Book of Jubilees Reader

thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face, till thou returnest to the earth from whence thou wast taken; for earth thou art, and unto earth shalt thou return."

And He made for them coats of skin, and clothed them, and sent them forth from the Garden of Eden.

And on that day on which Adam went forth from the garden, he offered as a sweet savour an offering, frankincense, galbanum, and stacte, and spices in the morning with the rising of the sun from the day when he covered his shame.

And on that day was closed the mouth of all beasts, and of cattle, and of birds, and of whatever walketh, and of whatever moveth, so that they could no longer speak: for they had all spoken one with another with one lip and with one tongue.

And He sent out of the Garden of Eden all flesh that was in the Garden of Eden, and all flesh was scattered according to its kinds, and according to its types unto the places which had been created for them.

And to Adam alone did He give (the wherewithal) to cover his shame, of all the beasts and cattle.

On this account, it is prescribed on the heavenly tables as touching all those who know the judgment of the law, that they should cover their shame, and should not uncover themselves as the Gentiles uncover themselves.

And on the new moon of the fourth month, Adam and his wife went forth from the Garden of Eden, and they dwelt in the land of ’Eldâ, in the land of their creation.

And Adam called the name of his wife Eve. And they had no son till the first jubilee,

and after this he knew her. Now he tilled the land as he had been instructed in the Garden of Eden.

And in the third week in the second jubilee she gave birth to Cain, and in the fourth she gave birth to Abel, and in the fifth she gave birth to her daughter ’Âwân.

And in the first (year) of the third jubilee, Cain slew Abel because (God) accepted the sacrifice of Abel, and did not accept the offering of Cain.

And he slew him in the field: and his blood cried from the ground to heaven, complaining because he had slain him.

And the Lord reproved Cain because of Abel, because he had slain him, and he made him a fugitive on the earth because of the blood of his brother, and he cursed him upon the earth.

And on this account it is written on the heavenly tables, "Cursed is he who smiteth his neighbour treacherously, and let all who have seen and heard say, So be it;

and the man who hath seen and not declared (it), let him be accursed as the other."

And for this reason we announce when we come before the Lord our God all the sin which is committed in heaven and on earth, and in light and in darkness, and everywhere.

And Adam and his wife mourned for Abel four weeks of years,

and in the fourth year of the fifth week they became joyful, and Adam knew his wife again, and she bare him a son, and he called his name Seth; for he said "God hath raised up a second seed unto us on the earth instead of Abel; for Cain slew him."

And in the sixth week he begat his daughter ’Azûrâ.

And Cain took ’Âwân his sister to be his wife and she bare him Enoch at the close of the fourth jubilee.

And in the first year of the first week of the fifth jubilee, houses were built on the earth, and Cain built a city, and called its name after the name of his son Enoch.

And Adam knew Eve his wife and she bare yet nine sons.

And in the fifth week of the fifth jubilee Seth took ’Azûrâ his sister to be his wife, and in the fourth (year of the sixth week) she bare him Enos. He began to call on the name of the Lord on the earth.

And in the seventh jubilee in the third week Enos took Nôâm his sister to be his wife, and she bare him a son in the third year of the fifth week, and he called his name Kenan.

And at the close of the eighth jubilee Kenan took Mûalêlêth his sister to be his wife, and she bare him a son in the ninth jubilee, in the first week in the third year of this week, and he called his name Mahalalel.

And in the second week of the tenth jubilee Mahalalel took unto him to wife Dînâh, the daughter of Barâkî’êl the daughter of his father's brother, and she bare him a son in the third week in the sixth year, and he called his name Jared;

for in his days the angels of the Lord descended on the earth, those who are named the Watchers, that they should instruct the children of men, and that they should do judgment and uprightness on the earth.

And in the eleventh jubilee Jared took to himself a wife, and her name was Bâraka, the daughter of Râsûjâl, a daughter of his father's brother, in the fourth week of this jubilee,

and she bare him a son in the fifth week, in the fourth year of the jubilee, and he called his name Enoch.

And he was the first among men that are born on earth who learnt writing and knowledge and wisdom

and who wrote down the signs of heaven according to the order of their months in a book, that men might know the seasons of the years according to the order of their separate months.

And he was the first to write a testimony, and he testified to the sons of men among the generations of the earth, and recounted the weeks of the jubilees, and made known to them the days of the years, and set in order the months and recounted the Sabbaths of the years as we made (them) known to him.

