meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Torah/Genesis/English/Torah Yesharah, translated and edited by Chas. Kahane. New York, 1963.txt"}
text: Genesis
  בראשית
  Torah Yesharah, translated and edited by Chas. Kahane. New York, 1963
  
  
  Genesis
  
  
  
  
  
  In the beginning the Almighty — in his wisdom — created out of nothingness the heaven and the earth together with their inherent potentials.(ירושלמי על התורה, רמב"ן.)
  But the earth was still formless and without system, and the darkness of the various gases which the Almighty created were on the face of the abyss; and mighty winds blew over the face of the waters but were controlled by the merciful spirit of the Almighty.(מס' חגיגה יב. לפי רב יהודה אמר רב שחושך אחד מעשרה דברים שנבראו ביום ראשון. בתורה שלמה אות רצד מביא דהבריאה של חושך היתה ע"י אדים עבים מיימים. חגיגה יב, עפ"י ריש לקיש: הים הי' מרחיב והולך עד שגער בו הקב"ה. במדרש מרחפת: לשון רחמים.)
  Then the Almighty willed that light emanate from Him. And there was immense light.(ב"ר פ"ג: מלמד שנתעטף בה הקב"ה כשמלה. חגיגה יב.)
  The Almighty saw that the immense light was fit for numerous functions, and the Almighty separated the light from the darkness.(עפ"י במדבר רבה יח.)
  The Almighty called the light “Day,” and the darkness He called “Night.” And at first there was evening and then morning; on that day when the Almighty was Alone and One.(מס' חולין פ"ג, ע"א, רש"י בחומש.)
  The Almighty said: “Let there be a partition in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters above from the waters below.”(ירושלמי, יונתן.)
  The Almighty solidified the partition, and divided the waters which were under the partition — the rivers and seas — from the waters which were above the partition — the mists and rain-producing clouds. And when it was so,(ראה רש"י בפסוק ו', ירושלמי ברכות פ"א: רב אמר יהי רקיע: יחזק הרקיע. תורה שלמה אות ת"פ, א"ע.)
  the Almighty called the partition “Heaven.” And there was evening and morning, the second day.(ראה תהלים קד, ו-ח.)
  The Almighty, in order to make life possible for man and for beast said: “Let the waters that cover the whole face of the earth be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And when it was so,(עפ"י רש"י.)
  the Almighty called the dry land “Earth,” and the gathering of the waters He called “Seas.” And the Almighty saw that it was good.
  Then the Almighty said: “Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their species; and the kernels of all fruits from which, if they be planted, the corresponding tree grows.” And it was so.
  The earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its species, and tree bearing fruit. And the Almighty saw that it was good.
  And there was evening and morning, a third day.
  The Almighty said: “Let the immense light — created on the first day — be condensed and suspended as luminaries in the partition of the heaven, to divide the day from the night. And let them be signs for direction, and for seasons, and for establishing the holidays, and for days and years.(עפ"י רש"י, א"ע.)
  In addition, let these lights that hang in the partition of the heavens serve to give light to the world." And it was so.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  The Almighty originally made the sun and the moon equal in size and power. He later diminished the moon because of its presumptuous demand for greater power, and made the sun the greater light to rule the day, and the moon, the lesser light, to rule the night. However, to appease the moon, He gave it the stars as satellites.(רש"י.)
  And the Almighty set them in their orbits of the heaven, a great distance from the earth, to give light upon the earth,(יונתן ב"ע, ילקוט שמעוני.)
  and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And the Almighty saw that it was good.(יונתן ב"ע, ילקוט שמעוני.)
  And there was evening and morning, a fourth day.
  The Almighty said: “Let the water bring forth swarms of living creatures — ants, flies, worms, and rodents — and from the swamps let fowls fly above the earth in the open spheres of the heaven."(רש"י.)
  The Almighty created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that creeps, from which the water swarmed, after its species, and every winged fowl after its species; and the Almighty saw that it was good.(רש"י.)
  Because so many of them are caught and destroyed, the Almighty bestowed upon them a special blessing: “Be fruitful; may one of you bring forth many; fill the waters in the seas, and may the fowl increase in the earth."(רש"י.)
  And there was evening and morning, a fifth day.
  The Almighty said: “Let the earth now bring forth the living creatures, which were implanted within it on the first day of creation, domesticated animals, creeping things such as reptiles and beasts of the earth after their species." And it was so.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  The Almighty formed the shape, the color, and the size of the beast of the earth, according to its species; and of the cattle, according to its species; and of everything creeping upon the earth, according to its species, endowing them with the necessary senses. And the Almighty saw that it was good.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  In order to teach mankind humility, that the greater may consult the lesser, the Almighty consulted the angels and said: “Let us make man in our image (with the faculty of understanding); after our likeness (having free will); and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth (that he may dig and extract minerals and metals) and over every creeping thing that moves upon the earth."(רש"י, א"ע, רמב"ן.)
  And the Almighty created the man in a mold made for him; to be a reflection of the Almighty He created him. Both male and female He created in the same mold which were separated afterward.(רש"י.)
  The Almighty blessed them, giving them their first command to build a home and to rear a family — saying: “Be fruitful and numerous, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. And — if you be worthy, you will have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heaven, and over every living thing that creeps upon the earth."(מס' יבמות סד. וראה רש"י בפסוק כו.)
  The Almighty said: “You are not permitted to kill any creature for food. Mark, I have given you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which has in it the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it will be food for you.(רש"י, א"ע, וראה רמב"ן.)
  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the heaven, and to everything that creeps upon the earth (in which there is a living breath), I have given every green herb for food.” And it was so.
  And the Almighty saw that everything He had made was working in harmony and unity, bearing witness to His unity, and He considered it very good. And there was evening and morning, the sixth day.(עפ"י מלבי"ם, ראה הירץ.)
  
  
  
  And the heaven and the earth and all their fullness were perfected.(אונקלוס.)
  And on the seventh day, the Almighty crowned His work which He had made; and He desisted on the seventh day from all His creation which He had perfected.(עפ"י תנחומא.)
  And the Almighty blessed the seventh day by making it provide its observers with abundance for the whole week, and set it apart as a day of holiness to consecrate the spirit of man; because on it He desisted from all His work, which the Almighty had created with the power to reproduce itself in the future.(עפ"י רמב"ן, א"ע.)
  These forms of plant and animal life are the offsprings of heaven and earth, because of the power instilled in them (when they were created), on the day when the Eternal Almighty created earth and heaven with Divine mercy and justice.(ספורנו.)
  No shrub or herb of the field was yet in the earth having remained on the surface of it since the third day of creation, nor had herb yet sprung up; for the Eternal Almighty had sent no rain upon the earth, because there was not yet man to continue His creation by cultivating the ground.(עפ"י רש"י וביאור המלבי"ם.)
  But there arose a mist from the earth which provided moisture for vegetation, and watered the whole face of the ground.
  Then the Eternal Almighty formed man of dust from every part of the earth, instilled him with good and evil inclinations and breathed into his nostrils the soul of life; and man became a living soul, endowed with the faculty of speech.(מס' סנהדרין לח ע"א. ב"ר פרק יד. אונקלוס.)
  The Eternal Almighty had previously planted a garden in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.(א"ע.)
  Out of the ground the Eternal Almighty made grow every kind of tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree which renders everlasting life was in the midst of the garden; and there, too, was the tree whose fruit implanted in those who partook of it the desire for good and evil.(עפ"י רמב"ן.)
  There was a river in Eden which watered the garden; and from there it was parted into four heads.
  The name of the first is Pishon — later called the Nile — that is the one which compasses the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.(רש"י.)
  The gold of that land is good; there are found the pearl and the onyx stone.(לפי השערת הירץ.)
  The name of the second river is Gichon; this is the one that encompasses the whole land of what was later called Ethiopia.(ראה רש"י.)
  The name of the third river is Tigris; that is the one which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
  The Eternal Almighty took man from the place where he was created and placed him in the garden of Eden, to tend it by watering it and to guard it against wild beasts.(א"ע.)
  And the Eternal Almighty commanded the man in this way: “Of every tree of the garden you may eat;
  but of the tree of the desire for good and evil you must not eat; for on the day you eat of it, you will be deserving of death.”(רמב"ן, וראה מלבי"ם.)
  The Eternal Almighty said: “The man will not be happy when alone. I will make him a mate, who will be a help for him if he is worthy, and be against him if he is unworthy.(עפ"י מס' יבמות סב. רש"י.)
  And all the animals of the earth and all the fowl of the air which the Eternal Almighty had formed, He brought to the man so that he should indicate by name which species belong to which; and whatever the man named every living creature, that was to be its name.(רמב"ן.)
  And the man gave names to the species and their mates, to all cattle and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but as for the man — Adam — there was not yet found a helpmate suitable for him.(א"ע.)
  So the Eternal Almighty engulfed the man in deep slumber and while he slept, He took out one of his sides and closed the place with flesh in its stead.(א"ע.)
  And from the part which the Eternal Almighty had taken out of the man, He built a woman — endowing her with intuition — and He brought her to the man.(דברי ר' חסדא במס' נדה מה ע"ב.)
  Then the man said: “This time it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she will be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Henceforth, however, woman will be formed separately from man.”(ספורנו.)
  Therefore a man should leave the home of his father and mother and join his wife and form a perfect fellowship — sharing the joys and burdens of life.(ספורנו.)
  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed, because they sensed no desires.
  
  
  
  Now the serpent was more sly than any other beast of the field which the Eternal Almighty had made. And he said to the woman: “Is it true that the Almighty has said: 'You must not eat of any tree of the garden?'”(עפ"י א"ע.)
  And the woman said to the serpent: “Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
  but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, the Almighty has said: You must not eat” (and here the woman added a command not given by the Almighty, “neither should you touch it, lest you die”).(מס' סנהדרין כט.)
  And the serpent, after pushing her until she touched the tree, said to the woman: "Just as there is no death in touching the tree, so is there none in eating the fruit;(מס' סנהדרין כט.)
  for the Almighty knows that on the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and then you will be great like the angels, helping the Almighty create and destroy worlds by knowing good and evil.”(א"ע, רש"י.)
  When the woman was convinced by the serpent that the fruit of the tree was good for food and that it awoke desire, and brought the delight of becoming wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband, and he ate.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  Then their eyes were opened to the awareness of sin, and they knew that they were naked of all sense of gratitude and obedience to the Divine Will, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.(רש"י. אודות ביאור "חגורות" ראה בילקוט שמעוני.)
  They heard the sound of the Eternal Almighty manifesting itself in the garden, toward evening; and the man and his wife hid themselves among the trees of the garden.(רש"י.)
  In order to afford him the opportunity of preserving his self-possession, the Eternal Almighty called to the man and said to him: “Where are you?”(רש"י.)
  He answered: “Hearing Your voice in the garden, I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
  And He said: “How did you know that nakedness is shameful? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”(ספורנו.)
  And the man, displaying his ingratitude, said: “The woman whom You have given to me, gave me of the tree — and I ate.”(רש"י.)
  And the Eternal Almighty said to the woman: “What is this you have done?” And the woman said: “The serpent enticed me and I ate.”
  And the Eternal Almighty said to the instigator, the serpent: “Because you have done this, you will be cursed among all animals and all beasts of the field; you will crawl upon your belly and you will eat dust, as long as your species exists.(עפ"י רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your descendants and her descendants. They will bruise your head, and you will bruise their heel.”
  To the woman, He said: “I will make your penalty even greater. In distress will you rear children; in pain will you bear them; and your desire and obedience will be to your husband, who will rule over you.”(נראה לי מכפל הלשון: הרבה ארבה.)
  And to Adam, He said: “Because you have listened to your wife when she spoke falsely, and have eaten of the tree of which I distinctly commanded you 'Do not eat of it’ — the earth will yield cursed things for you. In hard and unceasing toil, will you eat from it all the days of your life.(ספורנו, רש"י.)
  When you plant various types of seeds, they will bring forth thorns and thistles; and like the beasts, you will have to eat the herb of the field.(מלבי"ם.)
  Only by your own hard work and the sweat of your brow will you eat bread, until you return to the ground from which you have been formed. For you are from dust, and to dust will you return — and still your soul will have to account for your deeds.”(עפ"י יונתן ב"ע.)
  The man named his wife Havah — Eve, because she was the mother of all mankind.(א"ע.)
  Despite their sin, the Eternal Almighty did not withdraw His care from them; and He made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.(עפ"י מס' סוטה יד, ועפ"י תוס' ישנים.)
  And the Eternal Almighty said: “The man is no longer similar to the heavenly beings, but is unique because he knows good and evil, and thus has freedom of choice; and having that, he might choose to eat from the Tree of Life and become immortal, no longer fearing sin and enabling him to deceive others.”(עפ"י רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  Therefore, the Eternal Almighty sent him away from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
  Thus He drove out the man, that neither he nor his descendants should ever return there; but before they departed (so that they should not eat of it on their way out), He placed the destroying angels at the east of the garden of Eden and the flaming sword which turned in every direction, in order to protect the way to the tree of life.(ספורנו, רש"י.)
  
  
  
  After an estrangement from his wife because of her sin, Adam again befriended Eve, his wife; and she bore Cain, meaning “acquiring,” because she said: “I have gotten a man with the help of the Eternal”; and a daughter, his twin sister.(עפ"י מס' עירובין יח ע"א שאדם פירש מאשתו אחר החטא ק"ל שנים. וידע - נראה לי - מלשון ולנעמי מודע, רות ב, א. בראשית רבה כב.)
  Then she bore his brother — Abel — and Abel's twin sister. And Abel, who feared the Almighty's curse on the earth, tended sheep; but Cain was a tiller of the ground.(רש"י.)
  In the process of time, Cain brought inferior fruit of the ground as an offering to the Eternal.(רש"י.)
  And Abel also brought an offering, but of the most highly prized of his flocks, and the richest part of the animal. And a fire came down from heaven consuming it, because the Eternal turned to Abel and accepted his offering;
  but He did not turn to Cain, and He rejected his offering. And Cain was very angry in his jealousy of Abel, and his face was downcast by the shame of his rejection.(ספורנו.)
  And the Eternal said to Cain: “Why are you angry? And why is your face downcast?(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  If you amend your ways, you will be forgiven. But if you do not repent, you will have to give account on the day of judgment, and sin awaits at the door of your heart; the evil inclination continually desires to make you stumble, but you have the power to prevail over it.”(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And Cain began to quarrel with Abel, his brother. And when they were in the field, away from their parents' presence, Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and killed him.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  The Eternal, in order to induce confession and repentance from him, said to Cain: “Where is Abel, your brother?” And he, insolently, said: “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?”(רש"י.)
  And He said: “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood, and the blood of his potential descendants, cries up to Me from the ground.(אונקלוס.)
  Now even more, cursed will you be than the earth, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.(שד"ל.)
  When you till the ground, it will not henceforth yield its produce for you; a fugitive and a wanderer will you be in the world.”
  Cain said to the Eternal: “Is my sin too great to be forgiven?(רש"י.)
  You have driven me out today from the face of the earth. I cannot even pray to You for I am too ashamed; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the world; and with your protection withdrawn from me, then whoever finds me will kill me.”(רמב"ן.)
  The Eternal said to him: “Because you have repented, I, therefore, give warning that whoever slays Cain before seven generations have passed will be punished.” And the Eternal gave a sign to Cain, and convinced him that no one would slay him.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  And Cain went out — in shame — from the presence of the Eternal, and lived in the land of Nod on the east of Eden — where all exiles wander about.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  Cain befriended his twin sister so that she became his wife; and she gave birth to Enoch; and Cain prayed that the Eternal's decree making him a wanderer would not apply to his children; so while he was building a city, he named it after his son, Enoch.(עפ"י רמב"ן.)
  Enoch fathered Irad; and Irad fathered Mechuyael; and Mechuyael fathered Methushael; and Methushael fathered Lamech.
  Lamech married two wives; the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
  And Adah bore Jabal; he was the first to tend flocks, driving his cattle for pasture from place to place, and setting up his tent — even for a short while — wherever he stayed.(רש"י.)
  His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the originator of music, playing the harp and the pipe.(רש"י.)
  And Zillah, too, gave birth — to Tubal-Cain, who was the first maker of copper and iron, weapons used for bloodshed. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah, wife of Noah.(רש"י.)
  And when his wives learned that Lamech helped Tubal-Cain to invent the deadly weapons of copper and iron, they separated from him. And Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear me; You wives of Lamech, listen to my speech; I have not slain a man that I should be liable; Neither did I wound a child, so that my descendants should be destroyed.(רמב"ן.)
  Even Cain — who killed intentionally — was forgiven for seven generations. Surely Lamech should be forgiven for seventy-seven generations.”(רמב"ן.)
  Adam again befriended his wife; and she bore a son and named him Seth, meaning — foundation — “for the Almighty has established for me a child to take the place of Abel; for Cain slew him.”(מלבי"ם.)
  And Seth, too, fathered a son, and he named him Enosli. It was then that idolatry began, when men and objects were called by Divine names.(רש"י.)
  
  
  
  This is the history of the events of mankind. On the day the Almighty created man, He made him in the likeness of the Almighty — with free will, as a reminder of the dignity of all humankind.(ספורנו, ועפ"י ספרא קדושים דברי בן עזאי.)
  He created male and female, blessing them with the power to give birth to children like themselves. He called them by the name of Human, on the day when they were created.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years; then he fathered the only son who was in his own likeness, after his image; and he called him Seth.(א"ע.)
  And Adam’s age after he fathered Seth was eight hundred years, during these years he fathered other sons and daughters.
  And all the years of Adam’s life were nine hundred and thirty, and he died.
  When Seth was one hundred and five years old he fathered Enosh.
  And Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he fathered Enosh, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters.
  And the age of Seth when he died was nine hundred and twelve years.
  And when Enosh was ninety years old he fathered Kenan.
  And Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he fathered Kenan, during which time he bore other sons and daughters
  And the life time of Enosh was nine hundred and five years, and he died.
  When Kenan was seventy years old he fathered Mahalalel.
  And Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he fathered Mahalalel, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters.
  And the age of Kenan when he died was nine hundred and ten years.
  And when Mahalalel was sixty five years old he bore Yered.
  And Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he bore Yered, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters.
  The age of Mahalalel when he died was eight hundred and ninety five years.
  When Yered was one hundred and sixty two years old he fathered Hanoch.
  And Yered lived eight hundred years after he fathered Hanoch during which time he fathered other sons and daughters.
  The age of Yered when he died was nine hundred and sixty two years.
  When Hanoch was sixty five years old he fathered Methuselah.
  And Hanoch lived three hundred years after he bore Methuselah and other sons and daughters and then the Almighty took him away.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  All the years of Hanoch were only three hundred and sixty five years.
  For Hanoch walked in the righteous way of the Almighty: he was not wicked like the men of his generation, and in order not to go astray, he disappeared, for the Almighty took him away.
  When Methuselah was one hundred and eighty seven years old he fathered Lemech.
  And after he fathered Lemech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty two years, during which time he bore other sons and daughters.
  So when Methuselah died he was nine hundred and sixty nine years old.
  When Lemech was one hundred and eighty two years old a son was born to him.
  And when this son grew up, and invented the plough, he called him Noah, meaning "Rest," saying: "He brought us rest from the work and hard toil of our hands, in working the earth which the Eternal has cursed."(רש"י, א"ע.)
  And after he fathered Noah and other sons and daughters Lemech lived five hundred and ninety five years.
  So when Lemech died he was seven hundred and seventy seven years old.
  And when Noah was five hundred years old he fathered Shem, Ham and Japheth.
  
  
  
  When man began to increase on the face of the earth, and beautiful daughters were born to them,(עפ"י א"ע.)
  the sons of Seth, who served the Almighty, saw that the daughters of Cain, the son of Adam, were fair, and they intermarried with these impious women, whom they chose.(עפ"י א"ע.)
  Then the Eternal said: “This evil generation will make hie not endure them forever; because not My spirit, but their flesh, prevails upon them. However, I will give man a period of a hundred and twenty years in which to repent."(עפ"י רמב"ן, אונקלוס.)
  The giants, descendants of the sons of Cain, were on the earth in those days; and later when the sons of Seth, who feared the Almighty, intermarried with the daughters of Cain, son of Adam, giants were born to them. These were the mighty men of olden times, the men of physical renown.(נראה לי ע"פ פירושו של א"ע בפסוק א-ב. ועיין ברמב"ן.)
  And the Eternal saw that man's wickedness in the earth was great, and that every desire or thought of his heart was only continuous evil for the future with no hope for repentance.(ספורנו.)
  The Eternal considered what to do with man, whom He had made, on earth; and He mourned that because of his evil heart, man would be destroyed.(ספורנו.)
  And the Eternal 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, that were created for man's sake, for I reconsider what I have made."(עפ"י רש"י.)
  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Eternal.
  This is the history of Noah. Noah was righteous in his actions towards his fellowman, faultless in his corrupted generation; with the fear and support of the Almighty did Noah walk.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  Noah fathered three sons, Shcm, Ham, and Japlieth.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  The inhabitants of the earth became corrupted with immorality and idolatry in the sight of the Almighty, and the earth was filled with robbery.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  And the Almighty saw that the earth was corrupted; for all flesh, even the animals, had corrupted their conduct upon the earth.(רש"י.)
  The Almighty said to Noah: “The end of the hundred and twenty years, which I have extended for all flesh to repent, has' come, for the earth is filled with robbery through them, and I will destroy them, along with the upper surface of the earth.(ספורנו.)
  Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make the ark with separate rooms, for different animals, and cover it inside as well as outside with pitch.(ראה הירץ.)
  These are the directions as to how you shall make it: Six hundred feet shall be the length of the ark, one hundred feet the’ breadth of it, and sixty feet the height of it.(עפ"י מדידת הח"ס והחזון איש שאמה היא 24 אינטשעס. ראה באגרות משה מהרה"ג ר' משה פיינשטיין אורח חיים סימן קלו.)
  And a precious stone, to give light, will you provide for the ark; from the top of two feet above, you will fasten it; and the door of the ark shall be set in its side; with lower, second, and third stories must you make it.(אונקלוס, יונתן.)
  And I shall punish them measure for measure. I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the breath of life; everything that is in the earth will perish.(עפ"י רמב"ן.)
  But, through you, I will establish My covenant, made when I created the world, and you will come into the ark — you, and your sons, and your wife, and your son's wives with you.
  And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every species will you bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they should be male and female.
  Of the fowl, and of the beasts, and of every creeping thing of the ground, that was not corrupted, and was mating with its own kind, two of each, will come to you to stay alive.(רש"י.)
  And take all kinds of food which are eaten by you and the different animals; collect it, and it will be food for you and for them.(ספורנו.)
  Noah constructed the ark and collected the provisions. According to the plan which the Almighty commanded him, so did he do.(רש"י.)
  
  
  
  The Merciful Eternal said to Noah: “Come, and bring all the belongings of your house, into the ark; for I have observed you to be the only righteous man in this depraved generation.(מלבי"ם, רמב"ן.)
  From among your domestic animals that are ritually pure, and fit to be used for sacrifice, taken seven pairs — male and female; and from among your domestic animals that are not kosher, and not fit for sacrifice, take two pairs — male and female.(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  Also of the clean fowl of the air, taken seven pairs — male and female; but only such animals and such birds as are able to procreate seed upon the face of the earth.(ראה מס' עבודה זרה ו, א. מלבי"ם.)
  I shall extend another seven days, in which they may repent. But if they do not, I will cause it to rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights — the period it takes to form the child in the womb; and I will blot out every living substance that I have made, from off the face of the earth.”(יונתן, רש"י.)
  And Noah collected all the animals, and all the birds, according to all that the Eternal had commanded him.(ב"ר לב.)
  Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was on the earth.
  Noah and his sons, and his wife and his sons' wives, came into the ark because of the waters of the flood.
  Of clean animals, which were fit for sacrificial use, and of unclean animals, not fit for sacrificial use, and of fowls, and everything that creeps upon the ground,(ראה מס' זבחים קטז.)
  they came in pairs from all parts of the world to Noah in the ark; male and female, as the Almighty had instructed Noah.(ראה מס' זבחים קטז.)
  And after seven days, when the wicked did not repent, the waters of the flood were upon the earth.(אבות דר' נתן פרק לב.)
  In the six-hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, beginning with Tishrei, this having been decreed on Yom Kippur, on the seventeenth day of the month, making a month from Yom Kippur and a seven days' extension — on that same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.(אליבא דר' אליעזר בר"ה יא. יונתן ב"ע. וראה בתורה תמימה.)
  First soft rain came down, as a warning; but then there was a flood of rain upon the earth, for forty days and forty nights.(רש"י.)
  In the early morning of the day as told by the Eternal — to demonstrate their defiance of the threats by the wicked — entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;(ראה מס' מנחות סח א. אליבא דרב ושמואל דמפרשי עצם היום - מראה היום.)
  they, and every animal, and all the beasts, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth, and every fowl, and every bird of winged creature of their species.(ראה מס' מנחות סח א. אליבא דרב ושמואל דמפרשי עצם היום - מראה היום.)
  They came by themselves to Noah into the ark, pairs of all flesh, in which there was breath of life.
  And they entered, male and female of all flesh, as the Almighty had instructed him. And the Merciful Eternal protected him, from vicious beasts and from the would-be attackers.(רש"י.)
  When the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters had increased and were sufficiently deep to bear the ark, it was lifted above the earth.
  The waters grew stronger and increased greatly upon the earth, and by miracle its heat was cooled, so as not to damage the pitch, and the ark floated upon the face of the earth.(זבחים קיג, ע"א.)
  And the waters still prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
  Thirty feet above the summits of all the mountains, did the waters prevail; and the mountains were submerged.(רש"י.)
  And all flesh that moved upon the earth perished; first, the weaker elements, the fowl, then the cattle, and the wild beast, and every swarming thing that could swarm in the water and upon the earth, then, every man, who tried to escape by climbing the high mountains —(מלבי"ם.)
  All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, what ever was on the dry land, but not the fish in the sea, died.(זבחים קיג, רש"י.)
  And after they died, He deformed all the bodies of every living substance that was upon the face of the ground; first man, whose body is weak, then beasts, and creeping things, and fowl of the heaven, that were preserved in caves, and they were blotted out from the earth; only Noah and those who were with him in the ark were saved.(מלבי"ם.)
  And the waters lasted upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.(מלבי"ם.)
  
