LXII. (1) The Levites, the sons of Moses, made ten
journeys and encamped on the other side of the river
Sabbatyon. Our sages say that when the Israelites were
exiled to Babylon, and came to the Euphrates, as it is said,
' We sat by the waters of Babylon,' etc., they said to them,
' 0 Levites, stand up before our gods, and sing a song just
as you sang in the temple.' But they replied, ' 0 ye fools,
if we had sung a song of thanksgiving for every miracle
which God wrought for us, we should not have been
exiled from our land, but would, on the contrary, have
added honour upon honour; and shall we now sing a
song to your idols ?' Being angered at this reply, they
immediately rose up and slew the Jews in heaps, and
although the slaughter was so great, yet their joy had
ceased, because the Jews did not worship idols. Therefore
it is said, ' Their joy was turned into wailing.' The re-
maining Levites then cut off their fingers that they might
avoid playing on their harps; so that when they were told
to play and sing on their harps, just as they had done in
the temple, they showed them their mutilated fingers.
(2) When night came on a cloud covered them, together
with their wives, and sons, and daughters, and the Lord
gave them light by a pillar of fire, which showed them the
way the whole night until the dawn of day, and brought
them to the seashore. When the sun rose the cloud
departed as well as the pillar of fire. And the Lord
extended the length of the river Sabbatianus, so that it
surrounded them completely. It hems them in so that no
one can cross over to them, and He extended it all round
to a distance of nine months' journey. The river surrounds
them from three sides, and on the fourth is the sea. The
depth of the river is 200 cubits, and it is full of sand and
stones. The noise is that of an earthquake, and reaches
the distance of half a day's journey, and causes the sand
and stones to roll all the six days of the week.
(3) But on the Sabbath it rests, and immediately a
fire bursts forth from the western side, which lasts from
the eve of Sabbath until the end. Its flames shoot out in
every direction, so that one can not approach nearer the
river than a distance of thirty-four miles, and this fire
burns all round and consumes everything. There is not
seen among them any unclean animal or bird, and no
creeping thing, but only their flocks and herds. There
are six fountains, which gather together and form one
pool. From these they water the land and obtain in
abundance all kinds of clean fishes, and all kinds of birds
and fruits. They sow one seed and reap a hundred-
fold. They are men of faith, students of the Law, the
Scripture, Mishna and Agadah. They are pious and
pure and never swear falsely. They attain the ripe old
age of 120 years, nor does a son or daughter die in the
lifetime of their father. (4) They see three successive
generations and build for themselves houses; they sow
and plough themselves, because they have no manservants
or maidservants. They do not close their houses in the
night-time, and a young child walks fearlessly with the
cattle for many a day, without having any fear either of
robbers or of an}^ possible injury, because they are holy
and remained in the holiness of Moses our teacher. There-
fore God gave them all this and chose them. They do not
see any man, nor does any of the sons of men see them,
except the four tribes, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, all
of whom dwell on the other side of the rivers of Kush, with
the Sabbatyon between them, and there they will remain
until the end of the world. Concerning them it is said,
' To say to the captives " Go out," ' viz., referring to those
behind the river Sabbatyon.
(5) There the tribes of Dan, Naphtah, Gad, and Asher,
were enclosed. The question as to how they arrived at that
190 [LXII. 6
place our sages have thus answered: When Jeroboam, the
son of Nebat, sinned, and caused Israel to sin, and the
house of David became separated from the ten tribes of
Israel, he said to the people, ' Go ye forth and fight with
Eehoboam and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.' But they
said, ' Wherefore should we go to war against our brethren,
against the house of our master, David, King of Israel and
Judah ?' And the elders of Israel said to him, ' In all
the land of Israel there do not exist such mighty warriors
and men so trained to battle as those of the tribe of Dan.'
Then, commanding them forthwith to wage war with Judah,
they said, ' By the life of Dan, our forefather, we shall
never go to battle with our brethren, and we shall not
shed their blood without any cause.' And immediately
afterwards the sons of Dan, taking up their swords and
spears and bows, determined to fight unto death with
Jeroboam, but God saved them from the crime of
shedding the blood of their brethren. (6) They spread
the news then throughout the whole tribe of Dan, and
ihe sons of Dan took counsel together to depart from
Canaan and to go down to Egypt to destroy it and kill
all its inhabitants. But their princes asked, ' Why will
you go to Egypt? Is it not written in the Torah, ''Ye
shall never again behold them " ?' At this they gave way,
but again took counsel concerning Edom, Moab, and the
Ammonites. When, however, they heard that God had
withheld Israel from fighting them they again gave up
their intentions, until the Lord advised them better what
tio do. So they went to the brook of Pishon, and journeyed
■on their camels until they arrived at the other side of
the river Pishon. There they discovered that the country
was fruitful and extensive, containing fruitful fields and
gardens. The sons of Dan therefore determined to dwell
there, and made a covenant with the inhabitants, the sons
of Kush, who paid them tribute, and also dwelt among
them until they increased and multiplied exceedingly.