And what was and what will be he saw in a vision of his sleep, as it will happen to the children of men throughout their generations until the day of judgment;

he saw and understood everything, and wrote his testimony, and placed the testimony on earth for all the children of men and for their generations.

And in the twelfth jubilee, in the seventh week thereof, he took to himself a wife, and her name was Ednî, the daughter of Dânêl, the daughter of his father's brother, and in the sixth year in this week she bare him a son and he called his name Methuselah.

And he was moreover with the angels of God these six jubilees of years, and they showed him everything which is on earth and in the heavens, the rule of the sun, and he wrote down everything.

And he testified to the Watchers, who had sinned with the daughters of men;

for these had begun to unite themselves, so as to be defiled, with the daughters of men, and Enoch testified against (them) all.

And he was taken from amongst the children of men, and we conducted him into the Garden of Eden in majesty and honour,

and behold there he writeth down the condemnation and judgment of the world, and all the wickedness of the children of men.

And on account of it (God) brought the waters of the flood upon all the land of Eden; for there he was set as a sign and that he should testify against all the children of men, that he should recount all the deeds of the generations until the day of condemnation.

And he burnt the incense of the sanctuary, (even) sweet spices, acceptable before the Lord on the Mount.

For the Lord hath four places on the earth, the Garden of Eden, and the Mount of the East, and this mountain on which thou art this day, Mount Sinai, and Mount Zion (which) will be sanctified in the new creation for a sanctification of the earth;

through it will the earth be sanctified from all (its) guilt and its uncleanness throughout the generations of the world.

And in the fourteenth jubilee Methuselah took unto himself a wife, Ednâ the daughter of ’Âzrîâl, the daughter of his father's brother, in the third week, in the first year of this week, and he begat a son and called his name Lamech.

And in the fifteenth jubilee in the third week Lamech took to himself a wife, and her name was Bêtênôs the daughter of Bârâkî’îl, the daughter of his father's brother, and in this week she bare him a son

and he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort me for my trouble and all my work, and for the ground which the Lord hath cursed."

And at the close of the nineteenth jubilee, in the seventh week in the sixth year thereof, Adam died, and all his sons buried him in the land of his creation, and he was the first to be buried in the earth.

And he lacked seventy years of one thousand years; for one thousand years are as one day in the testimony of the heavens

and therefore was it written concerning the tree of knowledge: "On the day that ye eat thereof ye will die."

For this reason he did not complete the years of this day; for he died during it.

At the close of this jubilee Cain was killed after him in the same year; for his house fell upon him and he died in the midst of his house, and he was killed by its stones,

for with a stone he had killed Abel, and by a stone was he killed in righteous judgment.

For this reason it was ordained on the heavenly tables: "With the instrument with which a man killeth his neighbour with the same shall he be killed; after the manner that he wounded him, in like manner shall they deal with him."

And in the twenty-fifth jubilee Noah took to himself a wife, and her name was ’Ĕmzârâ, the daughter of Râkê’êl, the daughter of his father's brother, in the first year in the fifth week:

and in the third year thereof she bare him Shem, in the fifth year thereof she bare him Ham, and in the first year in the sixth week she bare him Japheth.

And it came to pass when the children of men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them,

that the angels of God saw them on a certain year of this jubilee, that they were beautiful to look upon; and they took themselves wives of all whom they chose, and they bare unto them sons and they were giants.

And lawlessness increased on the earth and all flesh corrupted its way, alike men and cattle and beasts and birds and everything that walketh on the earth

-all of them corrupted their ways and their orders, and they began to devour each other,

and lawlessness increased on the earth and every imagination of the thoughts of all men (was) thus evil continually.

And God looked upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt, and all flesh had corrupted its orders, and all that were upon the earth had wrought all manner of evil before His eyes.

And He said: "I shall destroy man and all flesh upon the face of the earth which I have created."

And against the angels whom He had sent upon the earth, He was exceedingly wroth, and He gave commandment to root them out of all their dominion,

and He bade us to bind them in the depths of the earth, and behold they are bound in the midst of them, and are (kept) separate.

And against their sons went forth a command from before His face that they should be smitten with the sword, and be removed from under heaven.

And He said "My spirit will not always abide on man; for they also are flesh and their days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

And He sent His sword into their midst that each should slay his neighbour, and they began to slay each other till they all fell by the sword and were destroyed from the earth.