  
  
  And the Almighty remembered the covenant that He made with Noah, to save him, and all the beasts, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and a spirit of mercy passed before the Almighty concerning the world, and the waters subsided.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  The fountains of the deep were stopped, only the hot waters of healing springs remained; and the windows of heaven closed, and the rain from heaven was withheld.(רש"י.)
  And the waters receded from above the earth, gradually diminishing; and at the end of a hundred and fifty days, the decrease was visible.(מלבי"ם.)
  And the ark alighted in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month of Nisan, upon the mountains of Ararat — between Kurdistan and Armenia.(רמב"ן, יונתן ב"ע.)
  The waters continued to decrease until the tenth month. On the first day of the month of Tammuz, the tops of the ordinary mountains became visible.
  At the end of forty days, after the tops of the mountains became visible, Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made,(ילקוט שמעוני.)
  and sent forth the raven, which would be able to sustain its life from the flesh of a floating corpse; it went forth and found a corpse, and did not return even after the waters had dried up entirely from the earth.(ילקוט שמעוני.)
  Then he sent forth a dove, which feeds on vegetation, and would give him more reliable information as to whether the waters had abated from off the face of the earth.(הירץ.)
  But the dove found no rest for the soles of its feet, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth; and he put forth his hand, took it, and brought it to him into the ark.
  He waited another seven days, and again sent forth the dove from the ark.
  And the dove returned to him toward evening holding in its mouth a plucked olive leaf, which had been able to withstand the force of the flood because of its enduring mettle; and Noah knew that the waters had abated from the surface of the earth.(עפ"י תוס' גיטין כא.)
  He waited still another seven days; and again freed the dove; and she did not return to him again.
  In the six-hundred and first year of Noah’s life, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters dried up from the surface of the earth, though it was still a mass of marsh and mud; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and found that the surface of the ground had dried.(רש"י.)
  And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was hard.(רש"י.)
  Nevertheless, Noah did not leave the ark until the Almighty spoke to him, saying:(ילקוט שמעוני.)
  “Leave the ark, you, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
  Bring forth with you every living thing of flesh that is with you, both fowl and cattle, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. Those which reproduce by hatching eggs may swarm on the earth, and those which reproduce by giving birth may be fruitful and increase on the earth.”(מלבי"ם.)
  So Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him.
  Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl went forth from the ark; except such boneless creeping things moving upon the earth as could not survive a full year in the ark and of these, their offspring went out of the ark.(סנהדרין קח, חולין נח.)
  And Noah rebuilt the altar upon which Abel had offered his sacrifice to the Eternal; and he took of every kosher beast, and of every kosher fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.(יונתן בן עוזיאל, מלבי"ם.)
  The Eternal was pleased with the sacrifice; and the Eternal said to Himself: “I will never again curse the ground because of Adam’s sin, as I have done; for the evil inclination in man begins in his youth, before he is matured; nor will I again smite the whole living world, as I have done. Henceforth, only the individual wil be punished.(אונקלוס, א"ע, מלבי"ם.)
  While the earth remains in existence, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease as they did during the flood.”(ב"ר לד.)
  
  
  
  When Noah came out of the ark, he was alarmed at the world's devastation; therefore, the Almighty bestowed on him and on his sons the following blessing, saying to them: "Be fruitful, and increase, and replenish the earth."(אברבנאל, רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו, רמב"ן, יונתן. ועפ"י חז"ל.)
  That they might not become prey to the vicious creatures, He blessed them: "The fear and dread of you will be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, and upon all that creeps upon the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; into your hands are they delivered."(אברבנאל, רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו, רמב"ן, יונתן. ועפ"י חז"ל.)
  Because after the flood, all the herbs and fruit trees were destroyed and the vegetations lost their former nutrient strength, He granted them permission to eat the flesh of animals: "Every creature that moves will be food for you; as the green herb was given you, so have I given you all things."(אברבנאל, רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו, רמב"ן, יונתן. ועפ"י חז"ל.)
  "Although permission was granted you to eat the flesh of an animal, you are forbidden to remove and eat either a limb from a live animal, or a limb removed immediately after slaughter; because, "flesh which still has life, or still has its life blood, you must not eat."(אברבנאל, רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו, רמב"ן, יונתן. ועפ"י חז"ל.)
  Moreover, you are forbidden to take human life, for I will surely exact punishment if you take your own life, whether the suicide is committed by shedding blood or by hanging, which does not involve actual bloodshed; and if a man commits murder and there are no witnesses, I will exact punishment upon him through a beast or through another man. Truly, I will demand the responsibility for one man's life from another.(אברבנאל, רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו, רמב"ן, יונתן. ועפ"י חז"ל.)
  "However, he who sheds man's blood, and there are witnesses, the Court must shed his blood; for man's life is precious, because He made man in the image of the Almighty.(אברבנאל, רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו, רמב"ן, יונתן. ועפ"י חז"ל.)
  "And he who does not found a family is likened to one who sheds blood, for you are commanded to be fruitful and increase, swarm on the earth and increase therein."(אברבנאל, רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו, רמב"ן, יונתן. ועפ"י חז"ל.)
  But Noah was reluctant to keep the command given him to be fruitful and multiply, until he had received the Eternal's promise that He would not bring another world-wide flood. And the Almighty spoke unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying:(אברבנאל, רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו, רמב"ן, יונתן. ועפ"י חז"ל.)
  "If you will not commit homicide, then I will confirm My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  and with every living domestic creature that is with you — fowl, cattle, and all the beasts of the earth with you — all that are out of the ark, and even of all non-domesticated beasts of the earth.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  I will confirm My permanent covenant with you, through a sign, and no more will all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; nor will there again be a flood to destroy the earth."(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  The Almighty continued: "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for everlasting generations.
  My bow, which I have set in the clouds in the day of creation, shall henceforth be a sign of covenant between Me and the earth.(רמב"ן.)
  When there be clouds over the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth are sinful, then the bow will be seen in the cloud,(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
  The bow shall be in the cloud; and the righteous will pray to Me — then will I look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between the Atribute of Justice and every living creature of all flesh, which is upon the earth."(ספורנו.)
  And the Almighty, having demonstrated the rainbow, said to Noah: "This is the sign of the covenant, which I have confirmed between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”(רש"י.)
  The sons of Noah who came out from the ark were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is the father of Canaan, who was born in the ark.(מלבי"ם.)
  These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole population on the earth was dispersed.
  Noah, the skilled worker of the earth, degraded himself by planting a vineyard,(א"ע, רש"י.)
  and drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself within his tent.
  Canaan dishonored his grandfather, and Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the dishonoring of his own father, and mockingly told it to his two brothers in public.(ב"ר, אונקלוס.)
  And first Shem, and then Japheth, took a garment, and put it upon their shoulders; they went backward and covered the nakedness of their father and their faces were turned backwards, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.(סנהדרין ע.)
  When Noah had sobered from his wine, he sensed what his contemptible grandson had done to him.(רש"י.)
  He said: “Cursed be Canaan; a servant to other servants shall he be among his fellowmen.”(רמב"ן.)
  He further said: “Blessed be the Eternal, whom Shem acknowledged as the Almighty. He will surely fulfill His promise to Shem’s descendants, and give them the land of Canaan, and the Canaanites will be subjugated to his descendants.(רש"י.)
  The Almighty will grant esthetics to Japheth, and this beauty will be inspired by the sanctuaries of Shem, and let Canaan be their servant.”(עפ"י גמרא מגילה ט.)
  Noah lived for three hundred and fifty years after the flood.
  And all the years of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; then he died.
  
  
  
  And these are the descendants of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and sons were born to them after the flood, although some of Ham's children were born in the ark.(מלבי"ם.)
  The sons of Japheth: Comer, and Magog and Madai and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiros. They settled in what is now Africa, Germany, Media, Macedonia, Bithynia, Asia, and Persia.(יונתן ב"ע.)
  And the sons of Gomer were: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah, who settled in Asia Minor, Armania, and Berberia.(ירושלמי על התורה.)
  And the sons of Javan were: Elisha, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodonim, who settled in what is now known as Greece, Spain, Italy, and Troy.(ב"ר לז.)
  From these came the isles of the nations divided in their different lands, each according to its tongue, by their families, in their nations.(מפרשי אחרונים.)
  And the descendants of Ham: Ethiopia, Egypt, Ludia, and Canaan.(מפרשי אחרונים.)
  And the families of the Ethiopians: Seba Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabteca; and the families of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan, tribes and regions on the African coast of the Red Sea, and Arabia.(מפרשי אחרונים.)
  And from Ethiopia came Nimrod; he began to be a rebel against both, the Almighty and against government — in the world.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  He was a rebel by his demagoguery against the Eternal; thus it is said of one who is exceedingly wicked: ‘dike Nimrod, a rebel-demagogue against the Eternal.”(עפ"י רש"י.)
  The beginning of his kingdom was Great Babylonia, and Warka, and Accadia, and Calneh, in the land of the Sumerians.(יונתן ב"ע, ראה הירץ.)
  Out of this land he went forth against Assyria, and he built Nineveh, and Rehobot Ir, and Calah,(עפ"י רמב"ן.)
  and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah. And all these cities he merged into the great city of Nineveh.(עפ"י רש"י.)
  And from the Egyptians came forth the Lydians, and the Anamim, and the Lehabim, and the Naphtuhim.
  And the Pathrusim, and the Casluhim, from whom came the Philistines, and the inhabitants of Crete.
  And from Canaan came Sidon, his first born, and Heth.
  And the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgushites,
  the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,
  the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. And thereafter the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
  And the border of the Canaanite was from Sidon in the north, passing around Mount Lebanon, as far as Gerer, at Gaza, in the south; and in the southeast, as far as Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah and Zeboim, to Lasha — in the northeast.
  These are the descendants of Ham, according to their families and their tongues, by their lands and nations.(רש"י.)
  Shem also established a great family. He was the father of all those who lived across the river Jordan; and was next to Japheth, who had a larger family.(רש"י, נראה לי.)
  The families of Shem were the Elamites, the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the Lydians, and the Arameans.
  And the families of the Arameans: Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
  And Arpachshad, the progenitor of the Chaldeans, gave birth to Shelah, and Shelah bore Eber.
  And to Eber, who was a prophet, were born two sons; he called one Peleg, which means Division, for in his days the inhabitants, of the earth were divided after they had made the Tower of Babel, and the name of his brother was Joktan.(רש"י.)
  Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
  Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
  Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
  Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all were the sons of the Joktan family.
  Their settlements stretched from Mesha to Sephar, the mountains in the East, in the Arabian Peninsula.
  These are the descendants of Shem according to their families and languages, in their lands, formed later into nations.
  All these families mentioned originate from Noah's sons, who formed into nations; and from these the nations scattered throughout the world after the Flood.
  
  
  
  Now the whole earth had one language, Hebrew, and their vocabulary consisted of few words.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And as the people journeyed from the East, seeking pasture for their flocks, they found a plain in the land of Babylon; and they dwelt there.(ספורנו.)
  The simple people said to one another: "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly, so as to build houses and sheepfolds." And they had bricks for stones, and lime they had used for mortar.(ספורנו.)
  But the princes said: "Come, let us build a city, and a tower, with its top reaching heaven, and build there a house of idolatry and fill it with weapons to engage in war against Heaven and men, lest we be scattered upon the face of the whole earth, either through a flood or by conquest."(יונתן, ספורנו.)
  The Eternal revealed Himself, to inflict punishment on the workers of the city and the tower, which the princes were building.(אונקלוס.)
  And the Eternal said to His angels: "Behold they are one people, and they all have one language, and this has enabled them to work out this plan; and now nothing will be withheld from them which they plan to do.(יונתן, א"ע.)
  Let us go down and confuse their language there, that they may not understand one another's speech."
  So the Eternal scattered them from there upon the face of all the earth; and they desisted from building the city,
  therefore, was it called Babel; because there the Eternal confused the language of the whole earth, causing the builders to babble; and from there, the Eternal, scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
  These are the descendants of Shem: Shem was hundred years old when he bore Arpachshad, two years after the flood.(רש"י.)
  And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad five hundred years, and fathered other sons and daughters.
  And Arpachshad lived thirty five years, and fathered Shelah.
  And after he fathered Shelah Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years, and fathered other sons and daughters.
  And Shelah lived thirty years, and fathered Eber.
  And after he fathered Eber Shelah lived four hundred and three years, and fathered other sons and daughters.
  And Eber lived thirty four years, and bore Peleg.
  And after he bore Peleg Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and fathered other sons and daughters.
  And Peleg lived thirty years, and fathered Reu.
  And after he fathered Reu Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and fathered other sons and daughters.
  And Reu lived thirty two years, and fathered Serug.
  And after he fathered Serug Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and fathered other sons and daughters.
  And Serug lived thirty years, and fathered Nahor.
  And after he fathered Nahor Serug lived two hundred years, and fathered other sons and daughters.
  And Nahor lived twenty nine years and fathered Terah.
  And after he fathered Terah Nahor lived a hundred and nineteen years, and fathered other sons and daughters.
  And Terah lived seventy years, and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
  Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.
  Haran died during the lifetime of his father Terah in Ur of the Chaldees, the land of his birthplace.
  When Haran's children became fatherless, his brothers became their benefactors; Abram and Nahor took his daughters for wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughters of Haran, who was the father of Milcah and the father of Sarai, also called Jessica.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And Sarai was barren — she had no child.
  Terah took Abram, his son, his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Abram; and Terah and Abram went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Charan and tarried there.(רש"י.)
  Terah lived two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Charan.
  
  
  
  The Eternal said to Abram, while he was still in Ur of the Chaldees: “For your own benefit, depart, both spiritually and bodily from the influence and association of your land and your birthplace, and your father's house, and go to the land where I will appear to you, and give you the promise,(רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  that I will make you a great nation, where your children will not assimilate, and I will bless you with riches, make your name famous, and you will be a blessing, by turning people toward the knowledge of righteousness.(עפ"י רש"י ומפרשים.)
  I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, all the families of the earth will bless themselves with the wish that they might be like you."(רש"י.)
  So Abram resolved to leave, as the Eternal had told him; and he also decided that Lot would go with him. He tarried first at Charan, awaiting the Eternal's revelation, but when it did not come, he determined to continue his pilgrimage. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Charan.(מדרש, מלבי"ם.)
  Abram took his wife Sarai, and Lot, his brother's son, and all their wealth which they acquired, and the proselytes whom Abram and Sarai had converted in Charan, and they went forth into the land of Canaan, where Abram waited for the Eternal's revelation.(מדרש, מלבי"ם.)
  When the voice of the Eternal did not reach him, Abram traveled farther into the central part of the land, to Shechem, and then to the turpentine tree of Moreh. He pursued his travels despite the fact that the Canaanites were then engaged in a war in the land.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  The Eternal appeared to Abram, and said: “To your descendants will I give this land." And Abram built an altar there — as an expression of faith and gratitude to the Eternal, who had appeared to him — and extended His promise to him.(רש"י.)
  He moved from there to the mountain, east of Bethel, far away from the war front. He pitched his tent, so that Bethel was to the west and Ai to the east, and he built there an altar to the Eternal; and prayed and proclaimed the Eternal's name to the people.(אונקלוס, רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  Then Abram journeyed on, still going toward Jerusalem, which was to the south.(רש"י.)
  The Eternal tested Abram by causing a famine in the land; and Abram went to Egypt — to reside there temporarily — for the famine was severe in the land.
  When he approached Egypt, and saw the Egyptians, and observed their perverted ways, he said to Sarai, his wife: “Now, by contrast, I realize that you are a fair woman to look upon,(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  and in view of the immorality prevailing among them, when the Egyptians see you, they will say: ‘This is his wife, and he will not consent to give her up’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  I beg of you, say that you are my sister; that it may go well with me for your sake, and my life may be saved because of you.”
  When Abram came to Egypt with Sarai hidden in a large trunk, the Egyptians discovered her, and saw her beauty; they reported her to the officials of Pharaoh,(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And the officials of Pharaoh saw her, and admired her as a goddess, fit for Pharaoh, whom they deemed a god, and the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And Pharaoh dealt well with Abram for her sake; he kept him alive, and Abram soon had sheep, oxen, he-donkeys, man-servants, maid-servants, she- donkeys, and camels.
  But the Eternal plagued Pharaoh and his household with serious skin diseases in order to safeguard the chastity of Sarai, Abram's wife.(רש"י.)
  When Sarai told him that she was Abram's wife, Pharaoh called Abram, and said: “What is this that you have done to me? True, you feared the people, but why did you not tell me that she is your wife?(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  Why did you say: ‘She is my sister,' so that I took her to my palace to be my wife? Now, then, here is your wife; take her and depart — quickly, so that the people do not whisper that I took a married woman from her husband.''(מלבי"ם, א"ע.)
  And Pharaoh gave instructions concerning him that he not be molested, and they escorted him, and his wife, and all that he had.(מלבי"ם, א"ע.)
  
  
  
  Abram left Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had and Lot with him, and went to the Negev, the southern part of Canaan.(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  He journied, in search of new pastures, from the Negev as far as Bethel, and came to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  to the place of the altar, which he had made there at first. His riches had not led him astray; and Abram prayed there by the name of the Eternal.(אונקלוס, מפרשים.)
  Lot, who went with Abram, also had by virtue of his accompanying Abram, accumulated flocks and herds and tents.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  But, the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together; for their cattle was abundant and the pasture insufficient, so that they could not dwell together.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And strife broke out between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle; and there was fear of the bad impression which their strife might make upon the Canaanites and Perizzites, the native dwellers of the land at that time.(מלבי"ם, רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And peace-loving Abram said to Lot: "I beg of you, let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.(מלבי"ם, רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself, I beg you, from me. I will give you the first choice. If you take the left side, then I will go to the right; or, if you take the right side, then I will go to the left.”(מלבי"ם, רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Lot looked around and saw the whole circle of the Jordan, which was well-watered everywhere. Before the Eternal destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, the Dead Sea not yet having come into being, the Jordan then irrigated the whole plain, and it grew trees, just as in the garden of the Eternal, in Eden, and was as rich in seed and pasture as the land of Egypt, as far as Zoar.(רש"י' רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  So Lot chose for himself all the circle of Jordan, and Lot removed himself from his former good virtues; and they separated themselves entirely from each other.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Abram traveled from place to place in the land of Canaan, and Lot wandered among the cities of the circle, and moved his tents as far as Sodom, where he was influenced by its corrupt civilization,(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  for the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked toward their fellowmen, and sinful against the Eternal.(א"ע, ספורנו.)
  After the covetous Lot had separated from him, the Eternal said to Abram: "Look around now from the place where you are; look northward, southward, and westward.(א"ע, ספורנו.)
  All the land which you see — I will give you, and you bequeath it to your descendants forever, even though they may not always be in possession of it.(רמב"ן, ש"ר הירש.)
  And I will make your descendants indestructible, and have them scattered throughout the world as the dust of the earth, so will the valuable qualities of your descendants be numbered.(ב"ר מא.)
  Arise, take title to the land by walking through its length and breadth, for to you will I give it."(יונתן, מלבי"ם.)
  Abram did as he had been told by the Eternal — he walked through the land. Moving his tent, he came and settled by the turpentine trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar to the Eternal.(יונתן, מלבי"ם.)
  
  
  
  It was in the days of Nimrod, who adopted the name of Amraphel when he conquered Babylon and assumed the kingship of that country, and Arioch, king of Elasar; Kedorlaomer, king of Elam; and Tidal, king of the hordes in Kurdistan,(מלבי"ם.)
  that they made war with Bera, king of Sodom; and with Birsha, king of Gomorrah; Shiab, king of Admah; and Shemeber, king of Zeboim; and with the king of Bela, later called Zoar.(מלבי"ם.)
  All these four kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim, wherein, after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Dead Sea was formed; and there they decided to divide the countries that they had conquered among them, and the lands of the five kings were assigned to Kedarlaomer.(מלבי"ם.)
  Twelve years the five kings served Kedarlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.(א"ע.)
  In the fourteenth year came Kedarlaomer and the kings allied with him; and they defeated the allies of the five kings, the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham (later the Ammonite capital city Rabbath Bnei Ammon), and the Emim in Shaveh-Kiriathaim (later to belong to the Moabites),(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  and the Horites in their Mount Seir (later occupied by the Edomites), as far as El-Paran (later settled by the Arabs), which is located near the wilderness.(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  They turned back from the south and came to the west, to the Well of Judgment, to settle their claims — this spot later to be known as Kadesh — and they conquered all the territory later to be occupied by the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon-Tamar.(אונקלוס, רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  When their allies were defeated, the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela (later to be known as Zoar), went out against their enemies and launched a war against them in the Valley of Siddim.(אונקלוס, רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Namely, against Kedarlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of the hordes, and Amraphel, king of Babylon, and Arioch, king of Ellasar — four kings against five.
  Now the Valley of Siddim, before the Dead Sea formed there, was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and of Gomorrah fled, and fell there, but the remaining kings fled to the mountains of Moab.(מלבי"ם.)
  The four victorious kings took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their goods, and went their way.
  They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, in the hope of receiving ransom for him from the wealthy Abram; and thus Lot received Divine punishment for his willingness to live in the evil environment of Sodom.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Og (later to be king of Bashan), was the only one among the Rephaim, smitten by the four kings, who was saved. He came to Abram, the Hebrew, and told him what had happened to Lot. Abram was then living by the turpentine trees of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and brother of Aner; and these had a treaty of alliance with Abram.(מדרש תנחומא, חוקת.)
  Although Lot had estranged himself from him, Abram's brotherly love stirred when he heard that his kinsman had been taken captive; and he armed his three hundred eighteen trained men, born in his house, and pursued as far as the land which later was to belong to the tribe of Dan, in the extreme north of Canaan.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And he divided his forces in an attack against them at night, in order to throw them into confusion, he and his army; and he defeated them and pursued them to Hoba, which is on the left of Damascus.(ספורנו.)
  He brought back all the possessions, and he also brought back his kinsman, Lot, with his possessions and his wives, and with them the Sodomite people who had been taken captive.(ספורנו.)
  The King of Sodom, who had been miraculously saved from the slime pits, went out to meet Abram after his return from defeating Kedarlaomer and his allies, the kings, who were with him in the valley near Jerusalem where they unanimously agreed to proclaim Abram as ruler over them.(מדרש, מלבי"ם.)
  And Melchizedek, King of Jerusalem, brought forth bread and wine — as a token of hospitality and friendship. He was a Kohen, who recognized the Almighty as the Most High.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  Melchizedek blessed Abram, saying: “Blessed be Abram of the Almighty, the Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  and praised be the Almighty, the Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And Abram gave him tithes, a tenth of all the spoils.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  Then the King of Sodom said to Abram: “Give me the liberated captives, and take the plunder for yourself."
  But Abram answered: “I have dedicated the power of my hand to the Eternal, the Almighty, Possessor of heaven and earth, and the victory is His;(מלבי"ם.)
  therefore, I will not take even a thread or a shoelace, or anything which is yours; so that the power of my hand shall not say; 'I have made Abram rich.'(מלבי"ם.)
  Apart from mv share, there are the portions which my servants have eaten, and the portions of the men who have gone with me, Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre, who kept guard, let them take their portion.”(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  
  
  
  After these things, Abram feared the possibility of reprisals because of his intervention in the war; and he also feared that his reward in the future might be lessened because of the miracles that had enabled him to defeat the kings. Therefore, the word of the Eternal came to him in a vision during the day, saying: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield and protection, and your reward for trusting in Me will be exceedingly great.”(רש"י, רמב"ן, א"ע.)
  But Abram said: “O Eternal Almighty, I trust your promise that my reward will not be lessened. But of what value is it, if the promise of children is not fulfilled, seeing that I am still childless, and the steward of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”(יונתן, אונקלוס.)
  And Abram said further: “To me you have not given a child, and thus one born in my house as a servant is to be my heir.”
  While he was speaking, the word of the Eternal came to him, as follows: “This man shall not be your heir, but one who has come forth out of your own body shall be your heir.”(רמב"ן.)
  Abram asked not only for a physical heir, but also for a spiritual heir; so He brought him outside the tent and said: “Look now toward heaven and count the stars, if you are indeed able to count them”; and He said to him: “So shall be your descendants, giving light to humanity.”(מפרשי אחרונים.)
  And Abram believed in the Eternal's promises, and in his humility he considered the promises to him as gifts of charity, and not as a deserved reward for his merits.(מלבי"ם.)
  Abram wanted to know whether the promise that his descendants would possess the land was still valid. And He said to him: “I am the Eternal that has brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land, to inherit it, and My promise is eternally valid.”(מלבי"ם.)
  And Abram said: “Eternal Almighty, I trust your promise, but let me know by what merit will my children be entitled to possess it?”(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And He said to him: “By merit of offerings, which are the symbol of self-sacrifice. Bring me a heifer, three years old, and a she-goat, three years old, and a ram, three years old, and a turtle dove and a young pigeon.”(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And he brought Him all these, and cut them in half, and laid each half one against the other, for the purpose of entering into a covenant, but the birds he did not cut.(ספורנו.)
  The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, symbolic of the obstacles to the covenant, and Abram drove them away.(רמב"ן.)
  When the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him, when he envisioned in the heifer the emblem of Egypt; in the goat, the emblem of Babylon; in the ram, the emblem of Greece; and in the bird of prey, the emblem of Rome; and he foresaw that his children would be subjugated to them.(יונתן, א"ע, מכילתא יתרו.)
  And the Eternal said to Abram: “Know for a certainty that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs; and they will serve their masters, and their masters will afflict them four hundred years.(רמב"ן.)
  But any nation whom they shall serve, will I judge for their severity and excessive affliction; and afterwards your descendants will come out with great wealth.(רמב"ן.)
  But you will not see this suffering. You will join your fathers in peace; you will be buried in good old age.
  And in the fourth generation of the sinning Amorites, your descendants will return here; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full, and I am giving them an extension of time for repentance, for four generations."(רש"י, רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  And at the end of the sunset, there occurred thick darkness, and then a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between the pieces of carcasses, as a sign of the ratification of the covenant.(רש"י, רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  On that day, the Eternal made a covenant with Abram, saying: “Unto your descendants have I given this land, from the river of Egypt, the river Shihor, to the great river, the Euphrates River.
  The Kenites and the Kenisites and Kadmonites,
  the Ilittites, the Perizites, and Bashan,
  the Amoritc, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusite."(רש"י.)
  
