YASHAR 34 (Jasher 34)

1 And the number of all the males that were circumcised, were six hundred and forty-five men, and two hundred and forty-six children.

2 But Ḥiddeqem, son of Pereḏ, the father of Ḥamor, and his six brothers, would not listen to Sheḵem and his father Ḥamor, and they would not be circumcised, for the proposal of the sons of Ya’aqoḇ was loathsome in their sight, and their wrath was greatly roused at this, that the people of the city had not listened to them.

3 And in the evening of the second day, they found eight small children who had not been circumcised, for their mothers had concealed them from Sheḵem and his father Ḥamor, and from the men of the city.

4 And Sheḵem and his father Ḥamor sent to have them brought before them to be circumcised, then Ḥiddeqem and his six brothers sprang at them with their swords, and sought to slay them.

5 And they sought to slay also Sheḵem and his father Ḥamor and they sought to slay Dinah with them because of this matter.

6 And they said to them, “What is this matter that you have done? Are there no women among the daughters of your brothers the Kena’anites, that you want to take for yourselves daughters of the Iḇrim, whom you did not know before, and will do this deed which your fathers never commanded you?

7 “Do you think that you will succeed through this deed which you have done? And what will you answer in this matter to your brothers the Kena’anites, who will come tomorrow and ask you concerning this matter?

8 “And if your deed shall not appear right and good in their eyes, what will you do for your lives, and I for our lives, in your not having listened to our voices?

9 “And if the inhabitants of the land and all your brothers, the children of Ḥam shall hear of your deed, saying,

10 ‘Because of an Iḇri woman Sheḵem and Ḥamor his father, and all the inhabitants of their city, did that which they did not know and which their ancestors never commanded them.’ Where then will you flee or where conceal your shame, all your days before your brothers, the inhabitants of the land of Kena’an?

11 “Now therefore we cannot bear up against this matter which you have done, neither can we be burdened with this yoke upon us, which our ancestors did not command us.

12 “See, tomorrow we will go and assemble all our brothers, the Kena’anite brothers who dwell in the land, and we will all come and smite you and all those who trust in you, that there shall not be a remnant left from you or them.”

13 And when Ḥamor and his son Sheḵem and all the people of the city heard the words of Ḥiddeqem and his brothers, they were terribly afraid for their lives at their words, and they repented of what they had done.

14 And Sheḵem and his father Ḥamor answered their father Ḥiddeqem and his brothers, and they said to them, “All the words which you spoke to us are true.

15 “Now do not say, nor think in your hearts that because of the love of the Iḇrim we did this matter that our ancestors did not command us.

16 “But because we saw that it was not their intention and desire to do according to our wishes concerning their daughter as to our taking her, except on this condition, so we listened to their voices and did this deed which you saw, in order to obtain our desire from them.

17 “And when we shall have obtained our request from them, we will then return to them and do to them that which you say to us.

18 “We ask you then to wait and stay until our flesh shall be healed and we again become strong, and we will then go together against them, and do to them that which is in your hearts and in ours.”

19 And Dinah the daughter of Ya’aqoḇ heard all these words which Ḥiddeqem and his brothers had spoken, and what Ḥamor and his son Sheḵem and the people of their city had answered them.

20 And she hurried and sent one of her female servants, that her father had sent to take care of her in the house of Sheḵem, to Ya’aqoḇ her father and to her brothers, saying:

21 “Thus did Ḥiddeqem and his brothers advise concerning you, and thus did Ḥamor and Sheḵem and the people of the city answer them.”

22 And when Ya’aqoḇ heard these words he was filled with wrath, and he was wroth at them, and his wrath was kindled against them.

23 And Shim’on and Lĕwi swore and said, “As 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 lives – the Elohim of the whole earth – by this time tomorrow, there shall not be a remnant left in the whole city!”

24 And twenty young men had concealed themselves who were not circumcised, and these young men fought against Shim’on and Lĕwi. And Shim’on and Lĕwi killed eighteen of them, and two fled from them and escaped to some tar pits that were in the city. And Shim’on and Lĕwi sought for them, but could not find them.

25 And Shim’on and Lĕwi continued to go about in the city, and they killed all the people of the city with the edge of the sword, and they left none remaining.

26 And there was a great fear in the midst of the city, and the cry of the people of the city ascended to the shamayim, and all the women and children cried aloud.

27 And Shim’on and Lĕwi slew all the city; they left not a male remaining in the whole city.

28 And they slew Ḥamor and Sheḵem his son with the edge of the sword, and they brought away Dinah from the house of Sheḵem and they went from there.

