Book of Jubilees Reader

For I know and from henceforth shall I declare it unto thee, and it is not of my own devising; for the book (lieth) written before me, and on the heavenly tables the division of days is ordained,

lest they forget the feasts of the covenant and walk according to the feasts of the Gentiles after their error and after their ignorance.

For there will be those who will assuredly make observations of the moon--now (it) disturbeth the seasons and cometh in from year to year ten days too soon.

For this reason the years will come upon them when they will disturb (the order), and make an abominable (day) the day of testimony, and an unclean day a feast day,

and they will confound all the days, the holy with the unclean, and the unclean day with the holy; for they will go wrong as to the months and sabbaths and feasts and jubilees.

For this reason I command and testify to thee that thou mayest testify to them;

for after thy death thy children will disturb (them), so that they will not make the year three hundred and sixty-four days only,

and for this reason they will go wrong as to the new moons and seasons and sabbaths and festivals, and they will eat all kinds of blood with all kinds of flesh.

And in the seventh week in the first year thereof, in this jubilee, Noah planted vines on the mountain on which the ark had rested, named Lûbâr, one of the Ararat Mountains,

and he guarded their fruit, and gathered it in this year in the seventh month. And he made wine therefrom and put it into a vessel, and kept it until the fifth year, until the first day, on the new moon of the first month.

And he celebrated with joy the day of this feast, and he made a burnt sacrifice unto the Lord, one young ox and one ram, and seven sheep, each a year old, and a kid of the goats, that he might make atonement thereby for himself and his sons.

And he prepared the kid first, and placed some of its blood on the flesh that was on the altar which he had made, and all the fat he laid on the altar where he made the burnt sacrifice,

and the ox and the ram and the sheep, and he laid all their flesh upon the altar. And he placed all their offerings mingled with oil upon it,

and afterwards he sprinkled wine on the fire which he had previously made on the altar, and he placed incense on the altar and caused a sweet savour to ascend acceptable before the Lord his God.

And he rejoiced and drank of this wine, he and his children with joy.

And it was evening, and he went into his tent, and being drunken he lay down and slept, and was uncovered in his tent as he slept.

And Ham saw Noah his father naked, and went forth and told his two brethren without.

And Shem took his garment and arose, he and Japheth, and they placed the garment on their shoulders and went backward and covered the shame of their father, and their faces were backward.

And Noah awoke from his sleep and knew all that his younger son

had done unto him, and he cursed his son and said: "Cursed be Canaan; an enslaved servant shall he be unto his brethren."

And he blessed Shem, and said: "Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant.

God shall enlarge Japheth, and God shall dwell in the dwelling of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant."

And Ham knew that his father had cursed his younger son, and he was displeased that he had cursed his son, and he parted from his father, he and his sons with him, Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan.

And he built for himself a city and called its name after the name of his wife Nê’êlâtamâ’ûk.

And Japheth saw it, and became envious of his brother, and he too built for himself a city, and he called its name after the name of his wife ’Adâtanêsês.

And Shem dwelt with his father Noah, and he built a city close to his father on the mountain, and he too called its name after the name of his wife Sêdêqêtêlĕbâb.

And behold these three cities are near Mount Lûbâr; Sêdêqêtêlĕbâb fronting the mountain on its east; and Na’êlâtamâ’ûk on the south; ’Adatanêsês towards the west.

And these are the sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad--this (son) was born two years after the flood--and Lud, and Aram.

The sons of Japheth: Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan, Tubal and Meshech and Tiras: these are the sons of Noah.

And in the twenty-eighth jubilee Noah began to enjoin upon his sons' sons the ordinances and commandments, and all the judgments that he knew,

and he exhorted his sons to observe righteousness, and to cover the shame of their flesh, and to bless their Creator, and honour father and mother, and love their neighbour, and guard their souls from fornication and uncleanness and all iniquity.

For owing to these three things came the flood upon the earth, namely,

owing to the fornication wherein the Watchers against the law of their ordinances went a whoring after the daughters of men, and took themselves wives of all which they chose: and they made the beginning of uncleanness.

And they begat sons the Nâphîlîm, and they were all unlike, and they devoured one another: and the Giants slew the Nâphîl, and the Nâphîl slew the Eljô, and the Eljô mankind, and one man another.

And every one sold himself to work iniquity and to shed much blood, and the earth was filled with iniquity.

And after this they sinned against the beasts and birds, and all that moveth and walketh on the earth: and much blood was shed on the earth,

and every imagination and desire of men imagined vanity and evil continually.