  
  
  Although the Eternal had promised Abram that his descendants would inherit the lands of the nations, Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. Now she had an Egyptian maid-servant, named Hagar, whose father, Pharaoh, had given her to Sarai.(רש"י, יונתן, מלבי"ם.)
  And Sarai said to Abram: “Mark, the Eternal has held me back from bearing children; perhaps His promise was intended to be fulfilled through another woman. Marry, I beg you, my maid-servant and perhaps, as a reward for that, I shall build up a family." and Abram accepted Sarai's proposal.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Because Abram hesitated at first, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar, her Egyptian maid-servant, and gave Hagar to Abram, her husband, to be his wife, after Abram had been in the land of Canaan ten years.(רמב"ן, רש"י.)
  And he married Hagar, and she became pregnant; but when she saw that she was pregnant, she slighted her mistress, for she said that Sarai was not worthy of having children.(רמב"ן, רש"י.)
  And Sarai said to Abram: “You are responsible for the wrong done to me. I have given my maid-servant to you in marriage, and when she saw that she was pregnant, I became despicable in her eyes, and you remain silent. May the Eternal judge between you and me."(רמב"ן, רש"י.)
  And Abram said to Sarai: “She is still your maid-servant, under your control and not liberated; you can do with her as you please." So Sarai dealt harshly with her, and Hagar fled from her presence.(ספורנו.)
  And an angel of the Eternal found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, on the way to Shur, which is the border of Egypt. She was on her way back to her native land.(ספורנו.)
  And he said: “Hagar, Sarai's maid-servant, consider the dignified house from which you came, and the sinful place to which you go;" and she said: “I am forced to flee from the presence of my mistress Sarai."(ספורנו.)
  The angel of the Eternal said to her: “Return to your mistress and submit yourself to her, but in the future her children will be subjected to your children."(רמב"ן.)
  And the angel in the name of the Eternal, said to her: “I will greatly multiply your descendants, into such numbers that they will not be able to be counted."(מלבי"ם.)
  And the angel in the name of the Eternal, further said to her: “Behold, you are pregnant, and will bear a son. You will name him Ishmael, meaning 'The Almighty has heard’; for the Eternal has heard your cry during your affliction, and Sarai will no longer afflict you.(מלבי"ם.)
  He will become a fruitful race; he will be in need of all people, and all people will be in need of him; and he will be an inspiration to all his associates.”(הכתב והקבלה, אונקלוס, ישכון מלשון שכינה.)
  And she prayed in the name of the Eternal that spoke to her, saying: "You are the Almighty who sees the misery of the afflicted.” For she said: "Also, here, in the desert, I have seen the Almighty’s messengers, after having seen them in my master’s house.”(ספורנו, רש"י.)
  Thus the well was called: "The well where the immortal angel was seen”; actually, it is between Kadesh and Bcrcd, where the Arabs assemble for celebrations annually.(אונקלוס, א"ע.)
  And Hagar bore a son to Abram; and Abram, by prophetic vision, called the name of his son, whom Hagar had borne, Ishmael.(רש"י.)
  Abram was eightv-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
  
  
  
  When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Eternal appeared to him, and said: "I am the Almighty Benefactor. Follow in My path and you will reach the highest degree of perfection.(רש"י, רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  I shall stipulate My covenant between Me and you, and, if you follow this condition, I will multiply you exceedingly.”(רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  Abram fell on his face to receive the prophecy, and the Almighty spoke to him, as follows:(רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  "As for Me, My part in the covenant will be that you will become the father of a multitude of nations.(רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  And your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, Abir for 'chief’ and Ham for 'multitude,’ for I have made you a father of a multitude of nations.(א"ע.)
  I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
  I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and your descendants after you, throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant; by bestowing My name upon them, to be the Almighty to you and to your descendants after you.(ספורנו.)
  I will give you and to your descendants after you the land where you reside, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be the Almighty to them, by their own merits, and not by the merits of the patriarchs.”(מלבי"ם.)
  And the Almighty further said to Abraham: "But for your part, you shall keep my covenant, you, and your descendants after you, throughout their generations.(מלבי"ם.)
  This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you, and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
  You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and this will be a token of a covenant between Me and you, and a perpetual reminder to walk in My ways.(ספורנו.)
  He among you, who is eight days old must be circumcised, in the daytime; every male throughout your generations, whether he be born in the house, by a maid-servant of the household, or bought with money from any foreigner, a purchased slave that is not of your nation.(ראה שבת קלב, קלה.)
  Only he who is circumcised may perform circumcision on children of your nation, or 011 him who is born in your house, and on him that is bought with money; and My covenant will be as a sign in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.(מס' עבודה זרה כז.)
  The uncircumcised male, whom the father did not circumcise, and who, on reaching his religious majority, does not himself circumcise the flesh of his foreskin, that person will receive heavenly punishment by being cut off from his people; he has annulled My covenant.”(רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו.)
  And the Almighty said to Abraham: “As for Sarai, your wife, you will not call her Sarai, which means ‘my princess,' but her name will be Sarah, which means ‘the princess.'(רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו.)
  I will bless her, by restoring to her the ability to bear a child, and I also will give you a son from her; and I will bless her so that she will bring up the son, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples shall issue from her.”(רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו.)
  Then Abraham fell on his face and rejoiced, and wondered in his mind: Shall a child be born to one who is a hundred years old, or can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?(אונקלוס, רמב"ן.)
  Abraham feared that if he had an heir by Sarah, then Ishmael might die; he said to the Almighty: “Will Ishmael live and be worthy before You?”(מלבי"ם.)
  And the Almighty said: “Truly Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son, and you must call him Isaac, meaning ‘Rejoicing’; and I will confirm my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  As for Ishmael, I have heard your prayer; I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he father, and I will make him a great nation.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  But My covenant I will confirm only with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And when He had finished speaking to him, the glory of the Almighty had left Abraham.
  Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that had been bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on the very same day, as that on which the Almighty had spoken to him.
  Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
  And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
  In the early hours of that day when Abraham was circumcised, so was Ishmael, his son,
  And all the men of his house, those born in his house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
  
  
  
  The Eternal appeared to him by the turpentine tree of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of the tent, looking out for travellers so as to offer them hospitality, in the heat of the day.(רשב"ם, רש"י.)
  As he looked around, he suddenly saw that three angels, in the form of men, stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the door of the tent to meet them, and bowed to the earth.(רשב"ם, רש"י.)
  He said to their chief: “My lord, if now I am worthy of your favor, do not go away, I beg you, from your servant.(רשב"ם, רש"י.)
  Now, some water will be brought, wash your feet, and you may recline under the tree.
  And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh the strength of your heart; after that you may go on. Inasmuch as you are passing by your servant, you must partake of his hospitality." And they said: "Do just as you have said, but only a morsel of bread, and no more."(רש"י, רמב"ן, א"ע.)
  Abraham hastened into Sarah's tent, and said: "Make ready, quickly, three measures of fine flour; knead it, and make cakes for the three men and other invited guests."(רש"י, רמב"ן, א"ע.)
  Although he had many servants, and was weak from the circumcision, nonetheless, for the sake of hospitality, Abraham himself ran to the herd and brought a calf, tender and good, and gave it to young Ishmael, in order to train him in good deeds, and he hastened to dress it.(רש"י, רמב"ן, א"ע.)
  He brought first butter and milk; later he prepared the meat of the calf; he set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree, and it seemed that they were eating.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  They said to him: "The purpose of our visit is to bring good tidings to Sarah; where is your wife Sarah?" And he said: "She is in the tent."(ספורנו.)
  Then the chief angel said, in the name of the Eternal: "I will certainly return to you at this time next year, and then Sarah, your wife, will have a son." And Sarah heard at the door of the tent, which was behind the angel.(רש"י, רמב"ן, רשב"ם.)
  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; the way of young women had ceased for Sarah.(א"ע, רשב"ם, ספורנו.)
  And Sarah laughed within herself, saying: "After I have withered, can the pleasure of youth be renewed in me? Then, too, my husband is old."(א"ע, רשב"ם, ספורנו.)
  And the angel of the Eternal said to Abraham: "Why did Sarah laugh, saying: ‘Shall I, being old, truly bear a child?'(א"ע, רשב"ם, ספורנו.)
  Is there anything too difficult for the Eternal? At this time next year I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son."(א"ע, רשב"ם, ספורנו.)
  But Sarah denied and said: "I did not laugh," for she was afraid to admit her sin; and Abraham said: "But you did laugh."(א"ע, רשב"ם, ספורנו.)
  Two of the angels, in the form of men, rose from the house of hospitality, and looked out to the evil house of Sodom; and Abraham went with them to escort them, so that no harm might befall them.(רש"י, רשב"ם, מלבי"ם.)
  And the Eternal said: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am going to do?(רמב"ן.)
  Since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by him, they might ask in the future how he could have refrained from praying for them?(רמב"ן.)
  For I have loved him, because I know he will teach his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Eternal, to do righteousness and justice; and at the end the Eternal will bring to Abraham that of which He has spoken to him. Inasmuch as he is entitled to inherit this land, I cannot destroy part of it without informing him of My intentions."(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  The Eternal said to Abraham: "Truly, the cry of rebellion against the Eternal in Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and certainly, their sin of injustice toward people is exceedingly grievous.(א"ע, רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Therefore I will go down now and see whether they have done as indicated by the cry which is come to Me; if so, I will destroy them altogether. If not, I will know what punishment to apply, other than total destruction."(א"ע, רש"י, ספורנו.)
  The angels in the form of men turned from the place, accompanied by Abraham, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood there to pray to the Eternal on behalf of sinning Sodom.(א"ע, רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And Abraham drew near and said: “Will You, in anger, for the sake of justice, destroy the righteous with the wicked?(אונקלוס, רמב"ן.)
  If there be fifty righteous persons within the wicked city — though these might not be considered righteous in another place — will You in anger destroy, and not forgive the place for the sake of the fifty righteous persons that are therein?(מלבי"ם, כתב סופר.)
  It will be a desecration of Your Name if You act in this manner, by slaying the righteous along with the wicked, so that there is the same fate for the righteous as for the wicked. Your name will then be desecrated and people will say: ‘The Judge of all the earth does not practice justice.'"(מלבי"ם, כתב סופר.)
  And the Eternal said: “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous persons within the city, to protest against the wickedness of the rest, then I will forgive the entire place for their sake."(ספורנו, א"ע.)
  And Abraham answered and said: “Now, I beg You, I have asked permission to speak to my Master, although I am only born dust and return to ashes.(ספורנו, א"ע.)
  If the fifty righteous persons lack five, will you destroy all the city for the lack of five?" And He said: “I will not destroy it, if I find there forty-five."
  And he spoke to Him yet again, and said: “Supposing that there be found forty — ten righteous persons in each of four of the cities of the Sodom region?" And He said: “I will not act for the sake of the forty."(מלבי"ם.)
  And he said: “Oh, let not my Master be angry when I speak. Supposing that there be found thirty there, a quorum of ten in each of a majority of the five cities?" And He said: “I will not act, if I find thirty there,"(מלבי"ם.)
  And he said: “Now please, I have taken permission to speak to my Master. Supposing that there be found twenty, ten in each of two cities, will those two cities then be spared?" And He said: “I will not destroy for the sake of the twenty."(מלבי"ם.)
  And he said: “Oh, let not my Master be angry and I will only speak once more. Supposing that there be found ten?" And He said: “I will not destroy the city as a whole for the sake of the ten. But the sinful inhabitants may die by plague."(מלבי"ם.)
  And the Eternal departed as soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place, in Mamre.(א"ע.)
  
  
  
  Two of the angels waited all day until Abraham had finished his pleading and came then to Sodom in the evening; and Lot, who had been appointed judge at that time, was sitting at the gate of Sodom. Realizing that they were angels, he rose to meet them, and bowed with his face to the ground.(רש"י.)
  He said: “Please, my lords, I am at your service. Turn, and come to the house of your servant by a roundabout way, and stay all night; and then wash your feet, to make it appear that you have just arrived, and then arise early, and go on your way. And they said: “No, we will stay in the street all night."(רש"י.)
  But he urged them strongly, and they turned and entered by a roundabout way, with him, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the Sodomites, and they entered his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked matzoth for them, and they ate.(רש"י.)
  Before they lay down, they inquired about the people of the city; and during the conversation, the men of Sodom surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter. There was not even one righteous man to protest their depravity.(רש"י.)
  And they called to Lot, saying: “Where are the men who have come to you? Bring them out to us, that we may vent our lust upon them.”
  And Lot went out to them at the entrance of the house, and shut the door behind him.
  He said: “My brethren, I beg you, do not act wickedly.
  Now, please, I have two daughters that have not been intimate with a man. These two guests want to marry them; if you are opposed to their marrying strangers, let me bring them out to you, and do to them as is good in your eyes. Only to these men do nothing — for they have come under the shadow of my roof for the purpose of marriage.”(עפ"י מלבי"ם.)
  And they said: “Stand back!” And then they said: “He is only a stranger, and already he wants to act as judge! Now, we will deal worse with you than with them.” And they tried hard to persuade Lot; and, failing, they approached in order to break the door.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  But the angels put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and they shut the door.
  And they struck the men who were at the entrance of the house, with blindness, both young and old, so that they wearied themselves in trying to find the door.
  And the angels said to Lot: “Have you anyone here besides you? Sons-in-law, sons of your married daughters, and your daughters, and whom ever you have in in city — take them out of the place;
  for we will destroy this place, because the great cry of the oppressed has come before the Eternal, and the Eternal has sent us to destroy it.”(מלבי"ם.)
  Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, and to those to whom his unmarried daughters were betrothed, and said: “Arise, depart from this place, for the Eternal is destroying the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law as one who was jesting.(מלבי"ם.)
  15 When dawn came, the angels rushed Lot on, saying: “Arise, take your wife, and your daughters who are here in the house, so that you will not be swept away in The punishment of the city.”(רש"י, א"ע, רמב"ן.)
  But he lingered. Then the angels took hold of his hand and the hand of his wife and the hand of his two daughters, not through his own merit, but by the compassion of the Eternal on him, and they brought him out and placed him outside the city.(רש"י, א"ע, רמב"ן.)
  And as they were bringing him out, the angels said: “Escape for your life, do not look behind you so as not to increase your grief for those whom you have left in the city; neither shall you stop at any place of the plain of the Jordan. Escape to the mountains, so that you will not be swept away.”(רש"י, א"ע, רמב"ן.)
  And Lot said to them: “No, I shall not, but let me pray to the Eternal.”(מלבי"ם.)
  He prayed: “Now Your servant has found grace in your sight, and You have magnified Your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest disaster overtake me, and I die.
  Mark, I beg you, this city is nearby, for purposes of refuge, and its inhabitants are but few; O, let me escape there, — is it not true that its sinners are but few? — and let my life be saved.”(רשב"ם.)
  And He answered his appeal: “I have accepted your prayer concerning this thing also; you will be saved, and, moreover, I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.(רש"י.)
  Escape there quickly; for I will not do anything until you will have arrived there." Therefore, the name of the city was called Zoar, meaning “a few."
  The sun had risen of the earth, when Lot came to Zoar.
  When dawn came, the angels rushed Lot on, saying: “Arise, take your wife, and your daughters who are here in the house, so that you will not be swept away in The punishment of the city.”(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  He destroyed these cities and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground; and it formed the Dead Sea.(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  But Lot's wife looked back from behind Lot, and she became a pillar of salt.(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  Abraham arose early in the morning and headed for the place where he stood praying before the Eternal for the safety of Lot.(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  And he looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain of the Jordan, and when he looked, he saw that the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of the furnace.
  When the Eternal destroyed the cities of the Plain, the Almighty remembered how Lot had followed Abraham, accompanying him from Haran, and He therefore sent Lot out of the midst of the upheaval, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.(רמב"ן.)
  And Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountain, and his daughters were with him; for he was afraid to live in Zoar, since it was close to Sodom, and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And the older said to the younger: "Our father is getting old — he might cease to father children; and there is not a man on earth fit to marry us.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Come, let us give our father wine to drink, and let us lie with him; inasmuch as the Almighty has destroyed the whole world and saved us, so that mankind may be rebuilt through us. We shall preserve the heritage of our father."(רמב"ן.)
  So they gave their father wine to drink that night, having miraculously found it in the cave. Then the older went in and lay with her father, and he did not know it when she lay down, nor when she arose.(מדרש.)
  On the next day, the older said to the younger: "Look, I have lain with my father last night. Let us give him wine to drink this night also, and you go in, and lie with him, so that we may preserve descendants through our father."
  And they gave their father wine to drink that night also. Then the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know it when she lay down, nor when she arose.
  Thus, the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father.
  And the older bore a son, and she publicized his origin by calling him "Moab," meaning "from the father." He is the father of the Moabites, as known till this day.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  And the younger, too, bore a son, but hid his origin by calling him "Ben- Ammi," meaning "the son of my kinsman" — as it is known to this day.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  
  
  
  Being ashamed of Lot's conduct with his daughters, Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and resided between Kadesh and Shur; and settled in Gerar.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  Suspicious of the morality of the Gerarites, Abraham said of his wife Sarah: “She is my sister." So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  But the Almighty came to Abimelech in a night's dream, and said to him: “Know that you are to die for the woman that you have abducted, all the more so since she is married to a husband."(מלבי"ם.)
  Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said: “Master, will You destroy a nation by slaying its innocent king?(ספורנו.)
  Did he, himself, not say to me: ‘She is my sister'? And also she said: ‘He is my brother.' With blameless intentions of the heart and guiltless hands I have done this — for I have not touched her, and for abduction alone I do not deserve the death penalty."(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And the Almighty said to him in the dream: “Yes, I know that you have done this with blameless intentions of the heart, thought not with guiltless hands. It was I who kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I have not let you touch her.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Now, therefeore, restore the man's wife. Being a prophet, he knows that you did not touch her, and he will pray for you, for you have sinned by depriving him of her, and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you will surely die, you and all who are yours."(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Abimelech arose early in the morning, he invited all his servants and told all these things in council, whereupon the men were very much afraid.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him: “This thing that you have done to us is very harmful; and how have I wronged you, that you have brought a great guilt on me and on my kingdom? You have done to me deeds that are not done."(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Abimelech further said to Abraham: “What misdeed have you seen in the country, to make you to do this thing?"(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And Abraham answered: “Although I have not seen any faults among the people of the country, nevertheless I thought surely the fear of the Almighty is lacking in this place, and they would slay me on account of my wife.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  But it is also true that she is my nearest kin, the granddaughter of my father, though not of my mother, and so she was eligible to be my wife. However, your servants did not ask me whether she is also my wife.(אונקלוס, רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  And it happened when people erred and worshipped idols, that the Almighty caused me to wander from my father's house, and knowing that I would come among wicked men, I said to her: ‘This is the kindness which you must do for me: At every place to which we shall come, say of me: ‘He is my brother.'"(אונקלוס, רש"י.)
  Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and manservants and maidservants, and gave them to Abraham, that he might pray for him; and he restored his wife Sarah to him.(אונקלוס, רש"י.)
  Abimelech said: “Know that the people of my country are not addicted to immorality. You may dwell wherever it pleases you."(אונקלוס, רש"י.)
  And to Sarah he said: “Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; it is for your resplendent clothes, and for all who are with you. And as for all you have told me, I am convinced that it is true."(א"ע, אונקלוס.)
  Abraham then prayed to the Almighty, and the Almighty healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, and they were able to bear children,(רש"י.)
  for the Eternal had closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech, on account of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.(רש"י.)
  
  
  
  The Eternal answered the prayer of Abraham on behalf of Abimelech, and he likewise had Sarah in mind, as He had promised; namely, that she would conceive; and the Eternal did to Sarah as He had spoken, namely that she would bear a child.(ספורנו.)
  So Sarah conceived, and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the fixed time of which the angels of the Almighty had spoken to him.(ספורנו.)
  And Abraham called the name of his son, that was born to him, Isaac (Joy).(ספורנו.)
  When Isaac his son was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as the Almighty had commanded him;(ספורנו.)
  though Abraham was a hundred years old, when Isaac was born to him; nevertheless, he spared not his son but circumcised him.(ספורנו.)
  Sarah said: “The Almighty has made joy for me; whoever hears of it will rejoice for me.”(רשב"ם.)
  And she further said: “Praised be the Eternal Who has said to Abraham that Sarah will give children to suck; for I have borne him a son in his old age.”(רשב"ם.)
  When the child grew to be be two years old, he was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Sarah saw Ishmael (incited by his mother Hagar, the Egyptian), jeeringly, quarreling with Isaac, asserting that he, Ishmael, being the older son of Abraham, would be his father’s heir.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Therefore she said to Abraham: “Expel this provocative woman who is challenging the title of my son Isaac to the inheritance. The son of this bondwoman will not be an heir together with my son Isaac, who is the son of a free woman; all the more so, since Isaac possesses the good qualities of his father.”
  The thing greatly distressed Abraham, because of the loss of his son, Ishmael.
  But the Almighty said to Abraham: “Do not be distressed on account of the lad and on account of the bondwoman. Listen to the request of Sarah in all that she says to you, for it is after Isaac that your descendants will be called; and through him the promise that the land will be yours will be fulfilled.(רשב"ם.)
  Also the son of the bondwoman will be safe from harm in the desert; and I will make him a great nation, since he is your child.”(רמב"ן, רש"י.)
  Abraham arose early in the morning and took bread and a canteen of water, which he gave to Hagar, as well as the boy, putting the canteen on her shoulder to signify that she was a bondswoman, and sent her away. She, however, did not go straight in the direction in which Abraham had sent her, but strayed after the idol cults of her tribe, and lost her way in the wilderness of Beersheba.(רמב"ן, רש"י.)
  And because she did not go in the straight direction, the supply of water with which Abraham provided her and which should have been sufficient, was exhausted; and when she thought that the boy was dying because of thirst, she abandoned him under one of the shrubs.(א"ע, רמב"ן.)
  And she went and sat down, far away as a bowshot, for she thought: “Let me not look upon the death of the child”; and then she sat even further away, and she raised her voice and wept.
  The Almighty heard the frail voice of the boy; and the angel of the Almighty called to Hagar from heaven and said to her: “What ails you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for the Almighty has heard the voice of the boy, and where he is now there is a well of water.(רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  Arise, lift up the boy, and hold him tightly by the hand, for I will make him a great nation."(רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  Then the Almighty opened her eyes, and gave her understanding to see the well of water. She went and filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy to drink.(רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  The Almighty was with the lad, guarding him from the danger of the wilderness and the wild beasts; and he grew up, and lived in the wilderness, and became an archer.(רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother found a wife for him from her native land of Egypt.
  At that time, when Isaac had been born and everyone witnessed the miracle of his birth, Abimelech and Phicol, his army chief, said to Abraham: “Not on account of your material success, but because the Almighty is with you in all that you do, we want to make a treaty with you.(ספורנו, רשב"ם.)
  Now, therefore, promise me here by the Almighty, that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my grandson; but in accordance with the kindness I have done you, in giving you gifts, you will do to me, and to the land which has given you the freedom to live in the place of your choice,"(רש"י.)
  And Abraham said: “I will indeed promise; however, I cannot agree that you have done me kindness."(ספורנו.)
  Abraham then reproved Abimelech concerning the well of water which Abimelech’s servants had robbed, and had not been punished for their evil deed.(ספורנו.)
  But Abimelech said: “This was not at my behest; neither do I know who did this thing, nor have you brought a complaint in my courts concerning this, nor have I heard of it from any other source, prior to this day."(מלבי"ם.)
  Abraham accepted Abimelech's plea, and he took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech as an exchange of gifts, and the two made a covenant.
  Then Abraham set seven lambs by themselves,
  and Abimelech said to Abraham: “What is the significance of these seven lambs which you have set by themselves?"
  And he answered: “Indeed, these seven lambs you will accept from me as an acknowledgment on your part that I have dug this well.”(ספורנו.)
  For this reason he called that place Beersheba, for there they both entered into a pledge.
  After entering into the covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, his army chief, arose and returned to the capital of the land of the Philistines.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  Abraham planted an orchard of fruits for wayfarers in Beersheba, and there he taught men to acknowledge the Eternal as the Ruler of the World.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  And Abraham wandered in the land of the Philistines many days, to proclaim the name of the Eternal.(מלבי"ם.)
  
