We pick up with Jacob, now 99 years old, receiving a divine instruction. "Arise, go to Bethel," God tells him, "and remain there, and make there an altar to the Lord who appeareth unto thee." So Jacob, his sons, and all their belongings journey to Bethel, which the text also identifies as Luz. There, he builds an altar, fulfilling God’s command. They stay for six months.
But even in this sacred space, life keeps happening. We’re told of the death of Deborah, Rebecca’s nurse, who had been with Jacob. She's buried beneath an oak tree near Bethel.
And then, a heavy blow: Rebecca, Jacob’s mother, dies in Hebron at the age of 133. The Book of Jasher emphasizes Jacob's profound grief. He weeps bitterly, mourning not only his mother but also Deborah. He names the place Allon-bachuth, meaning "oak of weeping."
If that wasn't enough, Laban, the tricky uncle, also dies around this time. The text states that God smote him for violating the covenant he made with Jacob. A reminder that actions have consequences, even for family.
Amidst all this loss, there's a glimmer of hope. At 100 years old, God appears to Jacob again, blesses him, and reaffirms his name as Israel. And Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, conceives.
The family then journeys from Bethel toward Hebron, to Jacob's father's house. But tragedy strikes again. As they approach Ephrath, Rachel goes into a difficult labor and dies giving birth to her son. Jacob buries her on the road to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, marking her grave with a pillar that, according to the text, stands to this day. She was only 45 years old. Jacob names the son born of this sorrow Benjamin, which the text explains as meaning "born to him in the land on the right hand."
After Rachel's death, Jacob moves his tent into that of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid. This act sparks jealousy in Reuben, Jacob's eldest son, who is fiercely protective of his mother Leah. In his anger, Reuben removes his father's bed from Bilhah's tent.
Now, this act has significant consequences. According to the Book of Jasher, Reuben's actions lead to the removal of the birthright, the kingly office, and the priesthood from his lineage. The birthright goes to Joseph, the kingship to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi. All because Reuben "defiled his father's bed."
The text then lists the sons of Jacob, reminding us of the twelve tribes of Israel. It names the sons of Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah, solidifying the family's lineage.
Jacob and his family eventually arrive in Mamre, near Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived. They settle there with Jacob's father, Isaac. Meanwhile, Esau and his descendants move to the land of Seir, where they prosper.
The chapter concludes with a genealogy of Esau's descendants and the families of Seir the Horite, the original inhabitants of the land. There’s even a strange tale about Anah, son of Zibeon, who, while tending his father’s asses, encounters bizarre creatures emerging from the sea – beings that are human from the waist down but have the upper bodies of bears and other fearsome animals. These creatures ride the asses away, never to be seen again. It's a curious, almost surreal, interlude.
It also notes that Timna, the sister of Lotan, desired to marry into Jacob's family, but was rejected. She then became a concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son, and bore him Amalek - a name that would later become synonymous with Israel's enemies.
So, what do we take away from this chapter? It's a potent reminder that life is a tapestry woven with threads of joy and sorrow, blessings and challenges. It shows us how families are built, how lineages are forged, and how even in the midst of loss, life goes on. The story of Jacob, Rachel, and their sons is a story of resilience, faith, and the enduring power of family, even when faced with unimaginable hardship. And perhaps, a little bit of the bizarre too.
