? the words are emphatic, “this! this wickedness! this great one!” adultery was reckoned a great sin among all nations, and this, had Joseph committed it;

10 And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her to lie by her or to be with her. — he avoided her company and familiar conversation, as evil in itself, the present circumstances considered, and as an occasion of further evil.

11 And it came to pass about this time that Joseph went into the house to do his business, and there were none of the men of the house there within. — and there was none of the men of the house there within; being all gone to the public festival, or however there were none in that part of the house where Joseph was;

— Joseph resists the daily solicitations of his master’s wife to lie with her. “None greater in this house than I” he pleads the unreserved trust his master had reposed in him.

12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and got himself out. — and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out; it was his outward loose garment she laid hold on, out of which he slipped himself, and so got clear of her, and ran away;

13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled forth, — his garment; this accident provided the only circumstantial piece of evidence for the charge brought against him;

14 that she called unto the men of her house and spoke unto them, saying, “See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us. He came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice. — see, he hath brought in an Hebrew; to mock us, an affected and blind aspersion of her husband for keeping in his house an Hebrew, the very abomination of Egyptians;

15 And it came to pass when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me and fled, and got himself out.” — when this daring assault upon Joseph’s chastity had failed, the adulterous woman reversed the whole affair, and charged him with an attack upon her modesty;

16 And she laid aside his garment by her until his lord came home. — and she laid up his garment by her; as a proof of what she laid to his charge, and as a testimony against him;

17 And she spoke unto him according to these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom thou hast brought unto us came in unto me to mock me. — the Hebrew servant whom thou hast brought unto us; thus she makes her husband accessory to the crime;

18 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me and fled out.” — she then left the garment lying by her side till the return of Joseph’s master, to whom she repeated her tale;

19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke unto him, saying, “After this manner did thy servant to me,” that his wrath was kindled. — her husband believes her story and naturally resents the supposed unfaithfulness of his slave;

20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison. — in prison; usually a subterranean dungeon; He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. Proverbs 18:13

21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. — and the Lord was with Joseph; under his afflictions; supporting him with his right hand; sanctifying all his troubles to him, and so causing him to bear them patiently;

— and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison; who was the underkeeper to Potiphar;

22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. — and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it; not that he did everything that was done in the prison: but the meaning is that he gave orders for the doing of everything, and there was nothing done without his supervision;

23 The keeper of the prison looked not into any thing that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him; and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper. — the keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand; under the hand of Joseph; he took no account of what was in his hands, nor required any of him.

Genesis 40

1 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. — butler; one who gives to drink, cupbearer; also overseer of the royal vineyards, as well as the cellars; having, probably, some hundreds of people under him.

And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers—against the chief of the butlers and against the chief of the bakers. — who both were employed in providing wine and food for him, there was one of each who was over the rest;

— and as their business was to see that those under them did their work well, when they were faulty the principal officers were answerable for it: yet they might have neglected to look after those that were under them, and so were culpable, and drew upon them the wrath and resentment of their lord.

And he put them under guard in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. — Pharaoh put them in prison; whatever was their crime until their case could be investigated, to the custody of the captain of the guard, that is, Potiphar, in an outer part of whose house the royal prison was situated.

And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; and they continued a season under guard. — and the captain of the guard charged Joseph to his care and custody.

And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. — these prisoners dream, “each according to the interpretation of his dream,” the imagery of which was suited to indicate his future state.

And Joseph came in unto them in the morning and looked upon them, and behold, they were sad. — they were sad; they looked sorrowful, dejected, and uneasy;

And he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the guard of his lord’s house, saying, “Why look ye so sadly today?”

And they said unto him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” And Joseph said unto them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you.” — do not interpretations belong to God? for it is only that God who sends these dreams that can interpret them, and to him you should seek for it.

The chief butler told his dream to Joseph

And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was before me.

10 And in the vine were three branches; and it was as though it budded and her blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes.

11 And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”

12 And Joseph said unto him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. — speaking as an inspired interpreter, Joseph told the butler that within three days he would be restored to all the honors and privileges of his office;

13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head and restore thee unto thy place; and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.

14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me; and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. — and show kindness unto me; he pleads no merit for what he had done in interpreting his dream,

— but puts the good office he desires him to do for him upon the foot of kindness to a man in distress, and asks it as a favour, by way of entreaty and request;

15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.” — since he had been in the land of Egypt, he had not been guilty of any criminal action wherefore he should be put into a prison, and especially into a dungeon, a dark and filthy place under ground, as dungeons usually were;

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and behold, I had three white baskets on my head.

The chief baker also had a dream

17 And in the uppermost basket there were all manner of baked meats for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket upon my head.”

18 And Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days.

19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.”

20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.

21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand; — the Targum of Jonathan adds this as a reason of his being restored, “because he found that he was not in that counsel,” in which it was consulted to poison Pharaoh;

22 but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. — but he hanged the chief baker; that is; the Pharaoh ordered the chief baker to be hanged; because, as the same Targum says, the chief baker had conspired to kill him (Pharaoh).

23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him. — the Targum of Jonathan says:

But because, Joseph had withdrawn from the mercy that is above, and had put his confidence in the chief butler and waited on the flesh, therefore the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him, until the time of the end when the Lord came that he should be released.

Book of Jasher (1-2)

•September 2, 2024 • Leave a Comment

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“How are the mighty fallen!” II Samuel 1:18-27

Some experts believe the Book of Jasher could be one of the collections of Oral traditions that the Israelites had kept, but soon committed to writing as early as Joshua’s time as we know it today.

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in Joshua 10 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan. “How are the mighty fallen!”

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.

Genesis (37-38)

•September 1, 2024 • Leave a Comment
Jacob and Esau reconcilling with each other, surrounded by families

Genesis 37

1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. — in Genesis 36:6, we read that Esau went into a land away from Jacob. Upon this follows in Genesis 37:8, “And Esau dwelt in Mount Seir;”

— and now the necessary information concerning the other brother is given to us, “And Jacob dwelt in peace (Jonathan) in the land . . . of Canaan,” which is north of Mount Seir;

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought unto his father an evil report about them.

— and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his secondary wives or concubines; Joseph is the favorite of his father, but not of his brethren; especially those born of Leah; retaining the old grudge of their mother perhaps;

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colors.

— a coat of many colours; two explanations are given of this phrase; the first, that it was a long garment with sleeves or fringes; the other, that it was composed of patchwork of various colours; perhaps an upper coat reaching to the wrists and ankles, such as noblemen and kings’ daughters wore.

And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him. — they not only inwardly hated him, but they could not conceal their hatred, but betrayed it by their speech unto him; they could not speak to him on any occasion, but in a cross, surly, ill natured manner;

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren; and they hated him yet the more. — as a dream; not understanding it; he told it not with any design to affront them, but as an amusement, and for their diversion, there being something in it odd and ridiculous, as he himself might think;

— and they hated him yet more; not only because he had carried an ill report of them to his father, but still more because of this dream; the meaning of which they at once understood, though he did not, which yet they supposed he did, and that he told them it in a boasting manner, just to irritate them.

And he said unto them, “Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: — hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed; hear now, immediately, directly, lest they should forget it;

For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.” — the sheaves which his brethren bound up, they also stood upright, and all around his sheaf, and bowed unto it; so it appeared to him in his dream; so that his brethren hate him still more;

And his brethren said to him, “Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?” And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. — but this dream was evidently symbolical; its meaning easily discerned, and the brothers became furious;

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren and said, “Behold, I have dreamed one dream more; and behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.” — yet another dream; this repetition of the same thing in another shape, might have taught them that it was both certain and very observable;

— behold the sun and the moon; his father and mother, here signified by the sun and moon, were not represented in the first dream, because, in the event, his brethren only went at first to Egypt, and there did him obeisance, and it was not till afterward that his father went with them; and even then, both Rachel and Leah had died;

10 And he told it to his father and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him and said unto him, “What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?”

— shall I, thy mother, and thy brethren, indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee? whereby it plainly shows he understood the meaning of the dream, though he would not seem to countenance it;

— and by the “moon” his wife, by whom is meant Rachel, the real mother of Joseph, who was dead; or rather Leah, who was now Jacob’s only true wife, and the stepmother of Joseph; or else Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, who since her death was a mother to Joseph; 

11 And his brethren envied him, but his father observed the saying. — and his brethren envied him; notwithstanding all the precaution Jacob took to prevent it; they suspecting and fearing that these dreams portended the pre-eminence of Joseph over them, or however served to fill his mind with the hopes and expectation of it:

— but his father observed the saying; what Joseph had said in relating his dream; he laid it up in his mind and kept it there, often thought of it, and waited to see its accomplishment.

12 And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. — Shechem belonged to Jacob; part of it by purchase, and the rest by conquest; Jacob’s sons seem to have retained Shechem, by right of their high-handed proceedings; related to Dinah in Genesis 34:27-29.

13 And Israel said unto Joseph, “Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them.” And he said to him, “Here am I.” — and he said unto him, here am I; showing his readiness to obey his father, though it was a long journey, and he to go it alone.

14 And he said to him, “Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren and well with the flocks, and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of the Vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. — so he sent him out of the vale of Hebron: the same with the plains of Mamre near the city of Hebron, which was built on a hill: and he came to Shechem: after he had travelled sixty miles.

15 And a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, “What seekest thou?” — and the man asked him, saying, what seekest thou? seeing him walking about, and first looking one way, and then another, concluded he was in search of something, either of some man or of some creature, a sheep or an ox that was lost;

16 And he said, “I seek my brethren. Tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.” — tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks; in what part of the country they are, what field they are in, how far to it, and which the way.

17 And the man said, “They have departed hence, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. — Dothan; this town was twelve miles north of Shechem, and is famous as being the place where Elisha struck the Syrian army with blindness (II Kings 6:13-23);

18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. — when they saw him they conspired against him; it was not in a heat, or upon a sudden provocation, that they thought to slay him, but from malice prepense, and in cold blood;

19 And they said one to another, “Behold, this dreamer cometh. — this dreamer; Heb, this lord of dreams, or Jonathan identying the brothers as Simeon and Levi, and say, “this master of dreams” cometh, a phrase expressive of contempt.

20 Come now therefore and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, ‘Some evil beast hath devoured him’; and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” — cast him into some pit; partly, as unworthy of burial; partly, to cover their villanous action; and partly, that they might quickly put him out of their sight and minds;

— some evil beast hath devoured him; which would seem plausible, since wild beasts were frequent in those parts, as lions and bears; and we shall see what will become of his dreams;

21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands and said, “Let us not kill him.” — and Reuben heard it; overheard what they said, not being in the consultation; perhaps knowing his temper and disposition to be more mild and gentle;

— and being the eldest, Reuben knew he had responsibility for all his brothers in general; hence opposed such murderous proposal;

22 And Reuben said unto them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him” — Reuben said unto them, shed no blood that he might free him out of their hands to deliver him to his father again.

23 And it came to pass, when Joseph had come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him; — that they stripped, Joseph his coat of many colours, that was on him; that with his coat of many colours;

24 and they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. — and the pit was empty, there was no water in it; only serpents and scorpions, as the Targum of Jonathan says;

25 And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry them down to Egypt. — a caravan of Ishmaelites; Dothan was situated on the great caravan line by which the products of India and Western Asia were brought to Egypt.

26 And Judah said unto his brethren, “What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? — one who know about the value of money, asks, what profit is it if (literally, what of advantage that) we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brethren were content. — the brothers readily approved of Judah’s suggestion to dispose of their obnoxious brother as a slave.

28 Then there passed by Midianite merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt. — twenty pieces of silver; the money was probably in rings or pieces (shekels), and silver is always mentioned in the records of that early age before gold;

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. — Reuben returned; evidently he was not present when Joseph was sold to the Midianites; and he rent his clothes; as a token of distress and anguish of mind, of sorrow and mourning;

30 And he returned unto his brethren and said, “The child is no more; and I, whither shall I go?” — the child comparatively to his brethren, as he was just seventeen years old, Genesis 37:2.

31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid from the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood. — and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; that being, as the Targum of Jonathan says, “like the blood of a man.”

32 And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “This have we found. Know now whether it be thy son’s coat or not?” — under the influence of Satan, men taught themselves to commit one sin, then teaches them to try to conceal it with another; to hide theft and murder, with lying and false oaths:

— an atrocious crime of lying and false oaths are great wickedness, which is dealt with in Zechariah 5 (the flyinf scroll);

33 And he knew it, and said, “It is my son’s coat. An evil beast hath devoured him. Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.” — an evil beast hath devoured him; this was natural to conclude from the condition the coat was in, and from the country he was sent into, which abounded with wild beasts;

— and was the very thing Joseph’s brethren contrived to say themselves; and in this view they wished and hoped the affair would be considered, and so their wickedness concealed;

34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. — many days; Jacob mourned for Joseph not merely during the usual period, or years, as days sometimes signify; twenty two years, but so long as to move even the hearts of those who had wronged him.

Jacob saw the Coat of many colours in blood and rent his clothes

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I will go down into the grave unto my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. — and all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; his sons must act a most hypocritical part in this affair;

— and as for his daughters, it is not easy to say who they were, since he had but one daughter that we read of, whose name was Dinah: his father wept for him; that is, his father Isaac, as the Targum of Jonathan, he wept for his son Jacob on account of his trouble and distress; as well as for his grandson Joseph; 

36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s and captain of the guard. — and the Midianites sold him into Egypt; or Medanites, who sprung from Medan, a brother of Midian, and son of Keturah;

— Potiphar; Captain of the guard; Heb, chief of the slaughterers, by which the LXX understand the slaughterers of animals for food, and translate “chief cook;” other versions understand by it the commander of the king’s body-guard,

Joseph Betrayed into Egypt

Genesis 38

And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned unto a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. — Judah went down from his brethren; withdrew for a time from his father’s family, and got intimately acquainted with one Hirah an Adullamite; of the city of Adullam; a city which afterwards fell to the tribe of Judah;

And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her. — an Adullamite; a Canaanitish woman; which was forbidden by his ancestors Abraham and Isaac, and which his father avoided:

— but Jonathan says he proselyted her, her father’s name was Shua, not the name of the woman he married, and he took her; to be his wife, with her father’s consent, but her name wasn’t mentioned, as Shua was the name of her father, as appears from Genesis 38:12;

And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. — he called his name Er; which signifies a “watchman”: but the reason of the name given by the Targum of Jonathan is, “because he should die without children;”

And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. — and she called his name Onan; the first son Judah gave the name to, but his wife named the second child, so called from grief or sorrow; the reason of it, according to the above Targum, was, “because his father would have to mourn for him;”

And she yet again conceived and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. And he was at Chezib when she bore him. — and called his name Shelah; as she was at Chezib when she bare him; Chezib is the name of a place, by some taken to be the same with Achzib or Ecdippe;

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. — and Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn; chose one for him, and presented her to him for his liking, whom he approving of married: whose name was Tamar;

— the Targum of Jonathan says, she was the daughter of Shem; of course “daughter” could mean granddaughter or just principally female from the posterity of Shem;

And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him. — and Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; that is, exceedingly wicked, as this phrase signifies, Genesis 13:13; perhaps of some unnatural abomination; but what is not mentioned;

And Judah said unto Onan, “Go in unto thy brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.” — the law later given through Moses, by which the brother of the dead husband was required to marry the widow, 

And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. — that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give his seed to his brother: lest his brother’s wife he had married should conceive by him, and bear a son that should be called his brother’s, and inherit his estate;

10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He slew him also. — it was also a sin against the divine institution of marriage and its object of populating the earth, and was therefore punished by the Lord with sudden death.

11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow at thy father’s house, until Shelah my son is grown”; for he said, “Lest perhaps he die also, as his brethren did.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house. — and Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house; she had dwelt separately in the time of her two husbands, but now by his advice she removed to her own father’s house; 

12 And in process of time, the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. — Time passed; and Judah’s wife, Shua’s daughter, died; and when the time of mourning was over, Judah with his friend Hirah of Adullam went to Timnah for the sheep shearing.

13 And it was told Tamar, saying, “Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

14 And she put her widow’s garments off from her and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him as wife. — for she saw that Shelah was grown: and she was not given unto him as a wife: to her disappointment;

15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot, because she had covered her face.

16 And he turned unto her on the wayside and said, “Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee” (for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law). And she said, “What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?” — when Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; by her posture and the place she was in;

17 And he said, “I will send thee a kid from the flock.” And she said, “Wilt thou give me a pledge until thou send it?” — a kid from the flock; a goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued!

18 And he said, “What pledge shall I give thee?” And she said, “Thy signet and thy bracelets and thy staff that is in thine hand.” And he gave it to her and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. — signet, bracelets, including armlets, were worn by men as well as women among these ancients; the Septuagint version renders, “thy ring”; the ring upon his finger;

19 And she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. — and she arose and went away; to her father’s house immediately, as soon as ever she had parted with Judah; and lest she should be found out;

20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he found her not. — to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand; his signet, bracelets, and staff, or whatever they were: but he found her not; for she had gone from the place where she sat;

21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the harlot who was openly by the wayside?” And they said, “There was no harlot in this place.” — and they said, there was no harlot in this place; they had not known any harlot to frequent that place lately, and Tamar sat there so short a time as not to have been observed by them.

22 And he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her, and also the men of the place said that there was no harlot in this place.” — there was no harlot in this place; by which it appears, that near the place where Tamar was;

23 And Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.” — Judah said, “Let her have it then. If we keep looking, everyone will shame us. I kept my part of the bargain; I sent the kid goat but you couldn’t find her.”

24 And it came to pass about three months after that it was told Judah, saying, “Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom.” And Judah said, “Bring her forth, and let her be burned.”

— let her be burnt; as being by law, Tamar was condemned by Judah as head of the family, to the punishment usual for adultery.

25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man whose these are, am I with child.” And she said, “Discern, I pray thee, whose are these — the signet, and bracelets, and staff.”

26 And Judah acknowledged them and said, “She hath been more righteous than I, because I gave her not to Shelah my son.” And he knew her again no more. — and she said; discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff; which were the things given her as a pledge till she received the kid, the hire she was to have for his lying with her;

— and he knew her again no more; he did not repeat the sin, but abstained from it having, no doubt, true repentance for it;

27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail that, behold, twins were in her womb. — that, behold, twins were in her womb; which the midwife could discover before the birth of either.

28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, “This came out first.” — Tamar bears Perez and Zerah to Judah; but a breach be upon them, or be imputed to them.

29 And it came to pass as he drew back his hand that, behold, his brother came out; and she said, “How hast thou broken forth? This breach be upon thee.” Therefore his name was called Perez [that is, A breach]. — but breach be upon thee; and Pharez was born first;

30 And afterward came out his brother who had the scarlet thread upon his hand, and his name was called Zerah. — and the one with a scarlet thread; his name was called Zarah; 

When Esau was terrified to meet Jacob

•August 31, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Some experts believe the Book of Jasher could be one of the collections of Oral traditions that the Israelites had kept, and passed on orally from generation to generation, until it was written as we know it today.

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in Joshua 10:12-13 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon:

“And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan.

Not only was Jacob distressed, but Esau was terrified to meet Jacob

The Masoretic Text for this brief episode is found in Genesis 32

3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

4 And he commanded them, saying, “Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau, ‘Thy servant Jacob saith thus: I have sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now,

5 and I have oxen and asses, flocks and menservants and womenservants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.’”

6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.”

7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and the camels into two bands.

8 And he said, “If Esau come to the one company and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.” Genesis 32:3-8

But for more details we’ll continue in the Book of Jasher

Book of Jasher, Chapter 32

1 And at that time Jacob sent messengers to his brother Esau toward the land of Seir, and he spoke to him words of supplication.

2 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say to my lord, to Esau, Thus saith thy servant Jacob, Let not my lord imagine that my father’s blessing with which he did bless me has proved beneficial to me.

3 For I have been these twenty years with Laban, and he deceived me and changed my wages ten times, as it has all been already told unto my lord.

4 And I served him in his house very laboriously, and God afterward saw my affliction, my labor and the work of my hands, and he caused me to find grace and favor in his sight.

5 And I afterward through God’s great mercy and kindness acquired oxen and asses and cattle, and men servants and maid servants.

6 And now I am coming to my land and my home to my father and mother, who are in the land of Canaan; and I have sent to let my lord know all this in order to find favor in the sight of my lord, so that he may not imagine that I have of myself obtained wealth, or that the blessing with which my father blessed me has benefited me.

7 And those messengers went to Esau, and found him on the borders of the land of Edom going toward Jacob, and four hundred men of the children of Seir the Horite were standing with drawn swords.

8 And the messengers of Jacob told Esau all the words that Jacob had spoken to them concerning Esau.

9 And Esau answered them with pride and contempt, and said unto them, Surely I have heard and truly it has been told unto me what Jacob has done to Laban, who exalted him in his house and gave him his daughters for wives, and he begat sons and daughters, and abundantly increased in wealth and riches in Laban’s house through his means.