  
  
  After Abraham had made the covenant with Abimelech, the Almighty was angry with Abraham for this, since the land belonged to the descendants of Abraham. The Almighty was angry and tested Abraham. He said to him: “Abraham,” and he replied “Here I am, ready to serve.”(רשב"ם, רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  And He said: “Take now your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the Moriah, the land of the Amorite, to the place where myrth will be offered in the Sanctuary to be built there; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you.”(רשב"ם, רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  In his eagerness to fulfill this Divine command, Abraham rose early in the morning, and personally saddled his donkey, and took his two youths, Eliezer and Ishmael, with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the offering, and he arose and went to the place which the Almighty had told him.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Gn the third day, Abraham looked up and saw from afar a cloud rising from the mountain; and he knew that this was the appointed place.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Then Abraham said to his youths: “Stay here with the donkey, while I and the lad with me go over there; and he will worship, and then come back to you.”(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and placed it on Isaac, his son. He took the vessel containing fire and the knife; and the two went together, both with the same eagerness.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Then Isaac said to Abraham, his father, “Father!” and he said: “Here I am, my son.” And he said: “Here is the vessel of fire, and here is the wood — but where is the lamb for an offering?”(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And Abraham said: “The Almighty will provide the lamb for the offering — or else, it will be you, my son”; and they went together, both of one mind.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  They came to the place which the Almighty had indicated to him; and in order that Isaac not be disqualified as an offering by being used for work, Abraham himself built an altar without Isaac's help and arranged the wood; and at the request of his son, Isaac, he tied him up and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
  Then an angel of the Eternal called to him from heaven and said kindly: “Abraham, Abraham!,” and he said: “Here I am.”
  And the angel said: “Do not stretch out your hand against the boy, nor do anything to cause him a defect; for now I know that it can be clear to all that you are truly faithful to the Almighty, seeing that you have not withheld your son, even your only one, from Me.”(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  Abraham raised his eyes and saw that there was a ram, and after it had been caught in the thicket by its horns, Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering, with a prayer that it be regarded as if he had offered his son.(רש"י, א"ע, מלבי"ם.)
  And Abraham called the name of that place, “The Eternal appears,” and to this day, people say: “On this mountain the Eternal appeared to Abraham.”(רשב"ם, מלבי"ם.)
  The angel of the Eternal called to Abraham a second time from heaven,
  and said: “By Myself I swear — says the Eternal — because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one —
  I will bless you and your son, and will multiply your descendants of you and those of your son as the stars of heaven; and, as the sand of the sea protects the world the encroachment of the roaring sea-waves, so will your descendants be protected against the roaring of their multitudinous enemies; and in the end, your descendants will take possession of the gates of their enemies.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  All the nations of the earth will take your descendants as a model for blessing, because you have obeyed My voice."(רמב"ן בפרשת לך לך.)
  And Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham stayed at Beersheba.
  After these things Abraham was told: “Behold, Milcah has also, like Sarah, given birth to children in her old age for Nahor, your brother.(רמב"ן.)
  Uz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram.
  And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel."
  And Bethuel fathered Rebekah: these eight Milkah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
  And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maacah.
  
  
  
  When Sarah reached the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years, which she considered to be happy years — Rebeccah was born to take her place.(רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו.)
  Sarah died from the shock of realizing that Isaac had almost been sacrifieced. Her death occurred in the city of Kiryath-Arba, today called Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came from Beersheba to mourn for Sarah and weep for her.(רש"י, א"ע, ספורנו.)
  Then Abraham rose from the side of his dead and spoke to the children of Heth, to whom Hebron belonged, saying:(רשב"ם.)
  “I am a stranger, coming from a foreign land, who has settled in your midst. Permit me to buy a burial place from you that I may bury my dead from my presence."(רשב"ם.)
  And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him:
  “Hear us, master. Do not think that we desire to slight you. You are regarded as a great prince among us. However, we have a rule not to permit a foreigner to possess a private burial ground. You may, nonetheless, select the best grave in the general burial ground. None of us will withhold his space from you for purposes of burying your dead one."(מלבי"ם.)
  Then Abraham rose and bowed before the assembled chiefs of the land, the children of Heth.(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  And he spoke to them, saying: “I will not consider the burial of the dead to have been properly effected unless I have a family burial ground. Therefore, if you really wish that my dead be buried froni my presence, hear me, and meet with me at the judge's, at Ephron, son of Zohar's.(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  As it is not fitting for him to sell a regular part of his possessions, let him give me the cave of the two stories which are his, and which is located at the end of his field; I will pay the full price for it. The transaction is to take place in your presence; I will deem this burial domain a gift."(רש"י, רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  And Ephron, who was sitting in assembly among the children of Heth, answered Abraham in the presence of the children of Heth, as in the presence of all who entered the gate of this city, saying:(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  “No, my master, hear me. I cannot give you the cave alone, for it is against the rule of our city to give away a place for burial purposes. However, I will give you the entire field, which you are free to use in any way you desire. In the presence of my people I am giving it to you — they will all consent to it — and then you may bury your dead.”(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  Then Abraham bowed before the assembly of the people of the land,(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  and spoke to Ephron in the council of the people of the land, saying: “But if you will listen to me now inasmuch as the rule of the city does not forbid the sale of the field, I am ready to give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”(מלבי"ם, ספורנו.)
  And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him:
  “My master, listen to me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver is not worth discussing. What is it between you and me? Therefore, bury your dead.”(רשב"ם, א"ע.)
  But Abraham understood Ephron's meaning; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had specified in the council of the children of Heth: four hundred shekels of silver, of a quality accepted by every merchant.(רשב"ם, א"ע.)
  So the field of Ephron, which contained the two-level cave which was in front of Mamre; the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field that were within the entire surrounding limits, went over(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  into the possession of Abraham as his property; in the presence of the children of Heth, of all those who entered the gate of his city.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And after that, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave for which the field was named; the Cave of Machpelah, “The double-level field,” before Mamre, which is in Hebron, in the land of Canaan.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And it was agreed by the children of Heth that the field and the cave that is in it, would belong to Abraham as a burial-ground.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  
  
  
  Abraham was old, advanced in age; therefore it was time for him to marry off his son during his lifetime. Now, the Eternal had blessed Abraham in all respects; therefore, the people of Canaan were eager to have their daughters marry Isaac.(רשב"ם.)
  And Abraham said to his servant, the steward of his house, who supervised all that he had: “Put, now, your hand under my thigh as a form of oath,(רשב"ם.)
  and I will have you swear by the Eternal, the Ruler of heaven and the Ruler of earth, that, if I should die, you will not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am now living.(רשב"ם.)
  Rather, you are to go to my country; and even there you must choose only of my family; and take a wife for my son Isaac.”(רשב"ם.)
  And the servant said to him: “In the event that the woman that I choose will not be willing to follow me to this land, may I take your son to the land from which you come, and then bring him back to this land?”
  And Abraham said to him: “Beware that you do not bring my son back there.(מלבי"ם.)
  The Eternal, Ruler of Heaven, Who has taken me away from my father's house and from my native land, and Who spoke to me and promised me: ‘To your descendants will I give this land' — to Him I pray that He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.(א"ע.)
  And if the woman be unwilling to follow you, then you will be free from this particular oath, with respect to taking a wife for my son; only you must not bring my son back there."
  The servant performed the sign of promise and put his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
  Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, having in his possession all the good things of his master as gifts for the bride and her family; and he went to Mesopotamia, to the city in which Nahor lived.
  He made the camels kneel down outside of the city, by the well of water, to obtain information concerning the inhabitants. It was evening time, the time women go out to draw water.(רמב"ן.)
  And he prayed: “O Eternal, Whom my master Abraham has acknowledged as the Almighty, I pray to you, make me fortunate today and show kindness to my master Abraham.(ספורנו.)
  While I stand by the well of water, and the young ladies of the city come out to draw water,(ספורנו.)
  So may it happen, that the maiden to whom I shall make a modest request, saying: ‘Please, lower your pitcher that I may drink,' and who will respond generously by saying: ‘Drink, and let me also give your camels to drink' will be suitable for your servant, for Isaac. Thereby will I know that You have done kindness to my master."(ספורנו.)
  And it happened that before he had finished praying, that Rebeccah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.(מלבי"ם.)
  The maiden was very lovely, a damsel who had not been betrothed to a man; therefore, Eliezer chose her for testing, and she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and when she came up(מלבי"ם.)
  the servant ran to meet her, and said: “Please give me a little water from your pitcher."
  And she said: “Drink, my master." And she hurried and lowered her pitcher on her hand and gave him to drink.
  When she had finished giving him to drink, she said: “I will draw for your camels also, until they have had enough."
  She hurried and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw water; and she drew water for all his camels.
  And the man looked wonderingly at her, keeping silent, curious, as to whether she was hoping for a reward, or whether the Eternal had made his journey successful.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And when the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden nose-ring, half a shekel in weight, and two bracelets for her hands, the weight of ten shekels.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  After giving her the gifts, he said: “Whose daughter are you? Tell me please, is there room for us in your father's house, where we may lodge?"(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  She answered each question in the proper order: “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”
  And she continued: “We have an ample quantity of both straw and fodder, as well as room for lodging."
  The man knelt and bowed before the Eternal,
  and said: “Blessed be the Eternal, Whom my master has acknowledged as the Almighty, Who has not relinquished His kindness and faithfulness from my master. While I was on the way, outside the city, the Eternal led me to the house of my master's kinfolk."(מלבי"ם.)
  The maiden ran to the house reserved for the women, and reported to her mother of these incidents.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Now Rebeccah had a brother by name of Laban, and it was this Laban who ran out to the man at the fountain.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  He was tempted to meet the wealthy man, as he saw the nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister's hand, and heard the words of his sister, Rebeccah, as she was saying: “So did the man speak to me." And he came to the man, who was -still standing by the camels at the fountain.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  As Laban feared that the man would go to another inn, so he said: “Come in, blessed of the Eternal. Why do you stand in the street? I have cleaned the house for you, and made room for the camels."(מלבי"ם, רמב"ן.)
  Eliezer came to the house, and Laban untied the camels, and gave the straw and fodder for the camels, and water to wash Eliezer's feet and the feet of the men who were with him.(מלבי"ם, רמב"ן.)
  When food was set before him, he said: “I will not eat until I have told what I have to say"; and Laban said: “Speak."(מלבי"ם, רמב"ן.)
  He said: “I am the chief servant of Abraham.(מלבי"ם, רמב"ן.)
  The Eternal has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great; He has given him flocks and herds, silver, and gold, men-servants and maid-servants, camels and donkies, so that there are many who are eager to marry into his family.(ספורנו, רש"י.)
  And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master in her old age, which made him more beloved; and here is the deed to show that he has given him all that he has.(ספורנו, רש"י.)
  And my master bade me swear, as follows: 'Do not take a wife from among the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I am now living,(ספורנו, רש"י.)
  unless you go first to my father's house and to my kinfolk; from there you must take a wife for my son.'(ספורנו, רש"י.)
  And I said to my master: 'And what if the woman will not consent to follow me?'
  He said to me: ‘The Eternal, before Whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your mission successful; and you will take a wife for my son, of my family, and of my father's house.
  You will only be released from my oath, when you have come to my family; if, then, they refuse to give her to you, then only will you be released from my oath.'(א"ע.)
  I came to the fountain today, and prayed: ‘O Eternal, Whom my master has acknowledged as the Almighty, if you wish that my mission be successful;(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  then, while I stand by the fountain of water, let it happen that the maiden who comes forth to draw water, to whom I shall say: ‘Give me to drink, please, a little water from your pitcher.'(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  If she then says: ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels to drink' — that will be the woman whom You have taught the right way, and she will be a suitable wife for my master’s son.’(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Before I had finished speaking to myself, suddenly, Rebeccah came out, with her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went down to the fountain and drew water; and I said to her: ‘Please give me a drink.'(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  She hastened and lowered the pitcher, and said: ‘Drink, and I will also give the camels to drink.’ So I drank, and she also made the camels drink.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  I asked her: ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said: ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ And I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Then I knelt, and bowed to the Eternal; and I thanked the Eternal, Whom my master Abraham has acknowledged as the Almighty, Who had guided me in the true way to take the daughter of my master’s kinfolk for his son.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And now, if you wish to show kindness to my master, and act truthfully to your daughter, tell me; and if not, tell me, also, that I may turn right or left.”(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And Laban hastened to answer before his father, and then Bethuel said: “If the thing has been decreed by the Eternal, we cannot refuse you for either a good or a bad reason.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Rebeccah is here, take her and go; and let her be a wife for your master’s son, as the Eternal has revealed it to be His will.”(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground to thank the Eternal.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  The servant brought forth articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebeccah; he also gave sweets to her brother and her mother.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and they lodged one night; when they rose in the morning, he said: “Permit me to go to my master.”(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  But her brother and mother said: “Let the young lady stay with us a year, or at least ten months, in order to make preparations for the marriage; after that she will go.”(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  He said to them: “Do not delay me, as the Eternal does not desire such a delay, since He has shown me success on my way. Give me leave, and I will go to my master.”(רש"י, רשב"ם, א"ע.)
  And they said: “Let us call the young lady and ask her consent."(רש"י, רשב"ם, א"ע.)
  They called Rebeccah and asked: “Will you go with this man?" And she said: “I will go without delay."(רש"י, רשב"ם, א"ע.)
  So they sent away Rebeccah, their sister, and her governess along with Abraham's servant and his men.(רש"י, רשב"ם, א"ע.)
  And they blessed Rebeccah, and said to her: “May you, our sister, become the mother of tens of thousands; and may the Eternal’s blessing to Abraham, that his descendants take possession of the gate of their enemies, be fufilled through you."
  And Rebeccah and her maidservants arose and they rode on the camels, and followed the man; and the servant took Rebeccah under his personal care, and went his way.(רמב"ן.)
  Isaac used to go to his regular prayers at the sanctuary of Beer-Lahai-Roi; for he was living in the land of the Negev, where the sanctuary is located.(מלבי"ם.)
  And Isaac went out to the afternoon prayers in the field; and he raised his eyes and saw that camels were coming.
  And Rebeccah raised her eyes; and when she saw Isaac, she bent down from the camels to Eliezer.(אונקלוס, מלבי"ם.)
  She said to the servant: “Who is this man who is walking in the field toward us?" And the servant said: “He is my master." So she took her veil, and covered her face.(אונקלוס, ספורנו, רמב"ן.)
  The servant told Isaac of all the things he had done.(אונקלוס, ספורנו, רמב"ן.)
  Isaac then brought her to the tent, and when he noticed that she conducted herself in the good ways of his mother Sarah, he married Rebeccah, and loved her; and Isaac was comforted, concerning the loss of his mother after Rebeccah took over her tent.(אונקלוס, ספורנו, רמב"ן.)
  
  
  
  Now Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah.(ספורנו.)
  And she brought up, in his house, Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Yishbak and Shuah.(ספורנו.)
  Jokshan fathered Sheba and and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were caravan traders, and nomads, and dwellers of the islands.(אונקלוס, רמב"ן.)
  The sons of Midian were: Ephah and Epher and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
  Abraham gave all that he had, including the Blessing, to Isaac.(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  But to the children of Hagar and Keturah, the concubines whom Abraham had, he gave gifts; and he sent them away, while he was still alive, from his son Isaac, to the east country, to Arabia.(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  When Abraham reached the age of one hundred and seventy-five years,
  Abraham became faint, and he died at a ripe old age — old in years, and satisfied to see that what he had wanted was accomplished; and he was brought into eternal life, together with all the righteous of his people.(אונקלוס, ספורנו.)
  Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, made peace at his grave; and they buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar, which is before Mamre.(מדרש.)
  The field which Abraham had purchased from the children of Heth, there Abraham was buried, and his wife Sarah as well.
  After the death of Abraham, the Almighty comforted and blessed Isaac, his son; and Isaac moved his tent near Beer-Lahai-Roi.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  These are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar, the Egyptian, Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham:
  These are the names of the descendants of Ishmael, by their names, according to their births: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nabayoth, then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsan,
  And Mishma and Duma and Massa,
  Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedem.
  These are the descendants of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages and places, twelve sheikhs of clans.(א"ע.)
  These were the years of the life of Ishmael, who became a righteous man at the end of his father's life: one hundred thirty-seven years; and he became faint and died, and was brought into a bond of the eternal remembrance of his people.(רש"י, רמב"ן, א"ע.)
  His descendants lived in the territory from Havilah to Shur, which is near Egypt, going toward Ashur; they lived in the midst of their brothers, the children of Keturah.(רש"י, רמב"ן, א"ע.)
  This is the life story of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham reared Isaac in the way of righteousness.(ספורנו, א"ע.)
  Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebeccah, the daughter of Bethuel, the Aramean, of the field of Aram, the sister of Laban, the Aramean. He guided her in the way of righteousness, to eradicate from her the influences of her previous wicked surroundings.(עפ"י רש"י.)
  Isaac prayed to the Eternal that the assurance He had given him that he would have children, would be realized through his wife who stood opposite him — for she was barren; and the Eternal accepted his prayer, and Rebeccah, his wife, became pregnant.(ספורנו.)
  But the children moved strongly within her, and she said: “If the pain is so severe, then why am I longing for children?"; and she went to a sanctuary to seek the help of the Eternal.(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  And a prophet of the Eternal said to her: “The founders of two nations are in your womb, and these two powerful nations will be antagonists from birth on; one powerful nation will contend with the other, and in the end the older will serve the younger."(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  And when her time of giving birth arrived, indeed, there were twins in her womb.(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  The first came out ruddy — presaging his urge to shed blood — with hair covering him like a mantle; and they called his name “Esau," meaning “developed."(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Then his brother came out, and his hand held on to Esau’s heel, as if to hold him back from being the firstborn; and his name was called Jacob, meaning “victorious in the end." Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man skilled in fieldwork; and Jacob was a man of integrity, dwelling in tents of learning.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ensnared him with smooth talk; but Rebeccah loved Jacob.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  On a certain day, Jacob cooked a pottage, and Esau came in from the field, and he was tired and hungry.(א"ע.)
  So Esau said to Jacob: “Give me, now, some of this red, red stuff to gulp down, for I am tired and hungry.” Therefore, in contempt, they called him Edom, meaning Red.(רשב"ם.)
  And when Jacob saw Esau’s contemptible conduct, unfit for a firstborn, he said: “First, sell me your birthright.”(מלבי"ם, עפ"י מדרש.)
  And Esau said: “Behold, I am going to die at any day, seeing that I am a hunter. What interest, then, could I have in the birthright?”(רשב"ם.)
  And Jacob gave him time to consider, and then said: “Swear to me first.” And he swore to him; and he sold his birthright to Jacob at the full price.(מלבי"ם.)
  And then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil pottage, and he ate and drank, and he arose and went away; and thus Esau, without regrets, despised his birthright.(ספורנו.)
  
  
  
  There was a famine in the land that was unprecedented in severity, except for the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham; and Isaac went to the king of the Philistines, of the Abimelech dynasty, to Gerar, with the intention of going to Egypt.(רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  The Eternal appeared to him and said: “You have been sanctified as a consecrated offering; therefore, you must not leave the Holy Land. Do not go down into Egypt, but dwell in the land which I shall promise to you.(מפרשי אחרונים.)
  Consider yourself a stranger in this land for you are to begin to fulfill the decree that Abraham’s descendants are to be strangers for four hundred years in a land not theirs. However, I shall be with you, and I will bless you, that through you I will give all these lands to your descendants, and I will confirm the promise I made to Abraham, your father.(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  I will increase your descendants; they will give light to the world as do the stars of heaven; and all the nations of the earth will bless their children, by the wish that they be like your descendants.(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  This will be because you have followed the good ways of Abraham, who hearkened to My voice when I tested him, and who kept My observances, My moral decrees, My authoritative decrees, and My Torah.”(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  So Isaac remained in Gerar.(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  When the people of the place inquired about his wife, his suspicions were aroused, and he said: “She is my nearest kin; for he was afraid to say: 'She is my wife,’ because the people of the place might kill me for Rebeccah, since she is so beautiful.”(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  And after he had been there a long time, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked through the window, and saw Isaac conducting himself with Rebeccah as if she were his wife.(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  Abimelech called Isaac and said: “Certainly she must be your wife. How could you say 'She is my nearest kin.’?” And Isaac said to him: “Because I thought I might be killed because of her.”(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  Abimelech said: "What is this that you have done to us? The king, who is the unique personage among the people, might easily have married her, and you would then have brought guilt on us.”(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  Abimelech then commanded all his people, saying: "He who harms this man and his wife will surely be put to death.”(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  Isaac sowed in that land of unfertile soil, and reaped a hundred times more than he expected in that year of famine because the Eternal sent him His Divine blessing.(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  And when the man Isaac kept on growing in wealth, constantly growing, growing to a very high degree,(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  And he had possessions of flocks and herds, and much land to be tilled, the Philistines envied him.(רש"י ומלבי"ם.)
  Fearing to harm Isaac personally, because of Abimelech's warning, the Philistines injured his property, by shutting up the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham, his father, filling them with earth.(ספורנו.)
  When he complained to the king, Abimelech said to him: "Leave our city, for the great wealth you have amassed is from us.”(מלבי"ם.)
  So Isaac left the city, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, far from the city, and he settled there.(רש"י.)
  In the valley of Gerar, Isaac redug the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham, his father, and which the Philistines had shut up right after the death of Abraham; and he called them by the same names which his father had called them, signifying his gratitude to the Eternal.
  And the servants of Isaac continued digging in the valley, for his flocks exceeded those of Abraham; and they found there a well of spring water.(מלבי"ם.)
  And the herdsmen of Gerar contended with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying: "The water is ours, as it descends from the mountains of Gerar”; And he called the name of the well "Esek,” meaning "Dispute” for they had disputed with him.(מלבי"ם.)
  And when they dug another well, they contended about it, also, without justification; and he called the name of it "Sitnah,” meaning "Malicious Enmity.”(מלבי"ם.)
  He moved from there, far away from the land of the Philistines, and dug another well, and there was no more contention; and he called the name of it "Rehoboth,” meaning "Spacious Room”; for he said: "Now the Eternal has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”(רשב"ם.)
  And he went from there to Beersheba.
  The Eternal appeared to him that same night, and said: "I am the Almighty, Whom your father, Abraham, acknowledged. Though what has happened to you among the Philistines foreshadows what will happen to your children in their lands of exile, fear not. As I have been with you and have blessed you, so will I be with them and increase your descendants for the sake of Abraham, My servant.”(עפ"י רמב"ן.)
  So he built an altar there, and prayed in the name of the Eternal, and pitched his tent there; and Isaac's servants began to dig a well there.(מלבי"ם.)
  And Abimelech came to him from Gerar, together with some of his friends and Phicol, the captain of the army.(רש"י, רשב"ם, מלבי"ם.)
  Isaac said to them: "Why have you come to me, since you hate me, and have sent me away from you?”(רש"י, רשב"ם, מלבי"ם.)
  And they said: "We have seen that the Eternal has been with you, as He had been with your father; and we have decided to renew the pact that existed between your father and us, so that it will likewise exist between you and us, and we will make a covenant with you.(רש"י, רשב"ם, מלבי"ם.)
  You must do us no harm, as we have not harmed you, and as we have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace. Now, we acknowledge that you are the blessed of the Eternal.”(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  Then he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  They rose early in the morning, and swore to one another, and Isaac accompanied them, and they departed from him peacefully.(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had finished digging, and they told him: “We have found water.”(ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  He called it “Shivah,” meaning: “the seventh well.” Therefore, he renewed the name of the city as Beersheba, and that name has remained until this day.
  Meanwhile Esau, claiming that he desired to follow his father’s example to marry at the age of forty, married, but he married contrary to Abraham’s teaching, Judith, daughter of Beeri, the Hittite, and then Bosmath, daughter of Elon, the Hittite, Canaanites.(רש"י.)
  And they were rebellious to Isaac and Rebeccah.(רש"י.)
  