And their fathers were witnesses (of their destruction), and after this they were bound in the depths of the earth for ever, until the day of the great condemnation when judgment is executed on all those who have corrupted their ways and their works before the Lord.

And He destroyed all from their places, and there was not left one of them whom He judged not according to all their wickedness.

And He made for all His works a new and righteous nature, so that they should not sin in their whole nature for ever, but should be all righteous each in his kind alway.

And the judgment of all is ordained and written on the heavenly tables in righteousness

--even (the judgment of) all who depart from the path which is ordained for them to walk in; and if they walk not therein judgment is written down for every creature and for every kind.

And there is nothing in heaven or on earth, or in light or in darkness, or in Sheol or in the depth, or in the place of darkness (which is not judged);

and all their judgments are ordained and written and engraved.

In regard to all He will judge, the great according to his greatness, and the small according to his smallness, and each according to his way.

And He is not one who will regard the person (of any), nor is He one who will receive gifts, if He saith that He will execute judgment on each:

if one gave everything that is on the earth, He will not regard the gifts or the person (of any), nor accept anything at his hands, for He is a righteous judge.

[And of the children of Israel it hath been written and ordained: If they turn to Him in righteousness, He will forgive all their transgressions and pardon all their sins.

It is written and ordained that He will show mercy to all who turn from all their guilt once each year.]

And as for all those who corrupted their ways and their thoughts before the flood, no man's person was accepted save that of Noah alone; for his person was accepted in behalf of his sons, whom (God) saved from the waters of the flood on his account;

for his heart was righteous in all his ways, according as it was commanded regarding him, and he had not departed from aught that was ordained for him.

And the Lord said that He would destroy everything which was upon the earth, both men and cattle, and beasts, and fowls of the air, and that which moveth on the earth.

And He commanded Noah to make him an ark, that he might save himself from the waters of the flood.

And Noah made the ark in all respects as He commanded him, in the twenty-seventh jubilee of years, in the fifth week in the fifth year (on the new moon of the first month).

And he entered in the sixth (year) thereof, in the second month, on the new moon of the second month,

till the sixteenth; and he entered, and all that we brought to him, into the ark, and the Lord closed it from without on the seventeenth evening.

And the Lord opened seven flood-gates of heaven, And the mouths of the fountains of the great deep, seven mouths in number. And the flood-gates began to pour down water from the heaven forty days and forty nights,

And the fountains of the deep also sent up waters, until the whole world was full of water.

And the waters increased upon the earth Fifteen cubits did the waters rise above all the high mountains,

And the ark was lift up above the earth, And it moved upon the face of the waters.

And the water prevailed on the face of the earth five months-one hundred and fifty days.

And the ark went and rested on the top of Lûbâr, one of the mountains of Ararat.

And (on the new moon) in the fourth month the fountains of the great deep were closed and the flood-gates of heaven were restrained;

and on the new moon of the seventh month all the mouths of the abysses of the earth were opened, and the water began to descend into the deep below.

And on the new moon of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen,

and on the new moon of the first month the earth became visible. And the waters disappeared from above the earth in the fifth week in the seventh year thereof,

and on the seventeenth day in the second month the earth was dry.

And on the twenty-seventh thereof he opened the ark, and sent forth from it beasts, and cattle, and birds, and every moving thing.

And on the new moon of the third month he went forth from the ark, and built an altar on that mountain.

And he made atonement for the earth, and took a kid and made atonement by its blood for all the guilt of the earth; for everything that had been on it had been destroyed, save those that were in the ark with Noah.

And he placed the fat thereof on the altar, and he took an ox, and a goat, and a sheep and kids, and salt, and a turtle-dove, and the young of a dove,

and placed a burnt sacrifice on the altar, and poured thereon an offering mingled with oil, and sprinkled wine and strewed frankincense over everything, and caused a goodly savour to arise, acceptable before the Lord.

And the Lord smelt the goodly savour, and He made a covenant with him that there should not be any more a flood to destroy the earth;

that all the days of the earth seed-time and harvest should never cease; cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night should not change their order, nor cease for ever.

"And you, increase ye and multiply upon the earth, and become many upon it, and be a blessing upon it.

The fear of you and the dread of you I shall inspire in everything that is on earth and in the sea.