10 And when he saw that his wealth was abundant and his riches great he fled with all belonging to him, from Laban’s house, and he led Laban’s daughters away from the face of their father, as captives taken by the sword without telling him of it.

11 And not only to Laban has Jacob done thus but also unto me has he done so and has twice supplanted me, and shall I be silent?

12 Now therefore I have this day come with my camps to meet him, and I will do unto him according to the desire of my heart.

13 And the messengers returned and came to Jacob and said unto him, We came to thy brother, to Esau, and we told him all thy words, and thus has he answered us, and behold he cometh to meet thee with four hundred men.

14 Now then know and see what thou shalt do, and pray before God to deliver thee from him.

15 And when he heard the words of his brother which he had spoken to the messengers of Jacob, Jacob was greatly afraid and he was distressed.

16 And Jacob prayed to the Lord his God, and he said, O Lord God of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, thou didst say unto me when I went away from my father’s house, saying,

17 I am the Lord God of thy father Abraham and the God of Isaac, unto thee do I give this land and thy seed after thee, and I will make thy seed as the stars of heaven, and thou shalt spread forth to the four sides of heaven, and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

18 And thou didst establish thy words, and didst give unto me riches and children and cattle, as the utmost wishes of my heart didst thou give unto thy servant; thou didst give unto me all that I asked from thee, so that I lacked nothing.

19 And thou didst afterward say unto me, Return to thy parents and to thy birth place and I will still do well with thee.

20 And now that I have come, and thou didst deliver me from Laban, I shall fall in the hands of Esau who will slay me, yea, together with the mothers of my children.

21 Now therefore, O Lord God, deliver me, I pray thee, also from the hands of my brother Esau, for I am greatly afraid of him.

22 And if there is no righteousness in me, do it for the sake of Abraham and my father Isaac.

23 For I know that through kindness and mercy have I acquired this wealth; now therefore I beseech thee to deliver me this day with thy kindness and to answer me.

24 And Jacob ceased praying to the Lord, and he divided the people that were with him with the flocks and cattle into two camps, and he gave the half to the care of Damesek, the son of Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, for a camp, with his children, and the other half he gave to the care of his brother Elianus the son of Eliezer, to be for a camp with his children.

25 And he commanded them, saying, Keep yourselves at a distance with your camps, and do not come too near each other, and if Esau come to one camp and slay it, the other camp at a distance from it will escape him.

26 And Jacob tarried there that night, and during the whole night he gave his servants instructions concerning the forces and his children.

27 And the Lord heard the prayer of Jacob on that day, and the Lord then delivered Jacob from the hands of his brother Esau.

28 And the Lord sent three angels of the angels of heaven, and they went before Esau and came to him.

29 And these angels appeared unto Esau and his people as two thousand men, riding upon horses furnished with all sorts of war instruments, and they appeared in the sight of Esau and all his men to be divided into four camps, with four chiefs to them.

30 And one camp went on and they found Esau coming with four hundred men toward his brother Jacob, and this camp ran toward Esau and his people and terrified them, and Esau fell off the horse in alarm, and all his men separated from him in that place, for they were greatly afraid.

Terrified of meeting his brother Jacob with 2000 angelic beings armed with all sorts of weapons, Esau fell off from his horse in horror

31 And the whole of the camp shouted after them when they fled from Esau, and all the warlike men answered, saying,

32 Surely we are the servants of Jacob, who is the servant of God, and who then can stand against us? And Esau said unto them, O then, my lord and brother Jacob is your lord, whom I have not seen for these twenty years, and now that I have this day come to see him, do you treat me in this manner?

33 And the angels answered him saying, As the Lord liveth, were not Jacob of whom thou speaketh thy brother, we had not let one remaining from thee and thy people, but only on account of Jacob we will do nothing to them.

34 And this camp passed from Esau and his men and it went away, and Esau and his men had gone from them about a league when the second camp came toward him with all sorts of weapons, and they also did unto Esau and his men as the first camp had done to them.

35 And when they had left it to go on, behold the third camp came toward him and they were all terrified, and Esau fell off the horse, and the whole camp cried out, and said, Surely we are the servants of Jacob, who is the servant of God, and who can stand against us?

36 And Esau again answered them saying, O then, Jacob my lord and your lord is my brother, and for twenty years I have not seen his countenance and hearing this day that he was coming, I went this day to meet him, and do you treat me in this manner?

37 And they answered him, and said unto him, As the Lord liveth, were not Jacob thy brother as thou didst say, we had not left a remnant from thee and thy men, but on account of Jacob of whom thou speakest being thy brother, we will not meddle with thee or thy men.

38 And the third camp also passed from them, and he still continued his road with his men toward Jacob, when the fourth camp came toward him, and they also did unto him and his men as the others had done.

39 And when Esau beheld the evil which the four angels had done to him and to his men, he became greatly afraid of his brother Jacob, and he went to meet him in peace.

Esau, terrified of meeting Jacob, fell off from his horse again and again

40 And Esau concealed his hatred against Jacob, because he was afraid of his life on account of his brother Jacob, and because he imagined that the four camps that he had lighted upon were Jacob’s servants.

41 And Jacob tarried that night with his servants in their camps, and he resolved with his servants to give unto Esau a present from all that he had with him, and from all his property; and Jacob rose up in the morning, he and his men, and they chose from amongst the cattle a present for Esau.

42 And this is the amount of the present which Jacob chose from his flock to give unto his brother Esau: and he selected two hundred and forty head from the flocks, and he selected from the camels and asses thirty each, and of the herds he chose fifty kine.

43 And he put them all in ten droves, and he placed each sort by itself, and he delivered them into the hands of ten of his servants, each drove by itself.

44 And he commanded them, and said unto them, Keep yourselves at a distance from each other, and put a space between the droves, and when Esau and those who are with him shall meet you and ask you, saying, Whose are you, and whither do you go, and to whom belongeth all this before you, you shall say unto them, We are the servants of Jacob, and we come to meet Esau in peace, and behold Jacob cometh behind us.

45 And that which is before us is a present sent from Jacob to his brother Esau.

46 And if they shall say unto you, Why doth he delay behind you, from coming to meet his brother and to see his face, then you shall say unto them, Surely he cometh joyfully behind us to meet his brother, for he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth to him, and after this I will see his face, peradventure he will accept of me.

47 So the whole present passed on in the hands of his servants, and went before him on that day, and he lodged that night with his camps by the border of the brook of Jabuk, and he rose up in the midst of the night, and he took his wives and his maid servants, and all belonging to him, and he that night passed them over the ford Jabuk.

48 And when he passed all belonging to him over the brook, Jacob was left by himself, and a man met him, and he wrestled with him that night until the breaking of the day, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint through wrestling with him.

49 And at the break of day the man left Jacob there, and he blessed him and went away, and Jacob passed the brook at the break of day, and he halted upon his thigh.

50 And the sun rose upon him when he had passed the brook, and he came up to the place of his cattle and children.

51 And they went on till midday, and whilst they were going the present was passing on before them.

52 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold Esau was at a distance, coming along with many men, about four hundred, and Jacob was greatly afraid of his brother.

53 And Jacob hastened and divided his children unto his wives and his handmaids, and his daughter Dinah he put in a chest, and delivered her into the hands of his servants.

54 And he passed before his children and wives to meet his brother, and he bowed down to the ground, yea he bowed down seven times until he approached his brother, and God caused Jacob to find grace and favor in the sight of Esau and his men, for God had heard the prayer of Jacob.

55 And the fear of Jacob and his terror fell upon his brother Esau, for Esau was greatly afraid of Jacob for what the angels of God had done to Esau, and Esau’s anger against Jacob was turned into kindness.

56 And when Esau saw Jacob running toward him, he also ran toward him and he embraced him, and he fell upon his neck, and they kissed and they wept.

57 And God put fear and kindness toward Jacob in the hearts of the men that came with Esau, and they also kissed Jacob and embraced him.

58 And also Eliphaz, the son of Esau, with his four brothers, sons of Esau, wept with Jacob, and they kissed him and embraced him, for the fear of Jacob had fallen upon them all.

59 And Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women with their offspring, the children of Jacob, walking behind Jacob and bowing along the road to Esau.

60 And Esau said unto Jacob, Who are these with thee, my brother? are they thy children or thy servants? and Jacob answered Esau and said, They are my children which God hath graciously given to thy servant.

61 And whilst Jacob was speaking to Esau and his men, Esau beheld the whole camp, and he said unto Jacob, Whence didst thou get the whole of the camp that I met yesternight? and Jacob said, To find favor in the sight of my lord, it is that which God graciously gave to thy servant.

62 And the present came before Esau, and Jacob pressed Esau, saying, Take I pray thee the present that I have brought to my lord, and Esau said, Wherefore is this my purpose? keep that which thou hast unto thyself.

63 And Jacob said, It is incumbent upon me to give all this, since I have seen thy face, that thou still livest in peace.

64 And Esau refused to take the present, and Jacob said unto him, I beseech thee my lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand, for I have therefore seen thy face, as though I had seen a god-like face, because thou wast pleased with me.

65 And Esau took the present, and Jacob also gave unto Esau silver and gold and bdellium, for he pressed him so much that he took them.

66 And Esau divided the cattle that were in the camp, and he gave the half to the men who had come with him, for they had come on hire, and the other half he delivered unto the hands of his children.

67 And the silver and gold and bdellium he gave in the hands of Eliphaz his eldest son, and Esau said unto Jacob, Let us remain with thee, and we will go slowly along with thee until thou comest to my place with me, that we may dwell there together.

68 And Jacob answered his brother and said, I would do as my lord speaketh unto me, but my lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with their young who are with me, go but slowly, for if they went swiftly they would all die, for thou knowest their burdens and their fatigue.

69 Therefore let my lord pass on before his servant, and I will go on slowly for the sake of the children and the flock, until I come to my lord’s place to Seir.

70 And Esau said unto Jacob, I will place with thee some of the people that are with me to take care of thee in the road, and to bear thy fatigue and burden, and he said, What needeth it my lord, if I may find grace in thy sight?

71 Behold I will come unto thee to Seir to dwell there together as thou hast spoken, go thou then with thy people for I will follow thee.

72 And Jacob said this to Esau in order to remove Esau and his men from him, so that Jacob might afterward go to his father’s house to the land of Canaan.

73 And Esau hearkened to the voice of Jacob, and Esau returned with the four hundred men that were with him on their road to Seir, and Jacob and all belonging to him went that day as far as the extremity of the land of Canaan in its borders, and he remained there some time.

Book of Jasher, Chapter 32

The Russian threat to GPS

•August 30, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Russia is signaling it could take out the West’s internet and GPS. There’s no good backup plan.

Yahoo News • August 28, 2024 ~ Business Insider

  • Russia is likely mapping underwater internet cables, a NATO official said.
  • The country is also believed to be behind flight GPS interference.
  • It’s signaling it could wreak havoc with the West’s electronic infrastructure, experts say.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, issued a stark warning in June.

The undersea cables that enable global communications had become a legitimate target for Russia, he said.

Medvedev’s warning came after Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that transfers gas from Russia to Germany, was blown up. Russian officials believed the West had been involved in the attack. (Recent reports suggest Ukraine was actually behind the attack.)

“If we proceed from the proven complicity of Western countries in blowing up the Nord Streams, then we have no constraints – even moral – left to prevent us from destroying the ocean floor cable communications of our enemies,” Medvedev posted on Telegram.

Medvedev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has a long history of making incendiary claims.

But some analysts say this wasn’t just another idle threat.

A serious warning

The vast network of undersea fiber-optic cables that transfer data between continents is indeed vulnerable to hostile powers, including Russia, the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned in a report this month.

In May, NATO’s intelligence chief David Cattler warned that Russia may be planning to target the cables in retribution for the West’s support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

It’s a scenario that has NATO’s planners increasingly worried.

If the cables are seriously damaged or disabled, swaths of the internet services we take for granted and that our economies rely on, including calls, financial transactions, and streaming, would be wiped out.

Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Sweden’s minister for civil defense, said damage to a telecommunications cable running under the Baltic Sea in 2023 was the result of “external force or tampering,” though he did not provide details.

And in June, NATO stepped up aircraft patrols off the coast of Ireland amid concerns about Russian submarine activity, The Sunday Times reported.

The threat to GPS

Security analysts say that the internet is not the only network that Russia is probing for vulnerabilities.

In recent months, Russia has been accused of interfering with GPS navigation systems, causing havoc on commercial airline routes. As a result, flights from Helsinki to Tartu, Estonia, ground to a halt for a month in April.

Melanie Garson, an international security expert at University College London, said it was part of Russia’s “gray zone” campaign against the West, which involves covert actions that fall below the threshold of open warfare.

“Russia has long been developing this capability and it is currently a cheap and effective way of malicious gray-zone interference,” said Garson.

“As we increase our reliance on connectivity and space data in everything from agriculture to food delivery, disrupting national and economic security through interfering with subsea cables and GPS becomes increasingly effective,” she added.

Fiber optic cables on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea.
The vast network of undersea fiber-optic cables on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea is vulnerable to attack by hostile powers

Russia puts the West ‘on notice’

For decades, the world has depended on data carried by underwater cables that run for thousands of miles. In the early 20th century, the cables carried telegraph signals and later telephone calls.

Robert Dover, a professor of international security at Hull University in the UK, said the cables have long been seen as potential military targets, and both the US and USSR surveilled them during the height of the Cold War.

As the world has become more dependent on the internet, the cables have become increasingly vital. The cables now span around 745,000 miles and are responsible for transmitting 95% of international data.

“The growth in electronic communications has made the undersea cables — vital for international communications, the internet, finance, and so on — a point of vulnerability for nations who use them extensively and for those who don’t publicly have an obvious fallback position,” Dover said.

Similarly, GPS signals are increasingly vital to the airline industry. They are used to safely guide planes to their destinations and land them.

Planes do have backup navigation systems in the event that GPS fails, but Baltic officials are warning that disrupted GPS signals can still put planes in danger.

During its war with Ukraine, Russia has enhanced its already sophisticated electronic-warfare capabilities, enabling it to remotely scramble the GPS coordinates used to guide missiles and drones.

That’s already affected commercial-aviation GPS in Eastern and Northern Europe. Some analysts believe that Russia is sending a signal to the West.

“The targeting of civil-aviation GPS is a means by which to undermine the surety of Western publics in aviation, in particular, and shows the reliance on satellite platforms for ordinary citizens to navigate around,” Dover said.

“It also puts governments on notice about the political risks of mass transit accidents that have a plausibly deniable cause.”

A backup plan is urgently needed, says expert

Foreign Policy reported in June that NATO has begun taking more action to safeguard undersea cables, setting up a system that would automatically warn of attempted interference.

But Garson said it’s not enough, and more government fallback plans are needed in case the systems fail entirely.

“Countries need to not only take measures to protect but also to make sure that the communications system is resilient, e.g., with robust alternatives,” Garson said.

She said satellites transmitting GPS data often lack safeguards against attempted interference, while the task of protecting undersea cables often falls on the private companies that own and maintain them.

“It’s key to visualize these strategic futures and have a clear resilience plan that accounts for potential systemic risk and to keep countries operational if key comms infrastructure is compromised,” Garson said.

In its report this month, the CSIS called for the US to increase international cooperation to coordinate a response to a potential attack on cables.

It said that the current legal and international framework for undersea-cable sabotage was “complex and fragmented, with different international legal regimes determining responsibility and punishment.”

“When cables are sabotaged in international waters, there is no regime to hold the perpetrator accountable,” it said.

China’s underwater wireless transmission

•August 29, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Chinese researchers boast of a world record underwater wireless transmission range of 30 kilometers, eclipsing NATO’s best tech

Yahoo News by Christoper Harper • August 26, 2024 ~ SCMP

Researchers from China’s Xiamen University working with the 92150 unit of the People’s Liberation Army used Huawei’s “polar code” data encoding and an underwater microphone (hydrophone) to confirm a new world record underwater wireless transmission range of 30 kilometers, or 18.6 miles, reports the South China Morning Post.

As the source points out, this eclipses the JANUS protocol used by NATO, which has a maximum range of 28 kilometers, or 17.4 miles. It also beats China’s previous best record of 14 kilometers, or 8.7 miles. The major downside in play is that this data stream still only operates at 4,000 bits per second (or 4 kilobits per second — not even larger kilobytes), but the stability of the signal and the integrity of the data is what matters most in this use case.

The gains enjoyed by the researchers compared to JANUS were made possible by the use of Huawei’s polar code implementation, also called higher-order polarization weight (HPW). JANUS uses an OFDM method that is considered outdated by Chinese officials due to higher power requirements and greater issues with noise and signal deterioration at range.

Compared to OFDM, HPW seems to be more powerful and cohesive at longer ranges, though, and polar codes are also commonplace with things like modern 5G networking.

As highlighted by the SCMP and this story’s military involvement, there are actually some significant forces and concerns at play here beyond simply improving underwater communications. Namely, these advancements are framed as being made in the context of NATO becoming more hostile to China and its interests, and may one day prove mission-critical for naval defense.

Additionally, these wireless transmissions are technically acoustic. As it turns out, sound (and data encoded therein) can travel through water without much issue until you reach long distances. These are still a better option than extreme low-frequency (ELF) radio waves, though, and that is why these test results were achieved with a submerged hydrophone receiving signals from a boat about 19 miles away.

Benefiting from the booming telecommunications industry, China’s advantage in wireless communication technology is expanding from the air to the sea. These advanced technologies can support the large-scale application of underwater drones powered by artificial intelligence, and they could have a profound impact on future military and geopolitical power struggles.

This includes China’s response to Nato’s expansion.

The Book of Jasher

•August 28, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The story of the Beauty of Sarai as recorded in the Book of Jasher. This Book covers much of the same ground as the traditional Mosaic books of the Bible, from the creation of the world to the death of Moses, albeit with much more details and sometimes variations.

Some experts believe that the Book of Jasher is a collection or compilation of ancient Hebrew songs and poems praising the heroes of Israel and their exploits of Lifes and Struggles.

Others, they emphasize the Book of Jasher could be one of the collections of Oral traditions that the Israelites had kept, and passed on orally from generation to generation, until it was written.

The Book of Jasher is also mentioned in Joshua 10:12-13 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon: “And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”

It is also mentioned in II Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan.

Or, this Book of Jasher is a forgery, as the original Copy mentioned in the Bible was lost and has not survived to modern times; as critics say there are several separate works by this same title, and all these were composed much later than Biblical times. They couldn’t be all right, as they alleged there are as many as five variations of them.

As any student of the Bible wishing to understand the complexity of the Scriptures, we should widen our horizon and explore these Books as best we could. So here we are.

Below is an expisode of the story of the beauty of Sarai in Egypt as published in 1613 in this version of the Book of Jasher, Chapter 15.

1 And in that year there was a heavy famine throughout the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants of the land could not remain on account of the famine for it was very grievous.

2 And Abram and all belonging to him rose and went down to Egypt on account of the famine, and when they were at the brook Mitzraim they remained there some time to rest from the fatigue of the road.

3 And Abram and Sarai were walking at the border of the brook Mitzraim, and Abram beheld his wife Sarai that she was very beautiful.

4 And Abram said to his wife Sarai, Since God has created thee with such a beautiful countenance, I am afraid of the Egyptians lest they should slay me and take thee away, for the fear of God is not in these places.

5 Surely then thou shalt do this, Say thou art my sister to all that may ask thee, in order that it may be well with me, and that we may live and not be put to death.

6 And Abram commanded the same to all those that came with him to Egypt on account of the famine; also his nephew Lot he commanded, saying, If the Egyptians ask thee concerning Sarai say she is the sister of Abram.

7 And yet with all these orders Abram did not put confidence in them, but he took Sarai and placed her in a chest and concealed it amongst their vessels, for Abram was greatly concerned about Sarai on account of the wickedness of the Egyptians.

8 And Abram and all belonging to him rose up from the brook Mitzraim and came to Egypt; and they had scarcely entered the gates of the city when the guards stood up to them saying, Give tithe to the king from what you have, and then you may come into the town; and Abram and those that were with him did so.

9 And Abram with the people that were with him came to Egypt, and when they came they brought the chest in which Sarai was concealed and the Egyptians saw the chest.

10 And the king’s servants approached Abram, saying, What hast thou here in this chest which we have not seen? Now open thou the chest and give tithe to the king of all that it contains.

11 And Abram said, This chest I will not open, but all you demand upon it I will give. And Pharaoh’s officers answered Abram, saying, It is a chest of precious stones, give us the tenth thereof.

12 Abram said, All that you desire I will give, but you must not open the chest.

13 And the king’s officers pressed Abram, and they reached the chest and opened it with force, and they saw, and behold a beautiful woman was in the chest.