  
  
  And it came about that, when Isaac was old, and his eyes were too dim to see, he called Esau, his older son, with the intention of leading him on the right path, -and said to him: “My son!” and he said to him: “Here I am.”(רשב"ם, מפרשי אחרונים.)
  And he said: “Now look, I am old; I do not know how soon I might die.
  Therefore, take now your weapons, your sword and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me.(עפ"י רש"י.)
  Make me a delicacy, such as I enjoy, and bring it to me to eat. Thus, by the virtuous act of honoring your father, you will be deserving that my soul may bless you before I die.”(עפ"י רש"י.)
  Rebeccah, who knew that Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob, heard Isaac speaking to Esau, his son, and saw Esau going to the field to hunt game and bring it home.(רמב"ן.)
  Rebeccah said to Jacob, her son: “I have heard your father speak to Esau, your brother, saying:
  Bring me game and make me a delicacy of it, that I may eat and bless you before the Eternal, before I die.’(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  Now, therefore, my son, listen to my advice, to all that I am going to instruct you.(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  Go, now, to the flock, and bring me from there two young goats of good quality, whose flesh tastes like venison, and whose hairy skin is similar to that of man; and I will make of them a delicacy for your father, such as he enjoys.(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  You will bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”
  And Jacob said to his mother, Rebeccah: “Remember, Esau, my brother, is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.
  Perhaps when my father blesses me, he will draw me near to kiss and touch me, and I shall then appear to him as a deceiver; in that event, I will be bringing a curse on myself, and, even if I should really be deemed worthy of a blessing, he will then withhold it from me.”(רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  But his mother said to him: “I have confidence in the prophecy I have received; therefore, I take your curse on myself, my son. Just obey my words, and go, get them for me.”(רשב"ם.)
  He went, took them ai)d brought them to his mother; and his mother made them into a delicacy, such as his father enjoyed.
  Rebeccah then took the choice garments of Esau, her older son, which were with her in the house, inasmuch as Esau did not trust his wives with them; and she put them on Jacob, her younger son, thereby making the prophecy come true that “the older will serve the younger.”(רש"י, ועפ"י רמב"ן.)
  And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth surface of his neck.
  Then she gave the delicacy and the bread, which she had prepared to her son Jacob.
  And he went to his father, and said: “My father!”; and he said: “Here I am; who are you, my son?”
  And Jacob said to his father: “I am. Esau is your firstborn. I have done as you have spoken to me. Arise, please, sit and cat of my venison, so that your soul may bless me.”(עפ"י רש"י.)
  And Isaac said to his son: “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”; and he said: “Because the Eternal, Whom you have acknowledged as the Almighty, has given me good speed.”(עפ"י רש"י.)
  Now, the mention of the Eternal aroused his suspicion. Isaac therefore said to Jacob: “Come near, that I may feel you, my son, and see whether or not you are really my son Esau, for I am not accustomed to hearing Esau mention the Eternal.”(עפ"י רש"י.)
  And Jacob moved near to Isaac, his father, and the latter felt him; and he said: “The gentleness of manner and voice is that of Jacob, but the hands are those of Esau.”(עפ"י רש"י.)
  He could not make out his. identity, because his hands were hairy, as were those of his brother Esau; and he decided to bless him.(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  And he said: “You are, indeed, my son Esau”; and he said: “I am.”(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  And he said: “Bring it near me, and I will eat of my son's venison, so that my soul may bless you”; and he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  Then his father Isaac said to him: “Come close and kiss me, my son.”(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  And he came near and kissed him, and he smelled the odor of his garments, which were perfumed, and blessed him; and he said: “Ah, the fragrance of my son is as the scent of a field which the Eternal has blessed with pleasant spices.(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  May the Almighty always give you,, as He gives to the fragrant field, of the dew of heaven and the fat places of the earth, and much grain and wine.(רש"י, רשב"ם.)
  Peoples shall serve you, and ruling nations bow down before you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down before you. May the blessing, which Abraham received from the Eternal and then gave to me, be transmitted to you — that anyone who curses you will be cursed and anyone who blesses you will be blessed.”(מלבי"ם.)
  As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just left the presence of Isaac his father, Esau, his brother, came in from his hunt.
  He, too, made delicious food and brought it to his father; and he said to his father: “Let my father arise and eat of his son's venison, that your soul may bless me.”
  Isaac, his father, said to him: “Who are you?" And he answered: “I am your firstborn son, Esau."
  Isaac greatly wondered; and said: “Who, then, was it who hunted game and brought it to me, whereupon I ate of it, before your arrival, and whom I then blessed? It is certainly the will of the Eternal that he be blessed."(אונקלוס, מלבי"ם.)
  When Esau heard his father’s words, he uttered a great and bitter cry, and appealed to his father: “Bless me, bless me too, O my father."
  And he said to himself: “Yes, your brother surreptitiously came and has taken away your blessing."(דעת עצמי עפ"י מפורש אחרון.)
  And he further said: “Is it for this reason that he has been named Jacob, meaning 'trickery’? For he has outwitted me twice: he has taken away my birthright, and now he has taken away my blessing!" And he said to his father: “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"(רש"י.)
  And Isaac answered and said to Esau: “Now, I have constituted him lord over you, and all his brothers have I given him as servants, and with grain and wine have I endowed him; and what, then, shall I do for you, my son? Being a servant, you will, with all the property with which you may be blessed, belong to your brother."(רש"י.)
  And Esau said to his father: “Have you only one blessing, father? Bless me also, father." And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
  And Isaac, his father, answered and said to him: “I cannot give you mastery, but there is enough land for both of you. Behold, of the fruitful places of the earth will be your dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above.(רמב"ן.)
  And as a hunter, you will live by the sword, but you must serve your brother; and I pray that when you will suffer greatly, you will shake his yoke from off your neck."(רשב"ם, א"ע.)
  Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, namely, that Jacob’s brothers would have to serve him. And Esau decided in his heart: “Soon there will be days of mourning for my father, and then I will slay my brother Jacob."(רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  Rebeccah was told of the intentions of Esau, her stronger son; and she sent and called Jacob, her weaker son, and said to him: “Your brother is planning to kill you.(מלבי"ם, אונקלוס.)
  Now, therefore, mv son, listen to my advice; arise and flee to my brother Laban, to Haran;
  tarry with him for some time, until your brother’s fury turns away from against you.
  When your brother’s anger will have turned away from you, and he will have forgotten what you have done to him, then I shall send and bring you back from there; for if he should slay you, your blood will be avenged, and why should I be bereaved of both of you in one day?"(רשב"ם.)
  In order not to grieve Isaac, by giving him an inkling of Esau’s evil intentions, Rebeccah said to him: “My life is loathsome because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob should take a wife from among the daughters of Heth, such as these, from among the daughters of this country, what good will my life be to me?"(מלבי"ם.)
  
  
  
  So Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and said to him: “Do not take a wife from among the daughters of Canaan.(רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  Leave, go to the field of Aram, to the house , of Bethuel, your mother's father; and take yourself a wife from there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.(רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  And may the Almighty Benefactor bless you, and make you fruitful, and increase you; and may you be a multitude of nations.(רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  May He grant you the blessing of Abraham, the privilege of teaching men the knowledge of the Eternal; may this blessing be fulfilled through you and your descendants along with you and may you inherit the land of your habitation, which the Almighty has given to Abraham, and in which all the blessings will be fulfilled."(רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  And so did Isaac send Jacob away; and he went to the field of Aram, to Laban, son of Bethuel, the Aramean, the brother of Rebeccah, mother of Jacob and Esau.
  When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and had sent him away to Paddan-Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that, in blessing him, he had instructed him, saying: “Do not take a wife from among the daughters of Canaan";
  and that Jacob listened to his father and his mother, and went to Paddan-Aram;
  then Esau understood that the daughters of Canaan did not please Isaac, his father.
  So Esau went to Ishmael, and in addition to his Canaanite wives, he took Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, son of Abraham, as his wife. She was the sister of Nebaioth, who, upon the death of Ishmael, gave her in marriage.(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  When Jacob departed from Beersheba, and went toward Haran,
  he reached the place where Abraham had bound his son on the altar, and he recited the evening services, and he made his lodging there, for the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place, put it under his head, and lay down to sleep in that holy place.(עפ"י מדרש.)
  He dreamt that a ladder was set up on the ground, and its top reached to heaven; and that prayers to the Almighty were ascending, and salvation descending through it.(א"ע.)
  And the Eternal stood guarding him, and said: “I am the Eternal, the Almighty of your ancestor Abraham, and the Almighty of your father Isaac. The land on which you lie will be a part of the land which I will give to you and your descendants.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  At a later time, though your descendants will be humiliated and low as the dust of the earth, you and they will spread abroad to the west and the east and the north and the south; and all the families of the earth will bless themselves with the wish that they may be like you and your descendants.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Be sure that I am with you, and will watch you wherever you go, and will bring you back into this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you."(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and said: "Indeed, Divinity is in this place, and I was not aware of it. Had I known, I would not have slept in this holy place."(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  He was frightened, and said: "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of the Almighty, and this is the gate through which all prayers ascend to heaven!"(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Jacob rose in the morning, and took the stone which he had put under his head, and set it up as a pillar. Thus he marked the spot where he had slept, and poured oil upon the top of it, to distinguish it from the rest.(א"ע.)
  He called the name of that place "Bethel," meaning "House of the Almighty"; but previously the name of the city had been Luz.(מלבי"ם.)
  Jacob made a vow, saying: "After the Almighty will have been with me, by watching over me on this way that I go, and will have given me bread to eat and clothing to put on;(עפ"י כל מפרשי ראשונים שהנדר לא הי' עפ"י תנאי.)
  And I will have come back to my father's house in peace, and the Eternal has proved, for me, an Almighty protection against my enemies;(עפ"י כל מפרשי ראשונים שהנדר לא הי' עפ"י תנאי.)
  Then this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be the site for a house of the Almighty; and of all which You will give me, I will surely give a tenth to You, as charity."(עפ"י כל מפרשי ראשונים שהנדר לא הי' עפ"י תנאי.)
  
  
  
  Encouraged by the Eternal’s promises, Jacob proceeded rapidly on his journey, and went to the land of the children of the East.(רש"י.)
  As he looked, he saw a well in the field. There were three flocks of sheep lying beside it for Out of that well they watered the flocks, and a large stone was upon the opening of the well.(רש"י.)
  When all the flocks used to gather there, they would roll the stone from the opening of the well, and water the sheep; then they would put the stone back in its place on the opening of the well.(רש"י.)
  Jacob said to them: "Brothers, from where do you come?" And they said: "We are from Haran."
  He said to them: "Do you know Laban, the grandson of Nahor?"; and they said: "We know him."
  And he further asked: "Is he getting along well?" They said: "He is fine; and there is Rachel, his daughter, coming with the sheep."
  He said: "Look, it is yet the height of day, and it is not the time for the cattle to be taken in; water the sheep, and go feed them."
  And they said: "We cannot, until all the herdsmen have gathered together, at which time they will roll the stone off the opening of the well; then we will water the sheep."
  While he was still speaking to them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
  And, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, Jacob approached and rolled the stone from the opening of the well, and watered the flocks of Laban, his mother's brother.
  Then Jacob kissed Rachel's hand, and wept aloud.(רמב"ן בשם א"ע.)
  And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman, and that he was Rebeccah's son; and she ran and told her father to go out and welcome Jacob.(רמב"ן.)
  And when Laban heard the report of Jacob, his sister's son, who had rolled away the stone by himself, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house; and he related to Laban all these things, namely, that his mother had sent him to flee the wrath of his brother, Esau.(ספורנו.)
  And Laban said to him: “Surely you are my bone and flesh, as a kinsman of mine"; and he stayed with him, working for a month.(ספורנו.)
  Laban said to Jacob: “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore work for me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?"
  Now, Laban had two daughters; the name of tlie older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
  Leah's eyes were tender; and Rachel had beautiful features and a fair complexion.(אונקלוס, רש"י.)
  Jacob loved Rachel; and he said explicitly: “I will serve you for seven years, in return for Rachel, your younger daughter."(רש"י.)
  And Laban said: “It is better that I give her to you, my kinsman, rather than to another man; stay with me."
  So Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed to him as only a few days, for the love he had for her made the price he paid seem too small.(ספורנו.)
  And Jacob said to Laban: “Give me the woman who has been betrothed to me as my wife, for my time of work is completed, and I will marry her."
  And Laban invited all the men of the place and made a feast, so as to confuse Jacob.(ילקוט שמעוני.)
  And in the evening he took his daughter Leah, heavily veiled and obscured by darkness, and brought her to him, and he married her.
  And Laban gave to Leah, Zilpah, the younger maidservant, originally assigned to Rachel.(מלבי"ם.)
  But in the morning, when he saw that it was Leah, he said to Laban: “What is this that you have done to me? Have I not served you for Rachel? Why have you deceived me?"
  And Laban said: “It is not done in our place to give the younger in marriage before the older and the people here would not let me keep my promise.(ספורנו.)
  Do not repudiate the marriage with Leah; fulfill the week of feasting, after the marriage, with this one. Then we, the townspeople, will immediately give you the other one, too, for the service which you will perform for me for another seven years."(א"ע, רשב"ם.)
  Jacob did so; he completed the week of feasting of his marriage with Leah; and then he gave him his daughter Rachel for a wife.
  And Laban gave Bilhah, his handmaid, to his daughter Rachel as a maidservant for her.
  He also married Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah; and he served Laban for yet another seven years, with the same faithfulness he had shown him at first.(רש"י.)
  The Eternal saw that Leah was less beloved, and he opened her womb, though by nature she was barren; Rachel, however, remained barren until Jacob prayed for her.(רמב"ן, ספורנו, מלבי"ם.)
  Leah became pregnant and bore a son, and named him “Reuben," meaning “Look at my son"; for she said: “The Eternal has looked upon my affliction; and now my husband will love me."
  And again she became pregnant, and bore a son; and she said: “The Eternal has heard my prayer, because I am not loved, and has therefore given me' this one also”; and she named him “Shimon,” meaning “Hearing.”
  And she was again pregnant, and bore a son; and she said; “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons”; therefore his name was called “Levi,” meaning “Joining.”
  She was pregnant again and bore a son; and she said: “This time I will praise the Eternal.” Therefore, she named him “Yehudah” (Judah), meaning “Praise be the Eternal”; and then she ceased bearing children.
  
  
  
  When Rachel saw that she had not borne children for Jacob, she envied her sister; and Rachel said to Jacob: “Pray for children on my behalf, or else I will die of grief and shame!”(רמב"ן.)
  And Jacob was angry with Rachel; and he said: “What do you ask of me? It is up to you to pray to the Almighty, who had withheld from you the fruit of the womb, and created you incapable of child-bearing.”(אונקלוס, ספורנו.)
  Then she said: “Here is my maid, Bilhali, marry her; and, when she will give birth, I will adopt the child and nurse and rear it like my own; and just as your grandmother Sarah, I, too, may then be builded up through her.”(אוני קלום, רש"י.)
  And she gave him Bilhah, her maidservant; and Jacob married her.
  Bilhah became pregnant, and bore a son to Jacob, who acknowledged him as equal to his other children.(רמב"ן, מלבי"ם.)
  And Rachel said: “The Almighty has judged me, and moreover he has heard my prayer, and decided in my favor, and given me a son”; therefore, she named him “Dan,” meaning “Judgment.”
  And Bilhah, RachcTs handmaid, again became pregnant, and bore Jacob another son.
  And Rachel said: “I have engaged in Divine wrestling with my sister, and my prayers have been accepted”; and she named him “Naphtali,” meaning “Champion.”(עפ"י אונקלוס.)
  When Leah saw that she had ceased having children, she took Zilpah, her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
  And Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah, bore Jacob a son.(מלבי"ם.)
  Leah said: “Luck has come to me, after I had ceased bearing”; and she named him “Gad,” meaning “Luck.”
  And when Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a second son,
  Leah said: “I will be esteemed, for the women will esteem me as the foremost wife”; therefore she named him “Asher,” meaning “Esteemed.”(עפ"י אונקלוס.)
  Reuben went out in the days of harvest, and found charmed figs in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah; then Rachel said to Leah: “Please give me some of your son's charmed figs.”(רשב"ם, רמב"ן.)
  But she said to her: “Isn't it enough that you have taken away my husband's affection? Now do you want to take away my son's charmed figs also?” And Rachel said: “Therefore, let him be with you tonight, in return for your son's charmed figs.”(עפ"י מלבי"ם.)
  When Jacob came home from the field in the evening, intending to enter Rachel’s tent, Leah went out to meet him, and said: “You must come to my tent, for I have taken you as the reward for my son’s charmed figs.” And he stayed with her that night.(עפ"י מלבי"ם.)
  And the Almighty listened to Leah’s prayers, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son.
  And Leah said: “The Almighty has given my reward, because I have given my handmaid to my husband”; and she named him “Yissachar,” meaning “There is reward.”(רשב"ם.)
  And Leah again became pregnant, and bore Jacob a sixth son.
  And Leah said: “The Almighty has endowed me with a good endowment; and my husband will dwell with me in one tent, for I have borne him six sons”; and she named him “Zebulun,” meaning “Lofty Abode.”(מלבי"ם.)
  And afterward she bore a daughter; and she named her “Dinah.”
  Now the Almighty remembered Rachel’s good deeds; the Almighty listened to her prayers, and opened her womb.
  She became pregnant and bore a son; and said: “The Almighty has removed the disgrace which had clung to me as a barren woman.”(רש"י.)
  So she named him “Joseph,” meaning “Supplement”; saying: “May the Almighty supplement this with another son for me.”
  And after Rachel had borne Joseph, the seven years having ended, Jacob said to Laban: “Let me depart, so that I may go to my own place and my own country.(רשב"ם.)
  Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know what faithful service I have rendered you.”(מלבי"ם.)
  But Laban said to him: “If, now, I have found favor in your eyes, stay with me; for I have tested you by divination, and have established that the Eternal has blessed me on your account.”(אונקלוס, רש"י.)
  And he further said: “Specify your wages from me, and I will give them to you.”
  And he answered him: “You know how faithfully I have served you, and how I have taken care of your livestock.
  For what little you had before I came has increased abundantly, and the Eternal has blessed you since my foot entered your house; now, then, when shall I provide for my own household as well?”(רש"י, רמב"ן.)
  And Laban said: “What shall I give you?” And Jacob answered: “You need not give me anything of what you possess; if you will do the following thing for me, I will again pasture your flock and guard it.(רשב"ם.)
  I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted, and every brown one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and those born in these colors, henceforth, will constitute my reward.(רש"י.)
  In the future, my honesty will testify for me, whenever you come to inspect my reward: any one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, you may consider stolen by me.”(הירץ.)
  And Laban said: “Agreed. I am eager to have it as you say.”
  On that day, Laban removed 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 brown ones among the sheep and handed them over to his sons.(רש"י.)
  And he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob tended the rest of Laban's flocks.
  The first year, the Almighty sent His blessings, and the flock produced spotted and speckled ones. After the first year, Jacob did not rely on miracles, but took rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond, and of the plane tree; and he peeled white streaks in them, bringing to the surface the white which was in the rods.(רמב"ן, רד"ק.)
  He set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs where the flocks come to drink, and they mated on coming to drink.
  And the flocks mated at the sight of the rods; and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted ones.
  And the newly-born lambs Jacob set apart; moreover, he set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the brown in Laban's flocks; and then he placed his own herds apart, and did not join them to Laban's flocks.
  And whenever the stronger ones in the flocks became pregnant, Jacob put the rods in front of the eyes of the flocks in the troughs, so that they might become pregnant among the rods.
  But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; and so the feeble ones were Laban's, and the stronger ones were Jacob's.
  So the man Jacob increased greatly in riches; and he had large flocks, from the profit of which he acquired, maidservants and manservants, and camels and donkeys.(רש"י.)
  
  
  
  And he overheard the conversation of Laban's sons, saying: “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s; and from what was our father's, he has obtained all this wealth."
  Jacob also observed that the expression of Laban's face toward him was not as it had been previously.
  The Eternal said to Jacob, in a dream: “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your birthplace; and only there will I be with you."(ראה פסוק יא, וראה רש"י כאן.)
  Now Jacob wished to do nothing before consulting his wives; he therefore sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flocks.(הירץ.)
  And he said to them: “I see that the expression of your father's face toward me is not as it used to be, for he suspects that I keep in my possession what is rightfully his; but in reality, the Almighty of my father has been with me, and it is He who gave me what I have.(ספורנו)
  For you know that I used to serve your father with all my power.
  However, your father defrauded me, and changed my wages ten times; but the Almighty did not allow him to do me harm.
  Although he originally promised me all kinds of colored flocks, he changed it to one color; yet, if he said thus: 'The speckled will be your wages,' then all the flocks would bear speckled; but if he said thus: 'The streaked shall be your wages,' then all the flocks would bear streaked.(רמב"ן.)
  Thus, the Almighty delivered the livestock of your father to me.
  And, it occurred at the time when the flocks were about to become pregnant, that I lifted up my eyes and saw in my dream that the he-goats which leaped on the flocks were streaked, speckled, and checkered; therefore, I no longer set the rods.(רמב"ן.)
  For the angel of the Almighty said to me in the dream: 'Jacob'; and I said: 'Here I am.'
  And he said: 'Look around and see that all the he-goats which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and checkered; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
  I am sent by the Almighty, Who appeared to you at Bethel, where you annointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, depart from this land, and return to the land of your birth.'"
  And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him: "We have no reason to stay here, for is there any portion or inheritance yet for us in our father's house, since he has sons to inherit from him?(רש"י.)
  Does he not consider us strangers? For he has sold us to you in exchange for your labor; and has, moreover, devoured our property by withholding your wages.(רש"י.)
  But all the wealth which the Almighty has withheld from our father is ours and our children's. Now, then, do whatever the Almighty has said to you."(רש"י.)
  Then Jacob rose and set his children and his wives on the camels.(רש"י.)
  And he carried away all his livestock, and all his possessions which he owned, the servants and the camels which he had purchased for the livestock he had acquired in Paddan-Aram to go to his father, Isaac, in the land of Canaan.(רש"י.)
  Now Laban had gone away for a few days, to celebrate the shearing of his sheep; and Rachel stole the images on which her father relied to bring him protection and good fortune.(רמב"ן, הירץ.)
  And Jacob deluded the heart of Laban, the trickster, by not telling him that he was fleeing.(ספורנו.)
  So he escaped with all that he had, crossed the Euphrates River; and he headed for the hill country of Gilead.
  And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had escaped.
  So he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days' stretch of way; and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.
  Before Laban reached Jacob, the Almighty had come to Laban, the trickster, in a night's dream; and he had said to him: "Do not speak to Jacob and try to persuade him to return, either by kind promises or by evil threats."(א"ע, רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  When Laban reached Jacob, Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain; and Laban with his friends pitched their tents in the hill country of Gilead.
  And Laban said to Jacob: "What have you done? Why have you diverted my mind, and carried away my daughters as though they were war captives?
  Why have you fled secretly, and diverted my mind, and did not tell me? I would have sent you away with rejoicing, and with songs, with the drum and the harp.
  You did not even let me kiss my grandsons and my daughters; indeed, you have acted foolishly.
  I have the power to hurt you, but the Almighty of your father spoke to me last night, 'Beware lest you speak to Jacob persuading him to return either by kind promise or by evil threats.'
  Now, then, that you have decided to go, because you long for your father’s house — why have you stolen my idols?”
  And Jacob answered the questions in the proper order, and said to Laban: "Because I was afraid, for I thought you might deprive me of your daughters by force.(רש"י.)
  With regard to your second question: With whomever you will find your idols, that person will be punished by death; in the presence of your kinsmen, if you discover anything of yours with me, you may take it”; for Jacob did not know that Rachel had taken them.(רשב"ם.)
  So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tents of the two maidservants, but he did not find them; he then made a second search, and, on leaving Leah’s tent, he re-entered Rachel’s tent.(עפ"י רש"י.)
  Now, Rachel had taken the images and put them into the saddle of the camel and sat on them; and Laban groped about in the whole tent, but did not find them.
  And she said to her father: "Do not be angry with me, my master, that I cannot arise before you, for I have the manner of women, in which condition even coming near is to be avoided”; and he searched, but did not find the images.(רמב"ן.)
  And Jacob was angry; he quarreled with Laban, and said to Laban in reply to the latter’s accusations: "In what way have I been disloyal? How have I sinned, that you have come running after me?
  You have groped about all my objects. What have you found of all your household objects? Put it here, in front of your kinsmen and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.
  These twenty years that I have been with you, your ewes and your she-goats had not miscarried and the rams of your flocks I have not eaten.
  I have not brought to you anything that had been torn by a wild beast. For things that I could not be held responsible, you still demanded restitution; for what was stolen by day, and what was stolen by night.(ספורנו.)
  I lived in such a way that during the day the drought consumed me, and the frost at night; and sleep was absent from my eyes.
  It is now twenty years that I have been in your house; I have worked for you fourteen years in return for your two daughters, and six years for your flocks; and you altered my wages ten times.
  Had not the Almighty of Abraham, He whom Isaac has revered, stood me in good stead, surely by now, you would have sent me away empty-handed. The Almighty has seen my affliction and the honest labor of my hands, and He rendered judgment last night.”(רש"י.)
  Then Laban answered and said to Jacob: "The women whom you married are my daughters, and the children they have borne are my children, and the flocks which you have acquired by dubious means are my flocks; in fact, all that you see is really mine; but how could I do harm to my to my daughters this day, or to their children whom they have borne?(ספורנו.)
  Come, then, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let there be something as a token of the covenant made between you and me."(עפ"י רמב"ן.)
  Jacob took a stone, and set it up as a pillar.
  And Jacob said to his kinsmen: "Gather stones," and they took stones and made a heap; and they ate there on the heap to confirm the treaty of friendship.
  Laban called it, in Aramaic: "Yegar Sahadutha"; Jacob, however, named it in Hebrew "Galed," both meaning "Heap of Testimony."
  And Laban said: "This heap is a witness between you and me this day"; therefore, it was called "Galed."
  It is also called "Mitzpah," meaning "Watchpost" for he said: "May the Eternal watch you and me; that we shall not conceal anything one from another.
  If you should hurt my daughters, or if you should take other wives in addition to my daughters, when we are not together; see, the Almighty is a witness between you and me."
  And Laban said to Jacob: "Look, here is the heap, and here is the pillar, which I have set up between you and me.
  This heap will be a sign, and this pillar a token, that I will not violate the treaty, to which this heap bears witness and that you will not violate the treaty to which this heap and this pillar attest; namely, not to harm one another.(א"ע.)
  The Almighty of Abraham, and the gods of Nahor, their ancestral gods, will judge between us." But Jacob swore by the Eternal, Whom Isaac, his father, revered.(רש"י, א"ע.)
  And Jacob slaughtered meat for a feast, and invited Laban's kinsmen to partake of the meal; and they partook of the meal, and spent the night on the mountain.(עפ"י רש"י.)
  