Sacred-texts Apocrypha Index Previous Next Book of Jasher, Chapter 36 1 At that time the Lord appeared unto Jacob saying, Arise, go to Bethel and remain there, and make there an altar to the Lord who appeareth unto thee, who delivered thee and thy sons from affliction. 2 And Jacob rose up with his sons and all belonging to him, and they went and came to Bethel according to the word of the Lord. 3 And Jacob was ninety-nine years old when he went up to Bethel, and Jacob and his sons and all the people that were with him, remained in Bethel in Luz, and he there built an altar to the Lord who appeared unto him, and Jacob and his sons remained in Bethel six months. 4 At that time died Deborah the daughter of Uz, the nurse of Rebecca, who had been with Jacob; and Jacob buried her beneath Bethel under an oak that was there. 5 And Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel, the mother of Jacob, also died at that time in Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, and she was buried in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth. 6 And the life of Rebecca was one hundred and thirty-three years, and she died and when Jacob heard that his mother Rebecca was dead he wept bitterly for his mother, and made a great mourning for her, and for Deborah her nurse beneath the oak, and he called the name of that place Allon-bachuth. 7 And Laban the Syrian died in those days, for God smote him because he transgressed the covenant that existed between him and Jacob. 8 And Jacob was a hundred years old when the Lord appeared unto him, and blessed him and called his name Israel, and Rachel the wife of Jacob conceived in those days. 9 And at that time Jacob and all belonging to him journeyed from Bethel to go to his father's house, to Hebron. 10 And whilst they were going on the road, and there was yet but a little way to come to Ephrath, Rachel bare a son and she had hard labor and she died. 11 And Jacob buried her in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, and he set a pillar upon her grave, which is there unto this day; and the days of Rachel were forty-five years and she died. 12 And Jacob called the name of his son that was born to him, which Rachel bare unto him, Benjamin, for he was born to him in the land on the right hand. 13 And it was after the death of Rachel, that Jacob pitched his tent in the tent of her handmaid Bilhah. 14 And Reuben was jealous for his mother Leah on account of this, and he was filled with anger, and he rose up in his anger and went and entered the tent of Bilhah and he thence removed his father's bed. 15 At that time the portion of birthright, together with the kingly and priestly offices, was removed from the sons of Reuben, for he had profaned his father's bed, and the birthright was given unto Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood unto Levi, because Reuben had defiled his father's bed. 16 And these are the generations of Jacob who were born to him in Padan-aram, and the sons of Jacob were twelve. 17 The sons of Leah were Reuben the first born, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and their sister Dinah; and the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 18 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, were Gad and Asher, and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, were Dan and Naphtali; these are the sons of Jacob which were born to him in Padan-aram. 19 And Jacob and his sons and all belonging to him journeyed and came to Mamre, which is Kireath-arba, that is in Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned, and Jacob with his sons and all belonging to him, dwelt with his father in Hebron. 20 And his brother Esau and his sons, and all belonging to him went to the land of Seir and dwelt there, and had possessions in the land of Seir, and the children of Esau were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land of Seir. 21 And these are the generations of Esau that were born to him in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Esau were five. 22 And Adah bare to Esau his first born Eliphaz, and she also bare to him Reuel, and Ahlibamah bare to him Jeush, Yaalam and Korah. 23 These are the children of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Eliphaz the son of Esau were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz and Amalex, and the sons of Reuel were Nachath, Zerach, Shamah and Mizzah. 24 And the sons of Jeush were Timnah, Alvah, Jetheth; and the sons of Yaalam were Alah, Phinor and Kenaz. 25 And the sons of Korah were Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Eram; these are the families of the sons of Esau according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir. 26 And these are the names of the sons of Seir the Horite, inhabitants of the land of Seir, Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishan, Ezer and Dishon, being seven sons. 27 And the children of Lotan were Hori, Heman and their sister Timna, that is Timna who came to Jacob and his sons, and they would not give ear to her, and she went and became a concubine to Eliphaz the son of Esau, and she bare to him Amalek. 28 And the sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam, and the sons of Zibeon were Ajah, and Anah, this was that Anah who found the Yemim in the wilderness when he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. 29 And whilst he was feeding his father's asses he led them to the wilderness at different times to feed them. 30 And there was a day that he brought them to one of the deserts on the sea shore, opposite the wilderness of the people, and whilst he was feeding them, behold a very heavy storm came from the other side of the sea and rested upon the asses that were feeding there, and they all stood still. 31 And afterward about one hundred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where the asses were, and they placed themselves there. 32 And those animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the likeness of the keephas, with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like the tails of the ducheephath, and these animals came and mounted and rode upon these asses, and led them away, and they went away unto this day. 33 And one of these animals approached Anah and smote him with his tail, and then fled from that place. 34 And when he saw this work he was exceedingly afraid of his life, and he fled and escaped to the city. 35 And he related to his sons and brothers all that had happened to him, and many men went to seek the asses but could not find them, and Anah and his brothers went no more to that place from that day following, for they were greatly afraid of their lives. 36 And the children of Anah the son of Seir, were Dishon and his sister Ahlibamah, and the children of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Cheran, and the children of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan, and the children of Dishon were Uz and Aran. 37 These are the families of the children of Seir the Horite, according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir. 38 And Esau and his children dwelt in the land of Seir the Horite, the inhabitant of the land, and they had possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly, and Jacob and his children and all belonging to them, dwelt with their father Isaac in the land of Canaan, as the Lord had commanded Abraham their father. 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