Sefer haYashar, as it's known in Hebrew, is an ancient text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), though the version we have today is likely a medieval work that draws upon older traditions and midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations.
Our story centers on Esau, the brother of Jacob, and Nimrod, the mighty hunter and king of Babel. According to the Book of Jasher, after the death of Abraham, Esau was frequently out hunting. Nimrod, identified here as Amraphel (a name familiar from the story of Abraham and the kings in Genesis 14), was also a keen hunter, often accompanied by his warriors.
There was a darkness brewing. That "a jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esau all the days." Why? The Jasher doesn't explicitly say, but we can infer a power struggle, a sense of rivalry between these two powerful figures.
One day, Esau is out hunting and spots Nimrod in the wilderness with only two companions. Nimrod's mighty men were also in the field, but they were far away. Seizing the opportunity, Esau ambushes Nimrod, drawing his sword and cutting off his head! A brutal act, to be sure.
Esau then fights and kills Nimrod's two companions. The cries of these men are heard by Nimrod's warriors in the distance. They rush to the scene, only to find their king and his companions dead. Seeing them approach, Esau flees.
But he doesn't leave empty-handed. Esau takes Nimrod's valuable garments, garments that Nimrod's father had bequeathed to him, garments that had, helped Nimrod gain power over the land. Esau hides these garments in his house.
Exhausted and grief-stricken from the fight, Esau stumbles into his brother Jacob's presence. "Behold I shall die this day," he cries, "and wherefore then do I want the birthright?"
Ah, the birthright. The inheritance, the blessing, the future. Jacob, ever the pragmatist, seizes the moment. He acts "wisely," the text says, and Esau sells his birthright to Jacob. Not only that, but Esau also sells his portion in the Cave of Machpelah, the burial ground Abraham had purchased (Genesis 23). Jacob documents the entire transaction, sealing it with witnesses.
And what of Nimrod? His men carry his body back to the city and bury him. The Book of Jasher tells us Nimrod lived for 215 years and reigned for 185. He died, the text emphasizes, "by the sword of Esau in shame and contempt," and that the seed of Abraham caused his death, as Nimrod had seen in a dream.
The aftermath is significant. Nimrod's kingdom fractures, and the lands he controlled are returned to their original rulers. The people of Nimrod's house are enslaved.
What are we to make of this story? It’s a violent tale of power, jealousy, and opportunity. It paints Esau as a cunning and ruthless figure, not just the simple hunter of popular imagination. And it highlights Jacob's shrewdness, his ability to recognize and seize opportunities, even in the midst of tragedy. It's a far more complex and nuanced picture than we often get.
The Book of Jasher provides us with a glimpse into the tradition of Jewish tradition, showcasing how stories evolve, adapt, and offer different perspectives on familiar narratives. It reminds us that even the most well-known figures have hidden depths, and that the past is never quite as simple as it seems.
Book of Jasher, Chapter 27 1 And Esau at that time, after the death of Abraham, frequently went in the field to hunt. 2 And Nimrod king of Babel, the same was Amraphel, also frequently went with his mighty men to hunt in the field, and to walk about with his men in the cool of the day. 3 And Nimrod was observing Esau all the days, for a jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esau all the days. 4 And on a certain day Esau went in the field to hunt, and he found Nimrod walking in the wilderness with his two men. 5 And all his mighty men and his people were with him in the wilderness, but they removed at a distance from him, and they went from him in different directions to hunt, and Esau concealed himself for Nimrod, and he lurked for him in the wilderness. 6 And Nimrod and his men that were with him did not know him, and Nimrod and his men frequently walked about in the field at the cool of the day, and to know where his men were hunting in the field. 7 And Nimrod and two of his men that were with him came to the place where they were, when Esau started suddenly from his lurking place, and drew his sword, and hastened and ran to Nimrod and cut off his head. 8 And Esau fought a desperate fight with the two men that were with Nimrod, and when they called out to him, Esau turned to them and smote them to death with his sword. 9 And all the mighty men of Nimrod, who had left him to go to the wilderness, heard the cry at a distance, and they knew the voices of those two men, and they ran to know the cause of it, when they found their king and the two men that were with him lying dead in the wilderness. 10 And when Esau saw the mighty men of Nimrod coming at a distance, he fled, and thereby escaped; and Esau took the valuable garments of Nimrod, which Nimrod's father had bequeathed to Nimrod, and with which Nimrod prevailed over the whole land, and he ran and concealed them in his house. 11 And Esau took those garments and ran into the city on account of Nimrod's men, and he came unto his father's house wearied and exhausted from fight, and he was ready to die through grief when he approached his brother Jacob and sat before him. 12 And he said unto his brother Jacob, Behold I shall die this day, and wherefore then do I want the birthright? And Jacob acted wisely with Esau in this matter, and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, for it was so brought about by the Lord. 13 And Esau's portion in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth for the possession of a burial ground, Esau also sold to Jacob, and Jacob bought all this from his brother Esau for value given. 14 And Jacob wrote the whole of this in a book, and he testified the same with witnesses, and he sealed it, and the book remained in the hands of Jacob. 15 And when Nimrod the son of Cush died, his men lifted him up and brought him in consternation, and buried him in his city, and all the days that Nimrod lived were two hundred and fifteen years and he died. 16 And the days that Nimrod reigned upon the people of the land were one hundred and eighty-five years; and Nimrod died by the sword of Esau in shame and contempt, and the seed of Abraham caused his death as he had seen in his dream. 17 And at the death of Nimrod his kingdom became divided into many divisions, and all those parts that Nimrod reigned over were restored to the respective kings of the land, who recovered them after the death of Nimrod, and all the people of the house of Nimrod were for a long time enslaved to all the other kings of the land.