And the Lord destroyed everything from off the face of the earth; because of the wickedness of their deeds, and because of the blood which they had shed in the midst of the earth He destroyed everything.

"And we were left, I and you, my sons, and everything that entered with us into the ark,

and behold I see your works before me that ye do not walk in righteousness; for in the path of destruction ye have begun to walk,

and ye are parting one from another, and are envious one of another, and (so it cometh) that ye are not in harmony, my sons, each with his brother.

For I see, and behold the demons have begun (their) seductions against you and against your children,

and now I fear on your behalf, that after my death ye will shed the blood of men upon the earth, and that ye, too, will be destroyed from the face of the earth.

For whoso sheddeth man's blood, and whoso eateth the blood of any flesh, will all be destroyed from the earth.

And there will not be left any man that eateth blood. Or that sheddeth the blood of man on the earth, Nor will there be left to him any seed or descendants living under heaven;

For into Sheol will they go, And into the place of condemnation will they descend.

And into the darkness of the deep will they all be removed by a violent death. There shall be no blood seen upon you of all

the blood there shall be all the days in which ye have killed any beasts or cattle or whatever flieth upon the earth, and work ye a good work to your souls by covering that which hath been shed on the face of the earth.

And ye shall not be like him who eateth with blood, but guard yourselves that none may eat blood before you:

cover the blood, for thus have I been commanded to testify to you and your children, together with all flesh.

And suffer not the soul to be eaten with the flesh, that your blood, which is your life, may not be required at the hand of any flesh that sheddeth (it) on the earth.

For the earth will not be clean from the blood which hath been shed upon it; for (only) through the blood of him that shed it will the earth be purified throughout all its generations.

And now, my children, hearken: work judgment and righteousness that ye may be planted in righteousness over the face of the whole earth, and your glory lifted up before my God, who saved me from the waters of the flood.

And behold, ye will go and build for yourselves cities, and plant in them all the plants that are upon the earth, and moreover all fruit-bearing trees.

For three years the fruit of everything that is eaten will not be gathered: and in the fourth year its fruit will be accounted holy [and they will offer the first-fruits],

acceptable before the Most High God, who created heaven and earth and all things.

Let them offer in abundance the first of the wine and oil (as) first-fruits on the altar of the Lord, who receiveth it,

and what is left let the servants of the house of the Lord eat before the altar which receiveth (it).

And in the fifth year make ye the release so that ye release it in righteousness and uprightness, and ye shall be righteous, and all that you plant will prosper.

For thus did Enoch, the father of your father command Methuselah, his son, and Methuselah his son Lamech, and Lamech commanded me all the things which his fathers commanded him.

And I also will give you commandment, my sons, as Enoch commanded his son in the first jubilees:

whilst still living, the seventh in his generation, he commanded and testified to his son and to his sons' sons until the day of his death.

In the twenty-ninth jubilee, in the first week, in the beginning thereof Arpachshad took to himself a wife and her name was Râsû’ĕjâ, [the daughter of Sûsân,] the daughter of Elam,

and she bare him a son in the third year in this week, and he called his name Kâinâm.

And the son grew, and his father taught him writing, and he went to seek for himself a place where he might seize for himself a city.

And he found a writing which former (generations) had carved on the rock, and he read what was thereon, and he transcribed it and sinned owing to it; for it contained the teaching of the Watchers in accordance with which they used to observe

the omens of the sun and moon and stars in all the signs of heaven.

And he wrote it down and said nothing regarding it; for he was afraid to speak to Noah about it lest he should be angry with him on account of it.

And in the thirtieth jubilee, in the second week, in the first year thereof, he took to himself a wife, and her name was Mêlkâ, the daughter of Madai, the son of Japheth,

and in the fourth year he begat a son, and called his name Shelah; for he said: "Truly I have been sent."

[And in the fourth year he was born], and Shelah grew up and took to himself a wife, and her name was Mû’ak, the daughter of Kêsêd, his father's brother,

in the one and thirtieth jubilee, in the fifth week, in the first year thereof. And she bare him a son in the fifth year thereof, and he called his name Eber:

and he took unto himself a wife, and her name was ’Azûrâd the daughter of Nêbrôd, in the thirty-second jubilee, in the seventh week, in the third year thereof.

And in the sixth year thereof, she bare him a son, and he called his name Peleg;

for in the days when he was born the children of Noah began to divide the earth amongst themselves: for this reason he called his name Peleg.

And they divided (it) secretly amongst themselves, and told it to Noah.

And it came to pass in the beginning of the thirty-third jubilee that they divided the earth into three parts, for Shem and Ham and Japheth, according to the inheritance of each, in the first year in the first week, when one of us, who had been sent, was with them.