And behold I have given unto you all beasts, and all winged things, and everything that moveth on the earth, and the fish in the waters, and all things for food; as the green herbs, I have given you all things to eat.

But flesh, with the life thereof, with the blood, ye shall not eat; for the life of all flesh is in the blood, lest your blood of your lives be required.

At the hand of every man, at the hand of every (beast), shall I require the blood of man.

Whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man.

And Noah and his sons swore that they would not eat any blood that was in any flesh,

and he made a covenant before the Lord God for ever throughout all the generations of the earth in this month.

On this account He spake to thee that thou shouldst make a covenant with the children of Israel in this month upon the mountain with an oath, and that thou shouldst sprinkle blood upon them because of all the words of the covenant, which the Lord made with them for ever.

And this testimony is written concerning you that you should observe it continually, so that you should not eat on any day any blood of beasts or birds or cattle during all the days of the earth,

and the man who eateth the blood of beast or of cattle or of birds during all the days of the earth, he and his seed shall be rooted out of the land.

And do thou command the children of Israel to eat no blood, so that their names and their seed may be before the Lord our God continually.

And for this law there is no limit of days, for it is for ever. They shall observe it throughout their generations, so that they may continue supplicating on your behalf with blood before the altar;

every day and at the time of morning and evening they shall seek forgiveness on your behalf perpetually before the Lord that they may keep it and not be rooted out.

And He gave to Noah and his sons a sign that there should not again be a flood on the earth.

He set His bow in the cloud for a sign of the eternal covenant that there should not again be a flood on the earth to destroy it all the days of the earth.

For this reason it is ordained and written on the heavenly tables, that they should celebrate the feast of weeks in this month once a year, to renew the covenant every year.

And this whole festival was celebrated in heaven from the day of creation till the days of Noah-twenty-six jubilees and five weeks of years:

and Noah and his sons observed it for seven jubilees and one week of years, till the day of Noah's death, and from the day of Noah's death his sons did away with (it) until the days of Abraham, and they ate blood.

But Abraham observed it, and Isaac and Jacob and his children observed it up to thy days,

and in thy days the children of Israel forgot it until ye celebrated it anew on this mountain.

And do thou command the children of Israel to observe this festival in all their generations for a commandment unto them:

one day in the year in this month they shall celebrate the festival.

For it is the feast of weeks and the feast of first-fruits:

this feast is twofold and of a double nature: according to what is written and engraven concerning it celebrate it.

For I have written in the book of the first law, in that which I have written for thee, that thou shouldst celebrate it in its season, one day in the year,

and I explained to thee its sacrifices that the children of Israel should remember and should celebrate it throughout their generations in this month, one day in every year.

And on the new moon of the first month, and on the new moon of the fourth month, and on the new moon of the seventh month, and on the new moon of the tenth month are the days of remembrance, and the days of the seasons in the four divisions of the year.

These are written and ordained as a testimony for ever.

And Noah ordained them for himself as feasts for the generations for ever, so that they have become thereby a memorial unto him.

And on the new moon of the first month he was bidden to make for himself an ark, and on that (day) the earth became dry and he opened (the ark) and saw the earth.

And on the new moon of the fourth month the mouths of the depths of the abysses beneath were closed.

And on the new moon of the seventh month all the mouths of the abysses of the earth were opened, and the waters began to descend into them.

And on the new moon of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen, and Noah was glad.

And on this account he ordained them for himself as feasts for a memorial for ever, and thus are they ordained.

And they placed them on the heavenly tables, each had thirteen weeks; from one to another (passed) their memorial,

from the first to the second, and from the second to the third, and from the third to the fourth.

And all the days of the commandment will be two and fifty weeks of days, and (these will make) the entire year complete.

Thus it is engraven and ordained on the heavenly tables. And there is no neglecting (this commandment) for a single year or from year to year.

And command thou the children of Israel that they observe the years according to this reckoning-three hundred and sixty-four days,

and (these) will constitute a complete year, and they will not disturb its time from its days and from its feasts;

for everything will fall out in them according to their testimony, and they will not leave out any day nor disturb any feasts.

But if they do neglect and do not observe them according to His commandment, then they will disturb all their seasons, and the years will be dislodged from this (order),

[and they will disturb the seasons and the years will be dislodged] and they will neglect their ordinances.

And all the children of Israel will forget, and will not find the path of the years, and will forget the new moons, and seasons, and sabbaths, and they will go wrong as to all the order of the years.