29 And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ went and returned, and came upon the slain, and plundered all their property which was in the city and the field.

30 And while they were taking the spoil, three hundred men stood up and threw dust at them and struck them with stones. Then Shim’on turned to them and he slew them all with the edge of the sword, and Shim’on turned before Lĕwi, and came into the city.

31 And they took away their sheep and their oxen and their cattle, and also the remainder of the women and little ones, and they led all these away. And they opened a gate and went out and came to their father Ya’aqoḇ with might.

32 And when Ya’aqoḇ saw all that they had done to the city, and saw the spoil that they took from them, Ya’aqoḇ was very wroth at them, and Ya’aqoḇ said to them, “What is this that you have done to me? See, I obtained rest among the Kena’anite inhabitants of the land, and none of them broke out against me.

33 “And now you have acted to make me a stench to the inhabitants of the land, among the Kena’anites and the Perizzites! And I am but small in number, and they will all assemble against me and slay me when they hear of your work with their brothers, and I and my household will be destroyed.”

34 And Shim’on and Lĕwi and all their brothers with them answered their father Ya’aqoḇ and said to him, “See, we live in the land, and shall Sheḵem do this to our sister? Why are you silent at all that Sheḵem has done, and shall he deal with our sister as with a whore in the streets?”

35 And the number of women whom Shim’on and Lĕwi took captive from the city of Sheḵem, whom they did not slay, was eighty-five who had not known a man.

36 And among them was a young maiden of good-looking appearance and well favoured, whose name was Bunah, and Shim’on took her for a wife. And the number of the males which they took captive and did not slay, was forty-seven men, but the rest they slew.

37 And all the young men and women that Shim’on and Lĕwi had taken captive from the city of Sheḵem, were servants to the sons of Ya’aqoḇ and to their children after them, until the day of the sons of Ya’aqoḇ going out from the land of Mitsrayim.

38 And when Shim’on and Lĕwi had gone out from the city, the two young men that were left, who had concealed themselves in the city, and did not die among the people of the city, rose up, and these young men went into the city and walked about in it, and found the city lay waste without man, and only women weeping. And these young men cried out and said, “See, this is the evil which the sons of Ya’aqoḇ the Iḇri did to this city in their having this day destroyed one of the Kena’anite cities, and were not afraid for their lives of all the land of Kena’an!”

39 And these men left the city and went to the city of Taphnaḵ, and they came there and told the inhabitants of Taphnaḵ all that had befallen them, and all that the sons of Ya’aqoḇ had done to the city of Sheḵem.

40 And the news reached Yashuḇ sovereign of Taphnaḵ, and he sent men to the city of Sheḵem to see those young men, for the sovereign did not believe them in this account, saying, “How could two men lay waste such a large city as Sheḵem?”

41 And the messengers of Yashuḇ came back and told him, saying, “We came to the city, and it is destroyed! There is not a man there, only weeping women. Neither is any flock or cattle there, for all that was in the city the sons of Ya’aqoḇ took away.”

42 And Yashuḇ wondered at this, saying, “How could two men do this matter, to destroy so large a city, and not one man able to stand against them?

43 “For the like has not been from the days of Nimroḏ, and not even from the earliest time, has the like come to pass.” And Yashuḇ, sovereign of Taphnaḵ, said to his people, “Be courageous and we will go and fight against these Iḇrim, and do to them as they did to the city, and we will avenge the cause of the people of the city!”

44 And Yashuḇ, sovereign of Taphnaḵ, consulted with his counsellors about this matter, and his counsellors said to him, “Alone you will not prevail over the Iḇrim, for they must be powerful to do this work to the whole city.

45 “If two of them laid waste the whole city, and no one stood against them, indeed if you go against them, they will all rise against us and destroy us also.

46 “But if you would send to all the sovereigns that surround us, and let them come together, then we will go with them and fight against the sons of Ya’aqoḇ; then you will prevail against them.”

47 And Yashuḇ heard the words of his counsellors, and their words pleased him and his people, and he did so. And Yashuḇ sovereign of Taphnaḵ sent to all the sovereigns of the Amorites that surrounded Sheḵem and Taphnaḵ, saying,

48 “Go up with me and assist me, and we will smite Ya’aqoḇ the Iḇri and all his sons, and destroy them from the earth, for thus did he do to the city of Sheḵem, and do you not know of it?”