14 And when the officers of the king beheld Sarai they were struck with admiration at her beauty, and all the princes and servants of Pharaoh assembled to see Sarai, for she was very beautiful. And the king’s officers ran and told Pharaoh all that they had seen, and they praised Sarai to the king; and Pharaoh ordered her to be brought, and the woman came before the king.

15 And Pharaoh beheld Sarai and she pleased him exceedingly, and he was struck with her beauty, and the king rejoiced greatly on her account, and made presents to those who brought him the tidings concerning her.

16 And the woman was then brought to Pharaoh’s house, and Abram grieved on account of his wife, and he prayed to the Lord to deliver her from the hands of Pharaoh.

17 And Sarai also prayed at that time and said, O Lord God thou didst tell my Lord Abram to go from his land and from his father’s house to the land of Canaan, and thou didst promise to do well with him if he would perform thy commands; now behold we have done that which thou didst command us, and we left our land and our families, and we went to a strange land and to a people whom we have not known before.

18 And we came to this land to avoid the famine, and this evil accident has befallen me; now therefore, O Lord God, deliver us and save us from the hand of this oppressor, and do well with me for the sake of thy mercy.

19 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Sarai, and the Lord sent an angel to deliver Sarai from the power of Pharaoh.

20 And the king came and sat before Sarai and behold an angel of the Lord was standing over them, and he appeared to Sarai and said to her, Do not fear, for the Lord has heard thy prayer.

21 And the king approached Sarai and said to her, What is that man to thee who brought thee hither? and she said, He is my brother.

22 And the king said, It is incumbent upon us to make him great, to elevate him and to do unto him all the good which thou shalt command us; and at that time the king sent to Abram silver and gold and precious stones in abundance, together with cattle, men servants and maid servants; and the king ordered Abram to be brought, and he sat in the court of the king’s house, and the king greatly exalted Abram on that night.

23 And the king approached to speak to Sarai, and he reached out his hand to touch her, when the angel smote him heavily, and he was terrified and he refrained from reaching to her.

24 And when the king came near to Sarai, the angel smote him to the ground, and acted thus to him the whole night, and the king was terrified.

25 And the angel on that night smote heavily all the servants of the king, and his whole household, on account of Sarai, and there was a great lamentation that night amongst the people of Pharaoh’s house.

26 And Pharaoh, seeing the evil that befell him, said, Surely on account of this woman has this thing happened to me, and he removed himself at some distance from her and spoke pleasing words to her.

27 And the king said to Sarai, Tell me I pray thee concerning the man with whom thou camest here; and Sarai said, This man is my husband, and I said to thee that he was my brother for I was afraid, lest thou shouldst put him to death through wickedness.

28 And the king kept away from Sarai, and the plagues of the angel of the Lord ceased from him and his household; and Pharaoh knew that he was smitten on account of Sarai, and the king was greatly astonished at this.

29 And in the morning the king called for Abram and said to him, What is this thou hast done to me? Why didst thou say, She is my sister, owing to which I took her unto me for a wife, and this heavy plague has therefore come upon me and my household.

30 Now therefore here is thy wife, take her and go from our land lest we all die on her account. And Pharaoh took more cattle, men servants and maid servants, and silver and gold, to give to Abram, and he returned unto him Sarai his wife.

31 And the king took a maiden whom he begat by his concubines, and he gave her to Sarai for a handmaid.

32 And the king said to his daughter, It is better for thee my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than to be mistress in my house, after we have beheld the evil that befell us on account of this woman.

33 And Abram arose, and he and all belonging to him went away from Egypt; and Pharaoh ordered some of his men to accompany him and all that went with him.

34 And Abram returned to the land of Canaan, to the place where he had made the altar, where he at first had pitched his tent.

Hydrogen cars are turning out to be a flop!

•August 27, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Hydrogen cars are turning out to be a flop. Why?

It’s very hard to find hydrogen charging stations. — ETX

Malay Mail • August 22, 2024 ~ ETX Daily

PETALING JAYA, Aug 22 — Sales of hydrogen-powered cars are sluggish all over the world, mainly due to an impoverished product selection and scant charging infrastructure.

Only 5,621 hydrogen-powered vehicles were sold worldwide in the first half of 2024, according to SNE Research, a drop of over 34% compared to the same period last year.

Looking at a breakdown, China and South Korea sold the most, with sales figures of 2,501 and 1,742 units respectively. In both cases, however, these figures are significantly lower than sales in these countries in 2023.

The most spectacular drop was in the USA, with just 322 sales in 6 months, compared with 1,825 a year earlier. Europe and Japan are the only two markets to post an increase in hydrogen vehicle sales, but these figures are so anecdotal (594 and 440 cars sold respectively) that it’s difficult to speak of genuine success.

Ten years ago, the Toyota Mirai caused a sensation by becoming the first mass-market car to be equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell.

The promise of the technology was to enable driving long distances without producing even the slightest CO2 emissions, since the vehicle would only give off water vapor.

However, there have been few competitors following this pioneer, with only South Korea’s Hyundai, China’s Haima and (soon) Honda adding hydrogen-powered models to their catalogs.

Back in 2022, two French start-ups caused a sensation at the Paris Motor Show, presenting two highly attractive concepts.

With the Machina, Hopium touted unprecedented performance for a hydrogen-powered vehicle, with power equivalent to over 500 hp and a range of up to 1,000 km in the top-of-the-range version. Unfortunately, this car never saw the light of day.

Meanwhile, NamX presented an original SUV with a charging system that used removable hydrogen capsules, in addition to the original hydrogen tank. Since then, the start-up has revised its design and replaced the fuel cell with a hydrogen-fueled V8 engine. The redesigned SUV could go on sale in 2027.

In addition to an almost non-existent array of models, in many areas there is no real charging network to speak of. While some areas have projects to develop more stations in the short term, it remains an obstacle to uptake.

While this type of clean energy is having a hard time catching on on the road (including in the motorcycle and bicycle sectors), it’s a different story on the seas (with yachts, liners and container ships) and in the air (with airliners and even flying taxicabs), where projects for hydrogen-powered vehicles are multiplying quickly. — ETX

Navy to Sideline 17 Support Ships

•August 26, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Navy Could Sideline 17 Support Ships Due to Manpower Shortages

Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Yukon gives fuel to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt while the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell sails alongside during a replenishment-at-sea

USNI News by Sam Lagrone • August 22, 2024

Military Sealift Command has drafted a plan to remove the crews from 17 Navy support ships due to a lack of qualified mariners to operate the vessels across the Navy, USNI News learned.

The MSC “force generation reset” identified two Lewis and Clark replenishment ships, one fleet oiler, a dozen Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF) and two forward-deployed Navy expeditionary sea bases that would enter an “extended maintenance” period and have their crews retasked to other ships in the fleet, three people familiar with the plan told USNI News Thursday.

Based on the crew requirements on the platforms, sideling all the ships could reduce the civilian mariner demand for MSC by as many as 700 billets.

A defense official confirmed the basic outline of the plan to USNI News on Thursday. Two sources identified the forward-deployed sea bases as USS Lewis Puller (ESB-3), based in Bahrain in US Central Command, and USS Herschel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4), based in Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece, and operated in US European and Africa Command.

A Navy official, when contacted by USNI News, acknowledged the service was working on a plan to retask civilian mariners but did not provide details.

Fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe, left, refuels the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon during an underway replenishment while operating in the South China Sea

The new effort, known informally as “the great reset” has yet to be adopted by the Navy and is awaiting approval from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, USNI News understands.

The Military Sealift Command operates a fleet of logistics ships that refuel and resupply the Navy’s ships around the world and are crewed by 5,500 civilians who are employed by the Navy.

Across the MSC there are about 4,500 billets for mariners on a wide variety of US support ships ranging from resupply vessels, fleet oilers that refuel ships and aircraft, salvage ships, the Navy’s two command ships, submarine tenders and hospital ships.

For every billet on an MSC ship there are about 1.27 mariners to fill the positions, a ratio that two former MSC master mariners told USNI News on Thursday was unstainable.

“If you’re required to have 100 people on a vessel. There are only 27 more people on shore at any given time to rotate those crew members,” a former MSC mariner told USNI News.

At that ratio, a mariner would be at sea for four months and off for about a month ­and then return.

“That math just doesn’t work,” the former mariner told USNI News.

“No one is able to have a healthy work-life balance and be able to get off the ship and get adequate time to go home, have time at home with their family, take leave, take care of medical requirements [in that timeframe]. There is so much training required of every bill at MSC to stay proficient with Navy requirements and training and merchant marine credentialing.”

That’s much more time at sea than commercial mariners. For example, the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association union contracts requires their members to work with two mariners for every billet, which translates to a paid month off for every month at sea.

In addition to the more demanding schedule, the extra wrinkle for the MSC mariners is that they earn leave at the same rate as other DoD employees and junior mariners aren’t paid for their time off on shore if they haven’t accrued leave.

If the Navy and MSC elect to reassign the crews of all 17 ships, the so-called great reset could free up 600 to 700 sailors to the larger MSC pool, USNI News understands. That would bring the ratio closer to 1.5 mariners per billet and allow MSC mariners more time on shore and allow the Navy to crew newer support vessels like the John Lewis-class fleet oiler. Three have delivered to the Navy, but none have deployed in part due to crew availability, USNI News understands.

The punishing schedule for the mariners led to a retention issue for MSC that was accelerated by the severe “gangway up” COVID-19 prevention measures ordered by retired MSC commander Rear Adm. Michael Wettlaufer.

“[During] COVID nobody was getting off the ship, mariners were being treated poorly and so they started to quit,” a retired MSC mariner told USNI News.

Since then, “mariners have been quitting at a greater rate than MSC can hire new ones… People say ‘I had to quit because it’s a terrible work-life balance. I can’t go to sea and also have a family, so I got to leave.’”

Another former MSC mariner told USNI News he enjoyed sailing with MSC, but he saw his older peers deal with divorce and estrangement from their children and didn’t want that for himself.

“I can’t say much bad about MSC, he said. “But when I left, I left because of my family.”

That pressure to retain experienced mariners led to the decision to craft the plan to sideline ships, three sources familiar with the plan told USNI News.

“This is basically the result of many years of neglect and mismanagement of their force,” Sal Mercogliano, former MSC mariner and associate professor of history at Campbell University told USNI News on Thursday.

“They are just burning through people.”

USS Lewis B Puller and the guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton participate in a photo exercise in the Gulf of Oman

Perhaps the highest visibility ships purposed to be sidelined are the two forward-deployed expeditionary sea bases. While Navy officials did not identify the hulls, two people familiar with the draft plan said the ESBs were CENTCOM’s USS Lewis Puller (ESB-3) and US Europe and Africa Command’s USS Herschel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4).

Puller has been forward deployed to Bahrain since 2017 serving as host for both mine countermeasures and special operations forces in the region. For example, CENTCOM has used the ship as a platform to launch anti-smuggling operations to seize Iranian weapons bound for Yemen as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian. In 2023, it was positioned off the coast of Sudan as a platform in case US citizens needed to evacuate from the country.

Puller is based on the Alaska-class tanker design and is a follow-on to a converted amphibious warship USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15). The ESB was commissioned in port in Bahrain to allow it to operate as a warship. The idea proved so popular, the Navy has bought several more of the platform. Williams has held annual patrols around Africa and been central to the Navy’s effort in the region.

The largest shares of ships proposed to be sidelined in the great reset are the 12 active Spearhead-class EPF in the service, USNI News understands. The first two EPF, USNS Spearhead (EPF-1) and USNS Choctaw County (EPF-2), have already been sidelined at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. While technically still part of MSC, the ships have a sparse crew and are listed in reduced operating status.

The EPFs, high-speed aluminum catamarans that are built at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala, are crewed by about 26 MSC mariners and have been deployed to the Pacific, Europe and Africa as part of US outreach missions.

The hull form is set to be the basis for a new class of hospital ships that are set to enter the fleet by the end of the decade.

While the order has yet to be signed, Mercogliano has tracked EPFs beginning to return to the US from aboard far from the end of their expected service lives.

“These ships have a lot of life in them,” he said.

China’s laser-armed warships

•August 25, 2024 • Leave a Comment

China’s laser-equipped amphibious ship represents a significant naval advance amid escalating Indo-Pacific tensions

AsiaTimes by Gabriel Honrada • August 21, 2024

China’s latest move to mount a laser weapon on an amphibious warfare ship signals a bold leap in its naval capabilities, echoing global shifts toward energy-based defenses while ramping up tensions in the Pacific.

This month, The War Zone reported that China has equipped a Type 071 amphibious transport dock with a new laser weapon system.

The War Zone notes that the vessel, believed to be the Siming Shan, hull number 986, was spotted with the weapon immediately aft of the bow’s 76mm gun, concealed under a dome-like cover when not in use.

The report mentions that this move mirrors the US and other nations’ efforts to integrate directed energy weapons onto their warships, as seen with the USS Portland’s Laser Weapon System Demonstrator.

The report says that China’s laser system, details of which remain undisclosed, is expected to bolster defense against unmanned aircraft and small boat swarms, potentially including dazzler capabilities to blind sensors and seekers.

The War Zone states that the Type 071 ship, comparable to the US San Antonio class, serves as a test platform for the laser weapon, indicating China’s growing interest in enhancing its naval warfare technology.

China has previously used laser weapons in a non-lethal capacity in the South China Sea. For instance, Chinese maritime law enforcement personnel used a laser weapon against the Philippine military in a series of maritime standoffs in June, focusing what appeared to be a blinding laser at Philippine personnel documenting the encounter.

Asia Times reported in February 2023 that the Philippines accused China of directing a military-grade laser at a Philippine Coast Guard vessel, BRP Malapascua, during a resupply mission to the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.

The incident, which temporarily blinded the Philippine crew, occurred soon after the Philippines granted the US more comprehensive access to its military bases. China’s Foreign Ministry denied using lasers against the BRP Malapascua, asserting that the Philippine ship had entered the area without authorization.

Such actions align with China’s strategic “war without gunsmoke,” aiming to undermine allied confidence in US resolve and expand China’s positional advantage in the region.

In mounting a new type of laser weapon on its Type 071 amphibious transport dock, China may have taken lessons from the Ukraine war and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

In Ukraine, unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) have inflicted significant damage against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet while the Houthi’s arsenal of ballistic missiles and suicide drones have strained US and allied interceptor missile stockpiles.

In April 2024, Asia Times reported that Taiwan, drawing lessons from Ukraine’s naval successes, is escalating its USV production to counter potential Chinese aggression. Taiwan’s strategic shift toward asymmetric drone warfare is inspired at least in part by Ukraine’s effective use of USVs against Russia’s naval assets in the Black Sea.

Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology has initiated a US$25 million development program for USVs to start production of at least 200 vessels by 2026.

These USVs, costing around US$250,000 each, are designed for suicide attacks against People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) ships and can be operated remotely from up to 70 kilometers away.

Taiwan may be getting a boost from the US in scaling up USV production. Asia Times reported in February 2024 that the US Department of Defense (DOD) is actively seeking design proposals for a new fleet of low-cost, highly autonomous drone boats known as the Production-Ready, Inexpensive, Maritime Expeditionary (PRIME) Small Unmanned Surface Vehicle (SUSV) project.

This initiative aims to bolster maritime expeditionary capabilities in light of the strategic insights gained from the Ukraine war. The proposed SUSVs are expected to have a range of 926 to 1,852 kilometers, carry a payload of 450 kilograms and achieve a sprint speed of at least 35 knots.

They must also navigate autonomously, even in GPS-denied environments, and feature a resilient manufacturing supply chain for critical components.

The PRIME project underscores the importance of collaborative autonomy and the ability to integrate various modular payloads, sensors and effectors.

In the context of a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait, these drone ships could significantly enhance the capabilities of foreign allies and partners, including Taiwan and the Philippines, offering a cost-effective solution for asymmetric naval warfare.

Aside from USVs, Taiwan’s new loitering munitions may have added a sense of urgency for China to develop laser weapons as a cost-effective countermeasure, considering the unsustainability of using multi-million-dollar interceptor missiles against suicide drones that cost just a few thousand dollars each.

This month, The Aviationist reported that Taiwan is set to deploy its Chien Hsiang loitering munitions in a large-scale “precision live-fire exercise” from August 20-22 near Jiupeng Base in Pingtung. The Aviationist says this is the first operational use of the domestically developed drones, unveiled in 2019 and resembling the Israeli IAI Harpy.

The Aviationist says the Chien Hsiang, designed to engage enemy missile positions and radar stations, has two variants: an anti-radiation weapon and a decoy.

It states that with a range of 1,000 kilometers, speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour and five-hour endurance, these drones can autonomously navigate to preset waypoints and are launched from a 12-cell trailer-mounted launcher.

In addition to the Chien Hsiang, Asia Times reported in June 2024 that the US has approved the potential sale to Taiwan of Switchblade 300 and Anduril ALTIUS 600M loitering munitions, both of which have been combat-tested in Ukraine.

In contrast to China’s progress in using and developing laser weapons, Defense One reported this month that the US Navy is striving to enhance its anti-air defenses with pure energy weapons. However, Defense One says US progress has been hindered by the absence of a commercial market for sufficiently powerful lasers.

The primary obstacle is developing lasers capable of downing missiles from miles away, a technology not driven by commercial demand. It says the urgency for cost-effective and flexible defenses increases as offensive missiles and drones become more accessible and lethal.

Defense One notes that although the US Navy has deployed experimental lasers, such as the Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN) and the 120-kilowatt High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS), their effectiveness against fast-moving or non-optical sensor weapons is still limited.

The report says collaboration between US defense contractor Lockheed Martin and the Office of the Secretary of Defense aims to test and develop prototypes of up to 500 kilowatts. However, it points out that integrating these systems into a layered defense strategy is challenging.

Defense One says the US has tested individual directed-energy equipment per ship to establish a multi-system defense in the coming years. However, it mentions that the US military continues to rely on costly missiles to counter inexpensive drones, underscoring the need for more efficient solutions.

Genesis (35-36)

•August 24, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Looking at the Scriptures with a blast of fresh air!

Then Isaac his father answered and prophesied, saying,

“And by your sword shall you live, you will go to every place, and wander, and you will be subject to your brother. But when his descendants abandon the commandments of the Torah, then you will break his yoke from your neck.”

“And Esau harbored hatred in his heart against Jacob, his brother, because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him.

And Esau said in his heart, ‘I will not do as Cain did, who killed Abel during their father’s lifetime and then their father had another son, Seth.

Rather, I will wait until the days of mourning for my father have passed, and then I will kill Jacob my brother, and I will be the sole heir.’” Genesis 27:41-42 Jonathan

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly.” Jeremiah 23:20

Genesis 35

1 And God said unto Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.” — Arise, go up to Beth-el; about thirty miles south where Jacob made his first vow, or perhaps, the position of Jacob at Shechem had become dangerous;

Then Jacob said unto his household and to all that were with him, “Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean and change your garments. — strange gods; besides Rachel’s teraphim, probably, many of the family or servants of Jacob at Haran were idolaters, and had brought their gods with them;

— the object, then, of this tranformation was not merely to raise Jacob’s own family to a higher spiritual state, but also to initiate the many heathen belonging to their households into the true religion.;

— and be clean; either by abstaining from their wives, as some interpret it, from Exodus 19:10; or rather by washing their bodies, as their hands were full of the blood of the Shechemites, and needed to be washed and purified, as the Targum of Jonathan has it, from the pollutions of the slain, before they went to Bethel, the house of God;

And let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.” — an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress; on account of his brother Esau, from whose wrath he fled;

And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. — they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods; rather, the gods of the stranger; and all their ear-rings;

— the “seraphim” as well, perhaps, as other idols acquired among the Shechemite spoil; earrings of various forms, sizes, and materials; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem; that is, the idols, which, after he had broke to pieces, perhaps, he dug a hole under an oak, and there buried them;

And they journeyed; and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. — the terror of God was upon the cities; there was every reason to apprehend that a storm of indignation would burst from all quarters upon Jacob’s family, but a supernatural panic seized them;

So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people that were with him. — to Luz, inhabited by those who were called Canaanites, but the place Jacob had called Bethel;

And he built there an altar and called the place Elbethel [that is, The God of Bethel], because there God appeared unto him when he fled from the face of his brother. —  El-beth-el; that is, the God of the house of God: the God into whose house he had been admitted;

But Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under an oak; and the name of it was called Allonbachuth [that is, The oak of weeping]. — Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died; but no record of when Rebekah died; but the Targum of Jonathan added, “there tidings were brought to Jacob of the death of Rebekah his mother, and he called the name of it, the other weeping;”

And God appeared unto Jacob again when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. — God appears to Jacob again at Bethel, and renews the promise made to him there in Genesis 28;

13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father and the God of Isaac: The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.

