The Jewish Publication Society supports the Open Siddur Project's efforts to remix the 1917 JPS English translation of the TaNaKh, thereby adding value to an important historical work produced by JPS which has entered into the Public Domain. This plaintext edition of the 1917 JPS is a direct conversion by the Open Siddur Project of the 1917 JPS provided as a PDF document by the Jewish Publication Society on March 10, 2011. ....... ...... .... THE HOLY SCRIPTURES ACCORDING TO THE MASORETIC TEXT A NEW TRANSLATION WITH THE AID OF PREVIOUS VERSIONS AND WITH CONSTANT CONSULTATION OF JEWISH AUTHORITIES PHILADELPHIA THE JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA 5677-1917 Copyright 1917, By The Jewish Publication Society of America All rights reserved The Lakeside Press, Chicago PREFACE The following is from the preface to the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 edition of the Hebrew Bible in English: The sacred task of translating the Word of God, as revealed to Israel through lawgiver, prophet, psalmist, and sage, began at an early date. According to an ancient rabbinic interpretation, Joshua had the Torah engraved upon the stones of the altar (Joshua 8:32) not in the original Hebrew alone, but in all the languages of mankind, which were held to be seventy, in order that all men might become acquainted with the words of the Scriptures. This statement, with its universalistic tendency, is, of course, a reflex of later times, when the Hebrew Scriptures had become a subject of curiosity and perhaps also of anxiety to the pagan or semi-pagan world. While this tradition contains an element of truth, it is certain that the primary object of translating the Bible was to minister to a need nearer home. Upon the establishment of the Second Commonwealth under Ezra and Nehemiah, it became imperative to make the Torah of God 'distinct and giving sense' through the means of interpretation (Nehemiah 8:8 and 13:24), that the Word of God might be understood by all the people. The Rabbis perceived in this activity of the first generation of the Sopherim the origin of the Aramaic translation known as the Targum, first made orally and afterwards committed to writing, which was necessitated by the fact that Israel had forgotten the sacred language, and spoke the idiom current in a large part of western Asia. All this, however, is veiled in obscurity, as is the whole inner history of the Jews during the Persian rule. The historic necessity for translation was repeated with all the great changes in Israel's career. It is enough to point to the Septuagint, or the Greek translation of the Scriptures, the product of Israel's contact with the Hellenistic civilization dominating the world at that time; to the Arabic translation by the Gaon Saadya, when the great majority of the Jewish people came under the sceptre of Mohammedan rulers; and to the German translation by Mendelssohn and his school, at the dawn of a new epoch, which brought the Jews in Europe, most of whom spoke a German dialect, into closer contact with their neighbours. These translations are all historical products intimately connected with Israel's wanderings among the nations and with the great events of mankind in general. Ancient and continuous as this task of translation was, it would be a mistake to think that there were no misgivings about it. At least it is certain that opinions were divided as to the desirability of such undertakings. While Philo and his Alexandrian coreligionists looked upon the translation of the Seventy as a work of inspired men, the Palestinian Rabbis subsequently considered the day on which the Septuagint was completed as one of the most unfortunate in Israel's history, seeing that the Torah could never be adequately translated. And there are indications enough that the consequences of such translations were not all of a desirable nature. However, in view of the eagerness with which they were undertaken almost in every land and in every great epoch of the world's history, it is evident that the people at large approved of such translations, thinking them to be a heave-offering to the Lord of each newly acquired vernacular adopted in the course of the ever-changing conditions of history, and in particular a tribute to the beauty of Japheth dwelling in the spiritual tents of Israel. The greatest change in the life of Israel during the last two generations was his renewed acquaintance with English-speaking civilization. Out of a handful of immigrants from Central Europe and the East who saw the shores of the New World, or even of England and her colonies, we have grown under Providence both in numbers and in importance, so that we constitute now the greatest section of Israel living in a single country outside of Russia. We are only following in the footsteps of our great predecessors when, with the growth of our numbers, we have applied ourselves to the sacred task of preparing a new translation of the Bible into the English language, which, unless all signs fail, is to become the current speech of the majority of the children of Israel. The need of such a translation was felt long ago. Mention may here be made of the work of Isaac Leeser in America, which was both preceded and followed by two translations produced in England: the one by Dr. A. Benisch, the other by Dr. Michael Friedlander. The most popular, however, among these translations was that of Lesser, which was not only the accepted version in all the synagogues of the United States, but was also reproduced in England. Its great merit consisted in the fact that it incorporated all the improvements proposed by the Mendelssohn School and their successors, whose combined efforts were included and further developed in the so-called Zunz Bible, which enjoyed a certain authority among German Jews for several generations. With the advance of time and the progress made in almost all departments of Bible study, it was found that Leeser's translation would bear improvement and recasting. Steps leading to the preparation of a new translation into the English language were taken by the Jewish Publication Society of America in 1892. It was intended to secure, if possible, through the co-operation of scholars in the United States and in Great Britain, a new translation of each book, and to place it in the hands of an Editorial Committee, who by correspondence with the translators should harmonize the results of the work of the individual contributors. This method was followed until 1901 under the general direction of Doctor Marcus Jastrow, Editor-in-Chief, with Doctor Kaufman Kohler and Doctor Frederick de Sola Mendes as the other members of the Editorial Committee.* *There is given herewith a list of the translations prepared for the Society: Genesis, Max Landsberg, Rochester, N. Y. Exodus and Leviticus, L. N. Dembitz (deceased), Louisville, Ky. Numbers, David Philipson, Cincinnati, Ohio. Deuteronomy, F. de Sola Mendes, New York. Joshua, Joseph H. Hertz, London, England. Judges, Stephen S. Wise, New York. II Samuel, Bernard Drachman, New York. Jeremiah, Sabato Morais (deceased), Philadelphia, Pa. Ezekiel, Henry W. Schneeberger, Baltimore, Md. Joel, Oscar Cohen (deceased), Mobile, Ala. Amos, H. Pereira Mendes, Now York. Obadiah and Jonah, J. Voorsanger (deceased), San Francisco, California. Micah, Maurice H. Harris, New York. Nahum, L. Mayer (deceased), Pittsburgh, Pa. Zephaniah, M. Schlesinger, Albany, N. Y. Haggai, S. Mendelsohn, Wilmington, N. C. Malachi, D. Davidson, New York. Job, Marcus Jastrow (deceased), Philadelphia, Pa. Ruth, Joseph Krauskopf, Philadelphia, Pa. Ecclesiastes, Gustav Gottheil (deceased), New York. Esther, William Rosenau, Baltimore, Md. I and II Chronicles, M. Mielziner (deceased), Cincinnati, Ohio.) It became apparent in 1901 that by this procedure the publication of a translation of the entire Hebrew Bible would be indefinitely delayed, and accordingly the Book of Psalms, translated by Doctor Kohler and revised by his colleagues, was given to the press and issued in 1903. The death of Doctor Jastrow in that year required the formation of a new committee under the chairmanship of Doctor Solomon Schechter. This committee, however, soon found that the method adopted was too complex, and that it was impossible to accomplish by correspondence the extensive work required. In 1908 the Jewish Publication Society of America and the Central Conference of American Rabbis reached an agreement to cooperate in bringing out the new translation upon a revised plan of having the entire work done by a Board of Editors instead of endeavoring to harmonize the translations of individual contributors. As a result of this understanding the present Board, composed of Doctor Solomon Schechter, Doctor Cyrus Adler, and Doctor Joseph Jacobs, representing the Jewish Publication Society of America, and Doctor Kaufman Kohler, Doctor David Philipson, and Doctor Samuel Schulman, representing the Central Conference of American Rabbis, was constituted, and by mutual agreement Professor Max L. Margolis was chosen as the seventh member, he to be the Editor-in-Chief of the work and Secretary to the Editorial Board, of which Doctor Cyrus Adler was elected Chairman. Incidentally the selection thus made resulted in an equal representation of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America at New York, of the Hebrew Union College at Cincinnati, and of the Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning at Philadelphia. For one year Professor Israel Friedlaender acted as a member of the Board in the stead of Doctor Schechter. The method employed by the Board was as follows: In preparing the manuscript for consideration by the Board of Editors, Professor Margolis took into account the existing English versions, the standard commentaries, ancient and modern, the translations already made for the Jewish Publication Society of America, the divergent renderings from the Revised Version prepared for the Jews of England, the marginal notes of the Revised Version, and the changes of the American Committee of Revisers. Due weight was given to the ancient versions as establishing a tradition of interpretation, notably the Septuagint and the versions of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, the Targums, the Peshitta, the Vulgate, and the Arabic version of Saadya. Talmudic and midrashic allusions and all available Jewish commentators, both the great medieval authorities, like Rashi, Kimhi, and Ibn Ezra, and the moderns S. D. Luzzatto, Malbim, and Ehrlich, as well as all the important non-Jewish commentators, were consulted. On this basis, a manuscript was prepared by the Editor-in-Chief and a copy sent to every member of the Board of Editors. Sixteen meetings, covering a period of seven years and occupying one hundred and sixty working days, were held, at which the proposals in this manuscript and many additional suggestions by the members of the Board were considered. Each point was thoroughly discussed, and the view of the majority was incorporated into the manuscript. When the Board was evenly divided, the Chairman cast the deciding vote. From time to time subcommittees were at work upon points left open, and their reports, submitted to the Board, were discussed and voted upon. The proof of the entire work was sent to each member of the Board for revision, and the new proposals which were made by one or another were in turn submitted to a vote by correspondence and to a final vote at the last meeting of the Board, held in October-November, 1915. The present translation is the first for which a group of men representative of Jewish learning among English-speaking Jews assume joint responsibility, all previous efforts in the English language having been the work of individual translators. It has a character of its own. It aims to combine the spirit of Jewish tradition with the results of biblical scholarship, ancient, medieval, and modern. It gives to the Jewish world a translation of the Scriptures done by men imbued with the Jewish consciousness, while the non-Jewish world, it is hoped, will welcome a translation that presents many passages from the Jewish traditional point of view. The repeated efforts by Jews in the field of biblical translation show their sentiment toward translations prepared by other denominations. The dominant feature of this sentiment, apart from the thought that the christological interpretations in non-Jewish translations are out of place in a Jewish Bible, is and was that the Jew cannot afford to have his Bible translation prepared for him by others. He cannot have it as a gift, even as he cannot borrow his soul from others. If a new country and a new language metamorphose him into a new man, the duty of this new man is to prepare a new garb and a new method of expression for what is most sacred and most dear to him. We are, it is hardly needful to say, deeply grateful for the works of our non- Jewish predecessors, such as the Authorised Version with its admirable diction, which can never be surpassed, as well as for the Revised Version with its ample learning--but they are not ours. The Editors have not only used these famous English versions, but they have gone back to the earlier translations of Wycliffe, Tyndale, Coverdale, the Bishops' Bible, and the Douai Version, which is the authorised English translation of the Vulgate used by the Roman Catholics; in a word, upon doubtful points in style, all English versions have been drawn upon. The renditions of parts of the Hebrew Scriptures by Lowth and others in the eighteenth century and by Cheyne and Driver in our own days were likewise consulted. As to the text and order of the biblical books, the present translation follows Jewish tradition, the Sacred Scriptures having come down in a definite compass and in a definite text. They are separated into three divisions: Law (Torah, Pentateuch), Prophets (Nebi'im), Writings (Ketubim). Each of these possesses a different degree of holiness or authority. In the Prophets and the Writings the order of the books varies in manuscripts or among Jewish authorities; but there is absolute agreement as to the compass of these two divisions, and no book is transposed from the one into the other. Thus Ruth, Lamentations, and Daniel are all placed in the division of Writings--not among the Prophets, as in non-Jewish versions. With every step by which each of the three parts was sealed, nothing to be added or to be taken away, the text was likewise fixed and thenceforth made the object of zealous watchfulness. Even with regard to the latest book of our Scriptures, we read its text substantially in the form in which the great Rabbi Akiba read it, he who said that the system by which the sacred text was guarded constituted a fence about the Scriptures. In that system, at first oral and later committed to writing, the letters were actually counted and lists made, to the end that no alterations should creep in at the hands of careless scribes. The first to collect the notes known as Masorah was Jacob ben Haim Ibn Adonijah, the editor of the second Rabbinic Bible. In our own day many scholars have been prominent in this field of labour, chief among whom are Wolf Heidenheim, S. Frensdorff, S. Baer, and C. D. Ginsburg. We have followed Baer's texta and for the parts not edited by him that of Ginsburg. Not only does the text known as the masoretic represent the text current in the Synagogue with regard to consonants, but also with regard to its signs standing for vowels and accents, both of which embody the interpretation accepted by the Synagogue. While in the scrolls which are read in the Synagogue the bare consonants are alone permitted, readers must prepare themselves from copies allowed for private use, in ancient times written and now printed, which contain the additional signs for vowels and accents. A translation must naturally follow the guide of the latter. Moreover, the public reader is bound in certain cases to substitute mentally other consonants in the place of those found in the scrolls, in accordance with the marginal annotations in the copies intended for private use. These variants are taken traditionally for corrections, and the public reader who persists in ignoring them forfeits his position. It is true that in the case of such variations the Jewish commentators of the Middle Ages sought to elicit a meaning also from the textual reading, and seem here and there tacitly to give it preference, but all this partakes of the nature of private judgment, and does not affect the uniform practice of the public readings in the Synagogue. While as a rule the margin (Kere) was followed, we have occasionally adopted the consonants of the text (Ketib), as for instance in Ps 139:16, and 2Ch 24:27 34:9. a It should be noted that in the otherwise excellent edition of Baer the word .. has been omitted by mistake in Pr 5:20. In Eze 9:9 the Board deviated from the Baer edition and accepted the reading .... instead of .... In Ps 62:4 the. vocalization of Ben Naphtali was followed instead of that of Ben Asher usually adopted by Baer. A translation destined for the people can follow only one text, and that must be the traditional. Nevertheless a translator is not a transcriber of the text. His principal function is to make the Hebrew intelligible. Faithful though he must be to the Hebrew idiom, he will nevertheless be forced by the genius of the English language to use circumlocution, to add a word or two, to alter the sequence of words, and the like. In general, our rule has been that, where the word or words added are implied in the Hebrew construction, no device is used to mark the addition; where, on the other hand, the addition is not at once to be inferred from the original wording and yet seems necessary for the understanding, it has been enclosed in brackets. Naturally opinion will differ as to what may be deemed an addition warranted by the Hebrew construction and what may not, but as intelligibility was the principal aim, the Editors have felt justified in making their additions, sparingly it is true, but nevertheless as often as the occasion required. We have thought it proper to limit the margin to the shortest compass, confining it to such elucidation of and references to the literal meaning as are absolutely necessary for making the translation intelligible. The Rabbis enumerate eighteen instances in which the scribes consciously altered the text. We have called attention to a change of this nature in Jud 18:30. Personal pronouns referring to the Deity have been capitalized. As an aid to clearness direct discourse has been indicated by quotation marks. In the prophetical writings, where the speech of the prophet imperceptibly glides into the words of the Deity, and in the legal portions of the Pentateuch, it has been thought best to use quotation marks sparingly. Although the spelling of proper names in the English Bible in many instances deviates somewhat from an accurate representation of the Hebrew, it has nevertheless been deemed wise, owing to the familiarity of Hebrew names in their usual English form, generally to retain the current spelling. In all externals this translation is especially adapted for use in synagogue and school. The Keriat ha-Torah, or the reading of the section from the Five Books of Moses, is the central feature of the Synagogue service. The Pentateuch is divided into fifty-four sections; beginning with the Sabbath following the Feast of Tabernacles, the readings on the Sabbaths of the year are taken in their order from the Five Books of Moses. The reading consists either of the whole section or of a selected portion. There was a variant custom according to which the reading of the Torah extended over a period of three years instead of one year. However, the one year cycle gradually superseded the three year cycle, and has become the universal custom in the Synagogue. The Pentateuchal readings are supplemented by readings from the Prophets known as Haftarot. Readings from the third portion of the Bible, though customary at one time, have now largely fallen into disuse. The five small books known as the Five Megillot are given a place in the Synagogue service in their entirety. On the feast of Purim the book of Esther is read; the book of Lamentations is read on Tish'ah be-Ab (Ninth of Ab), the fast-day observed in commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem; Song of Songs, Ruth, and Ecclesiastes are read respectively on the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The sections of the Pentateuch as traditionally read on the Sabbath are indicated, and a table gives all Scriptural readings, both on the Sabbath and on feast days and fast days. By the favor of a gracious Providence the present company of Editors was permitted to finish the work which is now given to the public. The final meeting in November, nineteen hundred and fifteen, was closed with a prayer of thanks to God that the great task was completed and that the group which during seven years had toiled together was intact. Since that day two of our number have been called to the academy on high, Solomon Schechter and Joseph Jacobs, be their memory for a blessing. We grieve that it was not granted these cherished colleagues to live to see the final fruition of their labours; their wholehearted and devoted service is herewith recorded in grateful appreciation. In all humility their co-workers submit this version to the Jewish people in the confident hope that it will aid them in the knowledge of the Word of God. ."... .... ... ... September 27, 1916. TABLE OF SCRIPTURAL READINGS PENTATEUCH PROPHETS Genesis 11-6.8 Isaiah 42.5-43.11 (42.5-21)a 6 9-11 32 Isaiah 54.1-55 5 (54.1-10) 12.1-17.27 Isaiah 40.27-41.16 18.1-22.24 II Kings 4.1-37 (4.1-23) 231-25 18 I Kings 1.1-31 25.19-28.9 Malachi 1.1-2 7 28.10-32 3 Hosea 11.7-12.12 32.4-36 43 Hosea 12 13-14.10 (Obadiah 1.1-21) 37.1-4023 Amos 2 6-3.8 41 1-44.17 I Kings 3.15-4 1 44.18-47 27 Ezekiel 37 15-28 47.28-50.26 I Kings 2.1-12 Exodus 1.1-61 Isaiah 27.6-28.13; 29.22, 23 (Jeremiah 1.1-2 3) 6.2-9 35 Ezekiel 28.25-29 21 10.1-13.16 Jeremiah 46.13-28 13.17-17.16 Judges 44-5 31 (5.1-31) 18.1-20.23 Isaiah 6.1-7.6; 9.5, 6 (6 1-13) 21.1-24.18 Jeremiah 34 8-22; 33 25, 26 25 1-27.19 I Kings 5.26-6.13 27 20-30 10 Ezekiel 43 10-27 30.11-34 35 I Kings 18 1-39 (18 20-39) 35 1-38.20 I Kings 7.40-50 (7 13-26) 38 21-40 38 I Kings 7 51-8.21 (7 40-50) Leviticus 1.1-5 26 Isaiah 43.21-44 23 6.1 -8.36 Jeremiah 7 21-8.3; 9.22, 23 9.1-11.47 II Samuel 6.1-7 3 (6.1-19) 12.1-13.59 II Kings 4 42-5 19 14.1-15 33 II Kings 7 3-20 16.1-18 30 Ezekiel 22.1-18 (22 1-16) 19.1-20.27 Amos 9 7-15 (Ezekiel 20 2-20) 21.1-2423 Ezekiel 44.15-31 25.1-26.2 Jeremiah 32.6-27 26.3-27.34 Jeremiah 16.19-17.14 Numbers 1.1-4 20 Hosea 2 1-22 4.21-7.89 Judges 13.2-25 81-12.16 Zechariah 2.14-4.7 13.1-15.41 Joshua 2.1-24 16 1-18.32 I Samuel 11.14-12 22 19.1-22.1 Judges 11.1-33 22.2-25.9 Micah 5.6-6.8 a Parentheses indicate Sephardic ritual PENTATEUCH PROPHETS Numbers 25.10-30.1 I Kings 18 46-19 21 30.2-3242 Jeremiah 1.1-2.3 33.1-36.13 Jeremiah 2.4-28; 3.4 (2.4-28; 4.1, 2) Deuteronomy 1.1-3 22 Isaiah 1.1-27 3.23-7.11 Isaiah 40.1-26 7.12-11.25 Isaiah 49.14-51.3 11.26-16.17 Isaiah 54 11-55 5 16.18-21.9 Isaiah 51.12-52.12 21.10-25.19 Isaiah 54 1-10 26.1-29.8 Isaiah 60 1-22 29.9-30.20 Isaiah 61.10-63 9 31.1-30 Isaiah 55.6-56 8 32.1-52 II Samuel 22 1-51 33.1-34.12 Joshua 1 1-18 (1 1-9) New Year, 1st Day Genesis 21 1-34; Numbers 29 1-6 I Samuel 1.1-2.10 2nd Day Genesis 22 1-24; Numbers 29 1-6 Jeremiah 31.2-20 Sabbath Shubah Weekly portion Hosea 14 2-10; Micah 7 18-20, or Hosea 14 2- 10, Joel 2.15-17 (Hosea 14.2-10; Micah 7.18-20) Day of Atonement, Morning Leviticus 16 1-34; Numbers 29 7-11 Isaiah 57.14-58 14 Afternoon Leviticus 18 1-30 Jonah 11-411; Micah 7.18-20 Tabernacles, 1st Day Leviticus 22 26-23.44; Numbers 29 12-16 Zechariah 14 1-21 2nd Day Leviticus 22 26-23.44; Numbers 29.12-16 I Kings 8 2-21 Sabbath During the Exodus 33 12-34 26; Middle Days Daily portion from Num- bers 29 Ezekiel 38 18-39 16 8th Day Deuteronomy 14 22-16 17 Numbers 29 35-30 1 I Kings 8 54-66 Rejoicing of the Law Deuteronomy 33 1-34 12; Genesis 1 1-2.3; Numbers 29.35-30 1 Joshua 1.1-18 (1 1-9) First Sabbath Hanukkah Weekly and Hanukkah Portions Zechariah 2.14-4.7 Second Sabbath Hanukkah Weekly and Hanukkah Portions I Kings 7.40-50 Zakor Weekly portion; PENTATEUCH PROPHETS Deuteronomy 25 17-19 I Samuel 15.2-34 (15.1-34) Shekalim Weekly portion; Exodus 30.11-16 II Kings 12. 1-17(1117- 12 17) Parah Weekly Portion; Numbers 19,1-22 Ezekiel 36.16-38 (36.16-36) Ha-Hodesh Weekly Portion; Ezekiel 45.16-46.18 (45.18- Exodus 12.1-20 46.15) Sabbath ha-Gadol Weekly Portion; Malachi 3.4-24 Passover 1st Day Exodus 12.21-51; Joshua 3.5-7; 5.2-6.1; 6.27 Numbers 28.16-25 (5.2-6.1) 2nd Day Leviticus22.26-23.44; Numbers 28.16-25 II Kings 23.1-9; 21-25 Sabbath During the Middle Days Exodus 33.12-34.26 Ezekiel 36.37-37.14 (37.1-14) Numbers 28.19-25 7th Day Exodus 13.17-15.26; Numbers 28.19-25 II Samuel 22.1-51 8th Day Deuteronomy 15.19-16.17; a Numbers 28.19-25 Isaiah 10.32-12.6 Pentecost, 1st Day Exodus 19.1-20.23; Numbers 28.26-31 Ezekiel 1.1-28; 3.12 2nd Day Deuteronomy 15.19-16.17; a Numbers 28.26-31 Habakkuk 3.1-19 (2.20-3.19) Ninth of Ab, Morning Deuteronomy 4.25-40 Jeremiah 8.13-9.23 Afternoon Exodus 32.11-14; 34.1-10 Isaiah 55.6-56.8 (Hosea 14.2- 10; Micah 7.18-20) Other Fasts Exodus 32.11-14; 34.1-10 Isaiah 55.6-56.8 (none) Sabbath and New Moon Weekly Portion; Numbers 28.9-15 Isaiah 66.1-24 Sabbath immediately Preceeding New Moon Weekly Portion I Samuel 20.18-42 a On Sabbath, Deuteronomy 14.22-16.17 THE ORDER OF THE BOOKS Genesis Micah Exodus Nahum Leviticus Habakkuk Numbers Zephaniah Deuteronomy Haggai Joshua Zechariah Judges Malachi I Samuel Psalms II Samuel Proverbs I Kings Job II Kings Song of Songs Isaiah Ruth Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Ecclesiastes The Twelve Esther Hosea Daniel Joel Ezra Amos Nehemiah Obadiah I Chronicles Jonah II Chronicles .... THE LAW GENESIS EXODUS LEVITICUS NUMBERS DEUTERONOMY ...... GENESIS In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. 3And God said: ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6And God said: ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 9And God said: ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good. 11And God said: ‘Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.’ And it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. 14And God said: ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; 15and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. 16And God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the stars. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20And God said: ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.’ 21And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that creepeth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after its kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22And God 1 blessed them, saying: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.’ 23And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24And God said: ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.’ And it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26And God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ 27And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. 28And God blessed them; and God said unto them: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ 29And God said: ‘Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed—to you it shall be for food; 30and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.’ And it was so. 31And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. 3And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He rested from all His work which God in creating had made. 4These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. 5No shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground; 6but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good 2 and evil. 10And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads. 11The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12and the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush. 14And the name of the third river is aTigris; that is it which goeth toward the east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ a Heb. Hiddekel. 18And the LORD God said: ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.’ 19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them; and whatsoever the man would call every living creature, that was to be the name thereof. 20And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him. 21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the place with flesh instead thereof. 22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And the man said: ‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called bWoman, because she was taken out of cMan.’ 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. b Heb. Issahah. c Heb. Ish. 3 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman: ‘Yea, hath God said: Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’ 2And the woman said unto the serpent: ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said: Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’ 4And the serpent said unto the woman: ‘Ye shall not surely die; 5for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.’ 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig- leaves together, and made themselves girdles. 8And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden toward the cool of the day; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9And the LORD God called unto the man, and said unto him: ‘Where art thou?’ 10And he said: ‘I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ 11And He said: ‘Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?’ 12And the man said: ‘The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’ 13And the LORD God said unto the woman: ‘What is this thou hast done?’ And the woman said: ‘The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.’ 14And the LORD God said unto the serpent: ‘Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. 15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; they shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel.’ 16Unto the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy travail; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.’ 17And unto Adam He said: ‘Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. 18Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. 19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ 20And the man called his wife’s name aEve; because she was the mother of all living. 21And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them. a Heb. Havvah, that is, Life. 22And the LORD God said: ‘Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.’ 23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life. 4 And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bore Cain, and said: ‘I have agotten a man with the help of the LORD.’ 2And again she bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering; 5but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6And the LORD said unto Cain: ‘Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee is its desire, but thou mayest rule over it.’ 8And Cain spoke unto Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. a Heb. Kanah, to get. 9And the LORD said unto Cain: ‘Where is Abel thy brother?’ And he said: ‘I know not; am I my brother’s keeper?’ 10And He said: ‘What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground. 11And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand. 12When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth.’ 13And Cain said unto the LORD: ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14Behold, Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that whosoever findeth me will slay me.’ 15And the LORD said unto him: ‘Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.’ And the LORD set a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him. 16And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of bNod, on the east of Eden. 17And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bore Enoch; and he builded a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. 18And unto Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot cMehujael; and Mehujael begot Methushael; and Methushael begot Lamech. 19And Lamech took unto him two wives; the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20And Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle. 21And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all such as handle the b That is, Wandering. c Heb. Mehijael. harp and pipe. 22And Zillah, she also bore Tubal-cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. 23And Lamech said unto his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech; For I have slain a man for wounding me, And a young man for bruising me; 24If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. 25And Adam knew his wife again; and she bore a son, and called his name aSeth: ‘for God bhath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him.’ 26And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh; then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. a Heb. Sheth. b Heb. Shath. This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him; 2male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth. 4And the days of Adam after he begot Seth were eight hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters. 5And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. 6And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. 7And Seth lived after he begot Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. 8And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. 9And Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Kenan. 10And Enosh lived after he begot Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters. 11And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died. 12And Kenan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. 13And Kenan lived after he begot Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters. 14And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died. 15And Mahalalel lived sixty and five years, and begot Jared. 16And Mahalalel lived after he begot Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. 17And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety and five years; and he died. 18And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and begot Enoch. 19And Jared lived after he begot Enoch eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. 20And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years; and he died. 5 21And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begot Methuselah. 22And Enoch walked with God after he begot Methuselah three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. 23And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years. 24And Enoch walked with God, and he was not; for God took him. 25And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begot Lamech. 26And Methuselah lived after he begot Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begot sons and daughters. 27And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years; and he died. 28And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begot a son. 29And he called his name Noah, saying: ‘This same shall acomfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, which cometh from the ground which the LORD hath cursed.’ 30And Lamech lived after he begot Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begot sons and daughters. 31And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years; and he died. a Heb. nahem, to comfort. 32And Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives, whomsoever they chose. 3And the LORD said: ‘My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for that he also is flesh; therefore shall his days be a hundred and twenty years.’ 4The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. 5And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. 7And the LORD said: ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them.’ 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. .. 9These are the generations of Noah. Noah was in his generations a man righteous and wholehearted; Noah walked with God. 10And Noah begot three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 6 13And God said unto Noah: ‘The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; with rooms shalt thou make the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15And this is how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; every thing that is in the earth shall perish. 18But I will establish My covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’wives with thee. 19And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20Of the fowl after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.’ 22Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. And the LORD said unto Noah: ‘Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation. 2Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee seven and seven, each with his mate; and of the beasts that are not clean two [and two], each with his mate; 3of the fowl also of the air, seven and seven, male and female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I blot out from off the face of the earth.’ 5And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. 6And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the ground, 9there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah. 10And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 11In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were 7 opened. 12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; 14they, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every fowl after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. 16And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. 17And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. 18And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. 20Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 21And all flesh perished that moved upon the earth, both fowl, and cattle, and beast, and every swarming thing that swarmeth upon the earth, and every man; 22all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, whatsoever was in the dry land, died. 23And He blotted out every living substance which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping thing, and fowl of the heaven; and they were blotted out from the earth; and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark. 24And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days. And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; 2the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3And the waters returned from off the earth continually; and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. 6And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7And he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground. 9But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth; and he put forth his hand, 8 and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. 10And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11And the dove came in to him at eventide; and lo in her mouth an olive-leaf freshly plucked; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; and she returned not again unto him any more. 13And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dried. 14And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry. 15And God spoke unto Noah, saying: 16’Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’wives with thee. 17Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both fowl, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may swarm in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.’ 18And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’wives with him; 19every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families; went forth out of the ark. 20And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. 21And the LORD smelled the sweet savour; and the LORD said in His heart: ‘I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.’ And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, and upon all wherewith the ground teemeth, and upon all the fishes of the sea: into your hand are they delivered. 3Every moving thing that liveth shall be for food for you; as the green herb have I given you all. 4Only flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it; and at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, will I require the life of man. 6Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man. 7And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; swarm in the earth, and multiply therein.’ 9 8And God spoke unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying: 9’As for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10and with every living creature that is with you, the fowl, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that go out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. 11And I will establish My covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.’ 12And God said: ‘This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14And it shall come to pass, when I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow is seen in the cloud, 15that I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.’ 17And God said unto Noah: ‘This is the token of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.’ 18And the sons of Noah, that went forth from the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19These three were the sons of Noah, and of these was the whole earth overspread. 20And Noah the husbandman began, and planted a vineyard. 21And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. 24And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto him. 25And he said: Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26And he said: Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; And let Canaan be their servant. 27God aenlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; a Heb. Japhth. And let Canaan be their servant. 28And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died. 10 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and unto them were sons born after the flood. 2The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. 4And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. 6And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan. 7And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan. 8And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; wherefore it is said: ‘Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.’ 10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and Rehoboth-ir, and Calah, 12and Resen between Nineveh and Calah—the same is the great city. 13And Mizraim begot Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, 14and Pathrusim, and Casluhim—whence went forth the Philistines—and Caphtorim. 15And Canaan begot Zidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite; and afterward were the families of the Canaanite spread abroad. 19And the border of the Canaanite was from Zidon, as thou goest toward Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, unto Lasha. 20These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations. 21And unto Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born. 22The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram. 23And the sons of Aram: Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. 24And Arpachshad begot Shelah; and Shelah begot Eber. 25And unto Eber were born two sons; the name of the one was aPeleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26And Joktan begot Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah; 27and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah; 28and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba; 29and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 30And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest toward Sephar, unto the mountain of the east. 31These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. a That is, Division. 32These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations; and of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood. And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. 2And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3And they said one to another: ‘Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4And they said: ‘Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ 5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6And the LORD said: ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do; and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do. 7Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ 8So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city. 9Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there aconfound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the LORD a Heb. Balal, to confound. scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. 10These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begot Arpachshad two years after the flood. 11And Shem lived after he begot Arpachshad five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. 12And Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begot Shelah. 13And Arpachshad lived after he begot Shelah four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. 14And Shelah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. 15And Shelah lived after he begot Eber four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. 16And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begot Peleg. 17And Eber lived after he begot Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. 18And Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. 19And Peleg lived after he begot Reu two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters. 20And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begot Serug. 21And Reu lived after he begot Serug two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. 22And Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. 23And Serug lived after he begot Nahor two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. 24And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Terah. 25And Nahor lived after he begot Terah a hundred 11 and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. 26And Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot. 28And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30And Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran. .. .. Now the LORD said unto Abram: ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee. 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing. 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 4So Abram went, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem, unto the terebinth of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said: ‘Unto thy seed will I give this land’; and he builded there an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8And he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Beth- el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Ai on the east; and he builded there an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South. 10And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the land. 11And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife: ‘Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon. 12And it will come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they will say: This is his wife; and they will kill me, but thee they will keep alive. 13Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister; that it may be well with me for thy sake, and that my 12 soul may live because of thee.’ 14And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16And he dealt well with Abram for her sake; and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and she-asses, and camels. 17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. 18And Pharaoh called Abram, and said: ‘What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19Why saidst thou: She is my sister? so that I took her to be my wife; now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.’ 20And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him; and they brought him on the way, and his wife, and all that he had. And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South. 2And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3And he went on his journeys from the South even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Ai; 4unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first; and Abram called there on the name of the LORD. 5And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land. 8And Abram said unto Lot: ‘Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we are brethren. 9Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me; if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left.’ 10And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar. 11So Lot chose him all the plain of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the Plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the LORD exceedingly. 14And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him: ‘Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy 13 seed for ever. 16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it.’ 18And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the terebinths of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD. And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela—the same is Zoar. 3All these came as allies unto the vale of Siddim—the same is the Salt Sea. 4Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh- kiriathaim, 6and the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. 7And they turned back, and came to En-mishpat—the same is Kadesh—and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazazon-tamar. 8And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela—the same is Zoar; and they set the battle in array against them in the vale of Siddim; 9against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five. 10Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. 11And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 13And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew—now he dwelt by the terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram. 14And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. 15And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. 16And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. 17And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, at the vale of 14 Shaveh—the same is the King’s Vale. 18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was priest of God the Most High. 19And he blessed him, and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth; 20and blessed be God the Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.’ And he gave him a tenth of all. 21And the king of Sodom said unto Abram: ‘Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.’ 22And Abram said to the king of Sodom: ‘I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, 23that I will not take a thread nor a shoe-latchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldest say: I have made Abram rich; 24save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, let them take their portion.’ After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, thy reward shall be exceeding great.’ 2And Abram said: ‘O Lord GOD, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go hence childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ 3And Abram said: ‘Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed, and, lo, one born in my house is to be mine heir.’ 4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying: ‘This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.’ 5And He brought him forth abroad, and said: ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them’; and He said unto him: ‘So shall thy seed be.’ 6And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness. 7And He said unto him: ‘I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.’ 8And he said: ‘O Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?’ 9And He said unto him: ‘Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a she- goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’ 10And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other; but the birds divided he not. 11And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. 12And it came to pass, that, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him. 13And He said unto Abram: ‘Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither; for the 15 iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.’ 17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and there was thick darkness, behold a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. 18In that 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; 19the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, 20and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, 21and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.’ 16 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bore him no children; and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2And Sarai said unto Abram: ‘Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall be builded up through her.’ And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife. 4And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 5And Sarai said unto Abram: ‘My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.’ 6But Abram said unto Sarai: ‘Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes.’ And Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face. 7And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8And he said: ‘Hagar, Sarai’s handmaid, whence camest thou? and whither goest thou?’ And she said: ‘I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.’ 9And the angel of the LORD said unto her: ‘Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.’ 10And the angel of the LORD said unto her: ‘I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11And the angel of the LORD said unto her: ‘Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name aIshmael, because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 12And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren.’ 13And she called the name of the LORD that spoke unto her, Thou art ba God of seeing; for she said: ‘Have I even here seen Him that seeth Me?’ 14Wherefore the well was called cBeer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, a That is, God heareth. b Heb. El roi. c That is, The well of the Living One who seeth me. whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. 17 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him: ‘I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be thou wholehearted. 2And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.’ 3And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying: 4’As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be athe father of a multitude of nations. 5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. 6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. 8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’ 9And God said unto Abraham: ‘And as for thee, thou shalt keep My covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations. 10This is My covenant, which ye shall a Heb. Ab hamon. keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt Me and you. 12And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner, that is not of thy seed. 13He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.’ 15And God said unto Abraham: ‘As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but bSarah shall her name be. 16And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.’ 17Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart: ‘Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?’ 18And Abraham said unto God: ‘Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee! ’ 19And God said: ‘‘Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; b That is, Princess. and thou shalt call his name aIsaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee; behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21But My covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.’ 22And He left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. 23And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. 24And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him. a From the Heb. Root meaning to laugh. .... And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth, 3and said: ‘My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. 4Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and recline yourselves under the tree. 5And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and stay ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on; forasmuch as ye are come to your servant.’ And they said: ‘So do, as thou hast said.’ 6And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said: ‘Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.’ 7And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it. 8And he took curd, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. 9And they said unto him: ‘Where is Sarah thy wife?’ And he said: ‘Behold, in the tent.’ 10And He said: ‘I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.’ And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.—11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.—12And Sarah laughed within 18 herself, saying: ‘After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ 13And the LORD said unto Abraham: ‘Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying: Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old? 14Is any thing too hard for the LORD. At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.’ 15Then Sarah denied, saying: ‘I laughed not’; for she was afraid. And He said: ‘Nay; but thou didst laugh.’ 16And the men rose up from thence, and looked out toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17And the LORD said: ‘Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing; 18seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.’ 20And the LORD said: ‘Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous. 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know.’ 22And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 23And Abraham drew near, and said: ‘Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou indeed sweep away and not forgive the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from Thee; shall not the judge of all the earth do justly?’ 26And the LORD said: ‘If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will forgive all the place for their sake.’ 27And Abraham answered and said: ‘Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes. 28Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five?’ And He said: ‘I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.’ 29And he spoke unto Him yet again, and said: ‘Peradventure there shall be forty found there.’ And He said: ‘I will not do it for the forty’s sake.’ 30And he said: ‘Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Peradventure there shall thirty be found there.’ And He said: ‘I will not do it, if I find thirty there.’ 31And he said: ‘Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord. Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.’ And He said: ‘I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.’ 32And he said: ‘Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once. Peradventure ten shall be found there.’ And He said: ‘I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.’ 33And the LORD went His way, as soon as He had left off speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place. And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell down on his face to the earth; 2and he said: ‘Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way.’ And they said: ‘Nay; but we will abide in the broad place all night.’ 3And he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 4But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter. 5And they called unto Lot, and said unto him: ‘Where are the men that came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.’ 6And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. 7And he said: ‘I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. 8Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes; only unto these men do nothing; forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.’ 9And they said: ‘Stand back.’ And they said: ‘This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs play the judge; now will we deal worse with thee, than with them.’ And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door. 10But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and the door they shut. 11And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great; so that they wearied themselves to find the door. 12And the men said unto Lot: ‘Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city; bring them out of the place; 13for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.’ 14And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said: ‘Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy the city.’ But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that jested. 15And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying: ‘Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters that are here; lest thou be swept away in the iniquity of the city.’ 16But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him. And they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17And it came to pass, when they had 19 brought them forth abroad, that he said: ‘Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be swept away.’ 18And Lot said unto them: ‘Oh, not so, my lord; 19behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shown unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest the evil overtake me, and I die. 20Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one; oh, let me escape thither—is it not a little one?—and my soul shall live.’ 21And he said unto him: ‘See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken. 22Hasten thou, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither.’—Therefore the name of the city was called aZoar.— 23The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar. 24Then the LORD caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25and He overthrow those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 27And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28And he looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all a That is, Little, see verse 20. the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace. 29And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt. 30And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31And the first-born said unto the younger: ‘Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth. 32Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.’ 33And they made their father drink wine that night. And the first-born went in, and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34And it came to pass on the morrow, that the first-born said unto the younger: ‘Behold, I lay yesternight with my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.’ 35And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37And the first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab—the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38And the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben- ammi—the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2And Abraham said of Sarah his wife: ‘She is my sister.’ And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 3But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him: ‘Behold, thou shalt die, because of the woman whom thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.’ 4Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said: ‘Lord, wilt Thou slay even a righteous nation? 5Said he not himself unto me: She is my sister? and she, even she herself said: He is my brother. In the simplicity of my heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this.’ 6And God said unto him in the dream: ‘Yea, I know that in the simplicity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning against Me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7Now therefore restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live; and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.’ 8And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears; and the men were sore afraid. 9Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him: ‘What hast thou done unto us? and wherein have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.’ 10And Abimelech said unto Abraham: ‘What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?’ 11And Abraham said: ‘Because I thought: Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. 12And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and so she became my wife. 13And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her: This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me: He is my brother.’ 14And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women- servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15And Abimelech said: ‘Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.’ 16And unto Sarah he said: ‘Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee; and before all men thou art righted.’ 17And Abraham prayed unto God; and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants; and they bore children. 18For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife. 20 And the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken. 2And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6And Sarah said: ‘God hath made laughter for me; every one that heareth will laugh on account of me.’ 7And she said: ‘Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should give children suck? for I have borne him a son in his old age.’ 8And the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, making sport. 10Wherefore she said unto Abraham: ‘Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.’ 11And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight on account of his son. 12And God said unto Abraham: ‘Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall seed be called to thee. 13And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.’ 14And Abraham arose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away; and she departed, and strayed in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15And the water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow- shot; for she said: ‘Let me not look upon the death of the child.’ And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept. 17And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her: ‘What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast by thy hand; for I will make him a great nation.’ 19And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20And God was with the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. 22And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spoke unto Abraham, saying: ‘God is with thee in all that thou doest. 23Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal 21 falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son; but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.’ 24And Abraham said: ‘I will swear.’ 25And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away. 26And Abimelech said: ‘I know not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to-day.’ 27And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and they two made a covenant. 28And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. 29And Abimelech said unto Abraham: ‘What mean these seven ewe-lambs which thou hast set by themselves?’ 30And he said: ‘Verily, these seven ewe-lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.’ 31Wherefore that place was called Beer-sheba; because there they swore both of them. 32So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba; and Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. 33And Abraham planted a tamarisk-tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. 34And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days. 22 And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and said unto him: ‘Abraham’; and he said: ‘Here am I.’ 2And He said: ‘Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.’ 3And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5And Abraham said unto his young men: ‘Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come back to you.’ 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together. 7And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said: ‘My father.’ And he said: ‘Here am I, my son.’ And he said: ‘Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?’ 8And Abraham said: ‘God will aprovide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the a Heb jireh, that is, see for Himself. wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said: ‘Abraham, Abraham.’ And he said: ‘Here am I.’ 12And he said: ‘Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.’ 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. 14And Abraham called the name of that place aAdonai-jireh; as it is said to this day: ‘In the mount where the LORD is seen.’ 15And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16and said: ‘By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 17that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.’ 19So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer- a That is, The LORD seeth. sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer- sheba. 20And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying: ‘Behold, Milcah, she also hath borne children unto thy brother Nahor: 21Uz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram; 22and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.’ 23And Bethuel begot Rebekah; these eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she also bore Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maacah. ... ... And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2And Sarah died in Kiriatharba—the same is Hebron—in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. 3And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke unto the children of Heth, saying: 4’I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.’ 5And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him: 6’Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us; in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.’ 7And Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, even to 23 the children of Heth. 8And he spoke with them, saying: ‘If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, 9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a possession of a burying-place.’ 10Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying: 11’Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee; bury thy dead.’ 12And Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13And he spoke unto Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying: ‘But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me: I will give the price of the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.’ 14And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him: 15’My lord, hearken unto me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.’ 16And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. 17So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof round about, were made sure18unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. 19And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre—the same is Hebron—in the land of Canaan. 20And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the children of Heth. And Abraham was old, well stricken in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2And Abraham said unto his servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all that he had: ‘Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh. 3And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. 4But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son, even for Isaac.’ 5And the servant said unto him: ‘Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land; must I needs bring thy son back unto the land from whence thou camest?’ 6And Abraham said unto him: ‘Beware thou that thou bring not my son back thither. 7The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my 24 father’s house, and from the land of my nativity, and who spoke unto me, and who swore unto me, saying: Unto thy seed will I give this land; He will send His angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from thence. 8And if the woman be not willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath; only thou shalt not bring my son back thither.’ 9And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. 10And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed; having all goodly things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose, and went to aAram-naharaim, unto the city of Nahor. 11And he made the camels to kneel down without the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water. 12And he said: ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray Thee, good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. 13Behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water. 14So let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say: Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say: Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also; let the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy servant, even for Isaac; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast a That is, Mesopotamia. shown kindness unto my master.’ 15And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 16And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her; and she went down to the fountain, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17And the servant ran to meet her, and said: ‘Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher.’ 18And she said: ‘Drink, my lord’; and she hastened, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 19And when she had done giving him drink, she said: ‘I will draw for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.’ 20And she hastened, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw, and drew for all his camels. 21And the man looked stedfastly on her; holding his peace, to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 22And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; 23and said: ‘Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee. Is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?’ 24And she said unto him: ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore unto Nahor.’ 25She said moreover unto him: ‘We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.’ 26And the man bowed his head, and prostrated himself before the LORD. 27And he said: ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who hath not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD hath led me in the way to the house of my master’s brethren.’ 28And the damsel ran, and told her mother’s house according to these words. 29And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban; and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the fountain. 30And it came to pass, when he saw the ring, and the bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying: ‘Thus spoke the man unto me, ‘that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the fountain. 31And he said: ‘Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have cleared the house, and made room for the camels.’ 32And the man came into the house, and he ungirded the camels; and he gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men that were with him. 33And there was set food before him to eat; but he said: ‘I will not eat, until I have told mine errand.’ And he said: ‘Speak on.’ 34And he said: ‘I am Abraham’s servant. 35And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great; and He hath given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and men-servants and maid- servants, and camels and asses. 36And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and unto him hath he given all that he hath. 37And my master made me swear, saying: Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell. 38But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son. 39And I said unto my master: Peradventure the woman will not follow me. 40And he said unto me: The LORD, before whom I walk, will send His angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house; 41then shalt thou be clear from my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give her not to thee, thou shalt be clear from my oath. 42And I came this day unto the fountain, and said: O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now Thou do prosper my way which I go: 43behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and let it come to pass, that the maiden that cometh forth to draw, to whom I shall say: Give me, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher to drink; 44and she shall say to me: Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels; let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed for my master’s son. 45And before I had done speaking to my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the fountain, and drew. And I said unto her: Let me drink, I pray thee. 46And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said: Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. So I drank, and she made the camels drink also. 47And I asked her, and said: Whose daughter art thou? And she said: The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore unto him. And I put the ring upon her nose, and the bracelets upon her hands. 48And I bowed my head, and prostrated myself before the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. 49And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.’ 50Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said: ‘The thing proceedeth from the LORD; we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. 51Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.’ 52And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth unto the LORD. 53And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah; he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. 54And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said: ‘Send me away unto my master.’ 55And her brother and her mother said: ‘Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.’ 56And he said unto them: ‘Delay me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.’ 57And they said: ‘We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.’ 58And they called Rebekah, and said unto her: ‘Wilt thou go with this man?’ And she said: ‘I will go.’ 59And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. 60And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her: ‘Our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let thy seed possess the gate of those that hate them.’ 61And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. 62And Isaac came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the land of the South. 63And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide; and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, there were camels coming. 64And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel. 65And she said unto the servant: ‘What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us?’ And the servant said: ‘It is my master.’ And she took her veil, and covered herself. 66And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted for his mother. And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah. 2And she bore him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3And Jokshan begot Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6But unto the sons of the concubines, that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts; and he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. 7And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8And Abraham expired, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. 9And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; 10the field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth; there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. 11And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son; and Isaac dwelt by Beer-lahai-roi. 12Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bore unto Abraham. 13And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the first-born of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, 14and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa; 15Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedem; 16these are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their nations. 17And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years; and he expired and died; and was gathered unto his people. 18And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Asshur: over against all his brethren he did settle. ..... 19And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac. 20And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean, of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD let Himself be entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22And the children struggled together within her; and she said: ‘If it be so, wherefore do I live?’ And she went to inquire of the LORD. 23And the LORD said unto her: Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels; 25 And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger. 24And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25And the first came forth ruddy, all over like a hairy mantle; and they called his name Esau. 26And after that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called aJacob. And Isaac was threescore years old when she bore them. 27And the boys grew; and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28Now Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison; and Rebekah loved Jacob. 29And Jacob sod pottage; and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint. 30And Esau said to Jacob: ‘Let me swallow, I pray thee, some of this red, red pottage; for I am faint.’ Therefore was his name called bEdom. 31And Jacob said: ‘Sell me first thy birth right.’ 32And Esau said: ‘Behold, I am at the point to die; and what profit shall the birthright do to me?’ 33And Jacob said: ‘Swear to me first’; and he swore unto him; and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, a That is, One that takes by the heel, or, supplants. b That is, Red. and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright. And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. 2And the LORD appeared unto him, and said: ‘Go not down unto Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of. 3Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father; 4and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these lands; and by thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves; 5because that Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.’ 6And Isaac dwelt in Gerar. 7And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said: ‘She is my sister’; for he feared to say: ‘My wife’; ‘lest the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah, because she is fair to look upon.’ 8And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. 9And Abimelech called Isaac, and said: ‘Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou: She is my sister?’ And Isaac said unto him: ‘Because I said: Lest I die because of her.’ 10And 26 Abimelech said: ‘What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might easily have lain with thy wife, and thou wouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.’ 11And Abimelech charged all the people, saying: ‘He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.’ 12And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the same year a hundred-fold; and the LORD blessed him. 13And the man waxed great, and grew more and more until he became very great. 14And he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great household; and the Philistines envied him. 15Now all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. 16And Abimelech said unto Isaac: ‘Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.’ 17And Isaac departed thence, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham; and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. 19And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of living water. 20And the herdmen of Gerar strove with Isaac’s herdmen, saying: ‘The water is ours.’ And he called the name of the well aEsek; because they contended with him. 21And they digged another well, and they strove for that also. And he called the name of it bSitnah. 22And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not. And he called the name of it cRehoboth; and he said: ‘For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.’ 23And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. 24And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said: ‘I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham’s sake.’ 25And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants digged a well. 26Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his host. 27And Isaac said unto them: ‘Wherefore are ye come unto me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?’ 28And they said: ‘We saw plainly that the LORD was with thee; and we said: Let there now be an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; 29that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace; thou a That is, Contention. b That is, Enmity. c That is, Room. art now the blessed of the LORD.’ 30And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. 31And they rose up betimes in the morning, and swore one to another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him: ‘We have found water.’ 33And he called it Shibah. Therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day. 34And when Esau was forty years old, he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35And they were a bitterness of spirit unto Isaac and to Rebekah. And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said unto him: ‘My son’; and he said unto him: ‘Here am I.’ 2And he said: ‘Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death. 3Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison; 4and make me savoury food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.’ 5And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. 6And Rebekah spoke unto Jacob her son, saying: ‘Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying: 7Bring me venison, and make me savoury food, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. 8Now therefore, my son, hearken to my voice according to that which I command thee. 9Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury food for thy father, such as he loveth; 10and thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so that he may bless thee before his death.’ 11And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother: ‘Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a mocker; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.’ 13And his mother said unto him: ‘Upon me be thy curse, my son; only hearken to my voice, and go fetch me them.’ 14And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savoury food, such as his father loved. 15And Rebekah took the choicest garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son. 16And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. 17And she gave the savoury food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. 18And he came unto his father, and said: ‘My father’; and he said: ‘Here am I; who art thou, my son?’ 19And Jacob said unto his father: ‘I am Esau thy first- born; I have done according as thou 27 badest me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.’ 20And Isaac said unto his son: ‘How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son?’ And he said: ‘Because the LORD thy God sent me good speed.’ 21And Isaac said unto Jacob: ‘Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.’ 22And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said: ‘The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.’ 23And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. 24And he said: ‘Art thou my very son Esau?’ And he said: ‘I am.’ 25And he said: ‘Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee.’ And he brought it near to him, and he did eat; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26And his father Isaac said unto him: ‘Come near now, and kiss me, my son.’ 27And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said: See, the smell of my son Is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed. 28So God give thee of the dew of heaven, And of the fat places of the earth, And plenty of corn and wine. 29Let peoples serve thee, And nations bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee. Cursed be every one that curseth thee, And blessed be every one that blesseth thee. 30And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31And he also made savoury food, and brought it unto his father; and he said unto his father: ‘Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.’ 32And Isaac his father said unto him: ‘Who art thou?’ And he said: ‘I am thy son, thy first-born, Esau.’ 33And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said: ‘Who then is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.’ 34When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his father: ‘Bless me, even me also, O my father.’ 35And he said: ‘Thy brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy blessing.’ 36And he said: ‘Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing.’ And he said: ‘Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?’ 37And Isaac answered and said unto Esau: ‘Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him; and what then shall I do for thee, my son?’ 38And Esau said unto his father: ‘Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father.’ And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. 39And Isaac his father answered and said unto him: Behold, of the fat places of the earth shall be thy dwelling, And of the dew of heaven from above; 40And by thy sword shalt thou live, And thou shalt serve thy brother; And it shall come to pass when thou shalt break loose, That thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck. 41And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart: ‘Let the days of mourning for my father be at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.’ 42And the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah; and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him: ‘Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. 43Now therefore, my son, hearken to my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; 44and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away; 45until thy brother’s anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him; then I will send, and fetch thee from thence; why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?’ 46And Rebekah said to Isaac: ‘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, of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?’ And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him: ‘Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. 3And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a congregation of peoples; 4and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings, which God gave unto Abraham.’ 5And Isaac sent away Jacob; and he went to Paddan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother. 6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying: ‘Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan’; 7and that Jacob hearkened to his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram; 8and Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 28 9so Esau went unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives that he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife. .... 10And Jacob went out from Beer- sheba, and went toward Haran. 11And he lighted upon the place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13And, behold, the LORD stood beside him, and said: ‘I am the LORD, the 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. 14And 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. 15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’ 16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said: ‘Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.’ 17And he was afraid, and said: ‘How full of awe is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ 18And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19And he called the name of that place aBeth-el, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then shall the LORD be my God, 22and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.’ a That is, The house of God. 29 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. 2And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep lying there by it.—For out of that well they watered the flocks. And the stone upon the well’s mouth was great. 3And thither were all the flocks gathered; and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone back upon the well’s mouth in its place.— 4And Jacob said unto them: ‘My brethren, whence are ye?’ And they said: ‘Of Haran are we.’ 5And he said unto them: ‘Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?’ And they said: ‘We know him.’ 6And he said unto them: ‘Is it well with him?’ And they said: ‘It is well; and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.’ 7And 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.’ 8And they said: ‘We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.’ 9While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep; for she tended them. 10And 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. 11And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father. 13And 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. 14And Laban said to him: ‘Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.’ And he abode with him the space of a month. 15And Laban said unto Jacob: ‘Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?’ 16Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17And Leah’s eyes were weak; but Rachel was of beautiful form and fair to look upon. 18And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said: ‘I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.’ 19And Laban said: ‘It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man; abide with me.’ 20And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. 21And Jacob said unto Laban: ‘Give me my wife, for my days are filled, that I may go in unto her.’ 22And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. 24And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid. 25And it came to pass in the morning that, 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? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?’ 26And Laban said: ‘It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born. 27Fulfil the week of this one, and we will give thee the other also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.’ 28And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife. 29And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her handmaid. 30And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. 31And the LORD saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said: ‘Because the LORD ahath looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.’ 33And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said: ‘Because the LORD bhath heard that I am hated, He hath therefore given me this son also.’ And she called his name cSimeon. 34And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said: ‘Now this time will my husband be djoined unto me, because I have borne him three sons.’ Therefore was his name called Levi. 35And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she said: ‘This time will I epraise the LORD.’ Therefore she called his name fJudah; and she left off bearing. a Heb. raah beonji. b Heb. shama. c Heb. Shimeon. d From the Heb. root lavah. e From the Heb. hodah. f Heb. Jehudah. 30 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob: ‘Give me children, or else I die.’ 2And 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?’ 3And she said: ‘Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may be builded up through her.’ 4And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife; and Jacob went in unto her. 5And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son. 6And Rachel said: ‘God hath gjudged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son.’ Therefore called she his name Dan. 7And Bilhah Rachel’s handmaid conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. 8And Rachel said: ‘With mighty wrestlings have I hwrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.’ And she called his name Naphtali. 9When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife. 10And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bore Jacob a son. 11And Leah said: ‘Fortune is come! ’ And she called his name iGad. 12And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bore Jacob a second son. 13And Leah said: ‘Happy am I! for the daughters will call me happy.’ And she called his name jAsher. 14And 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.’ 15And she said unto her: ‘Is it a small g Heb. dan, he judged. h Heb. niphtal, he wrestled. i That is, Fortune. j That is, Happy. matter that thou hast taken away my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also?’ And Rachel said: ‘Therefore he shall lie with thee to-night for thy son’s mandrakes.’ 16And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said: ‘Thou must come in unto me; for I have surely hired thee with my son’s mandrakes.’ And he lay with her that night. 17And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18And Leah said: ‘God hath given me my ahire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. And she called his name Issachar. 19And Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20And Leah said: ‘God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband bdwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.’ And she called his name Zebulun. 21And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23And she conceived, and bore a son, and said: ‘God chath taken away my reproach.’ 24And she called his name Joseph, saying: ‘The LORD dadd to me another son.’ a Heb. sachar. b Heb. sabal, he dwelt. c Heb. asaph. d Heb. joseph. 25And 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. 26Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go; for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee.’ 27And Laban said unto him: ‘If now I have found favour in thine eyes—I have observed the signs, and the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.’ 28And he said: ‘Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.’ 29And he said unto him: ‘Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle have fared with me. 30For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it hath increased abundantly; and the LORD hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned. And now when shall I provide for mine own house also?’ 31And he said: ‘What shall I give thee?’ And Jacob said: ‘Thou shalt not give me aught; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep it. 32I will pass through all thy flock to- day, removing from thence every speckled and spotted one, and every dark one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire. 33So shall my righteousness witness against me hereafter, when thou shalt come to look over my hire that is before thee: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and dark among the sheep, that if found with me shall be counted stolen.’ 34And Laban said: ‘Behold, would it might be according to thy word.’ 35And he removed that day the he-goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the dark ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36And he set three days’journey betwixt himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks. 37And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane- tree; and peeled white streaks in them, making the white appear which was in the rods. 38And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they conceived when they came to drink. 39And the flocks conceived at the sight of the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40And Jacob separated the lambs—he also set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark in the flock of Laban— and put his own droves apart, and put them not unto Laban’s flock. 41And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger of the flock did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods; 42but when the flock were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and asses. And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying: ‘Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this wealth.’ 2And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as beforetime. 3And the LORD said unto Jacob: ‘Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.’ 4And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5and said unto them: ‘I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been with me. 6And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7And your father hath mocked me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. 8If he said thus: The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said thus: The streaked shall be thy wages; then bore all the flock streaked. 9Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled. 11And the angel of God said unto me in the dream: Jacob; and I said: Here am I. 12And he said: Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 13I am the God of 31 Beth-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow unto Me. Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity.’ 14And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him: ‘Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15Are we not accounted by him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price. 16For all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours and our children’s. Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.’ 17Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels; 18and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan- aram, to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan. 19Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s. 20And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in that he told him not that he fled. 21So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over athe River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead. a That is the Euphrates. 22And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. 23And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’journey; and he overtook him in the mountain of Gilead. 24And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night, and said unto him: ‘Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.’ 25And Laban came up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead. 26And Laban said to Jacob: ‘What hast thou done, that thou hast outwitted me, and carried away my daughters as though captives of the sword? 27Wherefore didst thou flee secretly, and outwit me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp; 28and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly. 29It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt; but the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight, saying: Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 30And now that thou art surely gone, because thou sore longest after thy father’s house, wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?’ 31And Jacob answered and said to Laban: ‘Because I was afraid; for I said: Lest thou shouldest take thy daughters from me by force. 32With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live; before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee.’— For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.— 33And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found them not. And he went out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, and put them in the saddle of the camel, and sat upon them. And Laban felt about all the tent, but found them not. 35And she said to her father: ‘Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee; for the manner of women is upon me.’ And he searched, but found not the teraphim. 36And Jacob was wroth, and strove with Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban: ‘What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast hotly pursued after me? 37Whereas thou hast felt about all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us two. 38These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flocks have I not eaten. 39That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40Thus I was: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from mine eyes. 41These twenty years have I been in thy house: I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou hast changed my wages ten times. 42Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been on my side, surely now hadst thou sent me away empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and gave judgment yesternight.’ 43And Laban answered and said unto Jacob: ‘The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that thou seest is mine; and what can I do this day for these my daughters, or for their children whom they have borne? 44And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.’ 45And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46And Jacob said unto his brethren: ‘Gather stones’; and they took stones, and made a heap. And they did eat there by the heap. 47And Laban called it aJegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it bGaleed. 48And Laban said: ‘This heap is witness between me and thee this day.’ Therefore was the name of it called Galeed; 49and cMizpah, for he said: ‘The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. 50If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters, no man being with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.’ 51And Laban said to Jacob: ‘Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I have set up betwixt me and thee. 52This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that a That is, The heap of witness in Aramaic. b That is, The heap of witness in Hebrew. c That is, The watch-post. I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. 53The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us.’ And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mountain. 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. 2And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 3And Jacob said when he saw them: ‘This is God’s camp.’ And he called the name of that place aMahanaim. a That is, Two Camps. ..... 4And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom. 5And he commanded them, saying: ‘Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now. 6And I have oxen, and asses and flocks, and men-servants and maid- servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favour in thy sight.’ 7And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: ‘We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.’ 8Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. And he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two camps. 9And he said: ‘If Esau come to the one camp, and smite it, then the camp which is left shall escape.’ 10And Jacob said: ‘O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who saidst unto me: Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good; 11I am not worthy 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 am become two camps. 12Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children. 13And Thou saidst: I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ 14And he lodged there that night; and took of that which he had with him a present for Esau his brother: 15two hundred she-goats and twenty he- goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 16thirty milch camels and their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. 17And 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 betwixt drove and drove.’ 18And he commanded the foremost, saying: 32 ‘When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying: Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? 19then thou shalt say: They are thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord, even unto Esau; and, behold, he also is behind us.’ 20And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying: ‘In this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him; 21and ye shall say: Moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us.’ For he said: ‘I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept me.’ 22So the present passed over before him; and he himself lodged that night in the camp. 23And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven children, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok. 24And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had. 25And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 26And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him. 27And he said: ‘Let me go, for the day breaketh.’ And he said: ‘I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.’ 28And he said unto him: ‘What is thy name?’ And be said: ‘Jacob.’ 29And he said: ‘Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but aIsrael; for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.’ 30And Jacob asked him, and said: ‘Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.’ And he said: ‘Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?’ And he blessed him there. 31And Jacob called the name of the place bPeniel: ‘for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’ 32And the sun rose upon him as he passed over cPeniel, and he limped upon his thigh. 33Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the thigh-vein which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh, even in the sinew of the thigh-vein. a That is, He who striveth with God. b That is, The face of God. c Heb. Penuel. 33 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept. 5And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said: ‘Who are these with thee?’ And he said: ‘The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant.’ 6Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed down. 7And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed down; and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed down. 8And he said: ‘What meanest thou by all this camp which I met?’ And he said: ‘To find favour in the sight of my lord.’ 9And Esau said: ‘I have enough; my brother, let that which thou hast be thine.’ 10And Jacob said: ‘Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favour in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11Take, I pray thee, my gift 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. 12And he said: ‘Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.’ 13And he said unto him: ‘My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds giving suck are a care to me; and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die. 14Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will journey on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.’ 15And Esau said: ‘Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me.’ And he said: ‘What needeth it? let me find favour in the sight of my lord.’ 16So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is called aSuccoth. a That is, Booths. b That is, God, the God of Israel. 18And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and encamped before the city. 19And he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. 20And he erected there an altar, and called it bEl-elohe-Israel. 34 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her; and he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her. 3And his soul did cleave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spoke comfortingly unto the damsel. 4And Shechem spoke unto his father Hamor, saying: ‘Get me this damsel to wife.’ 5Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his cattle in the field; and Jacob held his peace until they came. 6And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to speak with him. 7And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought a vile deed in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done. 8And Hamor spoke with them, saying ‘The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter. I pray you give her unto him to wife. 9And make ye marriages with us; give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10And ye shall dwell with us; and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.’ 11And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren: ‘Let me find favour in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. 12Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; but give me the damsel to wife.’ 13And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with guile, and spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, 14and said unto them: ‘We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us. 15Only on this condition will we consent unto you: if ye will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised; 16then 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. 17But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.’ 18And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son. 19And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter. And he was honoured above all the house of his father. 20And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying: 21’These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for, behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22Only on this condition will the men consent unto us to dwell with us, to become one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. 23Shall not their cattle and their substance and all their beasts be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.’ 24And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city. 25And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city unawares, and slew all the males. 26And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went forth. 27The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28They took their flocks and their herds and their asses, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field; 29and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives, took they captive and spoiled, even all that was in the house. 30And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: ‘Ye have troubled me, to make me odious unto the inhabitants of the land, even unto the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and, I being few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and smite me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.’ 31And they said: ‘Should one deal with our sister as with a harlot?’ 35 And God said unto Jacob: ‘Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there; and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou didst flee from the face of Esau thy brother.’ 2Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him: ‘Put away the strange gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments; 3and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; 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.’ 4And they gave unto Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth which was by Shechem. 5And they journeyed; and a terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. 6So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan—the same is Beth-el— he and all the people that were with him. 7And he built there an altar, and called the place aEl-beth-el, because there God was revealed unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. 8And Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried below Beth-el under the oak; and the name of it was called bAllon-bacuth. a That is, The God of Beth-el. b That is, The oak of weeping. 9And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan- aram, and blessed him. 10And God said unto him: ‘Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name’; and He called his name Israel. 11And 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; 12and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.’ 13And God went up from him in the place where He spoke with him. 14And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He spoke with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink-offering thereon, and poured oil thereon. 15And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Beth-el. 16And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was still some way to come to Ephrath; and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. 17And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the mid-wife said unto her: ‘Fear not; for this also is a son for thee.’ 18And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing—for she died—that she called his name aBen- oni; but his father called him bBenjamin. 19And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath—the same is Beth-lehem. 20And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave; the same is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day. 21And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond Migdal-eder. 22And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard of it. a That is, The son of my sorrow. b That is, The son of the right hand. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun; 24the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; 25and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid: Dan and Naphtali; 26and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Paddan-aram. 27And Jacob came unto Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriatharba—the same is Hebron— where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years. 29And Isaac expired, and died, and was gathered unto his people, old and full of days; and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him. 36 Now these are the generations of Esau—the same is Edom. 2Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, 3and Basemath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth. 4And Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz; and Basemath bore Reuel; 5and Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, that were born unto him in the land of Canaan. 6And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan; and went into a land away from his brother Jacob. 7For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle. 8And Esau dwelt in the mountain-land of Seir— Esau is Edom. 9And these are the generations of Esau the father of a cthe Edomites in the mountain-land of Seir. 10These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the c Heb. Edom. wife of Esau. 11And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. 12And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bore to Eliphaz Amalek. These are the sons of Adah Esau’s wife. 13And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath Esau’s wife. 14And these were the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife; and she bore to Esau Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah. 15These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the first-born of Esau: the chief of Teman, the chief of Omar, the chief of Zepho, the chief of Kenaz, 16the chief of Korah, the chief of Gatam, the chief of Amalek. These are the chiefs that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah. 17And these are the sons of Reuel Esau’s son: the chief of Nahath, the chief of Zerah, the chief of Shammah, the chief of Mizzah. These are the chiefs that came of Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Basemath Esau’s wife. 18And these are the sons of Oholibamah Esau’s wife: the chief of Jeush, the chief of Jalam, the chief of Korah. These are the chiefs that came of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife. 19These are the sons of Esau, and these are their chiefs; the same is Edom. 20These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah, 21and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan. These are the chiefs that came of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. 22And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna. 23And these are the children of Shobal: Alvan and Manahath and Ebal, Shepho and Onam. 24And these are the children of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah—this is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. 25And these are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. 26And these are the children of aDishon: Hemdan and Eshban and Ithran and Cheran. 27These are the children of Ezer: Bilhan and Zaavan and Akan. 28These are the children of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 29These are the chiefs that came of the Horites: the chief of Lotan, the chief of Shobal, the chief of Zibeon, the chief of Anah, 30the chief of Dishon, the chief of Ezer, the chief of Dishan. These are the chiefs that came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir. a Heb. Dishan. 31And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. 32And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. 34And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead. 35And 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. 36And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. 37And Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River reigned in his stead. 38And Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. 39And Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead; and the name of the city was Pau; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab. 40And these are the names of the chiefs that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names: the chief of Timna, the chief of Alvah, the chief of Jetheth; 41the chief of Oholibamah, the chief of Elah, the chief of Pinon; 42the chief of Kenaz, the chief of Teman, the chief of Mibzar; 43the chief of Magdiel, the chief of Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esau the father of the Edomites. .... And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, being still a lad even with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought evil report of them unto their father. 3Now 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 colours. 4And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 5And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren; and they hated him yet the more. 6And he said unto them: ‘Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves came round about, and bowed down to my sheaf.’ 8And 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. 9And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said: ‘Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.’ 10And 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 to thee to the earth?’ 11And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind. 37 12And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13And 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.’ 14And he said to him: ‘Go now, see whether it is well with thy brethren, and well with the flock; and bring me back word.’ So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying: ‘What seekest thou?’ 16And he said: ‘I seek my brethren. Tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding the flock.’ 17And the man said: ‘They are departed hence; for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothan.’ And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. 18And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. 19And they said one to another: ‘Behold, this dreamer cometh. 20Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say: An evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’ 21And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand; and said: ‘Let us not take his life.’ 22And Reuben said unto them: ‘Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him’—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. 23And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colours that was on him; 24and they took him, and cast him into the pit—and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 25And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and ladanum, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26And Judah said unto his brethren: ‘What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? 27Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh.’ And his brethren hearkened unto him. 28And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt. 29And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 30And he returned unto his brethren, and said: ‘The child is not; and as for me, whither shall I go?’ 31And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood; 32and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said: ‘This have we found. Know now whether it is thy son’s coat or not.’ 33And he knew it, and said: ‘It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.’ 34And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said: ‘Nay, but I will go down to the grave to my son mourning.’ And his father wept for him. 36And the aMidianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard. a Heb. Medanites. And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her. 3And she conceived, and bore a son; and he called his name Er. 4And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she called his name Onan. 5And she yet again bore a son, and called his name Shelah; and he was at Chezib, when she bore him. 6And Judah took a wife for Er his first- born, and her name was Tamar. 7And Er, Judah’s first-born, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. 8And Judah said unto Onan: ‘Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother.’ 9And Onan knew that the seed would 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. 10And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of the LORD; and He slew him also. 11Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law: ‘Remain a widow in thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown up’; for he said: ‘Lest he also die, like his brethren.’ And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house. 12And in process of time Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13And it was told Tamar, saying: ‘Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep.’ 14And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the entrance of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife. 15When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face. 16And he turned unto her by the way, 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?’ 17And he said: ‘I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock.’ And she said: ‘Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?’ 18And he said: ‘What pledge shall I give thee?’ And she said: ‘Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that 38 is in thy hand.’ And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. 19And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. 20And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand; but he found her not. 21Then he asked the men of her place, saying: ‘Where is the harlot, that was at Enaim by the wayside?’ And they said: ‘There hath been no harlot here.’ 22And he returned to Judah, and said: ‘I have not found her; and also the men of the place said: There hath been no harlot here.’ 23And Judah said: ‘Let her take it, lest we be put to shame; behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.’ 24And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying: ‘Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover, behold, she is with child by harlotry.’ And Judah said: ‘Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.’ 25When 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 the cords, and the staff.’ 26And Judah acknowledged them, and said: ‘She is more righteous than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son.’ And he knew her again no more. 27And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. 28And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying: ‘This came out first.’ 29And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold his brother came out; and she said: ‘Wherefore hast thou made a breach for thyself?’ Therefore his name was called aPerez. 30And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand; and his name was called Zerah. a That is, A breach. 39 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, that had brought him down thither. 2And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4And Joseph found favour in his sight, and he ministered unto him. And he appointed him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5And it came to pass from the time that he appointed 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. 6And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and, having him, he knew not aught save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was of beautiful form, and fair to look upon. 7And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said: ‘Lie with me.’ 8But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife: ‘Behold, my master, having me, knoweth not what is in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand; 9he is not 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?’ 10And 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. 11And it came to pass on a certain day, when he went into the house to do his work, and there was none of the men of the house there within, 12that she caught him by his garment, saying: ‘Lie with me.’ And he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. 13And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14that 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. 15And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled, and got him out.’ 16And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home. 17And 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. 18And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled out.’ 19And 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. 20And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison. 21But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand, because the LORD was with him; and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper. And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2And Pharaoh was wroth against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. 3And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. 4And the captain of the guard charged Joseph to be with them, 40 and he ministered unto them; and they continued a season in ward. 5And 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. 6And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, they were sad. 7And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his master’s house, saying: ‘Wherefore look ye so sad to- day?’ 8And they said unto him: ‘We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it.’ And Joseph said unto them: ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray you.’ 9And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him: ‘In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; 10and in the vine were three branches; and as it was budding, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes, 11and 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.’ 12And Joseph said unto him: ‘This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; 13within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and restore thee unto thine office; and thou shalt give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. 14But have me in thy remembrance 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. 15For 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.’ 16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph: ‘I also saw in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head; 17and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked food for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.’ 18And Joseph answered and said: ‘This is the interpretation thereof: the three baskets are three days; 19within yet 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.’ 20And 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 the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21And he restored the chief butler back unto his butlership; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. 22But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him. ... And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh 41 dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the ariver. 2And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, well-favoured and fat-fleshed; and they fed in the reed-grass. 3And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and lean-fleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4And the ill- favoured and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well-favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. 5And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6And, behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. 7And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. 8And 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. 9Then spoke the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying: ‘I make mention of my faults this day: 10Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in the ward of the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker. 11And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12And there was with us there a a That is, the Nile. 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. 13And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was: I was restored unto mine office, and he was hanged.’ 14Then 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. 15And 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 when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it.’ 16And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying: ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.’ 17And Pharaoh spoke unto Joseph: ‘In my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink of the river. 18And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fat- fleshed and well-favoured; and they fed in the reedgrass. 19And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favoured and lean- fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness. 20And the lean and ill-favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine. 21And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill-favoured as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up upon one stalk, full and good. 23And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. 24And the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.’ 25And Joseph said unto Pharaoh: ‘The dream of Pharaoh is one; what God is about to do He hath declared unto Pharaoh. 26The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. 27And the seven lean and ill-favoured kine that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be seven years of famine. 28That is the thing which I spoke unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do He hath shown unto Pharaoh. 29Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. 30And 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; 31and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous. 32And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty. 35And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36And the food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.’ 37And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38And Pharaoh said unto his servants: ‘Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is?’ 39And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: ‘Forasmuch as God hath shown thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou. 40Thou 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.’ 41And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: ‘See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.’ 42And Pharaoh took off his signet 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. 43And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him: ‘Abrech’; and he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: ‘I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.’ 45And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath- paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.— 46And 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. 47And in the seven years of plenty the earth brought forth in heaps. 48And 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. 49And Joseph laid up corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until they left off numbering; for it was without number. 50And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. 51And Joseph called the name of the first-born aManasseh: ‘for God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.’ 52And the name of the second called he bEphraim: ‘for God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.’ 53And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to an end. 54And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said; and there was famine in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said a That is, Making to forget. b From a Hebrew word signifying to be fruitful, unto all the Egyptians: ‘Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.’ 56And the famine was over all the face of the earth; and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt. 57And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy corn; because the famine was sore in all the earth. Now Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, and Jacob said unto his sons: ‘Why do ye look one upon another?’ 2And he said: ‘Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.’ 3And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn from Egypt. 4But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said: ‘Lest peradventure harm befall him.’ 5And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came; for the famine was in the land of Caanan. 6And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth. 7And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spoke roughly with them; and he said unto them: ‘Whence come ye?’ And they said: ‘From the land of Canaan to buy food.’ 8And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew him not. 9And Joseph remembered the dreams which he 42 dreamed of them, and said unto them: ‘Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.’ 10And they said unto him: ‘Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11We are all one man’s sons; we are upright men, thy servants are no spies.’ 12And he said unto them: ‘Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.’ 13And they said: ‘We 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 not.’ 14And Joseph said unto them: ‘That is it that I spoke unto you, saying: Ye are spies. 15Hereby ye shall be proved, as Pharaoh liveth, ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be bound, that your words may be proved, whether there be truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh liveth, surely ye are spies.’ 17And he put them all together into ward three days. 18And Joseph said unto them the third day.’ This do, and live; for I fear God: 19if ye be upright men, let one of your brethren be bound in your prison-house; but go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses; 20and bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die.’ And they did so. 21And they said one to another: ‘We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.’ 22And Reuben answered them, saying: ‘Spoke I not unto you, saying: Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required.’ 23And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for the interpreter was between them. 24And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes. 25Then Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way; and thus was it done unto them. 26And they laded their asses with their corn, and departed thence. 27And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the lodging-place, he espied his money; and, behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28And he said unto his brethren: ‘My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack.’ And their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying: ‘What is this that God hath done unto us?’ 29And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that had befallen them, saying: 30’The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31And we said unto him: We are upright men; we are no spies. 32We are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33And the man, the lord of the land, said unto us: Hereby shall I know that ye are upright men: leave one of your brethren with me, and take corn for the famine of your houses, and go your way. 34And bring your youngest brother unto me; then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are upright men; so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.’ 35And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36And Jacob their father said unto them: ‘Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away; upon me are all these things come.’ 37And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying: ‘Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him back to thee.’ 38And he said: ‘My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left; if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. And the famine was sore in the land. 2And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, that their father said unto them: ‘Go again, buy us a little food.’ 3And Judah spoke unto him, saying: ‘The man did earnestly forewarn us, saying: Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 4If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food; 5but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down, for the man said unto us: Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.’ 6And Israel said: ‘Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?’ 7And they said: ‘The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning 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 in any wise know that he would say: Bring your brother down?’ 8And 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. 9I will be surety for him; of 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. 10For except we had lingered, surely we had now returned a second time.’ 11And their father Israel said unto them: ‘If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and ladanum, nuts, and almonds; 12and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry back in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight; 13take also your brother, and 43 arise, go again unto the man; 14and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.’ 15And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house: ‘Bring the men into the house, and kill the beasts, and prepare the meat; for the men shall dine with me at noon.’ 17And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house. 18And 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 at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.’ 19And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they spoke unto him at the door of the house, 20and said: ‘Oh my lord, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food. 21And it came to pass, when we came to the lodging-place, 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 back in our hand. 22And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food. We know not who put our money in our sacks.’ 23And 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. 24And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. 25And they made ready the present against Joseph’s coming at noon; for they heard that they should eat bread there. 26And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down to him to the earth. 27And he asked them of their welfare, and said: ‘Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spoke? Is he yet alive?’ 28And they said: ‘Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive.’ And they bowed the head, and made obeisance. 29And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son, and said: ‘Is this your youngest brother of whom ye spoke unto me?’ And he said: ‘God be gracious unto thee, my son.’ 30And Joseph made haste; for his heart yearned toward his brother; and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. 31And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said: ‘Set on bread.’ 32And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, that did eat with him, by themselves; because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. 33And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth; and the men marvelled one with another. 34And portions were taken unto them from before him; but Benjamin’s portion was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him. 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 his sack’s mouth. 2And put my goblet, the silver goblet, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money.’ And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 4And when they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward: ‘Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them: Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? 5Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.’ 6And he overtook them, and he spoke unto them these words. 7And they said unto him: ‘Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing. 8Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’mouths, we brought back unto thee out of the land of Canaan; how then should we steal out of thy lord’s house silver or gold? 9With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.’ 10And he said: ‘Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my bondman; and ye shall be blameless.’ 11Then they hastened, and took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 12And he searched, beginning at the eldest, and leaving off at the youngest; and the goblet was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13And they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. 14And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house, and he was yet there; and they fell before him on the ground. 15And Joseph said unto them: ‘What deed is this that ye have done? know ye not that such a man as I will indeed divine?’ 16And 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 bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.’ 17And he said: ‘Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the goblet is found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.’ 44 .... 18Then 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. 19My lord asked his servants, saying: Have ye a father, or a brother? 20And 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. 21And thou saidst unto thy servants: Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. 22And we said unto my lord: The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die. 23And thou saidst unto thy servants: Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. 24And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25And our father said: Go again, buy us a little food. 26And 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, except our youngest brother be with us. 27And thy servant my father said unto us: Ye know that my wife bore me two sons; 28and the one went out from me, and I said: Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since; 29and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 30Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his soul is bound up with the lad’s soul; 31it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying: If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my father for ever. 33Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. 34For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I look upon the evil that shall come on my father.’ Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that 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. 2And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. 3And Joseph said unto his brethren: ‘I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?’ And his brethren could not answer him; for they were affrighted at his presence. 4And 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. 5And now be not grieved, nor angry 45 with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6For these two years hath the famine been in the land; and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to give you a remnant on the earth, and to save you alive for a great deliverance. 8So 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 ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9Hasten 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. 10And 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; 11and there will I sustain thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast. 12And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall hasten and bring down my father hither.’ 14And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him. 16And the report thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying: ‘Joseph’s brethren are come’; and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. 17And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: ‘Say unto thy brethren: This do ye: lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; 18and 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. 19Now thou art commanded, this do ye: take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20Also regard not your stuff; for the good things of all the land of Egypt are yours.’ 21And the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. 22To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver, and five changes of raiment. 23And to his father he sent in like manner ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she- asses laden with corn and bread and victual for his father by the way. 24So he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said unto them: ‘See that ye fall not out by the way.’ 25And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. 26And they told him, saying: ‘Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ And his heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27And 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. 28And Israel said: ‘It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.’ And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. 2And God spoke unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said: ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ And he said: ‘Here am I.’ 3And 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. 4I 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.’ 5And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba; 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. 6And 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; 7his sons, and his sons’sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt. 8And these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s first-born. 9And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. 10And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. 11And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12And 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. 13And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron. 14And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. 15These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three. 16And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. 17And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel. 18These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. 19The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. 21And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. 22These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; all the souls 46 were fourteen. 23And the sons of Dan: Hushim. 24And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. 25These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob; all the souls were seven. 26All the souls belonging to Jacob that came into Egypt, that came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’wives, all the souls were threescore and six. 27And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were threescore and ten. 28And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show the way before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 29And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. 30And Israel said unto Joseph: ‘Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive.’ 31And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house: ‘I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him: My brethren, and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; 32and the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. 33And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say: What is your occupation? 34that ye shall say: Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers; that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.’ Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said: ‘My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.’ 2And from among his brethren he took five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. 3And Pharaoh said unto his brethren: ‘What is your occupation?’ And they said unto Pharaoh: ‘Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.’ 4And they said unto Pharaoh: ‘To sojourn in the land are we come; for there is no pasture for thy servants’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.’ 5And Pharaoh spoke unto Joseph, saying: ‘Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee; 6the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and thy brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell. And if thou knowest any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.’ 7And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8And Pharaoh said unto Jacob: ‘How many are the days of the years of thy life?’ 9And Jacob said unto Pharaoh: ‘The 47 days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.’ 10And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11And 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. 12And Joseph sustained his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to the want of their little ones. 13And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. 14And 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. 15And when the money was all spent 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 our money faileth.’ 16And Joseph said: ‘Give your cattle, and I will give you [bread] for your cattle, if money fail.’ 17And they brought their cattle unto Joseph. And Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the asses; and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their cattle for that year. 18And when that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him: ‘We will not hide from my lord, how that our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord’s; there is nought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands. 19Wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be bondmen unto Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.’ 20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine was sore upon them; and the land became Pharaoh’s. 21And as for the people, he removed them city by city, from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end thereof. 22Only the land of the priests bought he not, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore they sold not their land. 23Then 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. 24And it shall come to pass at the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.’ 25And they said: ‘Thou hast saved our lives. Let us find favour in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s bondmen.’ 26And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests alone became not Pharaoh’s. 27And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got them possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. .... 28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred forty and seven years. 29And the time drew near that Israel must die; and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him: ‘If now I have found favour 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. 30But when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying- place.’ And he said: ‘I will do as thou hast said.’ 31And he said: ‘Swear unto me.’ And he swore unto him. And Israel bowed down upon the bed’s head. And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph: ‘Behold, thy father is sick.’ And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2And one told Jacob, and said: ‘Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee.’ And Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. 3And Jacob said unto Joseph: ‘God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4and said unto me: Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a company of peoples; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. 5And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine. 6And thy issue, that thou begettest after them, shall be thine; they shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. 7And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath—the same is Beth- lehem.’ 8And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said: ‘Who are these?’ 9And Joseph said unto his father: ‘They are my sons, whom God hath given me here.’ And he said: ‘Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.’ 10Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. 11And Israel said unto Joseph: ‘I had not thought to see thy face; and, lo, God hath let me see thy seed also.’ 12And Joseph brought them out from between his knees; and he fell down 48 on his face to the earth. 13And 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. 14And 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 first-born. 15And he blessed Joseph, and said: ‘The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath been my shepherd all my life long unto this day, 16the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.’ 17And when Joseph saw that his father was laying 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. 18And Joseph said unto his father: ‘Not so, my father, for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.’ 19And 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; howbeit his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.’ 20And he blessed them that day, saying: ‘By thee shall Israel bless, saying: God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’ And he set Ephraim before Manasseh. 21And Israel said unto Joseph: ‘Behold, I die; but God will be with you, and bring you back unto the land of your fathers. 22Moreover I have given to thee one aportion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.’ a Heb. schechem, shoulder. 49 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: ‘Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days. 2Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your father. 3Reuben, thou art my first-born, My might, and the first-fruits of my strength; The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. 4Unstable as water, have not thou the excellency; Because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; Then defiledst thou it—he went up to my couch. 5Simeon and Levi are brethren; Weapons of violence their kinship. 6Let my soul not come into their council; Unto their assembly let my glory not be not united; For in their anger they slew men, And in their self-will they houghed oxen. 7Cursed 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 8Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise; Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; Thy father’s sons shall bow down before thee. 9Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? 10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, As long as men come to Shiloh; And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be. 11Binding his foal unto the vine, And his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; He washeth his garments in wine, And his vesture in the blood of grapes; 12His eyes shall be red with wine, And his teeth white with milk. 13Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea, And he shall be a shore for ships, And his flank shall be upon Zidon. 14Issachar is a large-boned ass, Couching down between the sheep- folds. 15For he saw a resting-place that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant under task- work 16Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel. 17Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That biteth the horse’s heels, So that his rider falleth backward. 18I wait for Thy salvation, O Lord. 19Gad, aa troop bshall troop upon him; a Heb. gedud. b From the Heb. root gadad. But he shall troop upon their heel. 20As for Asher, his bread shall be fat, And he shall yield royal dainties. 21Naphtali is a hind let loose: He giveth goodly words. 22Joseph is a fruitful vine, A fruitful vine by a fountain; Its branches run over the wall. 23The archers have dealt bitterly with him, And shot at him, and hated him; 24But his bow abode firm, And the arms of his hands were made supple, By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, From thence, from the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, 25Even 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 coucheth beneath, Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb. 26The blessings of thy father Are mighty beyond 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 the prince among his brethren. 27Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth; In the morning he devoureth the prey, And at even he divideth the spoil.’ 28All 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. 29And be 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, 30in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place. 31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. 32The field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.’ 33And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered unto his people. And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. 2And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. And the physicians embalmed Israel. 3And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him threescore and ten days. 4And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke unto the house of Pharaoh, saying: ‘If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying: 5My father made me swear, saying: Lo, I die; in my grave which I have digged for me 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 back.’ 50 6And Pharaoh said: ‘Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.’ 7And 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, 8and 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. 9And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company. 10And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they wailed with a very great and sore wailing; and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 11And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said: ‘This is a grievous amourning to the Egyptians.’ Wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. 12And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them. 13For 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 of a burying-place, of Ephron the Hittite, in front of Mamre. a Heb. ebel. 14And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. 15And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said: ‘It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully requite us all the evil which we did unto him.’ 16And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying: ‘Thy father did command before he died, saying: 17So shall ye say unto Joseph: Forgive, I pray thee now, the transgression of thy brethren, and their sin, for that they did unto thee evil. And now, we pray thee, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of thy father.’ And Joseph wept when they spoke unto him. 18And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said: ‘Behold, we are thy bondmen.’ 19And Joseph said unto them: ‘Fear not; for am I in the place of God? 20And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21Now therefore fear ye not; I will sustain you, and your little ones.’ And he comforted them, and spoke kindly unto them. 22And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. 23And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph’s knees. 24And Joseph said unto his brethren: ‘I die; but God will surely remember you, and bring you up out of this land unto the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ 25And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying: ‘God will surely remember you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.’ 26So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. .... EXODUS NOW THESE are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt already. 6And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 7And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. 8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. 9And he said unto his people: ‘Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us; 10come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there befalleth us any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.’ 11Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were adread because of the children of Israel. 13And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour. 14And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigour. 15And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah; 16and he said: ‘When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, ye shall look upon the birthstool: if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.’ 17But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive. 18And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them: ‘Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?’ 19And the midwives said unto Pharaoh: ‘Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.’ 20And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He 1 made them houses. 22And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: ‘Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.’ 2 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2And the woman conceived, and bore a son; and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. 4And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. 5And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river; and her maidens walked along by the river- side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it. 6And she opened it, and saw it, even the child; and behold a boy that wept. And she had compassion on him, and said: ‘This is one of the Hebrews’children.’ 7Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter: ‘Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?’ 8And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her: ‘Go.’ And the maiden went and called the child’s mother. 9And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her: ‘Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.’ And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 10And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name aMoses, and said: ‘Because I bdrew him out of the water.’ a Heb. Mosheh. b Heb. mashah, to draw out. 11And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 13And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together; and he said to him that did the wrong: ‘Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?’ 14And he said: ‘Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? thinkest thou to kill me, as thou didst kill the Egyptian?’ And Moses feared, and said: ‘Surely the thing is known.’ 15Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. 16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 18And when they came to Reuel their father, he said: ‘How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?’ 19And they said: ‘An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.’ 20And he said unto his daughters: ‘And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.’ 21And Moses was content to dwell with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 22And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said: ‘I have been aa stranger in a strange land.’ a Heb. ger. 23And it came to pass in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died; and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25And God saw the children of Israel, and God took cognizance of them. Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb. 2And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3And Moses said: ‘I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.’ 4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said: ‘Moses, Moses.’ And he said: ‘Here am I.’ 5And He said: ‘Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’ 6Moreover He said: ‘I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7And the LORD said: ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their pains; 8and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me; moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt.’ 11And Moses said unto God: ‘Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ 12And He said: ‘Certainly I will be 3 with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.’ 13And Moses said unto God: ‘Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them: The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me: What is His name? what shall I say unto them?’ 14And God said unto Moses: ‘I AM THAT I AM’; and He said: ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I AM hath sent me unto you.’ 15And God said moreover unto Moses: ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations. 16Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying: I have surely remembered you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt. 17And I have said: I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 18And they shall hearken to thy voice. And thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us. And now let us go, we pray thee, three days’journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 19And I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, except by a mighty hand. 20And I will put forth My hand, and smite Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst thereof. And after that he will let you go. 21And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty; 22but every woman shall ask of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment; and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.’ And Moses answered and said: ‘But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say: The lord hath not appeared unto thee.’ 2And the LORD said unto him: ‘What is that in thy hand?’ And he said: ‘A rod.’ 3And He said: ‘Cast it on the ground.’ And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail— and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand— 5that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto 4 thee.’ 6And the LORD said furthermore unto him: ‘Put now thy hand into thy bosom.’ And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. 7And He said: ‘Put thy hand back into thy bosom.—And he put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.— 8And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land; and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.’ 10And Moses said unto the LORD: ‘Oh Lord, I am not a man of words, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.’ 11And the LORD said unto him: ‘Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I the LORD? 12Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak.’ 13And he said: ‘Oh Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.’ 14And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: ‘Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 15And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 16And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him in God’s stead. 17And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.’ 18And Moses went and returned to aJethro his father-in-law, and said unto him: ‘Let me go, I pray thee, and unto my brethren that are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.’ And Jethro said to Moses: ‘Go in peace.’ 19And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian: ‘Go, return into Egypt; for all the men are dead that sought thy life.’ 20And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 21And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand; but I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. 22And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh: Thus saith the LORD: Israel is My son, My first-born. 23And I have said unto thee: Let My son go, that he may serve Me; and thou hast refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay thy a Heb. Jether. son, thy first-born.’— 24And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 25Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said: ‘Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.’ 26So He let him alone. Then she said: ‘A bridegroom of blood in regard of the circumcision.’ 27And the LORD said to Aaron: ‘Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.’ And he went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD wherewith He had sent him, and all the signs wherewith He had charged him. 29And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had remembered the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.’ 2And Pharaoh said: ‘Who is the LORD, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go.’ 3And they said: ‘The God of the Hebrews hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days’journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.’ 4And the king of Egypt said unto them: ‘Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, cause the people to break loose from their work? get you unto your burdens.’ 5And Pharaoh said: ‘Behold, the people of the land are now many, and will ye make them rest from their burdens?’ 6And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying: 7’Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof; for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying: Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard lying words.’ 10And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying: ‘Thus saith Pharaoh: I will not give you straw. 11Go yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it; for nought of your work shall be diminished.’ 12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13And the taskmasters were urgent, saying: ‘Fulfil your work, your daily task, as when there was straw.’ 14And the 5 officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, saying: ‘Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your appointed task in making brick both yesterday and today as heretofore?’ 15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying: ‘Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 16There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us: Make brick; and, behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people.’ 17But he said: ‘Ye are idle, ye are idle; therefore ye say: Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD. 18Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.’ 19And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were set on mischief, when they said: ‘Ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks, your daily task.’ 20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh; 21and they said unto them: ‘The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.’ 22And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said: ‘Lord, wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with this people? why is it that Thou hast sent me? 23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath dealt ill with this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.’ 6 And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.’ .... 2And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: ‘I am the LORD; 3and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name ....a I made Me not known to them. 4And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned. 5And moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant. 6Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments; 7and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning which I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am the a The ineffable name, read Adonai, which means, the Lord. LORD.’ 9And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit, and for cruel bondage. 10And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 11’Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.’ 12And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying: ‘Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?’ 13And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 14These are the heads of their fathers’houses: the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben. 15And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. These are the families of Simeon. 16And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were a hundred thirty and seven years. 17The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families. 18And the sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred thirty and three years. 19And the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. 20And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty and seven years. 21And the sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22And the sons of Uzziel: Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23And Aaron took him Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, to wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24And the sons of Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. 25And Eleazar Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’houses of the Levites according to their families. 26These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said: ‘Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.’ 27These are they that spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron. 28And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spoke unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 29that the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: ‘I am the LORD; speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak unto thee.’ 30And Moses said before the LORD: ‘Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?’ 1And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘See, I have set thee in God’s stead to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 3And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth My hosts, My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgments. 5And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.’ 6And Moses and Aaron did so; as the LORD commanded them, so did they. 7And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spoke unto Pharaoh. 8And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 9’When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying: Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.’ 10And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their secret arts. 12For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken. 14And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go. 15Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand. 16And thou shalt say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying: Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness; and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened; 17thus saith the LORD: In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD—behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 18And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.’ 19And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, 7 both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ 20And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt. 22And the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken. 23And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart. 24And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. 25And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river. 26And the LORD spoke unto Moses: ‘Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith the LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 27And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs. 28And the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs. 29And the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.’ 1And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Say unto Aaron: Stretch forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.’ 2And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 3And the magicians did in like manner with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. 4Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said: ‘Entreat the LORD, that He take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice unto the LORD.’ 5And Moses said unto Pharaoh: ‘Have thou this glory over me; against what time shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only?’ 6And he said: ‘Against to-morrow.’ And he said: ‘Be it according to thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God. 7And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.’ 8And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the LORD concerning the frogs, which He had brought upon Pharaoh. 9And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. 10And they gathered them 8 together in heaps; and the land stank. 11But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken. 12And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Say unto Aaron: Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.’ 13And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were gnats upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt. 14And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; and there were gnats upon man, and upon beast. 15Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh: ‘This is the finger of God’; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken. 16And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him: Thus saith the LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 17Else, if thou wilt not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. 18And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end that thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. 19And I will put a division between My people and thy people—by to-morrow shall this sign be.’ 20And the LORD did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’houses; and in all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by reason of the swarms of flies. 21And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said: ‘Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.’ 22And Moses said: ‘It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God; lo, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 23We will go three days’journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as He shall command us.’ 24And Pharaoh said: ‘I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away; entreat for me.’ 25And Moses said: ‘Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 26And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. 27And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. 