(7) On the death of Sennacherib the three tribes of Gad,
Asher, and NaphtaH left the country, and travelled until
they arrived near the border of that tribe, when they
slaughtered the Kushites, a distance of four days' journey.
They war with six Kushite kings, which every tribe con-
tinues to do for three months in the year until this very
day, each tribe separately, but the descendants of Simeon
go with those of Dan. (8) The Levites journeyed and en-
camped in Havila, which abounds in gold, that is as common
as stones, also in sheep, cattle, camels, asses, and horses.
There they sow and reap, and dwell in tents made of skin.
They journey from one border to another, a distance of
four days each way; and where they encamp there no man
dares enter, and they only stay in the fields and vineyards,
and punish in accordance with the different kinds of capital
punishments meted out by the Jewish Law. Concerning
them it is said, ' Those on the other side of the mountains
of Kush,' etc.
(9) The tribe of Isaachar dwell on the mountains of
the great deep in the nethermost parts of Media and
Persia, and there they fulfil the commandment, ' the book
of the Torah shall not depart from their mouth;' nor
do they take upon themselves the yoke of any earthly
kingdom, but only the yoke of Heaven and the yoke of
the Law. They have many captains of the army, but
never fight with man, but discuss the Torah. They dwell
in peace and tranquillity, and no rebellious thought or evil
of any kind enters their minds. They possess a country
whose area covers land of ten days' journey, and they
have an abundance of cattle, camels, and servants, but
do not breed horses, nor do they possess any warlike
instruments, except knives for preparing food, and to kill
the animals for that purpose. They are men of great faith,
hating oppression or robbery. If even their servant finds
money by the way they will not stretch forth their hand
to take it. (10) But their wicked neighbours worship
fire, and take their mothers and their sisters to wives.
They neither till the ground, nor reap, nor gather in the
harvest, but they purchase it for money. They have a
judge and a chief who metes out the four capital punish-
192 [LXII. 11
ments. They speak the Hebrew and Persian languages,
and that of Ivedar.
(11) The children of Zebulun encamp on the mountains
of Paran, and pitch tents made of the hair of Armania
(i^^jDnx) and stretch as far as the Euphrates. The tribe
of Pieuben dwells opposite them behind the mountains of
Paran, and between them there is love, unity, and peace.
They infest the roads leading to Mecoth ()yD) and the
way to Babylon. All their spoil they divide equally
between them, and food is so cheap that two camel-loads
can be bought for two drachmas. They speak among
themselves the language of Kedar, and possess the Bible,
Mishna, Talmud, and Agadoth. But every Sabbath a
lecture is given in Hebrew, and interpreted in the
language of Kedar. (12) The tribe of Ephraim and half
the tribe of Menasseh dwells opposite the city of Meyuqa
(^?prn). They have to toil for their living by the sweat of
their brow% and are hard-hearted. They are riders of
horses, infesting the roads, and having pity on no man.
They possess no money, but only the spoil they acquire
from their enemies. They are a distance of six months'
march from the temple, and their numbers are incalculable
and without number. They exact tribute from twenty-five
kingdoms, as well as from a portion of Ishmael, but the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin are scattered over the whole
world. 'May the Eock of Israel gather together our
dispersed brethren. Amen.'
Elchanan the Merchant.
LXni. (1) The story of Elchanan. Elchanan, the son
of Joseph, w^as a large export merchant, and owned many
vessels. He hailed from the province of the tribe of Dan,
and was exceedingly wise and pious. He passed the day in
praying, maintaining the poor, and giving a helping hand
to orphan boys and girls. By means of his great skill he
made a ship containing sixty chambers, of which each one
of his servants made one for himself and his goods. In
Lxm. 4] 193
the centre of the vessel he constructed a tower which
enabled him to see all his servants and their chambers.
All the rooms were placed far away from his, and his
servants could also not easily enter their neighbour's com-
partment, nor make any designs upon his propertj^
(2) Elchanan himself was a mighty man of valour, as
were also his sons, being altogether four in the tower. The
ship was loaded with 10,000 talents' worth of pepper, 10,000
talents' worth of frankincense, 10,000 of calamus and cinna-
mon, 1,000 litres of machik (p^DO), which they call saffron
(]n i:^), and every other kind of spice, filling the whole
vessel from top to bottom. Some of the servants appointed
to guard the merchandise were Jews and others Ishmaelites.
