YASHAR 55 (Jasher 55)

1 And it came to be after this that Ya’aqoḇ said, “I will go and see my son in Mitsrayim but will then come back to the land of Kena’an of which Elohim has spoken to Aḇraham, for I cannot leave the land of my birth-place.”

2 See the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 came to him, saying, “Go down to Mitsrayim with all your household and remain there. Fear not, to go down to Mitsrayim for I will make you a great nation there.”

3 And Ya’aqoḇ said within himself, “I will go and see my son whether the fear of his Elohim is still in his heart among all the inhabitants of Mitsrayim.”

4 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Ya’aqoḇ, “Fear not about Yosĕph, for he still holds to his integrity to serve Me, as will seem good in your eyes.” And Ya’aqoḇ rejoiced exceedingly concerning his son.

5 At that time Ya’aqoḇ commanded his sons and household to go to Mitsrayim according to the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to him, and Ya’aqoḇ rose up with his sons and all his household, and he went out from the land of Kena’an from Be’ĕrsheḇa, with joy and gladness of heart, and they went to the land of Mitsrayim.

6 And it came to be when they came near Mitsrayim, Ya’aqoḇ sent Yahuḏah before him to Yosĕph that he might show him a place in Mitsrayim. And Yahuḏah did according to the word of his father, and he hurried and ran and came to Yosĕph, and they assigned for them a place in the land of Goshen for all his household, and Yahuḏah returned and came along the way to his father.

7 And Yosĕph harnessed the chariot, and he assembled all his mighty men and his servants and all the officers of Mitsrayim in order to go and meet his father Ya’aqoḇ. And Yosĕph’s decree was proclaimed in Mitsrayim, saying, “All that do not go to meet Ya’aqoḇ shall die.”

8 And on the next day Yosĕph went out with all Mitsrayim – a great and mighty host, all dressed in garments of fine linen and purple and with instruments of silver and gold and with their weapons of battle with them.

9 And they all went to meet Ya’aqoḇ with all kinds of musical instruments, with drums and timbrels, scattering myrrh and aloes all along the way, and they all went after this manner, and the earth shook at their shouting.

10 And all the women of Mitsrayim went up on the roofs of Mitsrayim and on the walls to meet Ya’aqoḇ. And on the head of Yosĕph was Pharaoh’s royal crown, for Pharaoh had sent it to him to put on at the time of his going to meet his father.

11 And when Yosĕph came within fifty ammah of his father, he came down from the chariot and he walked toward his father, and when all the officers of Mitsrayim and her nobles saw that Yosĕph had gone on foot toward his father, they also came down and walked on foot toward Ya’aqoḇ.

12 And when Ya’aqoḇ approached the company of Yosĕph, Ya’aqoḇ saw the company that was coming toward him with Yosĕph, and it delighted him and Ya’aqoḇ was astonished at it.

13 And Ya’aqoḇ said to Yahuḏah, “Who is that man whom I see in the camp of Mitsrayim dressed in royal robes with a great red garment on him and a royal crown on his head, who has come down from his chariot and is coming toward us?” and Yahuḏah answered his father, saying, “He is your son Yosĕph the sovereign.” And Ya’aqoḇ rejoiced in seeing the esteem of his son.

14 And Yosĕph came near to his father and he bowed to his father, and all the men of the company bowed to the ground with him before Ya’aqoḇ.

15 And see, Ya’aqoḇ ran and hurried to his son Yosĕph and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. And Yosĕph also embraced his father and kissed him, and they wept and all the people of Mitsrayim wept with them.

16 And Ya’aqoḇ said to Yosĕph, “Now I will gladly die after I have seen your face, that you are still living and with esteem.”

17 And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ and their wives and their children and their servants, and all the household of Ya’aqoḇ wept exceedingly with Yosĕph, and they kissed him and wept greatly with him.