14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 28:13-14

10 And God said unto him, “Thy name is Jacob; thy name shall not be called Jacob any more, but Israel shall be thy name”; and He called his name Israel. — He called his name Israel; so he had been named by the angel that wrestled with him, (Genesis 32:28) and the change of his name, then made, is here confirmed and ratified by the Divine Majesty;

11 And God said unto him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins. — a nation (y);

— a company of nations (gō·yim), tribes, for number and power, equal to so many nations; shall come out of thy loins; often, gōy and gō·yim have being translated as Gentile or Gentiles; but here these are the Israelites;

12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.” — and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it; meaning the land of between the two rivers, from the Euphates to the Nile which God had by promise given to Abraham and Isaac;

“I am thy shield! Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates” Genesis 15

13 And God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. — the Targum of Jonathan says: and the Shekinah of the Lord ascended from him in the place where He had spoken with him;

14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, even a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. — even a pillar of stone; made of numerous stones hewed and polished, and well put together; whereas the former (Genesis 28:18) was but a single stone, rude and unpolished;

— and he poured a drink offering thereon; of wine, of which drink offerings under the law were, thereby consecrating it to the worship and service of God.

15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him Bethel. — Jacob called the name Bethel; the house of God, as from El-beth-el, the God of the house; the name was unknown and unused, as what then passed had been confined to Jacob’s own inward consciousness; he now confirmed it and teaches the name to his family, explains the reason why he first gave it;

16 And they journeyed from Bethel. And there was but a little way to come to Ephrath; and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. — and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour; the time of childbirth was come;

— and which came suddenly upon her, as travail does, even while journeying, which obliged them to stop; and her pains came upon her, and these very sharp and severe;

17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, “Fear not. Thou shalt have this son also.” — thou shalt have this son also; as she had one before, at whose birth she said, “the Lord shall add to me another son” and therefore called his name Joseph, Genesis 30:24

18 And it came to pass as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Benoni [that is, The son of my sorrow], but his father called him Benjamin [that is, The son of the right hand]. — Rachel had passionately said earlier, Give me children, or else I die; and now that she had children, she died!

19 And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day. — that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day; this is a later addition, but whether inserted by Moses or Ezra we cannot tell.

21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine; and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. — Reuben went and lay with Bilhah after Rachel had died; she was the maid that Rachel gave to Jacob earlier;

— there was empty space following the original Masoretic Text, and a pause in it, denoting perhaps after the grief of his heart, that he was not able to speak a word, then an amazement flashed upon him and he elevated himself; as the Targum of Jonathan says; ‘Woe, perhaps there will come forth from me a blemished offspring, just as Ishmael came forth from Abraham and Esau from my father;’

— or another grief for Jacob; a sin and a crime was so provoking, that for it Reuben lost his birthright as the firstborn; the Septuagint also notes that some words might have fallen out of the text by adding, “And it was evil in his sight” for Jacob remembered his defilement to his dying day, and took away the blessing from him; “Reuben: unstable as water, thou shalt not excel;” Genesis 49:3-4

Napoleon’s Defeat at Waterloo, forcing him to abdicate and ended the French Empire

— now the sons of Jacob were twelve; who were the heads of twelve tribes, Benjamin the last being born, and Jacob having afterwards no more children, they were all reckoned up under their respective mothers, excepting Dinah, a daughter, from whom there was no tribe.

23 The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon and Levi, and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun; — these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram. All except Benjamin were born there;

— a sore affliction Reuben’s sin was, and no more was said, until the giving of tribal blessing when Jacob was dying; Genesis 49

— Reuben ~ France; Simeon ~ scattered and Germany? Levi ~ Israel; Issachar ~ Finland; Zebulun ~ Holland;

24 the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; — the sons of Rachel; then Rachel’s, Jacob’s next wife, though in right his first and only one, who had two children, Joseph and Benjamin; whose posterity were promised the richest blessings: Manasseh ~ UK; Ephraim ~ US; Benjamin ~ Norway and Iceland;

25 and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid: Dan and Naphtali; — Dan ~ Ireland, Denmark; Naphtali ~ Sweden;

26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Padanaram. — Gad and Asher; Gad ~ Switzerland; Asher ~ Belgium;

27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father at Mamre, unto the city of Arbah (which is Hebron) where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. — Jacob came unto Isaac his father; probably to dwell with or near him; bringing, it seems, his family with him;

28 And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years. — as Isaac was sixty when his sons were born, Jacob was one hundred and twenty years of age at his father’s death; and one hundred and thirty when he appeared before Pharaoh;

After Isaac’s death, Esau moves toward Jacob with a huge army

29 And Isaac gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. — and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him; in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre; but nothing was said of the six sons of Keturah, and their sons;

— the Book of Jubilees (chapters 37, 38) relates that, after Isaac’s death, Esau was stirred up by his sons to attack Jacob with an army; and that Esau said: “If the boar can change its skin, and make its bristles as soft as wool … then will I observe the tie of brotherhood with thee.” Whereupon Jacob, listening to the advice of Judah his son, “bent his bow and sent forth the arrow and struck Esau his brother on the right breast and slew him.”

Before reading from the Book of Jubilees, remember to reflect on the background earlier:

“And Esau harbored hatred in his heart against Jacob, his brother, because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, ‘I will not do as Cain did, who killed Abel during their father’s lifetime and then their father had another son, Seth. Rather, I will wait until the days of mourning for my father have passed, and then I will kill Jacob my brother, and I will be the sole heir.'” Genesis 27:42 Jonathan

Book of Jubilees: Chapter 37

1 And on the day that Isaac the father of Jacob and Esau died, the sons of Esau heard that Isaac had given the portion of the elder to his younger son Jacob and they were very angry.

2 And they strove with their father, saying: “Why hath thy father given Jacob the portion of the elder and passed over thee, although thou art the elder and Jacob the younger?”

3 And he said unto them “Because I sold my birthright to Jacob for a small mess of lentils;

4 and on the day my father sent me to hunt and catch and bring him something that he should eat and bless me, he came with guile and brought my father food and drink, and my father blessed him and put me under his hand.

5 And now our father hath caused us to swear, me and him, that we shall not mutually devise evil, either against his brother, and that we shall continue in love and in peace each with his brother and not make our ways corrupt.”

6 And they said unto him, “We shall not hearken unto thee to make peace with him; for our strength is greater than his strength, and we are more powerful than he;

7 we shall go against him and slay him, and destroy him and his sons. And if thou wilt not go with us, we shall do hurt to thee also.

8 And now hearken unto us: Let us send to Aram and Philistia and Moab and Ammon, and let us choose for ourselves chosen men who are ardent for battle, and let us go against him and do battle with him, and let us exterminate him from the earth before he groweth strong.”

9 And their father said unto them, “Do not go and do not make war with him lest ye fall before him.”

10 And they said unto him, “This too, is exactly thy mode of action from thy youth until this day, and thou art putting thy neck under his yoke. We shall not hearken to these words.”

11 And they sent to Aram, and to ’Adurâm to the friend of their father, and they hired along with them one thousand fighting men, chosen men of war.

12 And there came to them from Moab and from the children of Ammon, those who were hired, one thousand chosen men, and from Philistia, one thousand chosen men of war, and from Edom and from the Horites one thousand chosen fighting men, and from the Kittim mighty men of war.

13 And they said unto their father: “Go forth with them and lead them, else we shall slay thee.”
And he was filled with wrath and indignation on seeing that his sons were forcing him to go before (them) to lead them against Jacob his brother.

14 But afterward he remembered all the evil which lay hidden in his heart against Jacob his brother; and he remembered not the oath which he had sworn to his father and to his mother that he would devise no evil all his days against Jacob his brother.

15 And notwithstanding all this, Jacob knew not that they were coming against him to battle, and he was mourning for Leah, his wife, until they approached very near to the tower with four thousand warriors and chosen men of war.

16 And the men of Hebron sent to him saying, “Behold thy brother hath come against thee, to fight thee, with four thousand girt with the sword, and they carry shields and weapons”;

17 for they loved Jacob more than Esau. So they told him; for Jacob was a more liberal and merciful man than Esau.

18 But Jacob would not believe until they came very near to the tower.

19 And he closed the gates of the tower; and he stood on the battlements and spake to his brother Esau and said, “Noble is the comfort wherewith thou hast come to comfort me for my wife who hath died.

20 Is this the oath that thou didst swear to thy father and again to thy mother before they died? Thou hast broken the oath, and on the moment that thou didst swear to thy father wast thou condemned.”

21 And then Esau answered and said unto him, “Neither the children of men nor the beasts of the earth have any oath of righteousness which in swearing they have sworn (an oath valid) for ever; but every day they devise evil one against another, and how each may slay his adversary and foe.

— or in modern language:

“And Esau answered and said to him, ‘Never will there be a sworn oath of true faithfulness among mankind and the beasts of the earth forever, for on that very day, a man will do evil to his brother, and an enemy will seek the life of his foe.'”

— this passage reflects a cynical or pessimistic view expressed by Esau towards Jacob, implying that true and lasting faithfulness or loyalty is impossible among people and even among animals, as enmity and hostility are inevitable.

22 And thou dost hate me and my children for ever. And there is no observing the tie of brotherhood with thee.

23 Hear these words which I declare unto thee, If the boar can change its skin and make its bristles as soft as wool, Or if it can cause horns to sprout forth on its head like the horns of a stag or of a sheep, Then shall I observe the tie of brotherhood with thee.

24 [And if the breasts separated themselves from their mother; for thou hast not been a brother to me.]
And if the wolves make peace with the lambs so as not to devour or do them violence, And if their hearts are towards them for good, Then there will be peace in my heart towards thee.

25 And if the lion becometh the friend of the ox and maketh peace with him, And if he is bound under one yoke with him and plougheth with him, Then shall I make peace with thee.

26 And when the raven becometh white as the râzâ (white like rice), Then know that I have loved thee And shall make peace with thee.

27 Thou shalt be rooted out, And thy sons shall be rooted out, And there shall be no peace for thee.”

28 And when Jacob saw that he was (so) evilly disposed towards him with his heart, and with all his soul as to slay him, and that he had come springing like the wild boar which cometh upon the spear that pierceth and killeth it, and recoileth not from it;

29 Then he spake to his own and to his servants that they should attack him and all his companions.

“If the boar can change its skin, and make its bristles as soft as wool … then will I observe the tie of brotherhood with thee.”

Book of Jubilees: Chapter 38

1 And after that Judah spake to Jacob, his father, and said unto him: “Bend thy bow, father, and send forth thy arrows and cast down the adversary and slay the enemy;

2 and mayest thou have the power, for we shall not slay thy brother, for he is such as thou, and he is like thee: let us give him (this) honour.”

3 Then Jacob bent his bow and sent forth the arrow and struck Esau, his brother, (on his right breast) and slew him.

4 And again he sent forth an arrow and struck ’Adôrân the Aramaean, on the left breast, and drove him backward and slew him.

5 And then went forth the sons of Jacob, they and their servants, dividing themselves into companies on the four sides of the tower.

6 And Judah went forth in front, and Naphtali and Gad with him and fifty servants with him on the south side of the tower, and they slew all they found before them, and not one individual of them escaped.

7 And Levi and Dan and Asher went forth on the east side of the tower, and fifty (men) with them, and they slew the fighting men of Moab and Ammon.

8 And Reuben and Issachar and Zebulon went forth on the north side of the tower, and fifty men with them, and they slew the fighting men of the Philistines.

9 And Simeon and Benjamin and Enoch, Reuben’s son, went forth on the west side of the tower, and fifty (men) with them, and they slew of Edom and of the Horites four hundred men, stout warriors; and six hundred fled,

10 and four of the sons of Esau fled with them, and left their father lying slain, as he had fallen on the hill which is in ’Adûrâm.

11 And the sons of Jacob pursued after them to the mountains of Seir. And Jacob buried his brother on the hill which is in ’Adûrâm, and he returned to his house.

12 And the sons of Jacob pressed hard upon the sons of Esau in the mountains of Seir, and bowed their necks so that they became servants of the sons of Jacob.

13 And they sent to their father (to inquire) whether they should make peace with them or slay them.
And Jacob sent word to his sons that they should make peace,

14 and they made peace with them, and placed the yoke of servitude upon them, so that they paid tribute to Jacob and to his sons always.

15 And they continued to pay tribute to Jacob until the day that he went down into Egypt.
And the sons of Edom have not got quit of the yoke of servitude which the twelve sons of Jacob had imposed on them until this day.

16 And these are the kings that reigned in Edom before there reigned any king over the children of Israel [until this day] in the land of Edom…. — the posterity of Esau had their kings well before the posterity of Jacob had theirs; that is, well before Israel had their first king Saul, and then king David;

— Spain’s earliest kings were from the Visigothic Kingdom or Visigothic Spain (409-711AD), whereas the kings of England started when Æthelstan became the first king to rule the whole of England in 927AD.

17 And Bâlâq, the son of Beor, reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Danâbâ.

18 And Bâlâq died, and Jobab, the son of Zârâ of Bôsêr, reigned in his stead.

19 And Jobab died, and ’Asâm, of the land of Têmân, reigned in his stead.
And ’Asâm died, and ’Adâth, the son of Barad, who slew Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead, and the name of his city was Avith.

20 And ’Adâth died, and Salman, from ’Amâsêqâ, reigned in his stead.

21 And Salman died, and Saul of Râ’abôth (by the) river, reigned in his stead.

22 And Saul died, and Ba’êlûnân, the son of Achbor, reigned in his stead.

23 And Ba’êlûnân, the son of Achbor, died, and ’Adâth reigned in his stead, and the name of his wife was Maiṭabîth, the daughter of Mâṭarat, the daughter of Mêtabêdzâ’ab.

24 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom. Book of Jubilees (chapters 37, 38) 

Genesis 36

Esau married early, and his posterity were roughly one generation ahead of Jacob’s

1 Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom. — these are the generations of Esau; Esau has the honour of having an account of his posterity recorded, for the sake of his progenitors, Abraham and Isaac;

— now Edom is used in place of the name Esau, which he received at his birth, because the former became the national designation of his descendants; the Edomites; others are Idumeans, Hasmonean; and from his famed grandson, Amalek, the Amalekites;

— and because the Edomites, his descendants, were neighbours to Israel, and their genealogy would be of use to cast light on the following relations of what passed between them; their dwelling shall be away from the fatness of the earth; and their genealogy would be of use to cast light on the following relations of what passed between them at latter years.

Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; — and Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; of the Canaanites, the posterity of cursed Canaan;

— Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; one of the seven tribes destined to be eliminated, says Genesis 15:18-20: “and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim;”

— and Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; Shechem the Hivite, took Dinah the daughter of Leah, by force, and evilly defiled her; and to God’s horror, they agree to take up circumcision and residence and be incorporated with Israel, to become one people!

— unlike Jacob, who went back and took wives from his kinsmen, Esau took wives from the local ‘natives’ which displeased both his parents, Isaac and Rebecca. Esau’s descendents are a mixtures of Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, known to be among the posterity of Ham; and Ishmaelites, a mix with the Egyptians;

and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth. — Basemath was listed as a Hittite in Genesis 26:34;

And Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; and Basemath bore Reuel;

and Aholibamah bore Jeush and Jaalam and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, who were born unto him in the land of Canaan. — these are the sons of Esau, who were born unto him in the land of Canaan; perhaps his fourth and fifth wives, their sons were born after they left Canaan.

— Rashi: Oholibamah bore…and Korah: This Korah was illegitimate. He was the son of Eliphaz, who had been intimate with his father’s wife, Oholibamah, the wife of Esau. This is evidenced by the fact that he [Korah] is [also] listed among the chieftains of Eliphaz at the end of this chapter. — [from Gen. Rabbah 82:12]

And Esau took his wives, and his sons and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle and all his beasts, and all his substance which he had gotten in the land of Canaan, and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.

— Esau sought a home further south in Seir, because he knew that Jacob, as the heir, would enter upon the family possessions, so without waiting till Jacob returned, he actually took possession further south;

— “because of Jacob” perhaps for fear of him, as the Targum of Jonathan, which paraphrases the words, “for there fell upon him a fear of Jakob his brother;” because he knew, by the blessing of his father, and the oracle of God, and his concurring providence in all things, that the land of Canaan belonged to Jacob,

— Rashi:

and the land of their sojournings could not: provide [sufficient] pasture for their animals. The Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 82:13), however, explains “because of his brother Jacob,” [as follows:] Because of the note of obligation of the decree: “that your seed will be strangers” (Gen. 15: 13), which was put upon the descendants of Isaac.

He (Esau) said, “I will get out of here. I have neither a share in the gift-for the land has been given to him-nor in the payment of the debt.” [He left] also on account of the shame that [he felt because] he had sold his birthright. — [from Gen. Rabbah 82:13]

For their riches were more than that they might dwell together, and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle. — the land wherein they were strangers; the large growth of their wealth made the separation of Esau and Jacob as inevitable;

Thus dwelt Esau in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom. — Mount Seir; the land of Idumea extends from the southern extremity of the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Elath, and consists of a chain of mountains running parallel to the Akaba, or continuation of the deep depression through which the Jordan flows till it loses itself in the Dead Sea;

— Esau is Edom, so called from the red pottage he had of Jacob, which is repeated to fix the odium of that transaction upon him, as well as for the sake of what follows, showing the reason why his posterity were called Edomites.

And these are the generations of Esau, the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir.

10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.

11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.

12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she bore to Eliphaz, Amalek: these were the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife. — among the sons of Eliphaz we find Amalek, whose mother was Timna, the concubine of Eliphaz; the ancestor of the Amalekites, who attacked the Israelites at Horeb as they came out of Egypt under Moses (Exodus 17:8);

— more about Timna, the mother of Amalek, from Rashi:

And Timna was a concubine: [This passage is here] to proclaim the greatness of Abraham-how much [people] longed to attach themselves to his descendants. This Timna was a daughter of chieftains, as it is said: “and the sister of Lotan was Timna” (below verse 22).

Lotan was one of the chieftains of the inhabitants of Seir, from the Horites, who had dwelt there before. She said, “I may not be worthy of marrying you, but if only I could be [your] concubine” (Gen. Rabbah 82:14). In (I) Chronicles (1:36) [the Chronicler] enumerates her among the children of Eliphaz [here she is counted as the daughter of Seir the Horite, and the concubine of Eliphaz].

This teaches [us] that he (Eliphaz) was intimate with the wife of Seir, and Timna emerged from between them (Seir’s wife and Eliphaz), and when she grew up, she became his (Eliphaz’s) concubine. That is the meaning of “and the sister of Lotan was Timna.” [Scripture] did not count her with the sons of Seir, because she was his (Lotan’s) sister through his mother but not through his father. — [from Tanchuma Vayeshev 1]

13 And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath and Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah: these were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

14 And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife; and she bore to Esau: Jeush and Jaalam and Korah.

15 These were chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau: Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz, — Eliphaz, as he was Esau’s first-born, so he had more than a double portion, his six sons being made dukes;

— another term for Chief is Duke; or like the sheiks or emirs of the modern East; or like the Nasi or Prince among the Israelite; that is, these men given the titles Chiefs meant that they had rose to a position of prominance to distinguish themselves from their peers;

16 Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek: these are the chiefs who came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah. — Amalek rose from the position of a grandson and separated himself from the rest of the Edomites by being given the title of a Chief;

17 And these are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, Chief Mizzah: these are the chiefs who came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

18 And these are the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, Chief Korah: these were the chiefs who came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife. — these would make fourteen Dukes or Chiefs, whereas it appears from the closing verses of the chapter that there were only eleven:

  • Verses 15 to 18: 1. Chief Teman, 2. Chief Omar, 3. Chief Zepho, 4. Chief Kenaz, 5. Chief Korah, 6. Chief Gatam, 7. Chief Amalek, 8. Chief Nahath, 9. Chief Zerah, 10. Chief Shammah, 11. Chief Mizzah, 12. Chief Jeush, 13. Chief Jaalam, 14. Chief Korah;
  • Verses 29 to 30: 1. Chief Lotan, 2. Chief Shobal, 3. Chief Zibeon, 4. Chief Anah, 5. Chief Dishon, 6. Chief Ezer, 7. Chief Disha;
  • Verses 40 to 43: 1. Chief Timnah, 2. Chief Alvah, 3. Chief Jetheth, 4. Chief Aholibamah, 5. Chief Elah, 6. Chief Pinon, 7. Chief Kenaz, 8. Chief Teman, 9. Chief Mibzar, 10. Chief Magdiel (identified by Rashi and Chabad as Rome), 11. Chief Iram

19 These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these 

19 These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their chiefs.

20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land: Lotan and Shobal, and Zibeon and Anah, — Mount Seir is called the land of their possession. Canaan was at this time only the land of promise. Seir was in the possession of the Edomites;

— “Seir the Horite,” the Horites Genesis 14:6, were cave-dweller, and probably got the name from the cave hewn out of the solid rock in which he was accustomed to dwell; Sela being a city of such excavated dwellings;

— Rashi:

the inhabitants of the land: They were its inhabitants before Esau came there. Our Rabbis explain [that they were called, “inhabitants of the land”] (Shab. 85a) because they were skilled in making the land habitable.