Besides these, there were, of course, the sailors. He had
with him also 10,000 talents of silver to buy beautiful
garments in various parts of the world.
(3) He acted as captain himself. His intention was to
travel to a large kingdom, but was overtaken by a severe
storm, which resulted in his ship drifting on to the sand in
the Sea of Havila. (4) There E. Elchanan came across a
certain people who spoke Hebrew. ' Who are ye ?' said he.
' We are descendants of Dan,' answered they. And they
forthwith invited him among them, and did very great
honour to him, for E. Elchanan was beautiful and majestic in
appearance. He then told them all his trouble and every-
thing that befell him, and asked them many questions how
they came to that place. Thereupon they related to him all
their adventures. At the time when Jeroboam resigned, he
said to the Israelites, ' Go ye and wage war with Eehoboam,
the son of David.' And then the elders told him. Among all
the tribes of Israel there is not one containing such mighty
men of war and men so trained to battle as the tribe of
Dan, and that they should therefore go to battle with
Eehoboam and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thereupon
he (Jeroboam) said to them, ' Arise, ye sons of Dan, and
fight the men of Judah.' But they replied, ' By the life
of our father, Dan, we shall never go against our brothers
the house of David and against the King of Judah, and
194 [LXIII. 5
why should ^Ye shed mnocent blood ?' ' If that is so,'
said he, 'then depart from this land of Canaan.' For
Jeroboam had made two calves of gold, by which he caused
Israel to sin, so that the kingdom of the house of David
was divided from that time. (5) They then took counsel
against the Egyptians to destroy their land and kill its
inhabitants. But their chiefs said to them, ' Is it not written
in the Torah, "Ye shall no more see them?" How can
we therefore go down to Egypt?' They then had designs
(counselled) against Edom, Ammon and Moab, but found
it stated in the Torah that God had forbidden Israel to
inherit their borderland. But God gave them good advice,
and they left the land and marched until they reached the
brook of Pishon, a journey of seven years from Canaan.
Then, journeying upon camels, they came to Kush, i.e.,
Havila, a land both rich and fertile, abounding in fields,
vineyards, gardens and palaces. There they dwelt by the
sea, where there were Ethiopians without number. (6) The
news of their advent having reached the ears of the king,
they gathered themselves together as one man, and said,
' It is better for us to die all on one day than little by
little by the hand of this strange nation.' The Kushite
kings, numbering sixty-five, encamped on the one side of
the brook of Pishon, facing the others, the town being
between the two hosts. The descendants of Dan, consist-
ing of 200,000 foot, took their bows in their hands and
crossed the brook, and a battle took place by the water, in
which twenty -five Ethiopian kings were slain. Each one
of these kings possessed 1,000 horsemen and 80,000
infantry.
(7) Soon after this, the descendants of Dan, while they
were in their camp, heard a great shouting and a loud noise
of trumpets. Almost immediately they set up a great
shouting themselves, for about 300,000 men of the tribes
of NaphtaH, as well as of Gad and Asher, had come to
their assistance on their horses, and said, ' Brethren, ye
must be weary now; rest until the morrow, and we shall
join you.' Accordingly, on the morrow they slew all the
LXiil. 10] 195
kings of Kush, and, taking all the spoil, divided it by
lot, the silver and gold being as plentiful as stones. The
land of Havila measured a distance of a square, one side of
which would take four months to travel, each of the four
tribes occupying one side. There they dwell now securely.
Concerning them it is written, ' How good and how pleasant
it is for brothers to dwell together.' A king is appointed
over them, and they have an abundance of sheep and oxen,
silver and gold, horses, camels and asses; and they sow
and gather in the harvest. The king and the judges
appointed by themselves give battle every day to the kings
of Kush and to strange kingdoms.
(8) These are the names of the kingdoms: Zaqlah the
first (or the Eastern), Batuah, Qelalah, Arirah, 'Adirah,
Zeridah, Zaryonah, Latusqah (npD^n:'), Tirah, Tiqunah,
Qomah, Qalmah, Ahalah, Aholibah, Eiphtah, Saqvah,
Qadvah (Qadovah), and Horiyah. They converse with
each of these peoples in their own language, and, having
made a covenant with them, they dwell by the rivers of
Kush called ' Zahab Tob,' which is on the border of the
land of Havila.