  
  
  Laban rose early in the morning, and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban departed and returned to his place.(א"ע.)
  Jacob went on his way, and he saw in his vision that angels of the Almighty were meeting him.(עפ"י רמב"ן.)
  When he saw the place, he said: "This camp must be holy"; and he called the name of that place "Mahanaim," meaning: "Twin Camps"; namely, that of the angels and his own.(ספורנו.)
  As Jacob approached the land of his father, fear of his brother revived in him. He therefore made a threefold preparation: prayer to the Almighty, appeasement, and battle. First Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the territory of Edom, to ascertain his intentions.(רמב"ן, ספורנו.)
  And he instructed them, as follows: "Thus you will say to my master, Esau: Thus has your servant, Jacob, said: ‘I have dwelt with Laban, and my father's blessing that I be lord over my brothers has not been fulfilled; and I have stayed until now, so that I was not previously able to pay my respects to my master.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  I have oxen and donkeys, flocks and manservants and maidservants; and I sent to let my master know that I desire peace and friendship with you, hoping to gain favor in your sight.'”(רש"י.)
  The messengers returned to Jacob, saying: “We have come to your brother — as you regard him — but he is still conducting himself as the same Esau; moreover, he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him, to attack you.”(רש"י.)
  Thereupon Jacob was very fearful that he might be killed, and at the same time was distressed that he, himself, might come to kill others; and he made a division of two camps, putting the people who were with him into one camp, and the flocks, the herds, and the camels into the other,(רש"י, מלבי"ם.)
  for he said: “If Esau should come to the one camp and attack it, then the camp which is left will escape.”(רש"י.)
  Then Jacob prayed: “O, Almighty of my forefather Abraham, and Almighty of my father Isaac; O Eternal, Who has appeared to me under these appellations and said to me: 'Return to your land and your birthplace, and I will do you good.'(רש"י.)
  My merit to receive benefits from You has been diminished by all the acts of mercy and all the manifestations of faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for it was only with my staff that I crossed this Jordan, and now I possess two camps.(רש"י.)
  I pray to You: Deliver me from the hands of one who on the surface seems a brother, but in reality has the hands of an angry Esau; for I fear him, and I am worried that he might come with evil intentions and attack me and my family, the mothers and children together.(מפרשי אחרונים.)
  While I am unworthy of the fulfillment of Your promise, nevertheless save me for the sake of Your glorious name; for I was also unworthy when You promised me: 'I will surely do you good and make your children as many as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'”(רמב"ן.)
  After he slept there that night, awaiting a Divine dream, he took objects of value as presents for his brother, Esau,(מלבי"ם, רמב"ן.)
  two hundred she-goats, and twenty he-goats, two hundred sheep, and twenty rams;
  thirty milch camels and their colts; forty cows and ten bulls; twenty she-donkeys and ten foals.
  He delivered them into the charge of his servants, each drove in itself, so that the various species might be kept apart; and he said to his servants: “Pass on ahead of me, so that you will arrive there before I come, and leave space between one drove and the next, so as to satisfy Esau with the large size of the gift.”(מלבי"ם.)
  He instructed the first messenger, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, 'Whose servant are you, and where are you going, and for whom is all this intended?'(רש"י.)
  say: 'It belongs to your servant Jacob, it is a present sent to my master Esau; and, moreover, he is behind us.'”
  He likewise instructed the second one, and the third one, and also all those who were following the droves, saying: “In this manner will you speak to Esau, when you reach him.
  And you will emphasize: 'your servant Jacob is behind us,' for he said, “I will appease him with the gift and after that I shall pay him my respect, perhaps he will then accept me favorably.'”(רמב"ן.)
  So the gift preceded him while he lodged that night in the camp.(רמב"ן.)
  He arose that night, and took his two wives and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and he put his daughter Dinah in a box lest Esau desire her; and he crossed the ford of Jabbok.(רש"י.)
  First he took them across the stream; then, he took across his livestock and other belongings.(רש"י.)
  Having sent on all the others, Jacob remained by himself; and an angel, in the form of a man, wrestled with him until daybreak.(ספורנו.)
  When he saw that he could not overcome him, he attacked the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him.(מלשון וינגעו יהושע וכל ישראל (יהושע ח, טו).)
  And he said: “Release me, for the day breaks"; and when Jacob discerned that he was an angel, he said: “I will not release you, unless you bless me."(מפרשי אחרונים.)
  And the angel said to him: “What is your name?" and he said: “Jacob."
  And he said: “Your name will no longer be called 'Jacob,' which carries the implication of crookedness, but the Eternal will appear to you at Bethel and change your name to 'Israel,' meaning 'superior'; for you have prevailed against angels and men, and have triumphed. Your children will be called the Children of Israel, which name will carry the implication that their nation is the champion of the Almighty."(רש"י, ועפ"י ספורנו.)
  Jacob questioned him: “Please tell me your name," and he said: “Why do you inquire as to my name — the knowledge of it will not help you"; and he blessed him there.
  So Jacob called the name of the place “Penuel," meaning “Facing the Almighty"; “for I have seen the angels of the Almighty face to face, and my life has been saved."(רמב"ן, לד, אונקלוס.)
  The sun rose to heal him, as he passed Penuel; and when the sun rose, it found him limping on his thigh.(רש"י, ספורנו.)
  Therefore, the children of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh-vein in a slaughtered animal (together with its other arteries, which are on the hollow of the thigh), to this day, as a remembrance that their forefather Israel was saved from death; for the angel attacked the hollow of Jacob's thigh, in the sinew of the thigh-vein.(רשב"ם.)
  
  
  
  Jacob raised his eyes, and saw that Esau was coming, and with him there were four hundred men. Thus Jacob believed that the gifts he sent had not appeased Esau's wrath; and he divided the children, putting them in the charge of Leah, and of Rachel, and of the two handmaids, respectively.(ספורנו.)
  And he placed the more beloved farther back: the maidservants and their children in front, and Leah and her children in back of them, and Rachel and Joseph at the very back.(רש"י.)
  He himself passed on ahead of them, for the purpose of either attempting a conciliation or leading a defense, if necessary; and he bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near his brother.(רש"י.)
  And Jacob's humility stirred Esau's compassion, so that Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and they both wept.(רש"י.)
  He looked up and saw the women and the children, and said: “Who are these with you?"; and he said: “These are the children whom the Almighty has graciously given your servant."
  Then the handmaids approached, they and their children, and bowed down.
  Then Leah and her children approached and bowed down; and last came Joseph and Rachel, and they bowed down.
  And he asked: "For whom is all this camp of gifts which I have met?”; and he said: "It is to find favor in the sight of my master.”
  Esau said: "I have much of my own; brother, let that which is yours be yours.”
  But Jacob said: "No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then receive my present from me; for even as the Almighty shows his pleasure by accepting an offering, so may you show your satisfaction with me by accepting this gift, and I shall then know that you are appeased.
  Please take my gift of greeting which has been brought you, for the Almighty has been gracious to me, and I have all that I need”; and when he begged him insistently, he accepted it.
  And Esau said: "Let us journey and go; and let me go side by side with you.”
  But Jacob said to him: "My master knows that I am concerned about the tender children and the suckling flocks and herds; if they be overdriven one day, all the flocks will die;
  let my master pass on ahead of his servant; and I will lead them slowly, according to the pace of my property which is before me and according to the pace of the children, until I shall have come to my master to Seir.”
  Then Esau said: "Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me”; and he said: "Why do you need to do this? Let me find favor in the sight of my master, in that he will not trouble himself to accompany me.”
  So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
  And Jacob traveled to Sukkoth, and built a house for himself; for his livestock, on the other hand, he made booths, for which reason the name of the place was called "Sukkoth,” meaning "Booths.”
  And Jacob came to Salem, the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he returned from Paddan-Aram; and he encamped at the outskirts of the city.
  He bought the parcel of ground on which he pitched his tent, from the family of Hamor, the city father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitoth.
  He erected an altar there; and he prayed to the Almighty, the Almighty of Israel.
  
  
  
  Now Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob and reared in a tradition of chastity, went out to have a look at the girls of the country and familiarize herself with their way of life.
  Shechem, the son of Hamor, the Hivite, the chieftain of the land, saw her and took her by force; he lay with her and violated her.
  He became enthralled by passion with Dinah, the daughter of Jacob; and he loved the maiden, and spoke persuasively to the maiden.
  Shechem also spoke to his father, Hamor, "Get me this girl as a wife.”
  Now Jacob found out that his daughter Dinah was defiled, while his sons were with the cattle in the field. Jacob kept silence until they had arrived.
  Then Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out to Jacob to speak to him.
  He waited, however, until the sons of Jacob had come from the field. When they heard of it, the men were grieved, and they were very angry; for he had perpetrated a vile deed in Israel, in lying with the daughter of Jacob — a thing which is repulsive to the house of Israel, and must not be allowed to happen.
  And Hamor spoke with them, saying: “My son Shechem is attached to your daughter; please give her to him as a wife.
  Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.
  Dwell with us; and the land will be before you. Dwell and trade therein, though ordinarily strangers are not allowed to conduct trade, and settle therein."
  Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers: “Let me find favor in your eyes; and what you request of me, I shall give.
  Make great demands as to the dowry for the bride and gifts to you; and I shall give according to what you tell me; only give me the maiden as a wife."
  And the sons of Israel answered Shechem and Hamor, his father, cunningly, telling them that their offer of gifts was out of place, since he had defiled Dinah, their sister.
  And they further said to them: “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised; for this would be a humiliation for us, giving the impression that we could not find a circumcised person who would marry her.
  Only on one condition can we consent to what you ask: if you will become like us, that every male among you will be circumcised.
  Then we will give our daughters to you, and take your daughters for ourselves; and we will dwell with you, and be one people.
  But if you do not listen to us to become circumcised, then we will take our daughters and depart, with all our wealth, from which you will derive no benefit."
  And their words were acceptable to Hamor and to Shechem, Hamor's son.
  And the youth did not procrastinate in doing this thing, for he was desirous of Jacob's daughter; and he was the most esteemed of all his father's house.
  So Hamor and Shechem, his son, came to the gate of their city, the place of assembly, and they spoke to the men of their city, saying:
  “These men are of good will toward us; they are not inclined to avenge the wrong done them. Let them, therefore live in the land and trade therein — after all, the land is large enough for them, and their trading will not harm us; let us then take their daughters as wives for us, and give our daughters to them as wives. The choice will be ours.
  Only on this condition will the men agree to our proposal, to live with us, to become one people: if every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised.
  After all, their cattle and their property and all their livestock are as good as ours; let us but consent to their proposal, and they will live with us."
  And all who came out to the gate of the city listened to Hamor, and to Shechem, his son; and every male was circumcised, all those who came out to the gate of the city.
  On the third day, when they were in pain, two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, without consulting their father, each took his sword and turned on the city. They were confident that the pain from which the inhabitants were suffering would put them at a disadvantage, and so they killed all the males, in retribution for their scheming to take possession of the belongings of the family of Jacob.
  And they sought and found Hamor and his son Shechem, and killed them with the edge of the sword; and they took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and left.
  Then the sons of Jacob came up the slain persons and plundered the inhabitants of the city, with whose approval their sister had been defiled.
  They took their flocks, and their herds, and their donkeys, and what was in the city, and what was in the field;
  And all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, they captured and took as booty; also, everything that was in the house.
  Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: “You have besmirched me, causing me to be abhorred by the inhabitants of the land, namely the Canaanite and Perizites, for not keeping our pact of friendship; and, since I am but few in number, they will gather against me and attack me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my family."
  But they answered: “Shall we allow our sister to be treated as a harlot? Let it be a warning to all who want to make harlots of our sisters."
  
  
  
  The Almighty said to Jacob: “Arise, go up to Bethel to fulfill your vow, and stay there; and there set up an altar, as a thanksgiving for your deliverance, to the Almighty Who appeared to you when you fled from the presence of Esau, your brother."
  Then Jacob said to his family and to all who were with him: “Remove the strange idols that are among you, which you have taken in Shechem, and purify yourselves, and change your garments, which may have been dedicated to idolatry.
  And let us arise and go up to Bethel; and there I will set up an altar to the Almighty Who answered my prayers on the day of distress, and was with me on the way I went."
  They gave to Jacob all the idols which were in their possession, and the earrings which were in their ears as amulets and charms; and Jacob buried them under the turpentine tree which was near Shechem.
  They traveled; and a fear inspired by the Almighty was over the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
  And Jacob came to Luz, called Bethel, which is in the land of Canaan; — he, and all the people who were with him.
  There he built an altar — this was the place which he had called “the Sanctuary of Bethel" because there the Almighty had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.
  Deborah, who had been Rebeccah's nurse, and then the nurse of Jacob's children, died, and she was buried below Bethel, under the oak; and its name was called Allon-Bachut, meaning "The Oak of Weeping."
  After the period of weeping had ended, the Almighty appeared to Jacob for the second time since he had come from Paddan-Aram, and consoled him.
  And the Almighty said to him: "Your name has been Jacob; I hereby confirm the word of the angel: Your name from now on will not be solely Jacob, but Israel will also be your name." Thus He confirmed his name as Israel.
  And the Almighty said to him: "I am the Almighty Benevolent. Be fruitful and multiply, a nation and a group of tribes will come from you; and kings who will rule over nations will issue from you.
  The land which I have promised to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and to your descendants after you and not to the children of Ishmael and Esau."
  And the Almighty parted from him in the same place where He had spoken to him when he was on his way to Paddan-Aram.
  And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken to him, a pillar of stone; and He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it, as a dedication for holiness.
  And Jacob called the name of the entire area Bethel, for the Almighty had spoken to him there.
  They traveled from Bethel, and there remained a modest distance before arriving at Ephrath; and Rachel was about to give birth, and she had difficult labor.
  And when she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her: "Do not be afraid that this might be a girl; for this, too, is a son for you, fulfilling your prayer that the Eternal might supplement your first son with another one."
  And so it was, that as her soul was departing, as she was dying, she named him "Ben-Oni," meaning "Son of my Sorrow"; but his father called him "Benjamin," meaning "the son of my right hand."
  Thus Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin — not in Ephrath itself, which is Bethlehem and belonged to the tribe of Judah.
  Jacob set up a monument on her grave; it is known as the monument of Rachel's grave, to this day.
  Israel traveled on; and he pitched his tent beyond Migdal-Eder.
  While Israel lived in that land, Reuben removed the couch of Bilhah, his father's concubine, from his father's tent, fearing that since she was still young, Jacob might have another son, and Israel understood; so Jacob's sons remained twelve,
  The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn; and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun.
  The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
  And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphtali.
  And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob that were born to him in Paddan-Aram, except for Benjamin, who, though born in Canaan, was conceived in Paddan-Aram.
  And Jacob came to Isaac, his father, to Mamre, by Kiriath-Arba; today it is known as Hebron — the place where Abraham and Isaac resided.
  And when Isaac had reached the age of one hundred eighty years,
  Isaac became weak, and died, and his soul was gathered into the everlasting memory of his people. He was old and rich in years, and Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.
  
  
  
  This is the historic development of Esau known as the Edomite;
  Esau — disregarding the injunction of Abraham and Isaac — married Canaanite girls — Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah, the illegitimate daughter of Anah, also the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite.
  To please Isaac he also married Basemath, daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth, who upon the death of Ishmael gave her in marriage.
  Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel;
  and Oholibamah bore Jehush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
  Since Jacob received his father’s blessing, which included the possession of the land of Canaan, Esau took his wives, his sons and daughters, and all the personnel of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all the wealth which he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to another land, and surrendered his right to the land to his brother Jacob.
  He migrated, because their possessions were too many to stay together, for the land of their residence could not sustain them on account of their many cattle.
  So Esau settled in the mountain of Seir, which he had wrested from the Horites. From that time it was known the land of Edom.
  Now, this is the history of Esau, the father of the Edomite nation, after he settled in the mountain country of Seir.
  The names of Esau’s sons were Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah; Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
  The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
  When Esau and his sons conquered Seir, Eliphaz, Esau’s son took Timna, the sister of one of the rulers of the land, for his concubine: she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the descendants of Esau’s wife Adah.
  And these were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the descendants of Esau’s wife Basemath.
  And these were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, also daughter of Zibeon: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
  These are the dukes of the children of Esau. Of Eliphaz, Esau’s first born were the dukes of the following cities: Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Kenaz.
  The duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek. These are the dukes of the sons of Eliphaz, from his wife Adah, in the land of Edom.
  And these were the sons of Reuel, son of Esau: The dukes: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the dukes of the Reuel family, son of Esau. These were the children of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
  And these were the children of Oholibamah, wife of Esau: The dukes: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the dukes, descending from Oholibamah, Esau's wife, daughter of Anah.
  These were the descendants of Esau; and these were their dukes, in the land what is now Edom.
  These were the sons of Seir the Horite, the rulers of the land, before it was conquered by the family of Esau; Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
  Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the dukes of the Horites, descendants of Seir, before the land was called Edom.
  The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna, the concubine of Eliphaz.
  The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
  And these were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah — this is the same Anah who found the mules in the wilderness while pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.
  Anah’s children were Dishon, and Anah's daughter Oholibamah.
  Dishon’s sons were: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
  Ezer’s sons were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
  Dishan’s sons were Uz and Aran.
  The following were the dukes of the Horites. Dukes Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah;
  Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the dukes of the Horites. They were the dukes in the land of Seir.
  These are the kings who ruled the land of Edom before Moses reigned over the children of Israel.
  Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom. Dinhabah was his capital city.
  Jobab son of Zerah ruled after Bela died.
  Husham of the land of the Temanites ruled after Jobab died.
  Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the field of Moab, ruled after Husham died. His capital city was Avith.
  Samlah of Masrekah succeeded Hadad.
  Shaul of Rehoboth by the River, succeeded Samlah.
  When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor succeeded him as king.
  And when Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadar succeeded him as king; his capital city was Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-zahab.
  These are the names of the dukes of Esau’s family, each headed a family, called by the names of their settlements. Dukes Timnah, Alvah, Jetheth,
  Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
  Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
  Magdiel and Iram. These are the dukes of Edom — according their settlements in the land of their possession — Esau is the founder of the Edomites.
  
  
  
  Now Jacob lived in the region where his father lived, in the land of Canaan; Esau and his family had left it and renounced claim to the birthright in favor of his brother, and with it the title to the inheritance of the land of Canaan.
  These are the events that happened to Jacob in Canaan: Joseph, then a boy of seventeen years, used to supervise his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives, while they were with the sheep; and Joseph brought bad reports about them to their father, saying that they were neglecting their duty.
  Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son who took care of him in his old age; and he made him a coat of many colors, thus marking him for leadership.
  And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him; and they could not endure his conciliatory speech.
  Joseph had a dream which He told to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
  And he said to them: “Listen, now, attentively, and understand the significance of this dream I have had.
  We were binding sheaves in the field, and suddenly, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; then your sheaves turned around, and bowed down to my sheaf." (This alluded to the fact that one day they would bow down to him for food.)
  His brothers said to him: “Do you think that we shall, of our own will, enthrone you over us? Or do you fancy that you will enforce your dominion over us?" And they hated him even more for his dreams, which reflected the ambitious thoughts that busied him by day, as well as for the fact that he proceeded to tell them these dreams.
  He had still another dream, and told it to his brothers; and he said: “I have had another dream; the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me." (This alluded to the second time the family would do him honor for the sake of food.)
  After first telling the dream to his brothers only, he subsequently repeated it to his father (in his brothers' presence); and his father, in order to pacify his brothers, rebuked him, and said to him: “What kind of ambition is this that is reflected in the dream you have had? Shall I and your mother, who is already dead, and your brothers come to bow down to you to the ground? Obviously, your dream is futile."
  However, his brothers were not pacified, but continued to envy the greatness destined for him; but his father awaited its fulfillment.
  Now his brothers went to pasture his father's flock in the region of Shechem,
  Israel said to Joseph: “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks in the dangerous region of Shechem? Come, and let me send you to them." And he said to him: “Here I am, ready to do your bidding."
  And he said to him: “Go now, see what is needed for the welfare of your brothers and the good of the sheep, and bring me back a report." So he accompanied him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to the region of Shechem.
  There, an angel, in the image of a man, presented himself to him while he was lost in the field; and the man asked him, saying: “What are you looking for?”
  And he said: “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing their flocks.”
  The man said: “They have left here, for I heard them say: 'Let us go to Dothan.'” So Joseph followed his brothers, and found them at Dothan.
  They saw him from afar, and before he came near, they plotted to kill him by setting dogs at him, so as not to shed his blood themselves.
  They rationalized their wish to kill him; and Simeon said to his brothers: “Look, here comes the dreamer!
  Come now, therefore, and let us kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and then we shall say: 'A vicious beast has devoured him.'” Then a Heavenly Voice said: “We shall see what will become of his dreams — whether or not you will be able to thwart My plans.”
  Now, Reuben heard it, and tried to save him entirely from their hands; and said: “Let us not take a human life.”
  And when they refused to listen to him, Reuben said to them: “At least do not shed blood directly; cast him into this pit in the wilderness, where there are no passers-by, then he will surely die — but do not lay hands on him.” He said this so that he might save him from their hands and bring him back to his father.
  When Joseph came to his brothers they stripped Joseph of his coat, the many-colored coat which he wore,
  and took him and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty — there was no water in it, but there were snakes and scorpions. But this the brothers did not know.
  Then they sat down to eat bread; and when they raised their eyes, they looked, and suddenly saw a caravan of Arabs coming from Gilead; and their camels were bearing spices and balm and gum, going to their usual destination, bringing these things down to Egypt.
  Then Judah said to them: “What profit is there in throwing our brother into the pit, which is tantamount to killing him with our own hands, and then having to conceal his death?
  Come, let us sell him to the Arabs as a slave, that will be his just reward for desiring us to be his servants. But let our hand not be used against him, for he is our brother, our own flesh”; and his brothers accepted his proposal.
  In the meantime, while the brothers were eating their meal, Midianite merchants passed by, and they lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to the Arabs, who brought Joseph to Egypt.
  And Reuben, who had not partaken of the meal, returned to the pit with the intention of removing Joseph from the pit and bringing him back to his father, and he saw that Joseph was not in the pit; and, believing that a wild beast had carried him off, he rent his clothes.
  He returned to his brothers and said: “The boy is not there and I, being the firstborn, shall be held responsible. Where shall I go to flee from the sight of my father’s grief?”
  So they slaughtered a hc-goat; and they took Joseph’s coat, and dipped the coat in blood.
  They cut up the manv-colored coat, and brought it to their father, and said: “This is what we have found; please verify whether it is your son's coat or not."
  He recognized it, and said: “It is my son's coat! A vicious beast has devoured him! Torn, torn is Joseph!"
  And Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son for twenty-two long years.
  All his sons and all his daughters-in-law rose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, saying: “No, I shall mourn for my son even to the grave, for I shall always reproach myself for having sent him into danger." And so his father wept for him.
  The Midianites, members of an Arab tribe, sold him to Egypt, to Potiphar, Pharaoh's officer, who was captain of the guard.
  