And he called his sons, and they drew nigh to him, they and their children, and he divided the earth into the lots, which his three sons were to take in possession,

and they reached forth their hands, and took the writing out of the bosom of Noah, their father.

And there came forth on the writing as Shem's lot the middle of the earth which he should take as an inheritance for himself and for his sons for the generations of eternity, from the middle of the mountain range of Râfâ, from the mouth of the water from the river Tînâ.

and his portion goeth towards the west through the midst of this river, and it extendeth till it reacheth the water of the abysses, out of which this river goeth forth

and poureth its waters into the sea Mê’at, and this river floweth into the great sea.

And all that is towards the north is Japheth's, and all that is towards the south belongeth to Shem. And it extendeth till it reacheth Kârâsô: this is in the bosom of the tongue which looketh towards the south.

And his portion extendeth along the great sea, and it extendeth in a straight line till it reacheth the west of the tongue which looketh towards the south;

for this sea is named the tongue of the Egyptian Sea.

And it turneth from here towards the south towards the mouth of the great sea on the shore of (its) waters, and it extendeth to the west to ‘Afrâ

and it extendeth till it reacheth the waters of the river Gihon, and to the south of the waters of Gihon, to the banks of this river. And it extendeth towards the east, till it reacheth the Garden of Eden, to the south thereof, [to the south] and from the east of the whole land of Eden and of the whole cast, it turneth to the east,

and proceedeth till it reacheth the east of the mountain named Râfâ, and it descendeth to the bank of the mouth of the river Tînâ.

This portion came forth by lot for Shem and his sons, that they should possess it for ever unto his generations for evermore.

And Noah rejoiced that this portion came forth for Shem and for his sons, and he remembered all that he had spoken with his mouth in prophecy; for he had said:

Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, And may the Lord dwell in the dwelling of Shem."

And he knew that the Garden of Eden is the holy of holies, and the dwelling of the Lord, and Mount Sinai the centre of the desert, and Mount Zion--the centre of the navel of the earth: these three were created as holy places facing each other.

And he blessed the God of gods, who had put the word of the Lord into his mouth, and the Lord for evermore.

And he knew that a blessed portion and a blessing had come to Shem and his sons unto the generations for ever-

-the whole land of Eden and the whole land of the Red Sea, and the whole land of the east, and India, and on the Red Sea and the mountains thereof, and all the land of Bashan, and all the land of Lebanon and the islands of Kaftûr, and all the mountains of Sanîr and ’Amânâ,

and the mountains of Asshur in the north, and all the land of Elam, Asshur, and Bâbêl, and Sûsân and Mâ‘ĕdâi and all the mountains of Ararat,

and all the region beyond the sea, which is beyond the mountains of Asshur towards the north, a blessed and spacious land, and all that is in it is very good.

And for Ham came forth the second portion, beyond the Gihon towards the south to the right of the Garden, and it extendeth towards the south

and it extendeth to all the mountains of fire, and it extendeth towards the west to the sea of ’Atêl and it extendeth towards the west till it reacheth the sea of Mâ’ûk --that (sea) into which everything which is not destroyed descendeth.

And it goeth forth towards the north to the limits of Gâdîr, and it goeth forth to the coast of the waters of the sea to the waters of the great sea till it draweth near to the river Gihon, and goeth along the river Gihon till it reacheth the right of the Garden of Eden.

And this is the land which came forth for Ham as the portion which he was to occupy for ever for himself and his sons unto their generations for ever.

And it goeth forth towards the north to the limits of Gâdîr, and it goeth forth to the coast of the waters of the sea to the waters of the great sea till it draweth near to the river Gihon, and goeth along the river Gihon till it reacheth the right of the Garden of Eden.

And it extendeth northerly to the north, and it extendeth to the mountains of Qêlt towards the north, and towards the sea of Mâ’ûk,

and it goeth forth to the east of Gâdîr as far as the region of the waters of the sea. And it extendeth until it approacheth the west of Fârâ

and it returneth towards ’Afêrâg, and it extendeth easterly to the waters of the sea of Mê’at. And it extendeth to the region of the river Tînâ in a northeasterly direction until it approacheth the boundary of its waters towards the mountain Râfâ, and it turneth round towards the north.

This is the land which came forth for Japheth and his sons as the portion of his inheritance which he should possess for himself and his sons, for their generations for ever;

five great islands, and a great land in the north. But it is cold, and the land of Ham is hot,

and the land of Shem is neither hot nor cold, but it is of blended cold and heat.