28And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go. Then the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, 3behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks; there shall be a very grievous murrain. 4And the LORD shall make a division between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongeth to the children of Israel.’ 5And the LORD appointed a set time, saying: ‘Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.’ 6And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. 7And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go. 8And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron: ‘Take to you handfuls of soot of the furnace, and let Moses throw it heavenward in the sight of Pharaoh. 9And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.’ 10And they took soot of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it up heavenward; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast. 11And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. 12And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses. 13And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14For I will this time send all My plagues upon thy person, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15Surely now I had put forth My hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the earth. 16But in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth. 17As yet exaltest thou thyself against My people, that thou wilt not let them go? 18Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now. 19Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and all that thou hast in the 9 field; for every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.’ 20He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses; 21and he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field. 22And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.’ 23And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and the LORD caused to hail upon the land of Egypt. 24So there was hail, and fire flashing up amidst the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. 27And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: ‘I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28Entreat the LORD, and let there be enough of these mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.’ 29And Moses said unto him: ‘As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread forth my hands unto the LORD; the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is the LORD’s. 30But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.’— 31And the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom. 32But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten; for they ripen late.— 33And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread forth his hands unto the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. 34And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses. .. And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Go in unto Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these My signs in the midst of them; 2and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what I have wrought upon Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them; that ye may know that I am the LORD.’ 3And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him: ‘Thus 10 saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before Me? let My people go, that they may serve Me. 4Else, if thou refuse to let My people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring locusts into thy border; 5and they shall cover the face of the earth, that one shall not be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field; 6and thy houses shall be filled, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; as neither thy fathers nor thy fathers’fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day.’ And he turned, and went out from Pharaoh. 7And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him: ‘How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God, knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?’ 8And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh; and he said unto them: ‘Go, serve the LORD your God; but who are they that shall go?’ 9And Moses said: ‘We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds we will go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.’ 10And he said unto them: ‘So be the LORD with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones; see ye that evil is before your face. 11Not so; go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that is what ye desire.’ And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence. 12And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.’ 13And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt; very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 15For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left; and there remained not any green thing, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 16Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said: ‘I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 17Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only.’ 18And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. 19And the LORD turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the border of Egypt. 20But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go. 21And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Stretch out thy hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.’ 22And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; 23they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. 24And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said: ‘Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed; let your little ones also go with you.’ 25And Moses said: ‘Thou must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt-offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God. 26Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither.’ 27But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 28And Pharaoh said unto him: ‘Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in the day thou seest my face thou shalt die.’ 29And Moses said: ‘Thou hast spoken well; I will see thy face again no more.’ And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Yet one plague more will I bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence; when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. 2Speak now in the ears of the people, and let them ask every man of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.’ 3And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people. 4And Moses said: ‘Thus saith the LORD: About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt; 5and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of cattle. 6And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there hath been none like it, nor shall be like it any more. 7But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog whet his tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. 8And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down unto me, saying: Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee; and after that I will go out.’ And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 9And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Pharaoh will not hearken unto you; that My wonders may be multiplied in 11 the land of Egypt.’ 10And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land. 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. 3Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying: In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers’houses, a lamb for a household; 4and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbour next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man’s eating ye shall make your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats; 6and ye shall keep it unto the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at dusk. 7And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it. 8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof. 10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste—it is the LORD’s passover. 12For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first- born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. 15Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; howbeit the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16And in the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you. 17And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your generations by an 12 ordinance for ever. 18In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses; for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land. 20Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.’ 21Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them: ‘Draw out, and take you lambs according to your families, and kill the passover lamb. 22And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 25And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as He hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you: What mean ye by this service? 27that ye shall say: It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s passover, for that He passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.’ And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28And the children of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 29And it came to pass at midnight, that the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle. 30And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31And he called for Moses and Aaron by night and said: ‘Rise up, get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. 32Take both your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.’ 33And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said: ‘We are all dead men.’ 34And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 35And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment. 36And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And they despoiled the Egyptians. 37And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, beside children. 38And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. 39And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. 40Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the host of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 42It was a night of watching unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; this same night is a night of watching unto the LORD for all the children of Israel throughout their generations. 43And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: ‘This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no alien eat thereof; 44but every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 45A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof. 46In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 47All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.’ 50Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 51And it came to pass the selfsame day that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Sanctify unto Me all the first-born, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast, it is Mine.’ 3And Moses said unto the people: ‘Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place; there shall no leavened bread be eaten. 4This day ye go forth in the month Abib. 5And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which He swore unto thy 13 fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. 6Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD. 7Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee, in all thy borders. 8And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the LORD did for me when I came forth out of Egypt. 9And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in thy mouth; for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. 10Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year. 11And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, as He swore unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, 12that thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the womb; every firstling that is a male, which thou hast coming of a beast, shall be the LORD’s. 13And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck; and all the first-born of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem. 14And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying: What is this? that thou shalt say unto him: By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem. 16And it shall be for a sign upon thy hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes; for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.’ .... 17And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said: ‘Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.’ 18But God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt. 19And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying: ‘God will surely remember you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.’ 20And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 21And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night: 22the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the people. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon, over against it shall ye encamp by the sea. 3And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel: They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. 4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he shall follow after them; and I will get Me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.’ And they did so. 5And it was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned towards the people, and they said: ‘What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us? 6And he made ready his chariots, and took his people with him. 7And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them. 8And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel; for the children of Israel went out with a high hand. 9And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal- zephon. 10And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. 11And they said unto Moses: ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt? 12Is not this the word that we spoke unto thee in Egypt, saying: Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.’ 13And Moses said unto the people: ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you to-day; for whereas ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.’ 15And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. 16And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. 17And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them; and I will get Me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.’ 19And the angel 14 of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud removed from before them, and stood behind them; 20and it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness here, yet gave it light by night there; and the one came not near the other all the night. 21And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 23And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24And it came to pass in the morning watch, that the LORD looked forth upon the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and discomfited the host of the Egyptians. 25And He took off their chariot wheels, and made them to drive heavily; so that the Egyptians said: ‘Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.’ 26And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Stretch out thy hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.’ 27And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, even all the host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea; there remained not so much as one of them. 29But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 30Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore. 31And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moses. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. 2The LORD is my strength and song, And He is become my salvation; This is my God, and I will glorify Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. 3The LORD is a man of war, The LORD is His name. 4Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea, 15 And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea. 5The deeps cover them— They went down into the depths like a stone. 6Thy right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, Thy right hand, O LORD, dasheth in pieces the enemy. 7And in the greatness of Thine excellency Thou overthrowest them that rise up against Thee; Thou sendest forth Thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble. 8And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up— The floods stood upright as a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9The enemy said: ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’ 10Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them; They sank as lead in the mighty waters. 11Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the mighty? Who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand— The earth swallowed them. 13Thou in Thy love hast led the people that Thou hast redeemed; Thou hast guided them in Thy strength to Thy holy habitation. 14The peoples have heard, they tremble; Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia. 15Then were the chiefs of Edom affrighted; The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them; All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away. 16Terror and dread falleth upon them; By the greatness of Thine arm they are as still as a stone; Till Thy people pass over, O LORD, Till the people pass over that Thou hast gotten. 17Thou bringest them in, and plantest them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, The place, O LORD, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. 18The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. 19For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea. 20And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21And Miriam sang unto them: Sing ye to the LORD, for He is highly exalted: The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. 22And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called aMarah. 24And the people murmured against Moses, saying: ‘What shall we drink?’ 25And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them; 26and He said: ‘If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His eyes, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians; for I am the LORD that healeth thee.’ a That is, Bitterness. 27And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and three score and ten palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters. And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. 2And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; 3and the children of Israel said unto them: ‘Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’ 4Then said the LORD unto Moses: ‘Behold, I will cause to rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or not. 5And it shall come to pass on the sixth day that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.’ 6And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel: ‘At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt; 7and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that He hath heard your murmurings against the LORD; and what are we, that ye murmur against us?’ 8And Moses said: ‘This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to 16 eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against Him; and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.’ 9And Moses said unto Aaron: ‘Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel: Come near before the LORD; for He hath heard your murmurings.’ 10And it came to pass, as Aaron spoke unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12’I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying: At dusk ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.’ 13And it came to pass at even, that the quails came up, and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew round about the camp. 14And when the layer of dew was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as the hoar-frost on the ground. 15And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: a‘What is it?’—for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them: ‘It is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded: Gather ye of it every man according to his eating; an a Heb. Man hu. omer a head, according to the number of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them that are in his tent.’ 17And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less. 18And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19And Moses said unto them: ‘Let no man leave of it till the morning.’ 20Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and rotted; and Moses was wroth with them. 21And they gathered it morning by morning, every man according to his eating; and as the sun waxed hot, it melted. 22And it came to pass that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23And he said unto them: ‘This is that which the LORD hath spoken: To-morrow is a solemn rest, a holy sabbath unto the LORD. Bake that which ye will bake, and seethe that which ye will seethe; and all that remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.’ 24And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade; and it did not rot, neither was there any worm therein. 25And Moses said: ‘Eat that to-day; for to-day is a sabbath unto the LORD; to-day ye shall not find it in the field. 26Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.’ 27And it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some of the people to gather, and they found none. 28And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws? 29See that the LORD hath given you the sabbath; therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh clay.’ 30So the people rested on the seventh day. 31And the house of Israel called the name thereof aManna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32And Moses said: ‘This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded: Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.’ 33And Moses said unto Aaron: ‘Take a jar, and put an omerful of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept throughout your generations.’ 34As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35And the children of Israel did eat the manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat the manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. 36Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. a Heb. Man. 17 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and encamped in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink. 2Wherefore the people strove with Moses, and said: ‘Give us water that we may drink.’ And Moses said unto them: ‘Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye try the LORD?’ 3And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: ‘Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?’ 4And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying: ‘What shall I do unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me.’ 5And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go. 6Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.’ And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7And the name of the place was called bMassah, and cMeribah, because of the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tried the LORD, saying: ‘Is the LORD among us, or not?’ b That is, Trying. c That is Strife. 8Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9And Moses said unto Joshua: ‘Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.’ 10So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12But Moses’hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.’ 15And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it aAdonai- nissi. 16And he said: ‘The hand upon the throne of the LORD: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.’ a That is, The Lord is my banner. .... 18 1Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel His people, how that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2And Jethro, Moses’father-in- law, took Zipporah, Moses’wife, after he had sent her away, 3and her two sons; of whom the name of the one was Gershom; for he said: ‘I have been a stranger in a strange land’; 4and the name of the other was bEliezer: ‘for the God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.’ 5And Jethro, Moses’father- in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God; 6and he said unto Moses: ‘I thy father-in-law Jethro am coming unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.’ 7And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. 8And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them. 9And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, in that He had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10And Jethro said: ‘Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who hath delivered the b Heb. El, God, and ezer, help. people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods; yea, for that they dealt proudly against them.’ 12And Jethro, Moses’father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’father-in-law before God. 13And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood about Moses from the morning unto the evening. 14And when Moses’father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said: ‘What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even?’ 15And Moses said unto his father-in-law: ‘Because the people come unto me to inquire of God; 16when they have a matter, it cometh unto me; and I judge between a man and his neighbour, and I make them know the statutes of God, and His laws.’ 17And Moses’father-in-law said unto him: ‘The thing that thou doest is not good. 18Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. 19Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people before God, and bring thou the causes unto God. 20And thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. 21Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22And let them judge the people at all seasons; and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves; so shall they make it easier for thee and bear the burden with thee. 23If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace.’ 24So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said. 25And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. 27And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land. In the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2And when they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mount. 3And Moses went up unto God, 19 and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying: ‘Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’wings, and brought you unto Myself. 5Now therefore, if ye will hearken unto My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples; for all the earth is Mine; 6and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.’ 7And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. 8And all the people answered together, and said: ‘All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.’ And Moses reported the words of the people unto the LORD. 9And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee for ever.’ And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. 10And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Go unto the people, and sanctify them to- day and to-morrow, and let them wash their garments, 11and be ready against the third day; for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. 12And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying: Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it; whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death; 13no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live; when the ram’s horn soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.’ 14And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their garments. 15And he said unto the people: ‘Be ready against the third day; come not near a woman.’ 16And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a horn exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. 17And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18Now mount Sinai was altogether on smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19And when the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice. 20And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, to the top of the mount; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 21And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22And let the priests also, that come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.’ 23And Moses said unto the LORD: ‘The people cannot come up to mount Sinai; for thou didst charge us, saying: Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.’ 24And the LORD said unto him: ‘Go, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee; but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest He break forth upon them.’ 25So Moses went down unto the people, and told them. And God spoke all these words, saying: 2I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. 4Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; 6and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments. 7Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. 8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; 10but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; 11for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 12Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 13Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 14Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. 15And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. 16And they said unto Moses: ‘Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.’ 17And Moses said unto the 20 people: ‘Fear not; for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before you, that ye sin not.’ 18And the people stood afar off; but Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 19And the LORD said unto Moses: Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel: Ye yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 20Ye shall not make with Me—gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you. 21An altar of earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come unto thee and bless thee. 22And if thou make Me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast profaned it. 23Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered thereon. ...... 21 Now these are the ordinances which thou shalt set before them. 2If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 3If he come in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he be married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4If his master give him a wife, and she bear him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5But if the servant shall plainly say: I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free; 6then his master shall bring him unto aGod, and shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever. a That is, the judges. 7And if a man sell his daughter to be a maid-servant, she shall not go out as the men-servants do. 8If she please not her master, who hath espoused her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed; to sell her unto a foreign people he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. 9And if he espouse her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. 10If he take him another wife, her food, her raiment, and her conjugal rights, shall he not diminish. 11And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out for nothing, without money. 12He that smiteth a man, so that he dieth, shall surely be put to death. 13And if a man lie not in wait, but God cause it to come to hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he may flee. 14And if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from Mine altar, that he may die. 15And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. 16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. 17And he that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death. 18And if men contend, and one smite the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keep his bed; 19if he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed. 20And if a man smite his bondman, or his bondwoman, with a rod, and he die under his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21Notwithstanding if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his money. 22And if men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart, and yet no harm follow, he shall be surely fined, according as the woman’s husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23But if any harm follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 26And if a man smite the eye of his bondman, or the eye of his bondwoman, and destroy it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake. 27And if he smite out his bondman’s tooth, or his bondwoman’s tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake. 28And if an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die, the ox shall be surely stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. 29But if the ox was wont to gore in time past, and warning hath been given to its owner, and he hath not kept it in, but it hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. 30If there be laid on him a ransom, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. 31Whether it have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him. 32If the ox gore a bondman or a bondwoman, he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. 33And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein, 34the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money unto the owner of them, and the dead beast shall be his. 35And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, so that it dieth; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the price of it; and the dead also they shall divide. 36Or if it be known that the ox was wont to gore in time past, and its owner hath not kept it in; he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his own. 37If a man steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. 1If a thief be found breaking in, and be smitten so that he dieth, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him. 2If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be bloodguiltiness for him—he shall make restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 3If the theft be found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep, he shall pay double. 4If a man cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall let his beast loose, and it feed in another man’s field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. 5If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the shocks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field are consumed; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. 6If a man deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, he shall pay double. 7If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall come near unto aGod, to see whether he have not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods. 8For every matter of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, whereof one saith: ‘This is it, ‘the cause of both parties shall come before God; he whom God shall condemn shall pay double unto his neighbour. a That is, the judges. 9If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep, and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it; 10the oath of the LORD shall be between them both, to see whether he have not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner thereof shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution. 11But if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. 12If it be torn in pieces, let him bring it for witness; he shall not make good that which was torn. 13And if a man borrow aught of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof not being with it, he shall surely make restitution. 14If the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good; if it be a hireling, he loseth his hire. 15And if a man entice a virgin that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife. 16If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. 17Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live. 18Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. 19He that sacrificeth unto the gods, save unto the LORD only, shall be utterly destroyed. 20And a stranger shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 21Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. 22 If thou 22 afflict them in any wise—for if they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry— 23My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. 24If thou lend money to any of My people, even to the poor with thee, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor; neither shall ye lay upon him interest. 25If thou at all take thy neighbour’s garment to pledge, thou shalt restore it unto him by that the sun goeth down; 26for that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin; wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto Me, that I will hear; for I am gracious. 27Thou shalt not revile aGod, nor curse a ruler of thy people. 28Thou shalt not delay to offer of the fulness of thy harvest, and of the outflow of thy presses. The first-born of thy sons shalt thou give unto Me. 29Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep; seven days it shall be with its dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it Me. 30And ye shall be holy men unto Me; therefore ye shall not eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs. a That is, the judges. Thou shalt not utter a false report; put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. 2Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou bear witness in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to pervert justice; 3neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause. 4If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. 5If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under its burden, thou shalt forbear to pass by him; thou shalt surely release it with him. 6Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. 7Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked. 8And thou shalt take no gift; for a gift blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous. 9And a stranger shalt thou not oppress; for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 10And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and gather in the increase thereof; 11but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat; and what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. 12Six days thou shalt do thy work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. 13And in all things that I have said unto you take ye heed; and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. 23 14Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year. 15The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep; seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib—for in it thou camest out from Egypt; and none shall appear before Me empty; 16and the feast of harvest, the first- fruits of thy labours, which thou sowest in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labours out of the field. 17Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD. 18Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of My feast remain all night until the morning. 19The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk. 20Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21Take heed of him, and hearken unto his voice; be not rebellious against him; for he will not pardon your transgression; for My name is in him. 22But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. 23For Mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off. 24Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their doings; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and break in pieces their pillars. 25And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. 26None shall miscarry, nor be barren, in thy land; the number of thy days I will fulfil. 27I will send My terror before thee, and will discomfit all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. 28And I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. 29I will not drive them out from before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. 30By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. 31And I will set thy border from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness unto athe River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. 32Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33They shall not dwell in thy land—lest they make thee sin against Me, for thou wilt serve a That is, the Euphrates. their gods—for they will be a snare unto thee. And unto Moses He said: ‘Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off; 2and Moses alone shall come near unto the LORD; but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him.’ 3And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said: ‘All the words which the Lord hath spoken will we do.’ 4And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the mount, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5And he sent the young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace- offerings of oxen unto the LORD. 6And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he dashed against the altar. 7And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the hearing of the people; and they said: ‘All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and obey.’ 8And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said: ‘Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you in agreement with all these words.’ 9Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; 10and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone, and the like of the very heaven for clearness. 11And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand; and they beheld God, and did eat and drink. 12And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Come up to Me into the mount and be there; and I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment, which I have written, that thou mayest teach them.’ 13And Moses rose up, and Joshua his minister; and Moses went up into the mount of God. 14And unto the elders he said: ‘Tarry ye here for us, until we come back unto you; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whosoever hath a cause, let him come near unto them.’ 15And Moses went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount. 16And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17And the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. ..... And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Speak unto the children of Israel, that they take for 24 25 Me an offering; of every man whose heart maketh him willing ye shall take My offering. 3And this is the offering which ye shall take of them: gold, and silver, and brass; 4and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’hair; 5and rams’skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia-wood; 6oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense; 7onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate. 8And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9According to all that I show thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall ye make it. 10And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. 12And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four feet thereof; and two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13And thou shalt make staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold. 14And thou shalt put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, wherewith to bear the ark. 15The staves shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. 17And thou shalt make an ark-cover of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 18And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the ark-cover. 19And make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end; of one piece with the ark-cover shall ye make the cherubim of the two ends thereof. 20And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, screening the ark-cover with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the ark-cover shall the faces of the cherubim be. 21And thou shalt put the ark-cover above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from above the ark- cover, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. 23And thou shalt make a table of acacia-wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 24And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. 25And thou shalt make unto it a border of a handbreadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. 26And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. 27Close by the border shall the rings be, for places for the staves to bear the table. 28And thou shalt make the staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. 29And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and the pans thereof, and the jars thereof, and the bowls thereof, wherewith to pour out; of pure gold shalt thou make them. 30And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before Me alway. 31And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. 32And there shall be six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candle-stick out of the other side thereof; 33three cups made like almond-blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three cups made like almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower; so for the six branches going out of the candlestick. 34And in the candlestick four cups made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof. 35And a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the candlestick. 36Their knops and their branches shall be of one piece with it; the whole of it one beaten work of pure gold. 37And thou shalt make the lamps thereof, seven; and they shall light the lamps thereof, to give light over against it. 38And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. 39Of a talent of pure gold shall it be made, with all these vessels. 40And see that thou make them after their pattern, which is being shown thee in the mount. Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains: of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim the work of the skilful workman shalt thou make them. 2The length of each curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have one measure. 3Five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and the other five curtains shall be coupled one to another. 4And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the first set; and likewise shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is outmost in the second set. 5Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one to another. 6And thou shalt make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to another with the clasps, that the tabernacle may be one whole. 7And 26 thou shalt make curtains of goats’hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shalt thou make them. 8The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have one measure. 9And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double over the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tent. 10And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the first set, and fifty loops upon the edge of the curtain which is outmost in the second set. 11And thou shalt make fifty clasps of brass, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12And as for the overhanging part that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth over shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13And the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, of that which remaineth over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it. 14And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’skins dyed red and a covering of sealskins above. 15And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia-wood, standing up. 16Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board. 17Two tenons shall there be in each board, joined one to another; thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side southward: 19And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons; 20and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards. 21And their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 22And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. 23And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part. 24And they shall be double beneath, and in like manner they shall be complete unto the top thereof unto the first ring; thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners. 25Thus there shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets: two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 26And thou shalt make bars of acacia-wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 27and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the hinder part westward; 28and the middle bar in the midst of the boards, which shall pass through from end to end. 29And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for holders for the bars; and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. 30And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which hath been shown thee in the mount. 31And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; with cherubim the work of the skilful workman shall it be made. 32And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks being of gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33And thou shalt hang up the veil under the clasps, and shalt bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony; and the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. 34And thou shalt put the ark-cover upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. 35And thou shalt set the table without the veil, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and thou shalt put the table on the north side. 36And thou shalt make a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the weaver in colours. 37And thou shalt make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold; and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them. And thou shalt make the altar of acacia-wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be four-square; and the height thereof shall be three cubits. 2And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof; the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it; and thou shalt overlay it with brass. 3And thou shalt make its pots to take away its ashes, and its shovels, and its basins, and its flesh-hooks, and its fire-pans; all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. 4And thou shalt make for it a grating of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof. 5And thou shalt put it under the ledge round the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar. 6And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with brass. 7And the staves thereof shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, in bearing it. 8Hollow with planks shalt thou make it; as it hath been shown thee in the mount, so shall they make it. 9And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. 10And the pillars thereof shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 11And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, and the pillars thereof twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 12And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty 27 cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. 13And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. 14The hangings for the one side [of the gate] shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. 15And for the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16And for the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the weaver in colours: their pillars four, and their sockets four. 17All the pillars of the court round about shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver, and their sockets of brass. 18The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. 19All the instruments of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass. .... 20And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. 21In the tent of meeting, without the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall set it in order, to burn from evening to morning before the LORD; it shall be a statute for ever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. And bring thou near unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that they may minister unto Me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 2And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for splendour and for beauty. 3And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him, that he may minister unto Me in the priest’s office. 4And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a tunic of chequer work, a mitre, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto Me in the priest’s office. 5And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen. 6And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skilful workman. 7It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined to the two ends thereof, that it may be joined together. 8And the skilfully woven band, which is upon it, wherewith to gird it on, shall be like the work thereof and of the same piece: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10six of their 28 names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, according to their birth. 11With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel; thou shalt make them to be inclosed in settings of gold. 12And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulder- pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial. 13And thou shalt make settings of gold; 14and two chains of pure gold; of plaited thread shalt thou make them, of wreathen work; and thou shalt put the wreathen chains on the settings. 15And thou shalt make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skilful workman; like the work of the ephod thou shalt make it: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. 16Four-square it shall be and double: a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof. 17And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of carnelian, topaz, and smaragd shall be the first row; 18and the second row a carbuncle, a sapphire, and an emerald; 19and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20and the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be inclosed in gold in their settings. 21And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes. 22And thou shalt make upon the breastplate plaited chains of wreathen work of pure gold. 23And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. 25And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, in the forepart thereof. 26And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge thereof, which is toward the side of the ephod inward. 27And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and shalt put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod. 28And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a thread of blue, that it may be upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. 29And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. 30And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually. 31And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32And it shall have a hole for the head in the midst thereof; it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a coat of mail that it be not rent. 33And upon the skirts of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the skirts thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: 34a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round about. 35And it shall be upon Aaron to minister; and the sound thereof shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not. 36And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a signet: HOLY TO THE LORD. 37And thou shalt put it on a thread of blue, and it shall be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. 38And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity committed in the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow, even in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. 39And thou shalt weave the tunic in chequer work of fine linen, and thou shalt make a mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make a girdle, the work of the weaver in colours. 40And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make tunics, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and head-tires shalt thou make for them, for splendour and for beauty. 41And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and upon his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto Me in the priest’s office. 42And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach. 43And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die; it shall be a statute for ever unto him and unto his seed after him. And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto Me in the priest’s office: take one young bullock and two rams without blemish, 2and unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened mingled with oil, and wafers unleavened spread with oil; of fine wheaten flour shalt thou make them. 3And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two 29 rams. 4And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water. 5And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the tunic, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod. 6And thou shalt set the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. 7Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. 8And thou shalt bring his sons, and put tunics upon them. 9And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and bind head-tires on them; and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute; and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. 10And thou shalt bring the bullock before the tent of meeting; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock. 11And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, at the door of the tent of meeting. 12And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger; and thou shalt pour out all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. 13And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the lobe above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and make them smoke upon the altar. 14But the flesh of the bullock, and its skin, and its dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp; it is a sin-offering. 15Thou shalt also take the one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the ram. 16And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take its blood, and dash it round about against the altar. 17And thou shalt cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its inwards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head. 18And thou shalt make the whole ram smoke upon the altar; it is a burnt- offering unto the LORD; it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 19And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the ram. 20Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and dash the blood against the altar round about. 21And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him; and he and his garments shall be hallowed, and his sons and his sons’garments with him. 22Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat, and the fat tail, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right thigh; for it is a ram of consecration; 23and one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD. 24And thou shalt put the whole upon the hands of Aaron, and upon the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave-offering before the LORD. 25And thou shalt take them from their hands, and make them smoke on the altar upon the burnt- offering, for a sweet savour before the LORD; it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 26And thou shalt take the breast of Aaron’s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave- offering before the LORD; and it shall be thy portion. 27And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave- offering, and the thigh of the heave- offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is Aaron’s, and of that which is his sons’. 28And it shall be for Aaron and his sons as a due for ever from the children of Israel; for it is a heave-offering; and it shall be a heave-offering from the children of Israel of their sacrifices of peace- offerings, even their heave-offering unto the LORD. 29And the holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them. 30Seven days shall the son that is priest in his stead put them on, even he who cometh into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place. 31And thou shalt take the ram of consecration, and seethe its flesh in a holy place. 32And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the tent of meeting. 33And they shall eat those things wherewith atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. 34And if aught of the flesh of the consecration, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy. 35And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded thee; seven days shalt thou consecrate them. 36And every day shalt thou offer the bullock of sin- offering, beside the other offerings of atonement; and thou shalt do the purification upon the altar when thou makest atonement for it; and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. 37Seven days thou shalt make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; thus shall the altar be most holy; whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy. 38Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar: two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at dusk. 40And with the one lamb a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink-offering. 41And the other lamb thou shalt offer at dusk, and shalt do thereto according to the meal-offering of the morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 42It shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak there unto thee. 43And there I will meet with the children of Israel; and [the Tent] shall be sanctified by My glory. 44And I will sanctify the tent of meeting, and the altar; Aaron also and his sons will I sanctify, to minister to Me in the priest’s office. 45And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the LORD their God. And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon; of acacia-wood shalt thou make it. 2A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof; the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it. 3And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. 4And two golden rings shalt thou make for it under the crown thereof, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make them; and they shall be for places for staves wherewith to bear it. 5And thou shalt make the staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold. 6And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the ark-cover that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. 7And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of sweet spices; every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn it. 8And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at dusk, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. 9Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt- offering, nor meal-offering; and ye shall pour no drink-offering thereon. 10And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in the year; with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement once in the year shall he make atonement for it throughout your generations; it is most holy unto the LORD.’ ... .. 11And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12’When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 13This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary—the shekel is twenty gerahs—half a shekel for an offering to the LORD. 14Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of the LORD. 15The rich shall not give more, and the poor 30 shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of the LORD, to make atonement for your souls. 16And thou shalt take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.’ 17And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 18’Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, whereat to wash; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. 19And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat; 20when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to cause an offering made by fire to smoke unto the LORD; 21so they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not; and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.’ 22Moreover the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 23’Take thou also unto thee the chief spices, of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty, 24and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. 25And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, 27and the table and all the vessels thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense, 28and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof. 29And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy; whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. 30And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto Me in the priest’s office. 31And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: This shall be a holy anointing oil unto Me throughout your generations. 32Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition thereof; it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. 33Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.’ 34And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense; of each shall there be a like weight. 35And thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee; it shall be unto you most holy. 37And the incense which thou shalt make, according to the composition thereof ye shall not make for yourselves; it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. 38Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people.’ And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 3and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4to devise skilful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6And I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee: 7the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the ark-cover that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the Tent; 8and the table and its vessels, and the pure candlestick with all its vessels, and the altar of incense; 9and the altar of burnt- offering with all its vessels, and the laver and its base; 10and the plaited garments, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office; 11and the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place; according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.’ 12And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 13’Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying: Verily ye shall keep My sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that ye may know that I am the LORD who sanctify you. 14Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore, for it is holy unto you; every one that profaneth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD; whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.’ 18And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of speaking with him upon mount Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him: ‘Up, make us a god who shall go before us; for as for this 31 32 Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.’ 2And Aaron said unto them: ‘Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.’ 3And all the people broke off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said: ‘This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’ 5And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said: ‘To-morrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’ 6And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt- offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to make merry. 7And the LORD spoke unto Moses: ‘Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have dealt corruptly; 8they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said: This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’ 9And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people. 10Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation.’ 11And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said: ‘LORD, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, that Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self, and saidst unto them: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.’ 14And the LORD repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people. 15And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. 16And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. 17And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses: ‘There is a noise of war in the camp.’ 18And he said: ‘It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome, but the noise of them that sing do I hear.’ 19And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount. 20And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. 21And Moses said unto Aaron: ‘What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon them?’ 22And Aaron said: ‘Let not the anger of my lord wax hot; thou knowest the people, that they are set on evil. 23So they said unto me: Make us a god, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. 24And I said unto them: Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off; so they gave it me; and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.’ 25And when Moses saw that the people were broken loose—for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies— 26then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said: ‘Whoso is on the LORD’S side, let him come unto me.’ And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 27And he said unto them: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.’ 28And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29And Moses said: ‘Consecrate yourselves to-day to the LORD, for every man hath been against his son and against his brother; that He may also bestow upon you a blessing this day.’ 30And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people: ‘Ye have sinned a great sin; and now I will go up unto the LORD, peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin.’ 31And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said: ‘Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them a god of gold. 32Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.’ 33And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book. 34And now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee; behold, Mine angel shall go before thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.’ 35And the LORD smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made. And the LORD spoke unto Moses: ‘Depart, go up hence, thou and the people that thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land of which I swore unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 33 saying: Unto thy seed will I give it— 2and I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite— 3unto a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people; lest I consume thee in the way.’ 4And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned; and no man did put on him his ornaments. 5And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Say unto the children of Israel: Ye are a stiffnecked people; if I go up into the midst of thee for one moment, I shall consume thee; therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.’ 6And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from mount Horeb onward. 7Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it The tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one that sought the LORD went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the camp. 8And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the Tent, that all the people rose up, and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the Tent. 9And it came to pass, when Moses entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the Tent; and [the LORD] spoke with Moses. 10And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent, all the people rose up and worshipped, every man at his tent door. 11And the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he would return into the camp; but his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tent. 12And Moses said unto the LORD: ‘See, Thou sayest unto me: Bring up this people; and Thou hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Yet Thou hast said: I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in My sight. 13Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy ways, that I may know Thee, to the end that I may find grace in Thy sight; and consider that this nation is Thy people.’ 14And He said: ‘My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ 15And he said unto Him: ‘If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16For wherein now shall it be known that I have found grace in Thy sight, I and Thy people? is it not in that Thou goest with us, so that we are distinguished, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth?’ 17And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name.’ 18And he said: ‘Show me, I pray Thee, Thy glory.’ 19And He said: ‘I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.’ 20And He said: ‘Thou canst not see My face, for man shall not see Me and live.’ 21And the LORD said: ‘Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock. 22And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand until I have passed by. 23And I will take away My hand, and thou shalt see My back; but My face shall not be seen.’ And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first; and I will write upon the tables the words that were on the first tables, which thou didst break. 2And be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to Me on the top of the mount. 3And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.’ 4And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tables of stone. 5And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The LORD, the LORD, God, merciful and gracious, long- suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; 7keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.’ 8And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 9And he said: ‘If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray Thee, go in the midst of us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance.’ 10And He said: ‘Behold, I make a covenant; before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been wrought in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD that I am about to do with thee, that it is tremendous. 11Observe thou that which I am commanding thee this day; behold, I am driving out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest they be for a snare in the midst of thee. 13But ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their Asherim. 14For thou shalt bow down to no other god; for the LORD, 34 whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God; 15lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go astray after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and they call thee, and thou eat of their sacrifice; 16and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go astray after their gods, and make thy sons go astray after their gods. 17Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 18The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. 19All that openeth the womb is Mine; and of all thy cattle thou shalt sanctify the males, the firstlings of ox and sheep. 20And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty. 21Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 22And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the turn of the year. 23Three times in the year shall all thy males appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24For I will cast out nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders; neither shall any man covet thy land, when thou goest up to appear before the LORD thy God three times in the year. 25Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. 26The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk.’ 27And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.’ 28And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words. 29And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses’hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face sent forth abeams while He talked with him. 30And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face sent forth beams; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him; and Moses spoke to them. 32And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33And when Moses had done speaking with a Heb. horns. them, he put a veil on his face. 34But when Moses went in before the LORD that He might speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out; and spoke unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’face sent forth beams; and Moses put the veil back upon his face, until he went in to speak with Him. ..... And Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said unto them: ‘These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them. 2Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD; whosoever doeth any work therein shall be put to death. 3Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.’ 4And Moses spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: ‘This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying: 5Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD, whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, the LORD’S offering: gold, and silver, and brass; 6and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’hair; 7and rams’skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia-wood; 8and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense; 9and onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate. 10And let every wise- hearted man among you come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded: 11the tabernacle, its tent, and its covering, its clasps, and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; 12the ark, and the staves thereof, the ark-cover, and the veil of the screen; 13the table, and its staves, and all its vessels, and the showbread; 14the candlestick also for the light, and its vessels, and its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15and the altar of incense, and its staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; 16the altar of burnt- offering, with its grating of brass, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base; 17the hangings of the court, the pillars thereof, and their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18the pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords; 19the plaited garments, for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.’ 20And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and brought the LORD’S offering, for the work of the tent of meeting, and for all the service thereof, and for the holy garments. 35 22And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing- hearted, and brought nose-rings, and ear-rings, and signet-rings, and girdles, all jewels of gold; even every man that brought an offering of gold unto the LORD. 23And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’hair, and rams’skins dyed red, and sealskins, brought them. 24Every one that did set apart an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD’S offering; and every man, with whom was found acacia-wood for any work of the service, brought it. 25And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen. 26And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats’hair. 27And the rulers brought the onyx stones, and the stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; 28and the spice, and the oil, for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29The children of Israel brought a freewill-offering unto the LORD; every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all the work, which the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses to be made. 30And Moses said unto the children of Israel: ‘See, the LORD hath called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31And He hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. 32And to devise skilful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 33and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of skilful workmanship. 34And He hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35Them hath He filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of workmanship, of the craftsman, and of the skilful workman, and of the weaver in colours, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any workmanship, and of those that devise skilful works. And Bezalel and Oholiab shall work, and every wise-hearted man, in whom the LORD hath put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD hath commanded.’ 2And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it. 3And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, wherewith to make it. And they brought yet unto him freewill-offerings every morning. 4And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every 36 man from his work which they wrought. 5And they spoke unto Moses, saying: ‘The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.’ 6And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying: ‘Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.’ So the people were restrained from bringing. 7For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. 8And every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains: of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim the work of the skilful workman made he them. 9The length of each curtain was eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains had one measure. 10And he coupled five curtains one to another; and the other five curtains he coupled one to another. 11And he made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain that was outmost in the first set; likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the second set. 12Fifty loops made he in the one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain that was in the second set; the loops were opposite one to another. 13And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to another with the clasps; so the tabernacle was one. 14And he made curtains of goats’hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains he made them. 15The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each curtain; the eleven curtains had one measure. 16And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17And he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the first set, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which was outmost in the second set. 18And he made fifty clasps of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. 19And he made a covering for the tent of rams’skins dyed red, and a covering of sealskins above. 20And he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia-wood, standing up. 21Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board. 22Each board had two tenons, joined one to another. Thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23And he made the boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward. 24And he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. 25And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, 26and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 27And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. 28And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part; 29that they might be double beneath, and in like manner they should be complete unto the top thereof unto the first ring. Thus he did to both of them in the two corners. 30And there were eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets: under every board two sockets. 31And he made bars of acacia- wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 32and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward. 33And he made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other. 34And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold. 35And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; with the cherubim the work of the skilful workman made he it. 36And he made thereunto four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold, their hooks being of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver. 37And he made a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the weaver in colours; 38and the five pillars of it with their hooks; and he overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold; and their five sockets were of brass. And Bezalel made the ark of acacia-wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it. 2And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about. 3And he cast for it four rings of gold, in the four feet thereof: even two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 4And he made staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with gold. 5And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. 6And he made an ark-cover of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 7And he made two cherubim of gold: of beaten work made he them, at the two ends of the ark-cover: 8one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end; of one piece with the ark-cover made he the cherubim at the two ends thereof. 9And the cherubim spread out their wings on high, screening the ark-cover with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the ark-cover were the faces of the cherubim. 10And he made the table of acacia- wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereto a crown of gold round about. 12And he made unto it a border of a hand- breadth round about, and made a 37 golden crown to the border thereof round about. 13And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that were on the four feet thereof. 14Close by the border were the rings, the holders for the staves to bear the table. 15And he made the staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. 16And he made the vessels which were upon the table, the dishes thereof, and the pans thereof, and the bowls thereof, and the jars thereof, wherewith to pour out, of pure gold. 17And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, were of one piece with it. 18And there were six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof; 19three cups made like almond-blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three cups made like almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower. So for the six branches going out of the candlestick. 20And in the candlestick were four cups made like almond- blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof; 21and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it. 22Their knops and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was one beaten work of pure gold. 23And he made the lamps thereof, seven, and the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, of pure gold. 24Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof. 25And he made the altar of incense of acacia-wood: a cubit was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, four-square; and two cubits was the height thereof; the horns thereof were of one piece with it. 26And he overlaid it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it; and he made unto it a crown of gold round about. 27And he made for it two golden rings under the crown thereof, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it, for holders for staves wherewith to bear it. 28And he made the staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with gold. 29And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer. And he made the altar of burnt-offering of acacia-wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof, four- square, and three cubits the height thereof. 2And he made the horns thereof upon the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of one piece with it; and he overlaid it with brass. 3And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, 38 the flesh-hooks, and the fire-pans; all the vessels thereof made he of brass. 4And he made for the altar a grating of network of brass, under the ledge round it beneath, reaching halfway up. 5And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grating of brass, to be holders for the staves. 6And he made the staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with brass. 7And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, wherewith to bear it; he made it hollow with planks. 8And he made the laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, of the mirrors of the serving women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. 9And he made the court; for the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits. 10Their pillars were twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 11And for the north side a hundred cubits, their pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 12And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 13And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. 14The hangings for the one side [of the gate] were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 15And so for the other side; on this hand and that hand by the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. 17And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their capitals of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 18And the screen for the gate of the court was the work of the weaver in colours, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. 19And their pillars were four, and their sockets four of brass; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their fillets of silver. 20And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass. ..... 21These are the accounts of the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses, through the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. 22And Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses. 23And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, a craftsman, and a skilful workman, and a weaver in colours, in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.— 24All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 25And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and three-score and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 26a beka a head, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that passed over to them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. 27And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil: a hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. 28And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them. 29And the brass of the offering was seventy talents and two thousand and four hundred shekels. 30And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tent of meeting, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grating for it, and all the vessels of the altar, 31and the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the gate of the court, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about. And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made plaited garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD commanded Moses. 2And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 3And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into threads, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, the work of the skilful workman. 4They made shoulder-pieces for it, joined together; at the two ends was it joined together. 5And the skilfully woven band, that was upon it, wherewith to gird it on, was of the same piece and like the work thereof: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, as the LORD commanded Moses. 6And they wrought the onyx stones, inclosed in settings of gold, graven with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel. 7And he put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses. 8And he made the breastplate, the work of the skilful workman, like the work of the ephod: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9It was four-square; they made the breastplate double; a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double. 10And they set in it four rows of stones: a row of carnelian, topaz, and smaragd was the first row. 11And the second row, a 39 carbuncle, a sapphire, and an emerald. 12And the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. 13And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; they were inclosed in fittings of gold in their settings. 14And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, for the twelve tribes. 15And they made upon the breastplate plaited chains, of wreathen work of pure gold. 16And they made two settings of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 17And they put the two wreathen chains of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. 18And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains they put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder- pieces of the ephod, in the forepart thereof. 19And they made two rings of gold, and put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge thereof, which was toward the side of the ephod inward. 20And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod. 21And they did bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a thread of blue, that it might be upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses. 22And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue; 23and the hole of the robe in the midst thereof, as the hole of a coat of mail, with a binding round about the hole of it, that it should not be rent. 24And they made upon the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. 25And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the skirts of the robe round about, between the pomegranates: 26a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round about, to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses. 27And they made the tunics of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, 28and the mitre of fine linen, and the goodly head-tires of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twined linen, 29and the girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, the work of the weaver in colours; as the LORD commanded Moses. 30And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like the engravings of a signet: HOLY TO THE LORD. 31And they tied unto it a thread of blue, to fasten it upon the mitre above; as the LORD commanded Moses. 32Thus was finished all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting; and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they. 33And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the Tent, and all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets; 34and the covering of rams’skins dyed red, and the covering of sealskins, and the veil of the screen; 35the ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the ark-cover; 36the table, all the vessels thereof, and the showbread; 37the pure candlestick, the lamps thereof, even the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for the light; 38and the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the screen for the door of the Tent; 39the brazen altar, and its grating of brass, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base; 40the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court, the cords thereof, and the pins thereof, and all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting; 41the plaited garments for ministering in the holy place; the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office. 42According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. 43And Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it. And Moses blessed them. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’On the first day of the first month shalt thou rear up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and thou shalt screen the ark with the veil. 4And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the bread that is upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5And thou shalt set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 6And thou shalt set the altar of burnt-offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water therein. 8And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court. 9And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the furniture thereof; and it shall be holy. 10And thou shalt anoint the altar of burnt- offering, and all its vessels, and sanctify the altar; and the altar shall be most holy. 11And thou shalt anoint the laver and its base, and sanctify it. 12And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water. 13And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments; and thou shalt anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister unto Me in the priest’s office. 14And thou shalt bring 40 his sons, and put tunics upon them. 15And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto Me in the priest’s office; and their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.’ 16Thus did Moses; according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he. 17And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. 18And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up its pillars. 19And he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses. 20And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the ark-cover above upon the ark. 21And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses. 22And he put the table in the tent of meeting, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. 23And he set a row of bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses. 24And he put the candlestick in the tent of meeting, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. 25And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses. 26And he put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil; 27and he burnt thereon incense of sweet spices; as the LORD commanded Moses. 28And he put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 29And the altar of burnt-offering he set at the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt-offering and the meal-offering; as the LORD commanded Moses. 30And he set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water therein, wherewith to wash; 31that Moses and Aaron and his sons might wash their hands and their feet thereat; 32when they went into the tent of meeting, and when they came near unto the altar, they should wash; as the LORD commanded Moses. 33And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. 34Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.— 36And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys. 37But if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 38For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.— ..... LEVITICUS And tHE LORD called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When any man of you bringeth an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd or of the flock. 3If his offering be a burnt-offering of the herd, he shall offer it a male without blemish; he shall bring it to the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. 4And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall present the blood, and dash the blood round about against the altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting. 6And he shall flay the burnt-offering, and cut it into its pieces. 7And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay wood in order upon the fire. 8And Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall lay the pieces, and the head, and the suet, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar; 9but its inwards and its legs shall he wash with water; and the priest shall make the whole smoke on the altar, for a burnt- offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 10And if his offering be of the flock, whether of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt-offering, he shall offer it a male without blemish. 11And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall dash its blood against the altar round about. 12And he shall cut it into its pieces; and the priest shall lay them, with its head and its suet, in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar. 13But the inwards and the legs shall he wash with water; and the priest shall offer the whole, and make it smoke upon the altar; it is a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 14And if his offering to the LORD be a burnt-offering of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtle-doves, or of young pigeons. 15And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and pinch off its head, and make it smoke on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16And he shall take away its crop with the feathers thereof, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the ashes. 17And he shall rend it by the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder; and the priest shall make it 1 smoke upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire; it is a burnt- offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. And when any one bringeth a meal-offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon. 2And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and he shall take thereout his handful of the fine flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, together with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall make the memorial-part thereof smoke upon the altar, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 3But that which is left of the meal-offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire. 4And when thou bringest a meal- offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. 5And if thy offering be a meal- offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil. 6Thou shalt break it in pieces, and pour oil thereon; it is a meal-offering. 7And if thy offering be a meal- offering of the stewing-pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 8And thou shalt bring the meal-offering that is made of these things unto the LORD; and it shall be presented unto the priest, and he shall bring it unto the altar. 9And the priest shall take off from the meal-offering the memorial- part thereof, and shall make it smoke upon the altar—an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 10But that which is left of the meal- offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire. 11No meal-offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven; for ye shall make no leaven, nor any honey, smoke as an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 12As an offering of first-fruits ye may bring them unto the LORD; but they shall not come up for a sweet savour on the altar. 13And every meal-offering of thine shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meal-offering; with all thy offerings thou shalt offer salt. 14And if thou bring a meal-offering of first-fruits unto the LORD, thou shalt bring for the meal-offering of thy first- fruits corn in the ear parched with fire, even groats of the fresh ear. 15And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon; it is a meal- offering. 16And the priest shall make the memorial-part of it smoke, even of the groats thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And if his offering be a sacrifice of peace-offerings: if he offer of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before 2 3 the LORD. 2And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall dash the blood against the altar round about. 3And he shall present of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire unto the LORD: the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 4and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he shall take away hard by the kidneys. 5And Aaron’s sons shall make it smoke on the altar upon the burnt- offering, which is upon the wood that is on the fire; it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 6And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD be of the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. 7If he bring a lamb for his offering, then shall he present it before the LORD. 8And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tent of meeting; and Aaron’s sons shall dash the blood thereof against the altar round about. 9And he shall present of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire unto the LORD: the fat thereof, the fat tail entire, which he shall take away hard by the rump- bone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 10and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he shall take away by the kidneys. 11And the priest shall make it smoke upon the altar; it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD. 12And if his offering be a goat, then he shall present it before the LORD. 13And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall dash the blood thereof against the altar round about. 14And he shall present thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD: the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 15and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he shall take away by the kidneys. 16And the priest shall make them smoke upon the altar; it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savour; all the fat is the LORD’S. 17It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If any one shall sin through error, in any of the things which the LORD hath commanded not to be done, and shall do any one of them: 3if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin-offering. 4And he shall bring 4 the bullock unto the door of the tent of meeting before the LORD; and he shall lay his hand upon the head of the bullock, and kill the bullock before the LORD. 5And the anointed priest shall take of the blood of the bullock, and bring it to the tent of meeting. 6And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 7And the priest shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tent of meeting; and all the remaining blood of the bullock shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting. 8And all the fat of the bullock of the sin- offering he shall take off from it; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 9and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he shall take away by kidneys, 10as it is taken off from the ox of the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall make them smoke upon the altar of burnt-offering. 11But the skin of the bullock, and all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, and its inwards, and its dung, 12even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out shall it be burnt. 13And if the whole congregation of Israel shall err, the thing being hid from the eyes of the assembly, and do any of the things which the LORD hath commanded not to be done, and are guilty: 14when the sin wherein they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bullock for a sin-offering, and bring it before the tent of meeting. 15And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD; and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD. 16And the anointed priest shall bring of the blood of the bullock to the tent of meeting. 17And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil. 18And he shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tent of meeting, and all the remaining blood shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting. 19And all the fat thereof shall he take off from it, and make it smoke upon the altar. 20Thus shall he do with the bullock; as he did with the bullock of the sin-offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven. 21And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bullock; it is the sin-offering for the assembly. 22When a ruler sinneth, and doeth through error any one of all the things which the LORD his God hath commanded not to be done, and is guilty: 23if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, be known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a male without blemish. 24And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt-offering before the LORD; it is a sin-offering. 25And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and the remaining blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt- offering. 26And all the fat thereof shall he make smoke upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven. 27And if any one of the common people sin through error, in doing any of the things which the LORD hath commanded not to be done, and be guilty: 28if his sin, which he hath sinned, be known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned. 29And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and kill the sin-offering in the place of burnt-offering. 30And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and all the remaining blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar. 31And all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall make it smoke upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 32And if he bring a lamb as his offering for a sin-offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish. 33And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and kill it for a sin-offering in the place where they kill the burnt-offering. 34And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin- offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt- offering, and all the remaining blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar. 35And all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall make them smoke on the altar, upon the offerings of the LORD made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven. And if any one sin, in that he heareth the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity; 2or if any one touch any unclean thing, whether it be the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean swarming things, and be guilty, it being hidden from him that he is unclean; 3or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever his 5 uncleanness be wherewith he is unclean, and it be hid from him; and, when he knoweth of it, be guilty; 4or if any one swear clearly with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall utter clearly with an oath, and it be hid from him; and, when he knoweth of it, be guilty in one of these things; 5and it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned; 6and he shall bring his forfeit unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin. 7And if his means suffice not for a lamb, then he shall bring his forfeit for that wherein he hath sinned, two turtle- doves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD: one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering. 8And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin- offering first, and pinch off its head close by its neck, but shall not divide it asunder. 9And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin-offering. 10And he shall prepare the second for a burnt- offering, according to the ordinance; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin which he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven. 11But if his means suffice not for two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his offering for that wherein he hath sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin- offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon; for it is a sin-offering. 12And he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as the memorial-part thereof, and make it smoke on the altar, upon the offerings of the LORD made by fire; it is a sin- offering. 13And the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in any of these things, and he shall be forgiven; and the remnant shall be the priest’s, as the meal-offering. 14And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 15If any one commit a trespass, and sin through error, in the holy things of the LORD, then he shall bring his forfeit unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy valuation in silver by shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt-offering. 16And he shall make restitution for that which he hath done amiss in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt-offering, and he shall be forgiven. 17And if any one sin, and do any of the things which the LORD hath commanded not to be done, though he know it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. 18And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy valuation, for a guilt- offering, unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the error which he committed, though he knew it not, and he shall be forgiven. 19It is a guilt- offering—he is certainly guilty before the LORD. 20And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 21If any one sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and deal falsely with his neighbour in a matter of deposit, or of pledge, or of robbery, or have oppressed his neighbour; 22or have found that which was lost, and deal falsely therein, and swear to a lie; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein; 23then it shall be, if he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he hath gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was deposited with him, or the lost thing which he found, 24or any thing about which he hath sworn falsely, he shall even restore it in full, and shall add the fifth part more thereto; unto him to whom it appertaineth shall he give it, in the day of his being guilty. 25And he shall bring his forfeit unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy valuation, for a guilt- offering, unto the priest. 26And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven, concerning whatsoever he doeth so as to be guilty thereby. .. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the law of the burnt-offering: it is that which goeth up on its firewood upon the altar all night unto the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning thereby. 3And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes whereto the fire hath consumed the burnt-offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 4And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. 5And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereby, it shall not go out; and the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning; and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and shall make smoke thereon the fat of the peace-offerings. 6Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out. 7And this is the law of the meal- offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, in front of the altar. 8And he shall take up therefrom his handful, of the fine flour of the meal- offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meal-offering, and shall make the memorial-part thereof smoke upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 9And that which is left thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat; it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in 6 the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. 10It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of My offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as the sin-offering, and as the guilt-offering. 11Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as a due for ever throughout your generations, from the offerings of the LORD made by fire; whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. 12And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 13This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half thereof in the evening. 14On a griddle it shall be made with oil; when it is soaked, thou shalt bring it in; in broken pieces shalt thou offer the meal-offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 15And the anointed priest that shall be in his stead from among his sons shall offer it, it is a due for ever; it shall be wholly made to smoke unto the LORD. 16And every meal- offering of the priest shall be wholly made to smoke; it shall not be eaten. 17And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 18Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying: This is the law of the sin-offering: in the place where the burnt-offering is killed shall the sin-offering be killed before the LORD; it is most holy. 19The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it; in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting. 20Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy; and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in a holy place. 21But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken; and if it be sodden in a brazen vessel, it shall be scoured, and rinsed in water. 22Every male among the priests may eat thereof; it is most holy. 23And no sin-offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire. And this is the law of the guilt- offering: it is most holy. 2In the place where they kill the burnt- offering shall they kill the guilt- offering: and the blood thereof shall be dashed against the altar round about. 3And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof: the fat tail, and the fat that covereth the inwards, 4and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he shall take away by the kidneys. 5And the priest shall make them smoke upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD; it is a guilt-offering. 6Every male among the priests may eat thereof; it shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy. 7As is the sin- offering, so is the guilt-offering; there is one law for them; the priest that maketh atonement therewith, he shall 7 have it. 8And the priest that offereth any man’s burnt-offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt-offering which he hath offered. 9And every meal-offering that is baked in the oven, and all that is dressed in the stewing-pan, and on the griddle, shall be the priest’s that offereth it. 10And every meal-offering, mingled with oil, or dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as well as another. 11And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one may offer unto the LORD. 12If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked. 13With cakes of leavened bread he shall present his offering with the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving. 14And of it he shall present one out of each offering for a gift unto the LORD; it shall be the priest’s that dasheth the blood of the peace-offerings against the altar. 15And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace- offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a freewill- offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offereth his sacrifice; and on the morrow that which remaineth of it may be eaten. 17But that which remaineth of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. 18And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be at all eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it; it shall be an abhorred thing, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. 19And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire. And as for the flesh, every one that is clean may eat thereof. 20But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people. 21And when any one shall touch any unclean thing, whether it be the uncleanness of man, or an unclean beast, or any unclean detestable thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, that soul shall be cut off from his people. 22And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 23Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: Ye shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat. 24And the fat of that which dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of beasts, may be used for any other service; but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 25For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men present an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. 26And ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 27Whosoever it be that eateth any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people. 28And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 29Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: He that offereth his sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD shall bring his offering unto the LORD out of his sacrifice of peace-offerings. 30His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire: the fat with the breast shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave-offering before the LORD. 31And the priest shall make the fat smoke upon the altar; but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. 32And the right thigh shall ye give unto the priest for a heave- offering out of your sacrifices of peace-offerings. 33He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace-offerings, and the fat, shall have the right thigh for a portion. 34For the breast of waving and the thigh of heaving have I taken of the children of Israel out of their sacrifices of peace- offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons as a due for ever from the children of Israel. 35This is the consecrated portion of Aaron, and the consecrated portion of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when they were presented to minister unto the LORD in the priest’s office; 36which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that they were anointed. It is a due for ever throughout their generations. 37This is the law of the burnt- offering, of the meal-offering, and of the sin-offering, and of the guilt- offering, and of the consecration- offering, and of the sacrifice of peace- offerings; 38which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to present their offerings unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bullock of the sin-offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; 3and assemble thou all the congregation at the door of the tent of meeting.’ 4And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the congregation was assembled at the door of the tent of meeting. 5And Moses said unto the congregation: ‘This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded to be done.’ 6And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. 7And he put upon him the tunic, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. 8And he placed the breastplate upon him; and in the breastplate he put the Urim and the Thummim. 9And he set the mitre 8 upon his head; and upon the mitre, in front, did he set the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses. 10And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. 11And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the laver and its base, to sanctify them. 12And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. 13And Moses brought Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with tunics, and girded them with girdles, and bound head-tires upon them; as the LORD commanded Moses. 14And the bullock of the sin-offering was brought; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock of the sin-offering. 15And when it was slain, Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the remaining blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it. 16And he took all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses made it smoke upon the altar. 17But the bullock, and its skin, and its flesh, and its dung, were burnt with fire without the camp; as the LORD commanded Moses. 18And the ram of the burnt- offering was presented; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 19And when it was killed, Moses dashed the blood against the altar round about. 20And when the ram was cut into its pieces, Moses made the head, and the pieces, and the suet smoke. 21And when the inwards and the legs were washed with water, Moses made the whole ram smoke upon the altar; it was a burnt-offering for a sweet savour; it was an offering made by fire unto the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses. 22And the other ram was presented, the ram of consecration, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 23And when it was slain, Moses took of the blood thereof, and put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 24And Aaron’s sons were brought, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot; and Moses dashed the blood against the altar round about. 25And he took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right thigh. 26And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat, and upon the right thigh. 27And he put the whole upon the hands of Aaron, and upon the hands of his sons, and waved them for a wave-offering before the LORD. 28And Moses took them from off their hands, and made them smoke on the altar upon the burnt-offering; they were a consecration-offering for a sweet savour; it was an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 29And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave-offering before the LORD; it was Moses’portion of the ram of consecration; as the LORD commanded Moses. 30And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons’garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’garments with him. 31And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons: ‘Boil the flesh at the door of the tent of meeting; and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying: Aaron and his sons shall eat it. 32And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. 33And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting seven days, until the days of your consecration be fulfilled; for He shall consecrate you seven days. 34As hath been done this day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make atonement for you. 35And at the door of the tent of meeting shall ye abide day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not; for so I am commanded. 36And Aaron and his sons did all the things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. ..... And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; 2and he said unto Aaron: ‘Take thee a bull- calf for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 3And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying: Take ye a he-goat for a sin- offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt-offering; 4and an ox and a ram for peace-offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meal-offering mingled with oil; for to-day the LORD appeareth unto you.’ 5And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tent of meeting; and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 6And Moses said: ‘This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye should do; that the glory of the LORD may appear unto you.’ 7And Moses said unto Aaron: ‘Draw near unto the altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burnt- offering, and make atonement for thyself, and for the people; and present the offering of the people, and make atonement for them; as the LORD commanded.’ 8So Aaron drew near unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin-offering, which was for himself. 9And the sons of Aaron presented the blood unto him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the 9 horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar. 10But the fat, and the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver of the sin-offering, he made smoke upon the altar; as the LORD commanded Moses. 11And the flesh and the skin were burnt with fire without the camp. 12And he slew the burnt-offering; and Aaron’s sons delivered unto him the blood, and he dashed it against the altar round about. 13And they delivered the burnt-offering unto him, piece by piece, and the head; and he made them smoke upon the altar. 14And he washed the inwards and the legs, and made them smoke upon the burnt-offering on the altar. 15And the people’s offering was presented; and he took the goat of the sin-offering which was for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first. 16And the burnt-offering was presented; and he offered it according to the ordinance. 17And the meal- offering was presented; and he filled his hand therefrom, and made it smoke upon the altar, besides the burnt- offering of the morning. 18He slew also the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which was for the people; and Aaron’s sons delivered unto him the blood, and he dashed it against the altar round about, 19and the fat of the ox, and of the ram, the fat tail, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver. 20And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he made the fat smoke upon the altar. 21And the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave-offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded. 22And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the peace- offerings. 23And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and came out, and blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. 24And there came forth fire from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat; and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces. And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. 2And there came forth fire from before the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. 3Then Moses said unto Aaron: ‘This is it that the LORD spoke, saying: Through them that are nigh unto Me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ And Aaron held his peace. 4And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them: ‘Draw near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.’ 5So they drew near, and carried them in their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said. 6And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his 10 sons: ‘Let not the hair of your heads go loose, neither tend your clothes, that ye die not, and that He be not wroth with all the congregation; but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. 7And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest ye die; for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.’ And they did according to the word of Moses. 8And the LORD spoke unto Aaron, saying: 9’Drink no wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, that ye die not; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 10And that ye may put difference between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean; 11and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.’ 12And Moses spoke unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left: ‘Take the meal- offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy. 13And ye shall eat it in a holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons’due, of the offerings of the LORD made by fire; for so I am commanded. 14And the breast of waving and the thigh of heaving shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee; for they are given as thy due, and thy sons’due, out of the sacrifices of the peace-offerings of the children of Israel. 15The thigh of heaving and the breast of waving shall they bring with the offerings of the fat made by fire, to wave it for a wave-offering before the LORD; and it shall be thine, and thy sons’with thee, as a due for ever; as the LORD hath commanded.’ 16And Moses diligently inquired for the goat of the sin-offering, and, behold, it was burnt; and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left, saying: 17’Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin- offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and He hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? 18Behold, the blood of it was not brought into the sanctuary within; ye should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.’ 19And Aaron spoke unto Moses: ‘Behold, this day have they offered their sin-offering and their burnt-offering before the LORD, and there have befallen me such things as these; and if I had eaten the sin- offering to-day, would it have been well-pleasing in the sight of the LORD? 20And when Moses heard that, it was well-pleasing in his sight. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: 11 These are the living things which ye may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is wholly cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that may ye eat. 4Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that only chew the cud, or of them that only part the hoof: the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you. 5And the rock- badger, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you. 6And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, she is unclean unto you 7And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you. 8Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you. 9These may ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them may ye eat. 10And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that swarm in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are a detestable thing unto you, 11and they shall be a detestable thing unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses ye shall have in detestation. 12Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that is a detestable thing unto you. 13And these ye shall have in detestation among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are a detestable thing: the great vulture, and the bearded vulture, and the ospray; 14and the kite, and the falcon after its kinds; 15every raven after its kinds; 16and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kinds; 17and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl; 18and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the carrion- vulture; 19and the stork, and the heron after its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat. 20All winged swarming things that go upon all fours are a detestable thing unto you. 21Yet these may ye eat of all winged swarming things that go upon all fours, which have jointed legs above their feet, wherewith to leap upon the earth; 22even these of them ye may eat: the locust after its kinds, and the bald locust after its kinds, and the cricket after its kinds, and the grasshopper after its kinds. 23But all winged swarming things, which have four feet, are a detestable thing unto you. 24And by these ye shall become unclean; whosoever toucheth the carcass of them shall be unclean until even. 25And whosoever beareth aught of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 26Every beast which parteth the hoof, but is not cloven footed, nor cheweth the cud, is unclean unto you; every one that to toucheth them shall be unclean. 27And whatsoever goeth upon its paws, among all beasts that go on all fours, they are unclean unto you; whoso toucheth their carcass shall be unclean until the even. 28And he that beareth the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even; they are unclean unto you. 29And these are they which are unclean unto you among the swarming things that swarm upon the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the great lizard after its kinds, 30and the gecko, and the land-crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand-lizard, and the chameleon. 31These are they which are unclean to you among all that swarm; whosoever doth touch them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the even. 32And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherewith any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; then shall it be clean. 33And every earthen vessel whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean, and it ye shall break. 34All food therein which may be eaten, that on which water cometh, shall be unclean; and all drink in every such vessel that may be drunk shall be unclean. 35And every thing whereupon any part of their carcass falleth shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces; they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 36Nevertheless a fountain or a cistern wherein is a gathering of water shall be clean; but he who toucheth their carcass shall be unclean. 37And if aught of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean. 38But if water be put upon the seed, and aught of their carcass fall thereon, it is unclean unto you. 39And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die, he that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even. 40And he that eateth of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even; he also that beareth the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 41And every swarming thing that swarmeth upon the earth is a detestable thing; it shall not be eaten. 42Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all fours, or whatsoever hath many feet, even all swarming things that swarm upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are a detestable thing. 43Ye shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarmeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44For I am the LORD your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy; neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of swarming thing that moveth upon the earth. 45For I am the LORD that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. 46This is the law of the beast, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that swarmeth upon the earth; 47to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten. ..... And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a woman be delivered, and bear a man-child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she be unclean. 3And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4And she shall continue in the blood of purification three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification be fulfilled. 5But if she bear a maid-child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her impurity; and she shall continue in the blood of purification threescore and six days. 6And when the days of her purification are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtle-dove, for a sin-offering, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest. 7And he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. This is the law for her that beareth, whether a male or a female. 8And if her means suffice not for a lamb, then she shall take two turtle- doves, or two young pigeons: the one for a burnt-offering, and the other for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 2When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it become in the skin of his flesh the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests. 3And the priest shall look upon the plague in the skin of the flesh; and if the hair in the plague be turned white, and the appearance of the plague be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is the plague of leprosy; and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean. 4And if the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white, then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days. 5And the priest shall look on him the seventh day; and, behold, if the plague stay in its appearance, and the plague be not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up seven days more. 6And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day; and, behold, if the plague 12 13 be dim, and the plague be not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is a scab; and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 7But if the scab spread abroad in the skin, after that he hath shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall show himself to the priest again. 8And the priest shall look, and, behold, if the scab be spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is leprosy. 9When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest. 10And the priest shall look, and, behold, if there be a white rising in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising, 11it is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not shut him up; for he is unclean. 12And if the leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his feet, as far as appeareth to the priest; 13then the priest shall look; and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague; it is all turned white: he is clean. 14But whensoever raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. 15And the priest shall look on the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean; the raw flesh is unclean: it is leprosy. 16But if the raw flesh again be turned into white, then he shall come unto the priest; 17and the priest shall look on him; and, behold, if the plague be turned into white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean. 18And when the flesh hath in the skin thereof a boil, and it is healed, 19and in the place of the boil there is a white rising, or a bright spot, reddish- white, then it shall be shown to the priest. 20And the priest shall look; and, behold, if the appearance thereof be lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy, it hath broken out in the boil. 21But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and it be not lower than the skin, but be dim, then the priest shall shut him up seven days. 22And if it spread abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague. 23But if the bright spot stay in its place, and be not spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 24Or when the flesh hath in the skin thereof a burning by fire, and the quick flesh of the burning become a bright spot, reddish-white, or white; 25then the priest shall look upon it; and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and the appearance thereof be deeper than the skin, it is leprosy, it hath broken out in the burning; and the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 26But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the skin, but be dim; then the priest shall shut him up seven days. 27And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day; if it spread abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 28And if the bright spot stay in its place, and be not spread in the skin, but be dim, it is the rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; for it is the scar of the burning. 29And when a man or woman hath a plague upon the head or upon the beard, 30then the priest shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the appearance thereof be deeper than the skin, and there be in it yellow thin hair, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a scall, it is leprosy of the head or of the beard. 31And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, and there be no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days. 32And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the scall be not spread, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the appearance of the scall be not deeper than the skin, 33then he shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more. 34And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall; and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, and the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 35But if the scall spread abroad in the skin after his cleansing, 36then the priest shall look on him; and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for the yellow hair: he is unclean. 37But if the scall stay in its appearance, and black hair be grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 38And if a man or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; 39then the priest shall look; and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be of a dull white, it is a tetter, it hath broken out in the skin: he is clean. 40And if a man’s hair be fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. 41And if his hair be fallen off from the front part of his head, he is forehead- bald; yet is he clean. 42But if there be in the bald head, or the bald forehead, a reddish-white plague, it is leprosy breaking out in his bald head, or his bald forehead. 43Then the priest shall look upon him; and, behold, if the rising of the plague be reddish-white in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the flesh, 44he is a leprous man, he is unclean; the priest shall surely pronounce him unclean: his plague is in his head. 45And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and the hair of his head shall go loose, and he shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry: ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46All the days wherein the plague is in him he shall be unclean; he is unclean; he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his dwelling be. 47And when the plague of leprosy is in a garment, whether it be a woolen garment, or a linen garment; 48or in the warp, or in the woof, whether they be of linen, or of wool; or in a skin, or in any thing made of skin. 49If the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin, it is the plague of leprosy, and shall be shown unto the priest. 50And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up that which hath the plague seven days. 51And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in the skin, whatever service skin is used for, the plague is a malignant leprosy: it is unclean. 52And he shall burn the garment, or the warp, or the woof, whether it be of wool or of linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is; for it is a malignant leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire. 53And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; 54then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more. 55And the priest shall look, after that the plague is washed; and, behold, if the plague have not changed its colour, and the plague be not spread, it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is a fret, whether the bareness be within or without. 56And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be dim after the washing thereof, then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof. 57And if it appear still in the garment, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin, it is breaking out, thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire. 58And the garment, or the warp, or the woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean. 59This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of wool or linen, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean. .... And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought unto the priest. 3And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; 4then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed 14 two living clean birds, and cedar- wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. 5And the priest shall command to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. 6As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar-wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. 7And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let go the living bird into the open field. 8And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean; and after that he may come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days. 9And it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off; and he shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and he shall be clean. 10And on the eighth day he shall take two he- lambs without blemish, and one ewe- lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. 11And the priest that cleanseth him shall set the man that is to be cleansed, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tent of meeting. 12And the priest shall take one of the he-lambs, and offer him for a guilt-offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave- offering before the LORD. 13And he shall kill the he-lamb in the place where they kill the sin-offering and the burnt-offering, in the place of the sanctuary; for as the sin-offering is the priest’s, so is the guilt-offering; it is most holy. 14And the priest shall take of the blood of the guilt-offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 15And the priest shall take of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. 16And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. 17And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the guilt-offering. 18And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed; and the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD. 19And the priest shall offer the sin-offering, and make atonement for him that is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt- offering. 20And the priest shall offer the burnt-offering and the meal- offering upon the altar; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean. 21And if he be poor, and his means suffice not, then he shall take one he- lamb for a guilt-offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering, and a log of oil; 22and two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, such as his means suffice for; and the one shall be a sin-offering, and the other a burnt- offering. 23And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tent of meeting, before the LORD. 24And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt- offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave- offering before the LORD. 25And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt-offering, and the priest shall take of the blood of the guilt-offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 26And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand. 27And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD. 28And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the guilt-offering. 29And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 30And he shall offer one of the turtle- doves, or of the young pigeons, such as his means suffice for; 31even such as his means suffice for, the one for a sin- offering, and the other for a burnt- offering, with the meal-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD. 32This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose means suffice not for that which pertaineth to his cleansing. 33And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 34When ye are come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; 35then he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying: ‘There seemeth to me to be as it were a plague in the house.’ 36And the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go in to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house. 37And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and the appearance thereof be lower than the wall; 38then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days. 39And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house; 40then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which the plague is, and cast them into an unclean place without the city. 41And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the mortar that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place. 42And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house. 43And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that the stones have been taken out, and after the house hath been scraped, and after it is plastered; 44then the priest shall come in and look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a malignant leprosy in the house: it is unclean. 45And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place. 46Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. 47And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes. 48And if the priest shall come in, and look, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plastered; then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. 49And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar-wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. 50And he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. 51And he shall take the cedar- wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar-wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet. 53But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open field; so shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean. 54This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and for a scall; 55and for the leprosy of a garment, and for a house; 56and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot; 57to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean; this is the law of leprosy. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When any man hath an issue out of his flesh, his issue is unclean. 3And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness. 4Every bed whereon he that hath the issue lieth shall be unclean; and every thing whereon he sitteth shall be unclean. 15 5And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 6And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he that hath the issue sat shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 7And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 8And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean, then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 9And what saddle soever he that hath the issue rideth upon shall be unclean. 10And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even; and he that beareth those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 11And whomsoever he that hath the issue toucheth, without having rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 12And the earthen vessel, which he that hath the issue toucheth, shall be broken; and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. 13And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue, then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and he shall bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean. 14And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD unto the door of the tent of meeting, and give them unto the priest. 15And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD for his issue. 16And if the flow of seed go out from a man, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. 17And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the flow of seed, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. 18The woman also with whom a man shall lie carnally, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even. 19And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days; and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. 20And every thing that she lieth upon in her impurity shall be unclean; every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. 21And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 22And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sitteth upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 23And if he be on the bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. 24And if any man lie with her, and her impurity be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean. 25And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days not in the time of her impurity, or if she have an issue beyond the time of her impurity; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness she shall be as in the days of her impurity: she is unclean. 26Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her impurity; and every thing whereon she sitteth shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. 27And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 28But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 29And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting. 30And the priest shall offer the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness. 31Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile My tabernacle that is in the midst of them. 32This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him from whom the flow of seed goeth out, so that he is unclean thereby; 33and of her that is sick with her impurity, and of them that have an issue, whether it be a man, or a woman; and of him that lieth with her that is unclean. .... ... And the LORD spoke unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD, and died; 2and the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the ark-cover which is upon the ark; that he die not; for I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover. 3Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt- offering. 4He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired; they are the holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on. 5And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two he-goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering. 6And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house. 7And he shall take the two goats, and set them before the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting. 8And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for Azazel. 9And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell 16 for the LORD, and offer him for a sin- offering. 10But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before the LORD, to make atonement over him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness. 11And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin-offering which is for himself. 12And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil. 13And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the ark-cover that is upon the testimony, that he die not. 14And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the ark-cover on the east; and before the ark-cover shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. 15Then shall he kill the goat of the sin- offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the ark-cover, and before the ark-cover. 16And he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so shall he do for the tent of meeting, that dwelleth with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17And there shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he goeth in to make atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. 18And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 19And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleannesses of the children of Israel. 20And when he hath made an end of atoning for the holy place, and the tent of meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of an appointed man into the wilderness. 22And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land which is cut off; and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. 23And Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. 24And he shall bathe his flesh in water in a holy place and put on his other vestments, and come forth, and offer his burnt- offering and the burnt-offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25And the fat of the sin-offering shall he make smoke upon the altar. 26And he that letteth go the goat for Azazel shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27And the bullock of the sin- offering, and the goat of the sin- offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. 28And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 29And it shall be a statute for ever unto you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or the stranger that sojourneth among you. 30For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the LORD. 31It is a sabbath of solemn rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; it is a statute for ever. 32And the priest, who shall be anointed and who shall be consecrated to be priest in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments. 33And he shall make atonement for the most holy place, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make atonement for the children of Israel because of all their sins once in the year.’ And he did as the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them: This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying: 3What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it without the camp, 4and hath not brought it unto the door of the tent of meeting, to present it as an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD, blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they sacrifice in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest, and sacrifice them for sacrifices of peace-offerings unto the LORD. 6And the priest shall dash the blood against the altar of the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting, and make the fat smoke for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 7And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the satyrs, after whom they go astray. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. 17 8And thou shalt say unto them: Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that offereth a burnt-offering or sacrifice, 9and bringeth it not unto the door of the tent of meeting, to sacrifice it unto the LORD, even that man shall be cut off from his people. 10And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood, I will set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. 12Therefore I said unto the children of Israel: No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. 13And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that taketh in hunting any beast or fowl that may be eaten, he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. 14For as to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with the life thereof; therefore I said unto the children of Israel: Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof; whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. 15And every soul that eateth that which dieth of itself, or that which is torn of beasts, whether he be home-born or a stranger, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even; then shall he be clean. 16But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: I am the LORD your God. 3After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes. 4Mine ordinances shall ye do, and My statutes shall ye keep, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. 5Ye shall therefore keep My statutes, and Mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. 6None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness. I am the LORD. 7The nakedness of thy father, and the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 8The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness. 9The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover. 18 10The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover; for theirs is thine own nakedness. 11The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 12Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she is thy father’s near kinswoman. 13Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister; for she is thy mother’s near kinswoman. 14Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy fathers brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt. 15Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter-in-law: she is thy son’wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 16Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness. 17Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter; thou shalt not take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness: they are near kinswomen; it is lewdness. 18And thou shalt not take a woman to her sister, to be a rival to her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her lifetime. 19And thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness. 20And thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her. 21And thou shalt not give any of thy seed to set them apart to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 22Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination. 23And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto; it is perversion. 24Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations are defiled, which I cast out from before you. 25And the land was defiled, therefore I did visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomited out her inhabitants. 26Ye therefore shall keep My statutes and Mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you— 27for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled— 28that the land vomit not you out also, when ye defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. 29For whosoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people. 30Therefore shall ye keep My charge, that ye do not any of these abominable customs, which were done before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God. ..... And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto all 19 the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: Ye shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy. 3Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and ye shall keep My sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 4Turn ye not unto the idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God. 5And when ye offer a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it that ye may be accepted. 6It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow; and if aught remain until the third day, it shall be burnt with fire. 7And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is a vile thing; it shall not be accepted. 8But every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the holy thing of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from his people. 9And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest. 10And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God. 11Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another. 12And ye shall not swear by My name falsely, so that thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 13Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbour, nor rob him; the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. 14Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind, but thou shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. 15Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor favour the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. 16Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD. 17Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbour, and not bear sin because of him. 18Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. 19Ye shall keep My statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind; thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed; neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together. 20And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, designated for a man, and not at all redeemed, nor was freedom given her; there shall be inquisition; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. 21And he shall bring his forfeit unto the LORD, unto the door of the tent of meeting, even a ram for a guilt-offering. 22And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt-offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned; and he shall be forgiven for his sin which he hath sinned. 23And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as forbidden; three years shall it be as forbidden unto you; it shall not be eaten. 24And in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, for giving praise unto the LORD. 25But in the fifth year may ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you more richly the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God. 26Ye shall not eat with the blood; neither shall ye practise divination nor soothsaying. 27Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. 28Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor imprint any marks upon you: I am the LORD. 29Profane not thy daughter, to make her a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of lewdness. 30Ye shall keep My sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. 31Turn ye not unto the ghosts, nor unto familiar spirits; seek them not out, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. 32Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and thou shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. 33And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not do him wrong. 34The stranger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 35Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. 36Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37And ye shall observe all My statutes, and all Mine ordinances, and do them: I am the LORD. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Moreover, thou shalt say to the children of Israel: Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3I also will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people, because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile My sanctuary, and to profane My holy name. 4And if the people of the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and put him not to death; 5then I will set My face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go astray after him, to go astray after Molech, from among their people. 6And the soul that turneth unto the ghosts, and unto the familiar spirits, to go astray after them, I will even set My face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. 7Sanctify yourselves therefore, 20 and be ye holy; for I am the LORD your God. 8And keep ye My statutes, and do them: I am the LORD who sanctify you. 9For whatsoever man there be that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. 10And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11And the man that lieth with his father’s wife— he hath uncovered his father’s nakedness—both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 12And if a man lie with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have wrought corruption; their blood shall be upon them. 13And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 14And if a man take with his wife also her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you. 15And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death; and ye shall slay the beast. 16And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 17And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness: it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. 18And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness—he hath made naked her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood—both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister; for he hath made naked his near kin; they shall bear their iniquity. 20And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife—he hath uncovered his uncle’s nakedness— they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is impurity: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless. 22Ye shall therefore keep all My statutes, and all Mine ordinances, and do them, that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, vomit you not out. 23And ye shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I am casting out before you; for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. 24But I have said unto you: ‘Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the LORD your God, who have set you apart from the peoples. 25Ye shall therefore separate between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean; and ye shall not make your souls detestable by beast, or by fowl, or by any thing wherewith the ground teemeth, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26And ye shall be holy unto Me; for I the LORD am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that ye should be Mine. 27A man also or a woman that divineth by a ghost or a familiar spirit, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them. ... And the LORD said unto Moses: Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them: There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people; 2except for his kin, that is near unto him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother; 3and for his sister a virgin, that is near unto him, that hath had no husband, for her may he defile himself. 4He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. 5They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corners of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer; therefore they shall be holy. 7They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profaned; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God. 8Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God; he shall be holy unto thee; for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy. 9And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire. 10And the priest that is highest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head go loose, nor rend his clothes; 11neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; 12neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD. 13And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14A widow, or one divorced, or a profaned woman, or a harlot, these shall he not take; but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife. 15And he shall not profane his seed among his people; for I am the LORD who sanctify him. 16And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 17Speak unto Aaron, saying: Whosoever he be of thy seed throughout their generations that hath a blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. 18For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind 21 man, or a lame, or he that hath any thing maimed, or anything too long, 19or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed, 20or crook-backed, or a dwarf, or that hath his eye overspread, or is scabbed, or scurvy, or hath his stones crushed; 21no man of the seed of Aaron the priest, that hath a blemish, shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire; he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. 22He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. 23Only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not My holy places; for I am the LORD who sanctify them. 24So Moses spoke unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel. 22 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they hallow unto Me, and that they profane not My holy name: I am the LORD. 3Say unto them: Whosoever he be of all your seed throughout your generations, that approacheth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from before Me: I am the LORD. 4What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath an issue, he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any one that is unclean by the dead; or from whomsoever the flow of seed goeth out; 5or whosoever toucheth any swarming thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; 6the soul that toucheth any such shall be unclean until the even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his flesh in water. 7And when the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because it is his bread. 8That which dieth of itself, or is torn of beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the LORD. 9They shall therefore keep My charge, lest they bear sin for it, and die therein, if they profane it: I am the LORD who sanctify them. 10There shall no acommon man eat of the holy thing; a tenant of a priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. 11But if a priest buy any soul, the purchase of his money, he may eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they may eat of his bread. 12And if a priest’s daughter be married unto a common man, she shall not eat of that which is set apart from the holy things. 13But if a priest’s daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s bread; but there shall no common man a That is, one who is not a priest. eat thereof. 14And if a man eat of the holy thing through error, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give unto the priest the holy thing. 15And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they set apart unto the LORD; 16and so cause them to bear the iniquity that bringeth guilt, when they eat their holy things; for I am the LORD who sanctify them. 17And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 18Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them: Whosoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that bringeth his offering, whether it be any of their vows, or any of their free-will- offerings, which are brought unto the LORD for a burnt-offering; 19that ye may be accepted, ye shall offer a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats. 20But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not bring; for it shall not be acceptable for you. 21And whosoever bringeth a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD in fulfilment of a vow clearly uttered, or for a freewill- offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. 22Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scabbed, or scurvy, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD. 23Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing too long or too short, that mayest thou offer for a freewill-offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. 24That which hath its stones bruised, or crushed, or torn, or cut, ye shall not offer unto the LORD; neither shall ye do thus in your land. 25Neither from the hand of a foreigner shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these, because their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them; they shall not be accepted for you. 26And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 27When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; but from the eighth day and thenceforth it may be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 28And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and its young both in one day. 29And when ye sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, ye shall sacrifice it that ye may be accepted. 30On the same day it shall be eaten; ye shall leave none of it until the morning: I am the LORD. 31And ye shall keep My commandments, and do them: I am the LORD. 32And ye shall not profane My holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD who hallow you, 33that brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: 23 The appointed seasons of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My appointed seasons. 3Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of work; it is a sabbath unto the LORD in all your dwellings. 4These are the appointed seasons of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season. 5In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at dusk, is the LORD’S passover. 6And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD; seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread. 7In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. 8And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days; in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. 9And the LORD spoke unto Moses saying: 10Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest. 11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12And in the day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt- offering unto the LORD. 13And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. 14And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the offering of your God; it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 15And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the aday of rest, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete; 16even unto the morrow after the seventh week shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto the LORD. 17Ye shall bring out of your dwellings two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, for first- fruits unto the LORD. 18And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams; they shall be a burnt-offering unto the LORD, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 19And ye shall offer one he- goat for a sin-offering, and two he- lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings. 20And the priest shall a Heb. sabbath. wave them with the bread of the first- fruits for a wave-offering before the LORD, with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest; thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God. 23And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 24Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial proclaimed with the blast of horns, a holy convocation. 25Ye shall do no manner of servile work; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 26And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 27Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; there shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 28And ye shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. 29For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from his people. 30And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people. 31Ye shall do no manner of work; it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye shall afflict your souls; in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye keep your sabbath. 33And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 34Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. 35On the first day shall be a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. 36Seven days ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD; on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD; it is a day of solemn assembly; ye shall do no manner of servile work. 37These are the appointed seasons of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day; 38beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto the LORD. 39Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of the LORD seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year; it is a statute for ever in your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month. 42Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home- born in Israel shall dwell in booths; 43that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 44And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the appointed seasons of the LORD. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. 3Without the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron order it from evening to morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. 4He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually. 5And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth parts of an ephah shall be in one cake. 6And thou shalt set them in two rows, six in a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. 7And thou shalt put pure frankincense with each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial- part, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 8Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the LORD continually; it is from the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant. 9And it shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, a perpetual due.’ 10And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp. 11And the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12And they put him in ward, that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of the LORD. 13And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 14’Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all 24 that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. 16And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him; as well the stranger, as the home-born, when he blasphemeth the Name, shall be put to death. 17And he that smiteth any man mortally shall surely be put to death. 18And he that smiteth a beast mortally shall make it good: life for life. 19And if a man maim his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him: 20breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he hath maimed a man, so shall it be rendered unto him. 21And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; and he that killeth a man shall be put to death. 22Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for the home-born; for I am the LORD your God.’ 23And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and they brought forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses. ... And the LORD spoke unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying: 2Speak 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. 3Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the produce thereof. 4But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath unto the LORD; thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 5That which groweth of itself of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, and the grapes of thy undressed vine thou shalt not gather; it shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. 6And the sabbath-produce of the land shall be for food for you: for thee, and for thy servant and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant and for the settler by thy side that sojourn with thee; 7and for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be for food. 8And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and there shall be unto thee the days of seven sabbaths of years, even forty and nine years. 9Then shalt thou make proclamation with the blast of the horn on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of atonement shall ye make proclamation with the horn throughout all your land. 10And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout 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. 11A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you; ye shall not sow, neither reap that which 25 groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of the undressed vines. 12For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy unto you; ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. 13In this year of jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession. 14And if thou sell aught unto thy neighbour, or buy of thy neighbour’s hand, ye shall not wrong one another. 15According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the crops he shall sell unto thee. 16According to the multitude of the years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of the years thou shalt diminish the price of it; for the number of crops doth he sell unto thee. 17And ye shall not wrong one another; but thou shalt fear thy God; for I am the LORD your God. 18Wherefore ye shall do My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. 19And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat until ye have enough, and dwell therein in safety. 20And if ye shall say: ‘What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we may not sow, nor gather in our increase’; 21then I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth produce for the three years. 22And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the produce, the old store; until the ninth year, until her produce come in, ye shall eat the old store. 23And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers and settlers with Me. 24And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. 25If thy brother be waxen poor, and sell some of his possession, then shall his kinsman that is next unto him come, and shall redeem that which his brother hath sold. 26And if a man have no one to redeem it, and he be waxen rich and find sufficient means to redeem it; 27then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; and he shall return unto his possession. 28But if he have not sufficient means to get it back for himself, then that which he hath 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. 29And if a man sell a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of redemption. 30And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him that bought it, throughout his generations; it shall not go out in the jubilee. 31But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be reckoned with the fields of the country; they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee. 32But as for the cities of the Levites, the houses of the cities of their possession, the Levites shall have a perpetual right of redemption. 33And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession, shall go out in the jubilee; for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34But the fields of the open land about their cities may not be sold; for that is their perpetual possession. 35And if thy brother be waxen poor, and his means fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger and a settler shall he live with thee. 36Take thou no interest of him or increase; but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. 37Thou shalt not give him thy money upon interest, nor give him thy victuals for increase. 38I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God. 39And if thy brother be waxen poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee, thou shalt not make him to serve as a bondservant. 40As a hired servant, and as a settler, he shall be with thee; he shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee. 41Then shall he go out from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. 42For they are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as bondmen. 43Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God. 44And as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, whom thou mayest have: of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. 45Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them may ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they have begotten in your land; and they may be your possession. 46And ye may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession: of them may ye take your bondmen for ever; but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigour. 47And if a stranger who is a settler with thee be waxen rich, and thy brother be waxen poor beside him, and sell himself unto the stranger who is a settler with thee, or to the offshoot of a stranger’s family, 48after that he is sold he may be redeemed; one of his brethren may redeem him; 49or his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be waxen rich, he may redeem himself. 50And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he sold himself to him unto the year of jubilee; and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him. 51If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. 52And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according unto his years shall he give back the price of his redemption. 53As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him; he shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight. 54And if he be not redeemed by any of these means, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he, and his children with him. 55For unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they are My servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Ye shall make you no idols, neither shall ye rear you up a graven image, or a pillar, neither shall ye place any figured stone in your land, to bow down unto it; for I am the LORD your God. 2Ye shall keep My sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. ..... 3If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them; 4then I will give your rains in their season, and the land shall yield her produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread until ye have enough, and dwell in your land safely. 6And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid; and I will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. 7And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9And I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you; and will establish My covenant with you. 10And ye shall eat old store long kept, and ye shall bring forth the old from before the new. 11And I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. 12And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people. 13I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you go upright. 14But if ye will not hearken unto Me, and will not do all these commandments; 15and if ye shall reject My statutes, and if your soul abhor Mine ordinances, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant; 16I also will do this unto you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall make the eyes to fail, and the soul to languish; and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17And I will set My face against you, and ye shall be smitten before your enemies; they that hate you shall rule 26 over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. 18And if ye will not yet for these things hearken unto Me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. 19And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass. 20And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield her produce, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruit. 21And if ye walk contrary unto Me, and will not hearken unto Me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. 22And I will send the beast of the field among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your ways shall become desolate. 23And if in spite of these things ye will not be corrected unto Me, but will walk contrary unto Me; 24then will I also walk contrary unto you; and I will smite you, even I, seven times for your sins. 25And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute the vengeance of the covenant; and ye shall be gathered together within your cities; and I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight; and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. 27And if ye will not for all this hearken unto Me, but walk contrary unto Me; 28then I will walk contrary unto you in fury; and I also will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your sun- pillars, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you. 31And I will make your cities a waste, and will bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. 32And I will bring the land into desolation; and your enemies that dwell therein shall be astonished at it. 33And you will I scatter among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you; and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste. 34Then shall the land be paid her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye are in your enemies’land; even then shall the land rest, and repay her sabbaths. 35As long as it lieth desolate it shall have rest; even the rest which it had not in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. 36And as for them that are left of you, I will send a faintness into their heart in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a driven leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as one fleeth from the sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. 37And they shall stumble one upon another, as it were before the sword, when none pursueth; and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38And ye shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. 40And they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, in their treachery which they committed against Me, and also that they have walked contrary unto Me. 41I also will walk contrary unto them, and bring them into the land of their enemies; if then perchance their uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they then be paid the punishment of their iniquity; 42then will I remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. 43For the land shall lie forsaken without them, and shall be paid her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them; and they shall be paid the punishment of their iniquity; because, even because they rejected Mine ordinances, and their soul abhorred My statutes. 44And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD. 46These are the statutes and ordinances and laws, which the LORD made between Him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When a man shall clearly utter a vow of persons unto the LORD, according to thy valuation, 3then thy valuation shall be for the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4And if it be a female, then thy valuation shall be thirty shekels. 5And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy valuation shall be for the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 6And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy valuation shall be for the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy valuation shall be three shekels of silver. 7And if it be from sixty years old and upward: if it be a male, then thy valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8But if he be too poor for thy valuation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to the means of him that vowed shall the priest value him. 9And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all 27 that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy. 10He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy. 11And if it be any unclean beast, of which they may not bring an offering unto the LORD, then he shall set the beast before the priest. 12And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad; as thou the priest valuest it, so shall it be. 13But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part thereof unto thy valuation. 14And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad; as the priest shall value it, so shall it stand. 15And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy valuation unto it, and it shall be his. 16And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD part of the field of his possession, then thy valuation shall be according to the sowing thereof; the sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to thy valuation it shall stand. 18But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain unto the year of jubilee, and an abatement shall be made from thy valuation. 19And if he that sanctified the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy valuation unto it, and it shall be assured to him. 20And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more. 21But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest’s. 22And if he sanctify unto the LORD a field which he hath bought, which is not of the field of his possession; 23then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy valuation unto the year of jubilee; and he shall give thy valuation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD. 24In the year of jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongeth. 25And all thy valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary; twenty gerahs shall be the shekel. 26Howbeit the firstling among beasts, which is born as a firstling to the LORD, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox or sheep, it is the LORD’S. 27And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall ransom it according to thy valuation, and shall add unto it the fifth part thereof; or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy valuation. 28Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a man may devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, whether of man or beast, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. 29None devoted, that may be devoted of men, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death. 30And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S; it is holy unto the LORD. 31And if a man will redeem aught of his tithe, he shall add unto it the fifth part thereof. 32And all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. 33He shall not inquire whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it; and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. 34These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai. ..... NUMBERS AND THE LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2’Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls; 3from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: ye shall number them by their hosts, even thou and Aaron. 4And with you there shall be a man of every tribe, every one head of his fathers’house. 5And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur. 6Of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7Of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8Of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar. 9Of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon. 10Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 11Of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12Of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13Of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran. 14Of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15Of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.’ 16These were the elect of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel. 17And Moses and Aaron took these men that are pointed out by name. 18And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19As the LORD commanded Moses, so did he number them in the wilderness of Sinai. 20And the children of Reuben, Israel’s first-born, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 21those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 22Of the children of Simeon, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, those that were numbered thereof, according to the number of names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 23those that were numbered of 1 them, of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 24Of the children of Gad, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 25those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. 26Of the children of Judah, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 27those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 28Of the children of Issachar, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 29those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 30Of the children of Zebulun, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 31those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 32Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 33those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. 34Of the children of Manasseh, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 35those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 36Of the children of Benjamin, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 37those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 38Of the children of Dan, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 39those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 40Of the children of Asher, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 41those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 42Of the children of Naphtali, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 43those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 44These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men; they were each one for his fathers’house. 45And all those that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers’houses, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; 46even all those that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 47But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. 48And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 49’Howbeit the tribe of Levi thou shalt not number, neither shalt thou take the sum of them among the children of Israel; 50but appoint thou the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all the furniture thereof, and over all that belongeth to it; they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. 51And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up; and the common man that draweth nigh shall be put to death. 52And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man with his own camp, and every man with his own standard, according to their hosts. 53But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of the testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.’ 54Thus did the children of Israel; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 2’The children of Israel shall pitch by their fathers’houses; every man with his own standard, according to the ensigns; a good way off shall they pitch round about the tent of meeting. 3Now those that pitch on the east side toward the sunrising shall be they of the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their hosts; the prince of the children of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab, 4and his host, and those that were numbered of them, threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred; 5and those that pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar; 2 the prince of the children of Issachar being Nethanel the son of Zuar, 6and his host, even those that were numbered thereof, fifty and four thousand and four hundred; 7and the tribe of Zebulun; the prince of the children of Zebulun being Eliab the son of Helon, 8and his host, and those that were numbered thereof, fifty and seven thousand and four hundred; 9all that were numbered of the camp of Judah being a hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, according to their hosts; they shall set forth first. 10On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their hosts; the prince of the children of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur, 11and his host, and those that were numbered thereof, forty and six thousand and five hundred; 12and those that pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Simeon; the prince of the children of Simeon being Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, 13and his host, and those that were numbered of them, fifty and nine thousand and three hundred; 14and the tribe of Gad; the prince of the children of Gad being Eliasaph the son of Reuel, 15and his host, even those that were numbered of them, forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty; 16all that were numbered of the camp of Reuben being a hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, according to their hosts; and they shall set forth second. 17Then the tent of meeting, with the camp of the Levites, shall set forward in the midst of the camps; as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place, by their standards. 18On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their hosts; the prince of the children of Ephraim being Elishama the son of Ammihud, 19and his host, and those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred; 20and next unto him shall be the tribe of Manasseh; the prince of the children of Manasseh being Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, 21and his host, and those that were numbered of them, thirty and two thousand and two hundred; 22and the tribe of Benjamin; the prince of the children of Benjamin being Abidan the son of Gideoni, 23and his host, and those that were numbered of them, thirty and five thousand and four hundred; 24all that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim being a hundred thousand and eight thousand and a hundred, according to their hosts; and they shall set forth third. 25On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan according to their hosts; the prince of the children of Dan being Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, 26and his host, and those that were numbered of them, threescore and two thousand and seven hundred; 27and those that pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Asher; the prince of the children of Asher being Pagiel the son of Ochran, 28and his host, and those that were numbered of them, forty and one thousand and five hundred; 29and the tribe of Naphtali; the prince of the children of Naphtali being Ahira the son of Enan, 30and his host, and those that were numbered of them, fifty and three thousand and four hundred; 31all that were numbered of the camp of Dan being a hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred; they shall set forth hindmost by their standards.’ 32These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers’houses; all that were numbered of the camps according to their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 33But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. 34Thus did the children of Israel: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, each one according to its families, and according to its fathers’houses. Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses in mount Sinai. 2And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests that were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. 4And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Aaron their father. 5And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 6’Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. 7And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8And they shall keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given unto him from the children of Israel. 10And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, that they may keep their priesthood; and the common man that draweth nigh shall be put to death.’ 11And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12’And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every first-born that openeth the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be Mine; 13for all the first-born are Mine: on the day that I smote all the first- born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast, Mine they shall be: I am the LORD.’ 3 14And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying: 15’Number the children of Levi by their fathers’houses, by their families; every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.’ 16And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded. 17And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. 18And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. 19And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 20And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’houses. 21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites; these are the families of the Gershonites. 22Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred. 23The families of the Gershonites were to pitch behind the tabernacle westward; 24the prince of the fathers’house of the Gershonites being Eliasaph the son of Lael, 25and the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting the tabernacle, and the Tent, the covering thereof, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting, 26and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court—which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar, round about—and the cords of it, even whatsoever pertaineth to the service thereof. 27And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites: 28according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, eight thousand and six hundred, keepers of the charge of the sanctuary. 29The families of the sons of Kohath were to pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward; 30the prince of the fathers’house of the families of the Kohathites being Elizaphan the son of Uzziel, 31and their charge the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith the priests minister, and the screen, and all that pertaineth to the service thereof; 32Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest being prince of the princes of the Levites, and having the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary. 33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari. 34And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred; 35the prince of the fathers’house of the families of Merari being Zuriel the son of Abihail; they were to pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward; 36the appointed charge of the sons of Merari being the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the instruments thereof, and all that pertaineth to the service thereof; 37and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. 38And those that were to pitch before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, were Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary, even the charge for the children of Israel; and the common man that drew nigh was to be put to death. 39All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand. 40And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Number all the first-born males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41And thou shalt take the Levites for Me, even the LORD, instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.’ 42And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the first-born among the children of Israel. 43And all the first-born males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen. 44And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 45’Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be Mine, even the LORD’S. 46And as for the redemption of the two hundred and three score and thirteen of the first-born of the children of Israel, that are over and above the number of the Levites, 47thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll; after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them—the shekel is twenty gerahs. 48And thou shalt give the money wherewith they that remain over of them are redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons.’ 49And Moses took the redemption-money from them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites; 50from the first-born of the children of Israel took he the money: a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 51And Moses gave the redemption-money unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 2’Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’houses, 3from 4 thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter upon the service, to do work in the tent of meeting. 4This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, about the most holy things: 5when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it; 6and shall put thereon a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall set the staves thereof. 7And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the pans, and the bowls, and the jars wherewith to pour out; and the continual bread shall remain thereon. 8And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall set the staves thereof. 9And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it. 10And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it upon a bar. 11And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall set the staves thereof. 12And they shall take all the vessels of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on a bar. 13And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon. 14And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, the fire-pans, the flesh-hooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of sealskin, and set the staves thereof. 15And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the holy furniture, and all the holy vessels, as the camp is to set forward—after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear them; but they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting. 16And the charge of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the continual meal- offering, and the anointing oil: he shall have the charge of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, whether it be the sanctuary, or the furniture thereof.’ 17And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 18’Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; 19but thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden; 20but they shall not go in to see the holy things as they are being covered, lest they die.’ ... 21And the LORD spoke unto Moses saying: 22’Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’houses, by their families; 23from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them: all that enter in to wait upon the service, to do service in the tent of meeting. 24This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens: 25they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above upon it, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting; 26and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatsoever there may be to do with them, therein shall they serve. 27At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden, and in all their service; and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burden. 28This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting; and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 29As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them by their families, by their fathers’houses; 30from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth upon the service, to do the work of the tent of meeting. 31And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof; 32and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, even all their appurtenance, and all that pertaineth to their service; and by name ye shall appoint the instruments of the charge of their burden. 33This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tent of meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.’ 34And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers’houses, 35from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for service in the tent of meeting. 36And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, of all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 38And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families, and by their fathers’houses, 39from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for service in the tent of meeting, 40even those that were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers’houses, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. 41These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD. 42And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers’houses, 43from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for service in the tent of meeting, 44even those that were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand and two hundred. 45These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 46All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers’houses, 47from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, 48even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. 49According to the commandment of the LORD they were appointed by the hand of Moses, every one to his service, and to his burden; they were also numbered, as the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is unclean by the dead; 3both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camp, in the midst whereof I dwell.’ 4And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp; as the LORD spoke unto Moses, so did the children of Israel. 5And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 6Speak unto the children of Israel: When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to commit a trespass against the LORD, and that soul be guilty; 7then they shall confess their sin which they have done; and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him in respect of whom he hath been guilty. 8But if the man have no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for 5 guilt which is made shall be the LORD’S, even the priest’s; besides the ram of the atonement, whereby atonement shall be made for him. 9And every heave-offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present unto the priest, shall be his. 10And every man’s hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his. 11And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: If any man’s wife go aside, and act unfaithfully against him, 13and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, she being defiled secretly, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken in the act; 14and the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled; or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled; 15then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is a meal- offering of jealousy, a meal-offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. 16And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD. 17And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water. 18And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and let the hair of the woman’s head go loose, and put the meal-offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal- offering of jealousy; and the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that causeth the curse. 19And the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman: ‘If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water of bitterness that causeth the curse; 20but if thou hast gone aside, being under thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee besides thy husband— 21then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman—the LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy belly to swell; 22and this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to fall away’; and the woman shall say: ‘Amen, Amen.’ 23And the priest shall write these curses in a scroll, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness. 24And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter. 25And the priest shall take the meal-offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the meal-offering before the LORD, and bring it unto the altar. 26And the priest shall take a handful of the meal- offering, as the memorial-part thereof, and make it smoke upon the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. 27And when he hath made her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have acted unfaithfully against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away; and the woman shall be a curse among her people. 28And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be cleared, and shall conceive seed. 29This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goeth aside, and is defiled; 30or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon a man, and he be jealous over his wife; then shall he set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. 31And the man shall be clear from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When either man or woman shall clearly utter a vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to consecrate himself unto the LORD, 3he shall abstain from wine and strong drink: he shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. 4All the days of his Naziriteship shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the pressed grapes even to the grapestone. 5All the days of his vow of Naziriteship there shall no razor come upon his head; until the days be fulfilled, in which he consecrateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. 6All the days that he consecrateth himself unto the LORD he shall not come near to a dead body. 7He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his consecration unto God is upon his head. 8All the days of his Naziriteship he is holy unto the LORD. 9And if any man die very suddenly beside him, and he defile his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. 10And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting. 11And the priest shall prepare one for a sin- offering, and the other for a burnt- offering, and make atonement for him, for that he sinned by reason of the dead; and he shall hallow his head that same day. 12And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his Naziriteship, and shall bring a he-lamb of the first year for a guilt-offering; but the former days shall be void, because his consecration was defiled. 6 13And this is the law of the Nazirite, when the days of his consecration are fulfilled: he shall abring it unto the door of the tent of meeting; 14and he shall present his offering unto the LORD, one he-lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt-offering, and one ewe-lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin-offering, and one ram without blemish for peace- offerings, 15and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings. 16And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin-offering, and his burnt- offering. 17And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall offer also the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. 18And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of his consecrated head, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace- offerings. 19And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram when it is sodden, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazirite, after he hath shaven his consecrated head. 20And the a That is, bring his consecrated head (come with his consecrated hair unshaven). priest shall wave them for a wave- offering before the LORD; this is holy for the priest, together with the breast of waving and the thigh of heaving; and after that the Nazirite may drink wine. 21This is the law of the Nazirite who voweth, and of his offering unto the LORD for his Naziriteship, beside that for which his means suffice; according to his vow which he voweth, so he must do after the law of his Naziriteship. 22And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 23’Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying: On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; ye shall say unto them: 24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee; 25The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; 26The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.’ And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, and all the furniture thereof, and the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them and sanctified them; 2that the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers’houses, offered—these were the princes of the tribes, these are they that were over them that were 7 numbered. 3And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen: a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox; and they presented them before the tabernacle. 4And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 5’Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tent of meeting; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.’ 6And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. 7Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service. 8And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the holy things belonged unto them: they bore them upon their shoulders. 10And the princes brought the dedication-offering of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes brought their offering before the altar. 11And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘They shall present their offering each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.’ 12And he that presented his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah; 13and his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal- offering; 14one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 15one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 16one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 17and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 18On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer: 19he presented for his offering one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; 20one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 21one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 22one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 23and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar. 24On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun: 25his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal- offering; 26one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 27one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 28one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 29and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon. 30On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben: 31his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal- offering; 32one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 33one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 34one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 35and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur. 36On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon: 37his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; 38one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 39one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 40one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 41and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 42On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad: 43his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal- offering; 44one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 45one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 46one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 47and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 48On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim: 49his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; 50one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 51one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 52one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 53and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud. 54On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh: 55his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; 56one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 57one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 58one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 59and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lamb of the first year. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 60On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin: 61his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal- offering; 62one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 63one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 64one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 65and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni. 66On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan: 67his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; 68one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 69one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 70one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 71and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 72On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ochran, prince of the children of Asher: 73his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal- offering; 74one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 75one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 76one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 77and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran. 78On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali: 79his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal- offering; 80one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 81one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 82one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 83and for the sacrifice of peace- offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he- goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan. 84This was the dedication-offering of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, at the hands of the princes of Israel: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver basins, twelve golden pans; 85each silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and each basin seventy; all the silver of the vessels two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; 86twelve golden pans, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the pans a hundred and twenty shekels; 87all the oxen for the burnt-offering twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the he-lambs of the first year twelve, and their meal-offering; and the males of the goats for a sin- offering twelve; 88and all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace-offerings twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he-goats sixty, the he-lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication- offering of the altar, after that it was anointed. 89And when Moses went into the tent of meeting that He might speak with him, then he heard the Voice speaking unto him from above the ark-cover that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and He spoke unto him. ...... And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him: When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the candlestick.’ 3And Aaron did so: he lighted the lamps thereof so as to give light in front of the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. 4And this was the work of the candlestick, beaten work of gold; unto the base thereof, and unto the flowers thereof, it was beaten work; according unto the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the candlestick. 5And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 6’Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them cause a razor to pass over all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves. 8Then let them take a young bullock, and its meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin-offering. 9And thou shalt present the Levites before the 8 tent of meeting; and thou shalt assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel. 10And thou shalt present the Levites before the LORD; and the children of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites. 11And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for a wave-offering from the children of Israel, that they may be to do the service of the LORD. 12And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks; and offer thou the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, unto the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 13And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for a wave-offering unto the LORD. 14Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be Mine. 15And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tent of meeting; and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for a wave-offering. 16For they are wholly given unto Me from among the children of Israel; instead of all that openeth the womb, even the first-born of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto Me. 17For all the first- born among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself. 18And I have taken the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel. 19And I have given the Levites— they are given to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel, through the children of Israel coming nigh unto the sanctuary.’ 20Thus did Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the Levites; according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses touching the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them. 21And the Levites purified themselves, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a sacred gift before the LORD; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron, and before his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 23And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 24’This is that which pertaineth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the service in the work of the tent of meeting; 25and from the age of fifty years they shall return from the service of the work, and shall serve no more; 26but shall minister with their brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, but they shall do no manner of service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charges.’ And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2’Let the children of Israel keep the passover in its appointed season. 3In the fourteenth day of this month, at dusk, ye shall keep it in its appointed season; according to all the statutes of it, and according to all the ordinances thereof, shall ye keep it.’ 4And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5And they kept the passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at dusk, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. 6But there were certain men, who were unclean by the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the passover on that day; and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. 7And those men said unto him: ‘We are unclean by the dead body of a man; wherefore are we to be kept back, so as not to bring the offering of the LORD in its appointed season among the children of Israel?’ 8And Moses said unto them: ‘Stay ye, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.’ 9And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 10’Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If any man of you or of your generations shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD; 11in the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; 12they shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break a bone thereof; according to all the statute of the passover they shall keep it. 13But the man that is clean, and is not on a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, that soul shall be cut off from his people; because he brought not the offering of the LORD in its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD: according to the statute of the passover, and according to the ordinance thereof, so shall he do; ye shall have one statute, both for the stranger, and for him that is born in the land.’ 15And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the tent of the testimony; and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until morning. 16So it was alway: the cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night. 17And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel encamped. 18At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they 9 encamped: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they remained encamped. 19And when the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. 20And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed. 21And sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they journeyed; or if it continued by day and by night, when the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. 22Whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, abiding thereon, the children of Israel remained encamped, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed. 23At the commandment of the LORD they encamped, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Make thee two trumpets of silver; of beaten work shalt thou make them; and they shall be unto thee for the calling of the congregation, and for causing the camps to set forward. 3And when they shall blow with them, all the congregation shall gather themselves unto thee at the door of the tent of meeting. 4And if they blow but with one, then the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. 5And when ye blow an alarm, the camps that lie on the east side shall take their journey. 6And when ye blow an alarm the second time, the camps that lie on the south side shall set forward; they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. 7But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. 8And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for a statute for ever throughout your generations. 9And when ye go to war in your land against the adversary that oppresseth you, then ye shall sound an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 10Also in the day of your gladness, and in your appointed seasons, and in your new moons, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt-offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace-offerings; and they shall be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.’ 11And it came to pass in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, that the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony. 12And the children of Israel set forward by their stages out of the wilderness of Sinai; 10 and the cloud abode in the wilderness of Paran.—13And they took their first journey, according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 14And in the first place the standard of the camp of the children of Judah set forward according to their hosts; and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. 16And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. 17And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who bore the tabernacle, set forward. 18And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their hosts; and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 21And the Kohathites the bearers of the sanctuary set forward, that the tabernacle might be set up against their coming. 22And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their hosts; and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan, which was the rearward of all the camps, set forward according to their hosts; and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ochran. 27And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their hosts.—And they set forward. 29And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’father-in-law: ‘We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said: I will give it you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.’ 30And he said unto him: ‘I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.’ 31And he said: ‘Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes. 32And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what good soever the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.’ 33And they set forward from the mount of the LORD three days’journey; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them three days’journey, to seek out a resting-place for them. 34And the cloud of the LORD was over them by day, when they set forward from the camp. 35And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said: ‘Rise up, O LORD, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.’ 36And when it rested, he said: ‘Return, O LORD, unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel.’ And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the ears of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp. 2And the people cried unto Moses; and Moses prayed unto the LORD, and the fire abated. 3And the name of that place was called aTaberah, because the fire of the LORD burnt among them. a That is, Burning. 4And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting; and the children of Israel also wept on their part, and said: ‘Would that we were given flesh to eat! 5We remember the fish, which we were wont to eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; 6but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all; we have nought save this manna to look to.’—7Now the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium. 8The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and seethed it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of a cake baked with oil. 9And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.—10And Moses heard the people weeping, family by family, every man at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased. 11And Moses said unto the LORD: ‘Wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with Thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that Thou shouldest say unto me: Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which Thou didst swear unto their fathers? 13Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they trouble me with their weeping, saying: Give us flesh, that we may eat. 14I am not able to bear all this people myself alone, because it is too heavy for me. 15And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in Thy sight; and let me not look upon my wretchedness.’ 16And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with thee. 17And I will come down and speak with thee there; and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the 11 people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. 18And say thou unto the people: Sanctify yourselves against to- morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying: Would that we were given flesh to eat! for it was well with us in Egypt; therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 20but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected the LORD who is among you, and have troubled Him with weeping, saying: Why, now, came we forth out of Egypt?’ 21And Moses said: ‘The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and yet Thou hast said: I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month! 22If flocks and herds be slain for them, will they suffice them? or if all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, will they suffice them?’ 23And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Is the LORD’S hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether My word shall come to pass unto thee or not.’ 24And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent. 25And the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more. 26But there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad; and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were recorded, but had not gone out unto the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp. 27And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said: ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ 28And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth up, answered and said: ‘My lord Moses, shut them in.’ 29And Moses said unto him: ‘Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all the LORD’S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His spirit upon them! ’ 30And Moses withdrew into the camp, he and the elders of Israel. 31And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought across quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth. 32And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails; he that gathered least gathered ten heaps; and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. 33While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. 34And the name of that place was called Kibroth- hattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted. 35From aKibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed unto Hazeroth; and they abode at Hazeroth. a That is, The graves of lust. And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman. 2And they said: ‘Hath the LORD indeed spoken only with Moses? hath He not spoken also with us?’ And the LORD heard it.— 3Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.— 4And the LORD spoke suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam: ‘Come out ye three unto the tent of meeting.’ And they three came out. 5And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth. 6And He said: ‘Hear now My words: if there be a prophet among you, I the LORD do make Myself known unto him in a vision, I do speak with him in a dream. 7My servant Moses is not so; he is trusted in all My house; 8with him do I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD doth he behold; wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?’ 9And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and He departed. 10And when the cloud was removed from over the Tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow; and Aaron looked upon Miriam; and, behold, she was leprous. 11And Aaron said unto Moses: ‘Oh my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have sinned. 12Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.’ 13And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying: ‘Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee.’ 14And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘If her father had but spit in her face, should she not hide in shame seven days? let her be shut up without the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.’ 15And Miriam was shut up without the camp seven days; and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. 16And afterward the people journeyed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran. ... And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Send thou men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a prince among them.’ 3And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran 12 13 according to the commandment of the LORD; all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. 5Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. 6Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 7Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. 8Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. 9Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. 10Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. 11Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. 12Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. 13Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. 14Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. 15Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. 17And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them: ‘Get you up here into the South, and go up into the mountains; 18and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; 20and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.’—Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.— 21So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, at the entrance to Hamath. 22And they went up into the South, and came unto Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there.—Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.— 23And they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it upon a pole between two; they took also of the pomegranates, and of the figs.— 24That place was called the valley of aEshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from thence.— 25And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. 26And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27And they told him, and said: ‘We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are fierce, and the cities are fortified, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29Amalek dwelleth in the land of the South; and the Hittite, and a That is, a cluster. the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanite dwelleth by the sea, and along by the side of the Jordan.’ 30And Caleb stilled the people toward Moses, and said: ‘We should go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.’ 31But the men that went up with him said: ‘We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.’ 32And they spread an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying: ‘The land, through which we have passed to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. 33And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.’ And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them: ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would we had died in this wilderness! 3And wherefore doth the LORD bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey; were it not better for us to return into Egypt?’ 4And they said one to another: ‘Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.’ 5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes. 7And they spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: ‘The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land. 8If the LORD delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it unto us—a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9Only rebel not against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us; their defence is removed from over them, and the LORD is with us; fear them not.’ 10But all the congregation bade stone them with stones, when the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the children of Israel. 11And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘How long will this people despise Me? and how long will they not believe in Me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them? 12I will smite them with the pestilence, and destroy them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.’ 13And Moses said unto the LORD: ‘When the Egyptians shall hear—for Thou broughtest up this people in Thy might from among them—14they will say to the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that Thou LORD art in the midst of this people; inasmuch as Thou LORD art seen face to face, and Thy cloud standeth over them, and Thou goest before them, in a pillar of 14 cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night; 15now if Thou shalt kill this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of Thee will speak, saying: 16Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which He swore unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness. 17And now, I pray Thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as Thou hast spoken, saying: 18The LORD is slow to anger, and plenteous in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. 19Pardon, I pray Thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of Thy lovingkindness, and according as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.’ 20And the LORD said: ‘I have pardoned according to thy word’21But in very deed, as I live—and all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD— 22surely all those men that have seen My glory, and My signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to proof these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice; 23surely they shall not see the land which I swore unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised Me see it. 24But My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. 25Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the Vale; tomorrow turn ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’ 26And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 27’How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that keep murmuring against Me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they keep murmuring against Me. 28Say unto them: As I live, saith the LORD, surely as ye have spoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you: 29your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, ye that have murmured against Me; 30surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I lifted up My hand that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31But your little ones, that ye said would be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected. 32But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33And your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your strayings, until your carcasses be consumed in the wilderness. 34After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know My displeasure. 35I the LORD have spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against Me; in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ 36And the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who, when they returned, made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land, 37even those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the LORD. 38But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land. 39And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel; and the people mourned greatly. 40And they rose up early in the morning, and got them up to the top of the mountain, saying: ‘Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised; for we have sinned.’ 41And Moses said: ‘Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD, seeing it shall not prosper? 42Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten down before your enemies. 43For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword; forasmuch as ye are turned back from following the LORD, and the LORD will not be with you.’ 44But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain; nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. 45Then the Amalekite and the Canaanite, who dwelt in that hill-country, came down, and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye are come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you, 3and will make an offering by fire unto the LORD, a burnt-offering, or a sacrifice, in fulfilment of a vow clearly uttered, or as a freewill-offering, or in your appointed seasons, to make a sweet savour unto the LORD, of the herd, or of the flock; 4then shall he that bringeth his offering present unto the LORD a meal-offering of a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of oil; 5and wine for the drink-offering, the fourth part of a hin, shalt thou prepare with the burnt-offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb. 6Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meal-offering two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the third part of a hin of oil; 7and for the drink-offering thou shalt present the third part of a hin of wine, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 8And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt-offering, or for a sacrifice, in fulfilment of a vow clearly uttered, or for peace-offerings unto the LORD; 9then shall there be presented with the bullock a meal-offering of three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with half a hin of oil. 10And thou shalt 15 present for the drink-offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 11Thus shall it be done for each bullock, or for each ram, or for each of the he-lambs, or of the kids. 12According to the number that ye may prepare, so shall ye do for every one according to their number. 13All that are home-born shall do these things after this manner, in presenting an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 14And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever may be among you, throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do. 15As for the congregation, there shall be one statute both for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you, a statute for ever throughout your generations; as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. 16One law and one ordinance shall be both for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. 17And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 18Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye come into the land whither I bring you, 19then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall set apart a portion for a gift unto the LORD. 20Of the first of your dough ye shall set apart a cake for a gift; as that which is set apart of the threshing-floor, so shall ye set it apart. 21Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD a portion for a gift throughout your generations. 22And when ye shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses, 23even all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations; 24then it shall be, if it be done in error by the congregation, it being hid from their eyes, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt- offering, for a sweet savour unto the LORD—with the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof, according to the ordinance—and one he-goat for a sin-offering. 25And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin-offering before the LORD, for their error. 26And all the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; for in respect of all the people it was done in error. 27And if one person sin through error, then he shall offer a she-goat of the first year for a sin-offering. 28And the priest shall make atonement for the soul that erreth, when he sinneth through error, before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven, 29both he that is home- born among the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them: ye shall have one law for him that doeth aught in error. 30But the soul that doeth aught with a high hand, whether he be home-born or a stranger, the same blasphemeth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 31Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken His commandment; that soul shall utterly be cut off, his iniquity shall be upon him. 32And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks upon the sabbath day. 33And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 34And they put him in ward, because it had not been declared what should be done to him. 35And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.’ 36And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died, as the LORD commanded Moses. 37And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 38’Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them throughout their generations fringes in the corners of their garments, and that they put with the fringe of each corner a thread of blue. 39And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray; 40that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.’ ... Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; 2and they rose up in face of Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty men; they were princes of the congregation, the elect men of the assembly, men of renown; 3and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them: ‘Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them; wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?’ 4And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face. 5And he spoke unto Korah and unto all his company, saying: ‘In the morning the LORD will show who are His, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto Him; even him whom He may choose will He cause to come near unto Him. 16 6This do: take you censors, Korah, and all his company; 7and put fire therein, and put incense upon them before the LORD to-morrow; and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy; ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.’ 8And Moses said unto Korah: ‘Hear now, ye sons of Levi: 9is it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them; 10and that He hath brought thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee? and will ye seek the priesthood also? 11Therefore thou and all thy company that are gathered together against the LORD—; and as to Aaron, what is he that ye murmur against him?’ 12And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said: ‘We will not come up; 13is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but thou must needs make thyself also a prince over us? 14Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards; wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.’ 15And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD: ‘Respect not thou their offering; I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.’ 16And Moses said unto Korah: ‘Be thou and all thy congregation before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow; 17and take ye every man his fire-pan, and put incense upon them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his fire- pan, two hundred and fifty fire-pans; thou also, and Aaron, each his fire- pan.’ 18And they took every man his fire-pan, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19And Korah assembled all the congregation against them unto the door of the tent of meeting; and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation. 20And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 21’Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.’ 22And they fell upon their faces, and said: ‘O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be wroth with all the congregation?’ 23And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 24’Speak unto the congregation, saying: Get you up from about the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ 25And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. 26And he spoke unto the congregation, saying: ‘Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be swept away in all their sins.’ 27So they got them up from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side; and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, and their sons, and their little ones. 28And Moses said: ‘Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works, and that I have not done them of mine own mind. 29If these men die the common death of all men, and be visited after the visitation of all men, then the LORD hath not sent Me. 30But if the LORD make a new thing, and the ground open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into the pit, then ye shall understand that these men have despised the LORD.’ 31And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground did cleave asunder that was under them. 32And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit; and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly. 34And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said: ‘Lest the earth swallow us up.’ 35And fire came forth from the LORD, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2‘Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the fire-pans out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are become holy; 3even the fire-pans of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar—for they are become holy, because they were offered before the LORD—that they may be a sign unto the children of Israel.’ 4And Eleazar the priest took the brazen fire-pans, which they that were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar, 5to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no common man, that is not of the seed of Aaron, draw near to burn incense before the LORD; that he fare not as Korah, and as his company; as the LORD spoke unto him by the hand of Moses. 6But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying: ‘Ye have killed the people of the LORD.’ 7And it came to pass, when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting; and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 8And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting. 9And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 10’Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.’ And they fell upon their faces. 11And Moses said 17 unto Aaron: ‘Take thy fire-pan, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly unto the congregation, and make atonement for them; for there is wrath gone out from the LORD: the plague is begun.’ 12And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people; and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. 13And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. 14Now they that died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides them that died about the matter of Korah. 15And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tent of meeting, and the plague was stayed. 16And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 17‘Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers’house, of all their princes according to their fathers’houses, twelve rods; thou shalt write every man’s name upon his rod. 18And thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi, for there shall be one rod for the head of their fathers’houses. 19And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 20And it shall come to pass, that the man whom I shall choose, his rod shall bud; and I will make to cease from Me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.’ 21And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers’houses, even twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 22And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tent of the testimony. 23And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and bore ripe almonds. 24And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel; and they looked, and took every man his rod. 25and the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept there, for a token against the rebellious children; that there may be made an end of their murmurings against Me, that they die not.’ 26Thus did Moses; as the LORD commanded him, so did he. 27And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses, saying: ‘Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. 28Every one that cometh near, that cometh near unto the tabernacle of the LORD, is to die; shall we wholly perish?’ And the LORD said unto Aaron: ‘Thou and thy sons and thy fathers’house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 2And thy brethren also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou near with 18 thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee, thou and thy sons with thee being before the tent of the testimony. 3And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the Tent; only they shall not come nigh unto the holy furniture and unto the altar, that they die not, neither they, nor ye. 4And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, whatsoever the service of the Tent may be; but a common man shall not draw nigh unto you. 5And ye shall keep the charge of the holy things, and the charge of the altar, that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel. 6And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; for you they are given as a gift unto the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 7And thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priesthood in everything that pertaineth to the altar, and to that within the veil; and ye shall serve; I give you the priesthood as a service of gift; and the common man that draweth nigh shall be put to death.’ 8And the LORD spoke unto Aaron: ‘And I, behold, I have given thee the charge of My heave-offerings; even of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel unto thee have I given them for a consecrated portion, and to thy sons, as a due for ever. 9This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, even every meal-offering of theirs, and every sin-offering of theirs, and every guilt-offering of theirs, which they may render unto Me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons. 10In a most holy place shalt thou eat thereof; every male may eat thereof; it shall be holy unto thee. 11And this is thine: the heave-offering of their gift, even all the wave-offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever; every one that is clean in thy house may eat thereof. 12All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the corn, the first part of them which they give unto the LORD, to thee have I given them. 13The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring unto the LORD, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thy house may eat thereof. 14Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine. 15Every thing that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto the LORD, both of man and beast, shall be thine; howbeit the first-born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem. 16And their redemption- money—from a month old shalt thou redeem them—shall be, according to thy valuation, five shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary—the same is twenty gerahs. 17But the firstling of an ox, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt dash their blood against the altar, and shalt make their fat smoke for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 18And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave- breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine. 19All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever; it is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.’ 20And the LORD said unto Aaron: ‘Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any portion among them; I am thy portion and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21And unto the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the tent of meeting. 22And henceforth the children of Israel shall not come nigh the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. 23But the Levites alone shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they set apart as a gift unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said unto them: Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ 25And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 26’Moreover thou shalt speak unto the Levites, and say unto them: When ye take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall set apart of it a gift for the LORD, even a tithe of the tithe. 27And the gift which ye set apart shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshing-floor, and as the fulness of the wine-press. 28Thus ye also shall set apart a gift unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and thereof ye shall give the gift which is set apart unto the LORD to Aaron the priest. 29Out of all that is given you ye shall set apart all of that which is due unto the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. 30Therefore thou shalt say unto them: When ye set apart the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the increase of the wine-press. 31And ye may eat it in every place, ye and your households; for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, seeing that ye have set apart from it the best thereof; and ye shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that ye die not.’ ... And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 2This is the statute of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel, that 19 they bring thee a red heifer, faultless, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke. 3And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, and she shall be brought forth without the camp, and she shall be slain before his face. 4And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5And the heifer shall be burnt in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall be burnt. 6And the priest shall take cedar-wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 7Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. 8And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. 9And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of sprinkling; it is a purification from sin. 10And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even; and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever. 11He that toucheth the dead, even any man’s dead body, shall be unclean seven days; 12the same shall purify himself therewith on the third day and on the seventh day, and he shall be clean; but if he purify not himself the third day and the seventh day, he shall not be clean. 13Whosoever toucheth the dead, even the body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself—he hath defiled the tabernacle of the LORD— that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water of sprinkling was not dashed against him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. 14This is the law: when a man dieth in a tent, every one that cometh into the tent, and every thing that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. 15And every open vessel, which hath no covering close-bound upon it, is unclean. 16And whosoever in the open field toucheth one that is slain with a sword, or one that dieth of himself, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the purification from sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel. 18And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave. 19And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him; and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even. 20But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD; the water of sprinkling hath not been dashed against him: he is unclean. 21And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them; and he that sprinkleth the water of sprinkling shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of sprinkling shall be unclean until even. 22And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth him shall be unclean until even. 20 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 2And there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3And the people strove with Moses, and spoke, saying: ‘Would that we had perished when our brethren perished before the LORD! 4And why have ye brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, to die there, we and our cattle? 5And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.’ 6And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces; and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them. 7And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 8’Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink.’ 9And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as He commanded him. 10And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them: ‘Hear now, ye rebels; are we to bring you forth water out of this rock?’ 11And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle. 12And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: ‘Because ye believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’ 13These are the waters of aMeribah, where the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and He was sanctified in them. a That is, Strife. 14And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom: ‘Thus saith thy brother Israel: Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us; 15how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and our fathers; 16and when we cried unto the LORD, He heard our voice, and sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt; and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border. 17Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land; we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; we will go along the king’s highway, we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border.’ 18And Edom said unto him: ‘Thou shalt not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against thee.’ 19And the children of Israel said unto him: ‘We will go up by the highway; and if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then will I give the price thereof; let me only pass through on my feet; there is no hurt.’ 20And he said: ‘Thou shalt not pass through.’ And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 21Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; wherefore Israel turned away from him. 22And they journeyed from Kadesh; and the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came unto mount Hor. 23And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24’Aaron shall be gathered unto his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against My word at the waters of Meribah. 25Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor. 26And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.’ 27And Moses did as the LORD commanded; and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount; and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. 29And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel. 21 And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. 2And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said: ‘If Thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.’ 3And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; and the name of the place was called aHormah. a That is, Utter destruction. 4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became impatient because of the way. 5And the people spoke against God, and against Moses: ‘Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.’ 6And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 7And the people came to Moses, and said: ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us.’ And Moses prayed for the people. 8And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live.’ 9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the pole; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived. 10And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in Oboth. 11And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is in front of Moab, toward the sun-rising. 12From thence they journeyed, and pitched in the valley of Zered. 13From thence they journeyed, and pitched on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness, that cometh out of the border of the Amorites.—For Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites; 14wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of the LORD: Vaheb in Suphah, And the valleys of Arnon, 15And the slope of the valleys That inclineth toward the seat of Ar, And leaneth upon the border of Moab.— 16And from thence to aBeer; that is the well whereof the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Gather the people together, and I will give them water.’ 17Then sang Israel this song: a That is, A well. Spring up, O well—sing ye unto it— 18The well, which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the sceptre, and with their staves. And from the wilderness to Mattanah; 19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; 20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, by the top of Pisgah, which looketh down upon the desert. 21And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying: 22’Let me pass through thy land; we will not turn aside into field, or into vineyard; we will not drink of the water of the wells; we will go by the king’s highway, until we have passed thy border.’ 23And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz; and he fought against Israel. 24And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. 25And Israel took all these cities; and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the towns thereof. 26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon. 27Wherefore they that speak in parables say: Come ye to Heshbon! Let the city of Sihon be built and established! 28For a fire is gone out of Heshbon, A flame from the city of Sihon; It hath devoured Ar of Moab, The lords of the high places of Arnon. 29Woe to thee, Moab! Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh; He hath given his sons as fugitives, And his daughters into captivity, Unto Sihon king of the Amorites. 30We have shot at them—Heshbon is perished—even unto Dibon, And we have laid waste even unto Nophah, Which reacheth unto Medeba. 31Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they took the towns thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there. 33And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Fear him not; for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.’ 35So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him remaining; and they possessed his land. And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. ... 2And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab was overcome with dread because of the children of Israel. 4And Moab said unto the elders of Midian: ‘Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field.’—And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.— 5And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying: ‘Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. 6Come now therefore, I pray thee, 22 curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me; peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.’ 7And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spoke unto him the words of Balak. 8And he said unto them: ‘Lodge here this night, and I will bring you back word, as the LORD may speak unto me’; and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 9And God came unto Balaam, and said: ‘What men are these with thee?’ 10And Balaam said unto God: ‘Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me [saying]: 11Behold the people that is come out of Egypt, it covereth the face of the earth; now, come curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out.’ 12And God said unto Balaam: ‘Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed.’ 13And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak: ‘Get you into your land; for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.’ 14And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said: ‘Balaam refuseth to come with us.’ 15And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 16And they came to Balaam, and said to him: ‘Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor: Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me; 17for I will promote thee unto very great honour, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will do; come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.’ 18And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak: ‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do any thing, small or great. 19Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will speak unto me more.’ 20And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him: ‘If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.’ 21And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22And God’s anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of the LORD placed himself in the way for an adversary against him.— Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.— 23And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field; and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24Then the angel of the LORD stood in a hollow way between the vineyards, a fence being on this side, and a fence on that side. 25And the ass saw the angel of the LORD, and she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; and he smote her again. 26And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27And the ass saw the angel of the LORD, and she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff. 28And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam: ‘What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?’ 29And Balaam said unto the ass: ‘Because thou hast mocked me; I would there were a sword in my hand, for now I had killed thee.’ 30And the ass said unto Balaam: ‘Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden all thy life long unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?’ And he said: ‘Nay.’ 31Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face. 32And the angel of the LORD said unto him: ‘Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is contrary unto me; 33and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times; unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive.’ 34And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD: ‘I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me; now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back.’ 35And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam: ‘Go with the men; but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak.’ So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. 36And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto Ir-moab, which is on the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost part of the border. 37And Balak said unto Balaam: ‘Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?’ 38And Balaam said unto Balak: ‘Lo, I am come unto thee; have I now any power at all to speak any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.’ 39And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kiriath-huzoth. 40And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 41And it came to pass in the morning that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into Bamoth-baal, and he saw from thence the utmost part of the people. And Balaam said unto Balak: ‘Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.’ 2And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. 3And Balaam said unto Balak: ‘Stand by thy burnt- offering, and I will go; peradventure the LORD will come to meet me; and whatsoever He showeth me I will tell 23 thee.’ And he went to a bare height. 4And God met Balaam; and he said unto Him: ‘I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.’ 5And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said: ‘Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.’ 6And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt-offering, he, and all the princes of Moab. 7And he took up his parable, and said: From Aram Balak bringeth me, The king of Moab from the mountains of the East: ‘Come, curse me Jacob, And come, execrate Israel.’ 8How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I execrate, whom the LORD hath not execrated? 9For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: Lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations. 10Who hath counted the dust of Jacob, Or numbered the stock of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let mine end be like his! 11And Balak said unto Balaam: ‘What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.’ 12And he answered and said: ‘Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD putteth in my mouth?’ 13And Balak said unto him: ‘Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence.’ 14And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. 15And he said unto Balak: ‘Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I go toward a meeting yonder.’ 16And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said: ‘Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.’ 17And he came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him: ‘What hath the LORD spoken?’ 18And he took up his parable, and said: Arise, Balak, and hear; Give ear unto me, thou son of Zippor: 19God is not a man, that He should lie; Neither the son of man, that He should repent: When He hath said, will He not do it? Or when He hath spoken, will He not make it good? 20Behold, I am bidden to bless; And when He hath blessed, I cannot call it back. 21None hath beheld iniquity in Jacob, Neither hath one seen perverseness in Israel; The LORD his God is with him, And the shouting for the King is among them. 22God who brought them forth out of Egypt Is for them like the lofty horns of the wild-ox. 23For there is no enchantment with Jacob, Neither is there any divination with Israel; Now is it said of Jacob and of Israel: ‘What hath God wrought! ’ 24Behold a people that riseth up as a lioness, And as a lion doth he lift himself up; He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain. 25And Balak said unto Balaam: ‘Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.’ 26But Balaam answered and said unto Balak: ‘Told not I thee, saying: All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?’ 27And Balak said unto Balaam: ‘Come now, I will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.’ 28And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the desert. 29And Balaam said unto Balak: ‘Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.’ 30And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling tribe by tribe; and the spirit of God came upon him. 3And he took up his parable, and said: The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, And the saying of the man whose eye is opened; 4The saying of him who heareth the words of God, Who seeth the vision of the Almighty, Fallen down, yet with opened eyes: 5How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy dwellings, O Israel! 6As valleys stretched out, As gardens by the river-side; As aloes planted of the LORD, As cedars beside the waters; 7Water shall flow from his branches, And his seed shall be in many waters; And his king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted. 8God who brought him forth out of Egypt Is for him like the lofty horns of the wild-ox; He shall eat up the nations that are his adversaries, And shall break their bones in pieces, 24 And pierce them through with his arrows. 9He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee. 10And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said unto Balaam: ‘I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. 11Therefore now flee thou to thy place; I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.’ 12And Balaam said unto Balak: ‘Spoke I not also to thy messengers that thou didst send unto me, saying: 13If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what the LORD speaketh, that will I speak? 14And now, behold, I go unto my people; come, and I will announce to thee what this people shall do to thy people in the end of days.’ 15And he took up his parable, and said: The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, And the saying of the man whose eye is opened; 16The saying of him who heareth the words of God, And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, Who seeth the vision of the Almighty, Fallen down, yet with opened eyes: 17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh; There shall step forth a star out of Jacob, And a scepter shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of Seth. 18And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also, even his enemies, shall be a possession; While Israel doeth valiantly. 19And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, And shall destroy the remnant from the city. 20And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said: Amalek was the first of the nations; But his end shall come to destruction. 21And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said: Though firm be thy dwelling-place, And though thy nest be set in the rock; 22Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted; How long? Asshur shall carry thee away captive. 23And he took up his parable, and said: Alas, who shall live after God hath appointed him? 24But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, And he also shall come to destruction. 25And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way. And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab. 2And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3And Israel joined himself unto the Baal of Peor; and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up unto the LORD in face of the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.’ 5And Moses said unto the judges of Israel: ‘Slay ye every one his men that have joined themselves unto the Baal of Peor.’ 6And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting. 7And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand. 8And he went after the man of Israel into the chamber, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. 9And those that died by the plague were twenty and four thousand. ..... 10And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 11’Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was very jealous for My sake among them, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in My jealousy. 12Wherefore say: Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace; 13and it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ 14Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers’house among the Simeonites. 15And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a fathers’house in Midian. 16And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 17’Harass the Midianites, and smite them; 18for they harass you, by their wiles wherewith they have 25 beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.’ 19And it came to pass after the plague, 1that the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying: 2’Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’houses, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel.’ 3And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying: 4’[Take the sum of the people,] from twenty years old and upward, as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, that came forth out of the land of Egypt.’ 5Reuben, the first-born of Israel: the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; 6of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. 7These are the families of the Reubenites; and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty. 8And the sons of Pallu: Eliab. 9And the sons of Eliab: Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. These are that Dathan and Abiram, the elect of the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD; 10and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died; what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men, and they became a sign. 11Notwithstanding the sons of Korah died not. 12The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; 13of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. 14These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred. 15The sons of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites; 16of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites; 17of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites. 18These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred. 19The sons of Judah: Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20And the sons of Judah after their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites. 21And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. 22These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, 26 threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred. 23The sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites; 24of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. 25These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred. 26The sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. 27These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them, threescore thousand and five hundred. 28The sons of Joseph after their families: Manasseh and Ephraim. 29The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites—and Machir begot Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites. 30These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites; 31and of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; 32and of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 33And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34These are the families of Manasseh; and they that were numbered of them were fifty and two thousand and seven hundred.’ 35These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the family of the Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. 36And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. 37These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those that were numbered of them, thirty and two thousand and five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph after their families. 38The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; 39of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 40And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman; [of Ard,] the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. 41These are the sons of Benjamin after their families; and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and six hundred. 42These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families. 43All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred. 44The sons of Asher after their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites. 45Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. 46And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 47These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them, fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 48The sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; 49of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. 50These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and four hundred. 51These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand and seven hundred and thirty. 52And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 53’Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. 54To the more thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance; to each one according to those that were numbered of it shall its inheritance be given. 55Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot; according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. 56According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the more and the fewer.’ 57And these are they that were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. 58These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. And Kohath begot Amram. 59And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister. 60And unto Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the LORD. 62And they that were numbered of them were twenty and three thousand, every male from a month old and upward; for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel. 63These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64But among these there was not a man of them that were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65For the LORD had said of them: ‘They shall surely die in the wilderness.’ And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. 2And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, at the door of the tent of meeting, saying: 3’Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not among the company of them that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. 4Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he had no son? Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father.’ 5And Moses brought their cause before the LORD. 6And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 7’The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them. 8And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. 9And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. 10And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father’s brethren. 11And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it. And it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.’ 12And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, and behold the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. 13And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered; 14because ye rebelled against My commandment in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify Me at the waters before their eyes.’—These are the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.—15And Moses spoke unto the LORD, saying: 16’Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.’ 18And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is spirit, and lay thy hand upon him; 19and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. 20And 27 thou shalt put of thy honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may hearken. 21And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD; at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.’ 22And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation. 23And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD spoke by the hand of Moses. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2Command the children of Israel, and say unto them: My food which is presented unto Me for offerings made by fire, of a sweet savour unto Me, shall ye observe to offer unto Me in its due season. 3And thou shalt say unto them: This is the offering made by fire which ye shall bring unto the LORD: he-lambs of the first year without blemish, two day by day, for a continual burnt- offering. 4The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at dusk; 5and the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil. 6It is a continual burnt-offering, which was offered in mount Sinai, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 7And the drink-offering thereof shall be the fourth part of a hin for the one lamb; in the holy place shalt thou pour out a drink-offering of strong drink unto the LORD. 8And the other lamb shalt thou present at dusk; as the meal-offering of the morning, and as the drink-offering thereof, thou shalt present it, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 9And on the sabbath day two he- lambs of the first year without blemish, and two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, and the drink- offering thereof. 10This is the burnt- offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt-offering, and the drink-offering thereof. 11And in your new moons ye shall present a burnt-offering unto the LORD: two young bullocks, and one ram, seven he-lambs of the first year without blemish; 12and three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, for each bullock; and two tenth parts of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, for the one ram; 13and a several tenth part of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering unto every lamb; for a burnt-offering of a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 14And their drink-offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bullock, and the third part of a hin for the ram, and the fourth part of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt-offering of every new moon throughout the 28 months of the year. 15And one he-goat for a sin-offering unto the LORD; it shall be offered beside the continual burnt-offering, and the drink-offering thereof. 16And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is the LORD’S passover. 17And on the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast; seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. 18In the first day shall be a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work; 19but ye shall present an offering made by fire, a burnt-offering unto the LORD: two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven he-lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish; 20and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil; three tenth parts shall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth parts for the ram; 21a several tenth part shalt thou offer for every lamb of the seven lambs; 22and one he- goat for a sin-offering, to make atonement for you. 23Ye shall offer these beside the burnt-offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt-offering. 24After this manner ye shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; it shall be offered beside the continual burnt- offering, and the drink-offering thereof. 25And on the seventh day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. 26Also in the day of the first-fruits, when ye bring a new meal-offering unto the LORD in your feast of weeks, ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no manner of servile work; 27but ye shall present a burnt-offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD: two young bullocks, one ram, seven he- lambs of the first year; 28and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts for each bullock, two tenth parts for the one ram, 29a several tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs; 30one he-goat, to make atonement for you. 31Beside the continual burnt-offering, and the meal- offering thereof, ye shall offer them— they shall be unto you without blemish—and their drink-offerings. And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a day of blowing the horn unto you. 2And ye shall prepare a burnt-offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD: one young bullock, one ram, seven he- lambs of the first year without blemish; 3and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts for the bullock, two tenth part for the ram, 4and one tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs; 5and one he- goat for a sin-offering, to make atonement for you; 6beside the burnt- offering of the new moon, and the meal-offering thereof, and the continual burnt-offering and the meal- offering thereof, and their drink- offerings, according unto their 29 ordinance, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 7And on the tenth day of this seventh month ye shall have a holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls; ye shall do no manner of work; 8but ye shall present a burnt-offering unto the LORD for a sweet savour: one young bullock, one ram, seven he- lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish; 9and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts for the bullock, two tenth parts for the one ram, 10a several tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs; 11one he-goat for a sin- offering; beside the sin-offering of atonement, and the continual burnt- offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and their drink-offerings. 12And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no manner of servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days; 13and ye shall present a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: thirteen young bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish; 14and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts for every bullock of the thirteen bullocks, two tenth parts for each ram of the two rams, 15and a several tenth part for every lamb of the fourteen lambs; 16and one he-goat for a sin- offering beside the continual burnt- offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. 17And on the second day ye shall present twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish; 18and their meal- offering and their drink-offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 19and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and their drink-offerings. 20And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish; 21and their meal-offering and their drink- offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 22and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. 23And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish; 24their meal-offering and their drink- offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 25and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink- offering thereof. 26And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish; 27and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 28and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. 29And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish; 30and their meal-offering and their drink- offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 31and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink- offerings thereof. 32And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish; 33and their meal-offering and their drink- offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 34and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink- offering thereof. 35On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no manner of servile work; 36but ye shall present a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: one bullock, one ram, seven he-lambs of the first year without blemish; 37their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the ordinance; 38and one he-goat for a sin- offering; beside the continual burnt- offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. 39These ye shall offer unto the LORD in your appointed seasons, beside your vows, and your freewill-offerings, whether they be your burnt-offerings, or your meal-offerings, or your drink- offerings, or your peace-offerings. And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that the LORD commanded Moses. .... 2And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying: This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded. 3When a man voweth a vow unto the LORD, or sweareth an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. 4Also when a woman voweth a vow unto the LORD, and bindeth herself by a bond, being in her father’s house, in her youth, 5and her father heareth her vow, or her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father holdeth his peace at her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. 6But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth, none of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand; and the LORD will forgive her, because her father 30 disallowed her. 7And if she be married to a husband, while her vows are upon her, or the clear utterance of her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul; 8and her husband hear it, whatsoever day it be that he heareth it, and hold his peace at her; then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. 9But if her husband disallow her in the day that he heareth it, then he shall make void her vow which is upon her, and the clear utterance of her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul; and the LORD will forgive her. 10But the vow of a widow, or of her that is divorced, even every thing wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand against her. 11 And if a woman vowed in her husband’s house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath, 12and her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. 13But if her husband make them null and void in the day that he heareth them, then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips, whether it were her vows, or the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD will forgive her. 14Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may let it stand, or her husband may make it void. 15But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day, then he causeth all her vows to stand, or all her bonds, which are upon her; he hath let them stand, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. 16But if he shall make them null and void after that he hath heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity. 17These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, being in her youth, in her father’s house. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites; afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.’ 3And Moses spoke unto the people, saying: ‘Arm ye men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the LORD’S vengeance on Midian. 4Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.’ 5So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6And Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy vessels and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7And they warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew every male. 8And they slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian; Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword. 9And the children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their 31 little ones; and all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey. 10And all their cities in the places wherein they dwelt, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire. 11And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of beast. 12And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and unto Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp, unto the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho. 13And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. 14And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war. 15And Moses said unto them: ‘Have ye saved all the women alive? 16Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to revolt so as to break faith with the LORD in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD. 17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. 18But all the women children, that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. 19And encamp ye without the camp seven days; whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, ye and your captives. 20And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’hair, and all things made of wood, ye shall purify.’ 21And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war that went to the battle: ‘This is the statute of the law which the LORD hath commanded Moses: 22Howbeit the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of sprinkling; and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make to go through the water. 24And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye may come into the camp.’ 25And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 26’Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’houses of the congregation; 27and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, that went out to battle, and all the congregation; 28and levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war that went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the flocks; 29take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, as a portion set apart for the LORD. 30And of the children of Israel’s half, thou shalt take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, even of all the cattle, and give them unto the Levites, that keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.’ 31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses. 32Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep, 33and threescore and twelve thousand beeves, 34and threescore and one thousand asses, 35and thirty and two thousand persons in all, of the women that had not known man by lying with him. 36And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep. 37And the LORD’S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen. 38And the beeves were thirty and six thousand, of which the LORD’S tribute was threescore and twelve. 39And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred, of which the LORD’S tribute was threescore and one. 40And the persons were sixteen thousand, of whom the LORD’S tribute was thirty and two persons. 41And Moses gave the tribute, which was set apart for the LORD, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses. 42And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men that warred— 43now the congregation’s half was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep, 44and thirty and six thousand beeves, 45and thirty thousand and five hundred asses, 46and sixteen thousand persons— 47even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, that kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses. 48And the officers that were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses; 49and they said unto Moses: ‘Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war that are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us. 50And we have brought the LORD’S offering, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet-rings, ear-rings, and girdles, to make atonement for our souls before the LORD.’ 51And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels. 52And all the gold of the gift that they set apart for the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.— 53For the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.— 54And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD. Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle; and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle, 2the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying: 3’Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon, 4the land which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle.’ 5And they said: ‘If we have found favour in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession; bring us not over the Jordan.’ 6And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: ‘Shall your brethren go to the war, and shall ye sit here? 7And wherefore will ye turn away the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? 8Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they turned away the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them. 10And the LORD’S anger was kindled in that day, and He swore, saying: 11Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed Me; 12save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed the LORD. 13And the LORD’S anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander to and fro in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. 14And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’stead, a brood of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel. 15For if ye turn away from after Him, He will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and so ye will destroy all this people.’ 16And they came near unto him, and said: ‘We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones; 17but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. 19For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward, because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.’ 20And Moses said unto them: ‘If ye will do this thing: if ye will arm yourselves to go before the LORD to the 32 war, 21and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until He hath driven out His enemies from before Him, 22and the land be subdued before the LORD, and ye return afterward; then ye shall be clear before the LORD, and before Israel, and this land shall be unto you for a possession before the LORD. 23But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD; and know ye your sin which will find you. 24Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.’ 25And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke unto Moses, saying: ‘Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. 26Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead; 27but thy servants will pass over, every man that is armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith.’ 28So Moses gave charge concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’houses of the tribes of the children of Israel. 29And Moses said unto them: ‘If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man that is armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you, then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession; 30but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.’ 31And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: ‘As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do. 32We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.’ 33And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto the half- tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities thereof with their borders, even the cities of the land round about. 34And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer; 35and Atroth- shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah; 36and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran; fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim; 38and Nebo, and Baal-meon—their names being changed—and Sibmah; and gave their names unto the cities which they builded. 39And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites that were therein. 40And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein. 41And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the villages thereof, and called them aHavvoth-jair. 42And a That is, The villages of Jair. Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name. .... These are the stages of the children of Israel, by which they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2And Moses wrote their goings forth, stage by stage, by the commandment of the LORD; and these are their stages at their goings forth. 3And they journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4while the Egyptians were burying them that the LORD had smitten among them, even all their first-born; upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments. 5And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth. 6And they journeyed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness. 7And they journeyed from Etham, and turned back unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baal-zephon; and they pitched before Migdol. 8And they journeyed from Penehahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days’journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah. 9And they journeyed from Marah, and came unto Elim; and in Elim were twelve springs of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees; and they pitched there. 10And they journeyed from Elim, and pitched by the Red Sea. 11And they journeyed from the Red Sea, and pitched in the wilderness of Sin. 12And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, and pitched in Dophkah. 13And they journeyed from Dophkah, and pitched in Alush. 14And they journeyed from Alush, and pitched in Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink. 15And they journeyed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai. 16And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai, and pitched in Kibroth- hattaavah. 17And they journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah, and pitched in Hazeroth. 18And they journeyed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah. 19And they journeyed from Rithmah, and pitched in Rimmon-perez. 20And they journeyed from Rimmon-perez, and pitched in Libnah. 21And they journeyed from Libnah, and pitched in Rissah. 22And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelah. 23And they journeyed from Kehelah, and pitched in mount Shepher. 24And they journeyed from mount Shepher, and pitched in Haradah. 25And they journeyed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth. 26And they journeyed from Makheloth, and pitched in Tahath. 27And they journeyed from Tahath, and pitched in Terah. 28And they journeyed from Terah, and pitched in Mithkah. 29And they journeyed from Mithkah, and pitched 33 in Hashmonah. 30And they journeyed from Hashmonah, and pitched in Moseroth. 31And they journeyed from Moseroth, and pitched in Bene-jaakan. 32And they journeyed from Bene- jaakan, and pitched in Hor-haggidgad. 33And they journeyed from Hor- haggidgad, and pitched in Jotbah. 34And they journeyed from Jotbah, and pitched in Abronah. 35And they journeyed from Abronah, and pitched in Ezion-geber. 36And they journeyed from Ezion-geber, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin—the same is Kadesh. 37And they journeyed from Kadesh, and pitched in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.— 38And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month. 39And Aaron was a hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor. 40And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.— 41And they journeyed from mount Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah. 42And they journeyed from Zalmonah, and pitched in Punon. 43And they journeyed from Punon, and pitched in Oboth. 44And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched in Ije-abarim, in the border of Moab. 45And they journeyed from Ijim, and pitched in Dibon-gad. 46And they journeyed from Dibon-gad, and pitched in Almon-diblathaim. 47And they journeyed from Almon- diblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, in front of Nebo. 48And they journeyed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 49And they pitched by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth even unto Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab. 50And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying: 51’Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places. 53And ye shall drive out the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein; for unto you have I given the land to possess it. 54And ye shall inherit the land by lot according to your families—to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance; wheresoever the lot falleth to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers shall ye inherit. 55But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall those that ye let remain of them be as thorns in your eyes, and as pricks in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land wherein ye dwell. 56And it shall come to pass, that as I thought to do unto them, so will I do unto you. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2’Command the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye come into the land of Canaan, this shall be the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to the borders thereof. 3Thus your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin close by the side of Edom, and your south border shall begin at the end of the Salt Sea eastward; 4and your border shall turn about southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass along to Zin; and the goings out thereof shall be southward of Kadesh- barnea; and it shall go forth to Hazar- addar, and pass along to Azmon; 5and the border shall turn about from Azmon unto the Brook of Egypt, and the goings out thereof shall be at the Sea. 6And for the western border, ye shall have the Great Sea for a border; this shall be your west border. 7And this shall be your north border: from the Great Sea ye shall mark out your line unto mount Hor; 8from mount Hor ye shall mark out a line unto the entrance to Hamath; and the goings out of the border shall be at Zedad; 9and the border shall go forth to Ziphron, and the goings out thereof shall be at Hazar-enan; this shall be your north border. 10And ye shall mark out your line for the east border from Hazar-enan to Shepham; 11and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down, and shall strike upon the slope of the sea of Chinnereth eastward; 12and the border shall go down to the Jordan, and the goings out thereof shall be at the Salt Sea; this shall be your land according to the borders thereof round about.’ 13And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying: ‘This is the land wherein ye shall receive inheritance by lot, which the LORD hath commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half-tribe; 14for the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their fathers’houses, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to their fathers’houses, have received, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received, their inheritance; 15the two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sun- rising.’ 16And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 17’These are the names of the men that shall take possession of the land for you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. 18And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to take possession of the land. 19And these are the names of the men: of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. 21Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22And of the tribe of the children of Dan a prince, 34 Bukki the son of Jogli. 23Of the children of Joseph: of the tribe of the children of Manasseh a prince, Hanniel the son of Ephod; 24and of the tribe of the children of Ephraim a prince, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25And of the tribe of the children of Zebulun a prince, Eli-zaphan the son of Parnach. 26And of the tribe of the children of Issachar a prince, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27And of the tribe of the children of Asher a prince, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28And of the tribe of the children of Naphtali a prince, Pedahel the son of Ammihud. 29These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.’ And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying: 2’Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and open land round about the cities shall ye give unto the Levites. 3And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and their open land shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts. 4And the open land about the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about. 5And ye shall measure without the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the open land about the cities. 6And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee thither; and beside them ye shall give forty and two cities. 7All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with the open land about them. 8And concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many ye shall take many, and from the few ye shall take few; each tribe according to its inheritance which it inheriteth shall give of its cities unto the Levites.’ 9And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 10’Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person through error may flee thither. 12And the cities shall be unto you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation for judgment. 13And as to the cities which ye shall give, there shall be for you six cities of refuge. 14Ye shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge. 15For the children of Israel, and for the stranger 35 and for the settler among them, shall these six cities be for refuge, that every one that killeth any person through error may flee thither. 16But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death. 20And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him any thing, lying in wait, so that he died; 21or in enmity smote him with his hand, that he died; he that smote him shall surely be put to death: he is a murderer; the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meeteth him. 22But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him any thing without lying in wait, 23or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm; 24then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances; 25and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he was fled; and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. 26But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth; 27and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him; 28because he must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return into the land of his possession. 29And these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 30Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die. 31Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer, that is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death. 32And ye shall take no ransom for him that is fled to his city of refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. 33So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are; for blood, it polluteth the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. 34And thou shalt not defile the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.’ 36 And the heads of the fathers’houses of the family of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the heads of the fathers’houses of the children of Israel; 2and they said: ‘The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the children of Israel; and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters. 3And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then will their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of our fathers, and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they shall belong; so will it be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 4And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then will their inheritance be added unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they shall belong; so will their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.’ 5And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying: ‘The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaketh right. 6This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying: Let them be married to whom they think best; only into the family of the tribe of their father shall they be married. 7So shall no inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe; for the children of Israel shall cleave every one to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may possess every man the inheritance of his fathers. 9So shall no inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; for the tribes of the children of Israel shall cleave each one to its own inheritance.’ 10Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad. 11For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father’s brothers’sons. 12They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. 13These are the commandments and the ordinances, which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. ..... DEUTERONOMY THESE ARE the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan; in the wilderness, in the Arabah, over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. 2It is eleven days journey from Horeb unto Kadesh- barnea by the way of mount Seir. 3And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; 4after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei; 5beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, took Moses upon him to expound this law, saying: 6The LORD our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying: ‘Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain; 7turn you, and take your journey, and go to the hill-country of the Amorites and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill-country, and in the Lowland, and in the South, and by the sea-shore; the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.’ 9And I spoke unto you at that time, saying: ‘I am not able to bear you myself alone; 10the LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.—11The LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you!— 12How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? 13Get you, from each one of your tribes, wise men, and understanding, and full of knowledge, and I will make them heads over you.’ 14And ye answered me, and said: ‘The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.’ 15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and full of knowledge, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe. 16And I charged your judges at that time, saying: ‘Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. 17Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not 1 be afraid of the face of any man; for the judgment is God’s; and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.’ 18And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do. 19And we journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and dreadful wilderness which ye saw, by the way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. 20And I said unto you: ‘Ye are come unto the hill-country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God giveth unto us. 21Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.’ 22And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said: ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us back word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come.’ 23And the thing pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe; 24and they turned and went up into the mountains, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us back word, and said: ‘Good is the land which the LORD our God giveth unto us.’ 26Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God; 27and ye murmured in your tents, and said: ‘Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying: The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.’ 29Then I said unto you: ‘Dread not, neither be afraid of them. 30The LORD your God who goeth before you, He shall fight for you, according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes; 31and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bore thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place. 32Yet in this thing ye do not believe the LORD your God, 33Who went before you in the way, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in: in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in the cloud by day.’ 34And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and swore, saying: 35’Surely there shall not one of these men, even this evil generation, see the good land, which I swore to give unto your fathers, 36save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, he shall see it; and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children; because he hath wholly followed the LORD.’ 37Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying: Thou also shalt not go in thither; 38Joshua the son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he shall go in thither; encourage thou him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39Moreover your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, and your children, that this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. 40But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’ 41Then ye answered and said unto me: ‘We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us.’ And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and deemed it a light thing to go up into the hill-country. 42And the LORD said unto me: ‘Say unto them: Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.’ 43So I spoke unto you, and ye hearkened not; but ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill-country. 44And the Amorites, that dwell in that hill- country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD hearkened not to your voice, nor gave ear unto you. 46So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there. Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke unto me; and we compassed mount Seir many days. 2And the LORD spoke unto me, saying: 3’Ye have compassed this mountain long enough; turn you northward. 4And command thou the people, saying: Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you; take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore; 5contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. 6Ye shall purchase food of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink. 7For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand; He hath known thy walking through this great wilderness; these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.’ 8So we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah, from Elath and from Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. 9And the LORD said unto me: ‘Be not at enmity with Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give thee of his land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.— 10The Emim dwelt therein aforetime, a 2 people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim; 11these also are accounted Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim. 12And in Seir dwelt the Horites aforetime, but the children of Esau succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto them.— 13Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered.’ And we went over the brook Zered. 14And the days in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, were thirty and eight years; until all the generation, even the men of war, were consumed from the midst of the camp, as the LORD swore unto them. 15Moreover the hand of the LORD was against them, to discomfit them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed. 16So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, 17that the LORD spoke unto me saying: 18’Thou art this day to pass over the border of Moab, even Ar; 19and when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, harass them not, nor contend with them; for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.— 20That also is accounted a land of Rephaim: Rephaim dwelt therein aforetime; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, 21a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead; 22as He did for the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day; 23and the Avvim, that dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, that came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.— 24Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of Arnon; behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. 25This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven, who, when they hear the report of thee, shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.’ 26And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying: 27’Let me pass through thy land; I will go along by the highway, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left. 28Thou shalt sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on my feet; 29as the children of Esau that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites that dwell in Ar, did unto me; until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God giveth us.’ 30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day. 31And the LORD said unto me: ‘Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before thee; begin to possess his land.’ 32Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, unto battle at Jahaz. 33And the LORD our God delivered him up before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. 34And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every city, the men, and the women, and the little ones; we left none remaining; 35only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken. 36From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, even unto Gilead, there was not a city too high for us: the LORD our God delivered up all before us. 37Only to the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not near; all the side of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill-country, and wheresoever the LORD our God forbade us. Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, unto battle at Edrei. 2And the LORD said unto me: ‘Fear him not; for I have delivered him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.’ 3So the LORD our God delivered into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people; and we smote him until none was left to him remaining. 4And we took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we took not from them; threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5All these were fortified cities, with high walls, gates, and bars; beside the unwalled towns a great many. 6And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every city, the men, and the women, and the little ones. 7But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey unto ourselves. 8And we took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of Arnon unto mount Hermon— 9which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir—10all the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salcah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.— 11For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a 3 man.—12And this land we took in possession at that time; from Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, and half the hill-country of Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites; 13and the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half- tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob—all that Bashan is called the land of Rephaim. 14Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called them, even Bashan, after his own name, Havvoth- jair, unto this day.—15And I gave Gilead unto Machir. 16And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the valley of Arnon, the middle of the valley for a border; even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; 17the Arabah also, the Jordan being the border thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah eastward. 18And I commanded you at that time, saying: ‘The LORD your God hath given you this land to possess it; ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all the men of valour. 19But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle—I know that ye have much cattle—shall abide in your cities which I have given you; 20until the LORD give rest unto your brethren, as unto you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God giveth them beyond the Jordan; then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you. 21And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying: ‘Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings; so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou goest over. 22Ye shall not fear them; for the LORD your God, He it is that fighteth for you.’ ...... 23And I besought the LORD at that time, saying: 24’O Lord GOD, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth, that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy mighty acts? 25Let me go over, I pray Thee, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon.’ 26But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and hearkened not unto me; and the LORD said unto me: ‘Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter. 27Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold with thine eyes; for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 28But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.’ 29So we abode in the valley over against Beth-peor. And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, giveth you. 2Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3Your eyes have seen what the LORD did in Baal- peor; for all the men that followed the Baal of Peor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from the midst of thee. 4But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. 5Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the midst of the land whither ye go in to possess it. 6Observe therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, that, when they hear all these statutes, shall say: ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7For what great nation is there, that hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is whensoever we call upon Him? 8And what great nation is there, that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children’s children; 10the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me: ‘Assemble Me the people, and I will make them hear My words that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 11And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 12And the LORD spoke unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only a voice. 13And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even the ten words; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. 15Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves— for ye saw no manner of form on the day that the LORD spoke unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire— 16lest ye deal corruptly, and make you a graven image, even the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the heaven, 18the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth; 4 19and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven, thou be drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath allotted unto all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20But you hath the LORD taken and brought forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be unto Him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day. 21Now the LORD was angered with me for your sakes, and swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance; 22but I must die in this land, I must not go over the Jordan; but ye are to go over, and possess that good land. 23Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which He made with you, and make you a graven image, even the likeness of any thing which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. 24For the LORD thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God. 25When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have been long in the land, and shall deal corruptly, and make a graven image, even the form of any thing, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke Him; 26I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over the Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27And the LORD shall scatter you among the peoples, and ye shall be left few in number among the nations, whither the LORD shall lead you away. 28And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29But from thence ye will seek the LORD thy God; and thou shalt find Him, if thou search after Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30In thy distress, when all these things are come upon thee, in the end of days, thou wilt return to the LORD thy God, and hearken unto His voice; 31for the LORD thy God is a merciful God; He will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He swore unto them. 32For ask now of the days past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? 33Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 34Or hath God assayed to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before thine eyes? 35Unto thee it was shown, that thou mightiest know that the LORD, He is God; there is none else beside Him. 36Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He made thee to see His great fire; and thou didst hear His words out of the midst of the fire. 37And because He loved thy fathers, and chose their seed after them, and brought thee out with His presence, with His great power, out of Egypt, 38to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day; 39know this day, and lay it to thy heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else. 40And thou shalt keep His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever. 41Then Moses separated three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising; 42that the manslayer might flee thither, that slayeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: 43Bezer in the wilderness, in the table-land, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites. 44And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel; 45these are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, when they came forth out of Egypt; 46beyond the Jordan, in the valley over against Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, when they came forth out of Egypt; 47and they took his land in possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising; 48from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, even unto mount Sion—the same is Hermon— 49and all the Arabah beyond the Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah. And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them. 2The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. 4The LORD spoke with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire— 5I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare unto you the word of the LORD; for ye were afraid because of the fire, and went not up into the mount—saying: 5 6I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 7Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. 8Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, even any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 9Thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate Me, 10and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments. 11Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. 12Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee. 13Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; 14but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou. 15And thou shalt remember that thou was a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. 16Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God commanded thee; that thy days may be long, and that it may go well with thee, upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 17Thou shalt not murder. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. 18Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s wife; neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his man-servant, or his maid- servant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s. 19These words the LORD spoke unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice, and it went on no more. And He wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them unto me. 20And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; 21and ye said: ‘Behold, the LORD our God hath shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire; we have seen this day that God doth speak with man, and he liveth. 22Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. 23For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 24Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the LORD our God may speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it.’ 25And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spoke unto me; and the LORD said unto me: ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee; they have well said all that they have spoken. 26Oh that they had such a heart as this alway, to fear Me, and keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! 27Go say to them: Return ye to your tents. 28But as for thee, stand thou here by Me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.’ 29Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you; ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 30Ye shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it— 2that thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath promised unto thee—a land flowing with milk and honey. 4HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE. 5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; 7and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. 9And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates. 10And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land which He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee—great and goodly cities, 6 which thou didst not build, 11and houses full of all good things, which thou didst not fill, and cisterns hewn out, which thou the didst not hew, vineyards and olive-trees, which thou didst not plant, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied—12then beware lest thou forget the LORD, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 13Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; and Him shalt thou serve, and by His name shalt thou swear. 14Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you; 15for a jealous God, even the LORD thy God, is in the midst of thee; lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and He destroy thee from off the face of the earth. 16Ye shall not try the LORD your God, as ye tried Him in Massah. 17Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He hath commanded thee. 18And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, 19to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken. 20When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying: ‘What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? 21then thou shalt say unto thy son: ‘We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house, before our eyes. 23And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our fathers. 24And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. 25And it shall be righteousness unto us, if we observe to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as He hath commanded us.’ When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2and when the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them; 3neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled 7 against you, and He will destroy thee quickly. 5But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. 6For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. 7The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people—for ye were the fewest of all peoples— 8but because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God; the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations; 10and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them; He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face. 11Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them. ... 12And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto thy fathers, 13and He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; He will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy wine and thine oil, the increase of thy kine and the young of thy flock, in the land which He swore unto thy fathers to give thee. 14Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. 15And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness; and He will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. 16And thou shalt consume all the peoples that the LORD thy God shall deliver unto thee; thine eye shall not pity them; neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. 17If thou shalt say in thy heart: ‘These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?’ 18thou shalt not be afraid of them; thou shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt: 19the great trials which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out; so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid. 20Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and they that hide themselves, perish from before thee. 21Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God is in the midst of thee, a God great and awful. 22And the LORD thy God will cast out those nations before thee by little and little; thou mayest not consume them quickly, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 23But the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and shall discomfit them with a great discomfiture, until they be destroyed. 24And He shall deliver their kings into thy hand, and thou shalt make their name to perish from under heaven; there shall no man be able to stand against thee, until thou have destroyed them. 25The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire; thou shalt not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, and be accursed like unto it; thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing. All the commandment which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers. 2And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no. 3And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. 4Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5And thou shalt consider in thy heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. 6And thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him. 7For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills; 8a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey; 9a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. 10And thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and bless the LORD thy God for the good land which He hath given thee. 11Beware lest thou forget the LORD thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His ordinances, and His statutes, which I command thee this day; 12lest when thou hast eaten and art satisfied, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is 8 multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14then thy heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; 15who led thee through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might afflict thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17and thou say in thy heart: ‘My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth.’ 18But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God, for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day. 19And it shall be, if thou shalt forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I forewarn you this day that ye shall surely perish. 20As the nations that the LORD maketh to perish before you, so shall ye perish; because ye would not hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God. Hear, O Israel: thou art to pass over the Jordan this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say: ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ 3Know therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is He who goeth over before thee as a devouring fire; He will destroy them, and He will bring them down before thee; so shalt thou drive them out, and make them to perish quickly, as the LORD hath spoken unto thee. 4Speak not thou in thy heart, after that the LORD thy God hath thrust them out from before thee, saying: ‘For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land’; whereas for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. 5Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that He may establish the word which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 6Know therefore that it is not for thy righteousness that the LORD thy God giveth thee this good land to possess it; for thou art a stiffnecked people. 7Remember, forget thou not, how thou didst make the LORD thy God wroth in the wilderness; from the day that thou didst go forth out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD. 8Also in Horeb ye made the LORD wroth, and the LORD was angered with you to have destroyed you. 9When I was gone up into the mount to 9 receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water. 10And the LORD delivered unto me the two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. 11And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. 12And the LORD said unto me: ‘Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people that thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have dealt corruptly; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.’ 13Furthermore the LORD spoke unto me, saying: ‘I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people; 14let Me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.’ 15So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire; and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands. 16And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God; ye had made you a molten calf; ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you. 17And I took hold of the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes. 18And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water; because of all your sin which ye sinned, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him. 19For I was in dread of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me that time also. 20Moreover the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him; and I prayed for Aaron also the same time. 21And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and beat it in pieces, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.— 22And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye made the LORD wroth. 23And when the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying: ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you’; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye believed Him not, nor hearkened to His voice. 24Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.— 25So I fell down before the LORD the forty days and forty nights that I fell down; because the LORD had said He would destroy you. 26And I prayed unto the LORD, and said: ‘O Lord GOD, destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance, that Thou hast redeemed through Thy greatness, that Thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27Remember Thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin; 28lest the land whence Thou broughtest us out say: Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which He promised unto them, and because He hated them, He hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. 29Yet they are Thy people and Thine inheritance, that Thou didst bring out by Thy great power and by Thy outstretched arm.’ At that time the LORD said unto me: ‘Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto Me into the mount; and make thee an ark of wood. 2And I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables which thou didst break, and thou shalt put them in the ark.’ 3So I made an ark of acacia-wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in my hand. 4And He wrote on the tables according to the first writing, the ten words, which the LORD spoke unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them unto me. 5And I turned and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as the LORD commanded me.— 6And the children of Israel journeyed from Beeroth- benejaakan to Moserah; there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his stead. 7From thence they journeyed unto Gudgod; and from Gudgod to Jotbah, a land of brooks of water.— 8At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name, unto this day. 9Wherefore Levi hath no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God spoke unto him.—10Now I stayed in the mount, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened unto me that time also; the LORD would not destroy thee. 11And the LORD said unto me: ‘Arise, go before the people, causing them to set forward, that they may go in and possess the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give unto them.’ 12And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul; 13to keep for thy good the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command thee this day? 14Behold, unto the LORD thy God belongeth the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that therein is. 15Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to 10 love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you, above all peoples, as it is this day. 16Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. 17For the LORD your God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awful, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. 18He doth execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. 19Love ye therefore the stranger; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; Him shalt thou serve; and to Him shalt thou cleave, and by His name shalt thou swear. 21He is thy glory, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and tremendous things, which thine eyes have seen. 22Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude. Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep His charge, and His statutes, and His ordinances, and His commandments, alway. 