[They would say,] “The length of this [measuring] stick is [good] for [planting] olives; the length of this [measuring] stick is [good] for [planting] grapevines,” for they would taste [the soil] and know what was suitable to plant in it.

21 and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan: these are the chiefs of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.

22 And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.

23 And the children of Shobal were these: Alvan and Manahath and Ebal, Shepho and Onam.

24 And these are the children of Zibeon: both Ajah and Anah; this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.

— Rashi:

who found the mules in the wilderness: Heb. הַיֵמִם, mules. He mated a donkey with a mare (female horse), and it gave birth to a mule. He (Anah) was illegitimate, and he brought illegitimate offspring into the world (Gen. Rabbah 82:15).

Why were they called יֵמִם (signifying “dreaded beings”)? Because their dread (אֵימָתָן) was cast upon people; Rabbi Hanina said, “In all my days no one has ever recovered from a wound from a white female mule.” (But we see that [those bitten by white female mules] do live.

Do not read: “who has lived (וְהָיָה) ,” but “that was healed (וְחָיתָה) ,” because [such a] wound will never heal. — [from an old Rashi manuscript]) It was unnecessary to list the genealogy of the Horites except to mention Timna, and thereby inform us of the greatness of Abraham, as I explained above (verse 12). [from Chullin 7b]

25 And the children of Anah were these: Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.

26 And these are the children of Dishon: Hemdan and Eshban, and Ithran and Cheran.

27 The children of Ezer are these: Bilhan and Zaavan and Akan.

28 The children of Dishan are these: Uz and Aran.

29 These are the chiefs who came of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah,

30 Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, Chief Dishan: these are the chiefs who came of the Horites, among their chiefs in the land of Seir.

31 And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

— Rashi:

And these are the kings, etc.: They were eight, and, corresponding to them, Jacob set up [eight kings] and nullified the kingdom of Esau during their time. They are the following (kings): Saul, Ish-bosheth, David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, and Jehoshaphat.

During the days of his (Jehoshaphat’s) son Joram, however, it is written: “In his days, Edom revolted from under the power of Judah, and they appointed a king over themselves” (II Kings 8:20), [whereas] during Saul’s days it is written: “There was no king in Edom; a governor was king” (I Kings 22:48). [from Gen. Rabbah 83:2]

32 And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33 And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.

34 And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.

35 And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad (who smote Midian in the field of Moab) reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Avith.

— Rashi: who defeated Moab in the field of Midian: For Midian came against Moab to wage war, and the king of Edom went to aid Moab. From here we learn that Midian and Moab were quarreling with one another, and in the days of Balaam they made peace, [in order] to band together against Israel. — [from Tanchuma Balak 3]

36 And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.

37 And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.

38 And Saul died, and Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.

39 And Baalhanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

40 And these are the names of the chiefs who came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names: Chief Timnah, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,

— Rashi: And these are the names of the chieftains of Esau: who were called by the names of their provinces after Hadar died and their kingdom had ceased. The first ones mentioned above (verses 15-19) are the names of their generations, and so it is delineated in (I Chronicles 1: 51): And Hadar [sic] died, and the chiefs of Edom were Chief Timna, etc.”

41 Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,

42 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,

43 Chief Magdiel, Chief Iram: these are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession; he is Esau, the father of the Edomites. — the name Magdiel couldn’t be traced back to which son of Esau was he from; thus he could be a more remote great or even great-great grandson of Esau;

— RashiMagdiel: This is Rome. — [From Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 38]; but Magiel could only be a grandson or even great grandson of Esau; as Esau had many wives; children and grandchildren, Magiel would have numerous near and distant cousins that would have migrated further into the Iberian peninsula as identified in Obadiah 1:20;

In summary, Esau took wives from the local ‘natives’ which displeased both his parents. Hence Esau’s descendents are a mixtures of Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, known to be among the posterity of Ham; and Ishmaelites, a mix with the Egyptians. Often, many of their childen are spiritually illegitimate!

Italy or Rome was under the Spanish Empire at one time in history

Centuries later, the Spanish are also known to have taken wives from the natives, starting with Mexico and have mixed marriages all over South America.

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

US regime-change operations in Pakistan and Bangladesh

•August 23, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Accusations of US regime-change operations in Pakistan and Bangladesh warrant UN attention

Pearls and Irritations by Jeffrey D Sachs • August 22, 2024

The very strong evidence of the U.S. role in toppling the government of Imran Khan in Pakistan raises the likelihood that something similar may have occurred in Bangladesh.

Two former leaders of major South Asian countries have reportedly accused the United States of covert regime change operations to topple their governments. One of the leaders, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, languishes in prison, on a perverse conviction that proves Khan’s assertion.

The other leader, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, fled to India following a violent coup in her country. Their grave accusations against the US, as reported in the world media, should be investigated by the UN, since if true, the US actions would constitute a fundamental threat to world peace and to regional stability in South Asia.

The two cases seem to be very similar. The very strong evidence of the US role in toppling the government of Imran Khan raises the likelihood that something similar may have occurred in Bangladesh.

In the case of Pakistan, Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asia, met with Asad Majeed Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, on March 7, 2022. Ambassador Khan immediately wrote back to his capital, conveying Lu’s warning that PM Khan threatened US-Pakistan relations because of Khan’s “aggressively neutral position” regarding Russia and Ukraine.

The Ambassador’s March 7 note (technically a diplomatic cypher) quoted Assistant Secretary Lu as follows: “I think if the no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington because the Russia visit is being looked at as a decision by the Prime Minister. Otherwise, I think it will be tough going ahead.” The very next day, members of the parliament took procedural steps to oust PM Khan.

On March 27, PM Khan brandished the cypher, and told his followers and the public that the US was out to bring him down. On April 10, PM Khan was thrown out of office as the parliament acceded to the US threat.

We know this in detail because of Ambassador Khan’s cypher, exposed by PM Khan and brilliantly documented by Ryan Grim of The Intercept, including the text of the cypher. Absurdly and tragically, PM Khan languishes in prison in part over espionage charges, linked to his revealing the cypher.

The US appears to have played a similar role in the recent violent coup in Bangladesh. PM Hasina was ostensibly toppled by student unrest, and fled to India when the Bangladeshi military refused to prevent the protestors from storming the government offices. Yet there may well be much more to the story than meets the eye.

According to press reports in India, PM Hasina is claiming that the US brought her down. Specifically, she says that the US removed her from power because she refused to grant the US military facilities in a region that is considered strategic for the US in its “Indo-Pacific Strategy” to contain China. While these are second-hand accounts by the Indian media, they track closely several speeches and statements that Hasina has made over the past two years.

On May 17, 2024, the same Assistant Secretary Liu who played a lead role in toppling PM Khan, visited Dhaka to discuss the US Indo-Pacific Strategy among other topics. Days later, Sheikh Hasina reportedly summoned the leaders of the 14 parties of her alliance to make the startling claim that a “country of white-skinned people” was trying to bring her down, ostensibly telling the leaders that she refused to compromise her nation’s sovereignty.

US Regime-Change Operations in Pakistan and Bangladesh Warrant UN Attention

Like Imran Khan, PM Hasina had been pursuing a foreign policy of neutrality, including constructive relations not only with the US but also with China and Russia, much to the deep consternation of the US government.

To add credence to Hasina’s charges, Bangladesh had delayed signing two military agreements that the US had pushed very hard since 2022, indeed by none other than the former Under-Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, the neocon hardliner with her own storied history of US regime-change operations.

One of the draft agreements, the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), would bind Bangladesh to closer military-to-military cooperation with Washington. The Government of PM Hasina was clearly not enthusiastic to sign it.

The US is by far the world’s leading practitioner of regime-change operations, yet the US flatly denies its role in covert regime change operations even when caught red-handed, as with Nuland’s infamous intercepted phone call in late January 2014 planning the US-led regime change operation in Ukraine.

It is useless to appeal to the US Congress, and still less the executive branch, to investigate the claims by PM Khan and PM Hasina. Whatever the truth of the matter, they will deny and lie as necessary.

This is where the UN should step in. Covert regime change operations are blatantly illegal under international law (notably the Doctrine of Non-Intervention, as expressed for example in UN General Assembly Resolution 2625, 1970), and constitute perhaps the greatest threat to world peace, as they profoundly destabilise nations, and often lead to wars and other civil disorders.

The UN should investigate and expose covert regime change operations, both in the interests of reversing them, and preventing them in the future.

The UN Security Council is of course specifically charged under Article 24 of the UN Charter with “primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.” When evidence arises that a government has been toppled through the intervention or complicity of a foreign government, the UN Security Council should investigate the claims.

In the cases of Pakistan and Bangladesh, the UN Security Council should seek the direct testimony of PM Khan and PM Hasina in order to evaluate the evidence that the US played a role in the overthrow of the governments of these two leaders.

Each, of course, should be protected by the UN for giving their testimony, so as to protect them from any retribution that could follow their honest presentation of the facts. Their testimony can be taken by video conference, if necessary, given the tragic ongoing incarceration of PM Khan.

The US might well exercise its veto in the UN Security Council to prevent such a investigation. In that case, the UN General Assembly can take up the matter, under UN Resolution A/RES/76/, which allows the UN General Assembly to consider an issue blocked by veto in the UN Security Council.

The issues at stake could then be assessed by the entire membership of the UN. The veracity of the US involvement in the recent regime changes in Pakistan and Bangladesh could then be objectively analysed and judged on the evidence, rather than on mere assertions and denials.

The US engaged in at least 64 covert regime change operations during 1947-1989, according to documented research by Lindsey O’Rourke, political science professor at Boston Collage, and several more that were overt (eg by US-led war).

It continues to engage in regime-change operations with shocking frequency to this day, toppling governments in all parts of the world. It is wishful thinking that the US will abide by international law on its own, but it is not wishful thinking for the world community, long suffering from US regime change operations, to demand their end at the United Nations.

China’s Restrictions on Antimony Could Cripple US

•August 22, 2024 • Leave a Comment

China’s Restrictions on Antimony Exports Could Cripple US Military-Industrial Complex: Here’s Why

US media have described it as “the most important mineral you never heard of”

Sputnik International • August 24, 2024

China has slapped export controls on antimony metals, ores and oxides effective September 15. Companies seeking to export these materials will have to apply for export licenses for dual-use products. That’s bad news for resource import-dependent American arms manufacturers.

In its explanation of last Thursday’s decision to introduce export controls on antimony, China’s Commerce Ministry said the measure was not aimed against any country, but at assuring China’s national security and fulfilling the PRC’s “non-proliferation obligations.” But with China accounting for nearly half of global antimony ore production in 2023, and the US a top buyer, it’s not hard to discern who the restrictions may hit the hardest.

The US International Trade Commission considers antimony “critical to economic and national security – similar to rare earth elements, plus cobalt and uranium.” US business media have described it as “the most important mineral you never heard of.”

That’s because in addition to a long list of civilian uses ranging from flame retardants, lead-acid batteries, and plastics, to ceramics, consumer electronics and safety clothing, antimony has a dizzying array of military applications, from armor-piercing bullets and tracer ammo to night vision goggles, laser sights, communications equipment and even components in nuclear weapons.

China has the largest known reserves of the tough, heat and corrosion-resistant material in the world, boasting 640,000 metric tons in 2023. Russia is second, with 350,000 tons, and Bolivia is third, with 310,000 tons. US allies Australia, Turkiye, Canada are also in the top ten, with their reserves at 140,000, 99,000 and 78,000 tons, respectively. US reserves stand at 60,000 tons.

China mined at least 40,000 tons of antimony in 2023, and together with Russia and Tajikistan reportedly controls up to 90% of the global antimony supply chain. The US closed its last antimony mine in 2001, leaving it totally dependent on imports.

“The most important mineral you never heard of”

The US Defense Department backed the reopening of an abandoned antimony mine in Idaho in 2023, with Perpetua Resources receiving a $1.8 billion loan from the US Export-Import Bank, the official export credit agency of the US federal government, to develop it in April. The mine is expected to come back online by the late 2020s.

A mining powerhouse, China has moved to gradually tighten its control over its strategic and rare earth minerals. Increasingly fierce global economic competition and decades of deindustrialization at home have left the US and its allies scrambling for alternative sources of critical minerals, with conflicts and coup attempts across the globe, from Ukraine and Bolivia to Venezuela and Africa attributed at least in part to growing ‘great power competition’ for strategic resource riches.

US media have warned that China could singlehandedly ground US military aircraft, halt American tanks in their tracks and stop the country’s most advanced surface-to-air missiles if it halted its rare earths exports, with the US nowhere near ready to replace Chinese imports with domestic or friendly country sources.

Antimony: China is curbing its exports

•August 21, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Explainer-What is antimony and why is China curbing its exports?

China’s curb on antimony is strategic because of its use in military equipment, such as infrared missiles, nuclear weapons and night vision goggles, and as a hardening agent for bullets and tanks

Reuters by Amy Lv, Siyi Liu in Beijing & Mai Nguyen in Hanoi • August 16, 2024 ~ Mining

(Reuters) – China will impose export controls on some antimony products from Sept. 15, it said on Thursday, citing national security, adding to measures imposed by Beijing since last year to curb shipments of strategic minerals.

Antimony ingots in China climbed to 127,500 yuan ($26,807) per tonne at the end of May — a 56% increase since the start of 2024 — according to data from the Shanghai Metals Exchange. European prices, meanwhile, rose to $31,689 — a 75% increase.

Following are details on Chinese restrictions and the antimony market.

WHAT IS ANTIMONY AND WHAT IS IT USED FOR?

Antimony is a shiny grey metalloid known since ancient times when it was used in medicine and cosmetics.

Its biggest application today is as a flame retardant, which accounted for around half of global usage in 2023, according to brokerage CICC.

At the same time, about a fifth of antimony was used to make photovoltaic glass to improve the performance of solar cells. Most of the rest was used in lead-acid batteries.

Antimony has also become increasingly strategic because of its use in military equipment, such as infrared missiles, nuclear weapons and night vision goggles, and as a hardening agent for bullets and tanks.

The most commonly mined ore is called stibnite, which contains antimony and sulphur. Antimony can also be a byproduct of gold mining, or recovered from recycling lead-acid batteries.

Russia, accounting for 24% of global supply in 2023 — have been disrupted by Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine

WHAT ARE CHINA’S RESTRICTIONS?

China’s new limits apply to antimony products including ore, ingots and oxide.

Exporters must apply for licences for dual-use items and technologies – those with potential military as well as civilian applications, a process that typically takes two to three months in China.

The rules also prohibit the export of gold-antimony smelting and separation technology without permission.

There are no limits on volume, but on the basis of previous curbs, antimony exports are likely to drop after the restrictions are enforced.

Chinese exports of gallium and germanium, under similar restrictions since last year, fell as some Chinese exporters could not secure licences and some overseas buyers did not want to disclose the ultimate purpose of usage as required under the new rule, industry sources have said.

WHAT IS CHINA’S ROLE IN THE ANTIMONY MARKET?

China is the largest producer of antimony, accounting for 48% of mine production in 2023, followed by Tajikistan at 25%, US Geological Survey (USGS) data showed.

In China, antimony reserves are concentrated in Guangxi, Hunan and Gansu provinces.

China is also the biggest producer of processed antimony, including antimony trioxide (ATO), which is traditionally used in flame retardants and increasingly as a clarifying agent in solar glass.

Consultancy Project Blue said China had also been the biggest exporter of antimony ingots, with purity above 99%, but as Chinese production of solar cells has surged, more ingot is consumed domestically.

China’s exports of unwrought antimony, including ingot, fell 45% year-on-year in the first half of 2024 to 1,694 metric tons, customs data showed.

In response, European ATO refiners looked to Tajikistan, Vietnam, and Myanmar as alternatives, with U.S. buyers mostly sourcing materials from India, Project Blue said.

The Chinese curb presents an opportunity for smaller producing nations to fill the gap. Myanmar, for example, produced 4,600 tonnes in 2023, while Türkiye produced 6,000 tonnes and Tajikistan produced more than 21,000 tonnes.

WHY IS ANTIMONY SUPPLY SO TIGHT?

Known antimony reserves can meet demand for about 24 years, far less than known reserves of rare earths, lithium and other metals, though slightly more than for silver, USGS data showed.

China is the biggest antimony ore producer but production has declined to 40,000 tons in 2023 from 61,000 tons in 2020 as a result of falling ore grades and more stringent environmental requirements.

Despite its dominance in ore output, China is a net importer of antimony concentrates and depends on ore from countries including Thailand, Myanmar and Russia.

Russia was once a major antimony concentrate exporter to China, but its supply fell sharply this year as major producer Polyus’ output declined. Export duty and mineral extraction tax also made shipping the material overseas less attractive.

“There is no pipeline of supply to turn on,” said Christopher Ecclestone, a principal and mining strategist at Hallgarten & Company in London.

China has accounted for more than 70% of ATO production globally since 2022, said Project Blue.

Outside China, processing capacity is limited.

Perpetua Resources, which is building a US antimony and gold project with support from the Pentagon, had planned to begin production by 2028, but is studying ways to produce antimony faster in response to the Chinese curbs.

The market is also tight because of increased demand from the solar and military sectors, with a deficit estimated at 10,000 tons in May by Project Blue. The shortfall could widen after the latest Chinese restrictions.

IMPACT ON PRICES

Antimony prices have already hit record highs.

Chinese antimony, CIF Northwestern Europe and of 99.65% purity, traded at all-time highs above $22,000 a metric ton by the end of July, LSEG Workspace data showed.

In China, antimony, of 99.91% purity, has traded at a record 162,500 yuan ($22,657.24) a ton since Wednesday, Shanghai Metal Exchange data showed.

Industry analysts say prices could climb another $8,000 a ton this year to $30,000, as ex-China buyers seek to stockpile more material because of the new restriction.

Share prices of antimony producers in China jumped by up to 10% on Friday.

Shares of Perpetua surged nearly 24% to their highest in more than three years on Thursday.

Genesis (33-34)

•August 20, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Looking through the Scriptures with a puff of fresh air!

Then Isaac his father answered and prophesied, saying,

“And by your sword shall you live, you will go to every place, and wander, and you will be subject to your brother. But when his descendants abandon the commandments of the Torah, then you will break his yoke from your neck.”

“And Esau harbored hatred in his heart against Jacob, his brother, because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him.

And Esau said in his heart, ‘I will not do as Cain did, who killed Abel during their father’s lifetime and then their father had another son, Seth.

Rather, I will wait until the days of mourning for my father have passed, and then I will kill Jacob my brother, and I will be the sole heir.'” Genesis 27:41-42 Jonathan

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly.” Jeremiah 23:20

Genesis 33

1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau came and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two handmaids. — as Jacob went forward, he saw Esau coming to meet him with his 400 mean;

And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindmost. — he then arranged his wives and children in such a manner, that the maids with their children went first, Leah with hers in the middle, and Rachel with Joseph behind, thus forming a long procession.

And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. — he bowed himself seven times; the manner of doing this is by looking towards a superior and bowing with the upper part of the body brought parallel to the ground;

— then advancing a few steps and bowing again, and repeating his obeisance till, at the seventh time; members of his family did the same; this was a token of profound fear of terror rather than respect;

And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him; and they wept. — and they wept; Jacob wept for joy to be thus kindly received; Esau, perhaps, with grief and shame, to think of the ill design he had conceived against his brother;

— and they wept, both Jacob and Esau, for joy at the sight of each other, and both seriously; and especially there can be no doubt of Jacob, who must be glad of this reconciliation, and the lives of his wives and children, would be spared.

And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are those with thee?” And he said, “The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.” — Jacob speaks of his children as God’s gifts; a heritage of the Lord, and as choice gifts, graciously given him.

Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. — then the handmaids came near, they and their children; being foremost, and next to, Jacob, as Bilhah and her two sons, Dan and Naphtali, and Zilpah and her two sons, Gad and Asher;

And Leah also with her children came near and bowed themselves; and after these came Joseph and Rachel near, and they bowed themselves.

— and Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves; who were in the next division or company; their children were seven, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah, six sons and one daughter:

— and after came Joseph and Rachel, and they bowed themselves; it is observed that Joseph is mentioned before his mother; it may be, because they might put him before her in the procession, for greater safety; or she might present him to Esau, being a child of little more than six years of age.

And he said, “What meanest thou by all this drove which I met?” And he said, “These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.” — and he said, these are to find grace in the sight of my lord; to gain his favour and good will; and which, as it was a token of Jacob’s good will to him;

And Esau said, “I have enough, my brother. Keep what thou hast unto thyself.” — and Esau said, I have enough; literally, I have abundance; keep that thou hast unto thyself, let be to thee what is to thee;

10 And Jacob said, “Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; for therefore I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

— as though I had seen the face of God. It is in a manner as pleasant a sight to me as the sight of God himself, because in thy reconciled face I see the face and favour of God thus manifested unto me.

