Part 11

And Iacob called for his sons and said: come together, that I may tell you what shall happen you in the last days. Gather you together and hear ye sons of Iacob, and hearken unto Israel your father. Ruben, thou art mine eldest son, my might and the beginning of my strength, chief in receiving and chief in power. As unstable as water wast thou: thou shalt therefore not be the chiefest, for thou wentest up upon thy father's bed, and then defiledest thou my couch with going up. The brethren Simeon and Levi, wicked instruments are their weapons. Into their secrets come not my soul, and unto their congregation be my honour not coupled: for in their wrath they slew a man, and in their self will they houghed an ox. Cursed be their wrath for it was strong, and their fierceness for it was cruel. I will therefore divide them in Iacob, and scatter them in Israel. Iuda, thy brethren shall praise thee, and thine hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, and thy father's children shall stoop unto thee. Iuda is a lion's whelp. From spoil my son thou art come on high: {an hye} he laid him down and couched himself as a lion, and as a lioness. Who dare stir him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Iuda, nor a ruler from between his legs, until Silo come, unto whom the people shall hearken. He shall bind his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the vine branch, and shall wash his garment in wine and his mantle in the blood of grapes: his eyes are roudier than wine, and his teeth whiter then milk. Zabulon shall dwell in the haven of the sea and in the port of ships, and shall reach unto Sidon. Isachar is a strong ass, he couched him down between two borders, and saw that rest was good and the land that it was pleasant, and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, and an adder in the path, and bite the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. After thy saving look I, LORD. Gad, men of war shall invade him. And he shall turn them to flight. Of Asser cometh fat bread, and he shall give pleasures for a king. Nephtali is a swift hind, and giveth goodly words. That flourishing child Ioseph, that flourishing child and goodly unto the eye: the daughters come forth to bear rule. {ran upon the wall.} The shooters have envied him and chide with him and hated him, and yet his bow bode fast, and his arms and his hands were strong, by the hands of the mighty God of Iacob: out of him shall come an herdman, a stone in Israel. Thy father's God shall help thee, and the almighty shall bless thee with blessings from heaven above, and with blessings of the water that lieth under, and with blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of thy father were strong: even as the blessings of my elders, after the desire of the highest {hiest} in the world, and these blessings shall fall on the head of Ioseph, and on the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. Ben Iamin is a ravishing wolf. In the morning he shall devour his prey, and at night he shall divide his spoil. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is that which their father spake unto them when he blessed them, every man with a several blessing. And he charged them and said unto them. I shall be put unto my people: see that ye bury me with my fathers, in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hethite, in the double cave that is in the field before Mamre in the land of Canaan. Which field Abraham bought of Ephron the Hethite for a possession to bury in. There they buried Abraham and Sara his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebecca his wife. And there I buried Lea: which field and the cave that is therein, was bought of the children of Heth. When Iacob had commanded all that he would unto his sons, he plucked up his feet upon the bed and died, and was put unto his people;

Chapter .l.

And Ioseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. And Ioseph commanded his servants that were Physicians, to embalm his father, and the Physicians embalmed Israel forty days long, for so long doth the embalming last, and the Egyptians bewept him seventy days. And when the days of weeping were ended, Ioseph spake unto the house of Pharao saying: If I have found favour in your eyes, speak unto Pharao and tell him, how that my father made me swear and said: lo, I die, see that thou bury me in my grave which I have made me in the land of Canaan. Now therefore let me go and bury my father, and then will I come again. And Pharao said, go and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. And Ioseph went up to bury his father, and with him went all the servants of Pharao that were the elders of his house, and all the elders of Egypt, and all the house of Ioseph and his brethren and his father's house: only their children and their sheep and their cattle left they behind them in the land of Gosan. And there went with him also Chariots and horsemen: so that they were an exceeding great company. And when they came to the field of Atad beyond Iordan, there they made great and exceeding sore lamentation. And he mourned for his father seven days. When the inhabiters of the land the Cananites saw the mourning in the field of Atad, they said: this is a great mourning which the Egyptians make. Wherefore the name of the place is called Abel mizraim, which place lieth beyond Iordan. And his sons did unto him according as he had commanded them. And his sons carried him into the land of Canaan and buried him in the double cave which Abraham had bought with the field to be a place to bury in, of Ephron the Hethite before Mamre. And Ioseph returned to Egypt again and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, as soon as he had buried him. When Ioseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said: Ioseph might fortune to hate us and reward us again all the evil which we did unto him. They did therefore a commandment unto Ioseph saying: thy father charged before his death saying: This wise say unto Ioseph, forgive I pray thee the trespass of thy brethren and their sin, for they rewarded thee evil. Now therefore we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of thy father's God. And Ioseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren came and fell before him and said: behold we be thy servants. And Ioseph said unto them: fear not, for am not I under God? Ye thought evil unto me: but God turned it unto good to bring to pass, as it is this day, even to save much people alive. Fear not therefore, for I will care for you and for your children, and he spake kindly unto them. Ioseph dwelt in Egypt and his father's house also, and lived an hundred and ten years. And Ioseph saw Ephraim's children, even unto the third generation. And unto Machir the son of Manasse were children born, and sat on Ioseph's knees. And Ioseph said unto his brethren: I die; And God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land, unto the land which he sware unto Abraham, Isaac and Iacob. And Ioseph took an oath of the children of Israel and said: God will not fail but visit you: see therefore that ye carry my bones hence. And so Ioseph died, when he was an hundred and ten years old. And they embalmed him and put him in a chest in Egypt.

The end of the first book of Moses.

The Second Book of Moses, called Exodus

Chapter .j.

These are the names of the children of Israel, which came to Egypt with Iacob, every man with his household: Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Iuda, Isachar, Zabulon, Ben Iamin, Dan, Nephtali, Gad and Aser. All the souls that came out of the loins of Iacob, were seventy, and Ioseph was in Egypt already. When Ioseph was dead and all his brethren and all that generation: the children of Israel grew, increased, multiplied and waxed exceeding mighty: so that the land was full of them. Then there rose up a new king in Egypt which knew not Ioseph. And he said unto his folk: behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come on, let us play wisely with them: lest they multiply, and then (if there chance any war) they join them selves unto our enemies and fight against us, and so get them out of the land. And he set taskmasters over them, to keep them under with burthens. And they built unto Pharao treasure cities: Phiton and Raamses. But the more they vexed them, the more they multiplied and grew: so that they abhorred the children of Israel. And the Egyptians held the children of Israel in bondage without mercy, and made their lives bitter unto them with cruel labour in clay and brick, and all manner work in the fields, and in all manner of service, which they caused them to work cruelly. And the king of Egypt said unto the midwives of the Hebrews' women, of which the one's name was Sephora and the other Phua: when ye midwife the women of the Hebrews and see in the birth time that it is a boy, kill it. But if it be a maid, let it live. Notwithstanding the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them: but saved the men children. Then the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said unto them: why have ye dealt on this manner and have saved the men children? And the midwives answered Pharao, that the Hebrews' women were not as the women of Egypt: but were sturdy women, and were delivered yer the midwives came at them. And God therefore dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and waxed very mighty. And because the midwives feared God, he made them houses. Then Pharao charged all his people saying: All the men children that are born, cast into the river and save the maid children alive.

Chapter .ij.