(9) These four tribes having given battle to these strange
kings, they (the kings) brought them presents. Concerning
this it is written, " Othri, the daughter of Pusi ('^*12), shall
bring them gifts....' They possess vineyards and large
fields, and dwell in tents made of hair, and no stranger
can enter the land of Havila. Therein also dwells their
king, Abiel, the son of Shaphat, and also the captain of
the host, Abihail, the son of Shaphat, both of them of the
tribe of Dan. When the trumpeter sounds the trumpet, the
captain of the host comes forth with the armies, consisting
of 173 banners, under each one serving 1,500 men of each
tribe, and just as they go out, so they return.
(10) Then the second tribe comes forth, each of the four
tribes serving three months. Each tribe keeps its own
spoil, and they converse with each other in Hebrew, and in
the language of Kedar, and they are all of them pious men.
I dwelt among them for twelve months.
13—2
196 [LXiii. 11
(11) They inflict the four capital punishments in accord-
ance with the decisions of the Beth Din. The tribe of Moses
is also among them, as it is said, ' And all the children of
Levi gathered unto him.' They encamp by the brook of
Kedron, together with scattered remnants of the exiles.
The brook is called Sambatyon (|Vt:::rD5<t:0, which encom-
passes them with a radius of two months' walk. They
sleep in houses built like towers, nor is any unclean bird or
animal found among them, not even flies, or gnats, or
vermin, but only their flocks and herds, which breed twice
every year. Nor is there any scorpion or serpent. They
reap a hundredfold for every measure of corn they sow, and
they possess all kinds of fruits, herbs, spelt, leeks, melons,
onions and garlic. They are living together as one nation,
and possess many wells, from the waters of which all the
lands are irrigated. They also possess all kinds of spices,
and round about them there fly about all manner of clean
birds. The river, the sand and stones continue in a
whirl during the six days of the week, but on the Sabbath
they rest. On the eve of every Sabbath a flaming fire
ascends from one side of the river, so that no one can
approach it until the Sabbath has come to an end. No
man has ever seen these flames of the river Sambatyon
except the descendants of Dan, Asher, Gad and Naphtali.
They alone commune with them, and with reference to
them it is said, ' To say to those that are bound. Go
forth,' etc.
(12) They have an abundance of silver and gold; they
sow and reap, and grow the worms that make the crimson
colour, and they make unto themselves beautiful garments
and robes, and they are more numerous than they were
when they left Egypt. Concerning these four tribes it is
written, ' Ah ! the land of the rustling of wings which is
beyond the rivers of Kush.' The river Sambatyon is four
cubits wide, as far as a bowshot reaches. The noise it
makes is exceedingly loud, like the billows of the sea and
like a mighty tempest, and in the night-time the sound is
heard at a distance of half a day's journey. If sand from
Lxm. 15] 197
that river is placed in a flask, it whirls about during the six
days of the week, but on the Sabbath it rests.
(13) The four tribes, together with their cattle, go
near the river Sambatyon to shear their flock, for the
land is plain and smooth, where neither thorns nor herbs
grow. When the descendants of Moses see them, they
assemble at the side of the brook, and, raising their
voices, say, ' 0 children of Dan, show us a camel, or ass,
or dog.' And they exclaim, ' How long is this camel !
and see the length of its neck! How short its ear is!
It is very ugly!' These men are pious and charitable,
besides being well versed in the Torah, Mishna, and
Talmud. When they study they use to say, 'We have
received this by tradition from Joshua and Moses, our
teachers, and from God.' They do not know the other
sages and their traditions are written down in the language
in which our teacher Moses delivered them to them. The
laws of the killing of animals are according to the words of
the sages. They never swore by the name of God.
(14) But the children of Dan did so, and the children of
Levi said to them, ' Why do ye take the name of God (in
vain) ? for has He not given thee bread to eat and water to
drink ? Why do ye therefore do this thing ? Know now
that your sons and your daughters shall die in their youth
on account of your iniquities, but as for us, no son or
daughter shall die in the lifetime of their father, but shall
live to the ripe age of 120.' These people do not possess
any manservants or maidservants, since they are them-
selves skilled workmen and merchants. They have shutters
with which to close their shops, but never do so because
there are no thieves. It is usual for a child to go a
distance of several days with the cattle, without any fear of
wild beasts, evil spirits, demons or injurious beings, since
they are pure and still sanctified with the holiness of
Moses our teacher, as it is said, ' For they shall eat the
fruit of their actions.'