  
  
  At that time, his brothers having demoted him from leadership for not giving them better advice concerning Joseph, Judah went away from his brothers and turned to a certain Adullamite, by the name of Hirali, and made a partnership with him in flock-tending.
  There Judah saw a daughter of a certain merchant whose name was Shua; he took her for a wife and married her.
  She became pregnant and bore a son; and he named him “Er," meaning “Awakening."
  She again became pregnant and bore a son; and, because she had hard labor, she named him “Onan," meaning “Sorrow."
  And she again bore a son, and named him “Shelah," meaning “To cease bearing"; and it was at Chezib that she bore him.
  Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, by the name of Tamar.
  And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the eyes of the Eternal; and the Eternal caused him to die.
  Then Judah said to Onan: “Marry your brother's wife, and perform the levirate marriage duty and thereby raise up descendants for your brother."
  Now Onan knew that the children would not bear his name; and so, when he was with his brother's wife, he spilled his seed to the ground, so as not to provide children for his brother.
  And the thing which he did was evil in the eyes of the Eternal; and He caused him, also, to die.
  Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law: “Continue your state of widowhood by mourning in your father's house, until Shelah, my son, grows up." He told her this for fear that Shelah, too, would die as had his brothers; and Tamar went and lived in her father's house.
  In the course of time, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and after he was comforted, he went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, together with his partner, Hirah, the Adullamite.
  And Tamar was told: “Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to have his sheep shorn."
  So she took off her mourning garment of widowhood, covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself and sat down at the crossroads on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown and she had not been given to him as a wife, while she was still desirous of having a child of that family.
  When Judah saw her sitting at the crossroads, he thought her to be a harlot, for she covered her face.
  So he turned aside to her by the road, and said: “Come, let me be together with you,” for he did not know that it was his daughter-in-law. Tamar, desiring a chance to clarify at some future date what her real intention had been, wanted to obtain something that she might use as proof, and said: “What will you give me for being with you?”
  He said: “I will send you a young goat from the flock”; and she said: “Will you give me security until you send it?”
  And he said: “What kind of security shall I give you?” She answered: “Your signet, your robe, and your staff which you hold in your hand”; and he gave her these things, and he was with her, and she became pregnant from him.
  Then she arose and went away, and took off her veil; and she again put on her mourning garments. Having gotten what she wanted — to be with child — she was no longer desirous of marrying.
  Judah sent the young goat through his Adullamite partner, to recover the security from the woman's possession, but he did not find her.
  And he asked the people of the place saying: “Where is the harlot that was at the crossroads, on the way?” And they said: “There has not been any harlot here.”
  So he returned to Judah, and said: “I have not found her; moreover the people of the place have said: There has not been any harlot here.'"
  And Judah said: “Let her keep it, so that we shall not be put to shame if we continue looking for her; I have kept my word and sent this young goat, but you have not found her.”
  About three months later, Judah was told; “Your daughter-in-law, Tamar, has engaged in harlotry, and, moreover, she is with child by harlotry.” And Judah said: “Bring her out, and brand her forehead with the sign of the harlot.”
  As she was being brought out, she sent this message to her father-in-law: “By a man who owns these things I am with child”; and she further said: “Please verify to whom this signet, robe, and staff belong.”
  Judah recognized them, and acknowledged them, saying: “She is right. The child is from me. For this reason I did not give her to my son, Shelah, as I performed the levirate marriage myself”; and he did not again come together with her.
  And when she gave birth, there were twins in her womb.
  And it occurred when she was in labor, that one child stretched out a hand; and the midwife, wanting to establish his right as the firstborn, took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand saying: “This one came out first.”
  But, as he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said: “What a strong breakthrough you have made!” therefore, he was named “Peretz,” meaning “Breakthrough.”
  And then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his hand came out; he was named “Zerach,” meaning “Shine.”
  
  
  
  At the same time that Judah had parted company with his brothers, Joseph had been brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, who was an Egyptian, bought him from the Arabs who had brought him down there.
  Divine Providence was with Joseph and he was a successful man; and he was entrusted with the innermost chambers of his Egyptian master.
  And his master observed that Divine Providence was with him, and that all matters which he handled (even those which would ordinarily be deemed unpromising), the Eternal caused to turn out successful in his hand.
  So Joseph found favor in his sight, and he had Joseph act as minister to him; and he appointed him overseer over his house; and all that he had, he put under his charge.
  And from the time he appointed him overseer over his house and over all that he had, the Eternal blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; and the Eternal's blessing was on all that he had, including what he had acquired prior to Joseph’s arrival, in the house as well as in the field.
  He left all that he had in Joseph’s charge; and, relying on Joseph, he did not take cognizance of anything, except for the food he ate, inasmuch as the Egyptians regarded it as abominable to have their food handled by a Hebrew. And Joseph was handsome of features and handsome in complexion.
  After Joseph had become overseer and began nursing his vanity, his master’s wife cast her eyes on him; and she said: "Lie with me.”
  But he refused and he said to his master’s wife: "Look, my master relies on the fact that I am in the house. He does not take cognizance of anything in the house; and he has entrusted me with everything he has.
  None outranks me in this house; nor has he withheld anything from me, excepting you, since you are his wife. How, then, can I do this enormously wicked thing to him? And even if I might hide it from him, how could I commit such a sin against the Almighty?”
  And as she spoke to Joseph day in and day out, he did not listen to her. He refused even to converse with her or to be alone with her in one room.
  But on a certain festival day, when everyone was away from the house, and he entered the house to perform his duties,
  she seized him by his garment, and said: "Lie with me.” In order to avoid temptation, he left his garment in her hand, fled, and went out to the street.
  And when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and fled outside of the house,
  she called the people of her house, and told them: "Look, he has brought us in a despised Hebrew and appointed him to a position of responsibility. No wonder he is mocking us; he came to me to lie with me, and I cried out aloud.
  So, when he heard me crying aloud, he left his garment with me and fled out into the street.”
  And she kept the garment with her as evidence, until his master came home.
  And she told him the following words: "The Hebrew slave whom you have brought to us came to me to have sport with me.
  And when I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment with me, and he fled into the street.”
  When his master had heard the words that his wife told him, saying: "This is what your slave tried to do to me,” his anger burst forth; however, since he doubted the accusation, he did not put him to death.
  But to preserve his wife’s honor, Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were held bound; and he remained there in the prison.
  The Eternal was with Joseph, and He showed him kindness; and He endowed him with favor in the sight of the supervisor of the prison.
  The supervisor of the prison appointed Joseph to be in charge of all the prisoners who were in that prison; and whatever they did there was done under his instructions.
  The supervisor of the prison could not find any fault with him, because the counsel of the Eternal was with him; and whatever he did, the Eternal caused to succeed.
  
  
  
  It happened after these things that the butler of the king of Egypt, and his baker offended the king of Egypt.
  Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.
  And he placed them in confinement, in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison; the place where Joseph was kept bound.
  The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them; and they were in confinement for a considerable time.
  And the two of them, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, dreamt a dream; each dreamt, in addition, the interpretation of the other's dream.
  When Joseph came to them in the morning, he looked at them, and saw that they were in a bad mood.
  Joseph daringly asked Pharaoh’s officers, who were with him in the ward of his master’s house, saying: “Why do you look so sad today?”
  And they said to him: “We had a dream, but there is no interpreter of dreams here in the prison to decipher if for us.” So Joseph said to them: “Actually, interpretations of dreams derive from a Divine source — please tell it to me, and perhaps it will please the Almighty to reveal His secret to me.”
  The chief butler told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream, a vine was before me.
  The vine had three branches; and as it was budding, the blossoms shot forth, and their clusters brought forth ripe grapes.
  I held Pharaoh’s cup in my hand; and I took the grapes, pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”
  Joseph said to him: This is the interpretation of it: The three branches one immediately following the other, represent three days, not, as might be supposed, months or years.
  In three days Pharaoh will number you among his ministers, and restore you to your office; and you will place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, as in the former manner, when you were his butler.
  Indeed, I am so sure of this interpretation that I ash you to have me in mind when you enjoy your freedom, and please do me kindness, and mention me to Pharaoh; ask him to make me your servant, but take me out of this house.
  For I am not a slave by birth, but was stolen away from my land of the Hebrews; and here, too, I have done nothing to deserve what they did to me, to place me into the dungeon.”
  When the chief baker observed that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph: “In my dream, I saw that there were three baskets with holes on my head.
  And in the top basket there were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh; and the birds ate out of the basket that was on my head.”
  And Joseph comprehended the meaning of his dream, which showed that he would be prevented from performing his duties, and he answered, “This is its interpretation: The three baskets represent three days.
  In three days Pharaoh will behead you, and will hang you on the gallows and your flesh will be a prey to the birds.”
  On the third day, on Pharaoh’s birthday, when he made a feast for all his officials, he counted the chief butler and the chief baker among his officials.
  He restored the chief butler to his butler’s position, so that he again placed the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
  But the chief baker, on the other hand, he hanged. It was just as Joseph had interpreted it for them.
  However, inasmuch as Joseph had placed his trust in a mortal, he was destined to be disappointed, for the chief butler did not have Joseph in mind that day, and continued to be oblivious to. him thereafter.
  
  
  
  At the end of two full years after the chief butler had been released from prison, Pharaoh dreamt that he was standing by the River Nile.
  And out of the Nile there came seven cows, well-formed and sound in flesh; and they grazed in the swamps.
  But seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly-looking and emaciated in flesh, and stood beside the others at the bank of the river.
  And the cows that were ugly-looking and emaciated in flesh ate up the seven cows that were well-formed and sound in flesh. And Pharaoh awoke.
  He slept again, and dreamt a second dream. Seven ears of corn came up on the stalk, full and of good quality.
  But seven ears of corn, emaciated and dried out by the east wind, sprouted up after them.
  And the emaciated ears of corn swallowed up the seven full and good ears of corn. Then Pharaoh awoke, and the dream was then complete.
  Now, since this took place in the morning, and a morning dream has significance, his spirit was troubled, and he summoned all of Egypt's magicians and all her wise men; and Pharaoh told them his dream, but Pharaoh found their interpretations fantastic and unsatisfactory to him.
  Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh saying: “Today I am rendering account of my twofold guilt: my offense against Pharaoh, and the wrong I have incurred against a certain interpreter.
  The King was indignant against his servants, and he put me in the ward of the house of the captain of the guards — me as well as the chief baker.
  We had a dream one night; each of us also dreamt the interpretation of the other's dream.
  There was with us in the prison one who did not know what was happening outside the walls; an inexperienced young man, a Hebrew, a foreigner, unacquainted with the laws of our country, a servant to the captain of the guard, one of the lower classes, who could not have learned the art of magic from his forefathers. We told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each of us he interpreted appropriately, in accordance with his dream.
  And as he had interpreted for us, so did it come true: I was restored to my office by Pharaoh, while the chief baker was hanged."
  Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and he was unexpectedly rushed out of the dungeon. He was shaven, so as to be presentable when brought before the king; he changed his garments, and he came before Pharaoh.
  And Pharaoh said to Joseph: “I have had a dream, and there is none who can interpret it to my satisfaction; and I have heard it said of you that, if you hear a dream, you are able to interpret it without inquiring into the reflections and thoughts of the dreamer."
  Joseph answered Pharaoh: “I am not a professional interpreter. This wisdom is not inherent in me. The Almighty will give Pharaoh the answer of peace."
  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream, I saw myself standing on the bank of the Nile River.
  When out of the river came up seven cows, fat in flesh and well-formed and grazed in the swamp.
  Seven other cows came up after them, very poor and ill-formed and emaciated in flesh; I had never seen the likes of them in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.
  And the lean and ill-formed cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
  But when they had eaten them up, it was not recognizable that they had eaten them up, for they were still as ugly as in the beginning; then I awoke.
  And I saw in my dream that seven full and rich ears of corn came up on one stalk.
  And seven ears of corn, withered, thin, and dried out by the east wind came up after them.
  And the thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven full ones. I told it to the magicians, and none could explain it to my satisfaction."
  And Joseph said to Pharaoh: “Pharaoh's dream is one; the Almighty has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
  The seven good-quality cows represent seven good years of sowing and the seven good ears of corn stand for seven good years of reaping; thus, the dream is one.
  The seven lean and ill-formed cows that came up after them represent seven years of poor sowing, and likewise the seven empty ears of corn, dried out by the east wind, stand for seven years of empty harvesting; there will be seven years of famine, unusual for Egypt.
  That is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh: The Almighty has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do, so that the King may be forewarned, and provide for the future.
  Seven years of unusual plenty are about to come to the land of Egypt.
  Then seven years of famine will come up after them; and the act of swallowing in your dream shows that all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will consume the people of the land.
  And the plenty will not be recognized in the land because of that subsequent famine, for it will be very dreadful.
  As for the fact that the dream was repeated, so that Pharaoh experienced it two times — it is because the thing is definitely fixed by the Almighty, and the Almighty is proceeding speedily to bring it about.
  Now, therefore, since the Almighty has given the King knowledge of it, He certainly intended that the King make provision against the famine. Therefore, let Pharaoh select a man of understanding, who is wise in the knowledge necessary for storing the grain, and let him appoint this man over the land of Egypt.
  Let Pharaoh have this man appoint overseers over the land and he will mobilize the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty.
  Let them gather all the food of these good years to come, and store up grain under Pharaoh's authority, for food in the cities, and preserve it.
  Let the food be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt so that the land may not perish during the famine."
  And the suggestion was satisfactory to Pharaoh and to all his officials.
  And Pharaoh said to his officials: “Can the likes of him be found — a man who is practical and at the same time endowed with a Divine power to interpret dreams?"
  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Since the Almighty has shown you all this, there is no man so possessed of understanding to provide for the future, and wise in knowledge, as you.
  You will be in charge of my house, and the welfare of all my people will be under your control; only with respect to the throne will I outrank you."
  Pharaoh further said to Joseph: “Be attentive in your rule; for I have given you authority over all the land of Egypt."
  And Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, as a symbol of authority; and he invested him with the linen robes, mark of high distinction, and put a golden collar around his neck.
  And he had him driven in his viceroy's chariot, and he was heralded with the cry: “Avrech!" “All kneel before him!" and this proclamation was issued all over the land of Egypt.
  Pharaoh said to Joseph: “I am Pharaoh; and by virtue of my royal authority, I hereby decree that no man may lift his hand or his foot to do anything throughout the land of Egypt without your consent.”
  Pharaoh changed Joseph’s name to "Tzophnath-Paneach,” meaning "Revealer of Hidden Things”; and he gave him Asenath, daughter of Poti-Phera, governor of On, as a wife, and Joseph’s name spread throughout the land of Egypt.
  Joseph was thirty years old when he first stood before Pharaoh, King of Egypt; and Joseph left the presence of Pharaoh, and went about throughout the land of Egypt, to discharge his duty to the people.
  During the seven years of plenty the people of the land stored up food for the granaries.
  And he gathered up all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt, giving only a ration to the people, and he stored up food in the cities; in each city, he stored up the food of its surrounding farm lands.
  So Joseph stored up grain abundantly, as much as the sand of the sea, until they ceased counting, for it was beyond their ability to number more.
  Before the arrival of the years of famine, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath, daughter of Poti-Phera, governor of On.
  He named the firstborn Menasseh, meaning "Oblivion”; for he said "The Almighty has made me oblivious of my toil as a bondsman, and of all the suffering I experienced at my father’s house.”
  And the name of the second he named "Ephraim,” meaning "Fruitfulness” "for the Almighty has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
  The seven years of plenty that occured in the land of Egypt came to an end.
  And the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had predicted; and there was famine in all the neighboring lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread, since Joseph had accumulated stores of grain in the cities.
  When all the land of Egypt was suffering hunger, since the privately-stored provisions had spoiled, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians: "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
  And the famine prevailed over all the face of the earth, and the famine also was severe in the land of Egypt; then Joseph opened up all the granaries and sold their contents to the Egyptians.
  And the whole world came to Egypt -r- to Joseph — to purchase grain, for the famine was severe all over the earth.
  
  
  
  Now Jacob had seen grain being brought in from Egypt; and Jacob said to his sons: "Why do you act so helpless?”
  And he stated: "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy for us (directly from there,) not large amounts, but enough to keep us alive, so that we shall not die.”
  So Joseph's brothers went down, resolved to find Joseph and to redeem him. All ten went to buy grain from Egypt, inasmuch as the sale of grain was rationed, with only a limited quantity allowed for each person.
  However, Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said: "An accident might befall him."
  And the sons of Israel came, among the many others who came to buy food, for the famine prevailed in the land of Canaan.
  Now Joseph was the governor of the land; it was he who supervised the sales to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground; thus was his first dream fulfilled.
  When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them by their voices; and he acted towards them as if he were a stranger, disguising his voice and speaking to them harshly. And he said to them: "From where do you come?" And they said: "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."
  Coming closer, Joseph recognized his brothers even better by their bearded faces. They, however, did not recognize him as he had had no beard at the time they last saw him.
  When Joseph saw that his dream was fulfilled, he recalled that he had a second dream about them, and it was his intention that the second dream, too, should be fulfilled. He, therefore, said to them: "You are dressed as chieftains — but chieftains would not appear in person; they would rather send their servants. You must, therefore, be spies; you have come to find the weak spots of the land."
  But they said to him: "No, Master, your servants have come here merely to buy food.
  If we have come ourselves, and not sent servants, it is because we are all the sons of one man, and are obeying our father's instructions. We are upright men; your servants are not spies."
  And he said to them: "If that were true, then one of you would have remained at home to attend your father. No, you have come to see the weak points of the land."
  And they answered: "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one father in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with his father, and one, who was his full brother, is lost."
  And Joseph said to them: "The one you say is lost must have gone to gather information; that is what I have been telling you, that you are spies.
  This is how you may verify the truth of what you are saying: I swear by Pharaoh's life that you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
  Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and meanwhile you will be kept in internment, so that your words may be verified, to see whether there is truth in what you say; if not, then, by Pharaoh's life, you are spies."
  And he put them all together into a prison chamber for three days.
  On the third day Joseph said to them: "Do this in order that you may live; for I fear the Almighty, and so I shall not treat you harshly.
  If you are upright men, let one of your brothers be imprisoned in the prison chamber, but you may go and carry corn for the famine of your houses.
  Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified and you will not die." And they consented to do this.
  They said one to another: "We are truly guilty because of our brother, for when we saw the distress of his soul, when he implored us for pity, we refused to hear; therefore, this distress has come upon us and we are thrown into a dungeon, even as we threw him in the pit.”
  And Reuben reminded them: "Did I not warn you, ‘Do not sin against the boy?’ But you refused to listen, and he must have died from his hard labor as a slave, so that his blood is required of us.”
  And they did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was always between them.
  And he turned away from them and wept, touched by their repentance. Then he returned to them, spoke to them, and took from them Simeon (the oldest after Reuben who was to report to their father), and imprisoned him in their presence but freed him after they left.
  Then Joseph gave the command to fill their vessels with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the road; and this was done for them.
  They loaded their donkeys with the corn, and departed from there.
  As Reuben, the first born, opened his sack in the lodging place to give fodder to his donkey he saw his money; it was near the opening of his bag.
  And he said to his brothers: "My money has been put back, it is in my bag.” And their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying: "Why did the Almighty bring this plight upon us?”
  When they came to their father, Jacob, to the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying:
  "The nobleman who is master of the land spoke harshly to us, and took us for spies.
  We said to him: ‘We are upright men, we are no spies.
  We are twelve brothers — a father would not send so many spies from one family. We are sons of one father, and we are obeying our father’s orders; one was lost, and the youngest is now to help our father in the land of Canaan.'
  But the nobleman, the master of the land, said to us: ‘In this way I shall know that you are upright men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take corn for your famished house, and go your way.
  But bring your youngest brother to me: then I shall know that you are not spies, but upright men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you will trade in the land, buying corn in order that you will not die in the famine.’”
  As they emptied their sacks, lo, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.
  Their father, Jacob, said to them: "You have bereaved me of my children — Joseph is lost and Simeon is lost — and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things have happened to my children, but to none of yours.”
  Then Reuben said to his father, "I swear that if I do not bring him back to you, my two sons will die. Hand him over to me and I will bring him back to you.”
  But he insisted: "My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and only he is left of his mother. If misfortune befall him on the way in which you go, which Reuben will not be able to avoid, then you will bring down my old age, with sorrow, to the grave.”
  
  
  
  But the famine was severe in the land.
  And when they were about to finish eating all the corn which they brought from Egypt, and their father said to them: “Return and buy us some food.”
  Judah spoke to him: “The nobleman distinctly warned us: 'You will not see my face, unless your brother be with you.'
  If you will send our brother with us, we shall go down and buy food for you.
  But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the nobleman said to us: 'You will not see my face, unless your brother be with you.'”
  And Israel said: “Why have you caused me such trouble, as to tell the man that you have another brother?”
  They answered: “The man particularly asked about ourselves and about our family, saying: 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' And we answered him according to these questions. Could we have known that he would say: 'Bring your brother down?'"
  And Judah continued speaking to Israel, his father: “Send the boy with me and we shall arise and go, that we may live with the food we shall buy, and not die — according to the man's word — both we, and you and also our little ones.
  I will be a guarantor for him; from me you will reclaim him. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then I shall have sinned against you forever.
  For had we not lingered, surely we would have already returned a second time.”
  Then their father yielded and said to them: “Since it must be so, do this: Take of the choicest fruit of the land in your utensils, and carry down to the nobleman a present; some balm, some honey, spices and gum, pistachio nuts and almonds.
  And on the chance that the price of corn has risen, take double money with you; and the money that was left at the opening of your bags, take back with you also; perhaps it was an oversight.
  Take also your brother; rise, return to the man.
  And I pray that the Benevolent Almighty give you His Divine pity when you stand before the man, that he may release to you your other brother, and Benjamin. As for me, as I am bereaved of my children, Joseph and Simeon, I am likewise bereaved of Benjamin; nothing can add to my sorrow.”
  And the sons took the present, and took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They rose, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph's office.
  When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to him who was over his household: “Bring the men into the private residence, and slaughter an animal, and prepare the meat in accordance with their ritual, for the men will dine with me at noon.”
  The man did as Joseph ordered, and he brought the men into Joseph’s residence.
  When they were brought into Joseph’s residence, the men were fearful, thinking: “We are brought in on account of the money that was returned in our bags at the first time, to assail us, and fall upon us as upon thieves so as to capture us for slaves, and to take away our donkeys.”
  So they approached the man who was over Joseph’s house, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house.
  They said: “Please, master; we came the first time to buy food,
  and when we came to the lodging place and opened our bags, every man’s money — our coins in full weight — was near the opening of his bag, so we brought it back with us.
  And also other money we have brought down with us to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our bags.”
  He said: “All is well with you; fear not. For your merit, and the merit of your father, the Almighty has placed a treasure in your bags; I had your money.” And he brought out Simeon to them.
  Then the steward brought the men into Joseph’s residence, and gave them water. They washed their feet, and he gave fodder to their donkeys.
  They prepared the gift before Joseph came at noon, for they heard that they would eat the meal there.
  When Joseph came home, they brought him the gift they had with them, into the house, and bowed down to him to the earth.
  He inquired after their welfare, and said: “Is vour father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?”
  And they said: “Your servant, our father, is well; he is yet alive.” And they knelt and bowed down.
  And he raised his eyes, and looked upon Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son, and said: “Is he your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said: “May the Almighty be gracious to you, son.”
  Joseph hastened to close the conversation,' for his pity was deeply moved toward his brothers; he wanted to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.
  Then he washed his face, and came out. And he controlled himself, and said: "Let food be served.”
  And they set separate places, for him, and for them, and for the Egyptians, who participated in the meal with him, because the Egyptians would not eat bread with the Hebrews, as this was detestable to the Egyptians.
  And they were placed before him, the first-born according to his older age, and the youngest according to his younger age: and the men looked at each other in astonishment.
  And presents were taken to them before him. Joseph wished to test them to see whether they would be jealous, therefore Benjamin’s present was made five times as much as theirs. And they drank with him, but not being accustomed to drink, they became intoxicated.
  