And there went a man of the house of Levi and took a daughter of Levi. And the wife conceived and bare a son. And when she saw that it was a proper child, she hid him three months long. And when she could no longer hide him, she took a basket of bulrushes and daubed it with slime and pitch, and laid the child therein, and put it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wete what would come of it. And the daughter of Pharao came down to the river to wash herself, and her maidens walked along by the river's side. And when she saw the basket among the flags, she sent one of her maids and caused it to be fetched. And when she had opened it she saw the child, and behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on it and said: it is one of the Hebrew's children. Then said his sister unto Pharao's daughter: shall I go and call unto thee a nurse of the Hebrew's women, to nurse the child? And the maid ran and called the child's mother. Then Pharao's daughter said unto her. Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will reward thee for thy labour. And the woman took the child and nursed it up. And when the child was grown, she brought it unto Pharao's daughter, and it was made her son, and she called it Moses, because (said she) I took him out of the water. And it happened in these days when Moses was waxed great, that he went out unto his brethren and looked on their burthens, and spied an Egyptian smiting one of his brethren an Hebrew. And he looked round about: and when he saw that there was no man by, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. And he went out another day: and behold, two Hebrews strove together. And he said unto him that did the wrong: wherefore smitest thou thine neighbour? And he answered: who hath made thee a ruler or a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? Then Moses feared and said: of a surety the thing is known. And Pharao heard of it and went about to slay Moses: but he fled from Pharao and dwelt in the land of Madian, and he sat down by a well's side. The priest of Madian had seven daughters which came and drew water and filled the troughs, for to water their father's sheep. And the shepherds came and drove them away: But Moses stood up and helped them and watered their sheep. And when they came to Raguel their father, he said: how happeneth it that ye are come so soon today? And they answered: there was an Egyptian that delivered us from the shepherds, and so drew us water and watered the sheep. And he said unto his daughters: where is he? why have ye left the man? Go call him that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man. And he gave Moses Zephora his daughter which bare a son, and he called him Gerson: for he said. I have been a stranger in a strange land. [And she bare yet another son, whom he called Elieser saying: the God of my father is mine helper, and hath rid me out of the hands of Pharao.] And it chanced in process of time, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed by the reason of labour, and cried. And their complaint came up unto God from the labour. And God remembered his promise with Abraham, Isaac and Iacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel and knew them.

Chapter .iij.

Moses kept the sheep of Iethro his father-in-law priest of Madian, and he drove the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of a bush. And he perceived that the bush burned with fire, and consumed not. Then Moses said: I will go hence and see this great sight, how it cometh that the bush burneth not. And when the LORD saw that he came for to see, he called unto him out of the bush and said: Moses Moses; And he answered: here am I. And he said: come not hither, but put thy shoes off thy feet: for the place whereon thou stondest is holy ground. And he said: I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. Then the LORD said: I have surely seen the trouble of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, which they have of their taskmasters. For I know their sorrow, and am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land unto a good land and a large, and unto a land that floweth with milk and honey: even unto the place of the Cananites, Hethites, Amorites, Pherezites, Hevites, and of the Iebusites. Now therefore behold, the complaint of the children of Israel is come unto me and I have also seen the oppression, wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. But come, I will send thee unto Pharao, that thou mayst bring my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God: what, am I to go to Pharao and to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said: I will be with thee. And this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee: after that thou hast brought the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. Then said Moses unto God: when I come unto the children of Israel and say unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they say unto me, what is his name, what answer shall I give them? Then said God unto Moses: I will be what I will be: and he said, this shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I will be did send me to you. And God spake further unto Moses: thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Iacob hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial thorowout all generations. Go therefore and gather the elders of Israel together and say unto them: the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob, appeared unto me and said: I have been and seen both you and that which is done to you in Egypt. And I have said it, that I will bring you out of the tribulation of Egypt unto the land of the Cananites, Hethites, Amorites, Pherezites, Hevites and Iebusites: even a land that floweth with milk and honey. If it come to pass that they hear thy voice, then go, both thou and the elders of Israel unto the king of Egypt, and say unto him: The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: Let us go therefore three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God. Notwithstanding I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, except it be with a mighty hand: yea and I will therefore stretch out mine hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do therein. And after that he will let you go. And I will get this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: so that when ye go, ye shall not go empty: but every wife shall borrow of her neighbouress and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver and of gold and raiment. And ye shall put them on your sons and daughters, and shall rob the Egyptians.

Chapter .iiij.