2And know ye this day; for I speak not with your children that have not known, and that have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm, 3and His signs, and His works, which He did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; 4and what He did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how He made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day; 5and what He did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came unto this place; 6and what He did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and every living substance that followed them, in the midst of all Israel; 7but your eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did. 8Therefore shall ye keep all the commandment which I command thee this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go over to possess it; 9and that ye may prolong your days upon the land, which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou didst sow thy seed, and didst water it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs; 11but the land, whither ye go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water as the rain of heaven cometh down; 12a land which the LORD thy God careth for; the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. 11 13And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 15And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied. 16Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 17and the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. 18Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. 19And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; 21that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth. 22For if ye shall diligently keep all this commandment which I command you, to do it, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him, 23then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. 24Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your border. 25There shall no man be able to stand against you: the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as He hath spoken unto you. ... 26Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day; 28and the curse, if ye shall not hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. 29And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt set the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. 30Are they not beyond the Jordan, behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites that dwell in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the terebinths of Moreh? 31For ye are to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. 32And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances which I set before you this day. These are the statutes and the ordinances, which ye shall observe to do in the land which the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath given thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. 2Ye shall surely destroy all the places, wherein the nations that ye are to dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every leafy tree. 3And ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods; and ye shall destroy their name out of that place. 4Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God. 5But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put His name there, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come; 6and thither ye shall bring your burnt- offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the offering of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill- offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock; 7and there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee. 8Ye shall not do after all that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes; 9for ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth thee. 10But when ye go over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God causeth you to inherit, and He giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; 11then it shall come to pass that the place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there, thither shall ye bring all that I command you: your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD. 12And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your men- servants, and your maid-servants, and the Levite that is within your gates, forasmuch as he hath no portion nor inheritance with you. 13Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt- offerings in every place that thou seest; 14but in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee. 15Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh within all thy gates, after 12 all the desire of thy soul, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which He hath given thee; the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the gazelle, and as of the hart. 16Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water. 17Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thine oil, or the firstlings of thy herd or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill- offerings, nor the offering of thy hand; 18but thou shalt eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates; and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. 19Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon thy land. 20When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as He hath promised thee, and thou shalt say: ‘I will eat flesh’, because thy soul desireth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, after all the desire of thy soul. 21If the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to put His name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat within thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul. 22Howbeit as the gazelle and as the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat thereof; the unclean and the clean may eat thereof alike. 23Only be stedfast in not eating the blood; for the blood is the life; and thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh. 24Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water. 25Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD. 26Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose; 27and thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God; and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out against the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh. 28Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the eyes of the LORD thy God. 29When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest in to dispossess them, and thou dispossessest them, and dwellest in their land; 30take heed to thyself that thou be not ensnared to follow them, after that they are destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying: ‘How used these nations to serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.’ 31Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God; for every abomination to the LORD, which He hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters do they burn in the fire to their gods. All this word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. 2If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams—and he give thee a sign or a wonder, 3and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee—saying: ‘Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them’; 4thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God putteth you to proof, to know whether ye do love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 5After the LORD your God shall ye walk, and Him shall ye fear, and His commandments shall ye keep, and unto His voice shall ye hearken, and Him shall ye serve, and unto Him shall ye cleave. 6And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken perversion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage, to draw thee aside out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee. 7If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, that is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying: ‘Let us go and serve other gods, ‘which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; 8of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; 9thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him; 10but thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 11And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to draw thee away from the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 12And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of thee. 13If thou shalt hear tell concerning one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to dwell there, saying: 14’Certain base fellows are gone out from the midst of thee, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying: Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known’; 15then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in the midst of thee; 16thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it 13 utterly, and all that is therein and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. 17And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the broad place thereof, and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, unto the LORD thy God; and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again. 18And there shall cleave nought of the devoted thing to thy hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers; 19 when thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all His commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God. Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. 2For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be His own treasure out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. 3Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. 4These are the beasts which ye may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, 5the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the antelope, and the mountain-sheep. 6And every beast that parteth the hoof, and hath the hoof wholly cloven in two, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that ye may eat. 7Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that only chew the cud, or of them that only have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the rock- badger, because they chew the cud but part not the hoof, they are unclean unto you; 8and the swine, because he parteth the hoof but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you; of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch. 9These ye may eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales may ye eat; 10and whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye shall not eat; it is unclean unto you. 11Of all clean birds ye may eat. 12But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the great vulture, and the bearded vulture, and the ospray; 13and the glede, and the falcon, and the kite after its kinds; 14and every raven after its kinds; 15and the ostrich, and the night- hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kinds; 16the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl; 17and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture, and the cormorant; 18and the stork, and the heron after its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat. 19And all winged swarming things are unclean unto you; they shall not be eaten. 20Of all clean winged things ye may eat. 21Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself; thou mayest give it unto the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner; for thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou 14 shalt not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk. 22Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which is brought forth in the field year by year. 23And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which He shall choose to cause His name to dwell there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. 24And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set His name there, when the LORD thy God shall bless thee; 25then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thy hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose. 26And thou shalt bestow the money for whatsoever thy soul desireth, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household. 27And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee. 28At the end of every three years, even in the same year, thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase, and shall lay it up within thy gates. 29And the Levite, because he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest. At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. 2And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbour; he shall not exact it of his neighbour and his brother; because the LORD’S release hath been proclaimed. 3Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it; but whatsoever of thine is with thy brother thy hand shall release. 4Howbeit there shall be no needy among you—for the LORD will surely bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it— 5if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day. 6For the LORD thy God will bless thee, as He promised thee; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee. 7If there be among you a needy man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates, in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother; 8but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need 15 in that which he wanteth. 9Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying: ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand’; and thine eye be evil against thy needy brother, and thou give him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin in thee. 10Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing the LORD thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. 11For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: ‘Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy poor and needy brother, in thy land.’ 12If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, he shall serve thee six years; and in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. 13And when thou lettest him go free from thee, thou shalt not let him go empty; 14thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress; of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. 15And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing to-day. 16And it shall be, if he say unto thee: ‘I will not go out from thee’; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he fareth well with thee; 17then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door, and he shall be thy bondman for ever. And also unto thy bondwoman thou shalt do likewise. 18It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou lettest him go free from thee; for to the double of the hire of a hireling hath he served thee six years; and the LORD thy God will bless thee in all that thou doest. 19All the firstling males that are born of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thine ox, nor shear the firstling of thy flock. 20Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household. 21And if there be any blemish therein, lameness, or blindness, any ill blemish whatsoever, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God. 22Thou shalt eat it within thy gates; the unclean and the clean may eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the hart. 23Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it out upon the ground as water. Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God; for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. 2And thou shalt sacrifice the passover-offering unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to cause His name to dwell there. 3Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread 16 therewith, even the bread of affliction; for in haste didst thou come forth out of the land of Egypt; that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. 4And there shall be no leaven seen with thee in all they borders seven days; neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrificest the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. 5Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover-offering within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee; 6but at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to cause His name to dwell in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover- offering at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. 7And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose; and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. 8Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work therein. 9Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; from the time the sickle is first put to the standing corn shalt thou begin to number seven weeks. 10And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God after the measure of the freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give, according as the LORD thy God blesseth thee. 11And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within they gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are in the midst of thee, in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there. 12And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt; and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. 13Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in from thy threshing- floor and from thy winepress. 14And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 15Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose; because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful. 16Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose; on the feast of unleavened bread, and on the feast of weeks, and on the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty; 17every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which He hath given thee. ..... 18Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 20Justice, justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 21Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22Neither shalt thou set thee up a pillar, which the LORD thy God hateth. Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God an ox, or a sheep, wherein is a blemish, even any evil thing; for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God. 2If there be found in the midst of thee, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that doeth that which is evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing His covenant, 3and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have commanded not; 4and it be told thee, and thou hear it, then shalt thou inquire diligently, and, behold, if it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel; 5then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who have done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them with stones, that they die. 6At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. 7The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee. 8If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, even matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose. 9And thou shall come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days; and thou shalt inquire; and they shall declare unto thee the sentence of judgment. 10And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence, which they shall declare unto thee from that place which the LORD shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee. 11According to the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. 12And the man 17 that doeth presumptuously, in not hearkening unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt exterminate the evil from Israel. 13And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously. 14When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein; and shalt say: ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me’; 15thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother. 16Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses; forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you: ‘Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.’ 17Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 18And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites. 19And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them; 20that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel. The priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and His inheritance. 2And they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as He hath spoken unto them. 3And this shall be the priests’due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. 4The first-fruits of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. 5For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever. 6And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which the LORD shall choose; 7then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, who stand there before the LORD. 8They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which is his due according to the fathers’houses. 18 9When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, 11or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer. 12For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD; and because of these abominations the LORD thy God is driving them out from before thee. 13Thou shalt be whole- hearted with the LORD thy God. 14For these nations, that thou art to dispossess, hearken unto soothsayers, and unto diviners; but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. 15A prophet will the LORD thy God raise up unto thee, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16according to all that thou didst desire of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying: ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.’ 17And the LORD said unto me: ‘They have well said that which they have spoken. 18I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him. 20But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21And if thou say in thy heart: ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?’ 22When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken; the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him. When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou dost succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses; 2thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy GOD giveth thee to possess it. 3Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which the LORD thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither. 4And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past; 5as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and 19 live; 6lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not deserving of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. 7Wherefore I command thee, saying: ‘Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.’ 8And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers— 9if thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in His ways—then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three; 10that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. 11But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities; 12then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with thee. 14Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. 15One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be establishment16If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to bear perverted witness against him; 17then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days. 18And the judges shall inquire diligently; and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19then shall ye do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brother; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee. 20And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee. 21And thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them; for the LORD thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 2And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3and shall say unto them: ‘Hear, O Israel, ye draw 20 nigh this day unto battle against your enemies; let not your heart faint; fear not, nor be alarmed, neither be ye affrighted at them; 4for the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ 5And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying: ‘What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 6And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the fruit thereof. 7And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.’ 8And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say: ‘What man is there that is fearful and faint- hearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart melt as his heart.’ 9And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that captains of hosts shall be appointed at the head of the people. 10When thou drawest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. 11And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that are found therein shall become tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee. 12And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it. 13And when the LORD thy God delivereth it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword; 14but the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take for a prey unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. 15Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. 16Howbeit of the cities of these peoples, that the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth, 17but thou shalt utterly destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; 18that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, and so ye sin against the LORD your God. 19When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee? 20Only the trees of which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, them thou mayest destroy and cut down, that thou mayest build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it fall. If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath smitten him; 2then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. 3And it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke. 4And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which may neither be plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley. 5And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near—for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto Him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be. 6And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. 7And they shall speak and say: ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8Forgive, O LORD, Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of Thy people Israel.’ And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9So shalt thou put away the innocent blood from the midst of thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD. ... .. 10When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God delivereth them into thy hands, and thou carriest them away captive, 11and seest among the captives a woman of goodly form, and thou hast a desire unto her, and wouldest take her to thee to wife; 12then thou shalt bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; 13and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thy house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month; and after that thou mayest go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. 14And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not deal with her as a slave, because thou hast humbled her. 15If a man have two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the first- born son be hers that was hated; 16then it shall be, in the day that he causeth his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved the first-born before the son of the hated, who is the first-born; 17but he shall acknowledge the first-born, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath; for 21 he is the first-fruits of his strength, the right of the first-born is his. 18If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, that will not hearken to the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and though they chasten him, will not hearken unto them; 19then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20and they shall say unto the elders of his city: ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he doth not hearken to our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.’ 21And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. 22And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree; 23his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt surely bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is a reproach unto God; that thou defile not thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep driven away, and hide thyself from them; thou shalt surely bring them back unto thy brother. 2And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, and thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it home to thy house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother require it, and thou shalt restore it to him. 3And so shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his garment; and so shalt thou do with every lost thing of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found; thou mayest not hide thyself. 4Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fallen down by the way, and hide thyself from them; thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again. 5A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD thy God. 6If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young; 7thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days. 8When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a parapet for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thy house, if any man fall from thence. 9Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two kinds of seed; lest the fulness of the seed which thou hast sown be forfeited together with the increase of the vineyard. 10Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. 11Thou shalt not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together. 22 12Thou shalt make thee twisted cords upon the four corners of thy covering, wherewith thou coverest thyself. 13If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 14and lay wanton charges against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say: ‘I took this woman, and when I came nigh to her, I found not in her the tokens of virginity’; 15then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate. 16And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders: ‘I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; 17and, lo, he hath laid wanton charges, saying: I found not in thy daughter the tokens of virginity; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity.’ And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city. 18And the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him. 19And they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel; and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. 20But if this thing be true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the damsel; 21then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die; because she hath wrought a wanton deed in Israel, to play the harlot in her father’s house; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee. 22If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so shalt thou put away the evil from Israel. 23If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a man, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; 24then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die: the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife; so thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee. 25But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field, and the man take hold of her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die. 26But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death; for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter. 27For he found her in the field; the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her. 28If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, that is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; 29then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her; he may not put her away all his days. A man shall not take his father’s wife, and shall not uncover his father’s skirt. 2He that is crushed or maimed in his privy parts shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD. 3A bastard shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation shall none of his enter into the assembly of the LORD. 4An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation shall none of them enter into the assembly of the LORD for ever; 5because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Aram- naharaim, to curse thee. 6Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee. 7Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. 8Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy brother; thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land. 9The children of the third generation that are born unto them may enter into the assembly of the LORD. 10When thou goest forth in camp against thine enemies, then thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing. 11If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of that which chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp. 12But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall bathe himself in water; and when the sun is down, he may come within the camp. 13Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad. 14And thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons; and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee. 15For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy; that He see no unseemly thing in thee, and turn away from thee. 16Thou shalt not deliver unto his master a bondman that is escaped from his master unto thee; 17he shall dwell with thee, in the midst of thee, in the place which he shall choose within one of thy gates, where it liketh him best; thou shalt not wrong him. 18There shall be no harlot of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a sodomite of the sons of Israel. 19Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow; for even both these are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. 23 20Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother: interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of any thing that is lent upon interest. 21Unto a foreigner thou mayest lend upon interest; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou puttest thy hand unto, in the land whither thou goest in to possess it. 22When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it; for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it will be sin in thee. 23But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 24That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt observe and do; according as thou hast vowed freely unto the LORD thy God, even that which thou hast promised with thy mouth. 25When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes until thou have enough at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. 26When thou comest into thy neighbour’s standing corn, then thou mayest pluck ears with thy hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn. When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, then it cometh to pass, if she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he writeth her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house, 2and she departeth out of his house, and goeth and becometh another man’s wife, 3and the latter husband hateth her, and writeth her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife; 4her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD; and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. 5When a man taketh a new wife, he shall not go out in the host, neither shall he be charged with any business; he shall be free for his house one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he hath taken. 6No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man’s life to pledge. 7If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, and sell him; then that thief shall die; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee. 8Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you, as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do. 9Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam, by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt. 10When thou dost lend thy neighbour any manner of loan, thou 24 shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. 11Thou shalt stand without, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring forth the pledge without unto thee. 12And if he be a poor man, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge; 13thou shalt surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his garment, and bless thee; and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God. 14Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates. 15In the same day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD and it be sin in thee. 16The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin. 17Thou shalt not pervert the justice due to the stranger, or to the fatherless; nor take the widow’s raiment to pledge. 18But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence; therefore I command thee to do this thing. 19When thou reapest thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go back to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hands. 20When thou beatest thine olive-tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 21When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it after thee; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 22And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt; therefore I command thee to do this thing. If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, and the judges judge them, by justifying the righteous, and condemning the wicked, 2then it shall be, if the wicked man deserve to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to the measure of his wickedness, by number. 3Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should be dishonoured before thine eyes. 4Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. 5If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not be married abroad unto one not of his kin; her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her. 6And it shall be, that 25 the first-born that she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not blotted out of Israel. 7And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say: ‘My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto me.’ 8Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him; and if he stand, and say: ‘I like not to take her’; 9then shall his brother’s wife draw nigh unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say: ‘So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother’s house.’ 10And his name shall be called in Israel The house of him that had his shoe loosed. 11When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets; 12then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity. 13Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small. 14Thou shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small. 15A perfect and just weight shalt thou have; a perfect and just measure shalt thou have; that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 16For all that do such things, even all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. 17Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt; 18how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all that were enfeebled in thy rear, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. 19Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath 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. .... .. And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and dost possess it, and dwell therein; 2that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there. 3And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him: ‘I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the land which the LORD swore unto our fathers to give us.’ 4And the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it down before the altar 26 of the LORD thy God. 5And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. 7And we cried unto the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression. 8And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders. 9And He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the land, which Thou, O LORD, hast given me.’ And thou shalt set it down before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God. 11And thou shalt rejoice in all the good which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is in the midst of thee. 12When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithe of thine increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be satisfied, 13then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God: ‘I have put away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Thy commandment which Thou hast commanded me; I have not transgressed any of Thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them. 14I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I put away thereof, being unclean, nor given thereof for the dead; I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, I have done according to all that Thou hast commanded me. 15Look forth from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel, and the land which Thou hast given us, as Thou didst swear unto our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 16This day the LORD thy God commandeth thee to do these statutes and ordinances; thou shalt therefore observe and do them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. 17Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and that thou wouldest walk in His ways, and keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His ordinances, and hearken unto His voice. 18And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be His own treasure, as He hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments; 19and to make thee high above all nations that He hath made, in praise, and in name, and in glory; and that thou mayest be a holy people unto the LORD thy God, as He hath spoken. And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying: ‘Keep all the commandment which I command you this day. 2And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over the Jordan unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster. 3And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over; that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath promised thee. 4And it shall be when ye are passed over the Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster. 5And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones; thou shalt lift up no iron tool upon them. 6Thou shalt build the altar of the LORD thy God of unhewn stones; and thou shalt offer burnt-offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God. 7And thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there; and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God. 8And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.’ 9And Moses and the priests the Levites spoke unto all Israel, saying: ‘Keep silence, and hear, O Israel; this day thou art become a people unto the LORD thy God. 10Thou shalt therefore hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and do His commandments and His statutes, which I command thee this day.’ 11And Moses charged the people the same day, saying: 12’These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are passed over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin; 13and these shall stand upon mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice: 15Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and setteth it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say: Amen. 16Cursed be he that dishonoureth his father or his mother. And all the people shall say: Amen. 17Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say: Amen. 18Cursed be he that maketh the blind to go astray in the way. And all the people shall say: Amen. 19Cursed be he that perverteth the justice due to the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say: Amen. 20Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he hath uncovered his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say: Amen. 27 21Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say: Amen. 22Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say: Amen. 23Cursed be he that lieth with his mother-in-law. And all the people shall say: Amen. 24Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour in secret. And all the people shall say: Amen. 25Cursed be he that taketh a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say: Amen. 26Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say: Amen.’ And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth. 2And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the young of thy flock. 5Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading- trough. 6Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7The LORD will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee; they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways. 8The LORD will command the blessing with thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and He will bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 9The LORD will establish thee for a holy people unto Himself, as He hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in His ways. 10And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the LORD is called upon thee; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11And the LORD will make thee over-abundant for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, in the land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers to give thee. 12The LORD will open unto thee His good treasure the heaven to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow. 13And the LORD will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them; 14and shalt not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. 28 15But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. 16Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 17Cursed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough. 18Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the young of thy flock. 19Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 20The LORD will send upon thee cursing, discomfiture, and rebuke, in all that thou puttest thy hand unto to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the evil of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken Me. 21The LORD will make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until He have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest in to possess it. 22The LORD will smite thee with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with fiery heat, and with drought, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. 23And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. 24The LORD will make the rain of thy land powder and dust; from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 25The LORD will cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies; thou shalt go out one way against them, and shalt flee seven ways before them; and thou shalt be a horror unto all the kingdoms of the earth. 26And thy carcasses shall be food unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and there shall be none to frighten them away. 27The LORD will smite thee with the boil of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. 28The LORD will smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart. 29And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not make thy ways prosperous; and thou shalt be only oppressed and robbed alway, and there shall be none to save thee. 30Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her; thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell therein; thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not use the fruit thereof. 31Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof; thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee; thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies; and thou shalt have none to save thee. 32Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day; and there shall be nought in the power of thy hand. 33The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed away: 34so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 35The LORD will smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore boil, whereof thou canst not be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the crown of thy head. 36The LORD will bring thee, and thy king whom thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation that thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. 37And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples whither the LORD shall lead thee away. 38Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather little in; for the locust shall consume it. 39Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but thou shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worm shall eat them. 40Thou shalt have olive-trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olives shall drop off. 41Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be thine; for they shall go into captivity. 42All thy trees and the fruit of thy land shall the locust possess. 43The stranger that is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; and thou shalt come down lower and lower. 44He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him; he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. 45And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou didst not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded thee. 46And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever; 47because thou didst not serve the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; 48therefore shalt thou serve thine enemy whom the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things; and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. 49The LORD will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the vulture swoopeth down; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; 50a nation of fierce countenance, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young. 51And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy ground, until thou be destroyed; that also shall not leave thee corn, wine, or oil, the increase of thy kine, or the young of thy flock, until he have caused thee to perish. 52And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fortified walls come down, wherein thou didst trust, throughout all thy land; and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. 53And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters whom the LORD thy God hath given thee; in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall straiten thee. 54The man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his children whom he hath remaining; 55so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat, because he hath nothing left him; in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall straiten thee in all thy gates. 56The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil against the husband of her bosom, and against her son, and against her daughter; 57and against her afterbirth that cometh out from between her feet, and against her children whom she shall bear; for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly; in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall straiten thee in thy gates. 58If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and awful Name, the LORD thy God; 59then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. 60And He will bring back upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast in dread of; and they shall cleave unto thee. 61Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 62And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou didst not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 63And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest in to possess it. 64And the LORD shall scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone. 65And among these nations shalt thou have no repose, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot; but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and languishing of soul. 66And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear night and day, and shalt have no assurance of thy life. 67In the morning thou shalt say: ‘Would it were even! ’ and at even thou shalt say: ‘Would it were morning! ’ for the fear of thy heart which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 68And the LORD shall bring thee back into Egypt in ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee: ‘Thou shalt see it no more again’; and there ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and for bondwoman, and no man shall buy you. 69These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which He made with them in Horeb. And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; 2the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs and those great wonders; 3but the LORD hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. 4And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. 5Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink; that ye might know that I am the LORD your God. 6And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them. 7And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites. 8Observe therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may make all that ye do to prosper. ..... 9Ye are standing this day all of you before the LORD your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, 10your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in the midst of thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water; 11that thou shouldest enter into the covenant of the LORD thy God—and into His oath—which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day; 12that He may establish thee this day unto Himself for a people, and that He may be unto thee a God, as He spoke unto thee, and as He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 13Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; 14but with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day— 15 for ye know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the midst of the nations through which ye passed; 16and ye have seen their detestable things, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were with them—17lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; 18 and it come to pass, 29 when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying: ‘I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart—that the watered be swept away with the dry’; 19the LORD will not be willing to pardon him, but then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy shall be kindled against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven; 20and the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law. 21And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses wherewith the LORD hath made it sick; 22and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and a burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath; 23even all the nations shall say ‘Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?’ 24then men shall say: ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt; 25and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that He had not allotted unto them; 26therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book; 27and the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day’.— 28 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt bethink thyself among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and hearken to His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; 3that then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee. 5And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 30 6And the LORD thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, that persecuted thee. 8And thou shalt return and hearken to the voice of the LORD, and do all His commandments which I command thee this day. 9And the LORD thy God will make thee over- abundant in all the work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good; for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers; 10if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law; if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. 11For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. 12It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say: ‘Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?’ 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say: ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?’ 14But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil, 16in that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances; then thou shalt live and multiply, and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest in to possess it. 17But if thy heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18I declare unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over the Jordan to go in to possess it. 19I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed; 20to love the LORD thy God, to hearken to His voice, and to cleave unto Him; for that is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. .... And Moses went and spoke these words unto all Israel. 2And he said unto them: ‘I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in; and the LORD hath said unto me: Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 3The LORD thy God, He will go over before thee; He 31 will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them; and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath spoken. 4And the LORD will do unto them as He did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom He destroyed. 5And the LORD will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you. 6Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ 7And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel: ‘Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt go with this people into the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. 8And the LORD, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.’ 9And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10And Moses commanded them, saying: ‘At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11when all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law; 13and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.’ 14And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Behold, thy days approach that thou must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge.’ And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15And the LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud; and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent. 16And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Behold, thou art about to sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go astray after the foreign gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? 18And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. 19Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. 20For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore unto their fathers, flowing with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten their fill, and waxen fat; and turned unto other gods, and served them, and despised Me, and broken My covenant; 21then it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed; for I know their imagination how they do even now, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.’ 22So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel. 23And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said: ‘Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore unto them; and I will be with thee.’ 24And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25that Moses commanded the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: 26’Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. 27For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? 28Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29For I know that after my death ye will in any wise deal corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the end of days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him through the work of your hands.’ 30And Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished: ...... Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 2My doctrine shall drop as the rain, My speech shall distil as the dew; As the small rain upon the tender grass, And as the showers upon the herb. 3For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4The Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice; A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and right is He. 32 5Is corruption His? No; His children’s is the blemish; A generation crooked and perverse. 6Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? Is not He thy father that hath gotten thee? Hath He not made thee, and established thee? 7Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations; Ask thy father, and he will declare unto thee, Thine elders, and they will tell thee. 8When the Most High gave to the nations When He separated the children of men, He set the borders of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel. 9For the portion of the LORD is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance. 10He found him in a desert land, And in the waste, a howling wilderness; He compassed him about, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. 11As an eagle that stirreth up her nest, Hovereth over her young, Spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, Beareth them on her pinions— 12The LORD alone did lead him, And there was no strange god with Him. 13He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he did eat the fruitage of the field; And He made him to suck honey out of the crag, And oil out of the flinty rock; 14Curd of kine, and milk of sheep, With fat of lambs, And rams of the breed of Bashan, and he-goats, With the kidney-fat of wheat; And of the blood of the grape thou drankest foaming wine. 15But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked— Thou didst wax fat, thou didst grow thick, thou didst become gross— And he forsook God who made him, And contemned the Rock of his salvation. 16They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods, With abominations did they provoke Him. 17They sacrificed unto demons, no- gods, Gods that they knew not, New gods that came up of late, Which your fathers dreaded not. 18Of the Rock that begot thee thou wast unmindful, And didst forget God that bore thee. 19And the LORD saw, and spurned, Because of the provoking of His sons and His daughters. 20And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; For they are a very froward generation, Children in whom is no faithfulness. 21They have roused Me to jealousy with a no-god; They have provoked Me with their vanities; And I will rouse them to jealousy with a no-people; I will provoke them with a vile nation. 22For a fire is kindled in My nostril, And burneth unto the depths of the nether-world, And devoureth the earth with her produce, And setteth ablaze the foundations of the mountains. 23I will heap evils upon them; I will spend Mine arrows upon them; 24The wasting of hunger, and the devouring of the fiery bolt, And bitter destruction; And the teeth of beasts will I send upon them, With the venom of crawling things of the dust. 25Without shall the sword bereave, And in the chambers terror; Slaying both young man and virgin, The suckling with the man of gray hairs. 26I thought I would make an end of them, I would make their memory cease from among men; 27Were it not that I dreaded the enemy’s provocation, Lest their adversaries should misdeem, Lest they should say: Our hand is exalted, And not the LORD hath wrought all this.’ 28For they are a nation void of counsel, And there is no understanding in them. 29If they were wise, they would understand this, They would discern their latter end. 30How should one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Except their Rock had given them over And the LORD had delivered them up? 31For their rock is not as our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges. 32For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, And of the fields of Gomorrah; Their grapes are grapes of gall, Their clusters are bitter; 33Their wine is the venom of serpents, And the cruel poison of asps. 34’Is not this laid up in store with Me, Sealed up in My treasuries? 35Vengeance is Mine, and recompense, Against the time when their foot shall slip; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things that are to come upon them shall make haste. 36For the LORD will judge His people, And repent Himself for His servants; When He seeth that their stay is gone, And there is none remaining, shut up or left at large. 37And it is said: Where are their gods, The rock in whom they trusted; 38Who did eat the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink- offering? Let him rise up and help you, Let him be your protection. 39See now that I, even I, am He, And there is no god with Me; I kill, and I make alive; I have wounded, and I heal; And there is none that can deliver out of My hand. 40For I lift up My hand to heaven, And say: As I live for ever, 41If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine adversaries, And will recompense them that hate Me. 42I will make Mine arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour flesh; With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired heads of the enemy.’ 43Sing aloud, O ye nations, of His people; For He doth avenge the blood of His servants, And doth render vengeance to His adversaries, And doth make expiation for the land of His people. 44And Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun. 45And when Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel, 46he said unto them: ‘Set your heart unto all the words wherewith I testify against you this day; that ye may charge your children therewith to observe to do all the words of this law. 47For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days upon the land, whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.’ 48And the LORD spoke unto Moses that selfsame day, saying: 49’Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession; 50and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people. 51Because ye trespassed against Me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribath-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the children of Israel. 52For thou shalt see the land afar off; but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of Israel.’ ..... .... And this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2And he said: The LORD came from Sinai, And rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, And He came from the myriads holy, At His right hand was a fiery law unto them. 3Yea, He loveth the peoples, All His holy ones—they are in Thy hand; And they sit down at Thy feet, Receiving of Thy words. 4Moses commanded us a law, An inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. 5And there was a king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together. 6Let Reuben live, and not die In that his men become few. 7And this for Judah, and he said: Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, And bring him in unto his people; His hands shall contend for him, And Thou shalt be a help against his adversaries. 8And of Levi he said: Thy Thummim and Thy Urim be with Thy holy one, Whom Thou didst prove at Massah, With whom Thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; 9Who said of his father, and of his mother: ‘I have not seen him’; Neither did he acknowledge his brethren, Nor knew he his own children; For they have observed Thy word, And keep Thy covenant. 10They shall teach Jacob Thine ordinances, And Israel Thy law; They shall put incense before Thee, And whole burnt-offering upon Thine altar. 33 11Bless, LORD, his substance, And accept the work of his hands; Smite through the loins of them that rise up against him, And of them that hate him, that they rise not again. 12Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him; He covereth him all the day, And He dwelleth between his shoulders. 13And of Joseph he said: Blessed of the LORD be his land; For the precious things of heaven, for the dew, And for the deep that coucheth beneath, 14And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, And for the precious things of the yield of the moons, 15And for the tops of the ancient mountains, And for the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16And for the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof, And the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush; Let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, And upon the crown of the head of him that is prince among his brethren. 17His firstling bullock, majesty is his; And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox; With them he shall gore the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth; And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh. 18And of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out, And, Issachar, in thy tents. 19They shall call peoples unto the mountain; There shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they shall suck the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand. 20And of Gad he said: Blessed be He that enlargeth Gad; He dwelleth as a lioness, And teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head. 21And he chose a first part for himself, For there a portion of a ruler was reserved; And there came the heads of the people, He executed the righteousness of the LORD, And His ordinances with Israel. 22And of Dan he said: Dan is a lion’s whelp, That leapeth forth from Bashan. 23And of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, And full with the blessing of the LORD: Possess thou the sea and the south. 24And of Asher he said: Blessed be Asher above sons; Let him be the favoured of his brethren, And let him dip his foot in oil. 25Iron and brass shall be thy bars; And as thy days, so shall thy strength be. 26There is none like unto God, O Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heaven as thy help, And in His excellency on the skies. 27The eternal God is a dwelling- place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He thrust out the enemy from before thee, And said: ‘Destroy.’ 28And Israel dwelleth in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of corn and wine; Yea, his heavens drop down dew. 29Happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee? A people saved by the LORD, The shield of thy help, And that is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall dwindle away before thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places. And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, even Gilead as far as Dan; 2and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the hinder sea; 3and the South, and the Plain, even the valley of Jericho the city of palm-trees, as far as Zoar. 4And the LORD said unto him: ‘This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying: I will give it unto thy seed; I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.’ 5So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 6And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor; and no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 7And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 8And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended. 9And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon 34 him; and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. 10And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face; 11in all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land; 12and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel. ...... THE PROPHETS JOSHUA THE TWELVE JUDGES HOSEA I SAMUEL JOEL II SAMUEL AMOS I KINGS OBADIAH II KINGS JONAH ISAIAH MICAH JEREMIAH NAHUM EZEKIEL HABAKKUK ZEPHAIAH HAGGAI ZECHARIAH MALACHAI ..... JOSHUA Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’minister, saying: 2’Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spoke unto Moses. 4From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border. 5There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I swore unto their fathers to give them. 7Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded thee; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. 8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy ways prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ 10Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying: 11’Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying: Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.’ 12And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, spoke Joshua, saying: 13’Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, you, saying: The LORD your God giveth you rest, and will give you this land. 14Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall abide in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan; but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and shall help them; 15until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as unto you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them; then ye 1 shall return unto the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising.’ 16And they answered Joshua, saying: ‘All that thou hast commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go. 17According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee; only the LORD thy God be with thee, as He was with Moses. 18Whosoever he be that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death; only be strong and of good courage.’ And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two spies secretly, saying: ‘Go view the land, and Jericho.’ And they went, and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there. 2And it was told the king of Jericho, saying: ‘Behold, there came men in hither to- night of the children of Israel to search out the land.’ 3And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying: ‘Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land.’ 4And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said: ‘Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were; 5and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I know not; pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.’ 6But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had spread out upon the roof. 7And the men pursued after them the way to the Jordan unto the fords; and as soon as they that pursued after them were gone out, the gate was shut. 8And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; 9and she said unto the men: ‘I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 11And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath. 12Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my father’s house— and give me a true token—13and save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.’ 14And the men said unto her: ‘Our life for yours, if ye tell not this our business; and it shall be, when the LORD giveth us the land, that we 2 will deal kindly and truly with thee.’ 15Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was upon the side of the wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. 16And she said unto them: ‘Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers light upon you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned; and afterward may ye go your way.’ 17And the men said unto her: ‘We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. 18Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by; and thou shalt gather unto thee into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household. 19And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless; and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. 20But if thou utter this our business, then we will be guiltless of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.’ 21And she said: ‘According unto your words, so be it.’ And she sent them away, and they departed; and she bound the scarlet line in the window. 22And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned; and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. 23Then the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun; and they told him all that had befallen them. 24And they said unto Joshua: ‘Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us.’ And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and they removed from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and they lodged there before they passed over. 2And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp; 3and they commanded the people, saying: ‘When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. 4Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure; come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore.’ 5And Joshua said unto the people: ‘Sanctify yourselves; for to-morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.’ 6And Joshua spoke unto the priests, saying: ‘Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass on before the people.’ And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. 7And the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may 3 know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. 8And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying: When ye are come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, ye shall stand still in the Jordan.’ 9And Joshua said unto the children of Israel: ‘Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.’ 10And 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 Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth on before you over the Jordan. 12Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man. 13And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.’ 14And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests that bore the ark of the covenant being before the people; 15and when they that bore the ark were come unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the brink of the water—for the Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest—16that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off; and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, while all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation were passed clean over the Jordan. And it came to pass, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying: 2’Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3and command ye them, saying: Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests’feet stood, twelve stones made ready, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging- place, where ye shall lodge this night.’ 4Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man; 5and Joshua said unto them: ‘Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; 6that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying: What mean ye by these stones? 7then ye shall say unto them: 4 Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off; and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.’ 8And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as the LORD spoke unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 9Joshua also set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there unto this day. 10And the priests that bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua; and the people hastened and passed over. 11And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed on, and the priests, before the people. 12And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, passed on armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke unto them; 13about forty thousand ready armed for war passed on in the presence of the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. 15And the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying: 16’Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.’ 17Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying: ‘Come ye up out of the Jordan.’ 18And it came to pass, as the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the midst of the Jordan, as soon as the soles of the priests’feet were drawn up unto the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime. 19And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. 20And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21And he spoke unto the children of Israel, saying: ‘When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying: What mean these stones? 22then ye shall let your children know, saying: Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up from before us, until we were passed over, 24that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty; that ye may fear the LORD your God for ever.’ 5 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, that were by the sea, heard how that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel, until they were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. 2At that time the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘Make thee knives of flint, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.’ 3And Joshua made him knives of flint, and circumcised the children of Israel at aGibeath-ha- araloth. 4And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: all the people that came forth out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt. 5For all the people that came out were circumcised; but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, had not been circumcised. 6For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the nation, even the men of war that came forth out of Egypt, were consumed, because they hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD; unto whom the LORD swore that He would not let them see the land a That is, The hill of the foreskins. which the LORD swore unto their fathers that He would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7And He raised up their children in their stead; them did Joshua circumcise; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised by the way. 8And it came to pass, when all the nation were circumcised, every one of them, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. 9And the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.’ Wherefore the name of that place was called bGilgal, unto this day. b That is, Rolling. 10And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal; and they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. 11And they did eat of the produce of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes and parched corn, in the selfsame day. 12And the manna ceased on the morrow, after they had eaten of the produce of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. 13And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him: ‘Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?’ 14And he said: ‘Nay, but I am captain of the host of the LORD; I am now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said unto him: ‘What saith my lord unto his servant?’ 15And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua: ‘Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy.’ And Joshua did so. Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.— 2And the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘See, I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, even the mighty men of valour. 3And ye shall compass the city, all the men of war, going about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4And seven priests shall bear seven rams’horns before the ark; and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the horns. 5And it shall be, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the horn, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.’ 6And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them: ‘Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven rams’horns before the ark of the LORD.’ 7And he said unto the people: ‘Pass on, and compass the city, and let the armed body pass on before the ark of the LORD.’ 8And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests bearing the seven rams’horns before the LORD passed on, and blew with the horns; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9And the armed men went before the priests that blew the horns, and the rearward went after the ark, [the priests] blowing with the horns continually. 10And Joshua commanded the people, saying: ‘Ye shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.’ 11So he caused the ark of the LORD to compass the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 12And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13And the seven priests bearing the seven rams’horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the horns; and the armed men went before them; and the rearward came after the ark of the LORD, [the priests] blowing with the horns continually. 14And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp; so they did six days. 15And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early at the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; only on that day they compassed the city seven times. 16And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the horns, that Joshua said unto the 6 people: ‘Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. 17And the city shall be devoted, even it and all that is therein, to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed by taking of the devoted thing, so should ye make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. 19But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy unto the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.’ 20So the people shouted, and [the priests] blew with the horns. And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the horn, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. 22And Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land: ‘Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye swore unto her.’ 23And the young men the spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had, all her kindred also they brought out; and they set them without the camp of Israel. 24And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein; only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25But Rahab the harlot, and her father’s household, and all that she had, did Joshua save alive; and she dwelt in the midst of Israel, unto this day; because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26And Joshua charged the people with an oath at that time, saying: ‘Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city, even Jericho; with the loss of his first- born shall he lay the foundation thereof, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.’ 27So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land. But the children of Israel committed a trespass concerning the devoted thing; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the devoted thing; and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel. 2And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spoke unto them, saying: ‘Go up and spy out the land.’ And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him: ‘Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; make not all the people to toil thither; for they are but few.’ 4So there 7 went up thither of the people about three thousand men; and they fled before the men of Ai. 5And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men; and they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them at the descent; and the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. 6And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their heads. 7And Joshua said: ‘Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? would that we had been content and dwelt beyond the Jordan! 8Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel hath turned their backs before their enemies! 9For when the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land hear of it, they will compass us round, and cut off our name from the earth; and what wilt Thou do for Thy great name?’ 10And the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘Get thee up; wherefore, now, art thou fallen upon thy face? 11Israel hath sinned; yea, they have even transgressed My covenant which I commanded them; yea, they have even taken of the devoted thing; and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have even put it among their own stuff. 12Therefore the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies, they turn their backs before their enemies, because they are become accursed; I will not be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. 13Up, sanctify the people, and say: Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow; for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: There is a curse in the midst of thee, O Israel; thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. 14In the morning therefore ye shall draw near by your tribes; and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come near by families; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come near by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come near man by man. 15And it shall be that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath; because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought a wanton deed in Israel.’ 16So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17And he brought near the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zerahites. And he brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man; and Zabdi was taken. 18And he brought near his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19And Joshua said unto Achan: ‘My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make confession unto Him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide nothing from me.’ 20And Achan answered Joshua, and said: ‘Of a truth I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done. 21When I saw among the spoil a goodly Shinar mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.’ 22So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. 23And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel; and they laid them down before the LORD. 24And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up unto the valley of Achor. 25And Joshua said: ‘Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day.’ And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones. 26And they raised over him a great heap of stones, unto this day; and the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called The valley of aAchor, unto this day. a That is, Troubling. 8 And the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘Fear not, neither be thou dismayed; take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land. 2And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king; only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves; set thee an ambush for the city behind it.’ 3So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valour, and sent them forth by night. 4And he commanded them, saying: ‘Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready. 5And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city; and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them. 6And they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say: They flee before us, as at the first; so we will flee before them. 7And ye shall rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city; for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. 8And it shall be, when ye have seized upon the city, that ye shall set the city on fire; according to the word of the LORD shall ye do; see, I have commanded you.’ 9And Joshua sent them forth; and they went to the ambushment, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people. 10And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11And all the people, even the men of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai—now there was a valley between him and Ai. 12And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai. 13So the people set themselves in array, even all the host that was on the north of the city, their rear lying in wait on the west of the city; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the vale. 14And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hastened and rose up early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, in front of the Arabah; but he knew not that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. 17And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel; and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel. 18And the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘Stretch out the javelin that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thy hand.’ And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. 19And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and entered into the city, and took it; and they hastened and set the city on fire. 20And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way; and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. 21And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned back, and slew the men of Ai. 22And the other came forth out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side; and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape. 23And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. 24And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, even in the wilderness wherein they pursued them, and they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all Israel returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. 25And all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. 26For Joshua drew not back his hand, wherewith he stretched out the javelin, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which He commanded Joshua. 28So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation, unto this day. 29And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until the eventide; and at the going down of the sun Joshua commanded, and they took his carcass down from the tree, and cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised thereon a great heap of stones, unto this day. 30Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal, 31as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron; and they offered thereon burnt- offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace-offerings. 32And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote before the children of Israel. 33And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger as the home-born; half of them in front of mount Gerizim and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel. 34And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that walked among them. And it came to pass, when all the kings that were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the Lowland, and on all the shore of the Great Sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof, 2that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. 3But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, 4they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine skins, worn and rent and patched up; 5and worn shoes and clouted upon their feet, and worn garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and was become crumbs. 6And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the 9 men of Israel: ‘We are come from a far country; now therefore make ye a covenant with us.’ 7And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites: ‘Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you?’ 8And they said unto Joshua: ‘We are thy servants.’ And Joshua said unto them: ‘Who are ye? and from whence come ye?’ 9And they said unto him: ‘From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God; for we have heard the fame of Him, and all that He did in Egypt, 10and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. 11And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying: Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them: We are your servants; and now make ye a covenant with us. 12This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and is become crumbs. 13And these wine-skins, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they are rent. And these our garments and our shoes are worn by reason of the very long journey.’ 14And the men took of their provision, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. 15And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the princes of the congregation swore unto them. 16And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. 17And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kiriath- jearim. 18And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. 19But all the princes said unto all the congregation: ‘We have sworn unto them by the LORD, the God of Israel; now therefore we may not touch them. 20This we will do to them, and let them live; lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them.’ 21And the princes said concerning them: ‘Let them live’; so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had spoken concerning them. 22And Joshua called for them, and he spoke unto them, saying: ‘Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying: We are very far from you, when ye dwell among us? 23Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall never fail to be of you bondmen, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.’ 24And they answered Joshua, and said: ‘Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were sore afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 25And now, behold, we are in thy hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.’ 26And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. 27And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, unto this day, in the place which He should choose. Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; 2that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. 3Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying: 4’Come up unto me, and help me, and let us smite Gibeon; for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.’ 5Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it. 6And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying: ‘Slack not thy hands from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill- country are gathered together against us.’ 7So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour. 8And the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘Fear them not; for I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand against thee.’ 9Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly; for he went up from Gilgal all the night. 10And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon; and they chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. 11And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died; they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. 12Then spoke Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of 10 Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel: ‘Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.’ 13And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel. 15And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal. 16And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. 17And it was told Joshua, saying: ‘The five kings are found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.’ 18And Joshua said: ‘Roll great stones unto the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them; 19but stay not ye; pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities; for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand.’ 20And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities, 21that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace; none whetted his tongue against any of the children of Israel. 22Then said Joshua: ‘Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth those five kings unto me out of the cave.’ 23And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon. 24And it came to pass, when they brought forth those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the chiefs of the men of war that went with him: ‘Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings.’ And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. 25And Joshua said unto them: ‘Fear not, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage; for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.’ 26And afterward Joshua smote them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. 27And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, unto this very day. 28And Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof; he utterly destroyed them and all the souls that were therein, he left none remaining; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done unto the king of Jericho. 29And Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah. 30And the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining in it; and he did unto the king thereof as he had done unto the king of Jericho. 31And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it. 32And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah. 33Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining. 34And Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, unto Eglon; and they encamped against it, and fought against it. 35And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish. 36And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it. 37And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls that were therein. 38And Joshua turned back, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it. 39And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining; as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to the king thereof. 40So Joshua smote all the land, the hill-country, and the South, and the Lowland, and the slopes, and all their kings; he left none remaining; but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded. 41And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. 42And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. 43And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal. And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard thereof, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, 2and to the kings that were on the north, in the 11 hill-country and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the Lowland, and in the regions of Dor on the west, 3to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the hill-country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many. 5And all these kings met together, and they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel. 6And the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘Be not afraid because of them; for to- morrow at this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel; thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.’ 7So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly, and fell upon them. 8And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephoth-maim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining. 9And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him; he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire. 10And Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms. 11And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was none left that breathed; and he burnt Hazor with fire. 12And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and he smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them; as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. 13But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only—that did Joshua burn. 14And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any that breathed. 15As the LORD commanded Moses His servant, so did Moses command Joshua; and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses. 16So Joshua took all that land, the hill-country, and all the South, and all the land of Goshen, and the Lowland, and the Arabah, and the hill-country of Israel, and the Lowland of the same; 17from the bare mountain, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon; and all their kings he took, and smote them, and put them to death. 18Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon; they took all in battle. 20For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that they might be utterly destroyed, that they might have no favour, but that they might be destroyed, as the LORD commanded Moses. 21And Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill- country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill- country of Judah, and from all the hill- country of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. 22There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the children of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, did some remain. 23So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD spoke unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land had rest from war. Now these are the kings of the land, whom the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising, from the valley of Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the Arabah eastward: 2Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, and the middle of the valley, and half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, the border of the children of Ammon; 3and the Arabah unto the sea of Chinneroth, eastward, and unto the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, eastward, the way to Beth-jeshimoth; and on the south, under the slopes of Pisgah; 4and the border of Og king of Bashan, of the remnant of the Rephaim, who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, 5and ruled in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half Gilead, even unto the border of Sihon king of Heshbon. 6Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smote them; and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 7And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the children of Israel smote beyond the Jordan westward, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the bare mountain, that goeth up to Seir; and Joshua gave it unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions; 8in the hill-country, and in the Lowland, and in the Arabah, and in the slopes, and in the wilderness, and in the South; the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: 9the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Beth- el, one; 10the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; 11the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; 12the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; 12 13the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; 14the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; 15the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; 16the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Beth-el, one; 17the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18the king of Aphek, one; the king of the Sharon, one; 19the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; 20the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; 21the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; 22the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; 23the king of Dor in the region of Dor, one; the king of Goiim in the Gilgal, one; 24the king of Tirzah, one. All the kings thirty and one. Now Joshua was old and well stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him: ‘Thou art old and well stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. 2This is the land that yet remaineth: all the regions of the Philistines, and all the Geshurites; 3from the Shihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the border of Ekron northward—which is counted to the Canaanites; the five lords of the Philistines: the Gazite, and the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, and the Ekronite; also the Avvim 4on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongeth to the Zidonians, unto Aphek, to the border of the Amorites; 5and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baal-gad under mount Hermon unto the entrance of Hamath; 6all the inhabitants of the hill-country from Lebanon unto Misrephoth-maim, even all the Zidonians; them will I drive out from before the children of Israel; only allot thou it unto Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee. 7Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.’ 8With him the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them; 9from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the table-land from Medeba unto Dibon; 10and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children of Ammon; 11and Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah; 12all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei—the same was left of the remnant of the Rephaim— for these did Moses smite, and drove them out. 13Nevertheless the children of Israel drove not out the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites; but 13 Geshur and Maacath dwelt in the midst of Israel unto this day. 14Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance; the offerings of the LORD, the God of Israel, made by fire are his inheritance, as He spoke unto him. 15And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their families. 16And their border was from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the table-land by Medeba; 17Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the table-land; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth- baal-meon; 18and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath; 19and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zerethshahar in the mount of the valley; 20and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth; 21and all the cities of the table-land, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the princes of Sihon, that dwelt in the land. 22Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among the rest of their slain. 23And as for the border of the children of Reuben, the Jordan was their border. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and the villages thereof. 24And Moses gave unto the tribe of Gad, unto the children of Gad, according to their families. 25And their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah; 26and from Heshbon unto Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Lidbir; 27and in the valley, Beth- haram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan being the border thereof, unto the uttermost part of the sea of Chinnereth beyond the Jordan eastward. 28This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and the villages thereof. 29And Moses gave inheritance unto the half-tribe of Manasseh; and it was for the half-tribe of the children of Manasseh according to their families. 30And their border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities; 31and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even for the half of the children of Machir according to their families. 32These are the inheritances which Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan at Jericho, eastward. 33But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as He spoke unto them. 14 15 And these are the inheritances which the children of Israel took in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed unto them, 2by the lot of their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half-tribe.— 3For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan; but unto the Levites he gave no inheritance among them. 4For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim; and they gave no portion unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with the open land about them for their cattle and for their substance.— 5As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land. 6Then the children of Judah drew nigh unto Joshua in Gilgal; and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said unto him: ‘Thou knowest the thing that the LORD spoke unto Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning thee in Kadesh-barnea. 7Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him back word as it was in my heart. 8Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the LORD my God. 9And Moses swore on that day, saying: Surely the land whereon thy foot hath trodden shall be an inheritance to thee and to thy children for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God. 10And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as He spoke, these forty and five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word unto Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness; and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. 11As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me; as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, and to go out and to come in. 12Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spoke in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakim were there, and cities great and fortified; it may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as the LORD spoke.’ 13And Joshua blessed him; and he gave Hebron unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, unto this day; because that he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. 15Now the name of Hebron beforetime was aKiriath-arba, which Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war. a That is, The city of Arba. And the lot for the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families was unto the border of Edom, even to the wilderness of Zin southward, at the uttermost part of the south. 2And their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looked southward. 3And it went out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and went up by the south of Kadesh-barnea, and passed along by Hezron, and went up to Addar, and turned about to Karka. 4And it passed along to Azmon, and went out at the Brook of Egypt; and the goings out of the border were at the sea; this shall be your south border. 5And the east border was the Salt Sea, even unto the end of the Jordan. And the border of the north side was from the bay of the sea at the end of the Jordan. 6And the border went up to Beth-hoglah, and passed along by the north of Beth- arabah; and the border went up to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 7And the border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is over against the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the brook; and the border passed along to the waters of En-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel. 8And the border went up by the Valley of the son of Hinnom unto the side of the Jebusite southward—the same is Jerusalem—and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the Valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the uttermost part of the vale of Rephaim northward. 9And the border was drawn from the top of the mountain unto the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah—the same is Kiriath-jearim. 10And the border turned about from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim on the north—the same is Chesalon—and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed along by Timnah. 11And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward; and the border was drawn to Shikkeron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea. 12And as for the west border, the Great Sea was the border thereof. This is the border of the children of Judah round about according to their families. 13And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even Kiriath-arba, which Arba was the father of Anak—the same is Hebron. 14And Caleb drove out thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15And he went up thence against the inhabitants of Debir—now the name of Debir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher. 16And Caleb said: ‘He that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.’ 17And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 18And it came to pass, when she came unto him, that she persuaded him to ask of her father a field; and she alighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her: ‘What wouldest thou?’ 19And she said: ‘Give me a blessing; for that thou hast set me in the aSouthland, give me therefore springs of water.’ And he gave her the Upper Springs and the Nether Springs. a Heb. Land of Negeb, that is, a dry land. 20This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. 21And the cities at the uttermost part of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the border of Edom in the South were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur; 22and Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah; 23and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan; 24Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth; 25and Hazor, and Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron—the same is Hazor; 26Amam, and Shema, and Moladah; 27and Hazar-gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth-pelet; 28and Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba, and Biziothiah; 29Baalah, and Iim, and Ezem; 30and Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah; 31and Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah; 32and Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon; all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages. 33In the Lowland: Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah; 34and Zanoah, and En-gannim, Tappuah, and Enam; 35Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah; 36and Shaaraim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, with Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages. 37Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal- gad; 38and Dilan, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel; 39Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon; 40and Cabbon, and Lahmas, and Chithlish; 41and Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages. 42Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan; 43and Iphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib; 44and Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages. 45Ekron, with its towns and its villages; 46from Ekron even unto the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages. 47Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; unto the Brook of Egypt, the Great Sea being the border thereof. 48And in the hill-country: Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh; 49and Dannah, and Kiriath-sannah—the same is Debir; 50and Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim; 51and Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages. 52Arab, and Rumah, and Eshan; 53and Janum, and Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah; 54and Humtah, and Kiriath- arba—the same is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages. 55Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah; 56and Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah; 57Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages. 58Halhul, Beth-zur, and Gedor; 59and Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages. 60Kiriath-baal—the same is Kiriath- jearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages. 61In the wilderness: Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah; 62and Nibshan, and the City of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities with their villages. 63And as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwelt with the children of Judah at Jerusalem, unto this day. And the lot for the children of Joseph went out from the Jordan at Jericho, at the waters of Jericho on the east, going up from Jericho through the hill-country to the wilderness, even to Beth-el. 2And it went out from Beth-el-luz, and passed along unto the border of the Archites to Ataroth. 3And it went down westward to the border of the Japhletites, unto the border of Beth- horon the nether, even unto Gezer; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. 4And the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance. 5And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus; even the border of their inheritance eastward was Atroth- addar, unto Beth-horon the upper. 6And the border went out westward, Mich-methath being on the north; and the border turned about eastward unto Taanath-shiloh, and passed along it on the east of Janoah. 7And it went down from Janoah to Ataroth, and to Naarah, and reached unto Jericho, and went out at the Jordan. 8From Tappuah the border went along westward to the brook of Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families; 9together with the cities which were separated for the children of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. 10And they drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in the midst of Ephraim, unto this day, and became servants to do taskwork. And this was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the first-born of Joseph. As for Machir the first-born of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan. 2And the lot was for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida; these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families. 3But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, 16 17 the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying: ‘The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren’; therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father. 5And there fell ten parts to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan; 6because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons; and the land of Gilead belonged unto the rest of the sons of Manasseh. 7And the border of Manasseh was, beginning from Asher, Michmethath, which is before Shechem; and the border went along to the right hand, unto the inhabitants of En-tappuah.— 8The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh; but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.— 9And the border went down unto the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook, by cities which belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh; but the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook; and the goings out thereof were at the sea: 10southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was his border; and they reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east. 11And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Beth-shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, even the three regions. 12Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites were resolved to dwell in that land. 13And it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to taskwork, but did not utterly drive them out. 14And the children of Joseph spoke unto Joshua, saying: ‘Why hast thou given me but one lot and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me thus?’ 15And Joshua said unto them: ‘If thou be a great people, get thee up to the forest, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim; since the hill-country of Ephraim is too narrow for thee.’ 16And the children of Joseph said: ‘The hill-country will not be enough for us; and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are in Beth-shean and its towns, and they who are in the valley of Jezreel.’ 17And Joshua spoke unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying: ‘Thou art a great people, and hast great power; thou shalt not have one lot only; 18but the hill-country shall be thine; for though it is a forest, thou shalt cut it down, and the goings out thereof shall be thine; for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they be strong.’ And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them. 2And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance. 3And Joshua said unto the children of Israel: ‘How long are ye slack to go in to possess the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, hath given you? 4Appoint for you three men for each tribe; and I will send them, and they shall arise, and walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; and they shall come unto me. 5And they shall divide it into seven portions: Judah shall abide in his border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their border on the north. 6And ye shall describe the land into seven portions, and bring the description hither to me; and I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God. 7For the Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance; and Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.’ 8And the men arose, and went; and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying: ‘Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come back to me, and I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh.’ 9And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven portions in a book, and they came to Joshua unto the camp at Shiloh. 10And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD; and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions. 11And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families; and the border of their lot went out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. 12And their border on the north side was from the Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill-country westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13And the border passed along from thence to Luz, to the side of Luz—the same is Beth-el—southward; and the border went down to Atroth-addar, by the mountain that lieth on the south of Beth-horon the nether. 14And the border was drawn and turned about on the west side southward, from the mountain that lieth before Beth-horon southward; and the goings out thereof 18 were at Kiriath-baal—the same is Kiriath-jearim—a city of the children of Judah; this was the west side. 15And the south side was from the uttermost part of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went out westward, and went out to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah. 16And the border went down to the uttermost part of the mountain that lieth before the Valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the vale of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the Valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel. 17And it was drawn on the north, and went out at En- shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is over against the ascent of Adummim; and it went down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18And it passed along to the side over against the Arabah northward, and went down unto the Arabah. 19And the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the goings out of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan; this was the south border. 20And the Jordan was to be the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the borders thereof round about, according to their families. 21Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth- hoglah, and Emek-keziz; 22and Beth- arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-el; 23and Avvim, and Parah, and Ophrah; 24and Chephar-ammonah, and Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages: 25Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth; 26and Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah; 27and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah; 28and Zela, Eleph, and the Jebusite—the same is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families. And the second lot came out for Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families; and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Judah. 2And they had for their inheritance Beer-sheba with Sheba, and Moladah; 3and Hazarshual, and Balah, and Ezem; 4and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah; 5and Ziklag, and Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah; 6and Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages: 7Ain, Rimmon, and Ether, and Ashan; four cities with their villages; 8and all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalath-beer, as far as Ramah of the South. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. 9Out of the allotment of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon, for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them; therefore the children of Simeon had 19 inheritance in the midst of their inheritance. 10And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families; and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid. 11And their border went up westward, even to Maralah, and reached to Dabbesheth; and it reached to the brook that is before Jokneam. 12And it turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising unto the border of Chisloth-tabor; and it went out to Dobrath, and went up to Japhia. 13And from thence it passed along eastward to Gath-hepher, to Ethkazin; and it went out at Rimmon- methoar unto Neah. 14And the border turned about it on the north to Hannathon; and the goings out thereof were at the valley of Iphtahel; 15and Kattath, and Nahalal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Beth-lehem; twelve cities with their villages. 16This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages. 17The fourth lot came out for Issachar, even for the children of Issachar according to their families. 18And their border was Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem; 19and Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath; 20and Rabbith, and Kishion, and Ebez; 21and Remeth, and En-gannim, and En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez; 22and the border reached to Tabor, and Shahazim, and Beth-shemesh; and the goings out of their border were at the Jordan; sixteen cities with their villages. 23This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages. 24And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families. 25And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph; 26and Allam- melech, and Amad, and Mishal; and it reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihor-libnath. 27And it turned toward the sunrising to Beth-dagon, and reached to Zebulun and to the valley of Iphtahel northward at Beth-emek and Neiel; and it went out to Cabul on the left hand, 28and Ebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even unto great Zidon. 29And the border turned to Ramah, and to the fortified city of Tyre; and the border turned to Hosah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea from Hebel to Achzib; 30Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob; twenty and two cities with their villages. 31This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages. 32The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families. 33And their border was from Heleph, from Elon-beza-anannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakkum; and the goings out thereof were at the Jordan. 34And the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor, and went out from thence to Hukok; and it reached to Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on the west, and to Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrising. 35And the fortified cities were Ziddim-zer, and Hammath, and Rakkath, and Chinnereth; 36and Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor; 37and Kedesh, and Edrei, and En-hazor; 38and Iron, and Migdal-el, and Horem, and Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages. 39This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages. 40The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families. 41And the border of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh; 42and Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Ithlah; 43and Elon, and Timnah, and Ekron; 44and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath; 45and Jehud, and Bene-berak, and Gath-rimmon; 46and Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border over against Joppa. 47And the border of the children of Dan was too strait for them; so the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father. 48This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages. 49When they had made an end of distributing the land for inheritance by the borders thereof, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun in the midst of them; 50according to the commandment of the LORD they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnath-serah in the hill-country of Ephraim; and he built the city, and dwelt therein. 51These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tent of meeting. So they made an end of dividing the land. And the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying: 2’Speak to the children of Israel, saying: Assign you the cities of refuge, whereof I spoke unto you by the hand of Moses; 3that the manslayer that killeth any person through error and unawares may flee thither; and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of blood. 4And he shall flee unto one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; and they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. 5And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unawares, and 20 hated him not beforetime. 6And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days; then may the manslayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.’ 7And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba—the same is Hebron—in the hill-country of Judah. 8And beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the table-land out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. 9These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person through error might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation. Then came near the heads of fathers’houses of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of fathers’houses of the tribes of the children of Israel; 2and they spoke unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying: ‘The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the open land thereabout for our cattle.’ 3And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of the LORD, these cities with the open land about them. 4And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites; and the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities. 5And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities. 6And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities. 7The children of Merari according to their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. 8And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with the open land about them, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. 9And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name. 10And they were for the children of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi; for theirs was the first lot. 21 11And they gave them Kiriath-arba, which Arba was the father of aAnak— the same is Hebron—in the hill- country of Judah, with the open land round about it. 12But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession. a Heb. Anok. 13And unto the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with the open land about it, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Libnah with the open land about it; 14and Jattir with the open land about it, and Eshtemoa with the open land about it; 15and Holon with the open land about it, and Debir with the open land about it; 16and Ain with the open land about it, and Juttah with the open land about it, and Beth- shemesh with the open land about it; nine cities out of those two tribes. 17And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with the open land about it, Geba with the open land about it; 18Anathoth with the open land about it, and Almon with the open land about it; four cities. 19All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with the open land about them. 20And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, even the rest of the children of Kohath, they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim. 21And they gave them Shechem with the open land about it in the hill-country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Gezer with the open land about it; 22and Kibzaim with the open land about it, and Beth-horon with the open land about it; four cities. 23And out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with the open land about it, Gibbethon with the open land about it; 24Aijalon with the open land about it, Gath-rimmon with the open land about it; four cities. 25And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with the open land about it, and Gath- rimmon with the open land about it; two cities. 26All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with the open land about them. 27And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half-tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with the open land about it, the city of refuge for the manslayer; and Beeshterah with the open land about it; two cities. 28And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with the open land about it, Dobrath with the open land about it; 29Jarmuth with the open land about it, En-gannim with the open land about it; four cities. 30And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with the open land about it, Abdon with the open land about it; 31Helkath with the open land about it, and Rehob with the open land about it; four cities. 32And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with the open land about it, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Hammoth-dor with the open land about it, and Kartan with the open land about it; three cities. 33All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with the open land about them. 34And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with the open land about it, and Kartah with the open land about it; 35Dimnah with the open land about it, Nahalal with the open land about it; four cities. [a36And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with the open land about it, and Jahaz with the open land about it; 37Kedemoth with the open land about it, and Mephaath with the open land about it; four cities.] 38And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with the open land about it, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with the open land about it; 39Heshbon with the open land about it, Jazer with the open land about it; four cities in all. 40All these were the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, even the rest of the families of the Levites; and their lot was twelve cities. a These two verses, taken from I Chron. Vi 63-64, are excluded from the text in authorative codicies and placed in the margin. 41All the cities of the Levites—forty and eight cities with the open land about them—shall be in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel, 42even these cities, every one with the open land round about it; thus it shall be with all these cities. 43So the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which He swore to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 44And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that He swore unto their fathers; and there stood not a man of all their enemies against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45There failed not aught of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2and said unto them: ‘Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have hearkened unto my voice in all that I commanded you; 3ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as He spoke unto them; therefore now turn ye, and get you unto your tents, unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan. 5Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto 22 Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.’ 6So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away; and they went unto their tents. 7Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given inheritance in Bashan; but unto the other half gave Joshua among their brethren beyond the Jordan westward. Moreover when Joshua sent them away unto their tents, he blessed them, 8and spoke unto them, saying: ‘Return with much wealth unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.’ 9And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 10And when they came unto the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon. 11And the children of Israel heard say: ‘Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that pertaineth to the children of Israel.’ 12And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up against them to war. 13And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest; 14and with him ten princes, one prince of a fathers’house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were every one of them head of their fathers’houses among the thousands of Israel. 15And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying: 16’Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD: What treachery is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, to rebel this day against the LORD? 17Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves unto this day, although there came a plague upon the congregation of the LORD, 18that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to-day against the LORD, that to-morrow He will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel. 19Howbeit, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD’S tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us; but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar besides the altar of the LORD our God. 20Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass concerning the devoted thing, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.’ 21Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke unto the heads of the thousands of Israel: 22’God, God, the LORD, God, God, the LORD, He knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in treachery against the LORD—save Thou us not this day— 23that we have built us an altar to turn away from following the LORD; or if to offer thereon burnt- offering or meal-offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace-offerings thereon, let the LORD Himself require it; 24and if we have not rather out of anxiety about a matter done this, saying: In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying: What have ye to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25for the LORD hath made the Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no portion in the LORD; so might your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD. 26Therefore we said: Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice; 27but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt- offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come: Ye have no portion in the LORD. 28Therefore said we: It shall be, when they so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say: Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you. 29Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn away this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt- offering, for meal-offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the LORD our God that is before His tabernacle.’ 30And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them well. 31And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh: ‘This day we know that the LORD is in the midst of us, because ye have not committed this treachery against the LORD; now have ye delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.’ 32And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them back word. 33And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and spoke no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and the children of Gad dwelt. 34And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar—: ‘for it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.’ And it came to pass after many days, when the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old and well stricken in years; 2that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them: ‘I am old and well stricken in years. 3And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God, He it is that hath fought for you. 4Behold, I have allotted unto you for an inheritance, according to your tribes, these nations that remain, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun. 5And the LORD your God, He shall thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God spoke unto you. 6Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; 7that ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor worship them; 8but cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day; 9wherefore the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and mighty; but as for you, no man hath stood against you unto this day. 10One man of you hath chased a thousand; for the LORD your God, He it is that fought for you, as He spoke unto you. 11Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. 12Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you; 13know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap unto you, and a scourge in your sides, and pricks in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. 14And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth; consider ye therefore in all your heart and in all your soul, that not one thing hath 23 failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, not one thing hath failed thereof. 15And it shall come to pass, that as all the good things are come upon you of which the LORD your God spoke unto you, so shall the LORD bring upon you all the evil things, until He have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. 16When ye transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which He hath given unto you.’ And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2And Joshua said unto all the people: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3And I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. 4And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; and Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. 5And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did in the midst thereof; and afterward I brought you out. 6And I brought your fathers out of Egypt; and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and with horsemen unto the Red Sea. 7And when they cried out unto the LORD, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt; and ye dwelt in the wilderness many days. 8And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, that dwelt beyond the Jordan; and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and ye possessed their land; and I destroyed them from before you. 9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel; and he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he even blessed you; so I delivered you out of his hand. 11And ye went over the Jordan, and came unto Jericho; and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I delivered them into your hand. 12And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. 13And I gave you a land whereon thou hadst not laboured, and 24 cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein; of vineyards and olive-yards which ye planted not do ye eat. 14Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.’ 16And the people answered and said: ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 17for the LORD our God, He it is that brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and that did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed; 18and the LORD drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land; therefore we also will serve the LORD; for He is our God.’ 19And Joshua said unto the people: ‘Ye cannot serve the LORD; for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression nor your sins. 20If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then He will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that He hath done you good.’ 21And the people said unto Joshua: ‘Nay; but we will serve the LORD.’ 22And Joshua said unto the people: ‘Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve Him.—And they said: ‘We are witnesses.’— 23Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD, the God of Israel.’ 24And the people said unto Joshua: ‘The LORD our God will we serve, and unto His voice will we hearken.’ 25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 27And Joshua said unto all the people: ‘Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke unto us; it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.’ 28So Joshua sent the people away, every man unto his inheritance. 29And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being a hundred and ten years old. 30And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash. 31And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and had known all the work of the LORD, that He had wrought for Israel. 32And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. 33And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in the Hill of Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim. ..... JUDGES AND IT came to pass after the death of Joshua, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying: ‘Who shall go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?’ 2And LORD said: ‘Judah shall go up; behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.’ 3And Judah said unto Simeon his brother: ‘Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot.’ So Simeon went with him. 4And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they smote of them in Bezek ten thousand men. 5And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him, and they smote the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. 7And Adoni-bezek said: ‘Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered food under my table; as I have done, so God hath requited me.’ And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. 8And the children of Judah fought Jerusalem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. 9And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the hill-country, and in the South, and in the Lowland. 10And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron—now the name of Hebron beforetime was Kiriath-arba—and they smote Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. 11And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir—now the name of Debir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher. 12And Caleb said: ‘He that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.’ 13And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 14And it came to pass, when she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field; and she alighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her: ‘What wouldest thou?’ 15And she said unto him: ‘Give me a blessing; for that thou hast set me in the Southland, give me therefore springs of water.’ And Caleb gave her the Upper Springs and the Nether Springs. 16And the children of the Kenite, Moses’father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt with the people. 17And Judah went with Simeon his brother, 1 and they smote the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. 18Also Judah took Gaza with the border thereof, and Ashkelon with the border thereof, and Ekron with the border thereof. 19And the LORD was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the hill-country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. 20And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses had spoken; and he drove out thence the three sons of Anak. 21And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwelt with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem, unto this day. 22And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el; and the LORD was with them. 23And the house of Joseph sent to spy out Beth-el—now the name of the city beforetime was Luz. 24And the watchers saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him: ‘Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with thee.’ 25And he showed them the entrance into the city, and they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man go and all his family. 26And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz, which is the name thereof unto this day. 27And Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its towns, nor of Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites were resolved to dwell in that land. 28And it came to pass, when Israel was waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to task-work, but did in no wise drive them out. 29And Ephraim drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. 30Zebulun drove not out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the: inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributary. 31Asher drove not out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob; 32but the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out. 33Naphtali drove not out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributary unto them. 34And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill-country; for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley. 35But the Amorites were resolved to dwell in Harheres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributary. 36And the border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward. And the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said: ‘. . . I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I swore unto your fathers; and I said: I will never break My covenant with you; 2and ye shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall break down their altars; but ye have not hearkened unto My voice; what is this ye have done? 3Wherefore I also said: I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be unto you as snares, and their gods shall be a trap unto you.’ 4And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spoke these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 5And they called the name of that place aBochim; and they sacrificed there unto the LORD. a That is, Weepers. 6Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. 7And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD, that He had wrought for Israel. 8And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being a hundred and ten years old. 9And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath- heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash. 10And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, that knew not the LORD, nor yet the work which He had wrought for Israel. 11And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baalim. 12And they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that were round about them, and worshipped them; and they provoked the LORD. 13And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He gave them over into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken, and as the LORD had sworn unto them; and they were sore distressed. 16And the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 17And yet they hearkened not unto their judges, for they went astray after other gods, and 2 worshipped them; they turned aside quickly out of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not so. 18And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repented the LORD because of their groaning by reason of them that oppressed them and crushed them. 19But it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to worship them; they left nothing undone of their practices, nor of their stubborn way. 20And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel; and He said: ‘Because this nation have transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto My voice; 21I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations that Joshua left when he died; 22that by them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.’ 23So the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered He them into the hand of Joshua. Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan; 2only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as beforetime knew nothing thereof; 3namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Zidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entrance of Hamath. 4And they were there, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites; 6and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. 7And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baalim and the Asheroth. 8Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He gave them over into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram- naharaim; and the children of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a saviour to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10And the spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into his hand; and his hand prevailed 3 against Cushan-rishathaim. 11And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 12And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. 13And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm-trees. 14And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. 15But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a man left-handed; and the children of Israel sent a present by him unto Eglon the king of Moab. 16And Ehud made him a sword which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he girded it under his raiment upon his right thigh. 17And he offered the present unto Eglon king of Moab—now Eglon was a very fat man. 18And when he had made an end of offering the present, he sent away the people that bore the present. 19But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said: ‘I have a secret errand unto thee, O king.’ And he said: ‘Keep silence.’ And all that stood by him went out from him. 20And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting by himself alone in his cool upper chamber. And Ehud said: ‘I have a message from God unto thee.’ And he arose out of his seat. 21And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, for he drew not the sword out of his belly; and it came out behind. 23Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper chamber upon him, and locked them. 24Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper chamber were locked; and they, said: ‘Surely he is covering his feet in the cabinet of the cool chamber.’ 25And they tarried till they were ashamed; and, behold, he opened not the doors of the upper chamber; therefore they took the key, and opened them; and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth. 26And Ehud escaped while they lingered, having passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirah. 27And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a horn in the hill- country of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them. 28And he said unto them: ‘Follow after me; for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.’ And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over. 29And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man of valour; and there escaped not a man. 30So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years. 31And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who smote of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad; and he also saved Israel. And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. 2And the LORD gave them over into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth-goiim. 3And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. 4Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time. 5And she sat under the palm- tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him: ‘Hath not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded, saying: Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? 7And I will draw unto thee to the brook Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thy hand. 8And Barak said unto her: ‘If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go.’ 9And she said: ‘I will surely go with thee; notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thy honour; for the LORD will give Sisera over into the hand of a woman.’ And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet; and Deborah went up with him. 11Now Heber the Kenite had severed himself from the Kenites, even from the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far as Elon-bezaanannim, which is by Kedesh. 12And they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. 13And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth-goiim, unto the brook Kishon. 14And Deborah said unto Barak: ‘Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thy hand; is not the LORD gone out before thee?’ So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. 15And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot, and fled away on his feet. 16But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth-goiim; and all the host 4 of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; there was not a man left. 17Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him: ‘Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not.’ And he turned in unto her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19And he said unto her: ‘Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.’ And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. 20And he said unto her: ‘Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say: Is there any man here? that thou shalt say: No.’ 21Then Jael Heber’s wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died. 22And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him: ‘Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest.’ And he came unto her; and, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent- pin was in his temples. 23So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. 24And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying: 2When men let grow their hair in Israel, When the people offer themselves willingly, Bless ye the LORD. 3Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, unto the LORD will I sing; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel. 4LORD, when Thou didst go forth out of Seir, When Thou didst march out of the field of Edom, The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, Yea, the clouds dropped water. 5The mountains quaked at the presence of the LORD, Even yon Sinai at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel. 6In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways ceased, And the travellers walked through byways. 7The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased, Until that thou didst arise, Deborah, That thou didst arise a mother in Israel. 5 8They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates; Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel? 9My heart is toward the governors of Israel, That offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD. 10Ye that ride on white asses, Ye that sit on rich cloths, And ye that walk by the way, tell of it; 11Louder than the voice of archers, by the watering-troughs! There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, Even the righteous acts of His rulers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates. 12Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, utter a song; Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. 13Then made He a remnant to have dominion over the nobles and the people; The LORD made me have dominion over the mighty. 14Out of Ephraim came they whose root is in Amalek; After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples; Out of Machir came down governors, And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal’s staff. 15And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart. 16Why sattest thou among the sheep- folds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? At the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart. 17Gilead abode beyond the Jordan; And Dan, why doth he sojourn by the ships? Asher dwelt at the shore of the sea, And abideth by its bays. 18Zebulun is a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death, And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field. 19The kings came, they fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan, In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; They took no gain of money. 20They fought from heaven, The stars in their courses fought against Sisera. 21The brook Kishon swept them away, That ancient brook, the brook Kishon. O my soul, tread them down with strength. 22Then did the horsehoofs stamp By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones. 23’Curse ye Meroz’, said the angel of the LORD, ‘Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, Because they came not to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the mighty.’ 24Blessed above women shall Jael be, The wife of Heber the Kenite, Above women in the tent shall she be blessed. 25Water he asked, milk she gave him; In a lordly bowl she brought him curd. 26Her hand she put to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head, Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples. 27At her feet he sunk, he fell, he lay; At her feet he sunk, he fell; Where he sunk, there he fell down dead. 28Through the window she looked forth, and peered, The mother of Sisera, through the lattice: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots? 29The wisest of her princesses answer her, Yea, she returneth answer to herself: 30’Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoil? A damsel, two damsels to every man; To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments, A spoil of dyed garments of embroidery, Two dyed garments of broidery for the neck of every spoiler?’ 31So perish all Thine enemies, O LORD; But they that love Him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. 3And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east; they came up against them; 4and they encamped against them, and destroyed the produce of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor 6 ox, nor ass. 5For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land to destroy it. 6And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. 7And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of Midian, 8that the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel; and he said unto them: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; 9and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land. 10And I said unto you: I am the LORD your God; ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but ye have not hearkened unto My voice.’ 11And the angel of the LORD came, and sat under the terebinth which was in Ophrah, that belonged unto Joash the Abiezrite; and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him: ‘The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.’ 13And Gideon said unto him: ‘Oh, my lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all His wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying: Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.’ 14And the LORD turned towards him, and said: ‘Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian; have not I sent thee?’ 15And he said unto him: ‘Oh, my lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’ 16And the LORD said unto him: ‘Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.’ 17And he said unto him: ‘If now I have found favour in thy sight, then show me a sign that it is thou that talkest with me. 18Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and lay it before thee.’ And he said: ‘I will tarry until thou come back.’ 19And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal; the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the terebinth, and presented it. 20And the angel of God said unto him: ‘Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And he did so. 21Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. 22And Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD; and Gideon said: ‘Alas, O Lord GOD! forasmuch as I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.’ 23And the LORD said unto him: ‘Peace be unto thee; fear not; thou shalt not die.’ 24Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it a‘Adonai-shalom’; unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. a That is, The LORD is peace. 25And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him: ‘Take thy father’s bullock, and the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the Asherah that is by it; 26and build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this stronghold, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which thou shalt cut down.’ 27Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had spoken unto him; and it came to pass, because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, so that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. 28And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. 29And they said one to another: ‘Who hath done this thing?’ And when they inquired and asked, they said: ‘Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.’ 30Then the men of the city said unto Joash: ‘Bring out thy son, that he may die; because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the Asherah that was by it.’ 31And Joash said unto all that stood against him: ‘Will ye contend for Baal? or will ye save him? he that will contend for him, shall be put to death before morning; if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one hath broken down his altar.’ 32Therefore on that day he was called bJerubbaal, saying: ‘Let Baal contend against him, because he hath broken down his altar.’ b That is, Let Baal contend. 33Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. 34But the spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon; and he blew a horn; and Abiezer was gathered together after him. 35And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together after him; and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. 36And Gideon said unto God: ‘If Thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as Thou hast spoken, 37behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that Thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as Thou hast spoken.’ 38And it was so; for he rose up early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39And Gideon said unto God: ‘Let not Thine anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once: let me make trial, I pray Thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.’ 40And God did so that night; for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside En-harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by Gibeath- moreh, in the valley. 2And the LORD said unto Gideon: ‘The people that are with thee are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying: mine own hand hath saved me. 3Now therefore make proclamation in the ears of the people, saying: Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead.’ And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 4And the LORD said unto Gideon: ‘The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there; and it shall be, that of whom I say to thee: This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee: This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.’ 5So he brought down the people unto the water; and the LORD said unto Gideon: ‘Everyone that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.’ 6And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 7And the LORD said unto Gideon: ‘By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thy hand; and let all the people go every man unto his place.’ 8So they took the victuals of the people in their hand, and their horns; and he sent all the men of Israel every man unto his tent, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley. 9And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him: ‘Arise, get thee down upon the camp; for I have delivered it into thy hand. 10But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to the camp. 11And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thy hands be strengthened to go down upon the camp.’ Then went he down with Purah his servant unto the outermost part of the armed men that were in the camp. 12Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts 7 for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is upon the sea-shore for multitude. 13And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man telling a dream unto his follow, and saying: ‘Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came unto the tent, and smote it that it fell, and turned it upside down, that the tent lay flat.’ 14And his fellow answered and said: ‘This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God hath delivered Midian, and all the host.’ 15And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped; and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said: ‘Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.’ 16And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them horns, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers. 17And he said unto them: ‘Look on me, and do likewise; and, behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. 18When I blow the horn, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the horns also on every side of all the camp, and say: For the LORD and for Gideon! ’ 19So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch; and they blew the horns, and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. 20And the three companies blew the horns, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the horns in their right hands wherewith to blow; and they cried: ‘The sword for the LORD and for Gideon! ’ 21And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran; and they shouted, and fled. 22And they blew the three hundred horns, and the LORD set every man’s sword a against his fellow, even throughout all the host; and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel- meholah, by Tabbath. 23And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian. 24And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying: ‘Come down against Midian, and take before them the waters, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.’ So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and took the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. 25And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the Rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the Winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan. And the men of Ephraim said unto him: ‘Why hast thou served us thus, that thou didst not call us when thou wentest to fight with Midian?’ And they did chide with him sharply. 2And he said unto them: ‘What have I now done in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? 3God hath delivered into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?’ Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that. 4And Gideon came to the Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing. 5And he said unto the men of Succoth: ‘Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.’ 6And the princes of Succoth said: ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy power, that we should give bread unto thine army?’ 7And Gideon said: ‘Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.’ 8And he went up thence to Penuel, and spoke unto them in like manner; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 9And he spoke also unto the men of Penuel, saying: ‘When I come back in peace, I will break down this tower.’ 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the host of the children of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. 11And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure. 12And Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued after them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host. 13And Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle from the ascent of Heres. 14And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him; and he wrote down for him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, seventy and seven men. 15And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said: ‘Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom ye did taunt me, saying: Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy power, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?’ 16And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. 17And he broke down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city. 18Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna: ‘Where are the men whom ye slew at Tabor?’ And they answered: ‘As thou art, so were they; of one form 8 with the children of a king.’ 19And he said: ‘They were my brethren, the sons of my mother; as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.’ 20And he said unto Jether his first-born: ‘Up, and slay them.’ But the youth drew not his sword; for he feared, because he was yet a youth. 21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said: ‘Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the man is, so is his strength.’ And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels’necks. 22Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon: ‘Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also; for thou hast saved us out of the hand of Midian.’ 23And Gideon said unto them: ‘I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.’ 24And Gideon said unto them: ‘I would make a request of you, that ye would give me every man the ear-rings of his spoil.’—For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites. 25And they answered: ‘We will willingly give them.’ And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the ear-rings of his spoil. 26And the weight of the golden ear- rings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’necks. 27And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah; and all Israel went astray after it there; and it became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. 28So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon. 29And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 30And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten; for he had many wives. 31And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. 32And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 33And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again went astray after the Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. 34And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side; 35neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shown unto Israel. And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying: 2’Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem: Which is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons, 9 rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.’ 3And his mother’s brethren spoke of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words; and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said: ‘He is our brother.’ 4And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him. 5And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone; but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. 6And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all Beth-millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the terebinth of the pillar that was in Shechem. 7And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them: ‘Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. 8The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree: Reign thou over us. 9But the olive-tree said unto them: Should I leave my fatness, seeing that by me they honour God and man, and go to hold sway over the trees? 10And the trees said to the fig-tree: Come thou, and reign over us. 11But the fig-tree said unto them: Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruitage, and go to hold sway over the trees? 12And the trees said unto the vine: Come thou, and reign over us. 13And the vine said unto them: Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to hold sway over the trees? 14Then said all the trees unto the bramble: Come thou, and reign over us. 15And the bramble said unto the trees: If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. 16Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands—17for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian; 18and ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid- servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother— 19if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from Beth-millo, and devour Abimelech.’ 21And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. 22And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. 23And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech; 24that the violence done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren. 25And the men of Shechem set liers-in-wait for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them; and it was told Abimelech. 26And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went on to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him. 27And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. 28And Gaal the son of Ebed said: ‘Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? 29And would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech.’ And he said to Abimelech: ‘Increase thine army, and come out.’ 30And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 31And he sent messengers unto Abimelech in Tormah, saying: ‘Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they will incite the city against thee. 32Now therefore, up by night, thou and the people that are with thee, and lie in wait in the field. 33And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city; and, behold, when he and the people that are with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt be able.’ 34And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. 35And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city; and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the ambushment. 36And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul: ‘Behold, there come people down from the tops of the mountains.’ And Zebul said unto him: ‘Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.’ 37And Gaal spoke again and said: ‘See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way of Elon-meonenim.’ 38Then said Zebul unto him: ‘Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst: Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with them.’ 39And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 40And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even unto the entrance of the gate. 41And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah; and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. 42And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and it was told Abimelech. 43And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people were coming forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them. 44And Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city; and the two companies rushed upon all that were in the field, and smote them. 45And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that were therein; and he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt. 46And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the hold of the house of El-berith. 47And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 48And Abimelech got him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder; and he said unto the people that were with him: ‘What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.’ 49And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women. 50Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. 51But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, even all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and got them up to the roof of the tower. 52And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went close unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and broke his skull. 54Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, and said unto him: ‘Draw thy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me: A woman slew him.’ And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. 56Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren; 57and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God requite upon their heads; and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim. 2And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir. 3And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty and two years. 4And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called aHavvoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5And Jair died, and was buried in Kamon. a That is, The villages of Jair. 6And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baalim, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the LORD, and served Him not. 7And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He gave them over into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon. 8And they oppressed and crushed the children of Israel that year; eighteen years [oppressed they] all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9And the children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was sore distressed. 10And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying: ‘We have sinned against Thee, in that we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baalim.’ 11And the LORD said unto the children of Israel: ‘Did not I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried unto Me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13Yet ye have forsaken Me, and served other gods; wherefore I will save you no more. 14Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.’ 15And the children of Israel said unto the LORD: ‘We have sinned; do Thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto Thee; only deliver us, we pray Thee, this day.’ 16And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD; and His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. 17Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah. 18And the people, the princes of Gilead, said one to another: ‘What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.’ 10 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. 2And Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said unto him: ‘Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of another woman.’ 3Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him. 4And it came to pass after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 5And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob. 6And they said unto Jephthah: ‘Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.’ 7And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead: ‘Did not ye hate me, and drive me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?’ 8And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah: ‘Therefore are we returned to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon, and thou shalt be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.’ 9And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead: ‘If ye bring me back home to fight with the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, I will be your head.’ 10And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah: ‘The LORD shall be witness between us; surely according to thy word so will we do.’ 11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD in Mizpah. 12And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying: ‘What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come unto me to fight against my land?’ 13And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah: ‘Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan; now therefore restore those cities peaceably.’ 14And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon; 15and he said unto him: ‘Thus saith Jephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon. 16But when they came up from Egypt, and Israel walked through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh; 17then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying: Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land; but the king of Edom hearkened not. And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab; but he would not; and Israel abode in Kadesh. 18Then he walked through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they pitched on the other 11 side of the Arnon; but they came not within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him: Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land unto my place. 20But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21And the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan. 23So now the LORD, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel, and shouldest thou possess them? 24Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God hath dispossessed from before us, them will we possess. 25And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 26While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye not recover them within that time? 27I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me; the LORD, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.’ 28Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. 29Then the spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 30And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said: ‘If Thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, 31then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering.’ 32So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hand. 33And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. 34And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances; and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said: ‘Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art become my troubler; for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.’ 36And she said unto him: ‘My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.’ 37And she said unto her father: ‘Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.’ 38And he said: ‘Go.’ And he sent her away for two months; and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed; and she had not known man. And it was a custom in Israel, 40that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed to Zaphon; and they said unto Jephthah: ‘Wherefore didst thou pass over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thy house upon thee with fire.’ 2And Jephthah said unto them: ‘I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye saved me not out of their hand. 3And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand; wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?’ 4Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said: ‘Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh.’ 5And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites; and it was so, that when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said: ‘Let me go over, ‘the men of Gilead said unto him: ‘Art thou an Ephraimite?’ If he said: ‘Nay’; 6then said they unto him: ‘Say now Shibboleth’; and he said ‘Sibboleth’; for he could not frame to pronounce it right; then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan; and there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand. 7And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. 8And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. 9And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and thirty daughters he brought in from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10and Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem. 12 11And after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. 12And Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. 13And after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14And he had forty sons and thirty sons’sons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts; and he judged Israel eight years. 15And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill-country of the Amalekites. And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bore not. 3And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her: ‘Behold now, thou art barren, and hast not borne; but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. 4Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing. 5For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb; and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.’ 6Then the woman came and told her husband, saying: ‘A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible; and I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name; 7but he said unto me: Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb to the day of his death.’ 8Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said: ‘Oh, LORD, I pray Thee, let the man of God whom Thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.’ 9And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. 10And the woman made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said unto him: ‘Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me that day.’ 11And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him: ‘Art thou the man that spokest unto the woman?’ And he said: ‘I am.’ 12And Manoah said: ‘Now when thy word cometh to pass, what shall be the rule for the child, and what shall be done with him?’ 13And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah: ‘Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. 14She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the grapevine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe.’ 15And Manoah said unto the angel of 13 the LORD: ‘I pray thee, let us detain thee, that we may make ready a kid for thee.’ 16And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah: ‘Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wilt make ready a burnt-offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD.’ For Manoah knew not that he was the angel of the LORD. 17And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD: ‘What is thy name, that when thy words come to pass we may do thee honour?’ 18And the angel of the LORD said unto him: ‘Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is hidden?’ 19So Manoah took the kid with the meal- offering, and offered it upon the rock unto the LORD; and [the angel] did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on. 20For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar; and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground. 21But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. 22And Manoah said unto his wife: ‘We shall surely die, because we have seen God.’ 23But his wife said unto him: ‘If the LORD were pleased to kill us, He would not have received a burnt-offering and a meal- offering at our hand, neither would He have shown us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these.’ 24And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25And the spirit of the LORD began to move him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. 2And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said: ‘I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore get her for me to wife.’ 3Then his father and his mother said unto him: ‘Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?’ And Samson said unto his father: ‘Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.’ 4But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel. 5Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah; and, behold, a young lion roared against him. 6And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as one would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand; but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. 7And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8And after a while he returned to 14 take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. 9And he scraped it out into his hands, and went on, eating as he went, and he came to his father and mother, and gave unto them, and they did eat; but he told them not that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion. 10And his father went down unto the woman; and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. 11And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12And Samson said unto them: ‘Let me now put forth a riddle unto you; if ye can declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment; 13but if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment.’ And they said unto him: ‘Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.’ 14And he said unto them: Out of the eater came forth food, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle. 15And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife: ‘Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire; have ye called us hither to impoverish us?’ 16And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said: ‘Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not; thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and wilt thou not tell it me?’ And he said unto her: ‘Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell thee?’ 17And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted; and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she pressed him sore; and she told the riddle to the children of her people. 18And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down: What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them: If ye had not plowed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle. 19And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and smote thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave the changes of raiment unto them that declared the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house. 20But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had had for his friend. But it came to pass after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said: ‘I will go in to my wife into the chamber.’ But her father would not suffer him to go in. 2And her father said: ‘I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion; is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of 15 her.’ 3And Samson said unto them: ‘This time shall I be quits with the Philistines, when I do them a mischief.’ 4And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between every two tails. 5And when he had set the torches on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing corn, and also the oliveyards. 6Then the Philistines said: ‘Who hath done this?’ And they said: ‘Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he hath taken his wife, and given her to his companion.’ And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. 7And Samson said unto them: ‘If ye do after this manner, surely I will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.’ 8And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam. 9Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves against Lehi. 10And the men of Judah said: ‘Why are ye come up against us?’ And they said: ‘To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.’ 11Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson: ‘Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what then is this that thou hast done unto us?’ And he said unto them: ‘As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.’ 12And they said unto him: ‘We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines.’ And Samson said unto them: ‘Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.’ 13And they spoke unto him, saying: ‘No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand; but surely we will not kill thee.’ And they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock. 14When he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands. 15And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith. 16And Samson said: With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men. 17And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called aRamath-lehi. 18And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said: ‘Thou hast given this great deliverance by the hand of Thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?’ 19But God cleaved the hollow place that is in Lehi, and a That is, The hill of the jawbone. there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came back, and he revived; wherefore the name thereof was called aEn-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day. 20And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years. a That is, The spring of him that called. And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her. 2[And it was told] the Gazites, saying: ‘Samson is come hither.’ And they compassed him in, and lay in wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying: ‘Let be till morning light, then we will kill him.’ 3And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron. 4And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her: ‘Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.’ 6And Delilah said to Samson: ‘Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.’ 7And Samson said unto her: ‘If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as any other man.’ 8Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9Now she had liers-in-wait abiding in the inner chamber. And she said unto him: ‘The Philistines are upon thee, Samson.’ And he broke the bowstrings as a string of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known. 10And Delilah said unto Samson: ‘Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies; now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.’ 11And he said unto her: ‘If they only bind me with new ropes wherewith no work, hath been done, then shall I become weak, and be as any other man.’ 12So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him: ‘The Philistines are upon thee, Samson.’ And the liers-in- wait were abiding in the inner chamber. And he broke them from off his arms like a thread. 13And Delilah said unto Samson: ‘Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies; tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound.’ And he said unto her: ‘If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.’ 14And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him: ‘The Philistines are upon thee, Samson.’ And he awoke out of his sleep, and 16 plucked away the pin of the beam, and the web. 15And she said unto him: ‘How canst thou say: I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.’ 16And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death. 17And he told her all his heart, and said unto her: ‘There hath not come a razor upon my head; for I have been a Nazirite unto God from my mother’s womb; if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.’ 18And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying: ‘Come up this once, for he hath told me all his heart.’ Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought the money in their hand. 19And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and had the seven locks of his head shaven off; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 20And she said: ‘The Philistines are upon thee, Samson.’ And he awoke out of his sleep, and said: ‘I will go out as at other times, and shake myself.’ But he knew not that the LORD was departed from him. 21And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison-house. 22Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. 23And the lords of the Philistines gathered them together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said: ‘Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.’ 24And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: ‘Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, who hath slain many of us.’ 25And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said: ‘Call for Samson, that he may make us sport.’ And they called for Samson out of the prison-house; and he made sport before them; and they set him between the pillars. 26And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand: ‘Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house resteth, that I may lean upon them.’ 27Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. 28And Samson called unto the LORD, and said: ‘O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be this once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.’ 29And Samson took fast hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, the one with his right hand, and the other with his left. 30And Samson said: ‘Let me die with the Philistines.’ And he bent with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life. 31Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years. Now there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 2And he said unto his mother: ‘The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst utter a curse, and didst also speak it in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.’ And his mother said: ‘Blessed be my son of the LORD.’ 3And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said: ‘I verily dedicate the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore I will restore it unto thee.’ 4And when he restored the money unto his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image; and it was in the house of Micah. 5And the man Micah had a house of God, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 6In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 7And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem in Judah—in the family of Judah—who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. 8And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem in Judah, to sojourn where he could find a place; and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 9And Micah said unto him: ‘Whence comest thou?’ And he said unto him: ‘I am a Levite of Beth-lehem in Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.’ 10And Micah said unto him: ‘Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals.’ So the Levite went in. 11And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. 12And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 13Then said Micah: ‘Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite as my priest.’ In those days there was no king in Israel; and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day there had nothing been allotted unto them among the tribes of Israel for an inheritance. 2And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to 17 18 search it; and they said unto them: ‘Go, search the land’; and they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged there. 3When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside thither, and said unto him: ‘Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?’ 4And he said unto them: ‘Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest.’ 5And they said unto him: ‘Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we are going shall be prosperous.’ 6And the priest said unto them: ‘Go in peace; before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.’ 7Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; for there was none in the land, possessing authority, that might put them to shame in any thing, and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no dealings with any man. 8And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brethren said unto them: ‘What say ye?’ 9And they said: ‘Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good; and are ye still? be not slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land. 10When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and the land is large; for God hath given it into your hand; a place where there is no want; it hath every thing that is in the earth.’ 11And there set forth from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt with weapons of war. 12And they went up, and encamped in Kiriath- jearim, in Judah; wherefore that place was called Mahaneh-dan unto this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim. 13And they passed thence unto the hill- country of Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah. 14Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren: ‘Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.’ 15And they turned aside thither, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare. 16And the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. 17And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war. 18And when these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the graven image of the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them: ‘What do ye?’ 19And they said unto him: ‘Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest; is it better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?’ 20And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. 21So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the goods before them. 22When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. 23And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah: ‘What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?’ 24And he said: ‘Ye have taken away my god which I made, and the priest, and are gone away, and what have I more? and how then say ye unto me: What aileth thee?’ 25And the children of Dan said unto him: ‘Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.’ 26And the children of Dan went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. 27And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire. 28And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no dealings with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built the city, and dwelt therein. 29And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel; howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. 30And the children of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of aManasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. 31So they set them up Micah’s graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. a Heb. .... With . suspended, indicating an earlier reading, Moses. 19 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem in Judah. 2And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Beth-lehem in Judah, and was there the space of four months. 3And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly unto her, to bring her back, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses; and she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 4And his father- in-law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days; so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. 5And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, and he rose up to depart; and the damsel’s father said unto his son-in-law: ‘Stay thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward ye shall go your way.’ 6So they sat down, and did eat and drink, both of them together; and the damsel’s father said unto the man: ‘Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thy heart be merry.’ 7And the man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again. 8And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel’s father said: ‘Stay thy heart, I pray thee, and tarry ye until the day declineth’; and they did eat, both of them. 9And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, said unto him: ‘Behold, now the day draweth toward evening; tarry, I pray you, all night; behold, the day groweth to an end; lodge here, that thy heart may be merry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.’ 10But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus—the same is Jerusalem; and there were with him a couple of asses saddled; his concubine also was with him. 11When they were by Jebus—the day was far spent—the servant said unto his master: ‘Come, I pray thee, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.’ 12And his master said unto him: ‘We will not turn aside into the city of a foreigner, that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah.’ 13And he said unto his servant: ‘Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah.’ 14So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them near to Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 15And they turned aside thither, to go in to lodge in Gibeah; and he went in, and sat him down in the broad place of the city; for there was no man that took them into his house to lodge. 16And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even; now the man was of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites. 17And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the broad place of the city; and the old man said: ‘Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?’ 18And he said unto him: ‘We are passing from Beth-lehem in Judah unto the farther side of the hill- country of Ephraim; from thence am I, and I went to Beth-lehem in Judah, and I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that taketh me into his house. 19Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man that is with thy servants; there is no want of any thing.’ 20And the old man said: ‘Peace be unto thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the broad place.’ 21So he brought him into his house, and gave the asses fodder; and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 22As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain base fellows, beset the house round about, beating at the door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying: ‘Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may know him.’ 23And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them: ‘Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into my house, do not this wanton deed. 24Behold, here is my daughter a virgin, and his concubine; I will bring them out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you; but unto this man do not so wanton a thing.’ 25But the men would not hearken to him; so the man laid hold on his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning; and when the day began to spring, they let her go. 26Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light. 27And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands upon the threshold. 28And he said unto her.’ Up, and let us be going’; but none answered; then he took her up upon the ass; and the man rose up, and got him unto his place. 29And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel. 30And it was so, that all that saw it said: ‘Such a thing hath not happened nor been seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.’ Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD at Mizpah. 2And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.— 3Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpah.—And the children of Israel said: ‘Tell us, how was this wickedness brought to pass?’ 4And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said: ‘I 20 came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. 5And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night; me they thought to have slain, and my concubine they forced, and she is dead. 6And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and wantonness in Israel 7Behold, ye are all here, children of Israel, give here your advice and council.’ 8And all the people arose as one man, saying: ‘We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn unto his house. 9But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot; 10and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to aGibeah of Benjamin, according to all the wantonness that they have wrought in Israel.’ 11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. a Heb. Geba. 12And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying: ‘What wickedness is this that is come to pass among you? 13Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows that are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel.’ But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. 14And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of their cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. 15And the children of Benjamin numbered on that day out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred chosen men. 16All this people, even seven hundred chosen men, were left- handed; every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss. 17And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these were men of war. 18And the children of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and they said: ‘Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?’ And the LORD said: ‘Judah first.’ 19And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. 20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. 21And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men. 22And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day. 23And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even; and they asked of the LORD, saying: ‘Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?’ And the LORD said: ‘Go up against him.’ 24And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. 25And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. 26Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even; and they offered burnt- offerings and peace-offerings before the LORD. 27And the children of Israel asked of the LORD—for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days—saying: ‘Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?’ And the LORD said: ‘Go up; for to-morrow I will deliver him into thy hand.’ 29And Israel set liers- in-wait against Gibeah round about. 30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. 31And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite and kill of the people, as at other times, in the field, in the highways, of which one goeth up to Beth-el, and the other to Gibeah, about thirty men of Israel. 32And the children of Benjamin said: ‘They are smitten down before us, as at the first.’ But the children of Israel said: ‘Let us flee, and draw them away from the city unto the highways.’ 33And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar; and the liers-in- wait of Israel broke forth out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba. 34And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore; but they knew not that evil was close upon them. 35And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred men; all these drew the sword. 36So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten. And the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted unto the liers-in-wait whom they had set against Gibeah.— 37And the liers-in-wait hastened, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers-in- wait drew forth, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword. 38Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers-in-wait, that they should make a great beacon of smoke rise up out of the city.— 39And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said: ‘Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.’ 40But when the beacon began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven. 41And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were amazed; for they saw that evil was come upon them. 42Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle followed hard after them; and they that came out of the city destroyed them in the midst of the men of Israel. 43They inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and overtook them at their resting-place, as far as over against Gibeah toward the sunrising. 44And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour. 45And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon; and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and followed hard after them unto Gidom, and smote of them two thousand men. 46So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour. 47But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months. 48And the men of Israel turned back upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found; moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire. Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying: ‘There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.’ 2And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore. 3And they said: ‘O LORD, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel?’ 4And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace- offerings. 5And the children of Israel said: ‘Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto the LORD?’ For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto the LORD to Mizpah, saying: ‘He shall surely be put to death.’ 6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said: ‘There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?’ 8And they said: ‘What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto the LORD to Mizpah?’ And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9For when the people were numbered, 21 behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying: ‘Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh- gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. 11And this is the thing that ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.’ 12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 13And the whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them. 14And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead; and yet so they sufficed them not. 15And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 16Then the elders of the congregation said: ‘How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?’ 17And they said: ‘They that are escaped must be as an inheritance for Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel. 18Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters.’ For the children of Israel had sworn, saying: ‘Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.’ 19And they said: ‘Behold, there is the feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.’ 20And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying: ‘Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 21and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to strive with us, that we will say unto them: Grant them graciously unto us; because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle; neither did ye give them unto them, that ye should now be guilty.’ 23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they carried off; and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. 24And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance. 25In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes. . ..... FIRST SAMUEL Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill- country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2And he had two wives: the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there priests unto the LORD. 4And it came to pass upon a day, when Elkanah sacrificed, that he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions; 5but unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had shut up her womb. 6And her rival vexed her sore, to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 7And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she vexed her; therefore she wept, and would not eat. 8And Elkanah her husband said unto her: ‘Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?’ 9So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk—now Eli the priest sat upon his seat by the door-post of the temple of the LORD; 10and she was in bitterness of soul—and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 11And she vowed a vow, and said: ‘O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thy handmaid, but wilt give unto Thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.’ 12And it came to pass, as she prayed long before the LORD, that Eli watched her mouth. 13Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard; therefore, Eli thought she had been drunken. 14And Eli said unto her: ‘How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.’ 15And Hannah answered and said: ‘No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before the LORD. 16Count not thy handmaid for a wicked woman: for out of the abundance of my complaint and my vexation have I spoken hitherto.’ 17Then Eli answered and said: ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of Him.’ 18And she said: ‘Let thy servant find 1 favour in thy sight.’ So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. 19And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah; and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. 20And it came to pass, when the time was come about, that Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she called his name Samuel: ‘because I have asked him of the LORD.’ 21And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. 22But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband: ‘Until the child be weaned, when I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.’ 23And Elkanah her husband said unto her: ‘Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish His word.’ So the woman tarried and gave her son suck, until she weaned him. 24And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh; and the child was young. 25And when the bullock was slain, the child was brought to Eli. 26And she said: ‘Oh, my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. 27For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath granted me my petition which I asked of Him; 28therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he is lent to the LORD.’ And he worshipped the LORD there. And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exulteth in the LORD, My horn is exalted in the LORD; My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in Thy salvation. 2There is none holy as the LORD, For there is none beside Thee; Neither is there any rock like our God. 3Multiply not exceeding proud talk; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; For the LORD is a God of knowledge, And by Him actions are weighed. 4The bows of the mighty men are broken, And they that stumbled are girded with strength. 5They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; And they that were hungry have ceased; While the barren hath borne seven, She that had many children hath languished. 6The LORD killeth, and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 7The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich; He bringeth low, He also lifteth up. 2 8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dung-hill, To make them sit with princes, And inherit the throne of glory; For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, And He hath set the world upon them. 9He will keep the feet of His holy ones, But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For not by strength shall man prevail. 10They that strive with the LORD shall be broken to pieces; Against them will He thunder in heaven; The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength unto His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed. 11And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest. 12Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not the LORD. 13And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his band; 14and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did unto all the Israelites that came thither in Shiloh. 15Yea, before the fat was made to smoke, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed: ‘Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.’ 16And if the man said unto him: ‘Let the fat be made to smoke first of all, and then take as much as thy soul desireth’; then he would say: ‘Nay, but thou shalt give it me now; and if not, I will take it by force.’ 17And the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD; for the men dealt contemptuously with the offering of the LORD. 18But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 19Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say: ‘The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which was lent to the LORD.’ And they would go unto their own home. 21So the LORD remembered Hannah, and she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD. 22Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. 23And he said unto them: ‘Why do ye such things? for I hear evil reports concerning you from all this people. 24Nay, my sons; for it is no good report which I hear the LORD’S people do spread abroad. 25If one man sin against another, God shall judge him; but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall entreat for him?’ But they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them. 26And the child Samuel grew on, and increased in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. 27And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Did I reveal Myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 28And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to go up unto Mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 29Wherefore kick ye at My sacrifice and at Mine offering, which I have commanded in My habitation; and honourest thy sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel My people? 30Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, saith: I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before Me for ever; but now the LORD saith: Be it far from Me: for them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 31Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. 32And thou shalt behold a rival in My habitation, in all the good which shall be done to Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. 33Yet will I not cut off every man of thine from Mine altar, to make thine eyes to fail, and thy heart to languish; and all the increase of thy house shall die young men. 34And this shall be the sign unto thee, that which shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. 35And I will raise Me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in My heart and in My mind; and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before Mine anointed for ever. 36And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say: Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests’offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.’ And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision. 2And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place—now his eyes had begun to wax dim, that he could not see— 3and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, 4that the LORD called Samuel; and he said: ‘Here am I.’ 3 5And he ran unto Eli, and said: ‘Here am I; for thou didst call me.’ And he said: ‘I called not; lie down again.’ And he went and lay down. 6And the LORD called yet again Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said: ‘Here am I; for thou didst call me.’ And he answered: ‘I called not, my son; lie down again.’ 7Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. 8And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said: ‘Here am I; for thou didst call me.’ And Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the child. 9Therefore Eli said unto Samuel: ‘Go, lie down; and it shall be, if thou be called, that thou shalt say: Speak, LORD; for Thy servant heareth.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times: ‘Samuel, Samuel.’ Then Samuel said: ‘Speak; for Thy servant heareth.’ 11And the LORD said to Samuel: ‘Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 12In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. 13For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity, in that he knew that his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he rebuked them not. 14And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering for ever.’ 15And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to tell Eli the vision. 16Then Eli called Samuel, and said: ‘Samuel, my son.’ And he said: ‘Here am I.’ 17And he said: ‘What is the thing that He hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me, God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that He spoke unto thee.’ 18And Samuel told him all the words, and hid nothing from him. And he said: ‘It is the LORD; let Him do what seemeth Him good.’ 19And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 20And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. 21And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh; for the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer; and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. 2And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel; and when the battle was spread, Israel was smitten before the Philistines; and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. 3And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said: ‘Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to-day before the 4 Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that He may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.’ 4So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who sitteth upon the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang. 6And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said: ‘What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?’ And they knew that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 7And the Philistines were afraid, for they said: ‘God is come into the camp.’ And they said: ‘Woe unto us! for there was not such a thing yesterday and the day before. 8Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues and in the wilderness. 9Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you; quit yourselves like men, and fight.’ 10And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent; and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 11And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. 12And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. 13And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon his seat by the wayside watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. 14And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said: ‘What meaneth the noise of this tumult?’ And the man made haste, and came and told Eli. 15Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were set, that he could not see. 16And the man said unto Eli: ‘I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army.’ And he said: ‘How went the matter, my son?’ 17And he that brought the tidings answered and said: ‘Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.’ 18And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died; for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 19And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’wife, was with child, near to be delivered; and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came suddenly upon her. 20And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her: ‘Fear not; for thou hast brought forth a son.’ But she answered not, neither did she regard it. 21And she named the child aIchabod, saying: ‘The glory is departed from Israel’; because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22And she said: ‘The glory is departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken.’ a That is, There is no glory. Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod. 2And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. 4And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. 6But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and He destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the borders thereof. 7And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said: ‘The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us; for His hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.’ 8They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said: ‘What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?’ And they answered: ‘Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath.’ And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. 9And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great discomfiture; and He smote the men of the city, both small and great, and emerods broke out upon them. 10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying: ‘They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.’ 11They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said: ‘Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, that it slay us not, and our people’; for there was a deadly discomfiture throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods; and the cry of the city went up to heaven. 5 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: ‘What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? declare unto us wherewith we shall send it to its place.’ 3And they said: ‘If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return Him a guilt-offering; then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.’ 4Then said they: ‘What shall be the guilt-offering which we shall return to Him?’ And they said: ‘Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. 5Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel; peradventure He will lighten His hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. 6Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when He had wrought among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? 7Now therefore take and prepare you a new cart, and two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them. 8And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return Him for a guilt- offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. 9And see, if it goeth up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, then He hath done us this great evil; but if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.’ 10And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11And they put the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. 12And the kine took the straight way by the way to Beth- shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. 13And they of Beth- shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth- shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone; and they cleaved the wood of the cart, and offered up the kine for a burnt-offering unto the LORD. 15And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt-offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. 16And when the five lords of the 6 Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. 17And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a guilt-offering unto the LORD: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 18and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages, even unto Abel by the great stone, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD, which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite. 19And He smote of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had gazed upon the ark of the LORD, even He smote of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand men; and the people amourned, because the LORD had smitten the people with a great slaughter. 20And the men of Beth- shemesh said: ‘Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? and to whom shall it go up from us?’ 21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying: ‘The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.’ a From the Hebrew root abel. And the men of Kiriath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 2And it came to pass, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel yearned after the LORD. 3And Samuel spoke unto all the house of Israel, saying: ‘If ye do return unto the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts unto the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’ 4Then the children of Israel did put away the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. 5And Samuel said: ‘Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.’ 6And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there: ‘We have sinned against the LORD.’ And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah. 7And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8And the children of Israel said to Samuel: ‘Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that He save us out of the hand of the Philistines.’ 9And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt-offering unto the LORD; and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD 7 answered him. 10And as Samuel was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten down before Israel. 11And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. 12Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it aEben-ezer, saying: ‘Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.’ 13So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the border of Israel; and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the border thereof did Israel deliver out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 15And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places. 17And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and he built there an altar unto the LORD. a That is, The stone of help. And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2Now the name of his first-born was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice. 4Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah. 5And they said unto him: ‘Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’ 6But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said: ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 7And the LORD said unto Samuel: ‘Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be king over them. 8According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, in that they have forsaken Me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9Now therefore hearken unto their voice; howbeit thou shalt earnestly forewarn them, and shalt declare unto them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.’ 10And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. 11And he said: ‘This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots. 12And he will appoint them unto him 8 for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. 13And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16And he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your flocks; and ye shall be his servants. 18And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not answer you in that day.’ 19But the people refused to hearken unto the voice of Samuel; and they said: ‘Nay; but there shall be a king over us; 20that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.’ 21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them in the ears of the LORD. 22And the LORD said to Samuel: ‘Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king.’ And Samuel said unto the men of Israel: ‘Go ye every man unto his city.’ Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valour. 2And he had a son, whose name was Saul, young and goodly, and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 3Now the asses of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son: ‘Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.’ 4And he passed through the hill- country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found them not; then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there they were not; and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. 5When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him: ‘Come and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and become anxious concerning us.’ 6And he said unto him: ‘Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man that is held in honour; all that he saith cometh surely to pass; now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go.’ 7Then said Saul to his servant: ‘But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God; what have we?’ 8And the servant answered Saul again, and said: ‘Behold, I have in my 9 hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver, that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.’— 9Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said: ‘Come and let us go to the seer’; for he that is now called a prophet was beforetime called a seer.—10Then said Saul to his servant: ‘Well said; come, let us go.’ So they went unto the city where the man of God was. 11As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them: ‘Is the seer here?’ 12And they answered them, and said: ‘He is; behold, he is before thee; make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place. 13As soon as ye are come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that are bidden. Now therefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him.’ 14And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place. 15Now the LORD had revealed unto Samuel a day before Saul came, saying: 16’To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over My people Israel, and he shall save My people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry is come unto Me.’ 17And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD spoke unto him: ‘Behold the man of whom I said unto thee: This same shall have authority over My people.’ 18Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said: ‘Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is.’ 19And Samuel answered Saul, and said: ‘I am the seer; go up before me unto the high place, for ye shall eat with me to-day; and in the morning I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thy heart. 20And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house?’ 21And Saul answered and said: ‘Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou to me after this manner?’ 22And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the chamber, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, who were about thirty persons. 23And Samuel said unto the cook: ‘Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee: Set it by thee.’ 24And the cook took up the thigh, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And [Samuel] said: ‘Behold that which hath been reserved! set it before thee and eat; because unto the appointed time hath it been kept for thee, for I said: I have invited the people.’ So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. 25And when they were come down from the high place into the city, he spoke with Saul upon the housetop. 26And they arose early; and it came to pass about the break of day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying: ‘Up, that I may send thee away.’ And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. 27As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul: ‘Bid the servant pass on before us—and he passed on—but stand thou still at this time, that I may cause thee to hear the word of God.’ Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said: ‘Is it not that the LORD hath anointed thee to be prince over His inheritance? 2When thou art departed from me to-day, then thou shalt find two men by the tomb of Rachel, in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee: The asses which thou wentest to seek are found; and, lo, thy father hath left off caring for the asses, and is anxious concerning you, saying: What shall I do for my son? 3Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the terebinth of Tabor, and there shall meet thee there three men going up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine. 4And they will salute thee, and give thee two cakes of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hand. 5After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines; and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying. 6And the spirit of the LORD will come mightily upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 7And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as thy hand shall find; for God is with thee. 8And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt-offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace- offerings; seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come unto thee, and tell thee what thou shalt do.’ 9And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. 10And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another: ‘What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also 10 among the prophets?’ 12And one of the same place answered and said: ‘And who is their father?’ Therefore it became a proverb: ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’ 13And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place. 14And Saul’s uncle said unto him and to his servant: ‘Whither went ye?’ And he said: ‘To seek the asses; and when we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel.’ 15And Saul’s uncle said: ‘Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.’ 16And Saul said unto his uncle: ‘He told us plainly that the asses were found.’ But concerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spoke, he told him not. 17And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpah. 18And he said unto the children of Israel: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. 19But ye have this day rejected your God, who Himself saveth you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and ye have said unto Him: Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.’ 20So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families, and the family of the Matrites was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they sought him, he could not be found. 22Therefore they asked of the LORD further: ‘Is there yet a man come hither?’ And the LORD answered: ‘Behold, he hath hid himself among the baggage.’ 23And they ran and fetched him thence; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. 24And Samuel said to all the people: ‘See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?’ And all the people shouted, and said: ‘Long live the king.’ 25Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26And Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and there went with him the men of valour, whose hearts God had touched. 27But certain base fellows said: ‘How shall this man save us?’ And they despised him, and brought him no present. But he was as one that held his peace. Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash: ‘Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.’ 2And Nahash the Ammonite said unto them: ‘On this condition will I make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.’ 3And the 11 elders of Jabesh said unto him: ‘Give us seven days’respite, that we may send messengers unto all the borders of Israel; and then, if there be none to deliver us, we will come out to thee.’ 4Then came the messengers to Gibeath-shaul, and spoke these words in the ears of the people; and all the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 5And, behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said: ‘What aileth the people that they weep?’ And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6And the spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was kindled greatly. 7And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying: ‘Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen.’ And the dread of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out as one man. 8And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9And they said unto the messengers that came: ‘Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead: To- morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have deliverance.’ And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. 10And the men of Jabesh said: ‘To-morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you.’ 11And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and smote the Ammonites until the heat of the day; and it came to pass, that they that remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together. 12And the people said unto Samuel: ‘Who is he that said: Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death.’ 13And Saul said: ‘There shall not a man be put to death this day; for to- day the LORD hath wrought deliverance in Israel.’ 14Then said Samuel to the people: ‘Come and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.’ 15And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace-offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. And Samuel said unto all Israel: ‘Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. 2And now, behold, the king walketh before you; and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my youth unto this day. 3Here I am; witness against me before the LORD, and before His anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? or whom have I oppressed? 12 or of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.’ 4And they said: ‘Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man’s hand.’ 5And he said unto them: ‘The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand.’ And they said: ‘He is witness.’ 6And Samuel said unto the people: ‘It is the LORD that made Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD, which He did to you and to your fathers. 8When Jacob was come into Egypt, then your fathers cried unto the LORD, and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and they were made to dwell in this place. 9But they forgot the LORD their God, and He gave them over into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10And they cried unto the LORD, and said: We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth; but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve Thee. 11And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelt in safety. 12And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me: Nay, but a king shall reign over us; when the LORD your God was your king. 13Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have asked for; and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. 14If ye will fear the LORD, and serve Him, and hearken unto His voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and both ye and also the king that reigneth over you be followers of the LORD your God—; 15but if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, and against your fathers. 16Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. 17Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call unto the LORD, that He may send thunder and rain; and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.’ 18So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. 19And all the people said unto Samuel: ‘Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.’ 20And Samuel said unto the people: ‘Fear not; ye have indeed done all this evil; yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; 21and turn ye not aside; for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain. 22For the LORD will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake; because it hath pleased the LORD to make you a people unto Himself. 23Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things He hath done for you. 25But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be swept away, both ye and your king.’ Saul was a—years old when he began to reign; and two years he reigned over Israel. 2And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmas and in the mount of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeath-benjamin; and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. 3And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the horn throughout all the land, saying: ‘Let the Hebrews hear.’ 4And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also had a The number is wanting in the Hebrew. made himself odious with the Philistines. And the people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal. 5And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude; and they came up, and pitched in Michmas, eastward of Beth- aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait—for the people were distressed—then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in holds, and in pits. 7Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed; but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9And Saul said: ‘Bring hither to me the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings.’ And he offered the burnt-offering. 10And it came to pass that, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. 11And Samuel said: ‘What hast thou done?’ And Saul said: ‘Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together against Michmas; 12therefore 13 said I: Now will the Philistines come down upon me to Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favour of the LORD; I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt-offering.’ 13And Samuel said to Saul: ‘Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which He commanded thee; for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. 14But now thy kingdom shall not continue; the LORD hath sought him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath appointed him to be prince over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.’ 15And Samuel arose, and got him up from Gilgal unto Gibeath-benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men. 16And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in aGibeath-benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmas. 17And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual; 18and another company turned the way to Beth-horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looketh down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. a Heb. Geba. 19Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said: ‘Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears’; 20but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. 21And the price of the filing was ba pim for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks with three teeth, and for the axes; and to set the goads. 22So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan; but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. 23And the garrison of the Philistines went out unto the pass of Michmas. b That is, two-thirds of a shekel. 14 Now it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bore his armour: ‘Come and let us go over to the Philistines’garrison, that is on yonder side. But he told not his father. 2And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate-tree which is in Migron; and the people that were with him were about six hundred men, 3and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the LORD in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. 4And between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side; and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmas, and the other on the south in front of Geba. 6And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armour: ‘Come and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us; for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.’ 7And his armour-bearer said unto him: ‘Do all that is in thy heart; turn thee, behold I am with thee according to thy heart.’ 8Then said Jonathan: ‘Behold, we will pass over unto the men, and we will disclose ourselves unto them. 9If they say thus unto us: Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. 10But if they say thus: Come up unto us; then we will go up; for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand; and this shall be the sign unto us.’ 11And both of them disclosed themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines; and the Philistines said: ‘Behold Hebrews coming forth out of the holes where they hid themselves.’ 12And the men of the garrison spoke to Jonathan and his armour-bearer, and said: ‘Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.’ And Jonathan said unto his armour- bearer: ‘Come up after me; for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.’ 13And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armour-bearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan; and his armour- bearer slew them after him. 14And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armour-bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land. 15And there was a trembling in the camp in the field, and among all the people; the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled; and the earth quaked; so it grew into a terror from God. 16And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeath- benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went hither and thither. 17Then said Saul unto the people that were with him: ‘Number now, and see who is gone from us.’ And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armour-bearer were not there. 18And Saul said unto Ahijah: ‘Bring hither the ark of God.’ For the ark of God was there at that time with the children of Israel. 19And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased; and Saul said unto the priest: ‘Withdraw thy hand.’ 20And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle; and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture. 21Now the Hebrews that were with the Philistines as beforetime, and that went up with them into the camp round about; even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. 22Likewise all the men of Israel that had hid themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle. 23So the LORD saved Israel that day; and the battle passed on as far as Beth-aven. 24And the men of Israel were distressed that day; but Saul adjured the people, saying: ‘Cursed be the man that eateth any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on mine enemies.’ So none of the people tasted food. 25And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground. 26And when the people were come unto the forest, behold a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath. 27But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath; and he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened. 28Then answered one of the people, and said: ‘Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying: Cursed be the man that eateth food this day; and the people are faint.’ 29Then said Jonathan: ‘My father hath troubled the land; see, I pray you, how mine eyes are brightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. 30How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? had there not been then a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?’ 31And they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmas to Aijalon; and the people were very faint. 32And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people did eat them with the blood. 33Then they told Saul, saying: ‘Behold, the people sin against the LORD, in that they eat with the blood.’ And he said: ‘Ye have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone unto me this day.’ 34And Saul said: ‘Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them: Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the LORD in eating with the blood.’ And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there. 35And Saul built an altar unto the LORD; the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD. 36And Saul said: ‘Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and spoil them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them.’ And they said: ‘Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee.’ Then said the priest: ‘Let us draw near hither unto God.’ 37And Saul asked counsel of God: ‘Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt Thou deliver them into the hand of Israel?’ But He answered him not that day. 38And Saul said: ‘Draw nigh hither, all ye chiefs of the people; and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day. 39For, as the LORD liveth, who saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.’ But there was not a man among all the people that answered him. 40Then said he unto all Israel: ‘Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.’ And the people said unto Saul: ‘Do what seemeth good unto thee.’ 41Therefore Saul said unto the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Declare the right.’ And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot; but the people escaped. 42And Saul said: ‘Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.’ And Jonathan was taken. 43Then Saul said to Jonathan: ‘Tell me what thou hast done.’ And Jonathan told him, and said: ‘I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; here am I: I will die.’ 44And Saul said: ‘God do so and more also; thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.’ 45And the people said unto Saul: ‘Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far from it; as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day.’ So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not. 46Then Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place. 47So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines; and whithersoever he turned himself, he put them to the worse. 48And he did valiantly, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that spoiled them. 49Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the first-born Merab, and the name of the younger Michal; 50and the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz; and the name of the captain of his host was aAbner, the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. 51And Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel. a Heb. Abiner. 52And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him. 15 And Samuel said unto Saul: ‘The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over His people, over Israel; now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 2Thus saith the LORD of hosts: I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt. 3Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.’ 4And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley. 6And Saul said unto the Kenites: ‘Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt.’ So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7And Saul smote the Amalekites, from Havilah as thou goest to Shur, that is in front of Egypt. 8And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, even the young of the second birth, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but every thing that was of no account and feeble, that they destroyed utterly. 10Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying: 11’It repenteth Me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following Me, and hath not performed My commandments.’ And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 12And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying: ‘Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he is setting him up a monument, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.’ 13And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him: ‘Blessed be thou of the LORD; I have performed the commandment of the LORD.’ 14And Samuel said: ‘What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?’ 15And Saul said: ‘They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.’ 16Then Samuel said unto Saul: ‘Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night.’ And he said unto him: ‘Say on.’ 17And Samuel said: ‘Though thou be little in thine own sight, art thou not head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed thee king over Israel; 18and the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said: Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19Wherefore then didst thou not hearken to the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which was evil in the sight of the LORD?’ 20And Saul said unto Samuel: ‘Yea, I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.’ 22And Samuel said: ‘Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, As in hearkening to the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king.’ 24And Saul said unto Samuel: ‘I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words; because I feared the people, and hearkened to their voice. 25Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD.’ 26And Samuel said unto Saul: ‘I will not return with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.’ 27And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it rent. 28And Samuel said unto him: ‘The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 29And also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor repent; for He is not a man, that He should repent.’ 30Then he said: ‘I have sinned; yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.’ 31So Samuel returned after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD. 32Then said Samuel: ‘Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.’ And Agag came unto him in chains. And Agag said: ‘Surely the bitterness of death is at hand.’ 33And Samuel said: As thy sword hath made women childless, So shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. 34Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeath- shaul. 35And Samuel never beheld Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul; and the LORD repented that He had made Saul king over Israel. And the LORD said unto Samuel: ‘How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have provided Me a king among his sons.’ 2And Samuel said: ‘How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me.’ And the LORD said: ‘Take a heifer with thee, and say: I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will tell thee what thou shalt do; and thou shalt anoint unto Me him whom I name unto thee.’ 4And Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Beth-lehem. And the 16 elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said: ‘Comest thou peaceably?’ 5And he said: ‘Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 6And it came to pass, when they were come, that he beheld Eliab, and said: ‘Surely the LORD’S anointed is before Him.’ 7But the LORD said unto Samuel: ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him; for it is not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.’ 8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said: ‘Neither hath the LORD chosen this.’ 9Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said: ‘Neither hath the LORD chosen this.’ 10And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse: ‘The LORD hath not chosen these.’ 11And Samuel said unto Jesse: ‘Are here all thy children?’ And he said: ‘There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep.’ And Samuel said unto Jesse: ‘Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he come hither.’ 12And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of beautiful eyes, and goodly to look upon. And the LORD said: ‘Arise, anoint him; for this is he.’ 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 14Now the spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrified him. 15And Saul’s servants said unto him: ‘Behold now, an evil spirit from God terrifieth thee. 16Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp; and it shall be, when the evil spirit from God cometh upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.’ 17And Saul said unto his servants: ‘Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.’ 18Then answered one of the young men, and said: ‘Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is skilful in playing, and a mighty man of valour, and a man of war, and prudent in affairs, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.’ 19Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said: ‘Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep.’ 20And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. 21And David came to Saul, and stood before him; and he loved him greatly; and he became his armour-bearer. 22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying: ‘Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.’ 23And it came to pass, when the [evil] spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand; so Saul found relief, and it was well with him, and the evil spirit departed from him. Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side; and there was a valley between them. 4And there went out a champion from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. 7And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. 8And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them: ‘Why do ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 9If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.’ 10And the Philistine said: ‘I do taunt the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.’ 11And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. 12Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons; and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men. 13And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle; and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14And David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul.—15Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Beth- lehem.—16And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. 17And Jesse said unto David his son: ‘Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren. 18And bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and to thy brethren shalt thou bring greetings, and take their pledge; 19now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, are in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.’ 20And David rose up early in the 17 morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the barricade, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle. 21And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. 22And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brethren. 23And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke according to the same words; and David heard them. 24And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. 25And the men of Israel said: ‘Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to taunt Israel is he come up; and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.’ 26And David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying: ‘What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the taunt from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should have taunted the armies of the living God?’ 27And the people answered him after this manner, saying: ‘So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.’ 28And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said: ‘Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy presumptuousness, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.’ 29And David said: ‘What have I now done? Was it not but a word?’ 30And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke after the same manner; and the people answered him after the former manner. 31And when the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he was taken to him. 32And David said to Saul: ‘Let no man’s heart fail within him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.’ 33And Saul said to David: ‘Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.’ 34And David said unto Saul: ‘Thy servant kept his father’s sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, 35I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath taunted the armies of the living God.’ 37And David said: ‘The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said unto David: ‘Go, and the LORD shall be with thee.’ 38And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. 39And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he essayed to go [, but could not]; for he had not tried it. And David said unto Saul: ‘I cannot go with these; for I have not tried them.’ And David put them off him. 40And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his scrip; and his sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistine. 41And the Philistine came nearer and nearer unto David; and the man that bore the shield went before him. 42And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance. 43And the Philistine said unto David: ‘Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his god. 44And the Philistine said to David: ‘Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.’ 45Then said David to the Philistine: ‘Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast taunted. 46This day will the LORD deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel; 47and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’S, and He will give you into our hand.’ 48And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slung it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51And David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their mighty man was dead, they fled. 52And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. 53And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their camp. 54And David took the head of the philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent. 55And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host: ‘Abner, whose son is this youth?’ And Abner said: ‘As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.’ 56And the king said: ‘Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.’ 57And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58And Saul said to him: ‘Whose son art thou, thou young man?’ And David answered: ‘I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.’ And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house. 3Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. 5And David went out; whithersoever Saul sent him, he had good success; and Saul set him over the men of war; and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. 6And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments. 7And the women sang one to another in their play, and said: Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands. 8And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said: ‘They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands; and all he lacketh is the kingdom! ’ 9And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. 10And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house; and David played with his hand, as he did day by day; and Saul had his spear in his hand. 11And Saul cast the spear; for he said: ‘I will smite David even to the wall.’ And David stepped aside out of his presence twice. 12And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. 13Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 14And David had great success in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. 15And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood 18 in awe of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them. 17And Saul said to David: ‘Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife; only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles.’ For Saul said: ‘Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.’ 18And David said unto Saul: ‘Who am I, and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?’ 19But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. 20And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David; and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21And Saul said: ‘I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.’ Wherefore Saul said to David: ‘Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law through the one of the twain.’ 22And Saul commanded his servants: ‘Speak with David secretly, and say: Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee; now therefore be the king’s son-in-law.’ 23And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said: ‘Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?’ 24And the servants of Saul told him, saying: ‘On this manner spoke David.’ 25And Saul said: ‘Thus shall ye say to David: The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies.’ For Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. And the days were not expired; 27and David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king’s son- in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. 28And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David; and Michal Saul’s daughter loved him. 29And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David’s enemy continually. 30Then the princes of the Philistines went forth; and it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David prospered more than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by. And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David; but Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David. 2And Jonathan told David, saying: ‘Saul my father seeketh to slay thee; now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself. 3And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will speak with my 19 father of thee; and if I see aught, I will tell thee.’ 4And Jonathan spoke good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him: ‘Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his work hath been very good towards thee; 5for he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great victory for all Israel; thou sawest it, and didst rejoice; wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?’ 6And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan; and Saul swore: ‘As the LORD liveth, he shall not be put to death.’ 7And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as beforetime. 8And there was war again; and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. 9And an evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand. 10And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the spear into the wall; and David fled, and escaped that night. 11And Saul sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning; and Michal David’s wife told him, saying: ‘If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou shalt be slain.’ 12So Michal let David down through the window; and he went, and fled, and escaped. 13And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a quilt of goats’hair at the head thereof, and covered it with a cloth. 14And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said: ‘He is sick.’ 15And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying: ‘Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.’ 16And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the quilt of goats’hair at the head thereof. 17And Saul said unto Michal: ‘Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, that he is escaped?’ And Michal answered Saul: ‘He said unto me: Let me go; why should I kill thee?’ 18Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. 19And it was told Saul, saying: ‘Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.’ 20And Saul sent messengers to take David; and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great cistern that is in Secu; and he asked and said: ‘Where are Samuel and David?’ And one said: ‘Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.’ 23And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah; and the spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say: ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’ And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan: ‘What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?’ 2And he said unto him: ‘Far from it; thou shalt not die; behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.’ 3And David swore moreover, and said: ‘Thy father knoweth well that I have found favour in thine eyes; and he saith: Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved; but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.’ 4Then said Jonathan unto David: ‘What doth thy soul desire, that I should do it for thee?’ 5And David said unto Jonathan: ‘Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, when I should sit with the king to eat; so let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. 6If thy father miss me at all, then say: David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7If he say thus: It is well; thy servant shall have peace; but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him. 8Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee; but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?’ 9And Jonathan said: ‘Far be it from thee; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? 10Then said David to Jonathan: ‘Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly?’ 11And Jonathan said unto David: ‘Come and let us go out into the field.’ And they went out both of them into the field. 12And Jonathan said unto David: ‘The LORD, the God of Israel—when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee? 13The LORD do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace; and the LORD be with thee, as He hath been with my father. 14And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not; 15but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever; no, 20 not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.’ 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: ‘The LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies.’ 17And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18And Jonathan said unto him: ‘To- morrow is the new moon; and thou wilt be missed, thy seat will be empty. 19And in the third day thou shalt hide thyself well, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself in the day of work, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. 20And I will shoot three arrows to the side-ward, as though I shot at a mark. 21And, behold, I will send the lad: Go, find the arrows. If I say unto the lad: Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as the LORD liveth. 22But if I say thus unto the boy: Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way; for the LORD hath sent thee away. 23And as touching the matter which I and thou have spoken of, behold, the LORD is between me and thee for ever.’ 24So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to the meal to eat. 25And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side; but David’s place was empty. 26Nevertheless Saul spoke not any thing that day; for he thought: ‘Something hath befallen him, he is unclean; surely he is not clean.’ 27And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, which was the second day, that David’s place was empty; and Saul said unto Jonathan his son: ‘Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to the meal, neither yesterday, nor to-day?’ 28And Jonathan answered Saul: ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem; 29and he said: Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me; and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he is not come unto the king’s table.’ 30Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him: ‘Thou son of perverse rebellion, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother’s nakedness? 31For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he deserveth to die.’ 32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him: ‘Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done?’ 33And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him; whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to put David to death. 34So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, and because his father had put him to shame. 35And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. 36And he said unto his lad: ‘Run, find now the arrows which I shoot.’ And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said: ‘Is not the arrow beyond thee?’ 38And Jonathan cried after the lad: ‘Make speed, hasten, stay not.’ And Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 39But the lad knew not any thing; only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him: ‘Go, carry them to the city.’ 41And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times; and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. 42And Jonathan said to David: ‘Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying: The LORD shall be between me and thee, and Between my seed and thy seed, for ever.’ 1And he arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city. 2Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said unto him: ‘Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?’ 3 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest: ‘The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me: Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee; and the young men have I appointed to such and such a place. 4 Now therefore what is under thy hand? five loaves of bread? give them in my hand, or whatsoever there is present.’ 5And the priest answered David, and said: ‘There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.’ 6 And David answered the priest, and said unto him: ‘Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then to-day, when there shall be holy bread in their vessels?’ 7 So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.— 8 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.— 9 And David said unto Ahimelech: ‘And is there peradventure here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword 21 nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.’ 10And the priest said: ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the vale of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here.’ And David said: ‘There is none like that; give it me.’ 11And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 12And the servants of Achish said unto him: ‘Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?’ 13And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 14And he changed his demeanour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 15Then said Achish unto his servants: ‘Lo, when ye see a man that is mad, wherefore do ye bring him to me? 16Do I lack madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?’ David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him. 2And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them; and there were with him about four hundred men. 3And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab; and he said unto the king of Moab: ‘Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.’ 4And he brought them before the king of Moab; and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold. 5And the prophet Gad said unto David: ‘Abide not in the stronghold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah.’ Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth. 6And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him; now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7And Saul said unto his servants that stood about him: ‘Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds; 8that all of you have conspired against me, and there was none that disclosed it to me when my son made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or discloseth unto me that my son hath 22 stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?’ 9Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said: ‘I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10And he inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.’ 11Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob; and they came all of them to the king. 12And Saul said: ‘Hear now, thou son of Ahitub.’ And he answered: ‘Here I am, my lord.’ 13And Saul said unto him: ‘Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?’ 14Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said: ‘And who among all thy servants is so trusted as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and giveth heed unto thy bidding, and is honourable in thy house? 15Have I to-day begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me; let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for thy servant knoweth nothing of all this, less or more.’ 16And the king said: ‘Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.’ 17And the king said unto the guard that stood about him: ‘Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me.’ But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. 18And the king said to Doeg: ‘Turn thou, and fall upon the priests.’ And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and he slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. 19And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword. 20And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the LORD’S priests. 22And David said unto Abiathar: ‘I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul; I have brought about the death of all the persons of thy father’s house. 23Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life; for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.’ And they told David, saying: ‘Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they rob the threshing-floors.’ 2Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying: ‘Shall I go and smite these Philistines?’ And the LORD said unto David: ‘Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.’ 3And David’s men said unto him: ‘Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; 23 how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?’ 4Then David inquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said: ‘Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hand.’ 5And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and slew them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. 6And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand. 7And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said: ‘God hath delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.’ 8And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9And David knew that Saul devised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest: ‘Bring hither the ephod.’ 10Then said David: ‘O LORD, the God of Israel, Thy servant hath surely heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. 11Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as Thy servant hath heard?’ O LORD, the God of Israel, I beseech Thee, tell Thy servant.’ And the LORD said: ‘He will come down.’ 12Then said David: ‘Will the men of Keilah deliver up me and my men into the hand of Saul?’ And the LORD said: ‘They will deliver thee up.’ 13Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbore to go forth. 14And David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. 15And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life; and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the wood. 16And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. 17And he said unto him: ‘Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.’ 18And they two made a covenant before the LORD; and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house. 19Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying: ‘Doth not David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him up into the king’s hand.’ 21And Saul said: ‘Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have had compassion on me. 22Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there; for it is told me that he dealeth very subtly. 23See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking- places where he hideth himself, and come ye back to me with the certainty, and I will go with you; and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.’ 24And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul; but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of Jeshimon. 25And Saul and his men went to seek him. And they told David; wherefore he came down to the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. 27But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying: ‘Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land.’ 28So Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines; therefore they called that place aSela- hammahlekoth. 1And David went up from thence, and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi. a That is, The rock of divisions. 2And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying: ‘Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.’ 3Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. 4And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 5And the men of David said unto him: ‘Behold the day in which the LORD hath said unto thee: Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.’ Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily. 6And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. 7And he said unto his men: ‘The LORD forbid it me, that I should do this thing unto my lord, the LORD’S anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’S anointed.’ 8So David checked his men with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. 9David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying: ‘My lord the king.’ And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and prostrated himself. 10And David said to Saul: ‘Wherefore hearkenest thou to 24 men’s words, saying: Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? 11Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to-day into my hand in the cave; and some bade me kill thee; but mine eye spared thee; and I said: I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’S anointed. 12Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee, though thou layest wait for my soul to take it. 13The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee; but my hand shall not be upon thee. 14As saith the proverb of the ancients: Out of the wicked cometh forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be upon thee. 15After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. 16The LORD therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thy hand.’ 17And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said: ‘Is this thy voice, my son David?’ And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. 18And he said to David: ‘Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rendered unto me good, whereas I have rendered unto thee evil. 19And thou hast declared this day how that thou hast dealt well with me; forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me up into thy hand, thou didst not kill me. 20For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that which thou hast done unto me this day. 21And now, behold, I know that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand. 22Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house.’ 23And David swore unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men got them up unto the stronghold. And Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 2And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful form; but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb. 4And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5And David sent ten young men, and David said unto 25 the young men: ‘Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name; 6and thus ye shall say: All hail! and peace be both unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. 7And now I have heard that thou hast shearers; thy shepherds have now been with us, and we did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. 8Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee; wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes; for we come on a good day; give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David.’ 9And when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. 10And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said: ‘Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a- days that break away every man from his master; 11shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?’ 12So David’s young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words. 13And David said unto his men: ‘Gird ye on every man his sword.’ And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword; and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage. 14But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying: ‘Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he flew upon them. 15But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields; 16they were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house; for he is such a base fellow, that one cannot speak to him.’ 18Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. 19And she said unto her young men: ‘Go on before me; behold, I come after you.’ But she told not her husband Nabal. 20And it was so, as she rode on her ass, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, behold, David and his men came down towards her; and she met them.— 21Now David had said: ‘Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him; and he hath returned me evil for good. 22God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one male.’— 23And when Abigail saw David, she made haste, and alighted from her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed down to the ground. 24And she fell at his feet, and said: ‘Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity; and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid. 25Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this base fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he: aNabal is his name, and churlishness is with him; but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. 26Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from finding redress for thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. 27And now this present which thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord. 28Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid; for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD; and evil is not found in thee all thy days. 29And though man be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he a That is, Churl. sling out, as from the hollow of a sling. 30And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that He hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel; 31that this shall be no stumbling-block unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath found redress for himself. And when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.’ 32And David said to bAbigail: ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me; 33and blessed be thy discretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from finding redress for myself with mine own hand. 34For in very deed, as the LORD, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst made haste and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one male.’ 35So David received of her hand that which she had brought him; and he said unto her: ‘Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.’ b Heb. Abigal. 36And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken; wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. 37And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. 38And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, so that he died. 39And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said: ‘Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept back His servant from evil; and the evil-doing of Nabal hath the LORD returned upon his own head.’ And David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to him to wife. 40And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke unto her, saying: ‘David hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.’ 41And she arose, and bowed down with her face to the earth, and said: ‘Behold, thy handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.’ 42And Abigail hastened, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife. 43David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they became both of them his wives. 44Now Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim. And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying: ‘Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?’ 2Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. 4David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come of a certainty. 5And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched; and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host; and Saul lay within the barricade, and the people pitched round about him. 6Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying: ‘Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp?’ And Abishai said: ‘I will go down with thee.’ 7So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the barricade, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay round about him. 8Then said Abishai to David: ‘God hath delivered up thine enemy into thy hand this day; now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time.’ 9And David said to Abishai: ‘Destroy him not; for who can put forth his 26 hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless?’ 10And David said: ‘As the LORD liveth, nay, but the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle, and be swept away. 11The LORD forbid it me, that I should put forth my hand against the LORD’S anointed; but now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head, and the cruse of water and let us go.’ 12So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s head; and they got them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them. 13Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mountain afar off; a great space being between them. 14And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying: ‘Answerest thou not, Abner?’ Then Abner answered and said: ‘Who art thou that criest to the king?’ 15And David said to Abner: ‘Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept watch over thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. 16This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye deserve to die, because ye have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD’S anointed. And now, see, where the king’s spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his head.’ 17And Saul knew David’s voice, and said: ‘Is this thy voice, my son David?’ And David said: ‘It is my voice, my lord, O king.’ 18And he said: ‘Wherefore doth my lord pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in my hand? 19Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be the LORD that hath stirred thee up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day that I should not cleave unto the inheritance of the LORD, saying: Go, serve other gods. 20Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD; for the king of Israel is come out to seek a single flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.’ 21Then said Saul: ‘I have sinned; return, my son David; for I will no more do thee harm, because my life was precious in thine eyes this day; behold, I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.’ 22And David answered and said: ‘Behold the king’s spear! let then one of the young men come over and fetch it. 23And the LORD will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; forasmuch as the LORD delivered thee into my hand to-day, and I would not put forth my hand against the LORD’S anointed. 24And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation.’ 25Then Saul said to David: ‘Blessed be thou, my son David; thou shalt both do mightily, and shalt surely prevail.’ So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place. And David said in his heart: ‘I shall now be swept away one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel; so shall I escape out of his hand.’ 2And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife. 4And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath; and he sought no more again for him. 5And David said unto Achish: ‘If now I have found favour in thine eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there; for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?’ 6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day; wherefore Ziklag belongeth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. 7And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. 8And David and his men went up, and made a raid upon the Geshurites, and the Gizrites, and the Amalekites; for those were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. 9And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel. And he returned, and came to Achish. 10And Achish said: ‘Whither have ye made a raid to-day?’ And David said: ‘Against the South of Judah, and against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites.’ 11And David left neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying: ‘Lest they should tell on us, saying: So did David, and so hath been his manner all the while he hath dwelt in the country of the Philistines.’ 12And Achish believed David, saying: ‘He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.’ And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their hosts together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David: ‘Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me in the host, thou and thy men.’ 2And David said to Achish: ‘Therefore thou shalt know what thy servant will do.’ And Achish said to David: ‘Therefore will I make thee keeper of my head for ever.’ 27 28 3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that divined by a ghost or a familiar spirit out of the land. 4And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. 5And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 7Then said Saul unto his servants: ‘Seek me a woman that divineth by a ghost, that I may go to her, and inquire of her.’ And his servants said to him: ‘Behold, there is a woman that divineth by a ghost at En-dor.’ 8And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said: ‘Divine unto me, I pray thee, by a ghost, and bring me up whomsoever I shall name unto thee.’ 9And the woman said unto him: ‘Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that divine by a ghost or a familiar spirit out of the land; wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?’ 10And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying: ‘As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.’ 11Then said the woman: ‘Whom shall I bring up unto thee?’ And he said: ‘Bring me up Samuel.’ 12And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying: ‘Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.’ 13And the king said unto her: ‘Be not afraid; for what seest thou?’ And the woman said unto Saul: ‘I see a godlike being coming up out of the earth.’ 14And he said unto her: ‘What form is he of?’ And she said: ‘An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe.’ And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and prostrated himself. 15And Samuel said to Saul: ‘Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?’ And Saul answered: ‘I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams; therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.’ 16And Samuel said: ‘Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine adversary? 17And the LORD hath wrought for Himself; as He spoke by me; and the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David. 18Because thou didst not hearken to the voice of the LORD, and didst not execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. 19Moreover the LORD will deliver Israel also with thee into the hand of the Philistines; and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me; the LORD will deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.’ 20Then Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. 21And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore affrighted, and said unto him: ‘Behold, thy handmaid hath hearkened unto thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spokest unto me. 22Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thy handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.’ 23But he refused, and said: ‘I will not eat.’ But his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed. 24And the woman had a fatted calf in the house; and she made haste, and killed it; and she took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof; 25and she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night. Now the Philistines gathered together all their hosts to Aphek; and the Israelites pitched by the fountain which is in Jezreel. 2And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish. 3Then said the princes of the Philistines: ‘What do these Hebrews here?’ And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines: ‘Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away unto me unto this day?’ 4But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him: ‘Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us; for wherewith should this fellow reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men? 5Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?’ 6Then Achish called David, and said unto him: ‘As the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight; for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day; nevertheless the lords favour thee not. 7Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.’ 8And David said unto Achish: ‘But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy 29 servant so long as I have been before thee unto this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?’ 9And Achish answered and said to David: ‘I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God; notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said: He shall not go up with us to the battle. 10Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of thy lord that are come with thee; and as soon as ye are up early in the morning, and have light, depart.’ 11So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel. And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the South, and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2and had taken captive the women and all that were therein, both small and great; they slew not any, but carried them off, and went their way. 3And when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. 7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech: ‘I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod.’ And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8And David inquired of the LORD, saying: ‘Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him: ‘Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them, and shalt without fail recover all.’ 9So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. 11And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they gave him water to drink; 12and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins; and when he had eaten, his spirit came back to him; for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 13And David said unto him: ‘To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou?’ And he said: ‘I am a young Egyptian, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. 14We made a raid upon 30 the South of the Cherethites, and upon that which belongeth to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.’ 15And David said to him: ‘Wilt thou bring me down to this troop?’ And he said: ‘Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop.’ 16And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, eating and drinking, and feasting, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day; and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels and fled. 18And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives. 19And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them; David brought back all. 20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said: ‘This is David’s spoil.’ 21And David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to abide at the brook Besor; and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him; and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. 22Then answered all the wicked men and base fellows, of those that went with David, and said: ‘Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.’ 23Then said David: ‘Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given unto us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand. 24And who will hearken unto you in this matter? for as is the share of him that goeth down to the battle, so shall be the share of him that tarrieth by the baggage; they shall share alike.’ 25And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day. 26And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying: ‘Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD’; 27to them that were in Beth-el, and to them that were in Ramoth of the South, and to them that were in Jattir; 28and to them that were in Aroer, and to them that were in Siphmoth, and to them that were in Eshtemoa; 29and to them that were in Racal, and to them that were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them that were in the cities of the Kenites; 30and to them that were in Hormah, and to them that were in Bor- ashan, and to them that were in Athach; 31and to them that were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt. 31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3And the battle went sore against Saul, an the archers overtook him; and he was in great anguish by reason of the archers. 4Then said Saul to his armour-bearer: ‘Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make a mock of me.’ But his armour-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it. 5And when his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died with him. 6So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armour-bearer, and all his men, that same day together. 7And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. 8And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. 9And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto the house of their idols, and to the people. 10And they put his armour in the house of the Ashtaroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him that which the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. 13And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. . ..... SECOND SAMUEL And it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; 2it came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head; and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and prostrated himself. 3And David said unto him: ‘From whence comest thou?’ And he said unto him: ‘Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.’ 4And David said unto him: ‘How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me.’ And he answered: ‘The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.’ 5And David said unto the young man that told him: ‘How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?’ 6And the young man that told him said: ‘As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and the horsemen pressed hard upon him. 7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered: Here am I. 8And he said unto me: Who art thou? And I answered him: I am an Amalekite. 9And he said unto me: Stand, I pray thee, beside me, and slay me, for the agony hath taken hold of me; because my life is just yet in me. 10So I stood beside him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen; and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.’ 11Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him. 12And they wailed, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. 13And David said unto the young man that told him: ‘Whence art thou?’ And he answered: ‘I am the son of an Amalekite stranger.’ 14And David said unto him: ‘How wast thou not afraid to put forth thy hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed?’ 15And David called one of the young men, and said: ‘Go near, and fall upon him.’ And he smote him that he died. 16And David said unto him: ‘Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying: I have slain the LORD’S anointed.’ 17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, 18and said—To teach 1 the sons of Judah the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jashar: 19Thy beauty, O Israel, upon thy high places is slain! How are the mighty fallen! 20Tell it not in Gath, Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21Ye mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Neither fields of choice fruits; For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23Saul and Jonathan, the lovely and the pleasant In their lives, even in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions. 24Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 25How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan upon thy high places is slain! 26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; Very pleasant hast thou been unto me; Wonderful was thy love to me, Passing the love of women. 27How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished! And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying: ‘Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?’ And the LORD said unto him: ‘Go up.’ And David said: ‘Whither shall I go up?’ And He said: ‘Unto Hebron.’ 2So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 3And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. 4And the men of Judah came, and they there anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying: ‘The men of Jabesh-gilead were they that buried Saul.’ 5And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh- gilead, and said unto them: ‘Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shown this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. 6And now the LORD show kindness and truth unto 2 you; and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing. 7Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be ye valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.’ 8Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10Ish-bosheth Saul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 12And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out; and they met together by the pool of Gibeon, and sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14And Abner said to Joab: ‘Let the young men, I pray thee, arise and play before us.’ And Joab said: ‘Let them arise.’ 15Then they arose and passed over by number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together; wherefore that place was called aHelkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. 17And the battle was very sore that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David. a That is, The field of the sharp knives. 18And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as light of foot as one of the roes that are in the field. 19And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20Then Abner looked behind him, and said: ‘Is it thou, Asahel?’ And he answered: ‘It is I.’ 21And Abner said to him: ‘Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour.’ But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22And Abner said again to Asahel: ‘Turn thee aside from following me; wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?’ 23Howbeit he refused to turn aside; wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the groin, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place; and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still. 24But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner; and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill. 26Then Abner called to Joab, and said: ‘Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?’ 27And Joab said: ‘As God liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then only after the morning the people had gone away, every one from following his brother.’ 28So Joab blew the horn, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more. 29And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim. 30And Joab returned from following Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. 31But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, even of Abner’s men—three hundred and threescore men died. 32And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron. Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David waxed stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. 2And unto David were sons born in Hebron; and his first-born was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron. 6And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner showed himself strong in the house of Saul. 7Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and [Ish-bosheth] said to Abner: ‘Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father’s concubine?’ 8Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said: ‘Am I a dog’s head that belongeth to Judah? This day do I show kindness unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, and yet thou chargest me this day with a fault concerning this woman. 9God do so to Abner, and more also, if, as the LORD hath sworn to David, I do not even so to him; 10to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the 3 throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.’ 11And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him. 12And Abner sent messengers to David straightway, saying: ‘Whose is the land?’ saying also: ‘Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring over all Israel unto thee.’ 13And he said: ‘Well; I will make a league with thee; but one thing I require of thee, that is, thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face.’ 14And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth Saul’s son, saying: ‘Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.’ 15And Ish-bosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from Paltiel the son of Laish. 16And her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him: ‘Go, return’; and he returned. 17And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying: ‘In times past ye sought for David to be king over you; 18now then do it; for the LORD hath spoken of David, saying: By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.’ 19And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin; and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and to the whole house of Benjamin. 20So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were with him a feast. 21And Abner said unto David: ‘I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thy soul desireth.’ And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace. 22And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. 23When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying: ‘Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace.’ 24Then Joab came to the king, and said: ‘What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone? 25Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest.’ 26And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from Bor-sirah; but David knew it not. 27And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there in the groin, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. 28And afterward when David heard it, he said: ‘I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner; 29let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all his father’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth by the sword, or that lacketh bread.’ 30So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle. 31And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him: ‘Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and wail before Abner.’ And king David followed the bier. 32And they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept. 33And the king lamented for Abner, and said: Should Abner die as a churl dieth 34Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters; As a man falleth before the children of iniquity, so didst thou fall. And all the people wept again over him. 35And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying: ‘God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun be down.’ 36And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; whatsoever the king did, pleased all the people. 37So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner. 38And the king said unto his servants: ‘Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel? 39And I am this day weak, and just anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me; the LORD reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.’ And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were affrighted. 2And Saul’s son had two men that were captains of bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin; for Beeroth also is reckoned to Benjamin; 3and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have been sojourners there until this day. 4Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled; and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. 5And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, as he took his rest at noon. 6And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched 4 wheat; and they smote him in the groin; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bed-chamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night. 8And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king: ‘Behold the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, who sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.’ 2009And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them: ‘As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 10when one told me, saying: Behold, Saul is dead, and he was in his own eyes as though he brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, instead of giving a reward for his tidings. 11How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed, shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?’ 12And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron. Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spoke, saying: ‘Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. 2In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that didst lead out and bring in Israel; and the LORD said to thee: Thou shalt feed My people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.’ 3So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel. 4David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah. 6And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke unto David, saying: ‘Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither’; thinking: ‘David cannot come in hither.’ 7Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David. 8And David said on that day: ‘Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites, and getteth up to the gutter, and [taketh away] the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul—.’ Wherefore they say: ‘There are the blind and the lame; he cannot come into the house.’ 9And David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. 10And David waxed greater and greater; for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him. 5 11And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar-trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house. 12And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for His people Israel’s sake. 13And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. 14And these are the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon; 15and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia; 16and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet. 17And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold. 18Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. 19And David inquired of the LORD, saying: ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? wilt Thou deliver them into my hand?’ And the LORD said unto David: ‘Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into thy hand.’ 20And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and he said: ‘The LORD hath broken mine enemies before me, like the breach of waters.’ Therefore the name of that place was called aBaal-perazim. 21And they left their images there, and David and his men took them away. a That is, The possessor of breaches. 22And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. 23And when David inquired of the LORD, He said: ‘Thou shalt not go up; make a circuit behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry-trees. 24And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then is the LORD gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.’ 25And David did so, as the LORD commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gezer. 6 And David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him, from Baale-judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whereupon is called the Name, even the name of the LORD of hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim. 3And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. 4And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was in the hill, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. 5And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD with all manner of instruments made of cypress-wood, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with sistra, and with cymbals. 6And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled. 7And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. 8And David was displeased, because the LORD had broken forth upon Uzzah; and that place was called aPerez-uzzah, unto this day 9And David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said: ‘How shall the ark of the LORD come unto me?’ 10So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months; and the LORD blessed Obed-edom, and all his house. a That is, The breach of Uzzah. 12And it was told king David, saying: ‘The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God.’ And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy. 13And it was so, that when they that bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. 15So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the horn. 16And it was so, as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. 17And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt- offerings and peace-offerings before the LORD. 18And when David had made an end of offering the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. 19And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to every one a cake of bread, and a cake made in a pan, and a sweet cake. So all the people departed every one to his house. 20Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said: ‘How did the king of Israel get him honour to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! ’ 21And David said unto Michal: ‘Before the LORD, who chose me above thy father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of the LORD, over Israel, before the LORD will I make merry. 22And I will be yet more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight; and with the handmaids whom thou hast spoken of, with them will I get me honour.’ 23And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death. And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, 2that the king said unto Nathan the prophet: ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.’ 3And Nathan said to the king: ‘Go, do all that is in thy heart; for the LORD is with thee.’ 4And it came to pass the same night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying: 5’Go and tell My servant David: Thus saith the LORD: Shalt thou build Me a house for Me to dwell in? 6for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7In all places wherein I have walked among all the children of Israel, spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying: Why have ye not built Me a house of cedar? 8Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto My servant David: Thus saith the LORD of hosts: I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over My people, over Israel. 9And I have been with thee whithersoever thou didst go, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a great name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. 10And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disquieted no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first, 11even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. Moreover the LORD telleth thee that the LORD will make thee a house. 12When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son; if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; 15but My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee; thy throne shall be established for ever.’ 17According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. 7 18Then David the king went in, and sat before the LORD; and he said: ‘Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me thus far? 19And this was yet a small thing in Thine eyes, O Lord GOD; but Thou hast spoken also of Thy servant’s house for a great while to come; and this too after the manner of great men, O Lord GOD. 20And what can David say more unto Thee? for Thou knowest Thy servant, O Lord GOD. 21For Thy word’s sake, and according to Thine own heart, hast Thou wrought all this greatness, to make Thy servant know it. 22Therefore Thou art great, O LORD God; for there is none like Thee, neither is there any God beside Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23And who is like Thy people, like Israel, a nation one in the earth, whom God went to redeem unto Himself for a people, and to make Him a name, and to do for Thy land great things and tremendous, even for you, [in driving out] from before Thy people, whom Thou didst redeem to Thee out of Egypt, the nations and their gods? 24And Thou didst establish to Thyself Thy people Israel to be a people unto Thee for ever; and Thou, LORD, becamest their God. 25And now, O LORD God, the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, confirm Thou it for ever, and do as Thou hast spoken. 26And let Thy name be magnified for ever, that it may be said: The LORD of hosts is God over Israel; and the house of Thy servant David shall be established before Thee. 27For Thou, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to Thy servant, saying: I will build thee a house; therefore hath Thy servant taken heart to pray this prayer unto Thee. 28And now, O Lord GOD, Thou alone art God, and Thy words are truth, and Thou hast promised this good thing unto Thy servant; 29now therefore let it please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue for ever before Thee; for Thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it; and through Thy blessing let the house of Thy servant be blessed for ever.’ And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them; and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines. 2And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought presents. 3David smote also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to establish his dominion at the river Euphrates. 4And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots. 5And when the Arameans of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Arameans two and 8 twenty thousand men. 6Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus; and the Arameans became servants to David, and brought presents. And the LORD gave victory to David whithersoever he went. 7And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass. 9And when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, 10then Toi sent Joram his son unto king David, to salute him, and to bless him—because he had fought against Hadadezer and smitten him; for Hadadezer had wars with Toi—and he brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass. 11These also did king David dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and gold that he dedicated of all the nations which he subdued: 12of Aram, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 13And David got him a name when he returned from smiting the Arameans in the Valley of Salt, even eighteen thousand men. 14And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the LORD gave victory to David whithersoever he went. 15And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people. 16And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 17and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was scribe; 18and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief ministers. And David said: ‘Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’ 2Now there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him unto David; and the king said unto him: ‘Art thou Ziba?’ And he said: ‘Thy servant is he.’ 3And the king said: ‘Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him?’ And Ziba said unto the king: ‘Jonathan hath yet a son, who is lame on his feet.’ 4And the king said unto him: ‘Where is he?’ And Ziba said unto the king: ‘Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.’ 5Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 6And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came unto David, and fell on his face, and prostrated himself. And David said: ‘Mephibosheth! ’ And he answered: ‘Behold thy servant! ’ 7And David said unto him: ‘Fear not; for I 9 will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.’ 8And he bowed down, and said: ‘What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?’ 9Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him: ‘All that pertained to Saul and to all his house have I given unto thy master’s son. 10And thou shalt till the land for him, thou, and thy sons, and thy servants; and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have bread to eat; but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread continually at my table.’ Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11Then said Ziba unto the king: ‘According to all that my lord the king commandeth his servant, so shall thy servant do; but Mephibosheth eateth at my table as one of the king’s sons.’ 12Now Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. 13But Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and he was lame on both his feet. And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. 2And David said: ‘I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me.’ So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. 3But the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord: ‘Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David sent his servants unto thee to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?’ 4So Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. 5When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said: ‘Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.’ 6And when the children of Ammon saw that they were become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob, and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men. 7And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men. 8And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate; and the Arameans of Zobah, and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the field. 9Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of 10 Israel, and put them in array against the Arameans; 10and the rest of the people he committed into the hand of aAbishai his brother, and he put them in array against the children of Ammon. 11And he said: ‘If the Arameans be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me, but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. 12Be of good courage, and let us prove strong for our people, and for the cities of our God; and the LORD do that which seemeth Him good.’ 13So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh unto the battle against the Arameans; and they fled before him. 14And when the children of Ammon saw that the Arameans were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem. a Heb. Abshai. 15And when the Arameans saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16And Hadadezer sent, and brought out the Arameans that were beyond the River; and they came to Helam, with Shobach the captain of the host of Hadadezer at their head. 17And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Arameans set themselves in array against David, and fought with him. 18And the Arameans fled before Israel; and David slew of the Arameans seven hundred drivers of chariots, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, so that he died there. 19And when all the kings that were servants to Hadadezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Arameans feared to help the children of Ammon any more. And it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. 2And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 3And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said: ‘Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ 4And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness; and she returned unto her house. 5And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said: ‘I am with child.’ 6And David sent to Joab [, saying]: ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’ And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7And when Uriah 11 was come unto him, David asked of him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered. 8And David said to Uriah: ‘Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet.’ And Uriah departed out of the king’s house, and there followed him a mess of food from the king. 9But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. 10And when they had told David, saying: ‘Uriah went not down unto his house’, David said unto Uriah: ‘Art thou not come from a journey? wherefore didst thou not go down unto thy house?’ 11And Uriah said unto David: ‘The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in booths; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open field; shall I then go into my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.’ 12And David said to Uriah: ‘Tarry here to-day also, and to- morrow I will let thee depart.’ So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. 13And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk; and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house. 14And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15And he wrote in the letter, saying: ‘Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.’ 16And it came to pass, when Joab kept watch upon the city, that he assigned Uriah unto the place where he knew that valiant men were. 17And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab; and there fell some of the people, even of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. 18Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war; 19and he charged the messenger, saying: ‘When thou hast made an end of telling all the things concerning the war unto the king, 20it shall be that, if the king’s wrath arise, and he say unto thee: Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall? 21who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast an upper millstone upon him from the wall, that he died at Thebez? why went ye so nigh the wall? then shalt thou say: Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ 22So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent him for. 23And the messenger said unto David: ‘The men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entrance of the gate. 24And the shooters shot at thy servants from off the wall; and some of the king’s servants are dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ 25Then David said unto the messenger: ‘Thus shalt thou say unto Joab: Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth in one manner or another; make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it; and encourage thou him.’ 26And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband. 27And when the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him: ‘There were two men in one city: the one rich, and the other poor. 2The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds; 3but the poor man had nothing save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared; and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.’ 5And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan: ‘As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this deserveth to die; 6and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.’ 7And Nathan said to David: ‘Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that were too little, then would I add unto thee so much more. 9Wherefore hast thou despised the word of the LORD, to do that which is evil in My sight? Uriah the Hittite thou hast smitten with the sword, and his wife thou hast taken to be thy wife, and him thou hast slain with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from thy house; because thou hast despised Me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12For thou didst it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’ 13And David said unto Nathan: ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said unto David: ‘The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast greatly blasphemed the enemies of the LORD, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.’ 15And Nathan departed unto his house. 12 And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore unto David, and it was very sick. 16David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and as often as he went in, he lay all night upon the earth. 17And the elders of his house arose, and stood beside him, to raise him up from the earth; but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. 18And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said: ‘Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice; how then shall we tell him that the child is dead, so that he do himself some harm?’ 19But when David saw that his servants whispered together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said unto his servants: ‘Is the child dead?’ And they said: ‘He is dead.’ 20Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel; and he came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped; then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21Then said his servants unto him: ‘What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.’ 22And he said: ‘While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said: Who knoweth whether the LORD will not be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.’ 24And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him; 25and He sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name aJedidiah, for the LORD’S sake. a That is, Beloved of the LORD. 26Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city. 27And Joab sent messengers to David, and said: ‘I have fought against Rabbah, yea, I have taken the city of waters. 28Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it; lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.’ 29And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it. 30And he took the crown of Malcam from off his head; and the weight thereof was a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones; and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much. 31And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln; and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem. And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. 2And Amnon was so distressed that he fell sick because of his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and it seemed hard to Amnon to do any thing unto her. 3But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man. 4And he said unto him: ‘Why, O son of the king, art thou thus becoming leaner from day to day? wilt thou not tell me?’ And Amnon said unto him: ‘I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.’ 5And Jonadab said unto him: ‘Lay thee down on thy bed, and feign thyself sick; and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him: Let my sister Tamar come, I pray thee, and give me bread to eat, and dress the food in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand.’ 6So Amnon lay down, and feigned himself sick; and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king: ‘Let my sister Tamar come, I pray thee, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand.’ 7Then David sent home to Tamar, saying: ‘Go now to thy brother Amnon’s house, and dress him food.’ 8So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. And she took dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes. 9And she took the pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said: ‘Have out all men from me.’ And they went out every man from him. 10And Amnon said unto Tamar: ‘Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat of thy hand.’ And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. 11And when she had brought them near unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her: ‘Come lie with me, my sister.’ 12And she answered him: ‘Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel; do not thou this wanton deed. 13And I, whither shall I carry my shame? and as for thee, thou wilt be as one of the base men in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.’ 14Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her. 15Then Amnon hated her with exceeding great hatred; for the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her: ‘Arise, be gone.’ 16And she said unto him: ‘Not so, because this great wrong in putting me forth is worse than the other that thou didst unto me.’ But he would not hearken unto her. 17Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said: ‘Put now this woman 13 out from me, and bolt the door after her.’—18Now she had a garment of many colours upon her; for with such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled.—And his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her. 19And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of many colours that was on her; and she laid her hand on her head, and went her way, crying aloud as she went. 20And Absalom her brother said unto her: ‘Hath aAmnon thy brother been with thee? but now hold thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; take not this thing to heart.’ So Tamar remained desolate in her brother, Absalom’s house. 21But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth. 22And Absalom spoke unto Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar. a Heb. Aminon. 23And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheep- shearers in Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim; and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24And Absalom came to the king, and said: ‘Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.’ 25And the king said to Absalom: ‘Nay, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome unto thee.’ And he pressed him; howbeit he would not go, but blessed him. 26Then said Absalom: ‘If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us.’ And the king said unto him: ‘Why should he go with thee?’ 27But Absalom pressed him, and he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. 28And Absalom commanded his servants, saying: ‘Mark ye now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine; and when I say unto you: Smite Amnon, then kill him, fear not; have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.’ 29And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and every man got him up upon his mule, and fled. 30And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the tidings came to David, saying: ‘Absalom hath slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left.’ 31Then the king arose, and rent his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. 32And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother, answered and said: ‘Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is dead; for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. 33Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead; for Amnon only is dead.’ 34But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people in a roundabout way by the hill-side. 35And Jonadab said unto the king: ‘Behold, the king’s sons are come; as thy servant said, so it is.’ 36And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voice, and wept; and the king also and all his servants wept very sore. 37But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And [David] mourned for his son every day. 38So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 39And the soul of king David failed with longing for Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead. Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. 2And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her: ‘I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead; 3and go in to the king, and speak on this manner unto him.’ So Joab put the words in her mouth. 4And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and prostrated herself, and said: ‘Help, O king.’ 5And the king said unto her: ‘What aileth thee?’ And she answered: ‘Of a truth I am a widow, my husband being dead. 6And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him. 7And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they said: Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy the heir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.’ 8And the king said unto the woman: ‘Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.’ 9And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king: ‘My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house; and the king and his throne be guiltless.’ 10And the king said: ‘Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.’ 11Then said she: ‘I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son.’ And he said: ‘As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.’ 12Then the woman said: ‘Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king.’ And he said: ‘Say on.’ 13And the woman said: ‘Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one. 14For we must needs die, 14 and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person; but let him devise means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him. 15Now therefore seeing that I am come to speak this word unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid; and thy handmaid said: I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. 16For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. 17Then thy handmaid said: Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for my comfort; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad; and the LORD thy God be with thee.’ 18Then the king answered and said unto the woman: ‘Hide not from me, I pray thee, aught that I shall ask thee.’ And the woman said: ‘Let my lord the king now speak.’ 19And the king said: ‘Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this?’ And the woman answered and said: ‘As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid; 20to change the face of the matter hath thy servant Joab done this thing; and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.’ 21And the king said unto Joab: ‘Behold now, I have granted this request; go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.’ 22And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and prostrated himself, and blessed the king; and Joab said: ‘To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found favour in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath performed the request of thy servant.’ 23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24And the king said: ‘Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face.’ So Absalom turned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face. 25Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26And when he polled his head—now it was at every year’s end that he polled it; because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it—he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, after the king’s weight. 27And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of a fair countenance. 28And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem; and he saw not the kings face. 29Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him; and he sent again a second time, but he would not come. 30Therefore he said unto his servants: ‘See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire.’ And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. 31Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him: ‘Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?’ 32And Absalom answered Joab: ‘Behold, I sent unto thee, saying: Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say: Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it were better for me to be there still; now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.’ 33So Joab came to the king, and told him; and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom. And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2And Absalom used to rise up early, and stand beside the way of the gate; and it was so, that when any man had a suit which should come to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said: ‘Of what city art thou?’ And he said: ‘Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.’ 3And Absalom said unto him: ‘See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.’ 4Absalom said moreover: ‘Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man who hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! ’ 5And it was so, that when any man came nigh to prostrate himself before him, he put forth his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him. 6And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. 7And it came to pass at the end of forty years, that Absalom said unto the king: ‘I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD, in Hebron. 8For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Aram, saying: If the LORD shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.’ 9And the king said unto him: ‘Go in peace.’ So he arose, and went to Hebron. 10But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying: ‘As soon as ye hear the sound of the horn, then ye shall say: Absalom is king in Hebron.’ 11And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were invited, and went in their simplicity; and they knew not any thing. 12And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom. 13And there came a messenger to David, saying: ‘The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.’ 14And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem: ‘Arise, and let us flee; for else none of us shall 15 escape from Absalom; make speed to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.’ 15And the king’s servants said unto the king: ‘Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall choose.’ 16And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, that were concubines, to keep the house. 17And the king went forth, and all the people after him; and they tarried in Beth- merhak. 18And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men that came after him from Gath, passed on before the king. 19Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite: ‘Wherefore goest thou also with us? return, and abide with the king; for thou art a foreigner, and also an exile from thine own place. 20Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us, seeing I go whither I may? return thou, and take back thy brethren with thee in kindness and truth.’ 21And Ittai answered the king, and said: ‘As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, even there also will thy servant be.’ 22And David said to Ittai: ‘Go and pass over.’ And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him. 23And all the country wept with a loud voice, as all the people passed over; and as the king passed over the brook Kidron, all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness. 24And, lo, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God; and they set down the ark of God—but Abiathar went up—until all the people had done passing out of the city. 25And the king said unto Zadok: ‘Carry back the ark of God into the city; if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back, and show me both it, and His habitation; 26but if He say thus: I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him.’ 27The king said also unto Zadok the priest: ‘Seest thou? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28See, I will tarry in the plains of the wilderness, until there come word from you to announce unto me.’ 29Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem; and they abode there. 30And David went up by the ascent of the mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered, and went barefoot; and all the people that were with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up. 31And one told David, saying: ‘Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.’ And David said: ‘O LORD, I pray Thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.’ 32And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the ascent, where God was wont to be worshipped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head. 33And David said unto him: ‘If thou passest on with me, then thou wilt be a burden unto Me; 34but if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom: I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant in time past, so will I now be thy servant; then wilt thou defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. 35And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king’s house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz Zadok’s son, and Jonathan Abiathar’s son; and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye shall hear.’ 37So Hushai David’s friend came into the city; and Absalom was at the point of coming into Jerusalem. And when David was a little past the top, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. 2And the king said unto Ziba: ‘What meanest thou by these?’ And Ziba said: ‘The asses are for the king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as are faint in the wilderness may drink.’ 3And the king said: ‘And where is thy master’s son?’ And Ziba said unto the king: ‘Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said: To-day will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.’ 4Then said the king to Ziba: ‘Behold, thine is all that pertaineth unto Mephibosheth.’ And Ziba said: ‘I prostrate myself; let me find favour in thy sight, my lord, O king.’ 5And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out, and kept on cursing as he came. 6And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David; and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7And thus said Shimei when he cursed: ‘Begone, begone, thou man of blood, and base fellow; 8the LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son; and, behold, thou art taken in thine own mischief, because thou art a man of blood.’ 9Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king: ‘Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take 16 off his head.’ 10And the king said: ‘What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him: Curse David; who then shall say: Wherefore hast thou done so?’ 11And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants: ‘Behold, my son, who came forth of my body, seeketh my life; how much more this Benjamite now? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him. 12It may be that the LORD will look on mine eye, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing of me this day.’ 13So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. 14And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary; and he refreshed himself there. 15And Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom: ‘Long live the king, long live the king.’ 17And Absalom said to Hushai: ‘Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend?’ 18And Hushai said unto Absalom: ‘Nay; but whom the LORD, and this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his will I be, and with him will I abide. 19And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father’s presence, so will I be in thy presence.’ 20Then said Absalom to Ahithophel: ‘Give your counsel what we shall do.’ 21And Ahithophel said unto Absalom: ‘Go in unto thy father’s concubines, that he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that thou art abhorred of thy father; then will the hands of all that are with thee be strong.’ 22So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.— 23Now the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man inquired of the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom. Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom: ‘Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night; 2and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only; 3and I will bring back all the people unto thee; when all shall have returned, [save] the man whom thou seekest, all the people will be in peace.’ 4And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel. 5Then said Absalom: ‘Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.’ 6And when Hushai was come to Absalom, 17 Absalom spoke unto him, saying: ‘Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner; shall we do after his saying? if not, speak thou.’ 7And Hushai said unto Absalom: ‘The counsel that Ahithophel hath given this time is not good.’ 8Hushai said moreover: ‘Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are embittered in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. 9Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some place; and it will come to pass, when they fall upon them at the first, and whosoever heareth it shall say: There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom; 10then even he that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiant men. 11But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person. 12So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him we will not leave so much as one. 13Moreover, if he withdraw himself into a city, then shall all Israel bring up ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the valley until there be not one small stone found there.’ 14And Absalom and all the men of Israel said: ‘The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.’—For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom. 15Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests: ‘Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled. 16Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying: Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but in any wise pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.’ 17Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel; and a maid-servant used to go and tell them; and they went and told king David; for they might not be seen to come into the city. 18But a lad saw them, and told Absalom; and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down thither. 19And the woman took and spread the covering over the well’s mouth, and strewed groats thereon; and nothing was known. 20And Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house; and they said: ‘Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?’ And the woman said unto them: ‘They are gone over the brook of water.’ And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 21And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they said unto David: ‘Arise ye, and pass quickly over the water; for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.’ 22Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan; by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over the Jordan. 23And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and got him home, unto his city, and set his house in order, and strangled himself; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father. 24When David was come to Mahanaim, Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25And Absalom had set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Jesraelite, that went in to Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother. 26And Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead. 27And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, 28brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse, 29and honey, and curd, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat; for they said: ‘The people is hungry, and faint, and thirsty, in the wilderness.’ And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. 2And David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people: ‘I will surely go forth with you myself also.’ 3But the people said: ‘Thou shalt not go forth; for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us; but thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou be ready to succour us out of the city.’ 4And the king said unto them: ‘What seemeth you best I will do.’ And the king stood by the gate-side, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands. 5And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying: ‘Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom.’ And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom. 6So the people went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim. 7And the people of Israel were smitten there before the servants of David, and there 18 was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men. 8For the battle was there spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. 9And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. And Absalom was riding upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth, and his head caught hold of the terebinth, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went on. 10And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said: ‘Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth.’ 11And Joab said unto the man that told him: ‘And, behold, thou sawest it, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have had to give thee ten pieces of silver, and a girdle.’ 12And the man said unto Joab: ‘Though I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, yet would I not put forth my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying: Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. 13Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against mine own life—and there is no matter hid from the king—then thou thyself wouldest have stood aloof.’ 14Then said Joab: ‘I may not tarry thus with thee.’ And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the terebinth. 15And ten young men that bore Joab’s armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. 16And Joab blew the horn, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab held back the people. 17And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones; and all Israel fled every one to his tent.—18Now Absalom in his life- time had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king’s dale; for he said: ‘I have no son to keep my name in remembrance’; and he called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom’s monument unto this day. 19Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok: ‘Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD hath avenged him of his enemies.’ 20And Joab said unto him: ‘Thou shalt not be the bearer of tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day; but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, forasmuch as the king’s son is dead.’ 21Then said Joab to the Cushite: ‘Go tell the king what thou hast seen.’ And the Cushite bowed down unto Joab, and ran. 22Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab: ‘But come what may, let me, I pray thee, also run after the Cushite.’ And Joab said: ‘Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou wilt have no reward for the tidings?’ 23’But come what may, [said he,] I will run.’ And he said unto him: ‘Run.’ Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and overran the Cushite. 24Now David sat between the two gates; and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone. 25And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said: ‘If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth.’ And he came apace, and drew near. 26And the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called unto the porter, and said: ‘Behold another man running alone.’ And the king said: ‘He also bringeth tidings.’ 27And the watchman said: ‘I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.’ And the king said: ‘He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.’ 28And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king: ‘All is well.’ And he bowed down before the king with his face to the earth, and said: ‘Blessed be the LORD thy God, who hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.’ 29And the king said: ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ And Ahimaaz answered: ‘When Joab sent the king’s servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.’ 30And the king said: ‘Turn aside, and stand here.’ And he turned aside, and stood still. 31And, behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said: ‘Tidings for my lord the king; for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.’ 32And the king said unto the Cushite: ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ And the Cushite answered: ‘The enemies of my lord the king and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.’ And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, thus he said: ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! ’ 2And it was told Joab: ‘Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom.’ 3 And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people; for the people heard say that day: ‘The king grieveth for his son.’ 4And the people got them by stealth that day into the city, as people that are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. 5And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice: ‘O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! ’ 6And Joab came into the house to the king, and said: ‘Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, who this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; 7in that thou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest them that love thee. For thou hast declared this day, that princes and servants are nought unto thee; for this day I perceive, that if 19 Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well. 8Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak to the heart of thy servants; for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry a man with thee this night; and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that hath befallen thee from thy youth until now.’ 9Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying: ‘Behold, the king doth sit in the gate’; and all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his tent. 10And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying: ‘The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land from Absalom. 11And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now, therefore, why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?’ 12And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying: ‘Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying: Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house?—For the speech of all Israel was come to the king, to bring him to his house.—13Ye are my brethren, ye are my bone and my flesh; wherefore then should ye be the last to bring back the king? 14And say ye to Amasa: Art thou not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab.’ 15And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent unto the king: ‘Return thou, and all thy servants.’ 16So the king returned, and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to bring the king over the Jordan. 17And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, made haste and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David. 18And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him. And they rushed into the Jordan before the king. 19And the ferryboat passed to and fro to bring over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, when he would go over the Jordan. 20And he said unto the king: ‘Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did iniquitously the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart. 21For thy servant doth know that I have sinned; therefore, behold, I am come this day the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.’ 22But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said: ‘Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’S anointed?’ 23And David said: ‘What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?’ 24And the king said unto Shimei: ‘Thou shalt not die.’ And the king swore unto him. 25And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; and he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace. 26And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him: ‘Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth?’ 27And he answered: ‘My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for thy servant said: I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go with the king; because thy servant is lame. 28And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God; do therefore what is good in thine eyes. 29For all my father’s house were deserving of death at the hand of my lord the king; yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet? or why should I cry any more unto the king?’ 30And the king said unto him: ‘Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I say: Thou and Ziba divide the land.’ 31And Mephibosheth said unto the king: ‘Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come in peace unto his own house.’ 32And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim; and he passed on to Jordan with the king, to bring him on the way over the Jordan. 33Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old; and he had provided the king with sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man. 34And the king said unto Barzillai: ‘Come thou over with me, and I will sustain thee with me in Jerusalem.’ 35And Barzillai said unto the king: ‘How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? 36I am this day fourscore years old; can I discern between good and bad? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king? 37Thy servant would but just go over the Jordan with the king; and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward? 38Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back, that I may die in mine own city, by the grave of my father and my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.’ 39And the king answered: ‘Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee; and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee.’ 40And all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over; and the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned unto his own place. 41So the king went over to Gilgal, and aChimham went over with him; and all the people of Judah brought the king over, and also half the people of Israel. 42And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said unto the king: ‘Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee away, and brought the king, and his household, over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?’ 43And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel: ‘Because the king is near of kin to us; wherefore then are ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all of the king’s cost? or hath any gift been given us?’ 44And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said: ‘We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye; why then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king?’ And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel. a Heb. Chimhan. Now there happened to be there a base fellow, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite; and he blew the horn, and said: ‘We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel.’ 2So all the men of Israel went up from following David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah did cleave unto their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem. 3And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and provided them with sustenance, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, in widowhood, with their husband alive. 4Then said the king to Amasa: ‘Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present.’ 5So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together; but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him. 6And David said to Abishai: ‘Now will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom; take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fortified cities, and escape out of our sight.’ 7And there went out after him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. 8When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his apparel of war that he had put on, and thereon was a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out. 9And Joab said to Amasa: ‘Is it well 20 with thee, my brother?’ And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand; so he smote him therewith in the groin, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. 11And there stood by him one of Joab’s young men, and said: ‘He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David let him follow Joab.’ 12And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a garment over him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still. 13When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. 14And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Beth- maacah, and all the Berites; and they were gathered together, and went in also after him. 15And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah, and they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood in the moat; and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down. 16Then cried a wise woman out of the city: ‘Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab: Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.’ 17And he came near unto her; and the woman said: ‘Art thou Joab?’ And he answered: ‘I am.’ Then she said unto him: ‘Hear the words of thy handmaid.’ And he answered: ‘I do hear.’ 18Then she spoke, saying: ‘They were wont to speak in old time, saying: They shall surely ask counsel at Abel; and so they ended the matter. 19We are of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel; seekest thou to destroy a city and a mother in Israel? why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?’ 20And Joab answered and said: ‘Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy. 21The matter is not so; but a man of the hill- country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David; deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.’ And the woman said unto Joab: ‘Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.’ 22Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the horn, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king. 23Now Joab was over all the host of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites; 24and Adoram was over the levy; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 25and Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26and Ira also the Jairite was chief minister unto David. And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said: ‘It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites.’ 2And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them—now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them; and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah— 3and David said unto the Gibeonites: ‘What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?’ 4And the Gibeonites said unto him: ‘It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul, or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.’ And he said: ‘What say ye that I should do for you?’ 5And they said unto the king: ‘The man that consumed us, and that devised against us, so that we have been destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel, 6let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.’ And the king said: ‘I will deliver them.’ 7But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD’S oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before the LORD, and they fell all seven together; and they were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of barley harvest. 10And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured upon them from heaven; and she suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. 11And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the broad place of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines slew Saul in Gilboa; 13and he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged. 14And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulchre of Kish his father; and they performed all that the 21 king commanded. And after that God was entreated for the land. 15And the Philistines had war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines; and David waxed faint. 16And Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with new armour, thought to have slain David. 17But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore unto him, saying: ‘Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the lamp of Israel.’ 18And it came to pass after this, that there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Saph, who was of the sons of the giant. 19And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Beth-lehemite slew Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 20And there was again war at Gath, where was a champion, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. 21And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him. 22These four were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants. 22 And David spoke unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul; 2and he said: The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3The God who is my rock, in Him I take refuge; My shield, and my horn of salvation, my high tower, and my refuge; My saviour, Thou savest me from violence. 4Praised, I cry, is the LORD, And I am saved from mine enemies. 5For the waves of Death compassed me. The floods of aBelial assailed me. a That is, the nether-world. 6The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of Death confronted me. 7In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yea, I called unto my God; And out of His temple He heard my voice, And my cry did enter into His ears. 8Then the earth did shake and quake, The foundations of heaven did tremble; Tey were shaken, because He was wroth. 9Smoke arose up in His nostrils, And fire out of His mouth did devour; Coals flamed forth from Him. 10He bowed the heavens also, and came down; And thick darkness was under His feet. 11And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, He was seen upon the wings of the wind. 12And He made darkness pavilions round about Him, Gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies. 13At the brightness before Him Coals of fire flamed forth. 14The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High gave forth His voice. 15And He sent out arrows, and scattered them; Lightning, and discomfited them. 16And the channels of the sea appeared, The foundations of the world were laid bare By the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils. 17He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters; 18He delivered me from mine enemy most strong, From them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 19They confronted me in the day of my calamity; But the LORD was a stay unto me. 20He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me. 21The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me. 22For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 23For all His ordinances were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. 24And I was single-hearted toward Him, And I kept myself from mine iniquity. 25Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes. 26With the merciful Thou dost show Thyself merciful, With the upright man Thou dost show Thyself upright, 27With the pure Thou dost show Thyself pure; And with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself subtle. 28And the afflicted people Thou dost save; But Thine eyes are upon the haughty, that Thou mayest humble them. 29For Thou art my lamp, O LORD; And the LORD doth lighten my darkness. 30For by Thee I run upon a troop; By my God do I scale a wall. 31As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in Him. 32For who is God, save the LORD? And who is a Rock, save our God? 33The God who is my strong fortress, And who letteth my way go forth straight; 34Who maketh my feet like hinds’, And setteth me upon my high places; 35Who traineth my hands for war, So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass. 36Thou hast also given me Thy shield of salvation; And Thy condescension hath made me great. 37Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped. 38I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back till they were consumed. 39And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, that they cannot arise; Yea, they are fallen under my feet. 40For Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. 41Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me; Yea, them that hate me, that I might cut them off. 42They looked, but there was none to save; Even unto the LORD, but He answered them not. 43Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the streets, and did tread them down. 44Thou also hast delivered me from the contentions of my people; Thou hast kept me to be the head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me. 45The sons of the stranger dwindle away before me; As soon as they hear of me, they obey me. 46The sons of the stranger fade away, And come halting out of their close places. 47The LORD liveth, and blessed be my Rock; And exalted be the God, my Rock of salvation; 48Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, And bringeth down peoples under me, 49And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies; Yea, Thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; Thou deliverest me from the violent man. 50Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O LORD, among the nations, And will sing praises unto Thy name. 51A tower of salvation is He to His king; And showeth mercy to His anointed, To David and to his seed, for evermore. Now these are the last words of David: The saying of David the son of Jesse, And the saying of the man raised on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet singer of Israel: 2The spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was upon my tongue. 3The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘Ruler over men shall be The righteous, even he that ruleth in the fear of God, 4And as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, A morning without clouds; When through clear shining after rain, The tender grass springeth out of the earth.’ 5For is not my house established with God? For an everlasting covenant He hath made with me, Ordered in all things, and sure; For all my salvation, and all my desire, Will he not make it to grow? 6But the ungodly, they are as thorns thrust away, all of them, For they cannot be taken with the hand; 7But the man that toucheth them Must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear; And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place. 8These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb- basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite; [he lifted up his spear] against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time. 9And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they jeoparded their lives against the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away; 10he stood firm, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand did cleave unto the sword; and the LORD 23 wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain. 11And after him was Shammah the son of Age the Ararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines. 12But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD wrought a great victory. 13And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 14And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. 15And David longed, and said: ‘Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate! ’ 16And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; but he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD. 17And he said: ‘Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this; shall I drink the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?’ therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men. 18And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them, and had a name among the three. 19He was most honourable of the three; therefore he was made their captain; howbeit he attained not unto the first three. 20And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he smote the two altar-hearths of Moab; he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow; 21and he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man; and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear. 22These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men. 23He was more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard. 24Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem; 25Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite; 26Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; 27Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite; 28Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite; 29Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin; 30Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of Nahale-gaash; 31Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite; 32Eliahba the Shaalbonite, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan; 33Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite; 34Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite; 35Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite; 36Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite; 37Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armour-bearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah; 38Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite; 39Uriah the Hittite. Thirty and seven in all. And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them, saying: ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’ 2And the king said to Joab the captain of the host that was with him: ‘Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of the people.’ 3And Joab said unto the king: ‘Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they may be, a hundredfold, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it; but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?’ 4Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel. 5And they passed over the Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and unto Jazer; 6then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to Dan-jaan, and round about to Zidon, 7and came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, at Beer-sheba. 8So when they had gone to and fro through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto the king; and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men. 10And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD: ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, O LORD, put away, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.’ 11And when David rose up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying: 12’Go and speak unto David: Thus saith the LORD: I lay upon thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.’ 13So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him: ‘Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thy foes while they pursue thee? or shall there be three days’pestilence in thy land? now advise thee, and consider what answer I shall return to Him that sent Me.’ 14And David said unto Gad: ‘I am in a great strait; let us fall now into the 24 hand of the LORD; for His mercies are great; and let me not fall into the hand of man.’ 15So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. 16And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented Him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people: ‘It is enough; now stay thy hand.’ And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17And David spoke unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said: ‘Lo, I have sinned, and I have done iniquitously; but these sheep, what have they done? let Thy hand, I pray Thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.’ 18And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him: ‘Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshing- floor of Araunah the Jebusite.’ 19And David went up according to the saying of Gad, as the LORD commanded. 20And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him; and Araunah went out, and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 21And Araunah said: ‘Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant?’ And David said: ‘To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.’ 22And Araunah said unto David: ‘Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him; behold the oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing-instruments and the furniture of the oxen for the wood.’ 23All this did Araunah the king give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king: ‘The LORD thy God accept thee.’ 24And the king said unto Araunah: ‘Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the LORD my God which cost me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. So the LORD was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel. . ..... FIRST KINGS Now King David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he could get no heat. 2Wherefore his servants said unto him: ‘Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin; and let her stand before the king, and be a companion unto him; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.’ 3So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4And the damsel was very fair; and she became a companion unto the king, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not. 5Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying: ‘I will be king’; and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6And his father had not grieved him all his life in saying: ‘Why hast thou done so?’ and he was also a very goodly man; and he was born after Absalom. 7And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest; and they following Adonijah helped him. 8But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men that belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. 9And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he called all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah the king’s servants; 10but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not. 11Then Nathan spoke unto Bath- sheba the mother of Solomon, saying: ‘Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? 12Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. 13Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him: Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thy handmaid, saying: Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign? 14Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.’ 15And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber.—Now the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.—16And Bath-sheba bowed, and prostrated herself unto the king. And the king said: ‘What wouldest thou?’ 17And she said unto him: ‘My lord, 1 thou didst swear by the LORD thy God unto thy handmaid: Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. 18And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and thou, my lord the king, knowest it not. 19And he hath slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar, the priest, and Joab the captain of the host; but Solomon thy servant hath he not called. 20And thou, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.’ 22And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23And they told the king, saying: ‘Behold Nathan the prophet.’ And when he was come in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 24And Nathan said: ‘My lord, O king, hast thou said: Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? 25For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say: Long live king Adonijah. 26But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon hath he not called. 27Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not declared unto thy servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?’ 28Then king David answered and said: ‘Call me Bath-sheba.’ And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king. 29And the king swore and said: ‘As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 30verily as I swore unto thee by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying: Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; verily so will I do this day.’ 31Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and prostrated herself to the king, and said: ‘Let my lord king David live for ever.’ 32And king David said: ‘Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.’ And they came before the king. 33And the king said unto them: ‘Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow ye with the horn, and say: Long live king Solomon. 35Then ye shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead; and I have appointed him to be prince over Israel and over Judah.’ 36And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said: ‘Amen; so say the LORD, the God of my lord the king. 37As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be He with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.’ 38So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the ram’s horn; and all the people said: ‘Long live king Solomon.’ 40And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. 41And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said: ‘Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?’ 42While he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said: ‘Come in; for thou art a worthy man, and bringest good tidings.’ 43And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah: ‘Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king. 44And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mule. 45And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon; and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that ye have heard. 46And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. 47And moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying: God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne; and the king bowed down upon the bed. 48And also thus said the king: Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.’ 49And all the guests of Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. 50And Adonijah feared because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 51And it was told Solomon, saying: ‘Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon; for, lo, he hath laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying: Let king Solomon swear unto me first of all that he will not slay his servant with the sword.’ 52And Solomon said: ‘If he shall show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die.’ 53So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself before king Solomon; and Solomon said unto him: ‘Go to thy house.’ Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2’I go the way of all the earth; be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; 3and keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself; 4that the LORD may establish His word which He spoke concerning me, saying: If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee, said He, a man on the throne of Israel. 5Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did unto me, even what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. 6Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. 7But show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table; for so they drew nigh unto me when I fled from Absalom thy brother. 8And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying: I will not put thee to death with the sword. 9Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to the grave with blood.’ 10And David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. 11And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. 12And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established firmly. 13Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said: ‘Comest thou peaceably?’ And he said: ‘Peaceably.’ 14He said moreover: ‘I have somewhat to say unto thee.’ And she said: ‘Say on.’ 15And he said: ‘Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign; howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s; for it was his from the LORD. 16And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not.’ And she said unto him: ‘Say on.’ 17And he said: ‘Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king—for he will not say thee nay—that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.’ 2 18And Bath-sheba said: ‘Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.’ 19Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed down unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20Then she said: ‘I ask one small petition of thee; deny me not.’ And the king said unto her: ‘Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny thee.’ 21And she said: ‘Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.’ 22And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother: ‘And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.’ 23Then king Solomon swore by the LORD, saying: ‘God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. 24Now therefore as the LORD liveth, who hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day.’ 25And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him, so that he died. 26And unto Abiathar the priest said the king: ‘Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art deserving of death; but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.’ 27So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that the word of the LORD might be fulfilled, which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28And the tidings came to Joab; for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the Tent of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 29And it was told king Solomon: ‘Joab is fled unto the Tent of the LORD, and, behold, he is by the altar.’ Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying: ‘Go, fall upon him.’ 30And Benaiah came to the Tent of the LORD, and said unto him: ‘Thus saith the king: Come forth.’ And he said: ‘Nay; but I will die here.’ And Benaiah brought back word unto the king, saying: ‘Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.’ 31And the king said unto him: ‘Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father’s house. 32And the LORD will return his blood upon his own head, because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, and my father David knew it not: Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. 33So shall their blood return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever; but unto David, and unto his seed, and unto his house, and unto his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.’ 34Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host; and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar. 36And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him: Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. 37For on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, know thou for certain that thou shalt surely die; thy blood shall be upon thine own head.’ 38And Shimei said unto the king: ‘The saying is good; as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do.’ And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. 39And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying: ‘Behold, thy servants are in Gath.’ 40And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish, to seek his servants; and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. 41And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come back. 42And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him: ‘Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and forewarned thee, saying: Know for certain, that on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me: The saying is good; I have heard it. 43Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?’ 44The king said moreover to Shimei: ‘Thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father; therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head. 45But king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.’ 46So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell upon him, so that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. 1And Solomon became allied to Pharaoh king of Egypt by marriage, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. 2Only the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. 3And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father; only he sacrificed and offered in the high places. 3 4And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place; a thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. 5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said: ‘Ask what I shall give thee.’ 6And Solomon said: ‘Thou hast shown unto Thy servant David my father great kindness, according as he walked before Thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with Thee; and Thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that Thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7And now, O LORD my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. 8And Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people which Thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9Give Thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this Thy great people?’ 10And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11And God said unto him: ‘Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern justice; 12behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 13And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour—so that there hath not been any among the kings like unto thee—all thy days. 14And if thou wilt walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.’ 15And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream; and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. 16Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17And the one woman said: ‘Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. 18And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. 19And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlay it. 20And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked well at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I did bear.’ 22And the other woman said: ‘Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son.’ And this said: ‘No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son.’ Thus they spoke before the king. 23Then said the king: ‘The one saith: This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead; and the other saith: Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.’ 24And the king said: ‘Fetch me a sword.’ And they brought a sword before the king. 25And the king said: ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.’ 26Then spoke the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned upon her son, and she said: ‘Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.’ But the other said: ‘It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it.’ 27Then the king answered and said: ‘Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.’ 28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice. And king Solomon was king over all Israel. 2And these were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister and the king’s friend; 6and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the levy. 7And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year. 8And these are their names: The son of Hur, in the hill- country of Ephraim; 9the son of Deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth- shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 10the son of Hesed, in Arubboth; to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of Hepher; 11the son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife; 12Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam; 13the son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brazen bars; 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife; 16Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19Geber the son of Uri, in 4 the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and one officer that was [over all the officers] in the land. 20Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry. And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt; they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. 2And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal; 3ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, beside harts, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fatted fowl. 4For he had dominion over all the region on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River; and he had peace on all sides round about him. 2And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. 6And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 2And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon’s table, every man in his month; they let nothing be lacking. 8Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they unto the place where it should be, every man according to his charge. 9And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore. 10And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 11For he was wiser than all men: than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about. 12And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. 13And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 14And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. 15And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father; for Hiram was ever a lover of David. 16And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: 17‘Thou knowest how that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of my feet. 18But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence. 19And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke unto 5 David my father, saying: Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for My name. 20Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say; for thou knowest that there is not among us any that hath skill to hew timber like unto the Zidonians.’ 21And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said: ‘Blessed be the LORD this day, who hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.’ 22And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: ‘I have heard that which thou hast sent unto me; I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of cypress. 23My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt receive them; and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.’ 24So aHiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of cypress according to all his desire. 25And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of beaten oil; thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. 26And a Heb. Hirom, and in verse 32. the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together. 27And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. 28And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the levy. 29And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bore burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains; 30besides Solomon’s chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bore rule over the people that wrought in the work. 31And the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with hewn stone. 32And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house. And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. 2And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits. 3And the 6 porch before the atemple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house. 4And for the house he made windows broad within, and narrow without. 5And against the wall of the house he built a side-structure round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of bthe sanctuary; and he made side-chambers round about; 6the nethermost story of the side-structure was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made rebatements in the wall of the house round about, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house.— 7For the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.— 8The door for the clowest row of chambers was in the right side of the house and they went up by winding stairs into the middle row, and out of the middle into the third. 9So he built the house, and finished it; and he covered in the house with planks of cedar over beams. 10And he built the stories of the side- structure against all the house, each a That is, the holy place. b Heb. debir, that is, the hindmost or innermost room, the most holy place. c Heb. middle. five cubits high; and they rested on the house with timber of cedar. 11And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying: 12’As for this house which thou art building, if thou wilt walk in My statutes, and execute Mine ordinances, and keep all My commandments to walk in them; then will I establish My word with thee, which I spoke unto David thy father; 13in that I will dwell therein among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.’ 14So Solomon built the house, and finished it. 15And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house unto the joists of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16And he built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor unto the joists; he even built them for himself within, for a Sanctuary, even for the most holy place. 17And the house, that is, the temple before [the Sanctuary], was forty cubits long. 18And the cedar on the house within was carved with knops and open flowers; all was cedar; there was no stone seen. 19And he prepared the Sanctuary in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 20And before the Sanctuary which was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof, overlaid with pure gold, he set an altar, which he covered with cedar. 21So Solomon overlaid athe house within with pure gold; and he drew chains of gold across the wall before the Sanctuary; and he overlaid it with gold. 22And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished; also the whole altar that belonged to the Sanctuary he overlaid with gold. a That is, the Sanctuary. 23And in the Sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive-wood, each ten cubits high. 24And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub; from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. 25And the other cherub was ten cubits; both the cherubim were of one measure and one form. 26The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. 27And he set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. 28And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. 29And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, within and without. 30And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. 31And for the entrance of the Sanctuary he made doors of olive-wood, the door-posts within the frame having five angles. 32And as for the two doors of olive- wood, he carved upon them carvings of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold upon the cherubim, and upon the palm-trees. 33So also made he for the entrance of the temple door-posts of olive-wood, within a frame four-square; 34and two doors of cypress-wood; the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 35And he carved thereon cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted upon the graven work. 36And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone, and a row of cedar beams. 37In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Ziv. 38And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it. And Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. 2For he built the house of the forest of Lebanon: the length thereof was a hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof 7 thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. 3And it was covered with cedar above upon the side-chambers, that lay on forty and five pillars, fifteen in a row. 4And there were beams in three rows; and light was over against light in three ranks. 5And all the doors with their posts were square in the frame; and light was over against light in three ranks. 6And he made the porch of pillars: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits; and a porch before them; and pillars and thick beams before them. 7And he made the porch of the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment; and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor. 8And his house where he might dwell, in the other court, within the porch, was of the like work. He made also a house for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Solomon had taken to wife, like unto this porch. 9All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewn stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside unto the great court. 10And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. 11And above were costly stones, after the measure of hewn stones, and cedar-wood. 12And the great court round about had three rows of hewn stone, and a row of cedar beams, like as the inner court of the house of the LORD, and the court of the porch of the house. 13And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. 14He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill, to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work. 15Thus he fashioned the two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high each; and a line of twelve cubits did compass it about; [and so] the other pillar. 16And he made two capitals of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17He also made nets of checker-work, and wreaths of chain-work, for the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars: seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital. 18And he made the pillars; and there were two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the capitals that were upon the top of the pomegranates; and so did he for the other capital. 19And the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily-work, four cubits. 20And there were capitals above also upon the two pillars, close by the belly which was beside the network; and the pomegranates were two hundred, in rows round about upon each capital. 21And he set up the pillars at the porch of the temple; and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin; and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. 22And upon the top of the pillars was lily-work; so was the work of the pillars finished. 23And he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. 24And under the brim of it round about there were knops which did compass it, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about; the knops were in two rows, cast when it was cast. 25It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward. 26And it was a hand-breadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held two thousand baths. 27And he made the ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it. 28And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders; and there were borders between the stays; 29and on the borders that were between the stays were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and upon the stays it was in like manner above; and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30And every base had four brazen wheels, and axles of brass; and the four feet thereof had undersetters; beneath the laver were the undersetters molten, with wreaths at the side of each. 31And the mouth of it within the crown and above was a cubit high; and the mouth thereof was round after the work of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also upon the mouth of it were gravings; and their borders were foursquare, not round. 32And the four wheels were underneath the borders; and the axletrees of the wheels were in the base; and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit. 33And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel; their axletrees, and their felloes, and their spokes, and their naves, were all molten. 34And there were four undersetters at the four corners of each base; the undersetters thereof were of one piece with the base itself. 35And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high; and on the top of the base the stays thereof and the borders thereof were of one piece therewith. 36And on the plates of the stays thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubim, lions, and palm-trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths round about. 37After this manner he made the ten bases; all of them had one casting, one measure, and one form. 38And he made ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths; and every laver was four cubits; and upon every one of the ten bases one laver. 39And he set the bases, five on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house; and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south. 40And aHiram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. a Heb. Hirom. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of the LORD: 41the two pillars, and the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 42and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars; 43and the ten bases, and the ten lavers on the bases; 44and the one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea; 45and the pots, and the shovels, and the basins; even all these vessels, which Hiram made for king Solomon, in the house of the LORD, were of burnished brass. 46In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many; the weight of the brass could not be found out. 48And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the LORD: the golden altar, and the table whereupon the showbread was, of gold; 49and the candlesticks, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the Sanctuary, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50and the cups, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the pans, and the fire-pans, of pure gold; and the hinges, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, that is, of the temple, of gold. 51Thus all the work that king Solomon wrought in the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated, the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD. Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers’houses of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; even these did the priests and the Levites bring up. 5And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were 8 assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. 6And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto its place, into the Sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. 7For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above. 8And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place, even before the Sanctuary; but they could not be seen without; and there they are unto this day. 9There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. 12Then spoke Solomon: The LORD hath said that He would dwell in the thick darkness. 13I have surely built Thee a house of habitation, A place for Thee to dwell in for ever. 14And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel; and all the congregation of Israel stood. 15And he said: ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth unto David my father, and hath with His hand fulfilled it, saying: 16Since the day that I brought forth My people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel. 17Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 18But the LORD said unto David my father: Whereas it was in thy heart to build a house for My name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart; 19nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for My name. 20And the LORD hath established His word that He spoke; for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 21And there have I set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.’ 22And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; 23and he said: ‘O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like Thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and mercy with Thy servants, that walk before Thee with all their heart; 24who hast kept with Thy servant David my father that which Thou didst promise him; yea, Thou spokest with Thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with Thy hand, as it is this day. 25Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him saying: There shall not fail thee a man in My sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk before Me as thou hast walked before Me. 26Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Thy word, I pray Thee, be verified, which Thou didst speak unto Thy servant David my father. 27But will God in very truth dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have builded! 28Yet have Thou respect unto the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which Thy servant prayeth before Thee this day; 29that Thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place whereof Thou hast said: My name shall be there; to hearken unto the prayer which Thy servant shall pray toward this place. 30And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place; yea, hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place; and when Thou hearest, forgive. 31If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be exacted of him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before Thine altar in this house; 32then hear Thou in heaven, and do, and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. 33When Thy people Israel are smitten down before the enemy, when they do sin against Thee, if they turn again to Thee, and confess Thy name, and pray and make supplication unto Thee in this house; 34then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy people Israel, and bring them back unto the land which Thou gavest unto their fathers. 35When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, when they do sin against Thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess Thy name, and turn from their sin, when Thou dost afflict them; 36then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants, and of Thy people Israel, when Thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon Thy land, which Thou hast given to Thy people for an inheritance. 37If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; 38what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man of all Thy people Israel, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house; 39then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest—for Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men— 40that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou gavest unto our fathers. 41Moreover concerning the stranger that is not of Thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far country for Thy name’s sake— 42for they shall hear of Thy great name, and of Thy mighty hand, and of Thine outstretched arm—when he shall come and pray toward this house; 43hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to Thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as doth Thy people Israel, and that they may know that Thy name is called upon this house which I have built. 44If Thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatsoever way Thou shalt send them, and they pray unto the LORD toward the city which Thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Thy name; 45then hear Thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. 46If they sin against Thee—for there is no man that sinneth not—and Thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn back, and make supplication unto Thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying: We have sinned, and have done iniquitously, we have dealt wickedly; 48if they return unto Thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray unto Thee toward their land, which Thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which Thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for Thy name; 49then hear Thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven Thy dwelling- place, and maintain their cause; 50and forgive Thy people who have sinned against Thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against Thee; and give them compassion before those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them; 51for they are Thy people, and Thine inheritance, which Thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron; 52that Thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of Thy servant, and unto the supplication of Thy people Israel, to hearken unto them whensoever they cry unto Thee. 53For Thou didst set them apart from among all the peoples of the earth, to be Thine inheritance, as Thou didst speak by the hand of Moses Thy servant, when Thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.’ 54And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven. 55And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying: 56’Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that He promised; there hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant. 57The LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; let Him not leave us, nor forsake us; 58that He may incline our hearts unto Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and His statutes, and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. 59And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that He maintain the cause of His servant, and the cause of His people Israel, as every day shall require; 60that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD, He is God; there is none else. 61Let your heart therefore be whole with the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, as at this day.’ 62And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD. 63And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 64The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD; for there he offered the burnt- offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat of the peace-offerings; because the brazen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat of the peace-offerings. 65So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entrance Hamath unto the Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days. 66On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown unto David His servant, and to Israel His people. And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s delight which he was pleased to do, 2that the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared unto him at Gibeon. 3And the LORD said unto him: ‘I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before Me: I have hallowed this 9 house, which thou hast built, to put My name there for ever; and Mine eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually. 4And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before Me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep My statutes and Mine ordinances; 5then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel for ever; according as I promised to David thy father, saying: There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 6But if ye shall turn away from following Me, ye or your children, and not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; 7then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for My name, will I cast out of My sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a by word among all peoples; 8and this house which is so high [shall become desolate], and every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and when they shall say: Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? 9they shall be answered: Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them; therefore hath the LORD brought all this evil upon them.’ 10And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD and the king’s house—11now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar-trees and cypress- trees, and with gold, according to all his desire—that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him: and they pleased him not. 13And he said: ‘What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother?’ And they were called the land of Cabul, unto this day. 14And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold. 15And this is the account of the levy which king Solomon raised; to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. 16Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a portion unto his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether, 18and Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land, 19and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 20All the people that were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel; 21even their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, of them did Solomon raise a levy of bondservants, unto this day. 22But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondservants; but they were the men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen. 23These were the chief officers that were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who bore rule over the people that wrought in the work. 24But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which [Solomon] had built for her; then did he build Millo. 25And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, offering thereby, upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house. 26And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. 28And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon. And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon because of the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. 2And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices and gold very much, and precious stones; and when she was come to Solomon, she spoke with him of all that was in her heart. 3And Solomon told her all her questions; there was not any thing hid from the king which he told her not. 4And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, 5and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his burnt-offering which he offered in the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. 6And she said to the king: ‘It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom. 7Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half was not told me; thou hast wisdom and prosperity exceeding the fame which I heard. 8Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, that stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. 9Blessed be the LORD thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made He thee king, to do justice and righteousness.’ 10And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones; there 10 came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. 11And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of sandal-wood and precious stones. 12And the king made of the sandal-wood pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king’s house, harps also and psalteries for the singers; there came no such sandal- wood, nor was seen, unto this day. 13And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants. 14Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, 15beside that which came of the merchants, and of the traffic of the traders, and of all the kings of the mingled people and of the governors of the country. 16And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. 17And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold: three pounds of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 18Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. 19There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were arms on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. 20And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps; there was not the like made in any kingdom. 21And all king Solomon’s drinking- vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. 22For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram; once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 23So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24And all the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 26And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen; and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. 27And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore-trees that are in the Lowland, for abundance. 28And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; also out of Keveh, the king’s merchants buying them of the men of Keveh at a price. 29And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty; and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Aram, did they bring them out by their means. 11 Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, besides the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel: ‘Ye shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods’; Solomon did cleave unto these in love. 3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not whole with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the detestation of the Ammonites. 6And Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 7Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh the detestation of Moab, in the mount that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestation of the children of Ammon. 8And so did he for all his foreign wives, who offered and sacrificed unto their gods. 9And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice, 10and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 11Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon: ‘Forasmuch as this hath been in thy mind, and thou hast not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 12Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it, for David thy father’s sake; but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 13Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to thy son; for David My servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.’ 14And the LORD raised up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the king’s seed in Edom. 15For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, and had smitten every male in Edom—16for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom— 17that aHadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a Heb. Adad. a little child. 18And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and appointed him victuals, and gave him land. 19And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh: ‘Let me depart, that I may go to mine own country.’ 22Then Pharaoh said unto him: ‘But what hast thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country?’ And he answered: ‘Nothing; howbeit let me depart in any wise.’ 23And God raised up another adversary unto him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a troop, when David slew them [of Zobah]; and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus. 25And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Aram. 26And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, he also lifted up his hand against the king. 27And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of the city of David his father. 28And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he gave him charge over all the labour of the house of Joseph. 29And it came to pass at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field. 30And Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces. 31And he said to Jeroboam: ‘Take thee ten pieces; for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee— 32but he shall have one tribe, for My servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel— 33because that they have forsaken Me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, to do that which is right in Mine eyes, and to keep My statutes and Mine ordinances, as did David his father. 34Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David My servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept My commandments and My statutes; 35but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. 36And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David My servant may have a lamp alway before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen Me to put My name there. 37And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign over all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. 38And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in My ways, and do that which is right in Mine eyes, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, that I will be with thee, and will build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. 39And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.’ 40Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. 41Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead. And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. 2And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it—for he was yet in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt, 3and they sent and called him—that Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spoke unto Rehoboam, saying: 4’Thy father made our yoke grievous; now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.’ 5And he said unto them: ‘Depart yet for three days, then come again to me.’ And the people departed. 6And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying: ‘What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?’ 7And they spoke unto him, saying: ‘If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.’ 8But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him. 9And he said unto them: ‘What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying: Make the 12 yoke that thy father did put upon us lighter?’ 10And the young men that were grown up with him spoke unto him, saying: ‘Thus shalt thou say unto this people that spoke unto thee, saying: Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou speak unto them: My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. 11And now whereas my father did burden you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’ 12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying: ‘Come to me again the third day.’ 13And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him; 14and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying: ‘My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’ 15So the king hearkened not unto the people; for it was a thing brought about of the LORD, that He might establish His word, which the LORD spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying: ‘What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel; now see to thine own house, David.’ So Israel departed unto their tents. 17But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the levy; and all Israel stoned him with stones, so that he died. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19So Israel rebelled against the house of David, unto this day. 20And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was returned, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel; there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. 21And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, be assembled all the house of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men that were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying: 23’Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying: 24Thus saith the LORD: Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel; return every man to his house; for this thing is of Me.’ So they hearkened unto the word of the LORD, and returned and went their way, according to the word of the LORD. 25Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and he went out from thence, and built Penuel. 26And Jeroboam said in his heart: ‘Now will the kingdom return to the house of David. 27If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then will the heart of this people turn back unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.’ 28Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said unto them: ‘Ye have gone up long enough to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’ 29And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. 30And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. 31And he made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, that were not of the sons of Levi. 32And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he went up unto the altar; so did he in Beth-el, to sacrifice unto the calves that he had made; and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places that he had made. 33And he went up unto the altar which he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up unto the altar, to offer. And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Beth-el; and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer. 2And he cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said: ‘O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD: Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that offer upon thee, and men’s bones shall they burn upon thee.’ 3And he gave a sign the same day saying: ‘This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.’ 4And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying: ‘Lay hold on him.’ And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to him. 5The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6And the king answered and said unto the man of God: ‘Entreat now the favour of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me.’ And the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him, and became as it was before. 7And the king said unto the man of God: ‘Come 13 home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.’ 8And the man of God said unto the king: ‘If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place. 9For it so was charged me by the word of the LORD, saying: Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that thou camest.’ 10So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el. 11Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el, and the words which he had spoken unto the king, and they told them unto their father. 12And their father said unto them: ‘What way went he?’ For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, that came from Judah. 13And he said unto his sons: ‘Saddle me the ass.’ So they saddled him the ass; and he rode thereon. 14And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under a terebinth; and he said unto him: ‘Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah?’ And he said: ‘I am.’ 15Then he said unto him: ‘Come home with me, and eat bread.’ 16And he said: ‘I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place. 17For it was said to me by the word of the LORD: Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn back to go by the way that thou camest.’ 18And he said unto him: ‘I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the LORD, saying: Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’—He lied unto him.—19So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. 20And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back. 21And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Forasmuch as thou hast rebelled against the word of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, 22but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to thee: Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.’ 23And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, namely, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him; and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it; the lion also stood by the carcass. 25And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcass; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 26And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said: ‘It is the man of God, who rebelled against the word of the LORD; therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke unto him.’ 27And he spoke to his sons, saying: ‘Saddle me the ass.’ And they saddled it. 28And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass; the lion had not eaten the carcass, nor torn the ass. 29And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back; and he came to the city of the old prophet, to lament, and to bury him. 30And he laid his carcass in his own grave; and they made lamentation for him: ‘Alas, my brother! ’ 31And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying: ‘When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.’ 33After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places; whosoever would, he consecrated him, that he might be one of the priests of the high places. 34And by this thing there was sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth. At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 2And Jeroboam said to his wife: ‘Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh; behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, who spoke concerning me that I should be king over this people. 3And take with thee ten loaves, and biscuits, and a cruse of honey, and go to him; he will tell thee what shall become of the child.’ 4And Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age. 5Now the LORD had said unto Ahijah: ‘Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to inquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick; thus and thus shalt thou say unto her; for it will be, when she cometh in, that she will feign herself to be another woman.’ 6And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said: ‘Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings. 7Go, tell Jeroboam: Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over My people Israel, 8and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee; and yet thou hast not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments, and who followed Me with all his 14 heart, to do that only which was right in Mine eyes; 9but hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke Me, and hast cast Me behind thy back; 10therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every man- child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away dung, till it be all gone. 11Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat; for the LORD hath spoken it. 12Arise thou therefore, get thee to thy house; and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. 13And all Israel shall make lamentation for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave; because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 14Moreover the LORD will raise Him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day. But what is it even then? 15for the LORD will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will root up Israel out of this good land, which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River; because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD. 16And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he hath sinned, and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin.’ 17And Jeroboam’s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah; and as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18And all Israel buried him, and made lamentation for him; according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by the hand of His servant Ahijah the prophet. 19And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 20And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead. 21And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there; and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; and they moved Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done. 23For they also built them high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every leafy tree; 24and there were also sodomites in the land; they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drove out before the children of Israel. 25And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; 26and he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all; and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. 28And it was so, that as oft as the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard bore them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber. 29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead. Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat began Abijam to reign over Judah. 2Three years reigned he in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; and his heart was not whole with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. 4Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem; 5because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that He commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7And the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. 9And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Asa to reign over Judah. 10And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. 12And he put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13And also Maacah his mother he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. 14But the high places were not taken away; nevertheless the heart of Asa was whole with the LORD all his days. 15 15And he brought into the house of the LORD the things that his father had hallowed, and the things that himself had hallowed, silver, and gold, and vessels. 16And there was war between Asa and Baasa king of Israel all their days. 17And Baasa king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants; and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, that dwelt at Damascus, saying: 19’There is a league between me and thee, between my father and thy father; behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasa king of Israel, that he may depart from me.’ 20And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth- maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21And it came to pass, when Baasa heard thereof, that he left off building Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. 22Then king Asa made a proclamation unto all Judah; none was exempted; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasa had builded; and king Asa built therewith Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. 23Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead. 25And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. 27And Baasa the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasa smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasa slay him, and reigned in his stead. 29And it came to pass that, as soon as he was king, he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him; according unto the saying of the LORD, which He spoke by the hand of His servant Ahijah the Shilonite; 30for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin; because of his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel. 31Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 32And there was war between Asa and Baasa king of Israel all their days. 33In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasa the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty and four years. 34And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. And the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasa, saying: 2’Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over My people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made My people Israel to sin, to provoke Me with their sins; 3behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasa and his house; and I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4Him that dieth of Baasa in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.’ 5Now the rest of the acts of Baasa, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6And Baasa slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his stead. 7And moreover by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasa, and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he smote him. 8In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasa to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. 9And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him; now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah; 10and Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. 11And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasa; he left him not a single man-child, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. 12Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasa, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke against Baasa by Jehu the prophet, 13for all the sins of Baasa, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and wherewith they made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, with their vanities. 14Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 16 15In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16And the people that were encamped heard say: ‘Zimri hath conspired, and hath also smitten the king’; wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the castle of the king’s house, and burnt the king’s house over him with fire, and died; 19for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin. 20Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 21Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri. 22But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath; so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. 23In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, and reigned twelve years; six years reigned he in Tirzah. 24And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill, Samaria. 25And Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and dealt wickedly above all that were before him. 26For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, with their vanities. 27Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 28And Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his stead. 29And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. 30And Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. 31And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 32And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33And Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did yet more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel that were before him. 34In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho; with Abiram his first- born he laid the foundation thereof, and with his youngest son Segub he set up the gates thereof; according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by the hand of Joshua the son of Nun. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said unto Ahab: ‘As the LORD, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.’ 2And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying: 3’Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. 4And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.’ 5So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. 6And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 7And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 8And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying: 9’Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee.’ 10So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her, and said: ‘Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.’ 11And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said: ‘Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.’ 12And she said: ‘As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, only a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse; and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’ 13And Elijah said unto her: ‘Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. 14For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: The jar of meal shall not be spent, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the land.’ 15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by Elijah. 17And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 18And she said unto Elijah: ‘What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?’ 19And he said unto her: ‘Give me thy son.’ And he 17 took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the upper chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 20And he cried unto the LORD, and said: ‘O LORD my God, hast Thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?’ 21And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said: ‘O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come back into him.’ 22And the LORD hearkened unto the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back into him, and he revived. 23And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the upper chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijah said: ‘See, thy son liveth.’ 24And the woman said to Elijah: ‘Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.’ And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying: ‘Go, show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the land.’ 2And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria. 3And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household.—Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly; 4for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.— 5And Ahab said unto Obadiah: ‘Go through the land, unto all the springs of water, and unto all the brooks; peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.’ 6So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 7And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him; and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said: ‘Is it thou, my lord Elijah?’ 8And he answered him: ‘It is I; go, tell thy lord: Behold, Elijah is here.’ 9And he said: ‘Wherein have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 10As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee; and when they said: He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. 11And now thou sayest: Go, tell thy lord: Behold, Elijah is here. 12And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the spirit of the LORD will carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me; but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth. 13Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD’S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14And now thou sayest: Go, tell thy lord: Behold, Elijah is here; and he will slay me.’ 15And 18 Elijah said: ‘As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to-day.’ 16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him: ‘Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?’ 18And be answered: ‘I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed the Baalim. 19Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, that eat at Jezebel’s table.’ 20And Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. 21And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said: ‘How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ And the people answered him not a word. 22Then said Elijah unto the people: ‘I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. 24And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.’ And all the people answered and said: ‘It is well spoken.’ 25And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal: ‘Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.’ 26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying: ‘O Baal, answer us.’ But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they danced in halting wise about the altar which was made. 27And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said: ‘Cry aloud; for he is a god; either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.’ 28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with swords and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. 29And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening offering; but their was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. 30And Elijah said unto all the people: ‘Come near unto me’; and all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was thrown down. 31And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying: ‘Israel shall be thy name.’ 32And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. 34And he said: ‘Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt- offering, and on the wood.’ And he said: ‘Do it the second time’; and they did it the second time. And he said: ‘Do it the third time’; and they did it the third time. 35And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said: ‘O LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. 37Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that Thou, LORD, art God, for Thou didst turn their heart backward.’ 38Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said: ‘The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God.’ 40And Elijah said unto them: ‘Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.’ And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. 41And Elijah said unto Ahab: ‘Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.’ 42So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. 43And he said to his servant: ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’ And he went up, and looked, and said: ‘There is nothing.’ And he said: ‘Go again seven times.’ 44And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said: ‘Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man’s hand.’ And he said: ‘Go up, say unto Ahab: Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.’ 45And it came to pass in a little while, that the heaven grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 46And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying: ‘So let the gods do [to me], and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.’ 3And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer- sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and 19 left his servant there. 4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom-tree; and he requested for himself that he might die; and said: ‘It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.’ 5And he lay down and slept under a broom-tree; and, behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him: ‘Arise and eat.’ 6And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the hot stones, and a cruse of water. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said: ‘Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.’ 8And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meal forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. 9And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said unto him: ‘What doest thou here, Elijah?’ 10And he said: ‘I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.’ 11And He said: ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.’ And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said: ‘What doest thou here, Elijah?’ 14And he said: ‘I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.’ 15And the LORD said unto him: ‘Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Aram; 16and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. 17And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. 18Yet will I leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.’ 19So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth; and Elijah passed over unto him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said: ‘Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee.’ And he said unto him: ‘Go back; for what have I done to thee?’ 21And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. And Ben-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his host together; and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. 2And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, 3and said unto him: ‘Thus saith Ben-hadad: Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.’ 4And the king of Israel answered and said: ‘It is according to thy saying, my lord, O king: I am thine, and all that I have.’ 5And the messengers came again, and said: ‘Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying: I sent indeed unto thee, saying: Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children; 6but I will send my servants unto thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.’ 7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said: ‘Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief; for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.’ 8And all the elders and all the people said unto him: ‘Hearken thou not, neither consent.’ 9Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad: ‘Tell my lord the king: All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do.’ And the messengers departed, and brought him back word. 10And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said: ‘The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.’ 11And the king of Israel answered and said: ‘Tell him: Let not him that girdeth on his armour boast himself as he that putteth it off.’ 12And it came to pass, when [Ben-hadad] heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the booths, that he said unto his servants: ‘Set yourselves in array.’ And they set themselves in array against the city. 13And, behold, a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.’ 20 14And Ahab said: ‘By whom?’ And he said: ‘Thus saith the LORD: By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’ Then he said: ‘Who shall begin the battle?’ And he answered: ‘Thou.’ 15Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty- two; and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. 16And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him. 17And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben- hadad sent out, and they told him, saying: ‘There are men come out from Samaria.’ 18And he said: ‘Whether they are come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they are come out for war, take them alive.’ 19So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20And they slew every one his man; and the Arameans fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Arameans with a great slaughter. 22And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him: ‘Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest; for at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against thee.’ 23And the servants of the king of Aram said unto him: ‘Their God is a God of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 24And do this thing: take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put governors in their room: 25and number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot; and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.’ And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so. 26And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. 27And the children of Israel were mustered, and were victualled, and went against them; and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Arameans filled the country. 28And a man of God came near and spoke unto the king of Israel, and said: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Because the Arameans have said: The LORD is a God of the hills, but he is not a God of the valleys; therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thy hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.’ 29And they encamped one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel slew of the Arameans a hundred thousand footmen in one day. 30But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber. 31And his servants said unto him: ‘Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings; let us, we pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; peradventure he will save thy life.’ 32So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said: ‘Thy servant Ben-hadad saith: I pray thee, let me live.’ And he said: ‘Is he yet alive? he is my brother.’ 33Now the men took it for a sign, and hastened to catch it from him; and they said: ‘Thy brother Ben- hadad.’ Then he said: ‘Go ye, bring him.’ Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into his chariot. 34And [Ben-hadad] said unto him: ‘The cities which my father took from thy father I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.’ ’And I , said Ahab, will let thee go with this covenant.’ So he made a covenant with him, and let him go. 35And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of the LORD: ‘Smite me, I pray thee.’ And the man refused to smite him. 36Then said he unto him: ‘Because thou hast not heartened to the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee.’ And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him; and slew him. 37Then he found another man, and said: ‘Smite me, I pray thee.’ And the man smote him, smiting and wounding him. 38So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. 39And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said: ‘Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said: Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. 40And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone.’ And the king of Israel said unto him: ‘So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.’ 41And he hastened, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. 42And he said unto him: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Because thou hast let go out of thy hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.’ 43And the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria. And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. 2And Ahab spoke 21 unto Naboth, saying: ‘Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.’ 3And Naboth said to Ahab: ‘The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.’ 4And Ahab came into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said: ‘I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers.’ And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. 5But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him: ‘Why is thy spirit so sullen, that thou eatest no bread?’ 6And he said unto her: ‘Because I spoke unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him: Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it; and he answered: I will not give thee my vineyard.’ 7And Jezebel his wife said unto him: ‘Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry; I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.’ 8So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, and that dwelt with Naboth. 9And she wrote in the letters, saying: ‘Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people; 10and set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying: Thou didst curse God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he die.’ 11And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. 12They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13And the two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him; and the base fellows bore witness against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying: ‘Naboth did curse God and the king.’ Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. 14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying: ‘Naboth is stoned, and is dead.’ 15And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab: ‘Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.’ 16And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. 17And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 18’Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwelleth in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take possession of it. 19And thou shalt speak unto him, saying: Thus saith the LORD: Hast thou killed, and also taken possessions? and thou shalt speak unto him, saying: Thus saith the LORD: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.’ 20And Ahab said to Elijah: ‘Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?’ And he answered: ‘I have found thee; because thou hast given thyself over to do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD. 21Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away, and will cut off from Ahab every man- child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. 22And I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasa the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked Me, and hast made Israel to sin. 23And of Jezebel also spoke the LORD, saying: The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the moat of Jezreel. 24Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.’ 25But there was none like unto Ahab, who did give himself over to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. 27And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softy. 28And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 29’Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before Me? because he humbleth himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.’ And they continued three years without war between Aram and Israel. 2And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3And the king of Israel said unto his servants: ‘Know ye that Ramoth-gilead is ours, and we are still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Aram?’ 4And he said unto Jehoshaphat: ‘Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead?’ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel: ‘I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.’ 5And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel: ‘Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD today.’ 6Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them: ‘Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?’ And they said: ‘Go up; for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.’ 7But Jehoshaphat said: ‘Is there not here besides a prophet of the LORD, that we might inquire of him?’ 8And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat: ‘There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, 22 Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.’ And Jehoshaphat said: ‘Let not the king say so.’ 9Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said: ‘Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.’ 10Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in a threshing- floor, at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 11And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said: ‘Thus saith the LORD: With these shalt thou gore the Arameans, until they be consumed.’ 12And all the prophets prophesied so, saying: ‘Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.’ 13And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke unto him, saying: ‘Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth, let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak thou good.’ 14And Micaiah said: ‘As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.’ 15And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him: ‘Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?’ And he answered him: ‘Go up, and prosper; and the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.’ 16And the king said unto him: ‘How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?’ 17And he said: ‘I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd; and the LORD said: These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace.’ 18And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: ‘Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?’ 19And he said: ‘Therefore hear thou the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on his left. 20And the LORD said: Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead. And one said: On this manner; and another said: On that manner. 21And there came forth the spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said: I will entice him. 22And the LORD said unto him: Wherewith? And he said: I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said: Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also; go forth, and do so. 23Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets; and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.’ 24Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah on the check, and said: ‘Which way went the spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?’ 25And Micaiah said: ‘Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.’ 26And the king of Israel said: ‘Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; 27and say: Thus saith the king: Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with scant bread and with scant water, until I come in peace.’ 28And Micaiah said: ‘If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me.’ And he said: ‘Hear, ye peoples, all of you.’ 29So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat: ‘I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but put thou on thy robes.’ And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. 31Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty and two captains of his chariots, saying: ‘Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.’ 32And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said: ‘Surely it is the king of Israel’; and they turned aside to fight against him; and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 34And a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the lower armour and the breastplate; wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot: ‘Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore wounded.’ 35And the battle increased that day; and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Arameans, and died at even; and the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. 36And there went a cry throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying: ‘Every man to his city, and every man to his country.’ 37So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. 38And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; the harlots also washed themselves there; according unto the word of the LORD which He spoke. 39Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 40So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead. 41And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43And he walked in all the way of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD; 44howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered in the high places. 45And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. 46Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 47And the remnant of the sodomites that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land. 48 And there was no king in Edom: a deputy was king. 49 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold; but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber. 50Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat: ‘Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships.’ But Jehoshaphat would not. 51And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. 52Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 53And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherein he made Israel to sin. 54And he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done. . ..... SECOND KINGS AND Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2And Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick; and he sent messengers, and said unto them: ‘Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this sickness.’ 3But an angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite: ‘Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them: Is it because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? 4Now therefore thus saith the LORD: Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.’ And Elijah departed. 5And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them: ‘Why is it that ye are returned?’ 6And they said unto him: ‘There came up a man to meet us, and said unto us: Go, return unto the king that sent you, and say unto him: Thus saith the LORD: Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal- zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.’ 7And he said unto them: ‘What manner of man was he that came up to meet you, and told you these words?’ 8And they answered him: ‘He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins.’ And he said: ‘It is Elijah the Tishbite.’ 9Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him; and, behold, he sat on the top of the hill. And he spoke unto him: ‘O man of God, the king hath said: Come down.’ 10And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty: ‘If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.’ And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 11And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him: ‘O man of God, thus hath the king said: Come down quickly.’ 12And Elijah answered and said unto them: ‘If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.’ And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 13And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him: ‘O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 14Behold, 1 there came fire down from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in thy sight’15And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah: ‘Go down with him; be not afraid of him.’ And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. 16And he said unto him: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whether thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.’ 17So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram began to reign in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. 18Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2And Elijah said unto Elisha: ‘Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me as far as Beth-el.’ And Elisha said: ‘As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.’ So they went down to Beth-el.— 3And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him: ‘Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to- day?’ And he said: ‘Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.’— 4And Elijah said unto him: ‘Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho.’ And he said: ‘As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.’ So they came to Jericho.— 5And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said unto him: ‘Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to-day?’ And he answered: ‘Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.’— 6And Elijah said unto him: ‘Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to the Jordan.’ And he said: ‘As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.’ And they two went on. 7And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood over against them afar off; and they two stood by the Jordan. 8And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. 9And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha: ‘Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken from thee.’ And Elisha said: ‘I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.’ 10And he said: ‘Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.’ 11And it came to pass, as they still 2 went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both assunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12And Elisha saw it, and he cried: ‘My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof! ’ And he saw him no more; and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said: ‘Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?’ and when he also had smitten the waters, they were divided hither and thither; and Elisha went over. 15And when the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho some way off saw him, they said: ‘The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.’ And they came to meet him, and bowed down to the ground before him. 16And they said unto him: ‘Behold now, there are with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master; lest peradventure the spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley.’ And he said: ‘Ye shall not send.’ 17And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said: ‘Send.’ They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 18And they came back to him, while he tarried at Jericho; and he said unto them: ‘Did I not say unto you: Go not?’ 19And the men of the city said unto Elisha: ‘Behold, we pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth; but the water is bad, and the land miscarrieth. 20And he said: ‘Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein.’ And they brought it to him. 21And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast salt therein, and said: ‘Thus saith the LORD: I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or miscarrying.’ 22So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke. 23And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him: ‘Go up, thou baldhead; go up, thou baldhead.’ 24And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty and two children of them. 25And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria. Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother; for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 3Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. 4Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master; and he rendered unto the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams. 5But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6And king Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel. 7And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying: ‘The king of Moab hath rebelled against me; wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle?’ And he said: ‘I will go up; I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.’ 8And he said: ‘Which way shall we go up?’ And he answered: ‘The way of the wilderness of Edom.’ 9So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days’journey; and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them. 10And the king of Israel said: ‘Alas! for the LORD hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.’ 11But Jehoshaphat said: ‘Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?’ And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said: ‘Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.’ 12And Jehoshaphat said: ‘The word of the LORD is with him.’ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13And Elisha said unto the king of Israel: ‘What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother.’ And the king of Israel said unto him: ‘Nay; for the LORD hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.’ 14And Elisha said: ‘As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. 15But now bring me a minstrel.’ And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. 16And he said: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Make this valley full of trenches. 17For thus saith the LORD: Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain, yet that valley shall be filled with water; and ye shall drink, both ye and your cattle and your beasts. 18And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.’ 20And it came to pass in the morning, about the time of making the offering, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. 21Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood on the border. 22And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water some way off as red as blood; 23and they said: ‘This is blood: the kings have surely fought together, and they have smitten each man his fellow; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.’ 24And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them. And they smote the land, even Moab, mightily. 25And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees; until there was left only Kir-hareseth with the stones of the wall thereof; so the slingers encompassed it, and smote it. 26And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew sword, to break through unto the king of Edom; but they could not. 27Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall. And there came great wrath upon Israel; and they departed from him, and returned to their own land. Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying: ‘Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD; and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen.’ 2And Elisha said unto her: ‘What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house?’ And she said: ‘Thy handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.’ 3Then he said: ‘Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full.’ 5So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons; they brought the vessels to her, and she poured out. 6And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son: ‘Bring me yet a vessel.’ And he said unto her: ‘There is not a vessel more.’ And the oil stayed. 7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said: ‘Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons of the rest.’ 8And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. 9And she said unto her husband: ‘Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, that passeth by us continually. 10Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the roof; and let us 4 set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick; and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.’ 11And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the upper chamber and lay there. 12And he said to Gehazi his servant: ‘Call this Shunammite.’ And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13And he said unto him: ‘Say now unto her: Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?’ And she answered: ‘I dwell among mine own people.’ 14And he said: ‘What then is to be done for her?’ And Gehazi answered: ‘Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old.’ 15And he said: ‘Call her.’ And when he had called her, she stood in the door. 16And he said: ‘At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son.’ And she said: ‘Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid.’ 17And the woman conceived, and bore a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her. 18And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19And he said unto his father: ‘My head, my head.’ And he said to his servant: ‘Carry him to his mother.’ 20And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 22And she called unto her husband, and said: ‘Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come back.’ 23And he said: Wherefore wilt thou go to him today? it is neither new moon nor sabbath.’ And she said: ‘It shall be well.’ 24Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant: ‘Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee.’ 25So she went, and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant: ‘Behold, yonder is that Shunammite. 26Run, I pray thee, now to meet her, and say unto her: Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?’ And she answered: ‘It is well.’ 27And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said: ‘Let her alone; for her soul is bitter within her; and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told Me.’ 28Then she said: ‘Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say: Do not deceive me?’ 29Then he said to Gehazi: ‘Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go thy way; if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not; and lay my staff upon the face of the child.’ 30And the mother of the child said: ‘As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.’ And he arose, and followed her. 31And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: ‘The child is not awaked.’ 32And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. 33He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. 34And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. 35Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him; and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36And he called Gehazi, and said: ‘Call this Shunammite.’ So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said: ‘Take up thy son.’ 37Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed down to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out. 38And Elisha came again to Gilgal; and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said unto his servant: ‘Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.’ 39And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not. 40So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said: ‘O man of God, there is death in the pot.’ And they could not eat thereof. 41But he said: ‘Then bring meal.’ And he cast it into the pot; and he said: ‘Pour out for the people, that they may eat.’ And there was no harm in the pot. 42And there came a man from Baal- shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of corn in his sack. And he said: ‘Give unto the people, that they may eat.’ 43And his servant said: ‘How should I set this before a hundred men?’ But he said: ‘Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith the LORD: They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.’ 44So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD. Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and held in esteem, because by him the LORD had given victory unto Aram; he was also a mighty man of valour, but he was a leper. 2And the Arameans had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 3And she said unto her mistress: ‘Would that my lord were with the 5 prophet that is in Samaria! then would he recover him of his leprosy.’ 4And he went in, and told his lord, saying: ‘Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.’ 5And the king of Aram said: ‘Go now, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.’ And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. 6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying: ‘And now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.’ 7And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said: ‘Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? but consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh an occasion against me.’ 8And it was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying: ‘Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.’ 9So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying: ‘Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come back to thee, and thou shalt be clean.’ 11But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said: ‘Behold, I thought: He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12Are not Amanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?’ So he turned, and went away in a rage. 13And his servants came near, and spoke unto him, and said: ‘My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee: Wash, and be clean?’ 14Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came back like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him; and he said: ‘Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; now therefore, I pray thee, take a present of thy servant.’ 16But he said: ‘As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none.’ And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17And Naaman said: ‘If not, yet I pray thee let there be given to thy servant two mules’burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. 18In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant: when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I prostrate myself in the house of Rimmon, when I prostrate myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.’ 19And he said unto him: ‘Go in peace.’ So he departed from him some way. 20But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said: ‘Behold, my master hath spared this Naaman the Aramean, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought; as the LORD liveth, I will surely run after him, and take somewhat of him.’ 21So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after him, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said: ‘Is all well?’ 22And he said: ‘All is well. My master hath sent me, saying: Behold, even now there are come to me from the hill-country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment.’ 23And Naaman said: ‘Be content, take two talents.’ And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of raiment, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bore them before him. 24And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and deposited them in the house; and he let the men go, and they departed. 25But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him: ‘Whence comest thou, Gehazi?’ And he said: ‘Thy servant went no whither.’ 26And he said unto him: ‘Went not my heart [with thee], when the man turned back from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and men-servants and maid- servants? 27The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever.’ And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha: ‘Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us. 2Let us go, we pray thee, unto the Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell.’ And he answered: ‘Go ye.’ 3And one said: ‘Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants.’ And he answered: ‘I will go.’ 4So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood. 5But as one was felling a beam, the axe-head fell into the water; and he cried, and said: ‘Alas, my master! for it was borrowed.’ 6And the man of God said: ‘Where fell it?’ And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and made the iron to swim. 7And he said: ‘Take it up to thee.’ So he put out his hand, and took it. 8Now the king of Aram warred against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying: ‘In such and such a place shall be my camp.’ 9And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying: ‘Beware that thou pass 6 not such a place; for thither the Arameans are coming down.’ 10And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he guarded himself there, not once nor twice. 11And the heart of the king of Aram was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them: ‘Will ye not tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?’ 12And one of his servants said: ‘Nay, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bed-chamber.’ 13And he said: ‘Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him.’ And it was told him, saying: ‘Behold, he is in Dothan.’ 14Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host; and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And his servant said unto him: ‘Alas, my master! how shall we do?’ 16And he answered: ‘Fear not: for they that are with us are more than they that are with them.’ 17And Elisha prayed, and said: ‘LORD, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see.’ And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw; and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said: ‘Smite this people, I pray Thee, with blindness.’ And He smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19And Elisha said unto them: ‘This is not the way, neither is this the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek.’ And he led them to Samaria. 20And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said: ‘LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.’ And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them: ‘My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?’ 22And he answered: ‘Thou shalt not smite them; hast thou taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow those whom thou wouldest smite? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.’ 23And he prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Aram came no more into the land of Israel. 24And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25And there was a great famine in Samaria; and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver. 26And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying: ‘Help, my lord, O king.’ 27And he said: ‘If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the threshingfloor, or out of the winepress?’ 28And the king said unto her: ‘What aileth thee?’ And she answered: ‘This woman said unto me: Give thy son, that we may eat him to- day, and we will eat my son to- morrow. 29So we boiled my son, and did eat him; and I said unto her on the next day: Give thy son, that we may eat him; and she hath hid her son.’ 30And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes—now he was passing by upon the wall—and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. 31Then he said: ‘God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.’ 32But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him; but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders: ‘See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away my head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold the door fast against him; is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?’ 33And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him; and [the king] said: ‘Behold, this evil is of the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?’ And Elisha said: ‘Hear ye the word of the LORD; thus saith the LORD: To-morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’ 2Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said: ‘Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might this thing be?’ And he said: ‘Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.’ 3Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said one to another: ‘Why sit we here until we die? 4If we say: We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Arameans; if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.’ 5And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Arameans; and when they were come to the outermost part of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no man there. 6For the Lord had made the host of the Arameans to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host; and they said one to another: ‘Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.’ 7Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. 8And when these lepers came to the 7 outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and they came back, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. 9Then they said one to another: ‘We do not well; this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace; if we tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake us; now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.’ 10So they came and called unto the porters of the city; and they told them, saying.’ We came to the camp of the Arameans, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but the horses tied, and the asses tied, and the tents as they were.’ 11And the porters called, and they told it to the king’s household within. 12And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants: ‘I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying: When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city.’ 13And one of his servants answered and said: ‘Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city— behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are consumed—and let us send and see.’ 14They took therefore two chariots with horses; and the king sent after the host of the Arameans, saying: ‘Go and see.’ 15And they went after them unto the Jordan; and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Arameans had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king. 16And the people went out, and spoiled the camp of the Arameans. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. 17And the king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate; and the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying: ‘Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to-morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria’; 19and that captain answered the man of God, and said: ‘Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be?’ and he said: ‘Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof’; 20it came to pass even so unto him; for the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died. Now Elisha had spoken unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying: ‘Arise, and go thou and thy household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn; for the LORD hath called for a famine; and 8 it shall also come upon the land seven years.’ 2And the woman arose, and did according to the word of the man of God; and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3And it came to pass at the seven years’end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines; and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. 4Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying: ‘Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.’ 5And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored to life him that was dead, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said: ‘My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.’ 6And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying: ‘Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.’ 7And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-hadad the king of Aram was sick; and it was told him, saying.’ The man of God is come hither.’ 8And the king said unto Hazael: ‘Take a present in thy hand, and go meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying: Shall I recover of this sickness?’ 9So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’burden, and came and stood before him, and said: ‘Thy son Ben-hadad king of Aram hath sent me to thee, saying: Shall I recover of this sickness?’ 10And Elisha said unto him: ‘Go, say unto him: Thou shalt surely recover; howbeit the LORD hath shown me that he shall surely die.’ 11And he settled his countenance stedfastly upon him, until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept. 12And Hazael said: ‘Why weepeth my lord?’ And he answered: ‘Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strongholds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their women with child.’ 13And Hazael said: ‘But what is thy servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?’ And Elisha answered: ‘The LORD hath shown me that thou shalt be king over Aram.’ 14Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him: ‘What said Elisha to thee?’ And he answered: ‘He told me that thou wouldest surely recover.’ 15And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took the coverlet, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his stead. 16And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. 17Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife; and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. 19Howbeit the LORD would not destroy Judah, for David His servant’s sake, as He promised him to give unto him a lamp and to his children alway. 20In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 21Then Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him; and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites that compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents. 22Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, unto this day. Then did Libnah revolt at the same time. 23And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 24And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead. 25In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign. 26Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri king of Israel. 27And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab; for he was the son- in-law of the house of Ahab. 28And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead; and the Arameans wounded Joram. 29And king Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said unto him: ‘Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber. 3Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say: Thus saith the LORD: I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.’ 4So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said: ‘I have an errand to thee, O captain.’ And Jehu said: ‘Unto which of us all?’ And he said: ‘To thee, O captain.’ 6And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him: ‘Thus saith 9 the LORD, the God of Israel: I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. 7And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 8For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. 9And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasa the son of Ahijah. 10And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.’ And he opened the door, and fled. 11Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord; and one said unto him: ‘Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee?’ And he said unto them: ‘Ye know the man and what his talk was.’ 12And they said: ‘It is false; tell us now.’ And he said: ‘Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying: Thus saith the LORD: I have anointed thee king over Israel.’ 13Then they hastened, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the horn, saying: ‘Jehu is king.’ 14So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.—Now Joram had been guarding Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Aram; 15but king aJoram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Aram.—And Jehu said: ‘If this be your mind, then let none escape and go forth out of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel.’ 16So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. a Heb. Jehoram, and in verses 17, 21, 22, 23, 24. 17Now the watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said: ‘I see a company.’ And Joram said: ‘Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say: Is it peace?’ 18So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said: ‘Thus saith the king: Is it peace?’ And Jehu said: ‘What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.’ And the watchman told, saying: ‘The messenger came to them, but he cometh not back.’ 19Then he sent out a second on horseback, who came to them, and said: ‘Thus saith the king: Is it peace?’ And Jehu answered: ‘What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.’ 20And the watchman told, saying: ‘He came even unto them, and cometh not back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously.’ 21And Joram said: ‘Make ready.’ And they made ready his chariot. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said: ‘Is it peace, Jehu?’ And he answered: ‘What peace, so long as the harlotries of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?’ 23And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah: ‘There is treachery, O Ahaziah.’ 24And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. 25Then said [Jehu] to Bidkar his captain: ‘Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD pronounced this burden against him: 26Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plot, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plot of ground, according to the word of the LORD.’ 27But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden-house. And Jehu followed after him, and said: ‘Smite him also in the chariot’; [and they smote him] at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 28And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. 29And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah. 30And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her eyes, and attired her head, and looked out at the window. 31And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said: ‘Is it peace, thou Zimri, thy master’s murderer?’ 32And he lifted up his face to the window, and said: ‘Who is on my side? who?’ And there looked out to him two or three officers. 33And he said: ‘Throw her down.’ So they threw her down; and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses; and she was trodden under foot. 34And when he was come in, he did eat and drink; and he said: ‘Look now after this cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter.’ 35And they went to bury her; but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36Wherefore they came back, and told him. And he said: ‘This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying: In the portion of Jezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37and the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say: This is Jezebel.’ Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the 10 rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and unto them that brought up [the sons of]Ahab, saying: 2’And now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, fortified cities also, and armour; 3look ye out the best and meetest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.’ 4But they were exceedingly afraid, and said: ‘Behold, the two kings stood not before him; how then shall we stand?’ 5And he that was over the household, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and they that brought up the children, sent to Jehu, saying: ‘We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any man king; do thou that which is good in thine eyes.’ 6Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying: ‘If ye be on my side, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to-morrow this time.’ Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up. 7And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew them, even seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them unto him to Jezreel. 8And there came a messenger, and told him, saying: ‘They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.’ And he said: ‘Lay ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.’ 9And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people: ‘Ye are righteous; behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him; but who smote all these? 10Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD hath done that which He spoke by His servant Elijah.’ 11So Jehu smote all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, until there was left him none remaining. 12And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way, 13Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said: ‘Who are ye?’ And they answered: ‘We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.’ 14And he said: ‘Take them alive.’ And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing-house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them. 15And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he saluted him, and said to him: ‘Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thy heart?’ And Jehonadab answered: ‘It is.’ ’If it be, [said Jehu,] give me thy hand.’ And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16And he said: ‘Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.’ So they made him ride in his chariot. 17And when he came to Samaria, he smote all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke to Elijah. 18And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them: ‘Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu will serve him much. 19Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests, let none be wanting; for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live.’ But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. 20And Jehu said: ‘Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.’ And they proclaimed it. 21And Jehu sent through all Israel; and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another. 22And he said unto him that was over the vestry: ‘Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal.’ And he brought them forth vestments. 23And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal; and he said unto the worshippers of Baal: ‘Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of Baal only.’ 24And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt- offerings. Now Jehu had appointed him fourscore men without, and said: ‘If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escape, his life shall be for the life of him.’ 25And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt- offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains: ‘Go in, and slay them; let none come forth.’ And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. 26And they brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them. 27And they broke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a draught-house, unto this day. 28Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. 29Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan. 30And the LORD said unto Jehu: ‘Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in Mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, thy sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.’ 31But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 32In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short; and Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel: 33from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. 34Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35And Jehu slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead. 36And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years. Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. 2But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons that were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in the bed-chamber; and they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 3And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years; and Athaliah reigned over the land. 4And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains over hundreds, of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and showed them the king’s son. 5And he commanded them, saying: ‘This is the thing that ye shall do: a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, and that keep the watch of the king’s house— 6now another third part was at the gate Sur, and another third part at the gate behind the guard—shall keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier. 7And the other two parts of you, even all that go forth on the sabbath, shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king. 8And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and he that cometh within the ranks, let him be slain; and be ye with the king when he goeth out, and when he cometh in.’ 9And the captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and they took every man his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath, with those that were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10And the priest delivered to the captains over hundreds the spear and shields that had been king David’s, which were in the house of the LORD. 11And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, by the king round about. 12Then he brought out the king’s son, and put upon him the crown and the insignia; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said: ‘Long live the king.’ 13And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, 11 she came to the people into the house of the LORD. 14And she looked, and, behold, the king stood on the platform, as the manner was, and the captains and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried: ‘Treason, treason.’ 15And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them: ‘Have her forth between the ranks; and him that followeth her slay with the sword’; for the priest said: ‘Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD.’ 16So they made way for her; and she went by the way of the horses’entry to the king’s house; and there was she slain. 17And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD’S people; between the king also and the people. 18And all the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and broke it down; his altars and his images broke they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD. 19And he took the captains over hundreds, and the Carites, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the LORD, and came by the way of the gate of the guard unto the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings. 20So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet; and they slew Athaliah with the sword at the king’s house. Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign. 2In the seventh year of Jehu began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. 3And Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 4Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered in the high places. 5And Jehoash said to the priests: ‘All the money of the hallowed things that is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, all the money that cometh into any man’s heart to bring into the house of the LORD, 6let the priests take it to them, every man from him that bestoweth it upon him; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.’ 7But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house. 8Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said unto them: ‘Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore take no longer money from them that bestow it upon you, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.’ 9And the priests consented that they should take no longer money 12 from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house. 10And Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD; and the priests that kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD. 11And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD. 12And they gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD, 13and to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. 14But there were not made for the house of the LORD cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the LORD; 15for they gave that to them that did the work, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD. 16Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work; for they dealt faithfully. 17The forfeit money, and the sin money, was not brought into the house of the LORD; it was the priests. 18Then Hazael king of Aram went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 19And Jehoash king Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and of the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Aram; and he went away from Jerusalem. 20Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 21And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and smote Joash at Beth-millo, on the way that goeth down to Silla. 22 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David; and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead. In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. 2And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. 3And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, 13 and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Aram, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, continually. 4And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how that the king of Aram oppressed them.— 5And the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they went out from under the hand of the Arameans; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 6Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin, but walked therein; and there remained the Asherah also in Samaria.— 7For there was not left to Jehoahaz of the people save fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Aram destroyed them, and made them like the dust in threshing. 8Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 9And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria; and Joash his son reigned in his stead. 10In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. 11And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; but he walked therein. 12Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 13And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. 14Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he was to die; and Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over him, and said: ‘My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof! ’ 15And Elisha said unto him: ‘Take bow and arrows’; and he took unto him bow and arrows. 16And he said to the king of Israel: ‘Put thy hand upon the bow’; and he put his hand upon it. And Elisha laid his hands upon the king’s hands. 17And he said: ‘Open the window eastward’; and he opened it. Then Elisha said: ‘Shoot’; and he shot. And he said: ‘The LORD’S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory against Aram; for thou shalt smite the Arameans in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.’ 18And he said: ‘Take the arrows’; and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel: ‘Smite upon the ground’; and he smote thrice, and stayed. 19And the man of God was wroth with him, and said: ‘Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Aram till thou hadst consumed it; whereas now thou shalt smite Aram but thrice.’ 20And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites used to invade the land at the coming in of the year. 21And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. 22And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23But the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither hath He cast them from His presence until now. 24And Hazael king of Aram died; and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead. 25And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben- hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash smite him, and recovered the cities of Israel. In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel began Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah to reign. 2He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 3And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done. 4Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered in the high places. 5And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he slew his servants who had slain the king his father; 6but the children of the murderers he put not to death; according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as the LORD commanded saying: ‘The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.’ 7He slew of Edom in the Valley of Salt ten thousand, and took Sela by war, and called the name of it Joktheel, unto this day. 8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying: ‘Come, let us look one another in the face.’ 9And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying: ‘The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying: Give thy daughter to my son to wife; and there passed by the wild beasts that were in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle. 10Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and will thy heart lift thee up? glory therein, and remain at home; for why shouldest thou meddle with evil, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee? 11But Amaziah would not hear. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah. 12And Judah was put to the 14 worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his tent. 13And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits. 14And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. 15Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 16And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead. 17And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. 18Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 19And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. 20And they brought him upon horses; and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 21And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. 22He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. 23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. 24And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 25He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke by the hand of His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. 26For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any helper for Israel. 27And the LORD said not that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. 28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, for Judah in Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 29And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his stead. In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel 15 began aAzariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. 2Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 3And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 4Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered in the high places. 5And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a house set apart. And Jotham the king’s son was over the household, judging the people of the land. 6Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 7And Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David; and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. a In verses 13, 30, &c., Uzziah. 8In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months. 9And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 10And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. 11Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 12This was the word of the LORD which He spoke unto Jehu, saying: ‘Thy sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel.’ And so it came to pass. 13Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned the space of a month in Samaria. 14And Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. 15Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 16Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the borders thereof, from Tirzah; because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up. 17In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria. 18And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 19There came against the land Pul the king of Assyria; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. 20And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. 21Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 22And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead. 23In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. 24And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 25And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the castle of the king’s house, by Argob and by Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites; and he slew him, and reigned in his stead. 26Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 27In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. 28And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 29In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria. 30And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 32In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. 33Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered in the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD. 36Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 37In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Aram, and Pekah the son of Remaliah. 38And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead. In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not that which was right in the eyes of the LORD his God, like David his father. 3But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel. 4And he sacrificed and offered in the high places, and on the hills, and under every leafy tree. 5Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war; and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. 6At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath to Aram, and drove the Jews from aElath; and the Edomites came to Elath, and dwelt there, unto this day. a Heb. Eloth. 7So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying: ‘I am thy servant and thy son; come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.’ 8And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria. 9And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. 10And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damascus; and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. 11And Urijah the priest built an altar; according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it against the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus. 12And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king drew near unto the altar, and offered thereon. 13And he offered his burnt-offering and his meal-offering, and poured his drink-offering, and dashed the blood of his peace- offerings against the altar. 14And the brazen altar, which was before the LORD, he brought from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of his altar. 15And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying: ‘Upon the great altar offer the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meal-offering, and the king’s burnt-offering, and his meal-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meal- 16 offering, and their drink-offerings; and dash against it all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice; but the brazen altar shall be for me to look to.’ 16Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded. 17And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone. 18And the covered place for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry without, turned he unto the house of the LORD, because of the king of Assyria. 19Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years. 2And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him. 3Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him presents. 4And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. 5Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 7And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they practised; 9and the children of Israel did impute things that were not right unto the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city; 10and they set them up pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, and under every leafy tree; 11and there they offered in all the high places, as did the nations whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD; 12and they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them: ‘Ye shall not do this thing’; 13yet the LORD forewarned Israel, and Judah, by the hand of every prophet, and of every seer, saying: ‘Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, 17 according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by the hand of My servants the prophets’; 14notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who believed not in the LORD their God; 15and they rejected His statutes, and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies wherewith He testified against them; and they went after things of nought, and became nought, and after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should not do like them; 16and they forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal; 17and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and gave themselves over to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him; 18that the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 19Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they practised. 20And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until He had cast them out of His sight. 21For He rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king; and Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin. 22And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; 23until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He spoke by the hand of all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, unto this day. 24And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and 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. 25And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26Wherefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying: ‘The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land; therefore He hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.’ 27Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying: ‘Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.’ 28So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. 29Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. 30And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32So they feared the LORD, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. 33They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. 34Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel; 35with whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying: ‘Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them; 36but the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him shall ye fear, and Him shall ye worship, and to Him shall ye sacrifice; 37and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which He wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods; 38and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods; 39but the LORD your God shall ye fear; and He will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.’ 40Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. 41So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children’s children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day. 18 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 4He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah; and he broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did offer to it; and it was called aNehushtan. 5He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; a That is, A thing of brass. so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among them that were before him. 6For he cleaved to the LORD, he departed not from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. 7And the LORD was with him: whithersoever he went forth he prospered; and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 8He smote the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city. 9And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. 10And at the end of three years they took it; even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11And the king of Assyria carried Israel away unto Assyria, and put them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes; 12because they hearkened not to the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear it, nor do it. 13Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. 14And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying: ‘I have offended; return from me; that which thou puttest on me will I bear.’ And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house. 16At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the door-posts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. 17And the king of Assyria sent aTartan and bRab-saris and cRab- shakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army unto Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fullers’field. 18And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. a That is, commander-in-chief. b That is, chief of the eunuchs. c That is, chief butler. 19And Rab-shakeh said unto them: ‘Say ye now to Hezekiah: Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 20Sayest thou that a mere word of the lips is counsel and strength for the war? Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me? 21Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it; so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. 22But if ye say unto me: We trust in the LORD our God; is not that He, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem: Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? 23Now therefore, I pray thee, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 24How then canst thou turn away the face of one captain, even of the least of my masters servants? and yet thou puttest thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen! 25Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said unto me: Go up against this land, destroy it.’ 26Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, unto Rab-shakeh: ‘Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Aramean language; for we understand it; and speak not with us in the Jews’language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.’ 27But Rab-shakeh said unto them: ‘Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit on the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own water with you?’ 28Then Rab-shakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’language, and spoke, saying: ‘Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29Thus saith the king: Let not Hezekiah beguile you; for he will not be able to deliver you out of his hand; 30neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying: The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 31Hearken not to Hezekiah; for thus saith the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern; 32until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive- trees and of honey, that ye may live, and not die; and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying: The LORD will deliver us. 33Hath any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah? have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 35Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’ 36But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, saying: ‘Answer him not.’ 37Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab-shakeh. And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 3And they said unto him: ‘Thus saith Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 4It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rab- shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD thy God hath heard; wherefore make prayer for the remnant that is left.’ 5So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6And Isaiah said unto them: ‘Thus shall ye say to your master: Thus saith the LORD: Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.’ 