11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee, because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” And he urged him, and he took it. — and Jacob urged him, and Esau took it: being pressing on him, or importunate with him, Esau accepted of his present.

12 And he said, “Let us take our journey; and let us go, and I will go before thee.” — and Esau offers himself to be Jacob’s guide and companion, in token of a sincere reconciliation.

13 And he said unto him, “My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me; and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. — and Jacob said unto Esau; the children are tender; the eldest of them, Reuben, not being yet fourteen years old.

14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will lead on gently, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children are able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.” — unto Seir; this implies a purpose of visiting Esau, but not carried out probably because Esau hadn’t settled there yet, he instead returned to Hebron to his father.

15 And Esau said, “Let me now leave with thee some of the folk who are with me.” And he said, “What need is there? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord.” — and he said, what needeth it? Jacob knew the direct way very probably; he thought himself in no danger;

16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. — Esau took his leave of Jacob the same day he met Jacob, and proceeded on in his journey towards Seir;

17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth [that is, Booths]. — and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle; an house for himself and family, and booths or tents for his servants or shepherds, and for the cattle they had the care of, some for one, and some for the other.

18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram, and pitched his tent before the city. — Shechem, where Jacob’s well is still there; where a woman of Samaria to draw water and met Jesus: John 4:6

19 And he bought a parcel of a field where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. — a hundred pieces of money; may signify either lambs, given in way of exchange for it, or a hundred pieces of silvers;

20 And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel [that is, God, the God of Israel]. — Jacob erected there an altar; Abraham had already built an altar in this neighbourhood (Genesis 12:7), and Jacob now followed his example.

Genesis 34

1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bore unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. — Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land; from her father’s house into the city, out of curiosity,to see the daughters of the land;

And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and defiled her. — Shechem the Hivite, took her by force, and evilly defiled her;

And his soul cleaved unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel and spoke kindly unto the damsel. — and his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob; his inclination was to her; it was not a mere lustful desire that was suddenly raised, but a constant and continued affection he bore to her; professing great love to her;

And Shechem spoke unto his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this damsel for a wife.” — and Shechem spake unto his father Hamor; and told him the whole affair, at least what a strong affection he had for Dinah;

And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob held his peace until they had come. — Jacob held his peace; he as a father and a good man, must have been deeply distressed; baitded for time;

And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him. — to commune with him; to talk with him about the affair of Dinah, to pacify him, and endeavour to gain his consent, that his son might marry her, and to settle the, terms and conditions of the marriage.

And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, which thing ought not to be done. — and the men were grieved and were very wroth; they were grieved for the wickedness committed against God as well as for the injury done to their sister;

And Hamor communed with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter. I pray you give her to him for a wife; — Hamor communed with Jacob’s sons, to whom Jacob committed the business, being himself oppressed with shame and grief, and fear for his daughter;

and make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. — and make ye marriages with us; there was no objection on their side, it lay on Jacob’s; Abraham’s servant was charged by him not to take a wife of the Canaanites to his son Isaac; and the same charge was given Jacob by Isaac, Genesis 24:3

10 And ye shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.” — ye shall dwell with us; Hamor proposes that Jacob’s family shall abandon their nomad life, and settle among the Hivites; and trade with them;

11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, “Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me, I will give. — and what ye shall say unto me, I will give; to her, to her parents, to her brethren and relations; let what will be fixed, shall be given; 

12 Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; but give me the damsel for a wife.” — and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; determine among yourselves whatever shall be the dowry and gift, and it shall be punctually observed: but give me the damsel to wife; only agree to that, and I care not what is required of me.

13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said — because he had defiled Dinah their sister” — and the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor deceitfully; or with carnal wisdom and wicked cunning, proposing the marriage of their sister, when they never intended it should ever be:

14 and they said unto them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach unto us. — and Levi and Simeon said unto Hamor and Shechem:

— nothing is said of their teaching the people to worship the true God, but only of their insisting on their being circumcised; a cloak to cover their diabolical design.

15 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised, — as we are; that is; the sons of Jacob were all circumcised as they claimed;

16 then will we give our daughters unto you; and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. — and we will take your daughters to us; in marriage for wives: and we will dwell with you; not as sojourners but as fellow citizens.

17 But if ye will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter and we will be gone.” — then will we take our daughter; by force, as the Targum of Jonathan adds: and we will be gone: depart from this part of the country, and go elsewhere.

18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hamor’s son. — Hamor, and Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite;

19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter; and he was more honorable than all the house of his father. — and he was more honourable than all the house of his father; for though in defiling Jacob’s daughter, yet in this he was honourable, that he sought to marry her, and to recompence the injury;

20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, — and communed with the men of their city; upon the subject of entering into an alliance with Jacob’s family, of admitting them to be fellow citizens with them;

21 “These men are peaceable with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. — let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters; this is not just a horror to Abraham or Isaac, but to God himself;

— alas! for how one sin leads on to another, and, like flames of fire, spread desolation in every direction! For this will put God’s direction to no effect:

“Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates: the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim, and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:18-21

22 Only herein will the men consent unto us to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. — if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised; submitting to this rite, they agree to take up their residence with us, and be incorporated among us, and to God’s horror, become one people.

23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? Only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.” — only let us consent unto them; in the affair of circumcision: and they will dwell with us; and what by trading with them, and marrying among them, all their wealth and riches will come into our hands.

24 And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all who went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city. — they consented to be circumcised, in compliance with their young prince, whom they either feared or loved; to be willing to expose themselves to great pains and hazards;

— the purpose of circumcision was to keep the Israelites “unmixed” or maintained separated from all the neighbouring tribes, for Josephus (Antiquities. l. 1. c. 10. sect. 5) said:

The forementioned son was born to Abram when he was eighty-six years old: but when he was ninety-nine, God appeared to him, and promised him that he Should have a son by Sarai, and commanded that his name should be Isaac; and showed him, that from this son should spring great nations and kings, and that they should obtain all the land of Canaan by war, from Sidon to Egypt.

But he charged him, in order to keep his posterity unmixed with others, that they should be circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin, and that this should be done on the eighth day after they were born.

25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males. — Simeon and Levi, being Leah’s children; Dinah’s brethren; they act as sworn enemies to those to whom they were lately become sworn friends;

26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out. — and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house; where she was detained from the time of her being ravished by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, against her will, as hostage, with an evil intention of forcing a marriage on her;

— what a parallel in today’s environment where the Hamas terrorists killed many Jews on October 7, 2023; and captured over two hundreds of the others as hostages, trying to force “peace” onto Israel;

27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and despoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. — although only two of Jacob’s sons were mentioned, they might be assisted by the rest; at least, no doubt, they were attended with servants, who were aiding: in accomplishing a bloody judgement;

28 They took their sheep and their oxen and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field;

29 and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives took they captive, and despoiled even all that was in the house. — and spoiled even all that was in the house; of Shechem or Hamor, or in any of the houses of the inhabitants; they rifled and plundered everyone, and took away whatsoever they found;

30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “Ye have troubled me to make me a stench among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. And I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.”

— amongst the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and I being few in number; or men of number; he and his sons and servants, in all, making but a small number in comparison of the nations about him:

— they shall slay me: he could expect no other in human reason, and they were hindered from so doing only by the hand of the great God smiting them with terror, Genesis 35:5

31 And they said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?” — should he deal with our sister as with an harlot? make a whore of her, and then keep her in his house as such?

Paul Keating: Australia as the 51st state of the US

•August 18, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The military control of Australia for the next 40 years by the United States

The United States military control of Australia for the next 40 years

Pearls and Irritations by Paul Keating • August 9, 2024

The Albanese government with their policy is likely to turn Australia into the 51st state of the United States, writes former Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating.

Introduction: Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have been in the US for talks with the Secretaries of Defense and State this week. Australia has pledged to increase the frequency of American troops rotating through the country.

Former prime minister Paul Keating is a critic of the Labor Party’s all-in support for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal, and our growing military relationship with the US.

“In defence and foreign policy, this is not a Labor government,” Mr Keating said. “This is a party which has adopted the defence and foreign policies of the Morrison Liberal government. “This is a sellout.”

Mr Marles is in the US and has agreed to allow the transfer of US and UK naval nuclear material to Australia. The partnership also provides for more rotations of US troops to the region, which Mr Keating criticised.

“What he said made me cringe … it will make any Labor person cringe,” Mr Keating said.

“There’ll be American force posture now in Australia, involving every domain.

“This government has sold out to the United States.

“They’ve fallen for the dinner on the White House lawn.

“The prime minister gets the dinners on the White House lawn … [and] these turkeys all fall for it.”

 “We’re going to tie these guys up for 40 years,” Kurt Campbell, the Deputy Secretary of State had said of roping in Australia as a satrap for Indo-Pacific

In the interview below, he spoke to ABC 7.30 Report’s Sarah Ferguson.

Sarah Ferguson: Paul Keating welcome to 7:30.

Paul Keating: Thank you Sarah.

Sarah Ferguson: Richard Marles has been in Washington this week. He said American military involvement with Australia is in every domain. Land, sea, air, cyber and space. What’s wrong with cooperating with an ally deemed indispensable for Australia’s security?

Paul Keating: What’s wrong is that we completely lose our strategic autonomy: the right of Australia, Australian governments, and the Australian people to determine where and how they respond in the world is taken away, if we let the United States and that military displace our military and our foreign policy prerogatives.

Sarah Ferguson: Is it your argument also that increasing American troop presence and broader military presence here makes Australia more of a target?

Paul Keating: Yes. I think we’re now defending the fact that we’re in AUKUS. If we weren’t in AUKUS we wouldn’t need to defend.

Let me amplify the point.

That is, if we didn’t have an aggressive ally like the United States; aggressive to others in the region, there’d be nobody attacking Australia.

We are better left alone than we are being protected by an aggressive power like the United States

Sarah Ferguson: Why is America aggressive?

Paul Keating: Because it’s going to… it’s aggressive because it’s trying to superintend, from the Atlantic, the largest Asian power – which is China with four times its population, an economy 20% larger, a Navy of the same size – they’re going to try and superintend it as the primary – get this – the primary strategic power in Asia.

That is, 9,000 km from the California coast, facing a country of 1.4 billion, four times their population. They’re going to superintend them.

They’re going to knock them into line…

The Albanese government has a policy likely to turn Australia into the 51st state of the United States

Sarah Ferguson: Well, the rationale for this has been, since the publication of the defence strategic review, has been clear: that is the rapid escalation, the rapid and undeniable escalation of the Chinese military. Why shouldn’t Australia embrace an alliance that counterbalances that power?

Paul Keating: Because that power has no strategic – no strategic designs upon Australia. What this is all about is the Chinese laying claim to Taiwan. And the Americans are going to say “no, no, we’re going to keep these Taiwanese people protected” even though they’ve got, they’re sitting on Chinese real estate.

Sarah Ferguson: Although it’s, well let me, let me just stop there on the Chinese real estate. What about Taiwanese real estate and the wishes of the Taiwanese people?

Paul Keating: Yeah, well the Chinese real estate is part of China.

Let me make the analogy. It would be like the Chinese saying, say to us:

“Look we think Tasmania has been forgotten and poorly treated for many years. We want to keep the sea route down the East Coast of Australia through Bass Straight across to Perth and the Indian Ocean open. So we’re going to put some frigates there, and we will economically support the Tasmanian people should they wish to secede from Australia…”

Look, we’d say that’s shocking. That’s shocking.

Sarah Ferguson: Let’s just stay with Taiwan for the moment. The Chinese have said that they will, by taking back Taiwan, to use their phrase, they would dismantle all of Taiwanese civil society. Are you prepared to just see all of that gone?

Paul Keating: Taiwan is not a vital Australian interest.

Tasmania would be if it was us. We would fight anybody touching Tasmania. Like the Chinese will fight anyone touching Taiwan.

See the thing is this Sarah. Get this: the Chinese will fight to the last teenage soldier to defend Taiwan and the Chinese State. And the Americans will not take on such a fight, and more than that will not win it. So we end up being – we get the carry on rights and all of a sudden the Americans take off and leave us and we’re the ones that have done all the offense, you know what I mean?

Sarah Ferguson: Let me just come back to the question I asked though because, as was said, in the defence strategic review this is about responding to – not the only – but one of the primary reasons for the reshaping of the Australian military in concert with the United States and allies in the region is because of the rapid escalation of the Chinese military. So the question is why shouldn’t Australia embrace an alliance that seeks to balance that power?

Paul Keating: We’re not threatened by the Chinese military.

Look, China’s got an economy now, according to the IMF, 20% larger than America. What are they expecting, for them to move around in rowboats? Canoes maybe? You know? So they developed their own submarines, their own frigates, their own aircraft carriers. They are the other major state in the world. And now what do the Americans say?: “tsk tsk, now keep your place, you know, go back to your canoes.”

You know? I mean really…

Sarah Ferguson: But if you were Prime Minister, and you had the responsibility, as you have had in the past, to defend Australia wouldn’t you seek to counter an unprecedented military expansion? Something we haven’t, the size of which we haven’t seen since the second world war by the most powerful possible adversary?

Paul Keating: Australia is capable of defending itself.

Let’s say, what is a threat? And that is an invasion. An invasion comes in an armada. With satellites today you see the armada formed, you would see it leave its harbor. You see it for 10 or 15 days come to Australia, and you would sink every one of them on the way.

You don’t need the United States to defend Australia.

Australia is quite capable of defending itself.

Sarah Ferguson: I just want to come back to what you said about Taiwan, because it sounds from what you’re saying that you would be perfectly happy to give up any support of Taiwan, for the Chinese to resume control of Taiwan. You have no objection to that.

Paul Keating: Any military support? Absolutely.

Sarah Ferguson: What about any support for the Taiwanese people who say they don’t want that?

Paul Keating: It’ll get resolved socially and politically over time. That’s what will happen there. But the thing is it’s not our matter. I mean does anyone want their kids to be shot to death on a sandy beach in Taiwan? Australian kids shot to death on a sandy beach in Taiwan? This is the outcome of such a policy.

Sarah Ferguson: Let’s just go to AUKUS for a moment because there are analysts who say that developments in our, in AI, will make it easier to track large manned submarines and that we should be focusing more on building swarms of unmanned underwater drones. Is that what you’re concerned about, defence betting on the wrong technology?

Paul Keating: No. What I’m concerned about is us… you see we’re going to get AUKUS, but not the submarines. What we’re going to get is what Kurt Campbell, the Deputy Secretary of State has said: “We’re going to tie these guys up for 40 years.”

What AUKUS is about in the American mind is turning the suckers in Australia, locking us up for 40 years with American bases all around.

I mean what this report today tells you, they can have American bases all around Australia. American bases not Australian. But all around Australia.

So AUKUS is really about, in American terms, the military control of Australia.

I mean what’s happened.. I say this. I say this. The Albanese government with their policy is likely to turn Australia into the 51st state of the United States.

Sarah Ferguson: Let’s talk about what the Chinese, what China has done. The way you put it it’s as if China is simply on the defensive from an aggressive America. You use the, you used the term aggressive earlier on. But China has territorial disputes of its own with Vietnam, with India, with Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. Don’t you welcome a countervailing force?

Paul Keating: The Americans are not a countervailing force. They… look, just imagine this Sarah. Just imagine if the Chinese Blue Water Navy was sailing on the coast of California, stopping off or nearby Los Angeles and San Diego. Could you imagine the uproar? Right? But this is what they do every day of the week to the Chinese.

Sarah Ferguson: At the same time there’s a series of countries in Asia, democracies, who could change their countries profoundly, want to, who choose to have. and allow to remain, American bases in Asia.

Paul Keating: Yeah good on them. But not us. We’ve got a continent of our own and a border with nobody and we’re not likely to be threatened by a soul.

The only threat likely to come from us is because we have an aggressive ally. Because of AUKUS.

I mean all of this defensive talk now – defending us against AUKUS. If we didn’t have AUKUS, you wouldn’t need the defence. You follow me?

Sarah Ferguson: Just to finish, is it your contention as someone who was once responsible for the defence of Australia, that faced with the rapid escalation of the Chinese military, Australia should do nothing?

Paul Keating: No.

Australia should have submarines which protect the littoral waters of Australia. It should have attacking and bomber aircraft to sink ships. It should have self propelled mines. It should have all the things, the modern things that you can keep. Look there’s no way another state can invade a country like Australia with an armada of ships without it all failing. I mean Australia is quite capable of defending itself.

We don’t need to be basically a pair of shoes hanging out of the American backside.

Sarah Ferguson: Paul Keating, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Genesis (31-32)

•August 17, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Genesis 31

1 And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and from that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.” — their complaining word “glory” suggests that, enriched by cattle and commerce, Jacob had now become a person of great importance in the eyes of the people of Haran;

— as the Targum of Jonathan says, by which he got the name and glory of a rich man among men: and it was so far true what they say, that it was out of their father’s flock that Jacob got all his increase;

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as before. — and, behold, it was not towards him as before;

— he said nothing to Jacob, nor charged him with robbing of him, or any false dealing with him, yet was uneasy at his growing prosperity; he put on sour looks, and an envious countenance, sad, and surly, and lowering;

And the Lord said unto Jacob, “Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.” — the Lord said unto Jacob; in answer to a prayer of his; or seeing what difficulties and discouragements Jacob laboured under, he appeared unto him for his encouragement and instruction how to proceed;

And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, — and Jacob sent; having this encouragement and direction from the Lord, which seems while he was attending his flocks, he dispatched a messenger home to his wives, one of his servants or under shepherds;

— the Targum of Jonathan says it was his son Naphtali, of Rachels’ maid, Bilhah, whom he sent, because he was a swift messenger;

and said unto them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. — but the God of my father hath been with me; not only supported him under all his troubles; but by his good providence prospering him in his affairs, as well as he had lately appeared to him, and encouraged him to return to his own country.

And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. — and ye know, that with all my power I have served your father; with all faithfulness and uprightness; with all diligence and industry; with all wisdom and prudence; and sparing no pains by day or night to take care of his flocks, and increase his substance;

Speckle

And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God did not suffer him to hurt me. — hath changed my wages ten times; that is, oft-times, as is often the signification of the number ten.

If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be thy wages,’ then all the animals bore speckled; and if he said thus: ‘The ringstreaked shall be thy hire,’ then all the animals bore ringstreaked.

— the ring-straked shall be thy hire; hence it appears that Laban through envy and covetousness did break his agreement made with Jacob, and altered it as he thought meet, and that Jacob patiently yielded to all such changes.

Thus God hath taken away the flocks of your father, and given them to me. — Laban’s flock was much lessened by those means, and more were taken away, and came to Jacob’s share;

10 And it came to pass at the time that the animals conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the animals were ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled.

— not that the rams in the flock were really of those colours, for they were all white, but so they were represented to Jacob in the vision, to suggest to him, that such would be produced by them;

11 And the angel of God spoke unto me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob!’ And I said, ‘Here am I.’ — saying, Jacob; and I said, here am I; the angel called him by his name, to which he answered, and signified that he was ready to attend to whatsoever he should say to him;

12 And he said, ‘Lift up now thine eyes and see: all the rams which leap upon the animals are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. — and the angel said, for I have seen all that Laban doeth to thee;

13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointed the pillar, and where thou vowed a vow unto Me. Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.’” — I am the God of Bethel; the same Angel that appeared to Jacob in a dream, the God of Bethel; hence this ‘angel’ is the Son of God;

14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, “Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? — having heard his views, Rachel and Leah answered; they expressed their entire approval;

15 Are we not counted by him strangers? For he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. — are we not confuted of him strangers? as if we had no more right to his estate than strangers? instead of a good part of his estate, which by the law of God and nature belongs to us;

16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours and our children’s. Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.” — now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do; this was well spoken indeed; they mean, that he should leave their father’s house, and go into the land of Canaan, as God had directed him;

17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels. — then Jacob rose up; and went with them to Laban’s house, where his children were, as is plain from Rachel’s theft, Genesis 31:19

18 And he carried away all his flocks and all his goods which he had gotten, the flocks of his getting which he had gotten in Padanaram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. — for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan; but staying at several places by the way. No mention is made of his mother Rebekah, she perhaps being now dead;

19 And Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s. — images; images of angels, teraphim, called Laban’s gods in Genesis 31:30, which he made use of in an idolatrous and superstitious manner;

— Rachel had a lingering attachment to these objects of her family’s superstitious reverence, and secretly carried them away as relics of a home she was to visit no more, and as sources of safety to herself against the perils of her flight; and we find that such idolatry worship continued throughout their pre-Babylonian history;

— when we read of Rachel’s stealing her father’s images, what a scene of iniquity this opens; the family of Nahor, and even Terah, his father, who left the idolatrous Chaldees; is not this family itself had been tainted or even deeply idolatrous? Until the days they were purified in the Babylonian captivity?