(15) The children of Isaachar are as numerous as the
sand of the sea, without number. They dwell on the
198 [LXIII. 15
mountains of the deep, behind the land of the Medes and
Persians, and a distance of four months' journey from those
who dwell by the brook of Pishon. The law does not depart
from their mouth, thus fulfilling the command, ' The
Torah shall not depart from thy mouth; thou shalt
meditate upon it day and night.' They accepted no
earthly yoke, but only the yoke of the kingdom of heaven,
and do not fight with their fellow-men, but discuss the
Talmud and the Torah. They live in peace and
tranquillity, with no injurious thought or evil of any kind
to tempt them, and dwell on an area of thirteen days'
journey in each direction. Silver and gold, servants,
camels, flocks and herds, they have in plenty, but they
breed none. The only warlike instruments they use are
knives for killing the sheep, oxen and birds. They
receive a tribute from the heathen kingdoms, of all
produce, a fourth, and of the oxen and sheep a fifth every
year. From this tribute they accumulate immense riches.
They have judges and they inflict the four capital punish-
ments according to the decisions of the Beth Din. They
converse in the Hebrew language and in that of Kedar.
(16) I dwelt among them for a period of two months,
and then, takmg my departure on board ship, I fell in
among the tribe of Zebulun, who dwell on the mountains
of Paran, in tents of hair, in the land of Lud and Pul.
Entering their land, I found them to be farmers, tilling the
ground and reaping the harvest. They possess all kinds
of dainties and are men of valour. For four months they
go out to plunder, fighting and robbing people of their
riches. They possess the Torah, the Talmud and
Mishna, and are men of great faith, who observe all the
Commandments. They are also good riders, having
innumerable servants, horses, sheep and oxen, as well as
camels and asses. They dwell in peace and tranquillity,
where no man can intrude.
(17) Thence, after six days' journey, I came to the tribe
of Reuben, opposite them, between Paran and Bethel, where
they dwell without war. Concerning them it is written.
' And I shall cause the wild heast to cease from the land,
and no sword shall pass over their land.' In the midst
of the mountains of darkness they possess a fertile and
fruitful land, the stones of which are iron, and from the
mountains of which brass is hewn. It is a land in which
one could eat his bread without any danger, for no man
passes among them. They watch the roads and capture
spoil without end. They dwell safely in tents of hair,
and speak the Hebrew language and another strange
one (ti;^).
(18) Thence I came to an extensive land by way of
Shin ar, through Elam; it was the kingdom of Mehumat
(nDinD) on the border of Madia, a distance of four months'
journey from the city of (Medinat). I saw the river
Gozan (|Ti:i), and a part of the tribes of Ephraim and
Menasseh, who were harsh and hard-hearted. They also
are good riders, watching the roads, and having pity on
no man. All their possessions were plunder. They are
men of valour and skilled in war; one of them alone
could smite a thousand men. Among themselves a large
amount of food could be obtained for two pieces of silver,
and grapes could be obtained in the same way. Concern-
ing them it is said, ' Five of you shall pursue 100, and
100 of you 10,000.'
(19) A half of the tribe of Simeon lives together with
the tribe of Judah in the land of the Chasdim, near
Jerusalem, a distance of four months' journey. They
are countless and innumerable, and their faces are
like lions' faces. They are all of them proficient riders,
archers, spearsmen, and swordsmen, and dwell in tents
made of hair, in a wilderness the extent of which is
a journey of two months each way. They receive
tribute from twenty-five kings, all of whom are white,
some belonging to the Ishmaelites and others to the
descendants of Keturah. They wage war with heathen
kingdoms, always seeking battle. They journey the
way of Mathol ('p^rdo), and the way of Babylon, until
the city of the madman {V})^}^); in all directions they
200 [LXIII. 20
journey with their cattle from border to border, and nobody
ever dares speak to them. Among themselves they speak
Hebrew and Greek, and are men of faith, skilled in the
Torah, Talmud, Mishna, and Agada, and also spoke the
language of Togarma.
(20) I dwelt among the sons of Judah and Simeon for
three years, until merchants from the land of the Danites
came to buy the spoil of which they had great quantities,
and also spices captured from merchants on the way, and
which they had acquired for nothing. I travelled with
them on board ship until we came to Elam, after a
journey of four months. After the lapse of ten years from
the day I departed from the Danites I returned. Those
heathen whose land I passed through, and among whom
the tribes dwell, were some of them worshippers of the
earth, while some worshipped fire, and others worshipped
a white horse and were cannibals. [End of the words of
K. Elchanan the Danite. I have heard that this E. Elchanan
was simple and upright, eschewing evil, and fearing God.
He came from the land of India. ^]
The Midrash of Ahab ben Qolaya and Zedekiah ben
Ma'aseyah.