8So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. 9And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia: ‘Behold, he is come out to fight against thee’; he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying: 10’Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: Let not thy God in whom thou trustest beguile thee, saying: Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered? 12Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar? 13Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’ 14And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: ‘O LORD, the God of Israel, that sittest upon the cherubim, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth. 16Incline Thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open Thine eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he hath sent 19 him to taunt the living God. 17Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. 19Now therefore, O LORD our God, save Thou us, I beseech Thee, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the LORD God, even Thou only.’ 20Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Whereas thou hast prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard thee. 21This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion Hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Hath shaken her head at thee. 22Whom hast thou taunted and Blasphemed? And against whom hast thou exalted thy voice? Yea, thou hast lifted up thine eyes on high, Even against the Holy One of Israel! 23By the messengers thou hast taunted the Lord, And hast said: With the multitude of my chariots Am I come up to the height of the mountains, To the innermost parts of Lebanon; And I have cut down the tall cedars thereof, And the choice cypresses thereof; and I have entered into his farthest lodge, The forest of his fruitful field. 24I have digged and drunk Strange waters, And with the sole of my feet have I dried up All the rivers of Egypt. 25Hast thou not heard? Long ago I made it, In ancient times I fashioned it; Now have I brought it to pass, Yea, it is done; that fortified cities Should be laid waste into ruinous heaps. 26Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, They were dismayed and confounded; They were as the grass of the field, And as the green herb, As the grass on the housetops, And as corn blasted before it is grown up. 27But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, And thy raging against Me. 28Because of thy raging against Me, And for that thy tumult is come up into Mine ears, Therefore will I put My hook in thy nose, And My bridle in thy lips, And I will turn thee back by the way By which thou camest. 29And this shall be the sign unto thee: ye shall eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. 30And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 31For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape; the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall perform this. 32Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast a mound against it. 33By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith the LORD. 34For I will defend this city to save it, for Mine own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.’ 35And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 36So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 37And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sarezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.’ 2Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying: 3’Remember now, O LORD, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a whole heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight.’ And Hezekiah wept sore. 4And it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out of the inner court of the city, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying: 5’Return, and say to Hezekiah the prince of My people: Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will heal thee; on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. 6And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for Mine own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.’ 7And Isaiah said: ‘Take a cake of figs.’ And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. 8And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah: ‘What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up unto the house of the LORD the third day?’ 9And Isaiah said: ‘This shall be the sign unto thee from the LORD, that 20 the LORD will do the thing that He hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? 10And Hezekiah answered: ‘It is a light thing for the shadow to decline ten degrees; nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.’ 11And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD; and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz. 12At that time Berodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent a letter and a present unto Hezekiah; for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all his treasure-house, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures; there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. 14Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him: ‘What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee?’ And Hezekiah said: ‘They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.’ 15And he said: ‘What have they seen in thy house?’ And Hezekiah answered: ‘All that is in my house have they seen; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.’ 16And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah: ‘Hear the word of the LORD. 17Behold, the days come, that all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 18And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be officers in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ 19Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah: ‘Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken.’ He said moreover: ‘Is it not so, if peace and truth shall be in my days?’ 20Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made the pool, and the conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 21And Hezekiah slept with his fathers; and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead. Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hephzi-bah. 2And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the nations, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. 3For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 4And he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD said: ‘In Jerusalem will I put My name.’ 5And 21 he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6And he made his son to pass through the fire, and practised soothsaying, and used enchantments, and appointed them that divined by a ghost or a familiar spirit: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him. 7And he set the graven image of Asherah, that he had made, in the house of which the LORD said to David and to Solomon his son: ‘In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put My name for ever; 8neither will I cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.’ 9But they hearkened not; and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is evil more than did the nations, whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel. 10And the LORD spoke by His servants the prophets, saying: 11’Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, that were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols; 12therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. 13And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14And I will cast off the remnant of Mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; 15because they have done that which is evil in My sight, and have provoked Me, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.’ 16Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. 17Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 18And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza; and Amon his son reigned in his stead. 19Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father. 21And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them. 22And he forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD. 23And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and put the king to death in his own house. 24But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead. 25Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 26And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza; and Josiah his son reigned in his stead. Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. 3And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying. 4’Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the money which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people; 5and let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of the LORD; and let them give it to the workmen that are in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house; 6unto the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons; and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house.’— 7Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand; for they dealt faithfully. 8And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe: ‘I have found the book of the Law in the house of the LORD.’ And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought back word unto the king, and said: ‘Thy servants have poured out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of the LORD.’ 10And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying: ‘Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book.’ And Shaphan read it before the king. 11And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the Law, that he rent his clothes. 12And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying: 13’Go ye, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according 22 unto all that which is written concerning us.’ 14So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe—now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter—and they spoke with her. 15And she said unto them: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that sent you unto me: 16Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read; 17because they have forsaken Me, and have offered unto other gods, that they might provoke Me with all the work of their hands; therefore My wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched. 18But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard, 19because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spoke against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become an astonishment and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me, I also have heard thee, saith the LORD. 20Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.’ And they brought back word unto the king. And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. 2And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD. 3And the king stood on the platform, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep His commandments, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with all his heart, and all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book; and all the people stood to the covenant. 4And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el. 5And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to offer in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that offered unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and 23 to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven. 6And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the common people. 7And he broke down the houses of the sodomites, that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah. 8And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beer-sheba; and he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man’s left hand as he entered the gate of the city. 9Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat unleavened bread among their brethren. 10And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. 11And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nethan-melech the officer, which was in the precincts; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12And the altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king break down, and beat them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. 13And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the detestation of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the detestation of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile. 14And he broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men. 15Moreover the altar that was at Beth-el, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and stamped it small to powder, and burned the Asherah. 16And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount; and he sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things. 17Then he said: ‘What monument is that which I see’And the men of the city told him: ‘It is the sepulchre of the man of God, who came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Beth-el.’ 18And he said: ‘Let him be; let no man move his bones.’ So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria. 19And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke [the LORD], Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Beth-el. 20And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there, upon the altars, and burned men’s bones upon them; and he returned to Jerusalem. 21And the king commanded all the people, saying: ‘Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.’ 22For there was not kept such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah; 23but in the eighteenth year of king Josiah was this passover kept to the LORD in Jerusalem. 24Moreover them that divined by a ghost or a familiar spirit, and the teraphim, and the idols, and all the detestable things that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. 26Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of His great wrath, wherewith His anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations wherewith Manasseh had provoked Him. 27And the LORD said: ‘I will remove Judah also out of My sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city which I have chosen, even Jerusalem, and the house of which I said: My name shall be there.’ 28Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 29In his days Pharaoh- necoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates; and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him. 30And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s stead. 31Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 33And Pharaoh- necoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a fine of a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. 34And Pharaoh- necoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim; but he took Jehoahaz away; and he came to Egypt, and died there. 35And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaoh- necoh. 36Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. 2And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Arameans, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by the hand of His servants the prophets. 3Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of His sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; 4and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not pardon. 5Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 6So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers; and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. 7And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land; for the king of Babylon had taken, from the Brook of Egypt unto the river Euphrates, all that pertained to the king of Egypt. 8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; and he reigned in Jerusalem three months; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. 10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came unto the city, while his servants were besieging it. 12And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers; and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. 13And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and 24 cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. 15And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the chief men of the land, carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths a thousand, all of them strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. 17And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. 18Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20For through the anger of the LORD did it come to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until He had cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 1And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about. 2So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3On the ninth day of the [fourth] month the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. 4Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war [fled] by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden—now the Chaldeans were against the city round about—and the king went by the way of the Arabah. 5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. 6Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon. 8Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem. 9And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great man’s 25 house, burnt he with fire. 10And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about. 11And the residue of the people that were left in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away captive. 12But the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen. 13And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases and the brazen sea that were in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon. 14And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the pans, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. 15And the fire-pans, and the basins, that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away. 16The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight. 17The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a capital of brass was upon it; and the height of the capital was three cubits; with network and pomegranates upon the capital round about, all of brass; and like unto these had the second pillar with network. 18And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door; 19and out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war; and five men of them that saw the king’s face, who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the city. 20And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah. 21And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land. 22And as for the people that were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor. 23Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 24And Gedaliah swore to them and to their men, and said unto them: ‘Fear not because of the servants of the Chaldeans; dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.’ 25But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpah. 26And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans. 27And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil- merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison. 28And he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon. 29And he changed his prison garments, and did eat bread before him continually all the days of his life. 30And for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him of the king, every day a portion, all the days of his life. ..... ISAIAH The Vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, For the LORD hath spoken: Children I have reared, and brought up, And they have rebelled against Me. 3The ox knoweth his owner, And the ass his master’s crib; But Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider. 4Ah sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A seed of evil-doers, Children that deal corruptly; They have forsaken the LORD, They have contemned the Holy One of Israel, They are turned away backward. 5On what part will ye yet be stricken, Seeing ye stray away more and more? The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faint; 6From the sole of the foot even unto the head There is no soundness in it; But wounds, and bruises, and festering sores: They have not been pressed, neither bound up, Neither mollified with oil. 7Your country is desolate; Your cities are burned with fire; Your land, strangers devour it in your presence, And it is desolate, as overthrown by floods. 8And the daughter of Zion is left As a booth in a vineyard, As a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city. 9Except the LORD of hosts Had left unto us a very small remnant, We should have been as Sodom, We should have been like unto Gomorrah. 10Hear the word of the LORD, Ye rulers of Sodom; Give ear unto the law of our God, Ye people of Gomorrah. 11To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? Saith the LORD; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, And the fat of fed beasts; 1 And I delight not in the blood Of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he- goats. 12When ye come to appear before Me, Who hath required this at your hand, To trample My courts? 13Bring no more vain oblations; It is an offering of abomination unto Me; New moon and sabbath, the holding of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly. 14Your new moons and your appointed seasons My soul hateth; They are a burden unto Me; I am weary to bear them. 15And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you; Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear; Your hands are full of blood. 16Wash you, make you clean, Put away the evil of your doings From before Mine eyes, Cease to do evil; 17Learn to do well; Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, Judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18Come now, and let us reason together, Saith the LORD; Though your sins be as scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19If ye be willing and obedient, Ye shall eat the good of the land; 20But if ye refuse and rebel, Ye shall be devoured with the sword; For the mouth of the LORD hath spoken. 21How is the faithful city Become a harlot! She that was full of justice, Righteousness lodged in her, But now murderers. 22Thy silver is become dross, Thy wine mixed with water. 23Thy princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Every one loveth bribes, And followeth after rewards; They judge not the fatherless, Neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. 24Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel: Ah, I will ease Me of Mine adversaries, And avenge Me of Mine enemies; 25And I will turn My hand upon thee, And purge away thy dross as with lye, And will take away all thine alloy; 26And I will restore thy judges as at the first, And thy counsellors as at the beginning; Afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, The faithful city. 27Zion shall be redeemed with justice, And they that return of her with righteousness. 28But the destruction of the transgressors and the sinners shall be together, And they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed. 29For they shall be ashamed of the terebinths which ye have desired, And ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. 30For ye shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fadeth, And as a garden that hath no water. 31And the strong shall be as tow, And his work as a spark; And they shall both burn together, And none shall quench them. The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2And it shall come to pass in the end of days, That the mountain of the LORD’S house Shall be established as the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow unto it. 3And many peoples shall go and say: ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; And He will teach us of His ways, And we will walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4And He shall judge between the nations, And shall decide for many peoples; And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruninghooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more. 5O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk In the light of the LORD. 6For Thou hast forsaken Thy people the house of Jacob; For they are replenished from the east, And with soothsayers like the Philistines, And they please themselves in the brood of aliens. 7Their land also is full of silver and gold, Neither is there any end of their treasures; Their land also is full of horses, 2 Neither is there any end of their chariots. 8Their land also is full of idols; Every one worshippeth the work of his own hands, That which his own fingers have made. 9And man boweth down, And man lowereth himself; And Thou canst not bear with them. 10Enter into the rock, And hide thee in the dust, From before the terror of the LORD, And from the glory of His majesty. 11The lofty looks of man shall be brought low, And the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 12For the LORD of hosts hath a day Upon all that is proud and lofty, And upon all that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low; 13And upon all the cedars of Lebanon That are high and lifted up, And upon all the oaks of Bashan; 14And upon all the high mountains, And upon all the hills that are lifted up; 15And upon every lofty tower, And upon every fortified wall; 16And upon all the ships of Tarshish, And upon all delightful imagery. 17And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 18And the idols shall utterly pass away. 19And men shall go into the caves of the rocks, And into the holes of the earth, From before the terror of the LORD, And from the glory of His majesty, When He ariseth to shake mightily the earth. 20In that day a man shall cast away His idols of silver, and his idols of gold, Which they made for themselves to worship, To the moles and to the bats; 21To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crevices of the crags, From before the terror of the LORD, And from the glory of His majesty, When he ariseth to shake mightily the earth. 22Cease ye from man, in whose nostrils is a breath; For how little is he to be accounted! For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, Doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah Stay and staff, Every stay of bread, and every stay of water; 2The mighty man, and the man of war; The judge, and the prophet, 3 And the diviner, and the elder; 3The captain of fifty, and the man of rank, And the counsellor, and the cunning charmer, and the skilful enchanter. 4And I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them. 5And the people shall oppress one another, Every man his fellow, and every man his neighbour; The child shall behave insolently against the aged, And the base against the honourable, 6For a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father: ‘Thou hast a mantle, Be thou our ruler, And let this ruin be under thy hand.’ 7In that day shall he swear, saying: ‘I will not be a healer; For in my house is neither bread nor a mantle; Ye shall not make me ruler of a people.’ 8For Jerusalem is ruined, And Judah is fallen; Because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, To provoke the eyes of His glory. 9The show of their countenance doth witness against them; And they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! For they have wrought evil unto themselves. 10Say ye of the righteous, that it shall be well with him; For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him; For the work of his hands shall be done to him. 12As for My people, a babe is their master, And women rule over them. O My people, they that lead thee cause thee to err, And destroy the way of thy paths. 13The LORD standeth up to plead, And standeth to judge the peoples. 14The LORD will enter into judgment With the elders of His people, and the princes thereof: ‘It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard; The spoil of the poor is in your houses; 15What mean ye that ye crush My people, And grind the face of the poor?’ Saith the Lord, the GOD of hosts. 16Moreover the LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with stretched-forth necks And wanton eyes, Walking and mincing as they go, And making a tinkling with their feet; 17Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, And the LORD will lay bare their secret parts. 18In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their anklets, and the fillets, and the crescents; 19the pendants, and the bracelets, and the veils; 20the headtires, and the armlets, and the sashes, and the corselets, and the amulets; 21the rings, and the nose- jewels; 22the aprons, and the mantelets, and the cloaks, and the girdles; 23and the gauze robes, and the fine linen, and the turbans, and the mantles. 24And it shall come to pass, that Instead of sweet spices there shall be rottenness; And instead of a girdle rags; And instead of curled hair baldness; And instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; Branding instead of beauty. 25Thy men shall fall by the sword, And thy mighty in the war. 26And her gates shall lament and mourn; And utterly bereft she shall sit upon the ground. And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying: ‘We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.’ 2In that day shall the growth of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, And the fruit of the land excellent and comely For them that are escaped of Israel. 3And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written unto life in Jerusalem; 4when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of destruction. 5And the LORD will create over the whole habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a canopy. 6And there shall be a pavilion for a shadow in the day-time from the heat, and for a refuge and for a covert from storm and from rain. Let me sing of my well-beloved, A song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard In a very fruitful hill; 2And he digged it, and cleared it of stones, And planted it with the choicest vine, And built a tower in the midst of it, And also hewed out a vat therein; And he looked that it should bring forth grapes, And it brought forth wild grapes. 4 5 3And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 4What could have been done more to my vineyard, That I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, Brought it forth wild grapes? 5And now come, I will tell you What I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, And it shall be eaten up; I will break down the fence thereof, And it shall be trodden down; 6And I will lay it waste: It shall not be pruned nor hoed, But there shall come up briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain upon it. 7For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah the plant of His delight; And He looked for justice, but behold violence; For righteousness, but behold a cry. 8Woe unto them that join house to house, That lay field to field, Till there be no room, and ye be made to dwell Alone in the midst of the land! 9In mine ears said the LORD of hosts: Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, Even great and fair, without inhabitant. 10For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, And the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah. 11Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, That they may follow strong drink; That tarry late into the night, Till wine inflame them! 12And the harp and the psaltery, the tabret and the pipe, And wine, are in their feasts; But they regard not the work of the LORD, Neither have they considered the operation of His hands. 13Therefore My people are gone into captivity, For want of knowledge; And their honourable men are famished, And their multitude are parched with thirst. 14Therefore the nether-world hath enlarged her desire, And opened her mouth without measure; And down goeth their glory, and their tumult, and their uproar, And he that rejoiceth among them. 15And man is bowed down, And man is humbled, And the eyes of the lofty are humbled; 16But the LORD of hosts is exalted through justice, And God the Holy One is sanctified through righteousness. 17Then shall the lambs feed as in their pasture, And the waste places of the fat ones shall wanderers eat. 18Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as it were with a cart rope, 19That say: ‘Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, That we may see it; And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, That we may know it! ’ 20Woe unto them that call evil good, And good evil; That change darkness into light, And light into darkness; That change bitter into sweet, And sweet into bitter! 21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight! 22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, And men of strength to mingle strong drink; 23That justify the wicked for a reward, And take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! 24Therefore as the tongue of fire devoureth the stubble, And as the chaff is consumed in the flame, So their root shall be as rottenness, And their blossom shall go up as dust; Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, And contemned the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against His people, And He hath stretched forth His hand against them, and hath smitten them, And the hills did tremble, And their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 26And He will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, And will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; And, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly; 27None shall be weary nor stumble among them; None shall slumber nor sleep; Neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, Nor the latchet of their shoes be broken; 28Whose arrows are sharp, And all their bows bent; Their horses’hoofs shall be counted like flint, And their wheels like a whirlwind; 29Their roaring shall be like a lion, They shall roar like young lions, yea, they shall roar, And lay hold of the prey, and carry it away safe, And there shall be none to deliver. 30And they shall roar against them in that day Like the roaring of the sea; And if one look unto the land, Behold darkness and distress, And the light is darkened in the skies thereof. In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. 2Above Him stood the seraphim; each one had six wings: with twain he covered his face and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3And one called unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory. 4And the posts of the door were moved at the voice of them that called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5Then said I: Woe is me! for I am undone; Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For mine eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts. 6Then flew unto me one of the seraphim, with a glowing stone in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar; 7and he touched my mouth with it, and said: Lo, this hath touched thy lips; And thine iniquity is taken away, And thy sin expiated. 8And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, And who will go for us? Then I said: ‘Here am I; send me.’ 9And He said: ‘Go, and tell this people: Hear ye indeed, but understand not; And see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10Make the heart of this people fat, And make their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they, seeing with their eyes, And hearing with their ears, And understanding with their heart, Rreturn, and be healed.’ 11Then said I: ‘Lord, how long?’ And He answered: ‘Until cities be waste without inhabitant, And houses without man, And the land become utterly waste, 12And the LORD have removed men far away, And the forsaken places be many in the midst of the land. 13And if there be yet a tenth in it, it shall again be eaten up; as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stock remaineth, 6 when they cast their leaves, so the holy seed shall be the stock thereof.’ 7 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it; but could not prevail against it. 2And it was told the house of David, saying: ‘Aram is confederate with Ephraim.’ And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest are moved with the wind. 3Then said the LORD unto Isaiah: ‘Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and aShear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fullers’field; 4and say unto him: Keep calm, and be quiet; fear not, neither let thy heart be faint, because of these two tails of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and of the son of Remaliah. 5Because Aram hath counselled evil against thee, Ephraim also, and the son of Remaliah, saying: 6Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set up a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeel; 7thus saith the Lord GOD: a That is, A remnant shall return. It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. 8For the head of Aram is Damascus, And the head of Damascus is Rezin; And within threescore and five years Shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people; 9And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not have faith, surely ye shall not be established.’ 10And the LORD spoke again unto Ahaz, saying: 11’Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God: ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.’ 12But Ahaz said: ‘I will not ask, neither will I try the LORD.’ 13And he said: ‘Hear ye now, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that ye will weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name bImmanuel. 15Curd and honey shall he eat, when he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16Yea, before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou hast a horror of shall be forsaken. 17The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.’ b That is, God is with us. 18And it shall come to pass in that day, That the LORD shall hiss for the fly That is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19And they shall come, and shall rest all of them In the rugged valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, And upon all thorns, and upon all brambles. 20In that day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also sweep away the beard. 21And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall rear a young cow, and two sheep; 22and it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give, he shall eat curd; for curd and honey shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land. 23And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, shall even be for briers and thorns. 24With arrows and with bow shall one come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns. 25And all the hills that were digged with the mattock, thou shalt not come thither for fear of briers and thorns, but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of sheep. 8 And the LORD said unto me: ‘Take thee a great tablet, and write upon it in common script: The spoil speedeth, the prey hasteth; 2and I will take unto Me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.’ 3And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. Then said the LORD unto me: ‘Call his name aMaher-shalal-hashbaz. 4For before the child shall have knowledge to cry: My father, and: My mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be carried away before the king of Assyria.’ a That is, The spoil speedeth, the prey hasteth. 5And the LORD spoke unto me yet again, saying: 6Forasmuch as this people hath refused The waters of Shiloah that go softly, And rejoiceth with Rezin and Remaliah’s son; 7Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them The waters of the River, mighty and many, Even the king of Assyria and all his glory; And he shall come up over all his channels, And go over all his banks; 8And he shall sweep through Judah Overflowing as he passeth through He shall reach even to the neck; And the stretching out of his wings Shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. 9Make an uproar, O ye peoples, and ye shall be broken in pieces; And give ear, all ye of far countries; Gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; Gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. 10Take counsel together, and it shall be brought to nought; Speak the word, and it shall not stand; For God is with us. 11For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, admonishing me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying: 12’Say ye not: A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people do say: A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor account it dreadful. 13The LORD of hosts, Him shall ye sanctify; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. 14And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.’ 16’Bind up the testimony, seal the instruction among My disciples.’ 17And I will wait for the LORD, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him. 18Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me shall be for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Zion. 19And when they shall say unto you: ‘Seek unto the ghosts and the familiar spirits, that chirp and that mutter; should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living unto the dead 20for instruction and for testimony?’—Surely they will speak according to this word, wherein there is no light.— 21And they shall pass this way that are sore bestead and hungry; and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and, whether they turn their faces upward, 22or look unto the earth, behold distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and outspread thick darkness. 23For is there no gloom to her that was stedfast? Now the former hath lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but the latter hath dealt a more grievous blow by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in the district of the nations. The people that walked in darkness Have seen a great light; They that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them hath the light shined. 2Thou hast multiplied the nation, Thou hast increased their joy; They joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 3For the yoke of his burden, And the staff of his shoulder, 9 The rod of his oppressor, Thou hast broken as in the day of Midian. For every boot stamped with fierceness, And every cloak rolled in blood, Shall even be for burning, for fuel of fire. 5For a child is born unto us, A son is given unto us; And the government is upon his shoulder; And his name is called aPele-joez-el-gibbor- a That is, Wonderful in counsel is God, the Mighty, the Everlasting Father, the Ruler of peace. Abi-ad-sar-shalom; 6That the government may be increased, And of peace there be no end, Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, To establish it, and to uphold it Through justice and through righteousness From henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts doth perform this. 7The Lord sent a word into Jacob, And it hath lighted upon Israel. 8And all the people shall know, Even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, That say in pride and in arrogancy of heart: 9‘The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, but cedars will we put in their place.’ 10Therefore the LORD doth set upon high the adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies; 11The Arameans on the east, and the Philistines on the west; And they devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 12Yet the people turneth not unto Him that smiteth them, Neither do they seek the LORD of hosts. 13Therefore the LORD doth cut off from Israel head and tail, Palm-branch and rush, in one day. 14The elder and the man of rank, he is the head; And the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 15For they that lead this people cause them to err; And they that are led of them are destroyed. 16Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, Neither shall He have compassion on their fatherless and widows; For every one is ungodly and an evil-doer, And every mouth speaketh wantonness. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 17 For wickedness burneth as the fire; It devoureth the briers and thorns; Yea, it kindleth in the thickets of the forest, And they roll upward in thick clouds of smoke. 18Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land burnt up; The people also are as the fuel of fire; No man spareth his brother. 19And one snatcheth on the right hand, and is hungry; And he eateth on the left hand, and is not satisfied; They eat every man the flesh of his own arm: 20Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; And they together are against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, And to the writers that write iniquity; 2To turn aside the needy from judgment, And to take away the right of the poor of My people, That widows may be their spoil, And that they may make the fatherless their prey! 3And what will ye do in the day of visitation, And in the ruin which shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your glory? 4They can do nought except crouch under the captives, And fall under the slain. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 5O Asshur, the rod of Mine anger, In whose hand as a staff is Mine indignation! 6I do send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath do I give him a charge, To take the spoil, and to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7Howbeit he meaneth not so, Neither doth his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And to cut off nations not a few. 8For he saith: ‘Are not my princes all of them kings? 9Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus? 10As my hand hath reached the kingdoms of the idols, Whose graven images did exceed them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11Shall I not, as I have done unto 10 Samaria and her idols, So do to Jerusalem and her idols?’ 12Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed His whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks. 13For he hath said: By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; In that I have removed the bounds of the peoples, And have robbed their treasures, And have brought down as one mighty the inhabitants; 14And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples; And as one gathereth eggs that are forsaken, Have I gathered all the earth; And there was none that moved the wing, Or that opened mouth, or chirped. 15Should the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Should the saw magnify itself against him that moveth it? As if a rod should move them that lift it up, Or as if a staff should lift up him that is not wood. 16Therefore will the Lord, the LORD of hosts, Send among his fat ones leanness; And under his glory there shall be kindled A burning like the burning of fire. 17And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame; And it shall burn and devour his thorns And his briers in one day. 18And the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, He will consume both soul and body; And it shall be as when a sick man wasteth away. 19And the remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, That a child may write them down. 20And it shall come to pass in that day, That the remnant of Israel, And they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, Shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; But shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 aA remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, a Heb. shear jashub. Unto God the Mighty. 22For though thy people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, Only a remnant of them shall return; An extermination is determined, overflowing with righteousness. 23For an extermination wholly determined Shall the Lord, the GOD of hosts, make in the midst of all the earth. 24Therefore thus saith the Lord, the GOD of hosts: O My people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of Asshur, though he smite thee with the rod, and lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. 25For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall be accomplished, and Mine anger shall be to their destruction. 26And the LORD of hosts shall stir up against him a scourge, as in the slaughter of Midian at the Rock of Oreb; and as His rod was over the sea, so shall He lift it up after the manner of Egypt. 27And it shall come to pass in that day, that His burden shall depart from off thy shoulder, And his yoke from off thy neck, And the yoke shall be destroyed by reason of fatness. 28He is come to Aiath, He is passed through Migron; At Michmas he layeth up his baggage; 29They are gone over the pass; They have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah trembleth; Gibeath-shaul is fled. 30Cry thou with a shrill voice, O daughter of Gallim! Hearken, O Laish! O thou poor Anathoth! 31Madmenah is in mad flight; The inhabitants of Gebim flee to cover. 32This very day shall he halt at Nob, Shaking his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, The hill of Jerusalem. 33Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, Shall lop the boughs with terror; And the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, And the lofty shall be laid low. 34And He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, And a twig shall grow forth out of his roots. 2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. 3And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD; And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, Neither decide after the hearing of his ears; 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, 11 And decide with equity for the meek of the land; And he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth, And with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, And faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, And the leopard shall lie down with the kid; And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7And the cow and the bear feed; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, And the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk’s den. 9They shall not hurt nor destroy In all My holy mountain; For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. 10And it shall come to pass in that day, That the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, Unto him shall the nations seek; And his resting-place shall be glorious. 11And it shall come to pass in that day, That the Lord will set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people, That shall remain from Assyria, and from Egypt, And from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, And from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12And He will set up an ensign for the nations, And will assemble the dispersed of Israel, And gather together the scattered of Judah From the four corners of the earth. 13The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, And they that harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, And Judah shall not vex Ephraim. 14And they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines on the west; Together shall they spoil the children of the east; They shall put forth their hand upon Edom and Moab; And the children of Ammon shall obey them. 15And the LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; And with His scorching wind will He shake His hand over the River, And will smite it into seven streams, And cause men to march over dry- shod. 16And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, That shall remain from Assyria, Like as there was for Israel In the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. And in that day thou shalt say: ‘I will give thanks unto Thee, O LORD; For though Thou was angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortest me. 2Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; For GOD the LORD is my strength and song; And He is become my salvation.’ 3Therefore with joy shall ye draw water Out of the wells of salvation. 4And in that day shall ye say: ‘Give thanks unto the LORD, proclaim His name, Declare His doings among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted. 5Sing unto the LORD; for He hath done gloriously; This is made known in all the earth. 6Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. 2Set ye up an ensign upon the high mountain, Lift up the voice unto them, Wave the hand, that they may go Into the gates of the nobles. 3I have commanded My consecrated ones, Yea, I have called My mighty ones for mine anger, Even My proudly exulting ones. 4Hark, a tumult in the mountains, Like as of a great people! Hark, the uproar of the kingdoms Of the nations gathered together! The LORD of hosts mustereth The host of the battle. 5They come from a far country, From the end of heaven, Even the LORD, and the weapons of His indignation, To destroy the whole earth. 6Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; As destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 7Therefore shall all hands be slack, And every heart of man shall melt. 8And they shall be affrighted; 12 13 Pangs and throes shall take hold of them; They shall be in pain as a woman in travail; They shall look aghast one at another; Their faces shall be faces of flame. 9Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, Cruel, and full of wrath and fierce anger; To make the earth a desolation, And to destroy the sinners thereof out of it, 10For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof Shall not give their light; The sun shall be darkened in his going forth, And the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11And I will visit upon the world their evil, And upon the wicked their iniquity; And I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, And will lay low the haughtiness of the tyrants. 12I will make man more rare than fine gold, Even man than the pure gold of Ophir. 13Therefore I will make the heavens to tremble, And the earth shall be shaken out of her place, For the wrath of the LORD of hosts, And for the day of His fierce anger. 14And it shall come to pass, that as the chased gazelle, And as sheep that no man gathereth, They shall turn every man to his own people, And shall flee every man to his own land. 15Every one that is found shall be thrust through; And every one that is caught shall fall by the sword. 16Their babes also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; Their houses shall be spoiled, And their wives ravished. 17Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who shall not regard silver, And as for gold, they shall not delight in it. 18And their bows shall dash the young men in pieces; And they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye shall not spare children. 19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’pride, Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20It shall never be inhabited, Neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; Neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. 21But wild-cats shall lie there; And their houses shall be full of ferrets; And ostriches shall dwell there, And satyrs shall dance there. 22And jackals shall howl in their castles, And wild-dogs in the pleasant palaces; And her time is near to come, And her days shall not be prolonged. For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 2And the peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and for handmaids; and they shall take them captive, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. 3And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy travail, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve, 4that thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say: How hath the oppressor ceased! The exactress of gold ceased! 5The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, The sceptre of the rulers, 6That smote the peoples in wrath With an incessant stroke, That ruled the nations in anger, With a persecution that none restrained. 7The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; They break forth into singing. 8Yea, the cypresses rejoice at thee, And the cedars of Lebanon: ‘Since thou art laid down, No feller is come up against us.’ 9The nether-world from beneath is moved for thee To meet thee at thy coming; The shades are stirred up for thee, Even all the chief ones of the earth; All the kings of the nations Are raised up from their thrones. 10All they do answer And say unto thee: ‘Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us? 11Thy pomp is brought down to the nether-world, And the noise of thy psalteries; The maggot is spread under thee, And the worms cover thee.’ 12How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, That didst cast lots over the nations! 13And thou saidst in thy heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, Above the stars of God 14 Will I exalt my throne, And I will sit upon the mount of meeting, In the uttermost parts of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.’ 15Yet thou shalt be brought down to the nether-world, To the uttermost parts of the pit. 16They that saw thee do narrowly look upon thee, They gaze earnestly at thee: ‘Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, That did shake kingdoms; 17That made the world as a wilderness, And destroyed the cities thereof; That opened not the house of his prisoners?’ 18All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Every one in his own house. 19But thou art cast forth away from thy grave Like an abhorred offshoot, In the raiment of the slain, that are thrust through with the sword, That go down to the pavement of the pit, As a carcass trodden under foot. 20Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, Bbecause thou hast destroyed thy land, Thou hast slain thy people; The seed of evil-doers shall not Be named for ever. 21Prepare ye slaughter for his children For the iniquity of their fathers; That they rise not up, and possess the earth, And fill the face of the world with cities. 22And I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and offshoot and offspring, saith the LORD. 23I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts. 24The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying: Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; And as I have purposed, so shall it stand, 25That I will break Asshur in My land, And upon My mountains tread him under foot; Then shall his yoke depart from off them, And his burden depart from off their shoulder. 26This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; And this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. 27For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, And who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, And who shall turn it back? 28In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden. 29Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of thee, Because the rod that smote thee is broken: For out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a basilisk, And his fruit shall be a flying serpent. 30And the first-born of the poor shall feed, And the needy shall lie down in safety; And I will kill thy root with famine, And thy remnant shall be slain 31Howl, O gate; cry, O city; Melt away, O Philistia, all of thee; For there cometh a smoke out of the north, And there is no straggler in his ranks. 32What then shall one answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, And in her shall the afflicted of His people take refuge. The burden of Moab. For in the night that Ar of Moab is laid waste, He is brought to ruin; For in the night that Kir of Moab is laid waste, He is brought to ruin. 2He is gone up to Baith, and to Dibon, Tto the high places, to weep; Upon Nebo, and upon Medeba, Moab howleth; On all their heads is baldness, Every beard is shaven. 3In their streets they gird themselves with sackcloth; On their housetops, and in their broad places, Every one howleth, weeping profusely. 4And Heshbon crieth out, and Elealeh; Their voice is heard even unto Jahaz; Therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; His soul is faint within him. 5My heart crieth out for Moab; Her fugitives reach unto Zoar, A heifer of three years old; For by the ascent of Luhith With weeping they go up; For in the way of Horonaim They raise up a cry of destruction. 6For the Waters of Nimrim shall be desolate; For the grass is withered away, the herbage faileth, There is no green thing. 7Therefore the abundance they have gotten, And that which they have laid up, Shall they carry away to the brook of the willows. 8For the cry is gone round about The borders of Moab; 15 The howling thereof unto Eglaim, And the howling thereof unto Beer- elim. 9For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; For I will bring yet more upon Dimon, A lion upon him that escapeth of Moab, And upon the remnant of the land. Send ye the lambs for the ruler of the land From the crags that are toward the wilderness, Unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. 2For it shall be that, as wandering birds, As a scattered nest, So shall the daughters of Moab be At the fords of Arnon. 3’Give counsel, execute justice; Make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; Hide the outcasts; betray not the fugitive. 4Let mine outcasts dwell with thee; As for Moab, be thou a covert to him from the face of the spoiler.’ For the extortion is at an end, spoiling ceaseth, They that trampled down are consumed out of the land; 5And a throne is established through mercy, And there sitteth thereon in truth, in the tent of David, One that judgeth, and seeketh justice, and is ready in righteousness. 6We have heard of the pride of Moab; He is very proud; Even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his arrogancy, His ill-founded boastings. 7Therefore shall Moab wail for Moab, Every one shall wail; for the sweet cakes of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn, Sorely stricken. 8For the fields of Heshbon languish, And the vine of Sibmah, Whose choice plants did overcome The lords of nations; They reached even unto Jazer, They wandered into the wilderness; Her branches were spread abroad, They passed over the sea. 9Therefore I will weep with the weeping of Jazer For the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh; For upon thy summer fruits and upon thy harvest The battle shout is fallen. 10And gladness and joy are taken away Out of the fruitful field; And in the vineyards there shall be no singing, Neither shall there be shouting; 16 No treader shall tread out wine in the presses; I have made the vintage shout to cease. 11Wherefore my heart moaneth like a harp for Moab, And mine inward parts for Kir- heres. 12And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab hath wearied himself upon the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail 13This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in time past. 14But now the LORD hath spoken, saying: ‘Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall wax contemptible for all his great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and without strength.’ The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, And it shall be a ruinous heap. 2The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They shall be for flocks, Which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. 3The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, And the kingdom from Damascus; And the remnant of Aram shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, Sith the LORD of hosts. 4And it shall come to pass in that day, That the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, And the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. 5And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the standing corn, And reapeth the ears with his arm; Yea, it shall be as when one gleaneth ears In the valley of Rephaim. 6Yet there shall be left therein gleanings, As at the beating of an olive-tree, Two or three berries In the top of the uppermost bough, Four or five in the branches of the fruitful tree, Saith the LORD, the God of Israel. 7In that day shall a man regard his Maker, And his eyes shall look to the Holy One of Israel. 8And he shall not regard the altars, The work of his hands, Neither shall he look to that which his fingers have made, Either the Asherim, or the sun- images. 9In that day shall his strong cities be as the forsaken places, which were forsaken from before the children of Israel, after the manner of woods and 17 lofty forests; and it shall be a desolation. 10For thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, And thou hast not been mindful of the Rock of thy stronghold; Therefore thou didst plant plants of pleasantness, And didst set it with slips of a stranger; 11In the day of thy planting thou didst make it to grow, And in the morning thou didst make thy seed to blossom— A heap of boughs in the day of grief And of desperate pain. 12Ah, the uproar of many peoples, That roar like the roaring of the seas; And the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters! 13The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters; But He shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, And shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, And like the whirling dust before the storm. 14At eventide behold terror; And before the morning they are not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, And the lot of them that rob us. Ah, land of the buzzing of wings, Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; 2That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, Even in vessels of papyrus upon the waters! Go, ye swift messengers, To a nation tall and of glossy skin, To a people terrible from their beginning onward; A nation that is sturdy and treadeth down, Whose land the rivers divide! 3All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, When an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see ye; And when the horn is blown, hear ye. 4For thus hath the LORD said unto me: I will hold Me still, and I will look on in My dwelling-place, Like clear heat in sunshine, Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. 5For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, And the bud becometh a ripening grape, He will cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, And the shoots will He take away and lop off. 6They shall be left together unto the ravenous birds of the mountains, And to the beasts of the earth; 18 And the ravenous birds shall summer upon them, And all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them. 7In that time shall a present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people tall and of glossy skin, and from a people terrible from their beginning onward; a nation that is sturdy and treadeth down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion. The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, And cometh unto Egypt; And the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, And the heart of Egypt shall melt within it. 2And I will spur Egypt against Egypt; And they shall fight every one against his brother, And everyone against his neighbour; City against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 3And the spirit of Egypt shall be made empty within it; And I will make void the counsel thereof; And they shall seek unto the idols, and to the whisperers, And to the ghosts, and to the familiar spirits. 4And I will give over the Egyptians Iinto the hand of a cruel lord; And a fierce king shall rule over them, Saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. 5And the waters shall fail from the sea, And the river shall be drained dry, 6And the rivers shall become foul; The streams of Egypt shall be minished and dried up; The reeds and flags shall wither. 7The mosses by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, And all that is sown by the Nile, Shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more. 8The fishers also shall lament, And all they that cast angle into the Nile shall mourn, And they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. 9Moreover they that work in combed flax, And they that weave cotton, shall be ashamed. 10And her foundations shall be crushed, All they that make dams shall be grieved in soul. 11The princes of Zoan are utter fools; The wisest counsellors of Pharaoh are a senseless counsel; How can ye say unto Pharaoh: ‘I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings’? 19 12Where are they, then, thy wise men? And let them tell thee now; And let them know what the LORD of hosts Hath purposed concerning Egypt. 13The princes of Zoan are become fools, The princes of Noph are deceived; They have caused Egypt to go astray, That are the corner-stone of her tribes. 14The LORD hath mingled within her A spirit of dizziness; And they have caused Egypt to stagger in every work thereof, As a drunken man staggereth in his vomit. 15Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, Which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do. 16In that day shall Egypt be like unto women; and it shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He shaketh over it. 17And the land of Judah shall become a terror unto Egypt, whensoever one maketh mention thereof to it; it shall be afraid, because of the purpose of the LORD of hosts, which He purposeth against it. 18In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called The city of destruction. 19In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. 20And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and He will send them a saviour, and a defender, who will deliver them. 21And the LORD shall make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day; yea, they shall worship with sacrifice and offering, and shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and shall perform it. 22And the LORD will smite Egypt, smiting and healing; and they shall return unto the LORD, and He will be entreated of them, and will heal them. 23In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall worship with the Assyrians. 24In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; 25for that the LORD of hosts hath blessed him, saying: ‘Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance.’ In the year that Tartan came into Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it; 2at that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying: ‘Go, and loose 20 the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put thy shoe from off thy foot.’ And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 3And the LORD said: ‘Like as My servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot to be for three years a sign and a wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia, 4so shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt, and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5And they shall be dismayed and ashamed, because of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory. 6And the inhabitant of this coast-land shall say in that day: Behold, such is our expectation, whither we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and how shall we escape?’ The burden of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the South sweeping on, It cometh from the wilderness, from a dreadful land. 2A grievous vision is declared unto me: ‘The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam! besiege, O Media! All the sighing thereof have I made to cease.’ 3Therefore are my loins filled with convulsion; Pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail; I am bent so that I cannot hear; I am affrighted so that I cannot see. 4My heart is bewildered, terror hath overwhelmed me; The twilight that I longed for hath been turned for me into trembling. 5They prepare the table, they light the lamps, they eat, they drink— ’Rise up, ye princes, anoint the shield.’ 6For thus hath the Lord said unto me: Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he seeth! 7And when he seeth a troop, horsemen by pairs, A troop of asses, a troop of camels, He shall hearken diligently with much heed. 8And he cried as a lion: ‘Upon the watch-tower, O Lord, I stand continually in the daytime, And I am set in my ward all the nights.’ 9And, behold, there came a troop of men, horsemen by pairs. And he spoke and said: ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.’ 10O thou my threshing, and the winnowing of my floor, That which I have heard from the LORD of hosts, 21 The God of Israel, have I declared unto you. 11The burden of Dumah. One calleth unto me out of Seir: ‘Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?’ 12The watchman said: ‘The morning cometh, and also the night— If ye will inquire, inquire ye; return, come.’ 13The burden upon Arabia. In the thickets in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye caravans of Dedanites. 14Unto him that is thirsty bring ye water! The inhabitants of the land of Tema did meet the fugitive with his bread. 15For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, And from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. 16For thus hath the Lord said unto me: ‘Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail; 17and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished; for the LORD, the God of Israel, hath spoken it.’ The burden concerning the Valley of Vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops, 2Thou that art full of uproar, a tumultuous city, a joyous town? Thy slain are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. 3All thy rulers are fled together, Without the bow they are bound; All that are found of thee are bound together, they are fled afar off. 4Therefore said I: ‘Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Strain not to comfort me, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.’ 5For it is a day of trouble, and of trampling, and of perplexity, From the Lord, the GOD of hosts, in the Valley of Vision; Kir shouting, and Shoa at the mount. 6And Elam bore the quiver, with troops of men, even horsemen; And Kir uncovered the shield. 7And it came to pass, when thy choicest valleys were full of chariots, And the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate, 8And the covering of Judah was laid bare, that thou didst look in that day to the armour in the house of the forest. 9And ye saw the breaches of the city of David, that they were many; and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10And ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye broke down the houses to fortify the wall; 22 11ye made also a basin between the two walls for the water of the old pool— But ye looked not unto Him that had done this, Neither had ye respect unto Him that fashioned it long ago. 12And in that day did the Lord, the GOD of hosts, call To weeping, and to lamentation, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth; 13And behold joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating flesh and drinking wine— ’Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die! ’ 14And the LORD of hosts revealed Himself in mine ears: Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till ye die, Saith the Lord, the GOD of hosts. 15Thus saith the Lord, the GOD of hosts: Go, get thee unto this steward, Even unto Shebna, who is over the house: 16What hast thou here, and whom hast thou here, That thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre, Thou that hewest thee out a sepulchre on high, And gravest a habitation for thyself in the rock? 17Behold, the LORD will hurl thee up and down with a man’s throw; Yea, He will wind thee round and round; 18He will violently roll and toss thee like a ball into a large country; There shalt thou die, and there shall be the chariots of thy glory, Thou shame of the lord’s house. 19And I will thrust thee from thy post, And from thy station shalt thou be pulled down. 20And it shall come to pass in that day, That I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; 21And I will clothe him with thy robe, And bind him with thy girdle, And I will commit thy government into his hand; And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 22And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; And he shall open, and none shall shut; And he shall shut, and none shall open. 23And I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place; And he shall be for a throne of honour to his father’s house. 24And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels of flagons. 25In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the peg that was fastened in a sure place give way; and it shall be hewn down, and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for the LORD hath spoken it. The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in; From the land of Kittim it is revealed to them. 2Be still, ye inhabitants of the coast- land; Thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished. 3And on great waters the seed of Shihor, The harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; And she was the mart of nations. 4Be thou ashamed, O Zidon; for the sea hath spoken, The stronghold of the sea, saying: ‘I have not travailed, nor brought forth, Neither have I reared young men, nor brought up virgins.’ 5When the report cometh to Egypt, They shall be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. 6Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the coast-land. 7Is this your joyous city, Whose feet in antiquity, In ancient days, Carried her afar off to sojourn? 8Who hath devised this against Tyre, the crowning city, Whose merchants are princes, Whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth? 9The LORD of hosts hath devised it, To pollute the pride of all glory, To bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth. 10Overflow thy land as the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish! there is no girdle any more. 11He hath stretched out His hand over the sea, He hath shaken the kingdoms; The LORD hath given commandment concerning Canaan, To destroy the strongholds thereof; 12And He said: ‘Thou shalt no more rejoice.’ O thou oppressed virgin daughter of Zidon, Arise, pass over to Kittim; Even there shalt thou have no rest. 13Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people that was not, when Asshur founded it for shipmen—they set up their towers, they overthrew the palaces thereof; it is made a ruin. 14Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, For your stronghold is laid waste. 15And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of 23 one king; after the end of seventy years it shall fare with Tyre as in the song of the harlot: 16Take a harp, Go about the city, Thou harlot long forgotten; Make sweet melody, Sing many songs, That thou mayest be remembered. 17And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will remember Tyre, and she shall return to her hire, and shall have commerce with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth. 18And her gain and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD; it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her gain shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat their fill, and for stately clothing. Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty and maketh it waste, And turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 2And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor. 3The earth shall be utterly emptied, and clean despoiled; For the LORD hath spoken this word. 4The earth fainteth and fadeth away, The world faileth and fadeth away, The lofty people of the earth do fail. 5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; Because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statute, Broken the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore hath a curse devoured the earth, And they that dwell therein are found guilty; Therefore the inhabitants of the earth waste away, And men are left few. 7The new wine faileth, the vine fadeth; All the merry-hearted do sigh. 8The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, The noise of them that rejoice endeth, The joy of the harp ceaseth. 9They drink not wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to them that drink it. 10Broken down is the city of wasteness; Every house is shut up, that none may come in. 11There is a crying in the streets amidst the wine; All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone. 12In the city is left desolation, And the gate is smitten unto ruin. 24 13For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth, among the peoples, As at the beating of an olive-tree, As at the gleanings when the vintage is done. 14Those yonder lift up their voice, they sing for joy; For the majesty of the LORD they shout from the sea: 15’Therefore glorify ye the LORD in the regions of light, Even the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea.’ 16From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: ‘Glory to the righteous.’ But I say: I waste away, I waste away, woe is me! The treacherous deal treacherously; Yea, the treacherous deal very treacherously. 17Terror, and the pit, and the trap, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. 18And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the terror shall fall into the pit; And he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the trap; For the windows on high are opened, And the foundations of the earth do shake; 19The earth is broken, broken down, The earth is crumbled in pieces, The earth trembleth and tottereth; 20The earth reeleth to and fro like a drunken man, And swayeth to and fro as a lodge; And the transgression thereof is heavy upon it, And it shall fall, and not rise again. 21And it shall come to pass in that day, That the LORD will punish the host of the high heaven on high, And the kings of the earth upon the earth. 22And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the dungeon, And shall be shut up in the prison, And after many days shall they be punished. 23Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign in mount Zion, And in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be Glory. O LORD, Thou art my God, I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name, For Thou hast done wonderful things; Even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth. 2For Thou hast made of a city a heap, Of a fortified city a ruin; A castle of strangers to be no city, It shall never be built. 25 3Therefore shall the strong people glorify Thee, The city of the terrible nations shall fear Thee. 4For Thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, A stronghold to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones was as a storm against the wall. 5As the heat in a dry place, Thou didst subdue the noise of strangers; As the heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones was brought low. 6And in this mountain will the LORD of hosts make unto all peoples A feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 7And He will destroy in this mountain The face of the covering that is cast over all peoples, And the veil that is spread over all nations. 8He will swallow up death for ever; And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; And the reproach of His people will He take away from off all the earth; For the LORD hath spoken it. 9And it shall be said in that day: ‘Lo, this is our God, For whom we waited, that He might save us; This is the LORD, for whom we waited, We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.’ 10For in this mountain will the hand of the LORD rest, And Moab shall be trodden down in his place, Even as straw is trodden down in the dunghill. 11And when he shall spread forth his hands in the midst thereof, As he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim, His pride shall be brought down together with the cunning of his hands. 12And the high fortress of thy walls will He bring down, lay low, And bring to the ground, even to the dust. In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; Walls and bulwarks doth He appoint for salvation. 2Open ye the gates, That the righteous nation that keepeth faithfulness may enter in. 3The mind stayed on Thee Thou keepest in perfect peace; Because it trusteth in Thee. 4Trust ye in the LORD for ever, 26 For the LORD is GOD, an everlasting Rock. 5For He hath brought down them that dwell on high, The lofty city, laying it low, laying it low even to the ground, Bringing it even to the dust. 6The foot shall tread it down, Even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. 7The way of the just is straight; Thou, Most Upright, makest plain the path of the just. 8Yea, in the way of Thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for Thee; To Thy name and to Thy memorial is the desire of our soul. 9With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; Yea, with my spirit within me have I sought Thee earnestly; For when Thy judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10Let favour be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, And will not behold the majesty of the LORD. 11LORD, Thy hand was lifted up, yet they see not; They shall see with shame Thy zeal for the people; Yea, fire shall devour Thine adversaries. 12LORD, Thou wilt establish peace for us; For Thou hast indeed wrought all our works for us. 13O LORD our God, other lords beside Thee have had dominion over us; But by Thee only do we make mention of Thy name. 14The dead live not, the shades rise not; To that end hast Thou punished and destroyed them, And made all their memory to perish. 15Thou hast gotten Thee honour with the nations, O LORD, Yea, exceeding great honour with the nations; Thou art honoured unto the farthest ends of the earth. 16LORD, in trouble have they sought Thee, Silently they poured out a prayer when Thy chastening was upon them. 17Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, Is in pain and crieth out in her pangs; So have we been at Thy presence, O LORD. 18We have been with child, we have been in pain, We have as it were brought forth wind; We have not wrought any deliverance in the land; Neither are the inhabitants of the world come to life. 19Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise— Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust— For Thy dew is as the dew of light, And the earth shall bring to life the shades. 20Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, And shut thy doors about thee; Hide thyself for a little moment, Until the indignation be overpast. 21For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of His place To visit upon the inhabitants of the earth their iniquity; The earth also shall disclose her blood, And shall no more cover her slain. In that day the LORD with His sore and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the slant serpent, and leviathan the tortuous serpent; and He will slay the dragon that is in the sea. 2In that day sing ye of her: ‘A vineyard of foaming wine! ’ 3I the LORD do guard it, I water it every moment; Lest Mine anger visit it, I guard it night and day. 4Fury is not in Me; Would that I were as the briers and thorns in flame! I would with one step burn it altogether. 5Or else let him take hold of My strength, That he may make peace with Me; yea, let him make peace with Me. 6In days to come shall Jacob take root, Israel shall blossom and bud; And the face of the world shall be filled with fruitage. 7Hath He smitten him as He smote those that smote him? Or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that were slain by Him? 8In full measure, when Thou sendest her away, Thou dost contend with her; He hath removed her with His rough blast in the day of the east wind. 9Therefore by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be expiated, And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in pieces, So that the Asherim and the sun- images shall rise no more. 10For the fortified city is solitary, A habitation abandoned and forsaken, like the wilderness; There shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, And consume the branches thereof 27 11When the boughs thereof are withered, They shall be broken off; The women shall come, and set them on fire; For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He that made them will not have compassion upon them, And He that formed them will not be gracious unto them. 12And it shall come to pass in that day, That the LORD will beat off [His fruit] From the flood of the River unto the Brook of Egypt, And ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. 13And it shall come to pass in that day, That a great horn shall be blown; And they shall come that were lost in the land of Assyria, And they that were dispersed in the land of Egypt; And they shall worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem. Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, Which is on the head of the fat valley of them that are smitten down with wine! 2Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, As a storm of mighty waters overflowing, That casteth down to the earth with violence. 3The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim Shall be trodden under foot; 4And the fading flower of his glorious beauty, Which is on the head of the fat valley, Shall be as the first-ripe fig before the summer, Which when one looketh upon it, While it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. 5In that day shall the LORD of hosts be For a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, Unto the residue of His people; 6And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, And for strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate. 7But these also reel through wine, And stagger through strong drink; The priest and the prophet reel through strong drink, They are confused because of wine, They stagger because of strong drink; 28 They reel in vision, they totter in judgment. 8For all tables are full of filthy vomit, and no place is clean. 9Whom shall one teach knowledge? And whom shall one make to understand the message? Them that are weaned from the milk, Them that are drawn from the breasts? 10For it is precept by precept, precept by precept, Line by line, line by line; Here a little, there a little. 11For with stammering lips and with a strange tongue Shall it be spoken to this people; 12To whom it was said: ‘This is the rest, Give ye rest to the weary; And this is the refreshing’; Yet they would not hear. 13And so the word of the LORD is unto them Precept by precept, precept by precept, Line by line, line by line; Here a little, there a little; That they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, And snared, and taken. 14Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scoffers, The ballad-mongers of this people which is in Jerusalem: 15Because ye have said: ‘We have made a covenant with death, And with the nether-world are we at agreement; When the scouring scourge shall pass through, It shall not come unto us; For we have made lies our refuge, And in falsehood have we hid ourselves’; 16Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, A tried stone, a costly corner-stone of sure foundation; He that believeth shall not make haste. 17And I will make justice the line, And righteousness the plummet; And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters shall overflow the hiding-place. 18And your covenant with death shall be disannulled And your agreement with the nether-world shall not stand; When the scouring scourge shall pass through, Then ye shall be trodden down by it, 19As often as it passeth through, it shall take you; For morning by morning shall it pass through, By day and by night; And it shall be sheer terror to understand the message. 20For the bed is too short for a man to stretch himself; And the covering too narrow when he gathereth himself up. 21For the LORD will rise up as in mount Perazim, He will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; That He may do His work, strange is His work, And bring to pass His act, strange is His act. 22Now therefore be ye not scoffers, Lest your bands be made strong; For an extermination wholly determined have I heard from the Lord, the GOD of hosts, Upon the whole land. 23Give ye ear, and hear my voice; attend, and hear my speech. 24Is the plowman never done with plowing to sow, With the opening and harrowing of his ground? 25When he hath made plain the face thereof, Doth he not cast abroad the black cummin, and scatter the cummin, And put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the appointed place And the spelt in the border thereof? 26For He doth instruct him aright; His God doth teach him. 27For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing-sledge, Neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin; But the black cummin is beaten out with a staff, And the cummin with a rod. 28Is bread corn crushed? Nay, he will not ever be threshing it; And though the roller of his wagon and its sharp edges move noisily, He doth not crush it. 29This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts: Wonderful is His counsel, and great His wisdom. 29 Ah, aAriel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! a That is, The hearth of God. Add ye year to year, Let the feasts come round! 2Then will I distress Ariel, And there shall be mourning and moaning; and she shall be unto Me as a hearth of God. 3And I will encamp against thee round about, And will lay siege against thee with a mound, And I will raise siege works against thee. 4And brought down thou shalt speak out of the ground, And thy speech shall be low out of the dust; And thy voice shall be as of a ghost out of the ground, And thy speech shall chirp out of the dust. 5But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, And the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passeth away; Yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly— 6There shall be a visitation from the LORD of hosts With thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, With whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire. 7And the multitude of all the nations that war against Ariel, Even all that war against her, and the bulwarks about her, and they that distress her, Shall be as a dream, a vision of the night. 8And it shall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth, But he awaketh, and his soul is empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh, But he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite— So shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. 9Stupefy yourselves, and be stupid! Blind yourselves, and be blind! Ye that are drunken, but not with wine, That stagger, but not with strong drink. 10For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, And hath closed your eyes; The prophets, and your heads, the seers, hath He covered. 11And the vision of all this is become unto you as the words of a writing that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying: ‘Read this, I pray thee’; and he saith: ‘I cannot, for it is sealed’; 12and the writing is delivered to him that is not learned, saying: ‘Read this, I pray thee’; and he saith: ‘I am not learned.’ 13And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near, And with their mouth and with their lips do honour Me, But have removed their heart far from Me, And their fear of Me is a command-ment of men learned by rote; 14Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvellous work among this people, Even a marvellous work and a wonder; And the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the prudence of their prudent men shall be hid. 15Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, And their works are in the dark, And they say: ‘Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?’ 16O your perversity! Shall the potter be esteemed as clay; That the thing made should say of him that made it: ‘He made me not’; Or the thing framed say of him that framed it: ‘He hath no understanding?’ 17Is it not yet a very little while, And Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? 18And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of a book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. 19The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD, And the neediest among men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. 20For the terrible one is brought to nought, And the scorner ceaseth, And all they that watch for iniquity are cut off; 21That make a man an offender by words, And lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, And turn aside the just with a thing of nought. 22Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Neither shall his face now wax pale; 23When he seeth his children, the work of My hands, in the midst of him, That they sanctify My name; Yea, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, And shall stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24They also that err in spirit shall come to understanding, And they that murmur shall learn instruction. Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, That take counsel, but not of Me; And that form projects, but not of My spirit, That they may add sin to sin; 2That walk to go down into Egypt, And have not asked at My mouth; To take refuge in the stronghold of Pharaoh, And to take shelter in the shadow of Egypt! 3Therefore shall the stronghold of Pharaoh turn to your shame, And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your confusion. 4For his princes are at Zoan, And his ambassadors are come to Hanes. 5They shall all be ashamed of a people that cannot profit them, That are not a help nor profit, But a shame, and also a reproach. 6The burden of the beasts of the South. 30 Through the land of trouble and anguish, From whence come the lioness and the lion, The viper and flying serpent, They carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, And their treasures upon the humps of camels, To a people that shall not profit them. 7For Egypt helpeth in vain, and to no purpose; Therefore have I called her arrogancy that sitteth still. 8Now go, write it before them on a tablet, And inscribe it in a book, That it may be for the time to come For ever and ever. 9For it is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children that refuse to hear the teaching of the LORD; 10That say to the seers: ‘See not’, And to the prophets: ‘Prophesy not unto us right things, Speak unto us smooth things, prophesy delusions; 11Get you out of the way, Turn aside out of the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel To cease from before us.’ 12Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel: Because ye despise this word, And trust in oppression and perverseness, And stay thereon; 13Therefore this iniquity shall be to you As a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, Whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. 14And He shall break it as a potter’s vessel is broken, Breaking it in pieces without sparing; So that there shall not be found among the pieces thereof a sherd To take fire from the hearth, Or to take water out of the cistern. 15For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: In sitting still and rest shall ye be saved, In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength; And ye would not. 16But ye said: ‘No, for we will flee upon horses’; Therefore shall ye flee; And: ‘We will ride upon the swift’; Therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. 17One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one, At the rebuke of five shall ye flee; Till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, And as an ensign on a hill. 18And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, And therefore will He be exalted, that He may have compassion upon you; For the LORD is a God of justice, Happy are all they that wait for Him. 19For, O people that dwellest in Zion at Jerusalem, Thou shalt weep no more; He will surely be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry, When He shall hear, He will answer thee. 20And though the Lord give you sparing bread and scant water, Yet shall not thy Teacher hide Himself any more, But thine eyes shall see thy Teacher; 21And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying: ‘This is the way, walk ye in it, When ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ 22And ye shall defile thy graven images overlaid with silver, And thy molten images covered with gold; Thou shalt put them far away as one unclean; Thou shalt say unto it: ‘Get thee hence.’ 23And He will give the rain for thy seed, wherewith thou sowest the ground, And bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and plenteous; In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. 24The oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground Shall eat savoury provender, Wwhich hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan. 25And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill Streams and watercourses, In the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days, In the day that the LORD bindeth up the bruise of His people, And healeth the stroke of their wound. 27Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, With His anger burning, and in thick uplifting of smoke; His lips are full of indignation, And His tongue is as a devouring fire; 28And His breath is as an overflowing stream, That divideth even unto the neck, To sift the nations with the sieve of destruction; And a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples. 29Ye shall have a song As in the night when a feast is hallowed; And gladness of heart, as when one goeth with the pipe To come into the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. 30And the LORD will cause His glorious voice to be heard, And will show the lighting down of His arm, With furious anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, With a bursting of clouds, and a storm of rain, and hailstones. 31For through the voice of the LORD shall Asshur be dismayed, The rod with which He smote. 32And in every place where the appointed staff shall pass, Which the LORD shall lay upon him, It shall be with tabrets and harps; And in battles of wielding will He fight with them. 33For a hearth is ordered of old; Yea, for the king it is prepared, Deep and large; The pile thereof is fire and much wood; The breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it. Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, And trust in chariots, because they are many, And in horsemen, because they are exceeding mighty; But they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, Neither seek the LORD! 2Yet He also is wise, And bringeth evil, And doth not call back His words; But will arise against the house of the evil-doers, And against the help of them that work iniquity. 3Now the Egyptians are men, and not God, And their horses flesh, and not spirit; So when the LORD shall stretch out His hand, Both he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, And they all shall perish together. 4For thus saith the LORD unto me: Like as the lion, or the young lion, growling over his prey, Though a multitude of shepherds be called forth against him, Will not be dismayed at their voice, Nor abase himself for the noise of them; So will the LORD of hosts come down To fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof. 5As birds hovering, So will the LORD of hosts protect Jerusalem; He will deliver it as He protecteth it, He will rescue it as He passeth over. 6Turn ye unto Him 31 Against whom ye have deeply rebelled, O children of Israel. 7For in that day they shall cast away every man his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, Which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. 8Then shall Asshur fall with the sword, not of man, And the sword, not of men, shall devour him; And he shall flee from the sword, And his young men shall become tributary. 9And his rock shall pass away by reason of terror, And his princes shall be dismayed at the ensign, Saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, And His furnace in Jerusalem. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, And as for princes, they shall rule in justice. 2And a man shall be as in a hiding- place from the wind, And a covert from the tempest; As by the watercourses in a dry place, As in the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. 3And the eyes of them that see shall not be closed, And the ears of them that hear shall attend. 4The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, And the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. 5The vile person shall be no more called liberal, Nor the churl said to be noble. 6For the vile person will speak villainy, And his heart will work iniquity, To practise ungodliness, and to utter wickedness against the LORD, To make empty the soul of the hungry, And to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. 7The instruments also of the churl are evil; He deviseth wicked devices To destroy the poor with lying words, And the needy when he speaketh right. 8But the liberal deviseth liberal things; And by liberal things shall he stand. 9Rise up, ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice; Ye confident daughters, give ear unto my speech. 10After a year and days shall ye be troubled, ye confident women; For the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come. 11Tremble, ye women that are at ease; Be troubled, ye confident ones; Strip you, and make you bare, And gird sackcloth upon your loins, 12Smiting upon the breasts 32 For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine; 13For the land of my people Whereon thorns and briers come up; Yea, for all the houses of joy And the joyous city. 14For the palace shall be forsaken; The city with its stir shall be deserted; The mound and the tower shall be for dens for ever, A joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; 15Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness become a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be counted for a forest. 16Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field. 17And the work of righteousness shall be peace; And the effect of righteousness quietness and confidence for ever. 18And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, And in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places. 19And it shall hail, in the downfall of the forest; But the city shall descend into the valley. 20Happy are ye that sow beside all waters, That send forth freely the feet of the ox and the ass. Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; And dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! When thou hast ceased to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; And when thou art weary with dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. 2O LORD, be gracious unto us; We have waited for Thee; Be Thou their arm every morning, Our salvation also in the time of trouble. 3At the noise of the tumult the peoples are fled; At the lifting up of Thyself the nations are scattered. 4And your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathereth; As locusts leap do they leap upon it. 5The LORD is exalted, for He dwelleth on high; He hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness. 6And the stability of thy times shall be A hoard of salvation—wisdom and knowledge, And the fear of the LORD which is His treasure. 7Behold, their valiant ones cry without; The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly. 8The highways lie waste, 33 The wayfaring man ceaseth; He hath broken the covenant, He hath despised the cities, He regardeth not man. 9The land mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon is ashamed, it withereth; Sharon is like a wilderness; And Bashan and Carmel are clean bare. 10Now will I arise, saith the LORD; Now will I be exalted; Now will I lift Myself up. 11Ye conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble; Your breath is a fire that shall devour you. 12And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime; As thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire. 13Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; And, ye that are near, acknowledge My might. 14The sinners in Zion are afraid; Trembling hath seized the ungodly: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’ 15He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; He that despiseth the gain of oppressions, That shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, That stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, And shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil; 16He shall dwell on high; His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; His bread shall be given, his waters shall be sure. 17Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty; They shall behold a land stretching afar. 18Thy heart shall muse on the terror: ‘Where is he that counted, where is he that weighed? Where is he that counted the towers?’ 19Thou shalt not see the fierce people; A people of a deep speech that thou canst not perceive, Of a stammering tongue that thou canst not understand. 20Look upon Zion, the city of our solemn gatherings; Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a peaceful habitation, A tent that shall not be removed, The stakes whereof shall never be plucked up, Neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. 21But there the LORD will be with us in majesty, In a place of broad rivers and streams; Wherein shall go no galley with oars, Neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. 22For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us. 23Thy tacklings are loosed; They do not hold the stand of their mast, They do not spread the sail; Then is the prey of a great spoil divided; The lame take the prey. 24And the inhabitant shall not say: ‘I am sick’; The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. Come near, ye nations, to hear, And attend, ye peoples; Let the earth hear, and the fulness thereof, The world, and all things that come forth of it. 2For the LORD hath indignation against all the nations, And fury against all their host; He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter. 3Their slain also shall be cast out, And the stench of their carcasses shall come up, And the mountains shall be melted with their blood. 4And all the host of heaven shall moulder away, And the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll; And all their host shall fall down, As the leaf falleth off from the vine, And as a falling fig from the fig- tree. 5For My sword hath drunk its fill in heaven; Behold, it shall come down upon Edom, And upon the people of My ban, to judgment. 6The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, It is made fat with fatness, 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. 7And the wild-oxen shall come down with them, And the bullocks with the bulls; And their land shall be drunken with blood, And their dust made fat with fatness. 8For the LORD hath a day of vengeance, A year of recompense for the controversy of Zion. 9And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, And the dust thereof into brimstone, And the land thereof shall become burning pitch. 10It shall not be quenched night nor day, 34 The smoke thereof shall go up for ever; From generation to generation it shall lie waste: None shall pass through it for ever and ever. 11But the pelican and the bittern shall possess it, And the owl and the raven shall dwell therein; And He shall stretch over it The line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness. 12As for her nobles, none shall be there to be called to the kingdom; And all her princes shall be nothing. 13And thorns shall come up in her palaces, Nettles and thistles in the fortresses thereof; And it shall be a habitation of wild- dogs, An enclosure for ostriches. 14And the wild-cats shall meet with the jackals, And the satyr shall cry to his fellow; Yea, the night-monster shall repose there, And shall find her a place of rest. 15There shall the arrowsnake make her nest, and lay, And hatch, and brood under her shadow; Yea, there shall the kites be gathered, Every one with her mate. 16Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read; No one of these shall be missing, None shall want her mate; For My mouth it hath commanded, And the breath thereof it hath gathered them. 17And He hath cast the lot for them, And His hand hath divided it unto them by line; They shall possess it for ever, From generation to generation shall they dwell therein. The wilderness and the parched land shall be glad; And the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice, Even with joy and singing; The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, The excellency of Carmel and Sharon; They shall see the glory of the LORD, The excellency of our God. 3Strengthen ye the weak hands, And make firm the tottering knees. 4Say to them that are of a fearful heart: ‘Be strong, fear not’; Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God He will come and save you. 5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, 35 And the tongue of the dumb shall sing; For in the wilderness shall waters break out, And streams in the desert. 7And the parched land shall become a pool, And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the habitation of jackals herds shall lie down, It shall be an enclosure for reeds and rushes. 8And a highway shall be there, and a way, And it shall be called The way of holiness; The unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those; The wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein. 9No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon, They shall not be found there; But the redeemed shall walk there; 10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come with singing unto Zion, And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; They shall obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. 2And the king of Assyria sent Rab-shakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fullers’field. 3Then came forth unto him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. 4And Rab-shakeh said unto them: ‘Say ye now to Hezekiah: Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 5I said: It is but vain words; for counsel and strength are for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me? 6Behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it; so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him. 7But if thou say unto me: We trust in the LORD our God; is not that He, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem: Ye shall worship before this altar? 8Now therefore, I pray thee, make a wager with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 9How then canst thou turn away the face of one captain, even of the least of my master’s servants? yet thou puttest thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen! 10And am I now come up 36 without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD said unto me: Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ 11Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rab-shakeh: ‘Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Aramean language, for we understand it; and speak not to us in the Jews’language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.’ 12But Rab-shakeh said: ‘Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own water with you?’ 13Then Rab-shakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’language, and said: ‘Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14Thus saith the king: Let not Hezekiah beguile you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying: The LORD will surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 16Hearken not to Hezekiah; for thus saith the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern; 17until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying: The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20Who are they among all the gods of these countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’ 21But they held their peace, and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, saying: ‘Answer him not.’ 22Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab-shakeh. And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 3And they said unto him: ‘Thus saith Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 4It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rab- shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD thy God hath heard; 37 wherefore make prayer for the remnant that is left.’ 5So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6And Isaiah said unto them: ‘Thus shall ye say to your master: Thus saith the LORD: Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return unto his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.’ 8So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. 9And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia: ‘He is come out to fight against thee.’ And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying: 10’Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: Let not thy God in whom thou trustest beguile thee, saying: Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered? 12Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar? 13Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’ 14And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying: 16’O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest upon the cherubim, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth. 17Incline Thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open Thine eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to taunt the living God. 18Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries, and their land, 19and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. 20Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the LORD, even Thou only.’ 21Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Whereas thou hast prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22this is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion Hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Hath shaken her head at thee. 23Whom hast thou taunted and blasphemed? And against whom hast thou exalted thy voice? Yea, thou hast lifted up thine eyes on high, Even against the Holy One of Israel! 24By thy servants hast thou taunted the Lord, And hast said: With the multitude of my chariots Am I come up to the height of the mountains, To the innermost parts of Lebanon; And I have cut down the tall cedars thereof, And the choice cypress-trees thereof; And I have entered into his farthest height, The forest of his fruitful field. 25I have digged and drunk water, And with the sole of my feet have I dried up All the rivers of Egypt. 26Hast thou not heard? Long ago I made it, In ancient times I fashioned it; Now have I brought it to pass, Yea, it is done; that fortified cities Should be laid waste into ruinous heaps. 27Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, They were dismayed and confounded; They were as the grass of the field, And as the green herb, As the grass on the housetops, And as a field of corn before it is grown up. 28But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, And thy raging against Me. 29Because of thy raging against Me, And for that thine uproar is come up into Mine ears, Therefore will I put My hook in thy nose, And My bridle in thy lips, And I will turn thee back by the way By which thou camest. 30And this shall be the sign unto thee: ye shall eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. 31And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 32For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape; the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall perform this. 33Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast a mound against it. 34By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith the LORD. 35For I will defend this city to save it, for Mine own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.’ 36And the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 37So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went, and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 38And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sarezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.’ 2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 3and said: ‘Remember now, O LORD, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a whole heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight.’ And Hezekiah wept sore. 4Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying: 5’Go, and say to Hezekiah: Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. 6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city. 7And this shall be the sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that He hath spoken: 8behold, I will cause the shadow of the dial, which is gone down on the sun-dial of Ahaz, to return backward ten degrees.’ So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down. 9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness. 10I said: In the noontide of my days I shall go, Even to the gates of the nether- world; I am deprived of the residue of my years. 11I said: I shall not see the LORD, Even the LORD in the land of the living; I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. 12My habitation is plucked up and carried away from me As a shepherd’s tent; I have rolled up like a weaver my life; He will cut me off from the thrum; From day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me. 13The more I make myself like unto a lion until morning, The more it breaketh all my bones; From day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me. 14Like a swallow or a crane, so do I chatter, I do moan as a dove; Mine eyes fail with looking upward. O LORD, I am oppressed, be Thou my surety. 38 15What shall I say? He hath both spoken unto me, And Himself hath done it; I shall go softly all my years for the bitterness of my soul. 16O Lord, by these things men live, And altogether therein is the life of my spirit; Wherefore recover Thou me, and make me to live. 17Behold, for my peace I had great bitterness; But Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it From the pit of corruption; For Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back. 18For the nether-world cannot praise Thee, Death cannot celebrate Thee; They that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth. 19The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, As I do this day; The father to the children shall make known Thy truth. 20The LORD is ready to save me; Therefore we will sing songs to the stringed instruments All the days of our life in the house of the LORD. 21And Isaiah said: ‘Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover.’ 22And Hezekiah said.’ What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?’ At that time Merodach- baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent a letter and a present to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. 2And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them his treasure-house, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures; there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. 3Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him: ‘What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee?’ And Hezekiah said: ‘They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.’ 4Then said he: ‘What have they seen in thy house?’ And Hezekiah answered: ‘All that is in my house have they seen; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.’ 5Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah: ‘Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6Behold, the days come, that all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 7And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be officers in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ 8Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah: ‘Good is the word of the LORD which 39 thou hast spoken.’ He said moreover: ‘If but there shall be peace and truth in my days.’ Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, Saith your God. 2Bid Jerusalem take heart, And proclaim unto her, That her time of service is accomplished, That her guilt is paid off; That she hath received of the LORD’S hand Double for all her sins. 3Hark! one calleth: ‘Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the LORD, Make plain in the desert A highway for our God. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, And every mountain and hill shall be made low; And the rugged shall be made level, And the rough places a plain; 5And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.’ 6Hark! one saith: ‘Proclaim! ’ And he saith: ‘What shall I proclaim?’ ’All flesh is grass, And all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field; 7The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; Because the breath of the LORD bloweth upon it— Surely the people is grass. 8The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; But the word of our God shall stand for ever.’ 9O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, Get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, Lift up thy voice with strength; Lift it up, be not afraid; Say unto the cities of Judah: ‘Behold your God! ’ 10Behold, the Lord GOD will come as a Mighty One, And His arm will rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His recompense before Him. 11Even as a shepherd that feedeth his flock, That gathereth the lambs in his arm, And carrieth them in his bosom, And gently leadeth those that give suck. 12Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, And meted out heaven with the span, And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, And weighed the mountains in scales, 40 And the hills in a balance? 13Who hath meted out the spirit of the LORD? Or who was His counsellor that he might instruct Him? 14With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of right, And taught Him knowledge, And made Him to know the way of discernment? 15Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, And are counted as the small dust of the balance; Behold the isles are as a mote in weight. 16And Lebanon is not sufficient fuel, Nor the beasts thereof sufficient for burnt-offerings. 17All the nations are as nothing before Him; They are accounted by Him as things of nought, and vanity. 18To whom then will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto Him? 19The image perchance, which the craftsman hath melted, And the goldsmith spread over with gold, The silversmith casting silver chains? 20A holm-oak is set apart, He chooseth a tree that will not rot; He seeketh unto him a cunning craftsman To set up an image, that shall not be moved. 21Know ye not? hear ye not? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood the foundations of the earth? 22It is He that sitteth above the circle of the earth, And the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; That stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, And spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in; 23That bringeth princes to nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as a thing of nought. 24Scarce are they planted, Scarce are they sown, Scarce hath their stock taken root in the earth; When He bloweth upon them, they wither, And the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble. 25To whom then will ye liken Me, that I should be equal? Saith the Holy One. 26Lift up your eyes on high, And see: who hath created these? He that bringeth out their host by number, He calleth them all by name; By the greatness of His might, and for that He is strong in power, Not one faileth. 27Why sayest thou, O Jacob, And speakest, O Israel: ‘My way is hid from the LORD, And my right is passed over from my God’? 28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard That the everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Fainteth not, neither is weary? His discernment is past searching out. 29He giveth power to the faint; And to him that hath no might He increaseth strength. 30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall; 31But they that wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; They shall walk, and not faint. Keep silence before Me, O islands, And let the peoples renew their strength; Let them draw near, then let them speak; Let us come near together to judgment. 2Who hath raised up one from the east, At whose steps victory attendeth? He giveth nations before him, And maketh him rule over kings; His sword maketh them as the dust, His bow as the driven stubble. 3He pursueth them, and passeth on safely; The way with his feet he treadeth not. 4Who hath wrought and done it? He that called the generations from the beginning. I, the LORD, who am the first, And with the last am the same. 5The isles saw, and feared; The ends of the earth trembled; They drew near, and came. 6They helped every one his neighbour; And every one said to his brother: ‘Be of good courage.’ 7So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, And he that smootheth with the hammer him that smiteth the anvil, Saying of the soldering: ‘It is good’; And he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved. 8But thou, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The seed of Abraham My friend; 9Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, And called thee from the uttermost parts thereof, And said unto thee: ‘Thou art My servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away’; 10Fear thou not, for I am with thee, Be not dismayed, for I am thy God; 41 I strengthen thee, yea, I help thee; Yea, I uphold thee with My victorious right hand. 11Behold, all they that were incensed against thee Shall be ashamed and confounded; They that strove with thee Shall be as nothing, and shall perish. 12Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, Even them that contended with thee; They that warred against thee Shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. 13For I the LORD thy God Hold thy right hand, Who say unto thee: ‘Fear not, I help thee.’ 14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, And ye men of Israel; I help thee, saith the LORD, And thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. 15Behold, I make thee a new threshing-sledge Having sharp teeth; Thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, And shalt make the hills as chaff. 16Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them; And thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, Thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17The poor and needy seek water and there is none, And their tongue faileth for thirst; I the LORD will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 18I will open rivers on the high hills, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water. 19I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia-tree, And the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane-tree, and the larch together; 20That they may see, and know, And consider, and understand together, That the hand of the LORD hath done this, And the Holy One of Israel hath created it. 21Produce your cause, saith the LORD; Bring forth your reasons, saith the King of Jacob. 22Let them bring them forth, and declare unto us The things that shall happen; The former things, what are they? Declare ye, that we may consider, And know the end of them; Or announce to us things to come. 23Declare the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that ye are gods; Yea, do good, or do evil, That we may be dismayed, and behold it together. 24Behold, ye are nothing, And your work a thing of nought; An abomination is he that chooseth you. 25I have roused up one from the north, and he is come, From the rising of the sun one that calleth upon My name; And he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, And as the potter treadeth clay. 26Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? And beforetime, that we may say that he is right? Yea, there is none that declareth, Yea, there is none that announceth, Yea, there is none that heareth your utterances. 27A harbinger unto Zion will I give: ‘Behold, behold them’, And to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings. 28And I look, but there is no man; Even among them, but there is no counsellor, That, when I ask of them, can give an answer. 29Behold, all of them, Their works are vanity and nought; Their molten images are wind and confusion. Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My spirit upon him, He shall make the right to go forth to the nations. 2He shall not cry, nor lift up, Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. 3A bruised reed shall he not break, And the dimly burning wick shall he not quench; He shall make the right to go forth according to the truth. 4He shall not fail nor be crushed, Till he have set the right in the earth; And the isles shall wait for his teaching. 5Thus saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and stretched them forth, He that spread forth the earth and that which cometh out of it, He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, And spirit to them that walk therein: 6I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, And have taken hold of thy hand, And kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, For a light of the nations; 7To open the blind eyes, To bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, And them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. 42 8I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory will I not give to another, Neither My praise to graven images. 9Behold, the former things are come to pass, And new things do I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them. 10Sing unto the LORD a new song, And His praise from the end of the earth; Ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, The isles, and the inhabitants thereof. 11Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar doth inhabit; Let the inhabitants of Sela exult, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12Let them give glory unto the LORD, And declare His praise in the islands. 13The LORD will go forth as a mighty man, He will stir up jealousy like a man of war; He will cry, yea, He will shout aloud, He will prove Himself mighty against His enemies. 14I have long time held My peace, I have been still, and refrained Myself; Now will I cry like a travailing woman, Gasping and panting at once. 15I will make waste mountains and hills, And dry up all their herbs; And I will make the rivers islands, And will dry up the pools. 16And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, In paths that they knew not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and rugged places plain. These things will I do, And I will not leave them undone. 17They shall be turned back, greatly ashamed, That trust in graven images, That say unto molten images: ‘Ye are our gods.’ 18Hear, ye deaf, And look, ye blind, that ye may see. 19Who is blind, but My servant? Or deaf, as My messenger that I send? Who is blind as he that is wholehearted, And blind as the LORD’S servant? 20Seeing many things, thou observest not; Opening the ears, he heareth not. 21The LORD was pleased, for His righteousness’sake, To make the teaching great and glorious. 22But this is a people robbed and spoiled, They are all of them snared in holes, And they are hid in prison-houses; They are for a prey, and none delivereth, For a spoil, and none saith: ‘Restore.’ 23Who among you will give ear to this? Who will hearken and hear for the time to come? 24Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the LORD? He against whom we have sinned, And in whose ways they would not walk, Neither were they obedient unto His law. 25Therefore He poured upon him the fury of His anger, And the strength of battle; And it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not, And it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, And He that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine. 2When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3For I am the LORD thy God, The Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour; I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. 4Since thou art precious in My sight, and honourable, And I have loved thee; Therefore will I give men for thee, And peoples for thy life. 5Fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the east, And gather thee from the west; 6I will say to the north: ‘Give up’, And to the south: ‘Keep not back, Bring My sons from far, And My daughters from the end of the earth; 7Every one that is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, I have formed him, yea, I have made him.’ 8The blind people that have eyes shall be brought forth, And the deaf that have ears. 9All the nations are gathered together, And the peoples are assembled; Who among them can declare this, And announce to us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; And let them hear, and say: ‘It is truth.’ 10Ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, And My servant whom I have chosen; That ye may know and believe Me, and understand 43 That I am He; Before Me there was no God formed, Neither shall any be after Me. 11I, even I, am the LORD; And beside Me there is no saviour. 12I have declared, and I have saved, And I have announced, And there was no strange god among you; Therefore ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, and I am God. 13Yea, since the day was I am He, And there is none that can deliver out of My hand; I will work, and who can reverse it? 14Thus saith the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, And I will bring down all of them as fugitives, Even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their shouting. 15I am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King. 16Thus saith the LORD, who maketh a way in the sea, And a path in the mighty waters; 17Who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power— They lie down together, they shall not rise, They are extinct, they are quenched as a wick: 18Remember ye not the former things, Neither consider the things of old. 19Behold, I will do a new thing; Now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, And rivers in the desert. 20The beasts of the field shall honour Me, The jackals and the ostriches; Because I give waters in the wilderness, And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, Mine elect; 21The people which I formed for Myself, That they might tell of My praise. 22Yet thou hast not called upon Me, O Jacob, Neither hast thou wearied thyself about Me, O Israel. 23Thou hast not brought Me the small cattle of thy burnt- offerings; Neither hast thou honoured Me with thy sacrifices. I have not burdened thee with a meal-offering, Nor wearied thee with frankincense. 24Thou hast bought Me no sweet cane with money, Neither hast thou satisfied Me with the fat of thy sacrifices; But thou hast burdened Me with thy sins, Thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities. 25I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake; And thy sins I will not remember. 26Put Me in remembrance, let us plead together; Declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. 27Thy first father sinned, And thine intercessors have transgressed against Me. 28Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, And I have given Jacob to condemnation, And Israel to reviling. Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen; 2Thus saith the LORD that made thee, And formed thee from the womb, who will help thee: Fear not, O Jacob My servant, And thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, And streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, And My blessing upon thine offspring; 4And they shall spring up among the grass, As willows by the watercourses. 5One shall say: ‘I am the LORD’S’; And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; And another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, And surname himself by the name of Israel. 6Thus saith the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer the LORD of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, And beside Me there is no God. 7And who, as I, can proclaim— Let him declare it, and set it in order for Me— Since I appointed the ancient people? And the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare. 8Fear ye not, neither be afraid; Have I not announced unto thee of old, and declared it? And ye are My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? Yea, there is no Rock; I know not any. 9They that fashion a graven image are all of them vanity, And their delectable things shall not profit; And their own witnesses see not, nor know; That they may be ashamed. 10Who hath fashioned a god, or molten an image 44 That is profitable for nothing? 11Behold, all the fellows thereof shall be ashamed; And the craftsmen skilled above men; Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; They shall fear, they shall be ashamed together. 12The smith maketh an axe, And worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, And worketh it with his strong arm; Yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth; He drinketh no water, and is faint. 13The carpenter stretcheth out a line; He marketh it out with a pencil; He fitteth it with planes, And he marketh it out with the compasses, And maketh it after the figure of a man, According to the beauty of a man, to dwell in the house. 14He heweth him down cedars, And taketh the ilex and the oak, And strengtheneth for himself one among the trees of the forest; He planteth a bay-tree, and the rain doth nourish it. 15Then a man useth it for fuel; And he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself; Yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; Yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; He maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. 16He burneth the half thereof in the fire; With the half thereof he eateth flesh; He roasteth roast, and is satisfied; Yea, he warmeth himself, and saith: ‘Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire’; 17And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image; He falleth down unto it and worshippeth, and prayeth unto it, And saith: ‘Deliver me, for thou art my god.’ 18They know not, neither do they understand; For their eyes are bedaubed, that they cannot see, And their hearts, that they cannot understand. 19And none considereth in his heart, Neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say: ‘I have burned the half of it in the fire; Yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh and eaten it; And shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?’ 20He striveth after ashes, A deceived heart hath turned him aside, That he cannot deliver his soul, nor say: ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?’ 21Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for thou art My servant; I have formed thee, thou art Mine own servant; O Israel, thou shouldest not forget Me. 22I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, And, as a cloud, thy sins; Return unto Me, for I have redeemed thee. 23Sing, O ye heavens, for the LORD hath done it; Shout, ye lowest parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein; For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, And doth glorify Himself in Israel. 24Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, And He that formed thee from the womb: I am the LORD, that maketh all things; That stretched forth the heavens alone; That spread abroad the earth by Myself; 25That frustrateth the tokens of the imposters, And maketh diviners mad; That turneth wise men backward, And maketh their knowledge foolish; 26That confirmeth the word of His servant, And performeth the counsel of His messengers; That saith of Jerusalem: ‘She shall be inhabited’; And of the cities of Judah: ‘They shall be built, And I will raise up the waste places thereof’; 27That saith to the deep: ‘Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers’; 28That saith of Cyrus: ‘He is My shepherd, And shall perform all My pleasure’; Even saying of Jerusalem: ‘She shall be built’; And to the temple: ‘My foundation shall be laid.’ Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, To subdue nations before him, And to loose the loins of kings; To open the doors before him, And that the gates may not be shut: 2I will go before thee, And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the doors of brass, And cut in sunder the bars of iron; 3And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, And hidden riches of secret places, That thou mayest know that I am the LORD, 45 Who call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel. 4For the sake of Jacob My servant, And Israel Mine elect, I have called thee by thy name, I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. 5I am the LORD, and there is none else, Beside Me there is no God; I have girded thee, though thou hast not known Me; 6That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, That there is none beside Me; I am the LORD; and there is none else; 7I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am the LORD, that doeth all these things. 8Drop down, ye heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, that they may bring forth salvation, And let her cause righteousness to spring up together; I the LORD have created it. 9Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker, As a potsherd with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it: ‘What makest thou?’ Or: ‘Thy work, it hath no hands’? 10Woe unto him that saith unto his father.’ Wherefore begettest thou?’ Or to a woman: ‘Wherefore travailest thou?’ 11Thus saith the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask Me of the things that are to come; Concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands, command ye Me. 12I, even I, have made the earth, And created man upon it; I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, And all their host have I commanded. 13I have roused him up in victory, And I make level all his ways; He shall build My city, And he shall let Mine exiles go free, Not for price nor reward, Saith the LORD of hosts. 14Thus saith the LORD: The labour of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine; They shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; And they shall fall down unto thee, They shall make supplication unto thee: Surely God is in thee, and there is none else, There is no other God. 15Verily Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. 16They shall be ashamed, yea, confounded, all of them; They shall go in confusion together that are makers of idols. 17O Israel, that art saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; Ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. 18For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens, He is God; That formed the earth and made it, He established it, He created it not a waste, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD, and there is none else. 19I have not spoken in secret, In a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob: ‘Seek ye Me in vain’; I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 20Assemble yourselves and come, draw near together, Ye that are escaped of the nations; They have no knowledge that carry the wood of their graven image, And pray unto a god that cannot save. 21Declare ye, and bring them near, Yea, let them take counsel together: Who hath announced this from ancient time, And declared it of old? Have not I the LORD? And there is no God else beside Me, A just God and a Saviour; There is none beside Me. 22Look unto Me, and be ye saved, All the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is none else. 23By Myself have I sworn, The word is gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, And shall not come back, That unto Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall swear. 24Only in the LORD, shall one say of Me, is victory and strength; Even to Him shall men come in confusion, All they that were incensed against Him. 25In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel Be justified, and shall glory. Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth; Their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle; The things that ye carried about are made a load, A burden to the weary beast. 2They stoop, they bow down together, They could not deliver the burden; 46 And themselves are gone into captivity. 3Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, That are borne [by Me] from the birth, That are carried from the womb: 4Even to old age I am the same, And even to hoar hairs will I carry you; I have made, and I will bear; Yea, I will carry, and will deliver. 5To whom will ye liken Me, and make Me equal, And compare Me, that we may be like? 6Ye that lavish gold out of the bag, And weigh silver in the balance; Ye that hire a goldsmith, that he make it a god, To fall down thereto, yea, to worship. 7He is borne upon the shoulder, he is carried, And set in his place, and he standeth, From his place he doth not remove; Yea, though one cry unto him, he cannot answer, Nor save him out of his trouble. 8Remember this, and stand fast; Bring it to mind, O ye transgressors. 9Remember the former things of old: That I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me; 10Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done; Saying: ‘My counsel shall stand, And all My pleasure will I do’; 11Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My counsel from a far country; Yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass, I have purposed, I will also do it. 12Hearken unto Me, ye stout- hearted, That are far from righteousness: 13I bring near My righteousness, it shall not be far off, And My salvation shall not tarry; And I will place salvation in Zion For Israel My glory. Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For thou shalt no more be called Tender and delicate. 2Take the millstones, and grind meal; Remove thy veil, Strip off the train, uncover the leg, Pass through the rivers. 3Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, 47 Yea, thy shame shall be seen; I will take vengeance, And will let no man intercede. 4Our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel. 5Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For thou shalt no more be called The mistress of kingdoms. 6I was wroth with My people, I profaned Mine inheritance, And gave them into thy hand; Thou didst show them no mercy; Upon the aged hast thou very heavily Laid thy yoke. 7And thou saidst: ‘For ever shall I be mistress’; So that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, Neither didst remember the end thereof. 8Now therefore hear this, thou that art given to pleasures, That sittest securely, That sayest in thy heart: ‘I am, and there is none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, Neither shall I know the loss of children’; 9But these two things shall come to thee in a moment In one day, the loss of children, and widow-hood; In their full measure shall they come upon thee, For the multitude of thy sorceries, And the great abundance of thine enchantments. 10And thou hast been secure in thy wickedness, Thou hast said: ‘None seeth me’; Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, It hath perverted thee; And thou hast said in thy heart. ’I am, and there is none else beside me.’ 11Yet shall evil came upon thee; Thou shalt not know how to charm it away; And calamity shall fall upon thee; Thou shalt not be able to put it away; And ruin shall come upon thee suddenly, Before thou knowest. 12Stand now with thine enchantments, And with the multitude of thy sorceries, Wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; If so be thou shalt be able to profit, If so be thou mayest prevail. 13Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, The monthly prognosticators, Stand up, and save thee From the things that shall come upon thee. 14Behold, they shall be as stubble; The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to warm at, Nor a fire to sit before. 15Thus shall they be unto thee With whom thou hast laboured; They that have trafficked with thee from thy youth Shall wander every one to his quarter; There shall be none to save thee. Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, Who are called by the name of Israel, And are come forth out of the fountain of Judah; Who swear by the name of the LORD, And make mention of the God of Israel, But not in truth, nor in righteousness. 2For they call themselves of the holy city, And stay themselves upon the God of Israel, The LORD of hosts is His name. 3I have declared the former things from of old; Yea, they went forth out of My mouth, and I announced them; Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. 4Because I knew that thou art obstinate, And thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; 5Therefore I have declared it to thee from of old; Before it came to pass I announced it to thee; Lest thou shouldest say: ‘Mine idol hath done them, And my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.’ 6Thou hast heard, see, all this; And ye, will ye not declare it? I have announced unto thee new things from this time, Even hidden things, which thou hast not known. 7They are created now, and not from of old, And before this day thou heardest them not; Lest thou shouldest say: ‘Behold, I knew them.’ 8Yea, thou heardest not; Yea, thou knewest not; Yea, from of old thine ear was not opened; For I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, And wast called a transgressor from the womb. 9For My name’s sake will I defer Mine anger, And for My praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. 10Behold, I have refined thee, but not as silver; 48 I have tried thee in the furnace of affliction. 11For Mine own sake, for Mine own sake, will I do it; For how should it be profaned? And My glory will I not give to another. 12Hearken unto Me, O Jacob, And Israel My called: I am He; I am the first, I also am the last. 13Yea, My hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand hath spread out the heavens; When I call unto them, They stand up together. 14Assemble yourselves, all ye, and hear; Which among them hath declared these things? He whom the LORD loveth shall perform His pleasure on Babylon, And show His arm on the Chaldeans. 15I, even I, have spoken, yea, I have called him; I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. 16Come ye near unto Me, hear ye this: From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; From the time that it was, there am I; And now the Lord GOD hath sent me, and His spirit. 17Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD thy God, Who teacheth thee for thy profit, Who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. 18Oh that thou wouldest hearken to My commandments! Then would thy peace be as a river, And thy righteousness as the waves of the sea; 19Thy seed also would be as the sand, And the offspring of thy body like the grains thereof; His name would not be cut off Nor destroyed from before Me. 20Go ye forth from Babylon, Flee ye from the Chaldeans; With a voice of singing Declare ye, tell this, Utter it even to the end of the earth; Say ye: ‘The LORD hath redeemed His servant Jacob. 21And they thirsted not When He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; He cleaved the rock also, and the waters gushed out.’ 22There is no peace, Saith the LORD concerning the wicked. Listen, O isles, unto me, And hearken, ye peoples, from far: The LORD hath called me from the womb, From the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name; 2And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand hath He hid me; And He hath made me a polished shaft, In His quiver hath He concealed me; 3And He said unto me: ‘Thou art My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ 4But I said: ‘I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; Yet surely my right is with the LORD, And my recompense with my God.’ 5And now saith the LORD That formed me from the womb to be His servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, And that Israel be gathered unto Him— For I am honourable in the eyes of the LORD, And my God is become my strength— 6Yea, He saith: ‘It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be My servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the offspring of Israel; I will also give thee for a light of the nations, That My salvation may be unto the end of the earth.’ 7Thus saith the LORD, The Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, To him who is despised of men, To him who is abhorred of nations, To a servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, Princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; Because of the LORD that is faithful, Even the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee. 8Thus saith the LORD: In an acceptable time have I answered thee, And in a day of salvation have I helped thee; And I will preserve thee, and give thee For a covenant of the people, To raise up the land, To cause to inherit the desolate heritages; 9Saying to the prisoners: ‘Go forth’; To them that are in darkness: ‘Show yourselves’; They shall feed in the ways, And in all high hills shall be their pasture; 10They shall not hunger nor thirst, Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them; 49 For He that hath compassion on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water will He guide them. 11And I will make all My mountains a way, And My highways shall be raised on high. 12Behold, these shall come from far; And, lo, these from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Sinim. 13Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, And break forth into singing, O mountains; For the LORD hath comforted His people, And hath compassion upon His afflicted. 14But Zion said: ‘The LORD hath forsaken me, And the Lord hath forgotten me.’ 15Can a woman forget her sucking child, That she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, these may forget, Yet will not I forget thee. 16Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; Thy walls are continually before Me. 17Thy children make haste; Thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee. 18Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: All these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, Thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, And gird thyself with them, like a bride. 19For thy waste and thy desolate places And thy land that hath been destroyed— Surely now shalt thou be too strait for the inhabitants, And they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. 20The children of thy bereavement Shall yet say in thine ears: ‘The place is too strait for me; Give place to me that I may dwell.’ 21Then shalt thou say in thy heart: ‘Who hath begotten me these, Seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, An exile, and wandering to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; These, where were they?’ 22Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, And set up Mine ensign to the peoples, And they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, And thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. 23And kings shall be thy foster- fathers, And their queens thy nursing mothers; They shall bow down to thee with their face to the earth, And lick the dust of thy feet; And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, For they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me. 24Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the victorious be delivered? 25But thus saith the LORD: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; And I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, And I will save thy children. 26And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; And they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine; And all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour, And thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Thus saith the LORD: Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, Wherewith I have put her away? Or which of My creditors is it To whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were ye sold, And for your transgressions was your mother put away. 2Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? When I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish become foul, because there is no water, And die for thirst. 3I clothe the heavens with blackness, And I make sackcloth their covering. 4The Lord GOD hath given me The tongue of them that are taught, That I should know how to sustain with words him that is weary; He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear To hear as they that are taught. 5The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, And I was not rebellious, Neither turned away backward. 6I gave my back to the smiters, And my checks to them that plucked off the hair; 50 I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 7For the Lord GOD will help me; Therefore have I not been confounded; Therefore have I set my face like a flint, And I know that I shall not be ashamed. 8He is near that justifieth me; Who will contend with me? let us stand up together; Who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. 9Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; Who is he that shall condemn me? Behold, they all shall wax old as a garment, The moth shall eat them up. 10Who is among you that feareth the LORD, That obeyeth the voice of His servant? Though he walketh in darkness, And hath no light, Let him trust in the name of the LORD, And stay upon his God. 11Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, That gird yourselves with firebrands, Begone in the flame of your fire, And among the brands that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of My hand; Ye shall lie down in sorrow. Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, Ye that seek the LORD; Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, And to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged. 2Look unto Abraham your father, And unto Sarah that bore you; For when he was but one I called him, And I blessed him, and made him many. 3For the LORD hath comforted Zion; He hath comforted all her waste places, And hath made her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness shall be found therein, Thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. 4Attend unto Me, O My people, And give ear unto Me, O My nation; For instruction shall go forth from Me, And My right on a sudden for a light of the peoples. 5My favour is near, My salvation is gone forth, And Mine arms shall judge the peoples; The isles shall wait for Me, And on Mine arm shall they trust. 6Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look upon the earth beneath; 51 For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, And the earth shall wax old like a garment, And they that dwell therein shall die in like manner; But My salvation shall be for ever, And My favour shall not be abolished. 7Hearken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, The people in whose heart is My law; Fear ye not the taunt of men, Neither be ye dismayed at their revilings. 8For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, And the worm shall eat them like wool; But My favour shall be for ever, And My salvation unto all generations. 9Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; Awake, as in the days of old, The generations of ancient times. Art thou not it that hewed Rahab in pieces, That pierced the dragon? 10Art thou not it that dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a way For the redeemed to pass over? 11And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come with singing unto Zion, And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; They shall obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12I, even I, am He that comforteth you: Who art thou, that thou art afraid of man that shall die, And of the son of man that shall be made as grass; 13And hast forgotten the LORD thy Maker, That stretched forth the heavens, And laid the foundations of the earth; And fearest continually all the day Because of the fury of the oppressor, As he maketh ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor? 14He that is bent down shall speedily be loosed; And he shall not go down dying into the pit, Neither shall his bread fail. 15For I am the LORD thy God, Who stirreth up the sea, that the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is His name. 16And I have put My words in thy mouth, And have covered thee in the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, And lay the foundations of the earth, And say unto Zion: ‘Thou art My people.’ 17Awake, awake, Stand up, O Jerusalem, That hast drunk at the hand of the LORD The cup of His fury; Thou hast drunken the beaker, even the cup of staggering, And drained it. 18There is none to guide her Among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; Neither is there any that taketh her by the hand Of all the sons that she hath brought up. 19These two things are befallen thee; Who shall bemoan thee? Desolation and destruction, And the famine and the sword; How shall I comfort thee? 20Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, As an antelope in a net; They are full of the fury of the LORD, The rebuke of thy God. 21Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, And drunken, but not with wine; 22Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, And thy God that pleadeth the cause of His people: Behold, I have taken out of thy hand The cup of staggering; The beaker, even the cup of My fury, Thou shalt no more drink it again; 23And I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; That have said to thy soul: ‘Bow down, that we may go over’; And thou hast laid thy back as the ground, And as the street, to them that go over. Awake, awake, Put on thy strength, O Zion; Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; For henceforth there shall no more come into thee The uncircumcised and the unclean. 2Shake thyself from the dust; Arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem; Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3For thus saith the LORD: Ye were sold for nought; And ye shall be redeemed without money. 4For thus saith the Lord GOD: My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; And the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5Now therefore, what do I here, saith the LORD, Seeing that My people is taken away for nought? 52 They that rule over them do howl, saith the LORD, And My name continually all the day is blasphemed. 6Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day That I, even He that spoke, behold, here I am. 7How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of the messenger of good tidings, That announceth peace, the harbinger of good tidings, That announceth salvation; That saith unto Zion: ‘Thy God reigneth! ’ 8Hark, thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, Together do they sing; For they shall see, eye to eye, The LORD returning to Zion. 9Break forth into joy, sing together, Ye waste places of Jerusalem; For the LORD hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10The LORD hath made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God. 11Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, Touch no unclean thing; Go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, Ye that bear the vessels of the LORD. 12For ye shall not go out in haste, Neither shall ye go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rearward. 13Behold, My servant shall prosper, He shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14According as many were appalled at thee— So marred was his visage unlike that of a man, And his form unlike that of the sons of men— 15So shall he startle many nations, Kings shall shut their mouths because of him; For that which had not been told them shall they see, And that which they had not heard shall they perceive. ’Who would have believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2For he shot up right forth as a sapling, And as a root out of a dry ground; He had no form nor comeliness, that we should look upon him, Nor beauty that we should delight in him. 3He was despised, and forsaken of men, 53 A man of pains, and acquainted with disease, And as one from whom men hide their face: He was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; Whereas we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded because of our transgressions, He was crushed because of our iniquities: The chastisement of our welfare was upon him, And with his stripes we were healed. 6All we like sheep did go astray, We turned every one to his own way; And the LORD hath made to light on him The iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed, though he humbled himself And opened not his mouth; As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, And as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb; Yea, he opened not his mouth. 8By oppression and judgment he was taken away, And with his generation who did reason? For he was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due. 9And they made his grave with the wicked, And with the rich his tomb; Although he had done no violence, Neither was any deceit in his mouth.’ 10Yet it pleased the LORD to crush him by disease; To see if his soul would offer itself in restitution, That he might see his seed, prolong his days, And that the purpose of the LORD might prosper by his hand: 11Of the travail of his soul he shall see to the full, even My servant, Who by his knowledge did justify the Righteous One to the many, And their iniquities he did bear. 12Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great, And he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; Because he bared his soul unto death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet he bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail; 54 For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. 2Enlarge the place of thy tent, And let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not; Lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. 3For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; And thy seed shall possess the nations, And make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 4Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed. Neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame; For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, And the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. 5For thy Maker is thy husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer, The God of the whole earth shall He be called. 6For the LORD hath called thee As a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit; And a wife of youth, can she be rejected? Saith thy God. 7For a small moment have I forsaken thee; But with great compassion will I gather thee. 8In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; But with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on thee, Saith the LORD thy Redeemer. 9For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me; For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah Should no more go over the earth, So have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, Nor rebuke thee. 10For the mountains may depart, And the hills be removed; But My kindness shall not depart from thee, Neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, Saith the LORD that hath compass- sion on thee. 11O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, And not comforted, Behold, I will set thy stones in fair colours, And lay thy foundations with sapphires. 12And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, And thy gates of carbuncles, And all thy border of precious stones. 13And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; And great shall be the peace of thy children. 14In righteousness shalt thou be established; Be thou far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear, And from ruin, for it shall not come near thee. 15Behold, they may gather together, but not by Me; Whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. 16Behold, I have created the smith That bloweth the fire of coals, And bringeth forth a weapon for his work; And I have created the waster to destroy. 17No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; And every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their due reward from Me, saith the LORD. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye for water, And he that hath no money; Come ye, buy, and eat; Yea, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. 2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your gain for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, And let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3Incline your ear, and come unto Me; Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, Even the sure mercies of David. 4Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, A prince and commander to the peoples. 5Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, And a nation that knew not thee shall run unto thee; Because of the LORD thy God, And for the Holy One of Israel, for He hath glorified thee. 6Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, Call ye upon Him while He is near; 7Let the wicked forsake his way, And the man of iniquity his thoughts; And let him return unto the LORD, and He will have compassion upon him, And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon 8For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 55 So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, And returneth not thither, Except it water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, And give seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: It shall not return unto Me void, Except it accomplish that which I please, And make the thing whereto I sent it prosper. 12For ye shall go out with joy, And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; And it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Thus saith the LORD: Keep ye justice, and do righteousness; For My salvation is near to come, And My favour to be revealed. 2Happy is the man that doeth this, And the son of man that holdeth fast by it: That keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, And keepeth his hand from doing any evil. 3Neither let the alien, That hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying: ‘The LORD will surely separate me from His people’; Neither let the eunuch say: ‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’ 4For thus saith the LORD Concerning the eunuchs that keep My sabbaths, And choose the things that please Me, And hold fast by My covenant: 5Even unto them will I give in My house And within My walls a monument and a memorial Better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting memorial, That shall not be cut off. 6Also the aliens, that join themselves to the LORD, to minister unto Him, And to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, Every one that keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, And holdeth fast by My covenant: 7Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, 56 And make them joyful in My house of prayer; Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices Shall be acceptable upon Mine altar; For My house shall be called A house of prayer for all peoples. 8Saith the Lord GOD who gathereth the dispersed of Israel: Yet I will gather others to him, beside those of him that are gathered. 9All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, Yea, all ye beasts in the forest. 10His watchmen are all blind, Without knowledge; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Raving, lying down, loving to slumber. 11Yea, the dogs are greedy, They know not when they have enough; And these are shepherds That cannot understand; They all turn to their own way, Each one to his gain, one and all. 12’Come ye, I will fetch wine, And we will fill ourselves with strong drink; And to-morrow shall be as this day, And much more abundant.’ The righteous perisheth, And no man layeth it to heart, And godly men are taken away, None considering That the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. 2He entereth into peace, They rest in their beds, Each one that walketh in his uprightness. 3But draw near hither, Ye sons of the sorceress, The seed of the adulterer and the harlot. 4Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom make ye a wide mouth, And draw out the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, A seed of falsehood, 5Ye that inflame yourselves among the terebinths, Under every leafy tree; That slay the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks? 6Among the smooth stones of the valley is thy portion; They, they are thy lot; Even to them hast thou poured a drink-offering, Thou hast offered a meal-offering. Should I pacify Myself for these things? 7Upon a high and lofty mountain Hast thou set thy bed; Thither also wentest thou up To offer sacrifice. 8And behind the doors and the posts Hast thou set up thy symbol; For thou hast uncovered, and art gone up from Me, 57 Thou hast enlarged thy bed, And chosen thee of them Whose bed thou lovedst, Whose hand thou sawest. 9And thou wentest to the king with ointment, And didst increase thy perfumes, And didst send thine ambassadors far off, Even down to the nether-world. 10Thou wast wearied with the length of thy way; yet saidst thou not: ‘There is no hope’; thou didst find a renewal of thy strength, therefore thou wast not affected. 11And of whom hast thou been afraid and in fear, that thou wouldest fail? And as for Me, thou hast not remembered Me, nor laid it to thy heart. Have not I held My peace even of long time? Therefore thou fearest Me not. 12I will declare thy righteousness; thy works also—they shall not profit thee. 13When thou criest, let them that thou hast gathered deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away, a breath shall bear them off; but he that taketh refuge in Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain. 14And He will say: Cast ye up, cast ye up, clear the way, Take up the stumblingblock out of the way of My people. 15For thus saith the High and Lofty One That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 16For I will not contend for ever, Neither will I be always wroth; For the spirit that enwrappeth itself is from Me, And the souls which I have made. 17For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him, I hid Me and was wroth; And he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. 18I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and requite with comforts him and his mourners. 19Peace, peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near, Saith the LORD that createth the fruit of the lips; And I will heal him. 20But the wicked are like the troubled sea; For it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt. 21There is no peace, Saith my God concerning the wicked. Cry aloud, spare not, Lift up thy voice like a horn, And declare unto My people their transgression, And to the house of Jacob their sins. 2Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways; As a nation that did righteousness, And forsook not the ordinance of their God, They ask of Me righteous ordinances, They delight to draw near unto God. 3’Wherefore have we fasted, and Thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and Thou takest no knowledge?’— Behold, in the day of your fast ye pursue your business, And exact all your labours. 4Behold, ye fast for strife and contention, And to smite with the fist of wickedness; Ye fast not this day So as to make your voice to be heard on high. 5Is such the fast that I have chosen? The day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, And to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD? 6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the fetters of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And that ye break every yoke? 7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, And that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, And that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, And thy healing shall spring forth speedily; And thy righteousness shall go before thee, The glory of the LORD shall be thy rearward. 9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD will answer; Thou shalt cry, and He will say: ‘Here I am.’ If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, The putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedness; 10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, And satisfy the afflicted soul; Then shall thy light rise in darkness, And thy gloom be as the noon-day; 11And the LORD will guide thee continually, And satisfy thy soul in drought, And make strong thy bones; 58 And thou shalt be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places, Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; And thou shalt be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 13If thou turn away thy foot because of the sabbath, From pursuing thy business on My holy day; And call the sabbath a delight, And the holy of the LORD honourable; And shalt honour it, not doing thy wonted ways, Nor pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof; 14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD, And I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, And I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; For the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, Neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear; 2But your iniquities have separated Between you and your God, And your sins have hid His face from you, That He will not hear. 3For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue muttereth wickedness. 4None sueth in righteousness, And none pleadeth in truth; They trust in vanity, and speak lies, They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 5They hatch basilisks’eggs, And weave the spider’s web; He that eateth of their eggs dieth, And that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. 6Their webs shall not become garments, Neither shall men cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And the act of violence is in their hands. 7Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Desolation and destruction are in their paths. 8The way of peace they know not, And there is no right in their goings; They have made them crooked paths, Whosoever goeth therein doth not know peace. 59 9Therefore is justice far from us, Neither doth righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but behold darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom. 10We grope for the wall like the blind, Yea, as they that have no eyes do we grope; We stumble at noonday as in the twilight; We are in dark places like the dead. 11We all growl like bears, And mourn sore like doves; We look for right, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far off from us. 12For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are present to us, And as for our iniquities, we know them: 13Transgressing and denying the LORD, And turning away from following our God, Speaking oppression and perverseness, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14And justice is turned away backward, And righteousness standeth afar off; For truth hath stumbled in the broad place, And uprightness cannot enter. 15And truth is lacking, And he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. And the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice; 16And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation unto Him; And His righteousness, it sustained Him; 17And He put on righteousness as a coat of mail, And a helmet of salvation upon His head, And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. 18According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the islands He will repay recompense. 