49 And all the sovereigns of the Amorites heard of the evil that the sons of Ya’aqoḇ had done to the city of Sheḵem, and they were greatly astonished at them.

50 And the seven sovereigns of the Amorites assembled with all their armies – about ten thousand men with drawn swords – and they came to fight against the sons of Ya’aqoḇ. And Ya’aqoḇ heard that the sovereigns of the Amorites had assembled to fight against his sons, and Ya’aqoḇ was greatly afraid, and it distressed him.

51 And Ya’aqoḇ cried out against Shim’on and Lĕwi, saying, “What is this deed that you did? Why have you injured me, to bring against me all the children of Kena’an to destroy me and my household? For I was at rest, even I and my household, and you have done this matter to me, and provoked the inhabitants of the land against me by your doings!”

52 And Yahuḏah answered his father, saying, “Was it for naught my brothers Shim’on and Lĕwi killed all the inhabitants of Sheḵem? Indeed it was because Sheḵem had humbled our sister, and transgressed the command of our Elohim to Noaḥ and his children, for Sheḵem took our sister away by force, and committed adultery with her.

53 “And Sheḵem did all this evil and not one of the inhabitants of his city stopped him, to say, ‘Why would you do this?’ Only for this my brothers went and smote the city, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 delivered it into their hands, because its inhabitants had transgressed the Commands of our Elohim. Is it then for naught that they have done all this?

54 “And now why are you afraid or distressed, and why are you displeased at my brothers, and why is your wrath kindled against them?

55 “Indeed our Elohim who delivered the city of Sheḵem and its people into their hand, He will also deliver into our hands all the Kena’anite sovereigns who are coming against us, and we will do to them as my brothers did to Sheḵem.

56 “Now be at peace about them and cast away your fears, but trust in 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 our Elohim, and pray to Him to assist us and deliver us, and deliver our enemies into our hands.”

57 And Yahuḏah called to one of his father’s servants, “Go now and see where those sovereigns, who are coming against us, are positioned with their armies.”

58 And the servant went and looked far off, and went up opposite Mount Siḥon, and saw all the armies of the sovereigns standing in the fields. And he returned to Yahuḏah and said, “See, the sovereigns are positioned in the field with all their armies, a people exceedingly numerous, like the sand on the sea shore.”

59 And Yahuḏah said to Shim’on and Lĕwi, and to all his brothers, “Strengthen yourselves and be sons of might, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 our Elohim is with us. Do not fear them.

60 “Stand each man, girded with his weapons of battle, his bow and his sword, and we will go and fight against these uncircumcised men. 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 is our Elohim. He will save us!”

61 And they rose up, and each girded on his weapons of battle, great and small, eleven sons of Ya’aqoḇ, and all the servants of Ya’aqoḇ with them.

62 And all the servants of Yitsḥaq who were with Yitsḥaq in Ḥeḇron, all came to them equipped with all kinds of weapons. And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ and their servants, being one hundred and twelve men, went toward these sovereigns, and Ya’aqoḇ also went with them.

63 And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ sent to their father Yitsḥaq son of Aḇraham to Ḥeḇron – the same is Qiryath Arba – saying,

64 “We ask you to pray for us to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 our Elohim, to protect us from the hands of the Kena’anites who are coming against us, and to deliver them into our hands.”

65 And Yitsḥaq son of Aḇraham prayed to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 for his sons, and he said, “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim, You promised my father, saying, ‘I will multiply your seed as the stars of the shamayim, and You also promised me, and established Your word. Now the sovereigns of Kena’an are coming together, to fight against my children because they committed no violence.

66 “Now therefore, O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim, Elohim of the whole earth, overthrow, I pray, the counsel of these sovereigns that they may not fight against my sons.

67 “And impress the hearts of these sovereigns and their people with the fear of my sons and bring down their pride, and that they would turn away from my sons.

68 “And with Your strong hand and outstretched arm deliver my sons and their servants from them, for power and might are in Your hands to do all this.”

69 And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ and their servants went toward these sovereigns, and they trusted in 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 their Elohim. And while they were going, Ya’aqoḇ their father also prayed to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and said, “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim, powerful and exalted Ĕl, who has reigned from days of old, from then till now and forever;

70 “You are He who stirs up wars and causes them to cease. In Your hand are power and might to exalt and to bring down. O may my prayer be acceptable before You that You may turn to me with Your compassions, to impress the hearts of these sovereigns and their people with the fear of my sons, and frighten them and their armies, and with Your great kindness deliver all those that trust in You, for it is You who can bring people under us and reduce nations under our power.”