  
  
  Then he instructed the steward of his house: "Fill the men’s bags with food, as much as they can carry, more than they paid, and put each man’s money back in the opening of his bag.
  And put my cup, the silver cup, in the opening of the sack of the youngest, together with the money he paid for the corn.” And he did as Joseph told him.
  As soon as there was light in the morning, the men were sent off, they and their donkeys.
  When they had gone out of the city, and were not very far off, Joseph said to his steward: "Get up, follow the men; and when you reach them, tell them: ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?
  Is not this the cup from which my master drinks, and with which he performs magic? You have caused evil for yourselves by doing this.’”
  When he reached them, he spoke to them these words.
  And they said to him: "Why, master, how can you even speak these words? Heaven forbid that your servants should do such a thing.
  Look — the money which we found at the opening of our bags, we brought back from the land of Canaan. How then should we steal from your master silver or gold?
  With whomsoever of your servants it be found, let him be put to death, and we shall be slaves to the master.”
  And he said: "Indeed I will be more lenient; he with whom it is found will be my slave, and you will be free.”
  And every one hastened to bring down his bag to the ground, and opened his bag.
  And the man searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest so that none might suspect that he knew where the cup would be, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag.
  Then they tore their garments, as a sign of mourning for the loss of Benjamin, and each loaded his donkey and returned to the city.
  When Judah, who undertook responsibility to bring his brother back home, came to Joseph’s residence together with his brothers, they fell before Joseph to the ground.
  Joseph said to them: “What a wicked and foolish deed you have done! Did you not know that such a man as I can perform magic, and thereby could discover the thief?”
  And Judah said: “What can we say to my master? What shall we speak or how shall we prove our innocence? The Almighty has found the opportunity now to punish your servants for the wrongs done to our father. Behold, we are slaves to my master, both we, and also he in whose possession the cup was found.”
  But he said: “Heaven forbid that I should do this to punish you for former sins. Only the man in whose possession the cup is found will be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
  And Judah approached him (Joseph), and said: “I cannot base this case on arguments of justice. But I beg you, master, allow me to plead in the hearing of my master for mercy, and be not angry at your servant thinking that I ask you to debase justice, for as governor you have the power, like Pharaoh, to grant a pardon.
  Did then my master, ever ask his servants whether they have a father or a brother?
  But we innocently told the master that we have an old father, and a child born in his old age — the youngest — and that his brother died; therefore, his father pities him, for he alone is left of his mother, and he deserves special attention; his father also loves him.
  Then you said to your servant: ‘Bring him down to me that I may see him.'
  And we said to the master: ‘The boy cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, he would die as his mother died during the journey.'
  But you refused to hear our plea, and you said to your servants: ‘Unless your youngest brother come down with you, you will see my face no more.'
  When we came up to your servant, my father, we told him the words of the master.
  Later when our father said: ‘Return, buy some food for us.'
  We told him: ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother be with us, then we shall go down; for we shall not be able to see the face of the nobleman if our youngest brother is not with us.'
  Your servant, my father, said to us: ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.
  But the first went away from me, and I have concluded that he was surely devoured by a wild beast, for I have not seen him since.
  If you take him also from me, and misfortune befall him, you will bring down my old age with sorrow to the grave; it will be as though the three died on one day.'
  Now therefore when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us, and as his life depends upon the boy’s life,
  as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the old age of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
  For this reason I offer myself as a slave in his stead, because your servant has guaranteed the boy to my father, saying: 'If I do not bring him back to you, I shall be considered a sinner against my father forever.'
  Now therefore, I beg of you, let your servant stay as a slave to my master instead of the boy, and let the boy go with his brothers.
  For how shall I go up to my father, if the boy is not with me, and how can I look on the calamity that will strike my father?"
  
  
  
  Joseph could no longer control himself in the presence of all who stood by him, and he called out: "Let all bystanders go out from before me." And no man was present while Joseph made himself known to his brothers, so that they should not be put to shame.
  And he raised his voice in weeping, that the Egyptians heard; and it was even reported to the house of Pharaoh that he wept.
  Joseph said to his brothers: "I am Joseph, does my father yet live, has he survived all these troubles?" But his brothers could not respond, for they were confused in his presence.
  And Joseph, seeing their confusion, spoke gently to his brothers and said: "Come now nearer to me." And when they came near, he said, "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt; no one knows it here except myself.
  Now do not berate yourselves, nor be angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for it was the Almighty who sent me before you to preserve life.
  For these two years has the famine been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
  The Almighty sent me before you to save your descendants on the earth, and to preserve your lives for this great escape from the famine.
  So now it was not you that sent me here, but the Almighty! And he made me an advisor to Pharaoh, and an overseer over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
  Hasten, and go up to my father, and say to him: 'Thus said your son Joseph: The Almighty had made me master over all of Egypt, and therefore I cannot come up to you, come down to me, do not tarry.
  Fear not that you will have to live among idol worshippers, for you will dwell for yourself in Goshen, and you will be near to me: therefore come down, you, your children, grandchildren, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.
  And I will provide for you there: for there are still five years of famine; lest you, and your household and all that you have become impoverished; and I cannot send supplies to you, because of the Egyptians might become suspicious.'
  Your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that there is no interpreter, but I speak to you directly in the Hebrew language.
  And you will tell my father of all my riches in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you will hasten and bring my father down here, that he may rejoice in all this."
  Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
  He kissed all his brothers, and wept upon their necks; and after he had shown to them the same brotherly love as to Benjamin, his brothers talked to him.
  Then the report reached Pharaoh's palace: “Joseph's brothers have come." And Pharaoh and his officials were pleased that Joseph was a son of an honored family.
  And Pharaoh confirmed his invitation for Joseph's father to come to Egypt, and said to Joseph: “Say to your brothers: 'Do the following — load up your animals with food, and go to the land of Canaan.
  Take your father and your household, and come to me; and I will give you the good things of the land of Egypt, and you will eat of the best of the land.'
  No wagons can be taken out of Egypt without special permission, but you have a decree, to tell them, 'Do the following: Take for yourselves from the land of Egypt wagons for your little ones, and for your wives and bring your father and come.
  Also, be not worried for the articles you have to leave behind you, for the good things of all the land of Egypt are yours.'"
  The sons of Israel did so; Joseph gave them wagons, provided by Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the way,
  To each of them he gave a change of clothing; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing.
  And he sent to his father the following: ten donkeys laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-donkeys laden with corn, bread, and special light food for his father on the road.
  So he sent his brothers off, and they departed and he also said to them: “On the road do not fear robbers, for your names are known all over."
  They went up from Egypt, and they came to the land of Canaan, to their father Jacob.
  And they told him: “Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over the whole land of Egypt." And his heart stood still in astonishment, for he did not believe them.
  But they told of all the events which took place with Joseph, how he spoke to them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph sent to carry him, the Divine spirit rested on Jacob their father.
  And Israel said: “Even if he were not a ruler, it would be enough for me that Joseph my son is still alive. I shall go and see him before I die, but I will not settle there."
  
  
  
  So Israel journeyed with all that he had, and came to Beersheba to inquire from the Almighty whether he should leave the Promised Land, and he offered sacrifices on the altar which his father Isaac built to the Almighty.
  And the Almighty spoke to Israel in the vision of the night, and said: “Jacob; your name still must be 'Jacob,' for your descendants will be subordinated in a foreign land"; and he said: “I am prepared to listen."
  And He further said: “I am the Almighty, the same Almighty Who told your father not to go down to Egypt. However, you shall not fear going down to Egypt for I will make you there into a great nation.
  I will go down with you to Egypt and I will also bring up your remains; your soul, too, will rise up, and Joseph will look after your affairs.”
  So Jacob got up from Beer-Sheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, and their little ones, and their wives, in the carriages which Pharaoh had sent to carry them.
  And they took their cattles and their possessions which they acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt — Jacob, and all his household with him —
  his sons, and their sons, his daughters-in-law, and his son's daughters, and all his great-grandchildren whom he brought with his into Egypt.
  These are the names of the sixty-six children of Israel who came to Egypt; Jacob and his descendants included: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn;
  Reuben’s sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
  Simeon's sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of Dinah, who was captured by Shechem, the Canaanite.
  Levi's sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
  Judah's sons were: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan. And Perez's sons were Hezron and Hamul.
  Yissachar's sons: Tola, Puvah, lob, and Shimron.
  Zcbulun's sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
  These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-Aram; the persons — including Jacob, and his daughter, Dinah, and his granddaughter, Yochebed, daughter of Levi, who was born on the border of Egypt — were thirty three.
  Gad's sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
  Asher's sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; also their sister Scrah. Beriah's sons Heber and Malchiel.
  These were the children of Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah. She bore to Jacob sixteen persons.
  The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.
  To Joseph, in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-Phera, Governor of On, bore to him.
  Benjamin's sons: Bela, Becher, Aslibel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
  These were the children of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; fourteen persons altogether.
  Dan's son Hushim had many children in Egypt.
  Naphtali's sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
  These were the children of Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel for a maidservant. These she bore to Jacob; seven persons altogether.
  The persons accompanying Jacob, that came out of his loins, including himself, besides Jacob's son's wives, numbered sixty-six.
  When they arrived, it was found that they numbered seventy persons, because Joseph, his wife and the two sons that were born to him in Egypt are included in the seventy.
  He had sent Judah before him to Joseph, to establish places for religious study in Goshen, and they arrived at the land of Goshen.
  Joseph ordered his chariot to be made ready and he went up to Goshen to meet Israel his father. When he appeared before him, he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.
  And Israel said to Joseph. “Even if I die now, I should be comforted, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive."
  Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household: “I will go up and tell Pharaoh that I want to obtain permanent residence for you here; I will say to him: ‘My brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan came to me.
  The men are shepherds; they are owners of cattle, rich people. They will not be a burden upon the government, for they have brought their flocks and cattle, and all their possessions.'
  Therefore when Pharaoh calls you and asks: ‘What is your occupation?'
  You shall say: ‘Your servants are owners of cattle from youth even until now, both we and our fathers' — so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians, for they all worship sheep."
  
  
  
  Then Joseph went out and told Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that is theirs, have come from the land of Canaan, and they are now in the district of Goshen."
  And from his brothers he selected the five weakest men, in order that the king would not enlist them into his army and introduced them to Pharaoh.
  Pharaoh asked his brothers: “What is your occupation?" They answered Pharaoh: “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers."
  They further said to Pharaoh: “We have come to reside in this land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks because of the severe famine in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, allow your servants to dwell in the district of Goshen, where there is pasture on account of the rivers."
  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Your father and your brothers came for your sake; it is your duty to provide for them.
  The land of Egypt is grateful to you, and you have the power to settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land; they may dwell in the district of Goshen. And if you know any able men among them, make them supervisors over my cattle."
  Then Joseph brought Jacob, his father, and presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob greeted Pharaoh.
  As he was obviously very old, Pharaoh asked Jacob, in wonderment: “How many are the years of your life?”
  And Jacob said to Pharaoh: “The days of my earth's pilgrimage are only a hundred and thirty years. I look old because only a few were good years, and the others were sorrowful; now they have not reached the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their earth's pilgrimage.”
  Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and departed from the presence of Pharaoh.
  And Joseph settled his father and brothers, giving them property in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the province of Ramoses which is Goshen, as Pharaoh had decreed.
  And Joseph supported his father and his brothers with food according to the needs of the household with the children.
  And before Jacob arrived in Egypt there had been no bread in all the earth, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.
  Joseph collected all the money that was circulating in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the corn which they bought, and Joseph brought the money to Pharaoh's treasury.
  And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said: “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? Our money is gone.”
  And Joseph said: “Give us your cattle, and I will give you bread for your cattle if your money is gone.”
  So they brought their cattle to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for their horses, their flocks, their herds, and their donkeys, and Joseph gave them rations of bread in exchange for all their cattle in that year.
  And when that year ended, they came to him the next year, and said to him: “Let us not be cut off from our master, for our money is spent and the herds of cattle are our masters. There is nothing left in the sight of our master, but our bodies and our lands.
  Why should we perish before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, so that we and our land shall be subjects to Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live and not die, and the land may not be desolate.”
  So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every Egyptian sold his field because the famine pressed upon him, and the land became Pharaoh's.
  And he transferred the people from the villages to the cities, from one end of the border of Egypt to its other end, in order to facilitate the distribution of food.
  Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixea ration from Pharaoh, and ate their fixed ration which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they were not forced to sell their land.
  After the people had been transferred into the cities, Joseph said to the people: “Today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Those who are willing to till the land may do so; here is seed for you, that you may sow the land.
  And when the time of ingathering comes, you will give one-fifth to Pharaoh; and four parts will remain for you as seed for the field, and as food for you, your household, and your little children.”
  And they said: “You have saved our lives. Let us find favor in the eyes of our master by keeping your promise, and we shall be subjects to Pharaoh.”
  And Joseph made it a statute in regard to the soil of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh would have a fifth: only the soil of the priests alone did not belong to Pharaoh.
  And Israel and his family dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the province of Goshen, and acquired property in it, and were fruitful and increased exceedingly.
  Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. The years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven years.
  And when the days of Israel approached their end, he called his son Joseph, and said to him: “Now if I have found favor in your eyes, I beg of you, place your hand under my thigh as a solemn vow that you will deal kindly with me and will act as a faithful son, and not bury me in Egypt even temporarily.
  And when I join my fathers, you must carry me out of Egypt, and inter me in their burial grounds.” And he said: “I will do as you have said.”
  And he said: “Swear to me,” and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed to the Eternal upon the headboard, with a prayer of thanksgiving that his wish had been granted.
  
  
  
  After these events Joseph was told: “Your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manassch and Ephraim, to receive Jacob’s blessing before his death.
  When a messenger told Jacob: “Your son Joseph is coming to you,” Israel gathered his strength and sat up on the bed, and his feet rested on the ground.
  And Jacob said to Joseph: “The Almighty, the Benefactor, appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me.
  And he said to me: ‘Indeed, I will make you fruitful, and increase you, and I will fashion you into a commonwealth of nations. And I will give this land to your descendants after you as a perpetual possession.'
  Now since the Almighty promised me the land, I can bequeath it to whomever I choose. I hereby designate you the firstborn with all rights to receive a double portion. As for your two sons who were born to you in Egypt, prior to my arrival in Egypt — I recognize them as my own; Ephraim and Manasseh are mine, even as Reuben and Simeon.
  But your children that were born after them will be yours; they will be included in tlieir brothers’ tribal inheritance.
  As for me, although I burden you with the task of carrying me to the burial grounds of my fathers, be not angry with me that I did not bury your mother in the Cave of Machpelah. For when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow, Rachel died suddenly on the way, in the land of Canaan. Although it was but a short distance to come to the town of Ephrath, in my great grief I did not bring her to the town, but buried her there on the way to Ephrath, which is known now as Bethlehem.”
  When Israel saw Joseph’s sons who were dressed in the manner of Egyptian princes, he hardly recognized them, and asked: “Who are these?”
  And Joseph said to his father: “They are my sons, pious and devout. They are dressed differently, for the Almighty had given them to me here in Egypt, and they are dressed accordingly.” And he said: “Bring them now to me and I will give them the proper blessing.”
  Now the eyes of Israel were dim because of old age, so that he could not see clearly. So Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed and embraced them.
  And Israel said to Joseph: “I had not expected to see your face, and now, indeed, the Almighty has let me see your children, too.”
  Joseph then brought them forth from between his knees; and he bowed down with his face to the ground, in gratitude to his father.
  Joseph led the two — Ephraim on his right side toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right — and brought them near to him.
  But Israel stretched out his right hand, and placed it upon the head of Ephraim, the younger, and his left hand upon Menasseh’s head. Even though he could not see with his eyes, he sensed with his hands that Manasseh was the firstborn.
  And he blessed Joseph by blessing the children, and said: “O, Almighty, Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac worshipped, the Almighty Who has sustained me all my life long until this day —
  May it be Your will that the angel whom You did appoint to redeem me from all evil, bless the lads. May they be worthy of having their names associated with my own and with those of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and let- them increase and be plentiful in the midst of the earth.”
  As Jacob blessed them, Joseph noticed that his father was placing his right hand upon the head of Ephraim and it displeased him; and he grasped his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head, because he was the firstborn.
  And Joseph said to his father: “Not so, father, for this is the firstborn; place your right hand upon his head.”
  But his father refused, and said: “I know it, my son; I know that he is the firstborn. He will also become a nation; however, his younger brother will be greater, and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.”
  And he blessed them that day as follows: “By you will the people of Israel bless their children, saying: The Almighty make you as Ephraim and Manasseh.’ Even as they who were brought up amongst the aristocracy of Egypt and yet identified themselves with their kinsmen, so may you remain loyal to your parents, and to your people.” And he gave preference to Ephraim over Manasseh in his blessing.
  Then Israel said to Joseph: "I am about to die, and I know that the Almighty will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
  I bequeath you one portion more than to your brothers, in the land which will be wrested from the hand of the Amorite with the sword and the bow, and by my prayer and supplication.”
  
  
  
  And Jacob called his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together, so that unity may prevail among you, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
  Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob, and follow the teachings of Israel your father; thereby you will be true sons of Israel.
  Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the first fruit of my strength, superior in dignity, superior in power. You were destined, as the firstborn, for priesthood and kingship.
  Because of your lack of character, and your unrestrained passion which bubbles over like a torrent, you will not enjoy these privileges. Since you removed your father’s bed, you defiled the couch which was removed.
  Shimeon and Levi are hotheaded; violent plotting is in the habitation of their heart.
  In their conspiracy against Shechem my wish was not consulted, and in their assembly to destroy the city my honor was not ennobled; for in quick temper they slew the men, and in their self-will they plundered the cattle.
  May their anger diminish, for it was fierce, and their wrath abate, for it was cruel. I will divide them among Jacob, and scatter them in Israel; they will not have territory of their own, and their anger will be kept under control.
  Judah, you possess strength of character. You have confessed your sin. openly, therefore your brothers will ascribe you majesty. Your hand will subdue the enemies — they will be scattered and bend their necks towards you; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
  In the beginning, he will be a leader like a young lion; and at the end, the kingdom will grow out of the house of Judah, like an old lion; from all wars you will rise to victory, my son. He will outweigh his enemies, lie down to repose as a lion and as a lioness; none will dare to frighten him away.
  The scepter, emblem of ruleship, will not depart from the house of Judah, nor scribes out of his children forever, until the Messiah comes, whose kingdom is his, and all people will be obedient to him.
  In his peaceful land prosperity will also reign. So fruitful will be his land that a foal will be needed to carry the grapes from a single vine and so abundant will the vintage be that he will bind his donkey’s colt to a choice vine, not caring whether it eats the grapes. He will wash his garments in wine, and his clothes in the red grapes.
  His mountains will be red with vineyards, his vats will flow with wine, his valleys will be white with corn and with flock of sheep.
  Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the sea, and conquer provinces with his ships, and support himself by seafaring. His border will reach unto Zidon, the center of commerce.
  Yissachar, not a trader like Zebulun, will till his rich soil like a sturdy donkey, the land of his inheritance will be at the border.
  He saw that his portion was goodly and his land was bearing fruit; then he will take the people that he conquered to work for him and pay him tribute.
  Out of the house of Dan will arise a man; in whose days his people will be liberated, and in his time all the tribes of Israel will be reunited.
  The terror of the man that will arise out of Dan will seize the people, for he will strike like a serpent in the way, and like a horned snake on the path. He will strike the camps of the enemy, and his horses will be destroyed, so that his rider will fall backward.
  I pray that the Eternal's salvation be with you.
  Out of the tribes of Gad, armed troops will pass the Jordan before their brothers in war and will return with great wealth to their land in the east of Jordan
  As for Asher, his soil will be rich, and it will yield delicacies fit for a king.
  Naphtali's land is like a slender terebinth tree which produces good branches.
  Joseph is a fruitful branch, a fruitful branch planted by a fountain, producing branches that run over the wall.
  His enemies have dealt bitterly with him by slander, like the archers they quarreled with him and hated him;
  but he triumphed over his adversaries; his spiritual strength continued firm. He did not avenge, but instead his hand spread gold and gifts that came to him from the Mighty One of Jacob; from these, he supported his father and the sons of Israel.
  May it come from the Almighty of your father, that He be your salvation, and the Benefactor bless you with blessings of dew of heaven from above, blessings of reservoirs of water that come from beneath, blessings of your father and mother.
  The blessings of your father will surpass the blessings with which my parents blessed me. As the everlasting hills will these blessings last upon on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of the prince among his brothers.
  Benjamin's warriors will be as a ravening wolf. In the morning he devours the prey, and in the evening he divides the spoil."
  All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them; and he blessed them collectively, each according to his future destiny, he blessed them.
  Then he commanded them that they accompany Joseph at his burial, and he said to them: “As my soul is to be gathered in the world to come, with my fathers, so shall my mortal body be buried with them in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite.
  And since you have been long away from Canaan, I will give you explicit directions as to the spot where I want to be buried: in the case that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamreh, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite, for a parcel of burial property.
  This is reserved for three couples. There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebeccah, his wife; and there I buried Leah. And Ishmael and Esau have no claim against it;
  The field and the case that is in it is purchased with the consent of the children of Heth."
  When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he pulled up his feet into the bed upon which he had been sitting and became faint; and his soul was gathered to his people.
  
  
  
  And before Jacob expired, Joseph fell upon his face and wept over him, and kissed him.
  Then Joseph ordered his subordinates, the physicians, to embalm his father in order to preserve the body until it would reach Canaan. And the physicians embalmed Israel.
  And forty days were concluded, for this is the length of the days of balming. And the Egyptians wept for him another thirty days after the forty days of embalming, seventy days altogether.
  And when the days of weeping for him had passed, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s household: ''As a mourner, I cannot approach the king in person; therefore, if I have found favor in your eyes, speak now to Pharaoh for me, saying:
  ‘My father made me swear, namely: When I die you will bring me there in the grave which I have prepared for myself in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, allow me to go up and bury my father, and I shall come back.'”
  And Pharaoh said: “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
  So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the officials of Pharaoh, the wise men of his house and all the wise men of the land of Egypt.
  And all the house of Joseph,and his brothers, and his father’s household; only their little children, and their flocks, and their herds they left behind in the district of Goshen.
  Chariots and horsemen went up with him to guard the procession; it was a very great assemblage.
  When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad, which is at the side of the Jordan, at the border of the land of Canaan, they rendered a very great and sorrowful eulogy there, and he declared a seven-day mourning period for his father.
  And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the threshing floor of Atad, they said: “This is an honorable mourning to the Egyptians.” Therefore the name of it was called “Abel-Mitzraim,” meaning, “Mourning of Egypt,” which is at the eastern side of the Jordan.
  Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them.
  His sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a parcel of burial property from Ephron the Hittite, in front of Mamreh.
  And after he buried his father Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who went up with him to bury his father.
  When Joseph’s brothers noticed that he ceased to invite them to his table after their father’s death, they said: “It may be that Joseph will despise us and will surely repay all the evil which we did to him.”
  And for the sake of peace they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before he died, saying:
  ‘Thus will you say to Joseph: Please forgive now, the guilt of your brothers and their sin, for they recognize that they did evil to you.’ And now we add our petition, forgive the guilt of the servants of the Almighty of your father, and we are all children of our heavenly Father.” And Joseph wept when the messenger spoke to him.
  And his brothers also went and fell down before his presence, and said: “We are vour servants.”
  And Joseph saw all his dreams fulfilled, and he said to them: “Fear not, for am I in the place of the Almighty, to judge you?
  I could not harm you even if I wished to do so. You devised harm for me, yet the Almighty turned it into good; how then could I plan to harm you? It was a Divine act to save the lives of many people.
  Now therefore fear not; I will support you and your little children." And he comforted them, and told them that their presence in Egypt brought him additional eminence.
  Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house, and he lived a hundred and ten years.
  And Joseph lived to see Ephraim's children of the third generation; also the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were brought up under Joseph's guidance.
  And Joseph said to his family: “I am about to die. The Almighty will surely remember you, and bring you up from this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give it their descendants."
  And Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying: “The Almighty will surely remember you, then you will carry up my remains from the land."
  Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten years. And they embalmed him, and he was put in the coffin he had prepared for himself and in which he was embalmed in Egypt.