20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. — Jacob stole away; he thought the prudence and necessity of departing secretly; otherwise, Laban might have detained him by violence or artifice if he waited;

21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount of Gilead. — and he rose up, and passed over the river; the river Euphrates, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, which lay between Mesopotamia and Canaan;

— and set his face toward the mount Gilead: this, was a mountain on the border of the land of Canaan, adjoining to Lebanon, near which was a very fruitful country, which had its name from it;

22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled. — and it was told Laban on the third day, that Jacob was fled; three days after Jacob was gone he had the report to him;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds more concerning Jacob’s blessings while living there:

But after Jakob had gone, the shepherds went to the well, but found no water; and they waited three days, if that it might (again) overflow; but it overflowed not; and then came they to Laban on the third day, and he knew that Jakob had fled; because through his righteousness it had flowed twenty years.

23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him on the mount of Gilead. — seven days’ journey; the route chosen by Jacob was apparently the more easterly one, past Damascus to the west; the hill, which subsequently was called Mount Gilead, lay to the south of the Jabbok;

24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, “Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.” — God came to Laban and warn him of any altercations, or any use no harsh language with him, which may occasion a quarrel;

— God can put a bridle in the mouth of wicked men, to restrain their malice, though he do not change their hearts. Though they have no love to God’s people, they will pretend to it, and try to make a merit of necessity;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds a sword from an angel, warning “Laban the deceitful”

And there came an angel with a word from before the Lord; and he drew the sword against Laban the deceitful in a dream of the night, and said to him, Beware lest thou speak with Jakob from good to evil.

25 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent on the mount; and Laban with his brethren pitched on the mount of Gilead. — then Laban overtook Jacob; he was come to the mount overnight, and now in the morning he came nearer to him:

26 And Laban said to Jacob, “What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters as captives taken with the sword? — despite being warned by God, Laban still took a hostile approach: What hast thou done?

27 Why didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with taboret and with harp, — thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me? but that he had no need to have used such privacy, and go away like a thief by stealth, as if he had done something he had reason to be ashamed of:

— and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret and with harp: so that he would have given him a pleasant leave to depart;

28 and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Thou hast now done foolishly in so doing. — thou hast done foolishly in so doing: since, as he would have him believe that he was both a loser by this step he took;

— and exposed himself foolishly to danger, as Laban has means to do him hurt; but Jacob knew what he did, and that it was the wisest part to follow the direction of God; yet God didn’t direct Jacob to fled in stealth in the night, so to speak, or by stealing his idols in the process.

29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt; but the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight, saying, ‘Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.’ — the God of your father, Isaac or Abraham, by which Laban seemed to distance himself and disowned him for his God;

— speak not to Jacob either good or bad; this, though greatly to Jacob’s honour, and against Laban’s interest, God was warning him of staying out of his business;

30 And now, though thou wouldest be gone, because thou sorely longed after thy father’s house, yet why hast thou stolen my gods?”

— yet, wherefore, hast thou stolen my gods? what reason had he for that? if he took away himself, his wives, his children, his goods, what business had he with his gods? 

— thou stolen my gods? teraphim, small images of human figures, used as idols or objects of worship, and as talismans, for superstitious purposes.

31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid; for I said, ‘Perhaps thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me.’ — Jacob answered; he gives the true reason for his flight: thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me; which of right belonged to him; for though they were Laban’s daughters, they were Jacob’s wives;

— after which, indignant at the charge of theft, he returns, in his anger, as rash an answer about the teraphim as Joseph’s brethren a generation later did about the stolen cup;

32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live. Before our brethren, discern thou what is thine with me, and take it with thee.” For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. — real foolish for Jacob to say this: “thou findest thy gods, let him not live”

— for Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them; the images or gods; or he would have been more careful of his expression, in love and tenderness to his most beloved wife;

— the Targum of Jonathan says “With whomsoever thou shalt find the images of thy idols, let him die before his time.”

33 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents, but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. — and Laban went into Jacob’s tent; into that first where he most suspected they were, being taken not out of value for them, but contempt of them;

— and into Leah’s tent; and not Leah’s tent next, whom next to Jacob he might suspect of taking them, out of veneration to them, because her tent lay next: and into the two maidservants’ tents: Bilhah and Zilpah; but he found them not; in neither of these tents:

34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.

— then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent; which he went into last of all, the least suspecting of her, but covertly more addicted to the superstition and idolatry of his family than Leah and the maidservants:

35 And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee, for the custom of women is upon me.” And he searched, but found not the images. — Rachel pleads the custom of women as an excuse for keeping her seat; either of ceremonial defilement; or she was already pregnant with Benjamin;

— but found not the images; and so left off searching; nor do we find that he searched the flock for any of his cattle there, knowing full well Jacob’s “honesty and integrity.”

36 And Jacob was wroth, and chided Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? — Jacob was wroth; naturally he regarded the accusation about the teraphim as a mere device for searching his goods, and when nothing was found gave free vent to his indignation;

— having answered Laban’s questions to the silencing of him, and nothing of his upon search, being found with him, Jacob took heart, and was of good courage and in high spirits, and in his turn was heated also;

— what is my trespass? what is my sin? what heinous offence have I committed? what law of God or man have I broke? that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? with so much haste and swiftness, and with such a number of men, as if he came to take a thief, a robber, or a murderer.

37 Whereas thou hast searched all my goods, what hast thou found of all thy household things? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge between us both. — set it here before my brethren and thy brethren; publicly before them all, and let it be thoroughly inquired into whose property it was, and whether lawfully taken or not.

38 These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy shegoats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. — in the twenty years I’ve worked for you, ewes and she-goats never miscarried; neither have  I feasted on the rams from your flock.

39 That which was torn by beasts I brought not unto thee; I bore the loss of it. From my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. — that which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; the shepherds are strictly responsible for losses in the flock, unless they can prove these were occasioned by wild beasts.

40 Thus I was: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from mine eyes. — all the blessings because it was through my extraordinary thoughtfulness and care about thy cattle, especially in cases of danger.

41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house. I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flocks; and thou hast changed my wages ten times. — and six years for thy cattle, to have as many of them for his hire, as were produced from a flock of white sheep, that were speckled, spotted, or ringstraked, or brown;

42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou would have sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.” — and rebuked thee yesternight; in a dream, charging him to say neither good nor evil to Jacob, which he himself had confessed;

43 And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these flocks are my flocks, and all that thou seest is mine. And what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children whom they have borne?

— though Laban does not attempt any reply to Jacob’s angry invectives, he answers affectionately; but offers a compromise;

44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be a witness between me and thee.” — a covenant; that all past differences and quarrels subside, and that for the future peace and good will subsist; of which a covenant made between them would be a testimony;

45 And Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, “Gather stones”; and they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there upon the heap. —Jacob set it up for a pillar, to show his readiness to agree to the motion, he immediately took a large stone that lay upon the mount, to be a standing monument of the agreement now about to be made between them.

47 And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha [that is, The heap of witness], but Jacob called it Galeed. — but Jacob called it Galeed; which in the Hebrew tongue signifies “an heap of witness” or an heap, the witness;

48 And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between me and thee this day.” Therefore was the name of it called Galeed,

49 and Mizpah [that is, A beacon or watchtower]; for he said, “The Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another. — and Mizpah; which being an Hebrew word, it looks as if the heap had also this name given it by Jacob, which signifies a “watch” or “watchtower”

50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives besides my daughters, no man is with us—see, God is witness between me and thee!” — if thou shall afflict my daughters; in body or mind, by giving them hard blows, or ill words, and by withholding from them the necessaries of life, food and raiment, and the like;

— or if thou shall take other wives besides my daughters; which also would be an affliction and vexation to them; Laban, though he had led Jacob into polygamy, and even obliged him to it, did not choose he should go further into it;

51 And Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold this pillar, which I have cast between me and thee.

52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass beyond this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.

53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. — the God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us; and the father of these was Terah;

— so that the god of them was not the true God, and is not meant, at least not as truly worshipped; but the god or gods of Terah and Nahor worshipped while idolaters, and Laban still continued to do; but Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac; that is, by the true God his father Isaac feared, served, and worshipped.

54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they ate bread, and tarried all night on the mount. — Jacob offered sacrifice; the meaning is, that Jacob slaughtered cattle, and made a feast after offering sacrifices;

55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. And Laban departed, and returned unto his place. — and kissed his sons and his daughters; Jacob and his sons, who were his grandsons;

— and his daughters Rachel and Leah, with Dinah his granddaughter, as was the custom of relations and friends in those countries and times, at parting: and blessed them; wished all happiness to them.

Genesis 32

1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. — the angels appear in warlike guise as they were seen by Jacob; but were the “messengers of Elohim,”

And when Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s host.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim [that is, Two hosts or camps]. — he said, this is God’s host: or army, hence he is often called the Lord of hosts; angels have this name from their number, order, strength, and military exploits they perform;

And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. — Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau; it was a prudent precaution to ascertain the present temper of Esau, as they approached the eastern confines of Canaan, lay near the wild district where his brother was now established; land of Seir, a highland country on the east and south of the Dead Sea;

And he commanded them, saying, “Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau, ‘Thy servant Jacob saith thus: I have sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now,

— speak unto my lord Esau; Jacob calls Esau his lord, and himself his servant, to intimate that he did not insist on the prerogatives of the birthright and blessing which he had obtained for himself, but left it to God to fulfil his own purpose in his seed;

— thy servant Jacob saith thus, expressing great humility and modesty; for though his father Isaac by his blessing had made him lord over Esau, the time was not come for this to take place, his father not being yet dead; and besides, was to have its accomplishment not in his own person, but in his posterity;

and I have oxen and asses, flocks and menservants and womenservants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.’” — and I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants; this he would have said, lest he should think he was come to ask anything of him, and put himself and his family upon him; and lest he should treat him with contempt;

— and I have sent to tell my lord; of his coming, and of his state and circumstances: that I may find grace in thy sight; share in his good will, which was all he wanted, and that friendship, harmony, and brotherly love, might subsist between them, which he was very desirous of;

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.” — he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him; he is now weary of waiting for the days of mourning for his father, and before they come resolves to slay thee;

— the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call these four hundred chiefs or warriors;

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and the camels into two bands. — conscious how deeply he had offended his brother, Jacob became greatly afraid and distressed;

— and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two bands: some of his servants and shepherds, with a part of the flocks and herds, in one band or company, and some with the rest of them, and the camels, and his wives, and his children, in the other.

And he said, “If Esau come to the one company and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.” — and said, if Esau come to the one company, and smite it; the first, which perhaps consisted only of servants, with a part of his cattle; so that if Esau should come in an hostile manner, and fall upon that, and slay the servants, and take the cattle as a booty;

— then the other company which is left shall escape; by flight, in which most probably were he himself, his wives and children, and the camels to carry them off who would have notice by what should happen to the first band;

And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who saidst unto me, ‘Return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee’ — and in this distress Jacob does not consult the teraphim Rachel had taken from her father; nor does he call upon the hosts of angels that had just appeared to him, but to God only, the God of his fathers;

— the Lord which saidst unto me, return unto thy country, and to thy kindred; the same God had appeared to him, when in Laban’s house, and bid him return to his own country, and I will deal well with thee: bestow good things on thee;

10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast shown unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two bands. — I am not worthy; it is a surprising plea:

— one would think he should have pleaded that what was now in danger was his own against all the world, and that he had earned it dear enough; no, he pleads, Lord, I am not worthy of it. Of the least of all thy mercies.

11 Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me and the mother with the children. — deliver me from my brother Esau, for I fear him; the fear that quickens prayer is itself pleadable. It was not a robber, but a murderer that he was afraid of:

— but the mothers’, and the children’s.; thou saidst, I will surely do thee good; God’s promises, as they are the surest guide of our desires in prayer, and furnish us with the best petitions; so they are the firmest ground of our hopes, and furnish us with the best pleas;

12 And Thou saidst, ‘I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’” — Jacob draws an argument for a special preservation of him and his family, he was now pleading for; and the rather he might hope to succeed;

13 And he lodged there that same night, and took from that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother: — in order to pacify him, the present of Jacob consisted of five hundred fifty head of cattle, of different kinds, such as would be most prized by Esau;

14 two hundred shegoats and twenty hegoats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

15 thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty sheasses and ten foals.

16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said unto his servants, “Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove.” — and put a space betwixt drove and drove; his meaning is, that they should not follow each other closely;

— but that there should be a considerable distance between them, and which he would have them careful to keep: his view in this was, partly to prolong time, Esau stopping, as he supposed he would, at each drove, and asking questions of the men; and partly that he might the better and more distinctly observe the largeness of his present;

17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, “When Esau my brother meeteth thee and asketh thee, saying, ‘Whose art thou? And whither goest thou? And whose are these before thee?’

18 then thou shalt say, ‘They are thy servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent unto my lord Esau; and behold also, he is behind us.’” — the repetition of the announcement of the gift, and they are of “thy servant Jacob’s,” was calculated to appease Esau, and persuade him that Jacob was approaching him in all brotherly confidence and affection;

— and behold also he is behind us: that is, Jacob: this they were bid to tell, lest he should think that Jacob was afraid of him, and was gone another way; but that he was coming to pay a visit to him, and might expect shortly to see him, which would prepare his mind how to behave towards him.

19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner shall ye speak unto Esau when ye find him. — saying, on this manner shall you speak to Esau, when you find him; that is, when they met him and perceived it was he that put questions to them.

20 And say ye moreover, ‘Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the presents that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”

— I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterwards I will see his face: he hoped the present would produce the desired effect; that it would turn away his wrath from him, and pacify him; 

21 So went the presents over before him, and he himself lodged that night in the company. — Jacob sends a series of presents to Esau, then he himself lodged that night with Esau’s company.

22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives and his two womenservants and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. — ford Jabbok; now the Zerka, a stream that rises among the mountains of Gilead, and running from east to west, enters the Jordan, about forty miles south of the Sea of Tiberias.

23 And he took them and sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. — and he took them, and sent them over the brook; his wives and children, under the care of some of his servants:

— he rose up and took, unable to sleep, Jacob waded the ford in the night time by himself; and having ascertained its safety, he returned to the north bank and sent over his family and attendants, remaining behind, to seek anew, in silent prayer, the divine blessing on the means he had set in motion.

24 And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. — there wrestled a man with him; the eternal Word, or Son of God, who often appeared in a human shape, before he assumed the human nature.

25 And when the man saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. — the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint;

26 And the man said, “Let me go, for the day breaketh.” And he said, “I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.” — let me go; the asking of permission to depart was the acknowledgment of defeat. 

27 And he said unto him, “What is thy name?” And he said, “Jacob.” — What is thy name? and he replied, Jacob; that is, a supplanter, as the word signifies;

28 And he said, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” — Israel signifies a prince or prevailer with God; or a prince of God, that is, a great prince and conqueror;

29 And Jacob asked him, and said, “Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.” And he said, “Why is it that thou dost ask after my name?” And he blessed him there. — in much the same manner the angel refuses to tell Manoah his name (Judges 13:18)

— but probably in the blessing which followed there was a clear proof that Jacob’s opponent was a Divine personage, the Son of God;

30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [that is, the face of God]: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” — Peniel; that is, the face of God: for I have seen God face to face.

31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he limped upon his thigh. — and he limped upon his thigh; he being out of joint, of which he became more sensitive when he came to walk upon it;

32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

— the sinew which shrank; the nerve that fastens the thigh bone in its socket: the practice of the Jews in abstaining from eating this in the flesh of animals, is not founded on the law of Moses, but is merely a traditional heritage.

US Naval Armada under Stress

•August 16, 2024 • Leave a Comment

US Deployment of Powerful Naval Armada to Middle East Can’t Hide Host of Weak Spots

USS Theodore Roosevelt, replacing USS Dwight Eisenhower, finds itself need to be replaced after only one month in the Persian Gulf by USS Abraham Lincoln

Sputnik International • August 13, 2024

The Pentagon has ordered the deployment of a powerful Navy armada in the Middle East to try to shield Israel from possible Iran’s wrath after a series of provocations allegedly performed by Tel Aviv. But here’s why the US repositioning of its forces around the world like so many chess pieces isn’t having the same effect it used to on adversaries.

It’s been said that the world reserve currency status of the dollar is propped up by America’s aircraft carriers (i.e. the ability to project power around the world). When Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a guided-missile sub and a carrier strike group to steam for the Middle East, Washington’s allies took notice.

But what’s increasingly difficult not to notice is the declining power of the US Navy in recent years. A number of factors play into it, including:

Falling production and astronomical rises in equipment costs: A recent CBO-backed analysis found US shipbuilding to be in a “terrible state” – its worst in a quarter of a century, with the downturn attributed to a shortage of skilled labor, erratic swings in Pentagon priorities, and cost overruns. Speaking of costs, the Navy suffers the same problem as other branches. The newest carrier, the Ford, cost over $13 billion, not counting its F-35 strike fighters – the most expensive weapons project in human history ($2+ trillion and counting).

Recruitment crisis: The Navy is suffering from a long-term dearth in recruitment, missing enlistment goals by over 7,400 sailors in 2023. The causes are legion, from health issues facing young people, to new generations’ rejection of the idea of service as a patriotic duty thanks to decades of US aggression abroad, to DEI and identity politics and mandatory Covid jabs, which thousands of servicemen have quit over in the past three years, refusing to come back.

USS Ronald Reagan, back to San Diego, California, for maintenance

Dizzying bureaucracy: There are more generals and admirals in the US today, in peacetime, when 2.86 million are under arms, than during World War II, when over 17 million Americans were in uniform and the country was fighting a global two front war. Senior officers draw outsized salaries and pensions compared to grunts, a fact not lost on ordinary soldiers, sailors and airmen, and poisoning morale.

Changing face of warfare: The Navy’s inability to thwart even an asymmetric threat like Yemen’s Houthis amid the militia’s missile and drone-based blockade of the Red Sea has prompted serious questions from America’s allies about whether the US Goliath isn’t really just an overpriced, outmoded and outmatched emperor with no clothes. Iran’s elite IRGC forces have already warned the approaching US armada that they can be “reached” even in international waters thanks to Iran’s growing fleet of ocean-going vessels.

Switzerland mulling ‘secret agreements’ with NATO

•August 15, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Switzerland, identifies as Gad among the twelve brothers of Jacob, now mulling ‘secret agreements’ with NATO, led by Ephraim, and where most of his other brothers are.

RT News • August 12, 2024 ~ Tasnim News Agency

Experts commissioned by the Swiss president reportedly suggest that the country should revise its neutrality policy.

The Swiss government could revise its security policy by intensifying military cooperation with NATO, representing a significant adjustment to its longstanding policy of neutrality, the Blick news outlet reported on Sunday, citing a draft of a document it reviewed.

According to Blick, on August 29, the Federal Department of Defense led by Swiss President Viola Amherd will present a report from a study commission which is intended to provide “impulses for security policy in the coming years.” 

One of the recommendations is to increase cooperation with NATO, which, the commission argues, would “strengthen Switzerland’s defense capabilities.”

“NATO will remain the security guarantor for Europe for the foreseeable future. It is the benchmark for modern Western armies and defines the standards for Western military technology,” the report stated.

Switzerland maintains “permanent neutrality” in accordance with its constitution. Its obligations include refraining “from engaging in wars,” prohibiting shipments of weapons to war zones from or through its territory and providing mercenary troops to countries involved in armed conflicts, as well as ensuring its own defense.

Switzerland, identifies as Gad among the twelve brothers of Jacob, now mulling ‘secret agreements’ with NATO, led by Ephraim

While the commission did not recommend membership in the bloc, it suggested signing “secret agreements” to cover “threats from long-range missiles, extensive cyber warfare against European states, or airspace violations.”

The report also says Switzerland should “seriously” prepare for collective defense, including taking part in NATO exercises. The daily noted that this contradicts Swiss neutrality.

The experts also called on Switzerland to revisit the Federal Act on War Materiel, which prohibits the direct delivery of Swiss tanks to Ukraine. The document noted that this policy “causes confusion and frustration among the EU and NATO.”

In conclusion, the experts recommended that the policy of neutrality should be revised to allow the country to “formulate its stance on possible conflicts (China-Taiwan, Russia-NATO) in a timely manner and anticipate possible demands.”

Blick noted that both the Left and the Swiss People’s Party are likely to object to the newly devised strategy and will do everything to prevent “more NATO, more EU, and less neutrality.”

Swiss neutrality has been called into question by Russia; Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Bern of becoming “openly hostile” to Moscow, as it has supported Western sanctions on Russia and has frozen billions in Russian assets.