And Ham divided amongst his sons, and the first portion came forth for Cush towards the east, and to the west of him for Mizraim, and to the west of him for Put, and to the west of him [and to the west thereof] on the sea for Canaan.

And Shem also divided amongst his sons, and the first portion came forth for Elam and his sons, to the east of the river Tigris till it approacheth the east,

the whole land of India, and on the Red Sea on its coast, and the waters of Dêdân, and all the mountains of Mebrî and ’Êlâ, and all the land of Sûsân and all that is on the side of Pharnâk to the Red Sea and the river Tînâ.

And for Asshur came forth the second portion, all the land of Asshur and Nineveh and Shinar and to the border of India, and it ascendeth and skirteth the river.

And for Arpachshad came forth the third portion, all the land of the region of the Chaldees to the east of the Euphrates, bordering on the Red Sea,

and all the waters of the desert close to the tongue of the sea which looketh towards Egypt, all the land of Lebanon and Sanîr and ’Amânâ to the border of the Euphrates.

And for Aram there came forth the fourth portion, all the land of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and the Euphrates to the north of the Chaldees to the border of the mountains of Asshur and the land of ’Arârâ.

the whole land of India, and on the Red Sea on its coast, and the waters of Dêdân, and all the mountains of Mebrî and ’Êlâ, and all the land of Sûsân and all that is on the side of Pharnâk to the Red Sea and the river Tînâ.

And Japheth also divided the land of his inheritance amongst his sons.

And the first portion came forth for Gomer to the east from the north side to the river Tînâ;

and in the north there came forth for Magog all the inner portions of the north until it reacheth to the sea of Mê’at.

And for Madai came forth as his portion that he should possess from the west of his two brothers to the islands, and to the coasts of the islands.

And for Javan came forth the fourth portion every island and the islands which are towards the border of Lud.

And for Tubal there came forth the fifth portion in the midst of the tongue which approacheth towards the border of the portion of Lud to the second tongue, to the region beyond the second tongue unto the third tongue.

And for Meshech came forth the sixth portion, all the region beyond the third tongue till it approaches the east of Gadir.

And for Tiras there came forth the seventh portion, four great islands in the midst of the sea, which reach to the portion of Ham [and the islands of Kamâtûrî came out by lot

And thus the sons of Noah divided unto their sons in the presence of Noah their father, and he bound them all by an oath, imprecating a curse on every one that sought to seize the portion which had not fallen (to him) by his lot.

And they all said, "So be it; so be it," for themselves and their sons for ever throughout their generations

till the day of judgment, on which the Lord God shall judge them with a sword and with fire, for all the unclean wickedness of their errors, wherewith they have filled the earth with transgression and uncleanness and fornication and sin.

And in the third week of this jubilee the unclean demons began to lead astray the children of the sons of Noah; and to make to err and destroy them.

And the sons of Noah came to Noah their father, and they told him concerning the demons, which were leading astray and blinding and slaying his sons' sons.

And he prayed before the Lord his God, and said: God of the spirits of all flesh, who hast shown mercy unto me, And hast saved me and my sons from the waters of the flood, And hast not caused me to perish as Thou didst the sons of perdition;

For Thy grace hath been great towards me, And great hath been Thy mercy to my soul;

But do Thou bless me and my sons, that we may increase and multiply and replenish the earth.

And Thou knowest how Thy Watchers, the fathers of these spirits, acted in my day:

and as for these spirits which are living, imprison them and hold them fast in the place of condemnation, and let them not bring destruction on the sons of thy servant, my God; for these are malignant, and created in order to destroy.

And let them not rule over the spirits of the living; for Thou alone canst exercise dominion over them. And let them not have power over the sons of the righteous from henceforth and for evermore."

And the chief of the spirits, Mastêmâ, came and said: "Lord, Creator, let some of them remain before me, and let them hearken to my voice, and do all that I shall say unto them;

for if some of them are not left to me, I shall not be able to execute the power of my will on the sons of men;

for these are for corruption and leading astray before my judgment, for great is the wickedness of the sons of men."

And He said: "Let the tenth part of them remain before him, and let nine parts descend into the place of condemnation."

And one of us He commanded that we should teach Noah all their medicines; for He knew that they would not walk in uprightness, nor strive in righteousness.

And we did according to all His words: all the malignant evil ones we bound in the place of condemnation, and a tenth part of them we left that they might be subject before Satan on the earth.

And we explained to Noah all the medicines of their diseases, together with their seductions, how he might heal them with herbs of the earth.

And Noah wrote down all things in a book as we instructed him concerning every kind of medicine.