YASHAR 4 (Jasher 4)

1 And all the days that Ḥanoḵ lived upon earth, were three hundred and sixty-five years.

2 And when Ḥanoḵ had gone up into the shamayim, all the sovereigns of the earth rose and took Methushelaḥ his son and anointed him, and they caused him to reign over them in the place of his father.

3 And Methushelaḥ acted uprightly in the sight of Elohim, as his father Ḥanoḵ had taught him, and he likewise, during the whole of his life, taught the sons of men wisdom, knowledge and the reverence of Elohim, and he did not turn from the good Way either to the right or to the left.

4 But in the latter days of Methushelaḥ, the sons of men turned from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, they corrupted the earth, they robbed and plundered each other, and they rebelled against Elohim and they transgressed, and they corrupted their ways, and would not listen to the voice of Methushelaḥ, but rebelled against him.

5 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was exceedingly wroth against them, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 continued to destroy the seed in those days, so that there was neither sowing nor reaping in the earth.

6 For when they sowed the ground in order that they might obtain food for their support, see, thorns and thistles were produced which they did not sow.

7 And still the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and their hands were still extended to do evil in the sight of Elohim, and they provoked 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 with their evil ways, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was very wroth, and was sorry that he had made man.

8 And he thought to destroy and annihilate them, and he did so.

9 In those days when Lemeḵ son of Methushelaḥ was one hundred and sixty years old, Shĕth son of Aḏam died.

10 And all the days that Shĕth lived, were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

11 And Lemeḵ was one hundred and eighty years old when he took Ashmua, the daughter of Elishua son of Ḥanoḵ his uncle, and she conceived.

12 And at that time the sons of men sowed the ground, and a little food was produced, yet the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and they trespassed and rebelled against Elohim.

13 And the wife of Lemeḵ conceived and bore him a son at that time, at the turn of the year.

14 And Methushelaḥ called his name Noaḥ, saying, “In his days the earth was at rest and free from corruption.” And Lemeḵ, his father called his name Menaḥĕm, saying, “This one shall comfort us in our works and miserable toil in the earth,” which Elohim had cursed.

15 And the child grew up and was weaned, and he went in the Ways of his father Methushelaḥ, perfect and upright with Elohim.

16 And all the sons of men departed from the Ways of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 in those days as they multiplied upon the face of the earth with sons and daughters, and they taught one another their evil practices and they continued sinning against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

17 And every man made for himself a mighty one, and they robbed and plundered every man, his neighbour as well as his relative, and they corrupted the earth, and the earth was filled with violence.

18 And their judges and rulers went to the daughters of men and took their wives by force from their husbands according to their choice, and the sons of men in those days took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the birds of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order to provoke 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 by it. And Elohim saw the whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways on earth, all men and all animals.

19 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said, “I will blot out man that I created from the face of the earth, from man to the birds of the air, together with cattle and beasts that are in the field for I am sorry that I made them.”

20 And all men who walked in the Ways of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 died in those days, before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 brought the evil upon man which He had declared, for this was from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, that they should not see the evil which 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 spoke of concerning the sons of men.

21 And Noaḥ found favour in the sight of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 chose him and his children to raise up seed from them upon the face of the whole earth.