According to a poll published in March, around 91% of the Swiss population say the country should remain neutral.

Modern Israel, today as in the past, has many blind shepherd, for it was said: “Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see” Isaiah 42:18

“His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber” Isaiah 56:10

For a Spiritual perspective, see A Sword from the South!

For more, see Ezekiel (Ch 47-48)

UK doctors ordered to ask men if they’re pregnant

•August 14, 2024 • Leave a Comment

UK doctors ordered to ask men if they’re pregnant

“Are you Pregnant, Sir?” NHS orders staff to ask men if they’re pregnant before any X-rays is taken

RT News • August 11, 2024 // The Telegraph

The NHS reportedly issued the new guidance after an expecting transgender person had a CT scan, which could endanger the fetus.

British health authorities have instructed doctors performing X-ray, CT and MRI scans to ask men whether they are pregnant.

The “inclusive pregnancy status guidelines for ionizing radiation” were developed by the Society of Radiographers (SoR). According to The Telegraph, the guidance came in response to an incident in which a transgender man had a CT scan while pregnant. The decision was justified by the fact that the radiation from X-ray, CT and MRI scans can be harmful to unborn babies.

Doctors have therefore been told not to assume the gender identity of patients when performing all such procedures and inquiring of all people between the ages of 12 and 55 about pregnancy, including men, transgender, non-binary, and intersex patients.

Radiographers at several NHS hospitals have been instructed to ask all men aged 12 to 55 if they are pregnant before performing X-rays

Under the new guidance, patients are asked to fill out a form with a list of questions, including their sex at birth and fertility status. According to several X-ray specialists who spoke to The Telegraph on condition of anonymity, the questions have already been deemed “invasive” by many patients. Several doctors reported that men have reacted especially angrily to the forms, storming out of appointments at the implied suggestion that their gender was not obvious.

Another controversial aspect of the guidance is asking patients by which pronouns they would like to be addressed. Some parents of underage patients have reportedly been “furious” that their kids were asked their preferred names and pronouns – a question that confuses them – while one doctor revealed that a patient started to doubt their own gender identity after filling out the form.

Some doctors and human rights campaigners said they considered the new guidelines “humiliating” to patients, and said they have already appealed to the NHS to drop the system and “return to common sense.”

“Given that it is impossible for anyone of the male sex to become pregnant, there is no need to ask male people if they might be pregnant… The proposed radiography guidelines muddy the water by including so-called intersex conditions,” Dr. Louise Irvine told The Telegraph.

“The SoR’s inclusion policy is among the worst examples of professional bodies losing their senses by prioritizing ideology ahead of biological fact. Putting healthcare staff and male patients through this humiliating farce… is both inappropriate and a shocking waste of time,” Fiona McAnena, the head of campaigns at human rights charity Sex Matters, stated.

It was not clear from the report how many UK medical institutions have adopted the new guidelines, but a number of hospitals in London and other cities were reported to have started using the new inquiry forms.

Genesis (29-30)

•August 13, 2024 • Leave a Comment

~~~~

Jacob, when he first saw Rachel

Genesis 29

1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east. — the people of the East; and arrives at the well of Haran, which was about four degrees east of Beer-sheba, and the distance was about four hundred and fifty miles, and therefore it would take Jacob fifteen days to journey there.

And he looked, and behold, a well in the field, and lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks; and a great stone was upon the well’s mouth. — a well in the field; near Haran; having travelled that far, he might purposely look out for a well;

— as knowing these people frequently came for water for their families, or shepherds to water their flocks, of whom he might get intelligence concerning Laban’s family, and where they dwelt;

And thither were all the flocks gathered; and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place.

— and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep; that is, when they watered the sheep, they used to roll away the stone from the mouth of the well in order to do it; and put a stone back upon the well’s mouth in this place; 

And Jacob said unto them, “My brethren, from whence be ye?” And they said, “Of Haran are we.” — and they said, of Haran are we; the very place he was bound for, and was sent unto;

And he said unto them, “Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” — Laban the son of Nahor; Laban was really the son of Bethuel and grandson of Nahor; but Nahor was the founder of the family, as being the original immigrant from Ur, who came to supply Abraham’s place on his departure.

And he said unto them, “Is he well?” And they said, “He is well; and behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.” — and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep;

— at that very instant Rachel was coming out of the city with her father’s flock of sheep, to water them at the well; an instance of great humility, diligence, and simplicity; this was very providential to Jacob;

And he said, “Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together. Water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.”

And they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and until they roll the stone from the well’s mouth. Then we water the sheep.”

— the Message Bible has this passage clearer as:

6 “Are things well with him?” Jacob continued.
“Very well,” they said. “And here is his daughter Rachel coming with the flock.”
7 Jacob said, “There’s a lot of daylight still left; it isn’t time to round up the sheep yet, is it? So why not water the flocks and go back to grazing?”
8 “We can’t,” they said. “Not until all the shepherds get here. It takes all of us to roll the stone from the well. Not until then can we water the flocks.” Genesis 29:6-8 MSG

And while he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she kept them. — for she kept them; having, no doubt, servants under her who performed the meaner and more laborious offices, and whom it was her place to oversee;

10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the flock of Laban, his mother’s brother. — Laban his mother’s brother; the threefold repetition of these words signifies the importance of this relationship;

11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. — Jacob kissed Rachel and wept; Jacob first made himself, useful to Rachel, and then discloses to her who he is, claims her as a cousin, and kisses her;

12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father. — and she ran and told her father; leaving the care of her flock with Jacob; Rebekah, in a like case, ran and told her mother;

13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. — and he told Laban all these things; how he was sent hither by his parents on account of the hatred of his brother Esau, because he had got the birthright and blessing from him;

14 And Laban said to him, “Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.” And he abode with him the space of a month. — and Laban said to him, surely thou art my bone and my flesh; closely allied in blood, being his sister’s son;

15 And Laban said unto Jacob, “Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be?” — doubtless Laban had seen, during Jacob’s stay of a month, that his services would be very valuable; hence the offer;

16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. — and the name of the elder was Leah; which signifies labour or weariness: and the name of the younger was Rachel; before mentioned, whom Jacob met with at the well.

17 Leah was tendereyed, but Rachel was beautiful and wellfavored. — “Tender eyed” is the KJ translation; other translations are weak eyes, though other versions call her eyes blue (apparently a real turn-off), or dull, or soft, or lacking sparkle;

18 And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, “I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.” — Jacob, not having an abundance of gold and silver, offer to serve seven years for Rachel;

19 And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with me.” — it is better that I should give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man; by which he not only intimates that he preferred him, a relation, to another man, a stranger;

20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had for her. — they seemed unto him but a few days; Jacob was at least fifty-seven years of age, but the late marriages hitherto of the patriarchs show that they only slowly arrived at manhood;

21 And Jacob said unto Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.” — the seven years were up he agreed to serve him for his daughter; that I may go in unto her; as his lawful wife, and it was high time Jacob had her;

22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. — and made a feast; a marriage or marriage feast; normally lasting seven days;

23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. — and he went in unto her; or lay with her as his wife; a modest expression of the use of the bed;

— the conduct of Laban is perfectly intelligible as the outcome of his sordid avarice; but it is difficult to understand how Leah could acquiesce in a proposal so base as to wrong her sister by marrying one who neither sought nor loved her.

24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah, Zilpah his maid for a handmaid. — instead of Rachel, Laban took his elder daughter Leah into the bride-chamber, and Jacob went in unto her, without discovering in the dark;

— the Targum of Jonathan says, “and Laban gave her Zilpah his daughter, whom his concubine bore unto him:” hence some Jewish authorities say that the daughters of a man by his concubines are called maids.

25 And it came to pass that in the morning, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban, “What is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Why then hast thou beguiled me?” — wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? by giving Leah instead of her: though Laban is not to be justified in this action;

— yet here appears in Providence a righteous retaliation of Jacob; he beguiled his own father, pretending he was his brother Esau; and now his father-in-law beguiles him, giving him blear eyed Leah instead of beautiful Rachel;

26 And Laban said, “It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. — it is still the custom not to give the younger in marriage before the older, unless the latter be deformed or in some way defective.

27 Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this other also, for which service thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.” — fulfil her week; not Rachel’s week, or a week of years of servitude for her, but Leah’s week, or the week of seven days of feasting for her marriage; for a marriage feast used to be kept seven days;

28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel his daughter for a wife also. — and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also; not after seven years’ service, but after the seven days of feasting for Leah;

29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. — also giving Bilhah her handmaid unto him; and this the Targum of Jonathan is said to be a daughter of Laban by a concubine also;

30 And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. — and served with him, yet seven other years; that is, Jacob served so many years with Laban after he had married his two daughters, and fulfilled the weeks of feasting for each of them;

31 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. — Leah was hated; for plainly Leah was not the object of love at all; it was her fruitfulness which gave her value in her husband’s eyes, and when this ceased, Jacob utterly neglected her (Genesis 30:15).

32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben [that is, See a son]; for she said, “Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction. Now therefore my husband will love me.” — Reuben ~ France;

33 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, He hath therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon [that is, Hearing]. — Germany?

34 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore was his name called Levi [that is, Joined]. —  Judah and Levi ~ Israel;

35 And she conceived again and bore a son; and she said, “Now will I praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah [that is, Praise], and ceased bearing. — Judah; which signifies “praise” the Targum of Jonathan adds this as a reason, “because from this my son shall come forth kings, and from him shall come forth David the king, who shall praise the Lord,” and a son in whose line, and from whose tribe, the Messiah was to spring.

Chart of Jacob’s Twelve Sons

Genesis 30

1 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said unto Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” — Give me children, or else I die’this is the stress proverb that a childless person is as good as dead;

And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, “Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?” — Am I in God’s stead? that is, do you take me to be God, for it is God’s prerogative to give children;

And she said, “Behold my maid Bilhah. Go in unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.” — behold my maid Bilhah; in desperation, she would rather have children by reputation than none at all; children that she can call her own, though they be not so;

And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid for a wife; and Jacob went in unto her. — and Jacob went in unto her; consenting to what Rachel his wife proposed to him:

— having concubines, as well as more wives than one, were not thought criminal in those times, and were suffered of God, and in this case for the multiplication of Jacob’s seed;

And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

And Rachel said, “God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice and hath given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan [that is, Judging]. — Dan means judging; signifies judgment; Dan ~ Ireland, Denmark;

And Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

And Rachel said, “With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed.” And she called his name Naphtali [that is, My wrestling]. — Naphtali ~ Sweden;

When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob for a wife;

10 and Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a son.

11 And Leah said, “A troop cometh.” And she called his name Gad [that is, A troop or company]. — Gad ~ Switzerland;

12 And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a second son.

13 And Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed.” And she called his name Asher [that is, Happy]. — Asher ~ Belgium;

14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.” — mandrakes; arose from the popular belief that it was a specific against barrenness;

— Rachel, therefore, who still hankered after children of her own, was anxious to obtain some of the fruit, and Leah consents only upon the proffered condition that Jacob shall spend the night in her tent.

15 But she said unto her, “Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? And wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said, “Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight, for thy son’s mandrakes.”

— and Rachel said, therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son’s mandrakes; which showed no great affection to her husband, and a slight of his company, to be willing to part with it for such a trifle;

— and it seems by this as if they took their turns to lie with Jacob, and this night being Rachel’s turn, she agrees to give it to Leah for the sake of the mandrakes;

16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, “Thou must come in unto me, for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.

17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob the fifth son.

18 And Leah said, “God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar [that is, A hire]. —  Issachar ~ Finland;

19 And Leah conceived again and bore Jacob the sixth son.

20 And Leah said, “God hath endued me with a good dowry. Now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she called his name Zebulun [that is, Dwelling]. —  Zebulun ~ Holland;

21 And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah [that is, Judgment].

— and here from the Message Bible:

14 One day during the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrakes in the field and brought them home to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, “Could I please have some of your son’s mandrakes?”

15 Leah said, “Wasn’t it enough that you got my husband away from me? And now you also want my son’s mandrakes?”

Rachel said, “All right. I’ll let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

16-21 When Jacob came home that evening from the fields, Leah was there to meet him: “Sleep with me tonight; I’ve bartered my son’s mandrakes for a night with you.” So he slept with her that night. God listened to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a fifth son. She said, “God rewarded me for giving my maid to my husband.” She named him Issachar (Bartered). Leah became pregnant yet again and gave Jacob a sixth son, saying, “God has given me a great gift. This time my husband will honor me with gifts—I’ve given him six sons!” She named him Zebulun (Honor). Last of all she had a daughter and named her Dinah. Genesis 30:14-16 MSG

22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. — God remembered Rachel; her long barrenness had probably humbled and disciplined her; and cured of her former petulance, she trusts no longer to mandrakes or “love-apples” but looks to God for the great blessing of children;

23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God hath taken away my reproach.” — and she conceived and bare a son; through the goodness of God unto her, and for which she was greatly thankful.

24 And she called his name Joseph [that is, Adding], and said, “The Lord shall add to me another son.” — the name appears to be, that they were influenced by the promises of God to Abraham; whose posterity were promised the richest blessings: Manasseh ~ UK; Ephraim ~ US;

The Twelve Sons of Jacob that became the Twelve Tribes of Israel

25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, “Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place and to my country. — that Jacob said unto Laban, send me away; give me leave to depart thy house: he had a right to demand his liberty, and to insist upon it, since the time of his servitude was up; but he chose to have leave;

— that I may go unto mine own place, to Beersheba, where his father and mother lived, and whom, no doubt, he longed to see; and to the land of Canaan, in which that place was, which was his native country and was given him by promise, and was to be the inheritance of his seed.

26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go; for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.” — give me my wives; his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and the two maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, which he had given him for wives also; he desires leave not to have them, but to take them away with him;

27 And Laban said unto him, “I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry; for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.”

— that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake: Laban had so much religion as to ascribe the blessings, the good things he had, to the Lord, as the author and giver of them; and so much honour, or however, thought it was more his interest to own it, that it was for Jacob’s sake that he was thus blessed;

28 And he said, “Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.” — and he went on, “So name your wages. I’ll pay you.”

29 And he said unto him, “Thou knowest how I have served thee and how thy flocks have been with me. — and Jacob said to Laban: thou knowest that I have served diligently and faithfully, without any salary, excepting for his wives; had no wages for his service all this time;

30 For it was little which thou had before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming. And now, when shall I provide for mine own house also?” — for it was little which thou hadst before I came; perhaps just a single flock, not a very large one, since Rachel, his youngest daughter, had the care of it;

— and it is now increased unto a multitude; or “broke forth,” spread itself over the fields and plains, hills and mountains adjacent, so that they were covered with his sheep, these bringing forth thousands and ten thousands;

31 And he said, “What shall I give thee?” And Jacob said, “Thou shalt not give me anything. If thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: — I will again feed and keep thy flock; it seems by this that Jacob had relinquished the care of the flock, upon the time of his servitude being out;

— but, upon the following condition, proposes to return to it, lead it out to the pastures, and feed it on them, and keep it night and day, as he had used to do.

32 I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted animals, and all the brown animals among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire. — sheep are generally white, the goats black, and spotted or speckled ones comparatively few and rare;

33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.”

— Jacob proposed to remove all existing ones of that description from the flock, and to be content with what might appear at the next lambing time. The proposal seemed so much in favor of Laban, that he at once agreed to it;

34 And Laban said, “Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.” — and everyone that is not speckled and spotted amongst the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be accounted stolen with me;

— if any such were found among those that Jacob should hereafter call his flock, as were without specks and spots, or were not brown, he was content they should be reckoned as stolen;

35 And he removed that day the hegoats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the shegoats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

— and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted; so that there might be neither male nor female of those mixed colours; this he did to prevent any generation of them:

— and everyone that had some white in it; any white spot in it, as the Targum of Jonathan; that is, everyone of the brown or black colour, that had any white in it: and all the brown among the sheep: that were entirely so: and, gave them into the hands of his sons; the sons of Laban, who were now grown up and fit for such service.

36 And he set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks. — he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob; this means that Laban required that there should be an interval of between thirty and forty miles between himself, that is, his flocks, and those of Jacob;

37 And Jacob took rods of green poplar and of the hazel and chestnut tree, and peeled white strips in them and made the white appear which was in the rods. — and pilled white strakes in them; took off the bark of them in some places, and left it on in others, which made white strakes:

38 And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

— in the gutters in the watering troughs, when the flocks came to drink; that is, in places of water, where troughs or vessels were made, into which the water ran convenient for the cattle to drink out of; and here he placed his party coloured rods right over against the flocks;

39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth animals ringstreaked, speckled and spotted. — brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted; such as Jacob was to have for his hire;

40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not with Laban’s flocks. — Jacob did separate the lambs, such as were ring-straked and brown from the white;

— and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle; partly that they might not be mixed together, but kept distinct; and so his flocks be lessened.

41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger animals conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the animals in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. — and it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive; whose limbs were well compact, and were strong and healthy: that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters;

42 But when the animals were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. — so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s; not only his flocks became more numerous than Laban’s, but were a better quality;

43 And the man increased exceedingly and had large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and asses. — and the man increased exceedingly; Jacob grew very rich:

— and here from the Message Bible:

37-42 But Jacob got fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled the bark, leaving white stripes on them. He stuck the peeled branches in front of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. When the flocks were in heat, they came to drink and mated in front of the streaked branches. Then they gave birth to young that were streaked or spotted or speckled. Jacob placed the ewes before the dark-colored animals of Laban. That way he got distinctive flocks for himself which he didn’t mix with Laban’s flocks. And when the sturdier animals were mating, Jacob placed branches at the troughs in view of the animals so that they mated in front of the branches. But he wouldn’t set up the branches before the feebler animals. That way the feeble animals went to Laban and the sturdy ones to Jacob.

43 The man got richer and richer, acquiring huge flocks, lots and lots of servants, not to mention camels and donkeys. Genesis 30:37-41 MSG

US’s Military Forces in the Middle East

•August 12, 2024 • Leave a Comment

How Many Military Bases Does the US Have in the Middle East?

Sputnik International • August 10, 2024

As tensions in the Middle East continue to rise amid fears of an escalation between Israel and Iran, the world’s self-proclaimed peacekeeper – the US – announced the deployment of more of troops to the region.

The goal of this move is ostensibly to help protect the extensive network of military installations and assets the US controls in the Middle East.

While the Pentagon is generally reluctant to disclose the exact number of military bases in the Middle East, publicly available data and investigations by media suggest that the US controls at least 64 installations in the region, though it is difficult to confirm if all of them are active.

Here is a brief list of some of the more notable of US military facilities in the Middle East:

Turkiye – Izmir Air Base, Incirlik Air Base. These facilities allow the US to maintain fighter and refueling aircraft in the region; Incirlik Air Base also houses a number of US tactical nuclear weapons.

Saudi Arabia – Prince Sultan Air Base. Over 2,000 US military personnel are stationed to provide air defense in the country and maintain US warplanes.

UAE – Al Dhafra Air Base, which allows the US warplanes to conduct combat and reconnaissance missions as well as to deploy tanker planes for midair refueling.

Bahrain – Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the base of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Qatar – Al Udeid Air Base, serves as forward headquarters of the US Central Command and headquarters of the US Air Forces Central Command.

Jordan – Tower 22, Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Joint Training Center Jordan. Over 3,000 US military personnel are deployed ostensibly to combat terrorist threats in the region, though their presence near the border with Syria gives rise to speculations about possible cross-border operations.

Iraq – the US continues to occupy and operate a number of bases, such as the Al Asad Airbase and Al Harir Airbase despite efforts by the Iraqi government to evict the US Armed Forces from Iraqi soil.

Syria – Al-Tanf, about 900 US military personnel are illegally deployed in Syria under the pretext of combating terrorist threat in the country, though 45th US President Donald Trump did openly admit that Washington’s real target was Syrian oil.

Egypt – Task Force Sinai, a regiment-sized US military contingent maintained in the Sinai Peninsula under the pretext of peacekeeping operations.

Israel – Site 512, a radar base supposedly used by the US to track ballistic missile threats.

Kuwait – Camp Arifjan, Camp Buehring, Camp Spearhead, Camp Patriot.

Oman – Thumrait Air Base, helps US facilitate logistical and refueling operations.

Where are the Navy’s 11 aircraft carriers now?

Latest: The Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group left the Middle East on Saturday, the Pentagon said. It will soon be replaced by the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. Currently in the Gulf of Oman as in early August

USS Abraham Lincoln — It is based in San Diego and has just finished its final composite unit training exercises and will deploy to Pacific Command in July. [But beginning of August, reschedules to the Middle East, with the USS Theodore Roosevelt there; but heading home so quickly. Has some major mishaps happened somewhere but are too embarrassed to let the public know?]

PISA 2022 World Ranking

•August 11, 2024 • Leave a Comment
Gray Colour – countries not taking part in PISA
Countries taking part in PISA