19So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; For distress will come in like a flood, Which the breath of the LORD driveth. 20And a redeemer will come to Zion, And unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, Saith the LORD. 21And as for Me, this is My covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and My words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever. Arise, shine, for thy light is come, And the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, And gross darkness the peoples; But upon thee the LORD will arise, And His glory shall be seen upon thee. 3And nations shall walk at thy light, And kings at the brightness of thy rising. 4Lift Up thine eyes round about, and see: They all are gathered together, and come to thee; Thy sons come from far, And thy daughters are borne on the side. 5Then thou shalt see and be radiant, And thy heart shall throb and be enlarged; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, The wealth of the nations shall come unto thee. 6The caravan of camels shall cover thee, And of the young camels of Midian and Ephah, All coming from Sheba; They shall bring gold and incense, And shall proclaim the praises of the LORD. 7All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, The rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee; They shall come up with acceptance on Mine altar, And I will glorify My glorious house. 8Who are these that fly as a cloud, And as the doves to their cotes? 9Surely the isles shall wait for Me, And the ships of Tarshish first, To bring thy sons from far, Their silver and their gold with them, For the name of the LORD thy God, And for the Holy One of Israel, because He hath glorified thee. 10And aliens shall build up thy walls, And their kings shall minister unto thee; For in My wrath I smote thee, But in My favour have I had compassion on thee. 60 11Thy gates also shall be open continually, Day and night, they shall not be shut; That men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations, And their kings in procession. 12For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. 13The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, The cypress, the plane-tree and the larch together; To beautify the place of My sanctuary, And I will make the place of My feet glorious. 14And the sons of them that afflicted thee Shall come bending unto thee, And all they that despised thee shall bow down At the soles of thy feet; And they shall call thee The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, So that no man passed through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, A joy of many generations. 16Thou shalt also suck the milk of the nations, And shalt suck the breast of kings; And thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour, And I, the Mighty One of Jacob, thy Redeemer. 17For brass I will bring gold, And for iron I will bring silver, And for wood brass, And for stones iron; I will also make thy officers peace, And righteousness thy magistrates. 18Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, Desolation nor destruction within thy borders; But thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, And thy gates Praise. 19The sun shall be no more thy light by day, Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; But the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, And thy God thy glory. 20Thy sun shall no more go down, Neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; For the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, And the days of thy mourning shall be ended. 21Thy people also shall be all righteous, They shall inherit the land for ever; The branch of My planting, the work of My hands, Wherein I glory. 22The smallest shall become a thousand, And the least a mighty nation; I the LORD will hasten it in its time. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; Because the LORD hath anointed me To bring good tidings unto the humble; He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the eyes to them that are bound; 2To proclaim the year of the LORD’S good pleasure, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all that mourn; 3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, To give unto them a garland for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they might be called terebinths of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, wherein He might glory. 4And they shall build the old wastes, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall renew the waste cities, The desolations of many generations. 5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And aliens shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6But ye shall be named the priests of the LORD, Men shall call you the ministers of our God; Ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, And in their splendour shall ye revel. 7For your shame which was double, And for that they rejoiced: ‘Confusion is their portion’; Therefore in their land they shall possess double, Everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; And I will give them their recompense in truth, And I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9And their seed shall be known among the nations, And their offspring among the peoples; All that see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. 10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, 61 He hath covered me with the robe of victory, As a bridegroom putteth on a priestly diadem, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11For as the earth bringeth forth her growth, And as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; So the Lord GOD will cause victory and glory To spring forth before all the nations. For Zion’s sake will I not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, Until her triumph go forth as brightness, And her salvation as a torch that burneth. 2And the nations shall see thy triumph, And all kings thy glory; And thou shalt be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD shall mark out. 3Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem in the open hand of thy God. 4Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken, Neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; But thou shalt be called, My delight is in her, And thy land, Espoused; For the LORD delighteth in thee, And thy land shall be espoused. 5For as a young man espouseth a virgin, So shall thy sons espouse thee; And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, So shall thy God rejoice over thee. 6I have set watchmen Upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, They shall never hold their peace Day nor night: ‘Ye that are the LORD’S remembrancers, Take ye no rest, 7And give Him no rest, Till He establish, And till He make Jerusalem A praise in the earth.’ 8The LORD hath sworn by His right hand, And by the arm of His strength: Surely I will no more give thy corn To be food for thine enemies; And strangers shall not drink thy wine, For which thou hast laboured; 9But they that have garnered it shall eat it, And praise the LORD, And they that have gathered it shall drink it In the courts of My sanctuary. 10Go through, go through the gates, 62 Clear ye the way of the people; Cast up, cast up the highway, Gather out the stones; Lift up an ensign over the peoples. 11Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed Unto the end of the earth: Say ye to the daughter of Zion: ‘Behold, thy salvation cometh; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His recompense before Him.’ 12And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD; And thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. ’Who is this that cometh from Edom, With crimsoned garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, Stately in the greatness of his strength?’— ’I that speak in victory, mighty to save.’— 2’Wherefore is Thine apparel red, And Thy garments like his that treadeth in the winevat?’— 3’I have trodden the winepress alone, And of the peoples there was no man with Me; Yea, I trod them in Mine anger, And trampled them in My fury; And their lifeblood is dashed against My garments, And I have stained all My raiment. 4For the day of vengeance that was in My heart, And My year of redemption are come. 5And I looked, and there was none to help, And I beheld in astonishment, and there was none to uphold; Therefore Mine own arm brought salvation unto Me, And My fury, it upheld Me. 6And I trod down the peoples in Mine anger, And made them drunk with My fury, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.’ 7I will make mention of the mercies of the LORD, And the praises of the LORD, According to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us; And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He hath bestowed on them according to His compassions, And according to the multitude of His mercies. 8For He said: ‘Surely, they are My people, Children that will not deal falsely’; So He was their Saviour. 9In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them, and carried them all the days of old. 63 10But they rebelled, and grieved His holy spirit; Therefore He was turned to be their enemy, Himself fought against them. 11Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses: ‘Where is He that brought them up out of the sea With the shepherds of His flock? Where is He that put His holy spirit In the midst of them? 12That caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? That divided the water before them, To make Himself an everlasting name? 13That led them through the deep, As a horse in the wilderness, without stumbling? 14As the cattle that go down into the valley, The spirit of the LORD caused them to rest; So didst Thou lead Thy people, To make Thyself a glorious name.’ 15Look down from heaven, and see, Even from Thy holy and glorious habitation; Where is Thy zeal and Thy mighty acts, The yearning of Thy heart and Thy compassions, Now restrained toward me? 16For Thou art our Father; For Abraham knoweth us not, And Israel doth not acknowledge us; Thou, O LORD, art our Father, Our Redeemer from everlasting is Thy name. 17O LORD, why dost Thou make us to err from Thy ways, And hardenest our heart from Thy fear? Return for Thy servants’sake, The tribes of Thine inheritance. 18Thy holy people they have well nigh driven out, Our adversaries have trodden down Thy sanctuary. 19We are become as they over whom Thou never borest rule, As they that were not called by Thy name. Oh, that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, That the mountains might quake at Thy presence, As when fire kindleth the brush-wood, And the fire causeth the waters to boil; To make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, That the nations might tremble at Thy presence, 2When Thou didst tremendous things Which we looked not for— Oh that Thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might quake at Thy presence!— 3And whereof from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, 64 Neither hath the eye seen a God beside Thee, Who worketh for him that waiteth for Him. 4Thou didst take away him that joyfully worked righteousness, Those that remembered Thee in Thy ways— Behold, Thou wast wroth, and we sinned— Upon them have we stayed of old, that we might be saved. 5And we are all become as one that is unclean, And all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment; And we all do fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 6And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, That stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee; For Thou hast hid Thy face from us, And hast consumed us by means of our iniquities. 7But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; We are the clay, and Thou our potter, And we all are the work of Thy hand. 8Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, Neither remember iniquity for ever; Behold, look, we beseech Thee, we are all Thy people. 9Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 10Our holy and our beautiful house, Where our fathers praised Thee, Is burned with fire; And all our pleasant things are laid waste. 11Wilt Thou refrain Thyself for these things, O LORD? Wilt Thou hold Thy peace, and afflict us very sore? 65 I gave access to them that asked not for Me, I was at hand to them that sought Me not; I said: ‘Behold Me, behold Me’, Unto a nation that was not called by My name. 2I have spread out My hands all the day Unto a rebellious people, That walk in a way that is not good, After their own thoughts; 3A people that provoke Me To My face continually, That sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense upon bricks; 4That sit among the graves, And lodge in the vaults; That eat swine’s flesh, And broth of abominable things is in their vessels; 5That say: ‘Stand by thyself, Come not near to me, for I am holier than thou’; These are a smoke in My nose, A fire that burneth all the day. 6Behold, it is written before Me; I will not keep silence, except I have requited, Yea, I will requite into their bosom, 7Your own iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, Saith the LORD, that have offered upon the mountains, And blasphemed Me upon the hills; Therefore will I first measure their wage into their bosom. 8Thus saith the LORD: As, when wine is found in the cluster, One saith: ‘Destroy it not, For a blessing is in it’; So will I do for My servants’ sakes, That I may not destroy all. 9And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, And out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains; And Mine elect shall inherit it, And My servants shall dwell there. 10And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, And the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in, For My people that have sought Me; 11But ye that forsake the LORD, That forget My holy mountain, That prepare a table for Fortune, And that offer mingled wine in full measure unto Destiny, 12I will destine you to the sword, And ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; Because when I called, ye did not answer, Ehen I spoke, ye did not hear; But ye did that which was evil in Mine eyes, And chose that wherein I delighted not. 13Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, My servants shall eat, But ye shall be hungry; Behold, My servants shall drink, But ye shall be thirsty; Behold, My servants shall rejoice, But ye shall be ashamed; 14Behold, My servants shall sing For joy of heart, But ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, And shall wail for vexation of spirit. 15And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto Mine elect: ‘So may the Lord GOD slay thee’; But He shall call His servants by another name; 16So that he who blesseth himself in the earth Shall bless himself by the God of truth; And he that sweareth in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hid from Mine eyes. 17For, behold, I create new heavens And a new earth; And the former things shall not be remembered, Nor come into mind. 18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever In that which I create; For, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, And her people a joy. 19And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; And the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, Nor the voice of crying. 20There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man, That hath not filled his days; For the youngest shall die a hundred years old, And the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. 21And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; And they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22They shall not build, and another inhabit, They shall not plant, and another eat; For as the days of a tree shall be the days of My people, And Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23They shall not labour in vain, Nor bring forth for terror; For they are the seed blessed of the LORD, And their offspring with them. 24And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer, And while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, And the lion shall eat straw like the ox; And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, Saith the LORD. 66 Thus saith the LORD: The heaven is My throne, And the earth is My footstool; Where is the house that ye may build unto Me? And where is the place that may be My resting-place? 2For all these things hath My hand made, And so all these things came to be, Saith the LORD; But on this man will I look, Even on him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, And trembleth at My word. 3He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; He that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he broke a dog’s neck; He that offereth a meal-offering, as if he offered swine’s blood; He that maketh a memorial-offering of frankincense, as if he blessed an idol; According as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delighteth in their abominations; 4Even so I will choose their mockings, And will bring their fears upon them; Because when I called, none did answer; When I spoke, they did not hear, But they did that which was evil in Mine eyes, And chose that in which I delighted not. 5Hear the word of the LORD, Ye that tremble at His word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for My name’s sake, have said: ‘Let the LORD be glorified, That we may gaze upon your joy’, But they shall be ashamed. 6Hark! an uproar from the city, Hark! it cometh from the temple, Hark! the LORD rendereth recompense to His enemies. 7Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pain came, She was delivered of a man-child. 8Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Is a land born in one day? Is a nation brought forth at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, She brought forth her children. 9Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? Saith the LORD; Shall I that cause to bring forth shut the womb? Saith thy God. 10Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all ye that love her; Rejoice for joy with her, All ye that mourn for her; 11That ye may suck, and be satisfied With the breast of her consolations; That ye may drink deeply with delight Of the abundance of her glory. 12For thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river. And the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream, And ye shall suck thereof: Ye shall be borne upon the side, And shall be dandled upon the knees. 13As one whom his mother comforteth, So will I comfort you; And ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall flourish like young grass; And the hand of the LORD shall be known toward His servants, And He will have indignation against His enemies. 15For, behold, the LORD will come in fire, And His chariots shall be like the whirlwind; To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. 16For by fire will the LORD contend, And by His sword with all flesh; And the slain of the LORD shall be many. 17They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves To go unto the gardens, Behind one in the midst, Eating swine’s flesh, and the detestable thing, and the mouse, Shall be consumed together, saith the LORD. 18For I [know] their works and their thoughts; [the time] cometh, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and shall see My glory. 19And I will work a sign among them, and I will send such as escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the nations. 20And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an offering unto the LORD, upon horses, and in chariots, and in fitters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to My holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring their offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. 21And of them also will I take for the priests and for the Levites, saith the LORD. 22For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23And it shall come to pass, That from one new moon to another, And from one sabbath to another, Shall all flesh come to worship before Me, Saith the LORD. 24And they shall go forth, and look Upon the carcasses of the men that have rebelled against Me; For their worm shall not die, Neither shall their fire be quenched; And they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. And it shall come to pass, That from one new moon to another, And from one sabbath to another, Shall all flesh come to worship before Me, Saith the Lord. ..... JEREMIAH 1 THE WORDS of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. 4And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, And before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations. 6Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child.’ 7But the LORD said unto me: Say not: I am a child; For to whomsoever I shall send thee thou shalt go, And whatsoever I shall command thee thou shalt speak. 8Be not afraid of them; For I am with thee to deliver thee, Saith the LORD. 9Then the LORD put forth His hand, and touched my mouth; and the LORD said unto me: Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth; 10See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, And to destroy and to overthrow; To build, and to plant. 11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: ‘Jeremiah, what seest thou?’ And I said: ‘I see a rod of an aalmond-tree.’ 12Then said the LORD unto me: ‘Thou hast well seen; for I bwatch over My word to perform it.’ a Heb. shaked. b Heb. shoked 13And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying: ‘What seest thou?’ And I said: ‘I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is from the north.’ 14Then the LORD said unto me: ‘Out of the north the evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. 16And I will utter My judgments against them touching all their wickedness; in that they have forsaken me, and have offered unto other gods, and worshipped the work of their own hands. 17Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee; be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay thee before them. 18For, behold, I have made thee this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. 19And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.’ And the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 2Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: Thus saith the LORD: I remember for thee the affection of thy youth, The love of thine espousals; How thou wentest after Me in the wilderness, In a land that was not sown. 3Israel is the LORD’S hallowed portion, His first-fruits of the increase; All that devour him shall be held guilty, Evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD. 4Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, And all the families of the house of Israel; 5Thus saith the LORD: What unrighteousness have your fathers found in Me, That they are gone far from Me, And have walked after things of nought, and are become nought? 6Neither said they: ‘Where is the LORD that brought us up Out of the land of Egypt; That led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and of pits, Through a land of drought and of the shadow of death, Through a land that no man passed through, And where no man dwelt?’ 7And I brought you into a land of fruitful fields, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled My land, and made My heritage an abomination. 8The priests said not: ‘Where is the LORD?’ And they that handle the law knew Me not, And the rulers transgressed against Me; The prophets also prophesied by Baal, 2 And walked after things that do not profit. 9Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, And with your children’s children will I plead. 10For pass over to the isles of the Kittites, and see, And send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, And see if there hath been such a thing. 11Hath a nation changed its gods, Which yet are no gods? But My people hath changed its glory For that which doth not profit. 12Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid, be ye exceeding amazed, Saith the LORD. 13For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, That can hold no water. 14Is Israel a servant? Is he a home-born slave? Why is he become a prey? 15The young lions have roared upon him, And let their voice resound; And they have made his land desolate, His cities are laid waste, Without inhabitant. 16The children also of Noph and Tahpanhes Feed upon the crown of thy head. 17Is it not this that doth cause it unto thee, That thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, When He led thee by the way? 18And now what hast thou to do in the way to Egypt, To drink the waters of Shihor? Or what hast thou to do in the way to Assyria, To drink the waters of the River? 19Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, And thy backslidings shall reprove thee: Know therefore and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing, That thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, Neither is My fear in thee, Saith the Lord GOD of hosts. 20For of old time I have broken thy yoke, And burst thy bands, And thou saidst: ‘I will not transgress’; Upon every high hill And under every leafy tree Thou didst recline, playing the harlot. 21Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, Wholly a right seed; How then art thou turned into the degenerate plant Of a strange vine unto Me? 22For though thou wash thee with nitre, And take thee much soap, Yet thine iniquity is marked before Me, Saith the Lord GOD. 23How canst thou say: ‘I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baalim’? See thy way in the Valley, Know what thou hast done; Thou art a swift young camel traversing her ways; 24A wild ass used to the wilderness, That snuffeth up the wind in her desire; Her lust, who can hinder it? All they that seek her will not weary themselves; In her month they shall find her. 25Withhold thy foot from being unshod, And thy throat from thirst; But thou saidst: ‘There is no hope; No, for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.’ 26As the thief is ashamed when he is found, So is the house of Israel ashamed; They, their kings, their princes, And their priests, and their prophets; 27Who say to a stock: ‘Thou art my father’, And to a stone: ‘Thou hast brought us forth’, For they have turned their back unto Me, and not their face; But in the time of their trouble they will say: ‘Arise, and save us.’ 28But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble; For according to the number of thy cities Are thy gods, O Judah. 29Wherefore will ye contend with Me? Ye all have transgressed against Me, Saith the LORD. 30In vain have I smitten your children— They received no correction; Your sword hath devoured your prophets, Like a destroying lion. 31O generation, see ye the word of the LORD: Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? Or a land of thick darkness? Wherefore say My people: ‘We roam at large; We will come no more unto Thee’? 32Can a maid forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me Days without number. 33How trimmest thou thy way To seek love! Therefore—even the wicked women Hast thou taught thy ways; 34Also in thy skirts is found the blood Of the souls of the innocent poor; Thou didst not find them breaking in; Yet for all these things 35Thou saidst: ‘I am innocent; Surely His anger is turned away from me’— Behold, I will enter into judgment with thee, Because thou sayest: ‘I have not sinned.’ 36How greatly dost thou cheapen thyself To change thy way? Thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt also, As thou wast ashamed of Asshur. 37From him also shalt thou go forth, With thy hands upon thy head; For the LORD hath rejected them in whom thou didst trust, And thou shalt not prosper in them. . . . saying: If a man put away his wife, And she go from him, And become another man’s, May he return unto her again? Will not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; And wouldest thou yet return to Me? Saith the LORD. 2Lift up thine eyes unto the high hills, and see: Where hast thou not been lain with? By the ways hast thou sat for them, As an Arabian in the wilderness; And thou hast polluted the land With thy harlotries and with thy wickedness. 3Therefore the showers have been withheld, And there hath been no latter rain; Yet thou hadst a harlot’s forehead, Thou refusedst to be ashamed. 4Didst thou not just now cry unto Me: ‘My father, Thou art the friend of my youth. 5Will He bear grudge for ever? Will He keep it to the end?’ Behold, thou hast spoken, but hast done evil things, And hast had thy way. 6And the LORD said unto me in the days of Josiah the king: ‘Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel did? she went up upon every high mountain and under every leafy tree, and there played the harlot. 7And I said: After she hath done all these things, she will return unto me; but she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8And I saw, when, forasmuch as backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorcement, that yet treacherous Judah her sister feared not; but she also went and played the 3 harlot; 9and it came to pass through the lightness of her harlotry, that the land was polluted, and she committed adultery with stones and with stocks; 10and yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not returned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD— 11even the LORD said unto me—backsliding Israel hath proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: Return, thou backsliding Israel, Saith the LORD; I will not frown upon you; For I am merciful, saith the LORD, I will not bear grudge for ever. 13Only acknowledge thine iniquity, That thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, And hast scattered thy ways to the strangers Under every leafy tree, And ye have not hearkened to My voice, Saith the LORD. 14Return, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am a lord unto you, and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion; 15and I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16And it shall come to pass, when ye are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more: The ark of the covenant of the LORD; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they make mention of it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more. 17At that time they shall call Jerusalem The throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem; neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.’ 19But I said: ‘How would I put thee among the sons, And give thee a pleasant land, The goodliest heritage of the nations! ’ And I said: ‘Thou shalt call Me, My father; And shalt not turn away from following Me.’ 20Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, So have ye dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel, Saith the LORD. 21Hark! upon the high hills is heard The suppliant weeping of the children of Israel; For that they have perverted their way, They have forgotten the LORD their God. 22Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings.— ‘Here we are, we are come unto Thee; For Thou art the LORD our God. 23Truly vain have proved the hills, The uproar on the mountains; Truly in the LORD our God Is the salvation of Israel. 24But the shameful thing hath devoured The labour of our fathers from our youth; Their flocks and their herds, Their sons and their daughters. 25Let us lie down in our shame, And let our confusion cover us; For we have sinned against the LORD our God, We and our fathers, From our youth even unto this day; And we have not hearkened To the voice of the LORD our God.’ If thou wilt return, O Israel, Saith the LORD, Yea, return unto Me; And if thou wilt put away thy detestable things out of My sight, And wilt not waver; 2And wilt swear: ‘As the LORD liveth’ In truth, in justice, and in righteousness; Then shall the nations bless themselves by Him, And in Him shall they glory. 3For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Break up for you a fallow ground, And sow not among thorns. 4Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, And take away the foreskins of your heart, Ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Lest My fury go forth like fire, And burn that none can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings. 5Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem, And say: ‘Blow ye the horn in the land’; Cry aloud and say: ‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.’ 6Set up a standard toward Zion; Put yourselves under covert, stay not; For I will bring evil from the north, And a great destruction. 7A lion is gone up from his thicket, And a destroyer of nations Is set out, gone forth from his place; To make thy land desolate, That thy cities be laid waste, without inhabitant. 8For this gird you with sackcloth, Lament and wail; For the fierce anger of the LORD Is not turned back from us. 9And it shall come to pass at that day, Saith the LORD, That the heart of the king shall fail, And the heart of the princes; And the priests shall be astonished, 4 And the prophets shall wonder. 10Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord GOD! surely Thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.’ 11At that time shall it be said of this people and of Jerusalem; A hot wind of the high hills in the wilderness Toward the daughter of My people, Not to fan, nor to cleanse; 12A wind too strong for this shall come for Me; Now will I also utter judgments against them. 13Behold, he cometh up as clouds, And his chariots are as the whirlwind; His horses are swifter than eagles.— ’Woe unto us! for we are undone.’— 14O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, That thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy baleful thoughts Lodge within thee? 15For hark! one declareth from Dan, And announceth calamity from the hills of Ephraim: 16’Make ye mention to the nations: Behold—publish concerning Jerusalem— Watchers come from a far country, And give out their voice against the cities of Judah.’ 17As keepers of a field Are they against her round about; Because she hath been rebellious against Me, Saith the LORD. 18Thy way and thy doings have procured These things unto thee; This is thy wickedness; yea, it is bitter, Yea, it reacheth unto thy heart. 19My bowels, my bowels! I writhe in pain! The chambers of my heart! My heart moaneth within me! I cannot hold my peace! Because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the horn, The alarm of war. 20Destruction followeth upon destruction, For the whole land is spoiled; Suddenly are my tents spoiled, My curtains in a moment. 21How long shall I see the standard, Shall I hear the sound of the horn? 22For My people is foolish, They know Me not; They are sottish children, And they have no understanding; They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowl- edge. 23I beheld the earth, And, lo, it was waste and void; And the heavens, and they had no light. 24I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, And all the hills moved to and fro. 25I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, And all the cities thereof were broken down At the presence of the LORD, And before His fierce anger. 27For thus saith the LORD: The whole land shall be desolate; Yet will I not make a full end. 28For this shall the earth mourn, And the heavens above be black; Because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, And I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it. 29For the noise of the horsemen and bowmen The whole city fleeth; They go into the thickets, And climb up upon the rocks; Every city is forsaken, And not a man dwelleth therein. 30And thou, that art spoiled, what doest thou, That thou clothest thyself with scarlet, That thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, That thou enlargest thine eyes with paint? In vain dost thou make thyself fair; Thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life. 31For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, The anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, The voice of the daughter of Zion, that gaspeth for breath, That spreadeth her hands: ‘Woe is me, now! for my soul fainteth Before the murderers.’ Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And see now, and know, And seek in the broad places thereof, If ye can find a man, If there be any that doeth justly, that seeketh truth; And I will pardon her. 2And though they say: ‘As the LORD liveth’, Surely they swear falsely. 3O LORD, are not Thine eyes upon truth? Thou hast stricken them, but they were not affected; Thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction; They have made their faces harder than a rock; They have refused to return. 4And I said: ‘Surely these are poor, They are foolish, for they know not the way of the LORD, Nor the ordinance of their God; 5 5I will get me unto the great men, And will speak unto them; For they know the way of the LORD, And the ordinance of their God.’ But these had altogether broken the yoke, And burst the bands. 6Wherefore a lion out of the forest doth slay them, A wolf of the deserts doth spoil them, A leopard watcheth over their cities, Every one that goeth out thence is torn in pieces; Because their transgressions are many, Their backslidings are increased. 7Wherefore should I pardon thee? The children have forsaken Me, And sworn by no-gods; And when I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, And assembled themselves in troops at the harlots’houses. 8They are become as well-fed horses, lusty stallions; Every one neigheth after his neighbour’s wife. 9Shall I not punish for these things? Saith the LORD; And shall not My soul be avenged On such a nation as this? 10Go ye up into her rows, and destroy, But make not a full end; Take away her shoots; For they are not the LORD’S. 11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously against Me, Saith the LORD. 12They have belied the LORD, And said: ‘It is not He, Neither shall evil come upon us; Neither shall we see sword nor famine; 13And the prophets shall become wind, And the word is not in them; Thus be it done unto them.’ 14Wherefore thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts: Because ye speak this word, Behold, I will make My words in thy mouth fire, And this people wood, and it shall devour them. 15Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD; It is an enduring nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language thou knowest not, Neither understandest what they say. 16Their quiver is an open sepulchre, They are all mighty men. 17And they shall eat up thy harvest, and thy bread, They shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters, They shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds, They shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees; They shall batter thy fortified cities, Wherein thou trusteth, with the sword. 18But even in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you. 19And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say: ‘Wherefore hath the LORD our God done all these things unto us?’ then shalt Thou say unto them: ‘Like as ye have forsaken Me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’ 20Declare ye this in the house of Jacob, And announce it in Judah, saying: 21Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding, That have eyes, and see not, That have ears, and hear not: 22Fear ye not Me? saith the LORD; Will ye not tremble at My presence? Who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, An everlasting ordinance, which it cannot pass; And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; Though they roar, yet can they not pass over it. 23But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; They are revolted, and gone. 24Neither say they in their heart: ‘Let us now fear the LORD our God, That giveth the former rain, and the latter in due season; That keepeth for us The appointed weeks of the harvest.’ 25Your iniquities have turned away these things, And your sins have withholden good from you. 26For among My people are found wicked men; They pry, as fowlers lie in wait; They set a trap, they catch men. 27As a cage is full of birds, So are their houses full of deceit; Therefore they are become great, and waxen rich; 28They are waxen fat, they are become sleek; Yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; They plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, That they might make it to prosper; And the right of the needy do they not judge. 29Shall I not punish for these things? Saith the LORD; Shall not My soul be avenged On such a nation as this? 30An appalling and horrible thing Is come to pass in the land: 31The prophets prophesy in the service of falsehood, And the priests bear rule at their beck; And My people love to have it so; What then will ye do in the end thereof? Put yourselves under covert, ye children of Benjamin, Away from the midst of Jerusalem, And blow the horn in Tekoa, And set up a signal on Beth-cherem; For evil looketh forth from the north, And a great destruction. 2The comely and delicate one, The daughter of Zion, will I cut off. 3Shepherds with their flocks come unto her; They pitch their tents against her round about; They feed bare every one what is nigh at hand. 4’Prepare ye war against her; Arise, and let us go up at noon! ’ ’Woe unto us! for the day declineth, For the shadows of the evening are stretched out! ’ 5’Arise, and let us go up by night, And let us destroy her palaces.’ 6For thus hath the LORD of hosts said: Hew ye down her trees, And cast up a mound against Jerusalem; This is the city to be punished; Everywhere there is oppression in the midst of her. 7As a cistern welleth with her waters, So she welleth with her wickedness; Violence and spoil is heard in her; Before Me continually is sickness and wounds. 8Be thou corrected, O Jerusalem, Lest My soul be alienated from thee, Lest I make thee desolate, A land not inhabited. 9Thus saith the LORD of hosts: They shall thoroughly glean as a vine The remnant of Israel; Turn again thy hand As a grape-gatherer upon the shoots. 10To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Behold, their ear is dull, And they cannot attend; Behold, the word of the LORD is become unto them a reproach, They have no delight in it. 11Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD, I am weary with holding in: Pour it out upon the babes in the street, And upon the assembly of young men together; For even the husband with the wife shall be taken, The aged with him that is full of days. 12And their houses shall be turned unto others, Their fields and their wives together; For I will stretch out My hand upon the inhabitants of the land, Saith the LORD. 6 13For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them Every one is greedy for gain; And from the prophet even unto the priest Every one dealeth falsely. 14They have healed also the hurt of My people lightly, Saying: ‘Peace, peace’, when there is no peace. 15They shall be put to shame because they have committed abomination; Yea, they are not at all ashamed, Neither know they how to blush; Therefore they shall fall among them that fall, At the time that I punish them they shall stumble, Saith the LORD. 16Thus saith the LORD: Stand ye in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, Where is the good way, and walk therein, And ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said: ‘We will not walk therein.’ 17And I set watchmen over you: ‘Attend to the sound of the horn’, But they said: ‘We will not attend.’ 18Therefore hear, ye nations, And know, O congregation, what is against them. 19Hear, O earth: Behold, I will bring evil upon this people, Even the fruit of their thoughts, Because they have not attended unto My words, And as for My teaching, they have rejected it. 20To what purpose is to Me the frankincense that cometh from Sheba, And the sweet cane, from a far country? Your burnt-offerings are not acceptable, Nor your sacrifices pleasing unto Me. 21Therefore thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, And the fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them, The neighbour and his friend, and they shall perish. 22Thus saith the LORD: Behold, a people cometh from the north country, And a great nation shall be roused from the uttermost parts of the earth. 23They lay hold on bow and spear, They are cruel, and have no compassion; Their voice is like the roaring sea, And they ride upon horses; Set in array, as a man for war, Against thee, O daughter of Zion. 24’We have heard the fame thereof, our hands wax feeble, Anguish hath taken hold of us, And pain, as of a woman in travail.’ 25Go not forth into the field, Nor walk by the way; For there is the sword of the enemy, And terror on every side. 26O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, And wallow thyself in ashes; Make thee mourning, as for an only son, Most bitter lamentation; For the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us. 27I have made thee a tower and a fortress among My people; That thou mayest know and try their way. 28They are all grievous revolters, Going about with slanders; They are brass and iron; They all of them deal corruptly. 29The bellows blow fiercely, The lead is consumed of the fire; In vain doth the founder refine, For the wicked are not separated. 30Refuse silver shall men call them, Because the LORD hath rejected them. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2Stand in the gate of the LORD’S house, and proclaim there this word, and say: Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. 3Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4Trust ye not in lying words, saying: ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, are these.’ 5Nay, but if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbour; 6if ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt; 7then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. 8Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. 9Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and offer unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye have not known, 10and come and stand before Me in this house, whereupon My name is called, and say: ‘We are delivered’, that ye may do all these abominations? 11Is this house, whereupon My name is called, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, saith the LORD. 12For go ye now unto My place which was in Shiloh, where I caused My name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people Israel. 13And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spoke unto you, speaking betimes and often, but ye heard not, and I called you, but ye answered not; 14therefore will I do unto the house, whereupon My name 7 is called, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 15And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. 16Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me; for I will not hear thee. 17Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke Me. 19Do they provoke Me? saith the LORD; do they not provoke themselves, to the confusion of their own faces? 20Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the land; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched. 21Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt- offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat ye flesh. 22For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices; 23but this thing I commanded them, saying: ‘Hearken unto My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people; and walk ye in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ 24But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in their own counsels, even in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward, 25even since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day; and though I have sent unto you all My servants the prophets, sending them daily betimes and often, 26yet they hearkened not unto Me, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff; they did worse than their fathers. 27And thou shalt speak all these words unto them, but they will not hearken to thee; thou shalt also call unto them, but they will not answer thee. 28Therefore thou shalt say unto them: This is the nation that hath not hearkened To the voice of the LORD their God, Nor received correction; Faithfulness is perished, And is cut off from their mouth. 29Cut off thy hair, and cast it away, And take up a lamentation on the high hills; For the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath. 30For the children of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight, saith the LORD; they have set their detestable things in the house whereon My name is called, to defile it. 31And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded not, neither came it into My mind. 32Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Topheth, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter; for they shall bury in Topheth, for lack of room. 33And the carcasses of this people shall be food for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away. 34Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall be desolate. 1At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves; 2and they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped; they shall not be gathered, nor be buried, they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth. 3And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, that remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts. 4Moreover thou shalt say unto them: Thus saith the LORD: Do men fall, and not rise up again? Doth one turn away, and not return? 5Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back By a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast deceit, They refuse to return. 6I attended and listened, But they spoke not aright; No man repenteth him of his wickedness, Saying: ‘What have I done?’ Every one turneth away in his course, As a horse that rusheth headlong in the battle. 7Yea, the stork in the heaven Knoweth her appointed times; And the turtle and the swallow and the crane Observe the time of their coming; But My people know not The ordinance of the LORD. 8How do ye say: ‘We are wise, And the Law of the LORD is with us’? Lo, certainly in vain hath wrought The vain pen of the scribes. 9The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken; Lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; And what wisdom is in them? 8 10Therefore will I give their wives unto others, And their fields to them that shall possess them; For from the least even unto the greatest Every one is greedy for gain, From the prophet even unto the priest Every one dealeth falsely. 11And they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people lightly, Saying: ‘Peace, peace’, when there is no peace. 12They shall be put to shame because they have committed abomination; Yea, they are not at all ashamed, Neither know they how to blush; therefore shall they fall among them that fall, In the time of their visitation they shall stumble, Saith the LORD. 13I will utterly consume them, saith the LORD; There are no grapes on the vine, Nor figs on the fig-tree, And the leaf is faded; And I gave them that which they transgress. 14’Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, And let us be cut off there; For the LORD our God hath cut us off, And given us water of gall to drink, Because we have sinned against the LORD. 15We looked for peace, but no good came; And for a time of healing, and behold terror! ’ 16The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan; At the sound of the neighing of his strong ones The whole land trembleth; For they are come, and have devoured the land and all that is in it, The city and those that dwell therein. 17For, behold, I will send serpents, basilisks, among you, Which will not be charmed; And they shall bite you, saith the LORD. 18Though I would take comfort against sorrow, My heart is faint within me. 19Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people From a land far off: ‘Is not the LORD in Zion? Is not her King in her?’— ‘Why have they provoked Me with their graven images, And with strange vanities?’— 20’The harvest is past, the summer is ended, And we are not saved.’ 21For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I seized with anguish; I am black, appalment hath taken hold on me. 22Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health Of the daughter of my people recovered? 23Oh that my head were waters, And mine eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I were in the wilderness, In a lodging-place of wayfaring men, That I might leave my people, And go from them! For they are all adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men. 2And they bend their tongue, their bow of falsehood; And they are grown mighty in the land, but not for truth; For they proceed from evil to evil, And Me they know not, Saith the LORD. 3Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, And trust ye not in any brother; For every brother acteth subtly, And every neighbour goeth about with slanders. 4And they deceive every one his neighbour, And truth they speak not; They have taught their tongue to speak lies, They weary themselves to commit iniquity. 5Thy habitation is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me, Saith the LORD. 6Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will smelt them, and try them; For how else should I do, Because of the daughter of My people? 7Their tongue is a sharpened arrow, It speaketh deceit; One speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, But in his heart he layeth wait for him. 8Shall I not punish them for these things? Saith the LORD; Shall not My soul be avenged On such a nation as this? 9For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, And for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, Because they are burned up, so that none passeth through. And they hear not the voice of the cattle; Both the fowl of the heavens and the beast Are fled, and gone. 10And I will make Jerusalem heaps, A lair of jackals; 9 And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, Without an inhabitant. 11Who is the wise man, that he may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it? Wherefore is the land perished And laid waste like a wilderness, so that none passeth through? 12 And the LORD saith: Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, And have not hearkened to My voice, neither walked therein; 13 But have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart, And after the Baalim, which their fathers taught them. 14Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, And give them water of gall to drink. 15I will scatter them also among the nations, Whom neither they nor their fathers have known; And I will send the sword after them, Till I have consumed them. 16Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; And send for the wise women, that they may come; 17let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, That our eyes may run down with tears, And our eyelids gush out with waters. 18For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion: ‘How are we undone! We are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, Because our dwellings have cast us out.’ 19Yea, hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, And let your ear receive the word of His mouth, And teach your daughters wailing, And every one her neighbour lamentation: 20‘For death is come up into our windows, It is entered into our palaces, To cut off the children from the street, And the young men from the broad places.— 21Speak: Thus saith the LORD— And the carcasses of men fall As dung upon the open field, And as the handful after the harvestman, Which none gathereth.’ 22Thus saith the LORD: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Neither let the mighty man glory in his might, Let not the rich man glory in his riches; 23But let him that glorieth glory in this, That he understandeth, and knoweth Me, That I am the LORD who exercise mercy, Justice, and righteousness, in the earth; For in these things I delight, Saith the LORD. 24Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them that are circumcised in their uncircumcision: 25Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that have the corners of their hair polled, that dwell in the wilderness; For all the nations are uncircumcised, But all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart. Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel; 2thus saith the LORD: Learn not the way of the nations, And be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; For the nations are dismayed at them. 3For the customs of the peoples are vanity; For it is but a tree which one cutteth out of the forest, The work of the hands of the workman with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold, They fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5They are like a pillar in a garden of cucumbers, and speak not; They must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, Neither is it in them to do good. 6There is none like unto Thee, O LORD; Thou art great, and Thy name is great in might. 7Who would not fear Thee, O king of the nations? For it befitteth Thee; Forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royalty, There is none like unto Thee. 8But they are altogether brutish and foolish: The vanities by which they are instructed are but a stock; 9Silver beaten into plates which is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; Blue and purple is their clothing; They are all the work of skilful men. 10But the LORD God is the true God, 10 He is the living God, and the everlasting King; At His wrath the earth trembleth, And the nations are not able to abide His indignation. 11Thus shall ye say unto them: ‘The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens.’ 12He that hath made the earth by His power, That hath established the world by His wisdom, And hath stretched out the heavens by His understanding; 13At the sound of His giving a multitude of waters in the heavens, When He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; When He maketh lightnings with the rain, And bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries; 14Every man is proved to be brutish, without knowledge, Every goldsmith is put to shame by the graven image, His molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. 15They are vanity, a work of delusion; In the time of their visitation they shall perish. 16Not like these is the portion of Jacob; For He is the former of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name. 17Gather up thy wares from the ground, O thou that abidest in the siege. 18For thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and will distress them, that they may feel it. 19Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is grievous; But I said: ‘This is but a sickness, And I must bear it.’ 20My tent is spoiled, And all my cords are broken; My children are gone forth of me, and they are not; There is none to stretch forth my tent any more, And to set up my curtains. 21For the shepherds are become brutish, And have not inquired of the LORD; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flocks are scattered. 22Hark! a report, behold, it cometh, And a great commotion out of the north country, To make the cities of Judah desolate, A dwelling-place of jackals. 23O LORD, I know that man’s way is not his own; It is not in man to direct his steps as he walketh. 24O LORD, correct me, but in measure; Not in Thine anger, lest Thou diminish me. 25Pour out Thy wrath upon the nations that know Thee not, And upon the families that call not on Thy name; For they have devoured Jacob, Yea, they have devoured him and consumed him, And have laid waste his habitation. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2’Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3and say thou unto them: Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed be the man that heareth not the words of this covenant, 4which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying: Hearken to My voice, and do them, according to all which I command you; so shall ye be My people, and I will be your God; 5that I may establish the oath which I swore unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.’ Then answered I, and said: ‘Amen, O LORD.’ 6And the LORD said unto me: ‘Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them. 7For I earnestly forewarned your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, forewarning betimes and often, saying: Hearken to My voice. 8Yet they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the stubbornness of their evil heart; therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did them not.’ 9And the LORD said unto me: ‘A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear My words; and they are gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers. 11Therefore thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto Me, I will not hearken unto them. 12Then shall the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem go and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer; but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble. 13For according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to the shameful thing, even altars to offer unto Baal. 14Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them; for I will not hear 11 them in the time that they cry unto Me for their trouble.’ 15What hath My beloved to do in My house, Seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, And the hallowed flesh is passed from thee? When thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest. 16The LORD called thy name A leafy olive-tree, fair with goodly fruit; With the noise of a great tumult He hath kindled fire upon it, And the branches of it are broken. 17For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have wrought for themselves in provoking Me by offering unto Baal. 18And the LORD gave me knowledge of it, and I knew it; Then Thou showedst me their doings. 19But I was like a docile lamb that is led to the slaughter; And I knew not that they had devised devices against me: ‘Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, And let us cut him off from the land of the living, That his name may be no more remembered.’ 20But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, That triest the reins and the heart, Let me see Thy vengeance on them; For unto Thee have I revealed my cause. 21Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying: ‘Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand’; 22therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will punish them; The young men shall die by the sword, Their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; 23And there shall be no remnant unto them; For I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, Even the year of their visitation. Right wouldest Thou be, O LORD, Were I to contend with Thee, Yet will I reason with Thee: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are all they secure that deal very treacherously? 2Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; They grow, yea, they bring forth fruit; Thou art near in their mouth, And far from their reins. 3But Thou, O LORD, knowest me, 12 Thou seest me, and triest my heart toward Thee; Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, And prepare them for the day of slaughter. 4How long shall the land mourn, And the herbs of the whole field wither? For the wickedness of them that dwell therein, the beasts are consumed, and the birds; Because they said: ‘He seeth not our end.’ 5’If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, Then how canst thou contend with horses? And though in a land of peace thou art secure, Yet how wilt thou do in the thickets of the Jordan? 6For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, Even they have dealt treacherously with thee, Even they have cried aloud after thee; Believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.’ 7I have forsaken My house, I have cast off My heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of My soul Into the hand of her enemies. 8My heritage is become unto Me As a lion in the forest; She hath uttered her voice against Me; Therefore have I hated her. 9Is My heritage unto Me as a speckled bird of prey? Are the birds of prey against her round about? Come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, Bring them to devour. 10Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, They have trodden My portion under foot, They have made My pleasant portion A desolate wilderness. 11They have made it a desolation, It mourneth unto Me, being desolate; The whole land is made desolate, Because no man layeth it to heart. 12Upon all the high hills in the wilderness spoilers are come; For the sword of the LORD devoureth From the one end of the land even to the other end of the land, No flesh hath peace. 13They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns; They have put themselves to pain, they profit not; Be ye then ashamed of your increase, Because of the fierce anger of the LORD. 14Thus saith the LORD: As for all Mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit, behold, I will pluck them up from off their land, and will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them; and I will bring them back, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. 16And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of My people to swear by My name: ‘As the LORD liveth, ‘even as they taught My people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built up in the midst of My people. 17But if they will not hearken, then will I pluck up that nation, plucking up and destroying it, saith the LORD. Thus said the LORD unto me: ‘Go, and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.’ 2So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it upon my loins. 3And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying: 4’Take the girdle that thou hast gotten, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Perath, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.’ 5So I went, and hid it in Perath, as the LORD commanded me. 6And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me: ‘Arise, go to Perath, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.’ 7Then I went to Perath, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing. 8Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: 9Thus saith the LORD: After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem, 10even this evil people, that refuse to hear My words, that walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and are gone after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, that it be as this girdle, which is profitable for nothing. 11For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto Me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD, that they might be unto Me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory; but they would not hearken. 12Moreover thou shalt speak unto them this word: Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Every bottle is filled with wine’; and when they shall say unto thee: ‘Do we not know that every bottle is filled with wine?’ 13Then shalt thou say unto them: Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. 14And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD; I 13 will not pity, nor spare, nor have compassion, that I should not destroy them. 15Hear ye, and give ear, be not proud; For the LORD hath spoken. 16Give glory to the LORD your God, Before it grow dark, And before your feet stumble Upon the mountains of twilight, And, while ye look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, And make it gross darkness. 17But if ye will not hear it, My soul shall weep in secret for your pride; And mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with tears, Because the LORD’S flock is carried away captive. 18Say thou unto the king and to the queen-mother: ‘Sit ye down low; For your headtires are come down, Even your beautiful crown.’ 19The cities of the South are shut up, And there is none to open them; Judah is carried away captive all of it; It is wholly carried away captive. 20Lift up your eyes, and behold Them that come from the north; Where is the flock that was given thee, Thy beautiful flock? 21What wilt thou say, when He shall set the friends over thee as head, Whom thou thyself hast trained against thee? Shall not pangs take hold of thee, As of a woman in travail? 22And if thou say in thy heart: ‘Wherefore are these things befallen me?’— For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts uncovered, And thy heels suffer violence. 23Can the Ethiopian change his skin, Or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, That are accustomed to do evil. 24Therefore will I scatter them, as the stubble that passeth away By the wind of the wilderness. 25This is thy lot, the portion measured unto thee from Me, Saith the LORD; Because thou hast forgotten Me, And trusted in falsehood. 26Therefore will I also uncover thy skirts upon thy face, And thy shame shall appear. 27Thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy harlotry, On the hills in the field have I seen thy detestable acts. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! thou wilt not be made clean! When shall it ever be? The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts. 14 2Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish, They bow down in black unto the ground; And the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. 3And their nobles send their lads for water: They come to the pits, and find no water; Their vessels return empty; They are ashamed and confounded, and cover their heads. 4Because of the ground which is cracked, For there hath been no rain in the land, The plowmen are ashamed, they cover their heads. 5Yea, the hind also in the field calveth, and forsaketh her young, Because there is no grass, 6And the wild asses stand on the high hills, They gasp for air like jackals; Their eyes fail, because there is no herbage. 7Though our iniquities testify against us, O LORD, work Thou for Thy name’s sake; For our backslidings are many, We have sinned against Thee. 8O Thou hope of Israel, The Saviour thereof in time of trouble, Why shouldest Thou be as a stranger in the land, And as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? 9Why shouldest thou be as a man overcome, As a mighty man that cannot save? Yet Thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, And Thy name is called upon us; Leave us not. 10Thus saith the LORD unto this people: Even so have they loved to wander, They have not refrained their feet; Therefore the LORD doth not accept them, Now will He remember their iniquity, And punish their sins. 11And the LORD said unto me: ‘Pray not for this people for their good. 12When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt- offering and meal-offering, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.’ 13Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them: Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ 14Then the LORD said unto me: ‘The prophets prophesy lies in My name; I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke I unto them; they prophesy unto you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their own heart. 15Therefore thus saith the LORD: As for the prophets that prophesy in My name, and I sent them not, yet they say: Sword and famine shall not be in this land, by sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed; 16and the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters; for I will pour their evil upon them.’ 17And thou shalt say this word unto them: Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, With a very grievous blow. 18If I go forth into the field, Then behold the slain with the sword! And if I enter into the city, Then behold them that are sick with famine! For both the prophet and the priest are gone about to a land, and knew it not. 19Hast Thou utterly rejected Judah? Hath Thy soul loathed Zion? Why hast Thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; And for a time of healing, and behold terror! 20We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, Even the iniquity of our fathers; For we have sinned against Thee. 21Do not contemn us, for Thy name’s sake, Do not dishonour the throne of Thy glory; Remember, break not Thy covenant with us. 22Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Art not Thou He, O LORD our God, and do we not wait for Thee? For Thou hast made all these things. Then said the LORD unto me: ‘Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind could not be toward this people; cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth. 2And it shall come to pass, when they say unto thee: Whither shall we go forth? then thou shall tell them: Thus saith the LORD: Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for captivity, to captivity. 3And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to drag, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy. 4And I will cause them to be a horror among all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem. 15 5For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? Or who shall bemoan thee? Or who shall turn aside to ask of thy welfare? 6Thou hast cast Me off, saith the LORD, Thou art gone backward; Therefore do I stretch out My hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting. 7And I fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I bereave them of children, I destroy My people, Since they return not from their ways. 8Their widows are increased to Me above the sand of the seas; I bring upon them, against the mother, a chosen one, Even a spoiler at noonday; I cause anguish and terrors to fall upon her suddenly. 9She that hath borne seven languisheth; Her spirit droopeth; Her sun is gone down while it was yet day, She is ashamed and confounded; And the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, Saith the LORD.’ 10Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have not lent, neither have men lent to me; Yet every one of them doth curse me. 11The LORD said: ‘Verily I will release thee for good; verily I will cause the enemy to make supplication unto thee in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. 12Can iron break iron from the north and brass? 13Thy substance and thy treasures will I give for a spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders. 14And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not; for a fire is kindled in My nostril, which shall burn upon you.’ 15Thou, O LORD, knowest; Remember me, and think of me, and avenge me of my persecutors; Take me not away because of Thy long-suffering; Know that for Thy sake I have suffered taunts. 16Thy words were found, and I did eat them; And Thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart; Because Thy name was called on me, O LORD God of hosts. 17I sat not in the assembly of them that make merry, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of Thy hand; For Thou hast filled me with indignation. 18Why is my pain perpetual, And my wound incurable, so that it refuseth to be healed? Wilt Thou indeed be unto me as a deceitful brook, As waters that fail? 19Therefore thus saith the LORD: If thou return, and I bring thee back, Thou shalt stand before Me; And if thou bring forth the precious out of the vile, Thou shalt be as My mouth; Let them return unto thee, But thou shalt not return unto them. 20And I will make thee unto this people a fortified brazen wall; And they shall fight against thee, But they shall not prevail against thee; For I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, Saith the LORD. 21And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible. The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying: 2Thou shalt not take thee a wife, Neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place. 3For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bore them, and concerning their fathers that begot them in this land: 4They shall die of grievous deaths; They shall not be lamented, Neither shall they be buried, They shall be as dung upon the face of the ground; And they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; And their carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, And for the beasts of the earth. 5For thus saith the LORD: Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament, neither bemoan them; for I have taken away My peace from this people, saith the LORD, even mercy and compassion. 6Both the great and the small shall die in this land; they shall not be buried; neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them; 7neither shall men break bread for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. 8And thou shalt not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and to drink. 9For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place, Before your eyes and in your days, The voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. 10And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt tell this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee: ‘Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we 16 have committed against the LORD our God?’ 11then shalt thou say unto them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken Me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken Me, and have not kept My law; 12and ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the stubbornness of his evil heart, so that ye hearken not unto Me; 13therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye have not known, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; forasmuch as I will show you no favour.’ 14Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said: ‘As the LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, ‘15but: ‘As the LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries whither He had driven them’; and I will bring them back into their land that I gave unto their fathers. 16Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks. 17For Mine eyes are upon all their ways, They are not hid from My face; Neither is their iniquity concealed from Mine eyes. 18And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; Because they have profaned My land; They have filled Mine inheritance With the carcasses of their detestable things and their abominations. 19O LORD, my strength, and my stronghold, And my refuge, in the day of affliction, Unto Thee shall the nations come From the ends of the earth, and shall say: ‘Our fathers have inherited nought but lies, Vanity and things wherein there is no profit.’ 20Shall a man make unto himself gods, And they are no gods? 21Therefore, behold, I will cause them to know, This once will I cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD. The sin of Judah is written With a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond; It is graven upon the tablet of their heart, And upon the horns of your altars. 2Like the symbols of their sons are their altars, 17 And their Asherim are by the leafy trees, Upon the high hills. 3O thou that sittest upon the mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures for a spoil, And thy high places, because of sin, throughout all thy borders. 4And thou, even of thyself, shalt discontinue from thy heritage That I gave thee; And I will cause thee to serve thine enemies In the land which thou knowest not; For ye have kindled a fire in My nostril, Which shall burn for ever. 5Thus saith the LORD: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, And maketh flesh his arm, And whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6For he shall be like a tamarisk in the desert, And shall not see when good cometh; But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, A salt land and not inhabited. 7Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, And whose trust the LORD is. 8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, And that spreadeth out its roots by the river, And shall not see when heat cometh, But its foliage shall be luxuriant; And shall not be anxious in the year of drought, Neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 9The heart is deceitful above all things, And it is exceeding weak—who can know it? 10I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. 11As the partridge that broodeth over young which she hath not brought forth, So is he that getteth riches, and not by right; In the midst of his days he shall leave them, And at his end he shall be a fool. 12Thou throne of glory, on high from the beginning, Thou place of our sanctuary, 13Thou hope of Israel, the LORD! All that forsake Thee shall be ashamed; They that depart from Thee shall be written in the earth, Because they have forsaken the LORD, The fountain of living waters. 14Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved; For Thou art my praise. 15Behold, they say unto me: ‘Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.’ 16As for me, I have not hastened from being a shepherd after Thee; Neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest it; That which came out of my lips was manifest before Thee. 17Be not a ruin unto me; Thou art my refuge in the day of evil. 18Let them be ashamed that persecute me, but let not me be ashamed; Let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; Bring upon them the day of evil, And destroy them with double destruction. 19Thus said the LORD unto me: Go, and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; 20and say unto them: Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates; 21thus saith the LORD: Take heed for the sake of your souls, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work; but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers; 23but they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. 24And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto Me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; 25then shall there enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited for ever. 26And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places round about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the Lowland, and from the mountains, and from the South, bringing burnt-offerings, and sacrifices, and meal-offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving, unto the house of the LORD. 27But if ye will not hearken unto Me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, 18 saying: 2’Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear My words.’ 3Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he was at his work on the wheels. 4And whensoever the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 6’O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are ye in My hand, O house of Israel. 7At one instant I may speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; 8but if that nation turn from their evil, because of which I have spoken against it, I repent of the evil that I thought to do unto it. 9And at one instant I may speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10but if it do evil in My sight, that it hearken not to My voice, then I repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit it. 11Now therefore do thou speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you; return ye now every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings. 12But they say: There is no hope; but we will walk after our own devices, and we will do every one after the stubbornness of his evil heart.’ 13Therefore thus saith the LORD: Ask ye now among the nations, Who hath heard such things; The virgin of Israel hath done A very horrible thing. 14Doth the snow of Lebanon fail From the rock of the field? Or are the strange cold flowing waters Plucked up? 15For My people hath forgotten Me, They offer unto vanity; And they have been made to stumble in their ways, In the ancient paths, To walk in bypaths, In a way not cast up; 16To make their land an astonishment, And a perpetual hissing; Every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, And shake his head. 17I will scatter them as with an east wind Before the enemy; I will look upon their back, and not their face, In the day of their calamity. 18Then said they: ‘Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; For instruction shall not perish from the priest, Nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, And let us not give heed to any of his words.’ 19Give heed to me, O LORD, And hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. 20Shall evil be recompensed for good? For they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before Thee To speak good for them, To turn away Thy wrath from them. 21Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, And hurl them to the power of the sword; And let their wives be bereaved of their children, and widows; And let their men be slain of death, And their young men smitten of the sword in battle. 22Let a cry be heard from their houses, When thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them; For they have digged a pit to take me, And hid snares for my feet. 23Yet, LORD, Thou knowest All their counsel against me to slay me; Forgive not their iniquity, Neither blot out their sin from Thy sight; But let them be made to stumble before Thee; Deal Thou with them in the time of Thine anger. Thus said the LORD: Go, and get a potter’s earthen bottle, and take of the elders of the people, and of the elders of the priests; 2and go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the gate Harsith, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee; 3and say: Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle; 4because they have forsaken Me, and have estranged this place, and have offered in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah; and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; 5and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt-offerings unto Baal; which I commanded not, nor spoke it, neither came it into My mind. 6Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Topheth, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter; 7and I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of them 19 that seek their life; and their carcasses will I give to be food for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; 8and I will make this city an astonishment, and a hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof; 9and I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend, in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their life, shall straiten them. 10Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, 11and shalt say unto them: Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury in Topheth, for want of room to bury. 12Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, even making this city as Topheth; 13and the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, which are defiled, shall be as the place of Topheth, even all the houses upon whose roofs they have offered unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink-offerings unto other gods. 14Then came Jeremiah from Topheth, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD’S house, and said to all the people: 15’Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it; because they have made their neck stiff, that they might not hear My words.’ 20 Now Pashhur the son of Immer the priest, who was chief officer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2Then Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of the LORD. 3And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashhur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him: ‘The LORD hath not called thy name Pashhur, but aMagormissabib. 4For thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it; and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. 5Moreover I will give all the store of this city, and all the gains thereof, and all the wealth thereof, yea, all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, who shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon. 6And thou, Pashhur, and all that dwell in thy house shall go into captivity; and thou a That is, Terror on every side. shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and there shalt thou be buried, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied falsely.’ 7O LORD, Thou hast enticed me, and I was enticed, Thou hast overcome me, and hast prevailed; I am become a laughing-stock all the day, Every one mocketh me. 8For as often as I speak, I cry out, I cry: ‘Violence and spoil’; Because the word of the LORD is made A reproach unto me, and a derision, all the day. 9And if I say: ‘I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak any more in His name’, Then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire Shut up in my bones, And I weary myself to hold it in, But cannot. 10For I have heard the whispering of many, Terror on every side: ‘Denounce, and we will denounce him’; Even of all my familiar friends, Them that watch for my halting: ‘Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, And we shall take our revenge on him.’ 11But the LORD is with me as a mighty warrior; Therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail; They shall be greatly ashamed, because they have not prospered, Even with an everlasting confusion which shall never be forgotten. 12But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, That seest the reins and the heart, Let me see Thy vengeance on them; For unto Thee have I revealed my cause. 13Sing unto the LORD, Praise ye the LORD; For He hath delivered the soul of the needy From the hand of evil-doers. 14Cursed be the day Wherein I was born; The day wherein my mother bore me, Let it not be blessed. 15Cursed be the man who brought tidings To my father, saying: ‘A man-child is born unto thee’; Making him very glad. 16And let that man be as the cities Which the LORD overthrew, and repented not; And let him hear a cry in the morning, And an alarm at noontide; 17Because He slew me not from the womb; And so my mother would have been my grave, And her womb always great. 18Wherefore came I forth out of the womb To see labour and sorrow, That my days should be consumed in shame? The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashhur the son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying: 2’Inquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; peradventure the LORD will deal with us according to all His wondrous works, that he may go up from us.’ 3Then said Jeremiah unto them: Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: 4Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, that besiege you without the walls, and I will gather them into the midst of this city. 5And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. 6And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence. 7And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life; and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have compassion. 8And unto this people thou shalt say: Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goeth out, and falleth away to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. 10For I have set My face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD; it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 11And unto the house of the king of Judah: Hear ye the word of the LORD; 12O house of David, thus saith the LORD: Execute justice in the morning, And deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, Lest My fury go forth like fire, And burn that none can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings. 13Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, And rock of the plain, saith the LORD; 21 Ye that say: ‘Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter into our habitations?’ 14And I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, Saith the LORD; And I will kindle a fire in her forest, And it shall devour all that is round about her. Thus said the LORD: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, 2and say: Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates. 3Thus saith the LORD: Execute ye justice and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor; and do no wrong, do no violence, to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. 4For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. 5But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by Myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation. 6For thus saith the LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah: Thou art Gilead unto Me, The head of Lebanon; Yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, Cities which are not inhabited. 7And I will prepare destroyers against thee, Every one with his weapons; And they shall cut down thy choice cedars, And cast them into the fire. 8And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour: ‘Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?’ 9Then they shall answer: ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.’ 10Weep ye not for the dead, Neither bemoan him; But weep sore for him that goeth away, For he shall return no more, Nor see his native country. 11For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went forth out of this place: He shall not return thither any more; 12but in the place whither they have led him captive, there shall he die, and he shall see this land no more. 13Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, And his chambers by injustice; That useth his neighbour’s service without wages, 22 And giveth him not his hire; 14That saith: ‘I will build me a wide house And spacious chambers’, And cutteth him out windows, And it is ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. 15Shalt thou reign, because thou strivest to excel in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. 16He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Is not this to know Me? saith the LORD. 17But thine eyes and thy heart Are not but for thy covetousness, And for shedding innocent blood, And for oppression, and for violence, to do it. 18Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: They shall not lament for him: ‘Ah my brother! ’ or: ‘Ah sister! ’ They shall not lament for him: ‘Ah lord! ’ or: ‘Ah his glory! ’ 19He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, Drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem. 20Go up to Lebanon, and cry, And lift up thy voice in Bashan; And cry from Abarim, For all thy lovers are destroyed. 21I spoke unto thee in thy prosperity, But thou saidst: ‘I will not hear.’ This hath been thy manner from thy youth, That thou hearkenedst not to My voice. 22The wind shall feed upon all thy shepherds, And thy lovers shall go into captivity; Surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded For all thy wickedness. 23O inhabitant of Lebanon, That art nestled in the cedars, How gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, The pain as of a woman in travail! 24As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon My right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; 25and I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them of whom thou art afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bore thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. 27But to the land whereunto they long to return, thither shall they not return. 28Is this man Coniah a despised, broken image? Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, And are cast into the land which they know not? 29O land, land, land, Hear the word of the LORD. 30Thus saith the LORD: Write ye this man childless, A man that shall not prosper in his days; For no man of his seed shall prosper, Sitting upon the throne of David, And ruling any more in Judah. Woe unto the shepherds that destroy and scatter The sheep of My pasture! saith the LORD. 2Therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, against the shepherds that feed My people: Ye have scattered My flock, and driven them away, and have not taken care of them; behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. 3And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4And I will set up shepherds over them, who shall feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking, saith the LORD. 5Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous shoot, and he shall reign as king and prosper, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The LORD is our righteousness. 7Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say: ‘As the LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt’; 8but: ‘As the LORD liveth, that brought up and that led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them’; and they shall dwell in their own land. 9Concerning the prophets. My heart within me is broken, All my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, And like a man whom wine hath overcome; Because of the LORD, And because of His holy words. 10For the land is full of adulterers; For because of swearing the land mourneth, The pastures of the wilderness are dried up; And their course is evil, And their force is not right. 11For both prophet and priest are ungodly; Yea, in My house have I found their wickedness, Saith the LORD. 23 12Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery places in the darkness, They shall be thrust, and fall therein; For I will bring evil upon them, Even the year of their visitation, Saith the LORD. 13And I have seen unseemliness in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal, And caused My people Israel to err. 14But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery, and walk in lies, And they strengthen the hands of evil-doers, That none doth return from his wickedness; They are all of them become unto Me as Sodom, And the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. 15Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, And make them drink the water of gall; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Is ungodliness gone forth into all the land. 16Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you, They lead you unto vanity; They speak a vision of their own heart, And not out of the mouth of the LORD. 17They say continually unto them that despise Me: ‘The LORD hath said: Ye shall have peace’; And unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his own heart they say: ‘No evil shall come upon you’; 18For who hath stood in the council of the LORD, That he should perceive and hear His word? Who hath attended to His word, and heard it? 19Behold, a storm of the LORD is gone forth in fury, Yea, a whirling storm; It shall whirl upon the head of the wicked. 20The anger of the LORD shall not return, Until He have executed, and till He have performed the purposes of His heart; Iin the end of days ye shall consider it perfectly. 21I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22But if they have stood in My council, Then let them cause My people to hear My words, And turn them from their evil way, And from the evil of their doings. 23Am I a God near at hand, saith the LORD, And not a God afar off? 24Can any hide himself in secret places That I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Saith the LORD. 25I have heard what the prophets have said, That prophesy lies in My name, saying: ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed.’ 26How long shall this be? Is it in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, And the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? 27That think to cause My people to forget My name By their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, As their fathers forgot My name for Baal. 28The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; And he that hath My word; let him speak My word faithfully. What hath the straw to do with the wheat? Saith the LORD. 29Is not My word like as fire? Saith the LORD; And like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 30Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal My words every one from his neighbour. 31Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use there tongues and say: ‘He saith.’ 32Behold, I am against them that prophesy lying dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their wantonness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them; neither can they profit this people at all, saith the LORD. 33And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying: ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ then shalt thou say unto them: ‘What burden! I will cast you off, saith the LORD.’ 34And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say: ‘The burden of the LORD’, I will even punish that man and his house. 35Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother: ‘What hath the LORD answered?’ and: ‘What hath the LORD spoken?’ 36And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more; for every man’s own word shall be his burden; and would ye pervert the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God? 37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet: ‘What hath the LORD answered thee?’ and: ‘What hath the LORD spoken?’ 38But if ye say: ‘The burden of the LORD’; therefore thus saith the LORD: Because ye say this word: ‘The burden of the LORD’, and I have sent unto you, saying: ‘Ye shall not say: The burden of the LORD’; 39therefore, behold, I will utterly tear you out, and I will cast you off, and the city that I gave unto you and to your fathers, away from My presence; 40and I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten The LORD showed me, and behold two baskets of figs set before the temple of the LORD; after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. 2One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. 3Then said the LORD unto me: ‘What seest thou, Jeremiah?’ And I said: ‘Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.’ 4And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: 5’Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good. 6And I will set Mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7And I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto Me with their whole heart. 8And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad; surely thus saith the LORD: So will I make Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt; 9I will even make them a horror among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil; a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. 10And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.’ The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; 2which Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: 3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even unto this day, these three and twenty years, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, speaking betimes and often; but ye have not hearkened. 4And the LORD hath sent unto you all His servants the prophets, sending them betimes and often—but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear— 5saying: 24 25 ‘Return ye now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers, for ever and ever; 6and go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke Me not with the work of your hands, and I will do you no hurt.’ 7Yet ye have not hearkened unto Me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke Me with the work of your hands to your own hurt. 8Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts: Because ye have not heard My words, 9behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and I will send unto Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10Moreover I will cause to cease from among them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. 11And this whole land shall be a desolation, and a waste; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it perpetual desolations. 13And I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. 14For many nations and great kings shall make bondmen of them also; and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their own hands. 15For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto me: Take this cup of the wine of fury at My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. 16And they shall drink, and reel to and fro, and be like madmen, because of the sword that I will send among them.—17Then took I the cup of the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me: 18Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them an appalment, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; 19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; 20and all the mingled people; and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon; 22and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isle which is beyond the sea; 23Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that have the corners of their hair polled; 24and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the wilderness; 25and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; 26and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth.—And the king of aSheshach shall drink after them. 27And thou shalt say unto them: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink ye, and be drunken, and spew, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. 28And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thy hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them: Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Ye shall surely drink. 29For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city whereupon My name is called, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. a According to ancient tradition, a cipher for Babel. 30Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them: The LORD doth roar from on high, And utter His voice from His holy habitation; He doth mightily roar because of His fold; He giveth a shout, as they that tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31A noise is come even to the end of the earth; For the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, He doth plead with all flesh; As for the wicked, He hath given them to the sword, Saith the LORD. 32Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Behold, evil shall go forth From nation to nation, And a great storm shall be raised up From the uttermost parts of the earth. 33And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the face of the ground. 34Wail, ye shepherds, and cry; And wallow yourselves in the dust, ye leaders of the flock; For the days of your slaughter are fully come, And I will break you in pieces, And ye shall fall like a precious vessel. 35And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, Nor the leaders of the flock to escape. 36Hark! the cry of the shepherds, And the wailing of the leaders of the flock! For the LORD despoileth their pasture. 37And the peaceable folds are brought to silence Because of the fierce anger of the LORD. 38He hath forsaken His covert, as the lion; For their land is become a waste Because of the fierceness of the oppressing sword, And because of His fierce anger. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word from the LORD, saying: 2’Thus saith the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD’S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word. 3It may be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way; that I may repent Me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings. 4And thou shalt say unto them: Thus saith the LORD: If ye will not hearken to Me, to walk in My law, which I have set before you, 5to hearken to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I send unto you, even sending them betimes and often, but ye have not hearkened; 6then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.’ 7So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. 8Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying: ‘Thou shalt surely die. 9Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying: This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without an inhabitant?’ And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. 10When the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the LORD; and they sat in the entry of the new gate of the LORD’S house. 11Then spoke the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying: ‘This man is worthy of death; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.’ 12Then spoke Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying: ‘The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. 13Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and hearken to the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent Him of the evil that He hath pronounced against you. 14But as for me, behold, I am in your hand; do with me as is good and right in your eyes. 15Only know ye for certain that, if ye 26 put me to death, ye will bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof; for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.’ 16Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets: ‘This man is not worthy of death; for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.’ 17Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying: 18’Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying: Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Zion shall be plowed as a field, And Jerusalem shall become heaps, And the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. 19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and entreat the favour of the LORD, and the LORD repented Him of the evil which He had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our own souls.’ 20And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Uriah the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath- jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah; 21and when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Uriah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt; 22and Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him, into Egypt; 23and they fetched forth Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the children of the people. 24Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2’Thus saith the LORD to me: Make thee bands and bars, and put them upon thy neck; 3and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the children of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers that come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; 4and give them a charge unto their masters, saying: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Thus shall ye say unto your masters: 5I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the face of the earth, by My great power and by My outstretched arm; and I give it unto whom it seemeth right unto Me. 6And now have I given all these lands into 27 the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field also have I given him to serve him. 7And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the time of his own land come; and then many nations and great kings shall make him their bondman. 8And it shall come to pass, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I visit, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 9But as for you, hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying: Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon; 10for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out and ye should perish. 11But the nation that shall bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, that nation will I let remain in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.’ 12And I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying: ‘Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14And hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying: Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon, for they prophesy a lie unto you. 15For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, and they prophesy falsely in My name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.’ 16Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying: Behold, the vessels of the LORD’S house shall now shortly be brought back from Babylon; for they prophesy a lie unto you. 17Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live; wherefore should this city become desolate? 18But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon. 19For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city, 20which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; 21yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem: 22They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be, until the day that I remember them, saith the LORD, and bring them up, and restore them to this place.’ And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azzur the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying: 2’Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3Within two full years will I bring back into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon; 4and I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went to Babylon, saith the LORD; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ 5Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD, 6even the prophet Jeremiah said: ‘Amen! the LORD do so! the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the LORD’S house, and all them that are carried away captive, from Babylon unto this place! 7Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people: 8The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. 9The prophet that prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.’ 10Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and broke it. 11And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying: ‘Thus saith the LORD: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two full years.’ And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 12Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying: 13’Go, and tell Hananiah, saying: Thus saith the LORD: Thou hast broken the bars of wood; but thou shalt make in their stead bars of iron. 14For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him; and I have given him the beasts of the field also.’ 28 15Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet: ‘Hear now, Hananiah; the LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. 16’Therefore thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will send thee away from off the face of the earth; this year thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken perversion against the LORD.’ 17So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen- mother, and the officers, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem; 3by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying: 4Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem unto Babylon: 5Build ye houses, and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; 6take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply ye there, and be not diminished. 7And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto the LORD for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. 8For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners, beguile you, neither hearken ye to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. 9For they prophesy falsely unto you in My name; I have not sent them, saith the LORD. 10For thus saith the LORD: After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will remember you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12And ye shall call upon Me, and go, and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. 13And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. 14And I will be found of you, saith the LORD, and I will turn your captivity, and gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you back unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. 15For ye have said: ‘The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon.’ 16For thus saith the LORD concerning the king that sitteth upon the throne of 29 David, and concerning all the people that dwell in this city, your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity; 17thus saith the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18And I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will make them a horror unto all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them; 19because they have not hearkened to My words, saith the LORD, wherewith I sent unto them My servants the prophets, sending them betimes and often; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD. 20Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 21Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie unto you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes; 22and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah that are in Babylon, saying: ‘The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire’; 23because they have wrought vile deeds in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’wives, and have spoken words in My name falsely, which I commanded them not; but I am He that knoweth, and am witness, saith the LORD. 24And concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite thou shalt speak, saying: 25Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: Because thou hast sent letters in thine own name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying: 26’The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that there should be officers in the house of the LORD for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in the stocks and in the collar. 27Now therefore, why hast thou not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who maketh himself a prophet to you, 28forasmuch as he hath sent unto us in Babylon, saying: The captivity is long; build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them?’ 29And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet. 30Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying: 31Send to all them of the captivity, saying: Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he hath caused you to trust in a lie; 32therefore thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed; he shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he behold the good that I will do unto My people, saith the LORD; because he hath spoken perversion against the LORD. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2’Thus speaketh the LORD, the God of Israel, saying: Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. 3For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will turn the captivity of My people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD; and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ 4And these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah. 5For thus saith the LORD: We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. 6Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child; Wherefore do I see every man With his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, And all faces are turned into paleness? 7Alas! for that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is a time of trouble unto Jacob, But out of it shall he be saved. 8And it shall come to pass in that day, Saith the LORD of hosts, That I will break his yoke from off thy neck, And will burst thy bands; And strangers shall no more make him their bondman; 9But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up unto them. 10Therefore fear thou not, O Jacob My servant, saith the LORD; Neither be dismayed, O Israel; For, lo, I will save thee from afar, And thy seed from the land of their captivity; And Jacob shall again be quiet and at ease, And none shall make him afraid. 11For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee; For I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have scattered thee, But I will not make a full end of thee; For I will correct thee in measure, And will not utterly destroy thee. 12For thus saith the LORD: Thy hurt is incurable, And thy wound is grievous. 13None deemeth of thy wound that it may be bound up; Thou hast no healing medicines. 14All thy lovers have forgotten thee, They seek thee not; For I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, 30 With the chastisement of a cruel one; For the greatness of thine iniquity, Because thy sins were increased. 15Why criest thou for thy hurt, That thy pain is incurable? For the greatness of thine iniquity, because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee. 16Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured, And all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; And they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, And all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. 17For I will restore health unto thee, And I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; Because they have called thee an outcast: ‘She is aZion, there is none that careth for her.’ a With a play on the meaning, a dry land. 18Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will turn the captivity of Jacob’s tents, And have compassion on his dwelling-places; And the city shall be builded upon her own mound, And the palace shall be inhabited upon its wonted place. 19And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of them that make merry; And I will multiply them, and they shall not be diminished, I will also increase them, and they shall not dwindle away. 20Their children also shall be as aforetime, And their congregation shall be established before Me, And I will punish all that oppress them. 21And their prince shall be of themselves, And their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them; And I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto Me; For who is he that hath pledged his heart To approach unto Me? saith the LORD. 22And ye shall be My people, and I will be your God. 23Behold, a storm of the LORD is gone forth in fury, A sweeping storm; it shall whirl upon the head of the wicked. 24The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, Until He have executed, and till He have performed The purposes of His heart; In the end of days ye shall consider it. At that time, saith the LORD, Will I be the God of all the families of Israel, 31 And they shall be My people. 2Thus saith the LORD: The people that were left of the sword Have found grace in the wilderness, Even Israel, when I go to cause him to rest. 3’From afar the LORD appeared unto me.’ ’Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; Therefore with affection have I drawn thee. 4Again will I build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel; Again shalt thou be adorned with thy tabrets, And shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. 5Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; The planters shall plant, and shall have the use thereof. 6For there shall be a day, That the watchmen shall call upon the mount Ephraim: Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion, Unto the LORD our God.’ 7For thus saith the LORD: Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout at the head of the nations; Announce ye, praise ye, and say: ‘O LORD, save Thy people, The remnant of Israel.’ 8Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, And with them the blind and the lame, The woman with child and her that travaileth with child together; A great company shall they return hither. 9They shall come with weeping, And with supplications will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, In a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; For I am become a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My first-born. 10Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say: ‘He that scattered Israel doth gather him, And keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.’ 11For the LORD hath ransomed Jacob, And He redeemeth him from the hand of him that is stronger than he. 12And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, And shall flow unto the goodness of the LORD, To the corn, and to the wine, and to the oil, And to the young of the flock and of the herd; And their soul shall be as a watered garden, And they shall not pine any more at all. 13Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old together; For I will turn their mourning into joy, And will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. 14And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, Saith the LORD. 15Thus saith the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; She refuseth to be comforted for her children, Because they are not. 16Thus saith the LORD: Refrain thy voice from weeping, And thine eyes from tears; For thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. 17And there is hope for thy future, saith the LORD; And thy children shall return to their own border. 18I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: ‘Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, As a calf untrained; Turn thou me, and I shall be turned, For Thou art the LORD my God. 19Surely after that I was turned, I repented, And after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, Because I did bear the reproach of my youth.’ 20Is Ephraim a darling son unto Me? Is he a child that is dandled? For as often as I speak of him, I do earnestly remember him still; Therefore My heart yearneth for him, I will surely have compassion upon him, saith the LORD. 21Set thee up waymarks, Make thee guide-posts; Set thy heart toward the high-way, Even the way by which thou wentest; Return, O virgin of Israel, Return to these thy cities. 22How long wilt thou turn away coyly, O thou backsliding daughter? For the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth: A woman shall court a man. 23Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Yet again shall they use this speech In the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, When I shall turn their captivity: ‘The LORD bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O mountain of holiness.’ 24And Judah and all the cities thereof Shall dwell therein together: The husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks. 25For I have satiated the weary soul, And every pining soul have I replenished. 26Upon this I awaked, and beheld; And my sleep was sweet unto me. 27Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. 28And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down, and to overthrow and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them to build and to plant, saith the LORD. 29In those days they shall say no more: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. 31Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; 32not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; forasmuch as they broke My covenant, although I was a lord over them, saith the LORD. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people; 34and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying: ‘Know the LORD’; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more. 35Thus saith the LORD, Who giveth the sun for a light by day, And the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, Who stirreth up the sea, that the waves thereof roar, The LORD of hosts is His name: 36If these ordinances depart from before Me, Saith the LORD, Then the seed of Israel also shall cease From being a nation before Me for ever. 37Thus saith the LORD: If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, Then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, saith the LORD. 38Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananel unto the gate of the corner. 39And the measuring line shall yet go out straight forward unto the hill Gareb, and shall turn about unto Goah. 40And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 2Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem; and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah’s house. 3For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying: ‘Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say: Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 4and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; 5and he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I remember him, saith the LORD; though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper?’ 6And Jeremiah said: ‘The word of the LORD came unto me, saying: 7Behold, Hanamel, the son of Shallum thine uncle, shall come unto thee, saying: Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.’ 8So Hanamel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me: ‘Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. 9And I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel mine uncle’s son, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. 10And I subscribed the deed, and sealed it, and called witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. 11So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, containing the terms and conditions, and that which was open; 12and I delivered the deed of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel mine uncle[‘s son], and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the deed of the purchase, 32 before all the Jews that sat in the court of the guard. 13And I charged Baruch before them, saying: 14’Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, this deed of the purchase, both that which is sealed, and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel; that they may continue many days. 15For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall yet again be bought in this land.’ 16Now after I had delivered the deed of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying: 17’Ah Lord GOD! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and by Thy outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for Thee; 18who showest mercy unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the great, the mighty God, the LORD of hosts is His name; 19great in counsel, and mighty in work; whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings; 20who didst set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel and among other men; and madest Thee a name, as at this day; 21and didst bring forth Thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror; 22and gavest them this land, which Thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; 23and they came in, and possessed it; but they hearkened not to Thy voice, neither walked in Thy law; they have done nothing of all that Thou commandedst them to do; therefore Thou hast caused all this evil to befall them; 24behold the mounds, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence; and what Thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, Thou seest it. 25Yet Thou hast said unto me, O Lord GOD: Buy thee the field for money, and call witnesses; whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ 26Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying: 27’Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is there any thing too hard for Me? 28Therefore thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 29and the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered unto Baal, and poured out drink-offerings unto other gods, to provoke Me. 30For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done that which was evil in My sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked Me with the work of their hands, saith the LORD. 31For this city hath been to Me a provocation of Mine anger and of My fury from the day that they built it even unto this day, that I should remove it from before My face; 32because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33And they have turned unto Me the back, and not the face; and though I taught them, teaching them betimes and often, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. 34But they set their abominations in the house whereupon My name is called, to defile it. 35And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to set apart their sons and their daughters unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind, that they should do this abomination; to cause Judah to sin. 36And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say: It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: 37Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries, whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them back unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely; 38and they shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me for ever; for the good of them, and of their children after them; 40and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me. 41Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land in truth with My whole heart and with My whole soul. 42For thus saith the LORD: Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. 43And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say: It is desolate, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. 44Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe the deeds, and seal them, and call witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the hill-country, and in the cities of the Lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.’ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the guard, saying: 2Thus saith the LORD the Maker thereof, The LORD that formed it to establish it, The LORD is His name: 33 3Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, And will tell thee great things, and hidden, which thou knowest not. 4For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down for mounds, and for ramparts; 5whereon they come to fight with the Chaldeans, even to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in Mine anger and in My fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid My face from this city: 6Behold, I will bring it healing and cure, and I will cure them; and I will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. 7And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. 8And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against Me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned against Me, and whereby they have transgressed against Me. 9And this city shall be to Me for a name of joy, for a praise and for a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them, and shall fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I procure unto it. 10Thus saith the LORD: Yet again there shall be heard in this place, whereof ye say: It is waste, without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, 11the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that say: ‘Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for His mercy endureth for ever’, even of them that bring offerings of thanksgiving into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captivity of the land to return as at the first, saith the LORD. 12Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Yet again shall there be in this place, which is waste, without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 13In the cities of the hill-country, in the cities of the Lowland, and in the cities of the South, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks again pass under the hands of him that counteth them, saith the LORD. 14Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah. 15In those days, and at that time, Will I cause a shoot of righteousness to grow up unto David; And he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days shall Judah be saved, And Jerusalem shall dwell safely; And this is the name whereby she shall be called, The LORD is our righteousness. 17For thus saith the LORD: There shall not be cut off unto David a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; 18neither shall there be cut off unto the priests the Levites a man before Me to offer burnt-offerings, and to burn meal-offerings, and to do sacrifice continually. 19And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying: 20Thus saith the LORD: If ye can break My covenant with the day, And My covenant with the night, So that there should not be day and night in their season; 21Then may also My covenant be broken with David My servant, That he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; And with the Levites the priests, My ministers. 22As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, Neither the sand of the sea measured; So will I multiply the seed of David My servant, And the Levites that minister unto Me. 23And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying: 24’Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying: The two families which the LORD did choose, He hath cast them off? and they contemn My people, that they should be no more a nation before them. 25Thus saith the LORD: If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; 26then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David My servant, so that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will cause their captivity to return, and will have compassion on them.’ The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the land of his dominion, and all the peoples, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying: 2Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him: Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire; 3and thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon. 4Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah: Thus saith the LORD concerning thee: Thou shalt not die by the sword; 5thou shalt die in peace; and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings that were before thee, so shall they make a burning for thee; and they shall lament 34 thee: ‘Ah lord! ’ for I have spoken the word, saith the LORD. 6Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem, 7when the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these alone remained of the cities of Judah as fortified cities. 8The word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people that were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; 9that every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, go free; that none should make bondmen of them, even of a Jew his brother; 10and all the princes and all the people hearkened, that had entered into the covenant to let every one his man- servant, and every one his maid- servant, go free, and not to make bondmen of them any more; they hearkened, and let them go; 11but afterwards they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids; 12therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 13Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying: 14’At the end of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother that is a Hebrew, that hath been sold unto thee, and hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee’; but your fathers hearkened not unto Me, neither inclined their ear. 15And ye were now turned, and had done that which is right in Mine eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before Me in the house whereon My name is called; 16but ye turned and profaned My name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and ye brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. 17Therefore thus saith the LORD: Ye have not hearkened unto Me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbour; behold, I proclaim for you a liberty, saith the LORD, unto the sword, unto the pestilence, and unto the famine; and I will make you a horror unto all the kingdoms of the earth. 18And I will give the men that have transgressed My covenant, that have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in twain and passed between the parts thereof; 19the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the officers, and the priests, and all the people of the land, that passed between the parts of the calf; 20I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life; and their dead bodies shall be for food unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth. 21And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, that are gone up from you. 22Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant. The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying: 2’Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.’ 3Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites; 4and I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door; 5and I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites goblets full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them: ‘Drink ye wine.’ 6But they said: ‘We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying: Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons, for ever; 7neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any; but all your days ye shall dwell in tents, that ye may live many days in the land wherein ye sojourn. 8And we have hearkened to the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; 9nor to build houses for us to dwell in, neither to have vineyard, or field, or seed; 10but we have dwelt in tents, and have hearkened, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, that we said: Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Arameans; so we dwell at Jerusalem.’ 12Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying: 13’Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go, and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to My words? saith the LORD. 14The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed, and unto this day they drink none, for they hearken to their father’s commandment; but I have spoken unto 35 you, speaking betimes and often, and ye have not hearkened unto Me. 15I have sent also unto you all My servants the prophets, sending them betimes and often, saying: Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers; but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto Me. 16Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people hath not hearkened unto Me; 17therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard, and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.’ 18And unto the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because ye have hearkened to the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he commanded you; 19therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: There shall not be cut off unto Jonadab the son of Rechab a man to stand before Me for ever.’ And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2’Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. 3It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way, and I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.’ 4Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which He had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. 5And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying: ‘I am detained, I cannot go into the house of the LORD; 6therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD’S house upon a fast-day; and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. 7It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way; for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people.’ 8And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, 36 reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD’S house. 9Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD, all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. 10Then did Baruch read in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD’S house, in the ears of all the people. 11And when Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD, 12he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber; and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. 13Then Micaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. 14Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying: ‘Take in thy hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come.’ So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them. 15And they said unto him: ‘Sit down now, and read it in our ears.’ So Baruch read it in their ears. 16Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said unto Baruch: ‘We will surely tell the king of all these words.’ 17And they asked Baruch, saying: ‘Tell us now: How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?’ 18Then Baruch answered them: ‘He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.’ 19Then said the princes unto Baruch: ‘Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah, and let no man know where ye are.’ 20And they went in to the king into the court; but they had deposited the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the words in the ears of the king. 21So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll; and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes that stood beside the king. 22Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month; and the brazier was burning before him. 23And it came to pass, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. 24Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. 25Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had entreated the king not to burn the roll; but he would not hear them. 26And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but the LORD hid them. 27Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying: 28’Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. 29And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah thou shalt say: Thus saith the LORD: Thou hast burned this roll, saying: Why hast thou written therein, saying: The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? 30Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David; and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. 31And I will visit upon him and his seed and his servants their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they hearkened not.’ 32Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added besides unto them many like words. And Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 2But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which He spoke by the prophet Jeremiah. 3And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying: ‘Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.’ 4Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison. 5And Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they broke up from Jerusalem. 6Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying: 7’Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto Me to inquire of Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. 8And the Chaldeans shall return, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire. 9Thus saith the LORD: Deceive not yourselves, saying: The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us; for they 37 shall not depart. 10For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.’ 11And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, 12then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people. 13And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying: ‘Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.’ 14Then said Jeremiah: ‘It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans’; but he hearkened not to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. 15And the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison. 16When Jeremiah was come into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; 17then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him; and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said: ‘Is there any word from the LORD?’ And Jeremiah said: ‘There is.’ He said also: ‘Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.’ 18Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah: ‘Wherein have I sinned against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? 19Where now are your prophets that prophesied unto you, saying: The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? 20And now hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be presented before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.’ 21Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard, and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers’street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke unto all the people, saying: 2’Thus saith the LORD: He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey, and he shall live. 3Thus saith the LORD: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.’ 4Then the princes said unto the king: ‘Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death; forasmuch as he weakeneth the hands of the men 38 of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them; for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.’ 5Then Zedekiah the king said: ‘Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.’ 6Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard; and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the pit there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire. 7Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an officer, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the pit; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; 8Ebed- melech went forth out of the king’s house, and spoke to the king, saying: 9’My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit; and he is like to die in the place where he is because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.’ 10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying: ‘Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the pit, before he die.’ 11So Ebed- melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence worn clouts and worn rags, and let them down by cords into the pit to Jeremiah. 12And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah: ‘Put now these worn clouts and rags under thine armholes under the cords.’ And Jeremiah did so. 13So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the pit; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. 14Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that was in the house of the LORD; and the king said unto Jeremiah: ‘I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.’ 15Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah: ‘If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not hearken unto me.’ 16So Zedekiah the king swore secretly unto Jeremiah, saying: ‘As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.’ 17Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If thou wilt go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, thou, and thy house; 18but if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.’ 19And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah: ‘I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.’ 20But Jeremiah said: ‘They shall not deliver thee. Hearken, I beseech thee, to the voice of the LORD, in that which I speak unto thee; so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live. 21But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shown me: 22Behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say: Thy familiar friends have set thee on, And have prevailed over thee; Thy feet are sunk in the mire, And they are turned away back. 23And they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans; and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon; and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.’ 24Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah: ‘Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die. 25But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee: Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king; hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee; 26then thou shalt say unto them: I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.’ 27Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not reported. 28So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And it came to pass, when 39 Jerusalem was taken—1in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and besieged it; 2in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city— 3that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal- sarezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim aRab-saris, Nergal-sarezer aRab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. 4And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king’s garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls; and he went out the way of the Arabah. 5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he gave judgment upon him. 6Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes; a Titles of officers. also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. 7Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. 8And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house, and the house of the people, with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, the deserters also, that fell away to him, with the rest of the people that remained. 10But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, that had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields in that day. 11Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying: 12’Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.’ 13So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushazban Rab- saris, and Nergal-sarezer Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon; 14they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home; so he dwelt among the people. 15Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the guard, saying: 16’Go, and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring My words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished before thee in that day. 17But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD; and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. 18For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee; because thou hast put thy trust in Me, saith the LORD.’ The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah, that were carried away captive unto Babylon. 2And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him: ‘The LORD thy God pronounced this evil upon this place; 3and the LORD hath brought it, and done according as He spoke; because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not hearkened to His voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. 4And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which are upon thy hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will look well unto thee; but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear; behold, all the land is before thee; whither it seemeth good and right unto thee to go, thither go.—5Yet he would not go back.—Go 40 back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people; or go wheresoever it seemeth right unto thee to go.’ So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance and a present, and let him go. 6Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah, and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land. 7Now when all the captains of the forces that were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poorest of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon; 8then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 9And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore unto them and to their men, saying: ‘Fear not to serve the Chaldeans; dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. 10As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans that may come unto us; but ye, gather ye wine and summer fruits and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.’ 11Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan; 12then all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance. 13Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, 14and said unto him: ‘Dost thou know that Baalis the king of the children of Ammon hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take thy life?’ But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not. 15Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying: ‘Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it; wherefore should he take thy life, that all the Jews that are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?’ 16But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah: ‘Thou shalt not do this thing; for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.’ Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and one of 41 the chief officers of the king, and ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah. 2Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. 3Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, even the men of war. 4And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it, 5that there came certain men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with meal-offerings and frankincense in their hand to bring them to the house of the LORD. 6And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went; and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them: ‘Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.’ 7And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him. 8But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael: ‘Slay us not; for we have stores hidden in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey.’ So he forbore, and slew them not among their brethren. 9Now the pit wherein Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain by the side of Gedaliah was that which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasa king of Israel; the same Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled with them that were slain. 10Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the children of Ammon. 11But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon. 13Now it came to pass, that when all the people that were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad. 14So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah. 15But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the children of Ammon. 16Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the men, even the men of war, and the women, and the children, and the officers, whom he had brought back from Gibeon; 17and they departed, and dwelt in Geruth Chimham, which is by Beth-lehem, to go to enter into Egypt, 18because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor over the land. Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, 2and said unto Jeremiah the prophet: ‘Let, we pray thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us; 3that the LORD thy God may tell us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing that we should do.’ 4Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them: ‘I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.’ 5Then they said to Jeremiah: ‘The LORD be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not even according to all the word wherewith the LORD thy God shall send thee to us. 6Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will hearken to the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we hearken to the voice of the LORD our God.’ 7And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah. 8Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9and said unto them: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before Him: 10If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I repent Me of the evil that I have done unto you. 11Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD; for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. 12And I will grant you compassion, that he may have compassion upon you, and cause you to return to your own land. 13But if ye say: We will not abide in this land; so that ye hearken not to the voice of the LORD your God; 14saying: No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the horn, nor have hunger 42 of bread; and there will we abide; 15now therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; 16then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye fear, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye are afraid, shall follow hard after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. 17So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. 18For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: As Mine anger and My fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall My fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt; and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. 19The LORD hath spoken concerning you, O remnant of Judah: Go ye not into Egypt; know certainly that I have forewarned you this day. 20For ye have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying: Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it; 21and I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not hearkened to the voice of the LORD your God in any thing for which He hath sent me unto you. 22Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn there.’ And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, wherewith the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words, 2then spoke Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah: ‘Thou speakest falsely; the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say: Ye shall not go into Egypt to sojourn there; 3but Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death, and carry us away captives to Babylon.’ 4So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, hearkened not to the voice of the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah. 5But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all the nations whither they had been driven to sojourn in the land of Judah: 6the men, and the women, and the children, and the king’s daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, 43 and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah; 7and they came into the land of Egypt; for they hearkened not to the voice of the LORD; and they came even to Tahpanhes. 8Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying: 9’Take great stones in thy hand, and hide them in the mortar in the framework, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah; 10and say unto them: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. 11And he shall come, and shall smite the land of Egypt; such as are for death to death, and such as are for captivity to captivity, and such as are for the sword to the sword. 12And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives; and he shall fold up the land of Egypt, as a shepherd foldeth up his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace. 13He shall also break the pillars of Beth-shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of Egypt shall he burn with fire.’ The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews that dwelt in the land of Egypt, that dwelt at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying: 2’Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein; 3because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me, in that they went to offer, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, nor ye, nor your fathers. 4Howbeit I sent unto you all My servants the prophets, sending them betimes and often, saying: Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate. 5But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to forbear offering unto other gods. 6Wherefore My fury and Mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day. 7Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you none remaining; 8in that ye provoke Me with the works of your hands, offering unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye are gone to sojourn; that ye may be cut off, and that ye may be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9Have ye forgotten the wicked deeds of your fathers, and the wicked deeds 44 of the kings of Judah, and the wicked deeds of their wives, and your own wicked deeds, and the wicked deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in My law, nor in My statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers. 11Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set My face against you for evil, even to cut off all Judah. 12And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall; they shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine; they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine; and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach. 13For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; 14so that none of the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there; for none shall return save such as shall escape.’ 15Then all the men who knew that their wives offered unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great assembly, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying: 16’As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. 17But we will certainly perform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to offer unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink- offerings unto her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil. 18But since we let off to offer to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. 19And is it we that offer to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink- offerings unto her? did we make her cakes in her image, and pour out drink-offerings unto her, without our husbands?’ 20Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, even to all the people that had given him that answer, saying: 21’The offering that ye offered in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into His mind? 22So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land become a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. 23Because ye have offered, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not hearkened to the voice of the LORD, nor walked in His law, nor in His statutes, nor in His testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.’ 24Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women: ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt: 25Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and with your hands have fulfilled it, saying: We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to offer to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her; ye shall surely establish your vows, and surely perform your vows. 26Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, saith the LORD, that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt saying: As the Lord GOD liveth. 27Behold, I watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. 28And they that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, Mine, or theirs. 29And this shall be the sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that My words shall surely stand against you for evil; 30thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.’ The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying: 2’Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning thee, O Baruch: Thou didst say: 3Woe is me now! For the LORD hath added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning, And I find no rest. 4Thus shalt thou say unto him: Thus saith the LORD: Behold, that which I have built will I break down, And that which I have planted I will pluck up; And this in the whole land. 5And seekest thou great things for thyself? 45 Seek them not; for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD; but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.’ The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh-neco king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah. 3Make ready buckler and shield, And draw near to battle. 4Harness the horses, and mount, ye horsemen, And stand forth with your helmets; Furbish the spears, put on the coats of mail. 5Wherefore do I see them dismayed and turned backward? And their mighty ones are beaten down, And they are fled apace, and look not back; Terror is on every side, saith the LORD. 6The swift cannot flee away, Nor the mighty man escape; In the north by the river Euphrates Have they stumbled and fallen. 7Who is this like the Nile that riseth up, Like the rivers whose waters toss themselves? 8Egypt is like the Nile that riseth up, And like the rivers whose waters toss themselves; And he saith: ‘I will rise up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.’ 9Prance, ye horses, and rush madly, ye chariots; And let the mighty men go forth: Cush and Put, that handle the shield, And the Ludim, that handle and bend the bow. 10For the Lord GOD of hosts shall have on that day A day of vengeance, that He may avenge Him of His adversaries; And the sword shall devour and be satiate, And shall be made drunk with their blood; For the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice In the north country by the river Euphrates. 11Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt; In vain dost thou use many medicines; There is no cure for thee. 12The nations have heard of thy shame, And the earth is full of thy cry; For the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, They are fallen both of them together. 46 13The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt. 14Declare ye in Egypt, and announce in Migdol, And announce in Noph and in Tahpanhes; Say ye: ‘Stand forth, and prepare thee, For the sword hath devoured round about thee.’ 15Why is thy strong one overthrown? He stood not, because the LORD did thrust him down. 16He made many to stumble; Yea, they fell one upon another, And said: ‘Arise, and let us return to our own people, And to the land of our birth, From the oppressing sword.’ 17They cried there: ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; He hath let the appointed time pass by.’ 18As I live, saith the King, Whose name is the LORD of hosts, Surely like Tabor among the mountains, And like Carmel by the sea, so shall he come. 19O thou daughter that dwellest in Egypt, Furnish thyself to go into captivity; For Noph shall become a desolation, And shall be laid waste, without inhabitant. 20Egypt is a very fair heifer; But the gadfly out of the north is come, it is come. 21Also her mercenaries in the midst of her Are like calves of the stall, For they also are turned back, they are fled away together, They did not stand; For the day of their calamity is come upon them, The time of their visitation. 22The sound thereof shall go like the serpent’s; For they march with an army, And come against her with axes, As hewers of wood. 23They cut down her forest, saith the LORD, Though it cannot be searched; Because they are more than the locusts, And are innumerable. 24The daughter of Egypt is put to shame; She is delivered into the hand of the people of the north. 25The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith: Behold, I will punish Amon of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with her gods, and her kings; even Pharaoh, and them that trust in him; 26and I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants; and afterwards it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the LORD. 27But fear not thou, O Jacob My servant, Neither be dismayed, O Israel; For, lo, I will save thee from afar, And thy seed from the land of their captivity; And Jacob shall again be quiet and at ease, And none shall make him afraid. 28Fear not thou, O Jacob My servant, saith the LORD, For I am with thee; For I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee, But I will not make a full end of thee; And I will correct thee in measure, But will not utterly destroy thee. The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet con-cerning the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza. 2Thus saith the LORD: Behold, waters rise up out of the north, And shall become an overflowing stream, And they shall overflow the land and all that is therein, The city and them that dwell therein; And the men shall cry, And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail. 3At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong ones, At the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of his wheels, The fathers look not back to their children For feebleness of hands; 4Because of the day that cometh To spoil all the Philistines, To cut off from Tyre and Zidon Every helper that remaineth; For the LORD will spoil the Philistines, The remnant of the isle of Caphtor. 5Baldness is come upon Gaza, Ashkelon is brought to nought, the remnant of their valley; How long wilt thou cut thyself? 6O thou sword of the LORD, How long will it be ere thou be quiet? Put up thyself into thy scabbard, Rest, and be still. 7How canst thou be quiet? For the LORD hath given it a charge; Against Ashkelon, and against the sea-shore, There hath He appointed it. Of Moab. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled; Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; Misgab is put to shame and dismayed. 2The praise of Moab is no more; In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: 47 48 ‘Come, and let us cut her off from being a nation.’ Thou also, O Madmen, shalt be brought to silence; The sword shall pursue thee. 3Hark! a cry from Horonaim, Spoiling and great destruction! 4Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. 5For by the ascent of Luhith With continual weeping shall they go up; For in the going down of Horonaim They have heard the distressing cry of destruction. 6Flee, save your lives, And be like a tamarisk in the wilderness. 7For, because thou hast trusted In thy works and in thy treasures, Thou also shalt be taken; And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, His priests and his princes together. 8And the spoiler shall come upon every city, And no city shall escape; The valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed; As the LORD hath spoken. 9Give wings unto Moab, For she must fly and get away; And her cities shall become a desolation, Without any to dwell therein. 10Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD with a slack hand, And cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. 11Moab hath been at ease from his youth, And he hath settled on his lees, And hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, Neither hath he gone into captivity; Therefore his taste remaineth in him, And his scent is not changed. 12Therefore, behold, the days come, Saith the LORD, That I will send unto him them that tilt up, And they shall tilt him up; And they shall empty his vessels, And break their bottles in pieces. 13And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, As the house of Israel was ashamed Of Beth-el their confidence. 14How say ye: ‘We are mighty men, And valiant men for the war’? 15Moab is spoiled, and they are gone up into her cities, And his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, Saith the King, Whose name is the LORD of hosts. 16The calamity of Moab is near to come, And his affliction hasteth fast. 17Bemoan him, all ye that are round about him, And all ye that know his name; Say: ‘How is the strong staff broken, The beautiful rod! ’ 18O thou daughter that dwellest in Dibon, Come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; For the spoiler of Moab is come up against thee, He hath destroyed thy strongholds. 19O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch; Ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth; Say: ‘What hath been done?’ 20Moab is put to shame, for it is dismayed; Wail and cry; Tell ye it in Arnon, That Moab is spoiled. 21And judgment is come upon the country of the Plain; upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath; 22and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim; 23and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon; 24and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. 25The horn of Moab is cut off, And his arm is broken, Saith the LORD. 26Make ye him drunken, For he magnified himself against the LORD; And Moab shall wallow in his vomit, And he also shall be in derision. 27For was not Israel a derision unto thee? Was he found among thieves? For as often as thou speakest of him, Thou waggest the head. 28O ye that dwell in Moab, Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; And be like the dove that maketh her nest In the sides of the pit’s mouth. 29We have heard of the pride of Moab; He is very proud; His loftiness, and his pride, and his haughtiness, And the assumption of his heart. 30I know his arrogancy, saith the LORD, That it is ill-founded; His boastings have wrought nothing well-founded. 31Therefore will I wail for Moab; Yea, I will cry out for all Moab; For the men of Kir-heres shall my heart moan. 32With more than the weeping of Jazer will I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah; Thy branches passed over the sea, They reached even to the sea of Jazer; Upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage The spoiler is fallen. 33And gladness and joy is taken away From the fruitful field, and from the land of Moab; And I have caused wine to cease from the winepresses; None shall tread with shouting; The shouting shall be no shouting. 34From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, Even unto Jahaz have they uttered their voice, From Zoar even unto Horonaim, A heifer of three years old; For the Waters of Nimrim also Shall be desolate. 35Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, Saith the LORD, Him that offereth in the high place, And him that offereth to his gods. 36Therefore my heart moaneth for Moab Like pipes, and my heart moaneth like pipes for the men of Kir- heres; Therefore the abundance that he hath gotten is perished. 37For every head is bald, And every beard clipped; Upon all the hands are cuttings, And upon the loins sackcloth. 38On all the housetops of Moab and in the broad places thereof There is lamentation every where; For I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, Saith the LORD. 39’How is it broken down! ’ wail ye! ‘How hath Moab turned the back with shame! ’ So shall Moab become a derision and a dismay To all that are round about him. 40For thus saith the LORD: Behold, he shall swoop as a vulture, And shall spread out his wings against Moab. 41The cities are taken, And the strongholds are seized, And the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day Shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. 42And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, Because he hath magnified himself against the LORD. 43Terror, and the pit, and the trap, Are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, Saith the LORD. 44He that fleeth from the terror Shall fall into the pit; And he that getteth up out of the pit Shall be taken in the trap; For I will bring upon her, even upon Moab, The year of their visitation, saith the LORD. 45In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives Stand without strength; For a fire is gone forth out of Heshbon, And a flame from the midst of Sihon, And it devoureth the corner of Moab, And the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones. 46Woe unto thee, O Moab! The people of Chemosh is undone; For thy sons are taken away captive, And thy daughters into captivity. 47Yet will I turn the captivity of Moab In the end of days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab. Of the children of Ammon. Thus saith the LORD: Hath Israel no sons? Hath he no heir? Why then doth Malcam take possession of Gad, And his people dwell in the cities thereof? 2Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, That I will cause an alarm of war to be heard Against Rabbah of the children of Ammon; And it shall become a desolate mound, And her daughters shall be burned with fire; Then shall Israel dispossess them that did dispossess him, Saith the LORD. 3Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is undone; Cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; Lament, and run to and fro among the folds; For Malcam shall go into captivity, His priests and his princes together. 4Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, Thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? That didst trust in thy treasures: ‘Who shall come unto me?’ 5Behold, I will bring a terror upon thee, Saith the Lord GOD of hosts, From all that are round about thee; And ye shall be driven out every man right forth, And there shall be none to gather up him that wandereth. 6But afterward I will bring back the captivity of the children of Ammon, Saith the LORD. 7Of Edom. Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? Is counsel perished from the prudent? Is their wisdom vanished? 8Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; For I do bring the calamity of Esau upon him, The time that I shall punish him. 9If grape-gatherers came to thee, Would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, Would they not destroy till they had enough? 10But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, 49 And he shall not be able to hide himself; His seed is spoiled, and his brethren, And his neighbours, and he is not. 11Leave thy fatherless children, I will rear them, And let thy widows trust in Me. 12For thus saith the LORD: Behold, they to whom it pertained not to drink of the cup shall assuredly drink; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink. 13For I have sworn by Myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. 14I have heard a message from the LORD, And an ambassador is sent among the nations: ‘Gather yourselves together, and come against her, And rise up to the battle.’ 15For, behold, I make thee small among the nations, And despised among men. 16Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, Even the pride of thy heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, That holdest the height of the hill; Though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD. 17And Edom shall become an astonishment; Every one that passeth by it Shall be astonished and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. 18As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah And the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, No man shall abide there, Neither shall any son of man dwell therein. 19Behold, he shall come up like a lion From the thickets of the Jordan Against the strong habitation; For I will suddenly make him run away from it, And whoso is chosen, him will I appoint over it; For who is like Me? and who will appoint Me a time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before Me? 20Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, That He hath taken against Edom; And His purposes, that He hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall drag them away, Surely their habitation shall be appalled at them. 21The earth quaketh at the noise of their fall; There is a cry, the noise whereof is heard in the Red Sea. 22Behold, he shall come up and swoop down as the vulture, And spread out his wings against Bozrah; And the heart of the mighty men of Edom at that day Shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. 23Of Damascus. Hamath is ashamed, and Arpad; For they have heard evil tidings, they are melted away; There is trouble in the sea; It cannot be quiet. 24Damascus is waxed feeble, she turneth herself to flee, And trembling hath seized on her; Anguish and pangs have taken hold of her, as of a woman in travail. 25’How is the city of praise left unrepaired, The city of my joy?’ 26Therefore her young men shall fall in her broad places, And all the men of war shall be brought to silence in that day, Saith the LORD of hosts. 27And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, And it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad. 28Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote. Thus saith the LORD: Arise ye, go up against Kedar, And spoil the children of the east. 29Their tents and their flocks shall they take, They shall carry away for themselves their curtains, And all their vessels, and their camels; And they shall proclaim against them a terror on every side. 30Flee ye, flit far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD; For Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, And hath conceived a purpose against you. 31Arise, get you up against a nation that is at ease, That dwelleth without care, saith the LORD; That have neither gates nor bars, That dwell alone. 32And their camels shall be a booty, And the multitude of their cattle a spoil; And I will scatter unto all winds them that have the corners polled; And I will bring their calamity from every side of them, saith the LORD. 33And Hazor shall be a dwelling- place of jackals, A desolation for ever; no man shall abide there, Neither shall any son of man dwell therein. 34The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying: 35Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam The chief of their might. 36And I will bring against Elam the four winds From the four quarters