18 And Yosĕph and all his people returned home to Mitsrayim afterward, and Ya’aqoḇ and his sons and all the children of his household came with Yosĕph to Mitsrayim, and Yosĕph placed them in the best part of Mitsrayim, in the land of Goshen.

19 And Yosĕph said to his father and to his brothers, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, saying, ‘My brothers and my father’s household and all belonging to them have come to me, and see, they are in the land of Goshen.’ ”

20 And Yosĕph did so and took of his brothers Re’uḇĕn, Yissasḵar, Zeḇulun and his brother Binyamin, and he placed them before Pharaoh.

21 And Yosĕph spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “My brothers and my father’s household and all belonging to them, together with their flocks and cattle have come to me from the land of Kena’an, to sojourn in Mitsrayim; for the scarcity of food was hard on them.”

22 And Pharaoh said to Yosĕph, “Place your father and brothers in the best part of the land, do not withhold from them any that is good, and cause them to eat of the fatness of the land.”

23 And Yosĕph answered, saying, “See I have settled them in the land of Goshen, for they are shepherds, therefore let them remain in Goshen to feed their flocks apart from the Mitsrites.

24 And Pharaoh said to Yosĕph, “Do with your brothers all that they shall say to you.” And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ bowed down to Pharaoh, and they went out from him in peace afterward, and Yosĕph brought his father before Pharaoh.

25 And Ya’aqoḇ came and bowed down to Pharaoh, and Ya’aqoḇ baraḵ Pharaoh, and then he went out. And Ya’aqoḇ and all his sons, and all his household dwelt in the land of Goshen.

26 In the second year, that is, in the hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Ya’aqoḇ, Yosĕph sustained his father and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread according to their little ones. All the days of the scarcity of food they lacked naught.

27 And Yosĕph gave to them the best part of the whole land; they had the best of Mitsrayim all the days of Yosĕph. And Yosĕph also gave to them and to the whole of his father’s household, clothes and garments year by year. And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ remained safely in Mitsrayim all the days of their brother.

28 And Ya’aqoḇ always ate at Yosĕph’s table, Ya’aqoḇ and his sons did not leave Yosĕph’s table day or night, besides what Ya’aqoḇ’s children ate in their houses.

29 And all Mitsrayim ate bread during the days of the scarcity of food from the house of Yosĕph, for all the Mitsrites sold all belonging to them because of the scarcity of food.

30 And Yosĕph purchased all the lands and fields of Mitsrayim for bread on the account of Pharaoh, and Yosĕph supplied all Mitsrayim with bread all the days of the scarcity of food. And Yosĕph collected all the silver and gold that came to him for the grain which they bought throughout the land, and he accumulated much gold and silver, besides an immense quantity of shoham stones, bdellium and valuable garments which they brought to Yosĕph from every part of the land when their silver was spent.

31 And Yosĕph took all the silver and gold that came into his hand – about seventy-two kiḵars of gold, and silver, and also shoham stones, and bdellium in great quantities – and Yosĕph went and concealed them in four parts. And he concealed one part in the wilderness near the Sea of Reeds, and one part by the river Perath, and the third and fourth part he concealed in the desert opposite to the wilderness of Paras and Maḏai.

32 And he took part of the gold and silver that was left, and gave it to all his brothers and to all his father’s household, and to all the women of his father’s household, and the rest he brought to the house of Pharaoh – about twenty kiḵars of gold and silver.

33 And Yosĕph gave all the gold and silver that was left to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh placed it in the treasury. And the days of the scarcity of food ceased after that in the land, and they sowed and reaped in the whole land, and they obtained their usual quantity year by year; they lacked naught.

34 And Yosĕph dwelt safely in Mitsrayim, and the whole land was under his counsel, and his father and all his brothers dwelt in the land of Goshen and took possession of it.

35 And Yosĕph was very aged, advanced in days, and his two sons, Ephrayim and Menashsheh, remained constantly in the house of Ya’aqoḇ, together with the children of the sons of Ya’aqoḇ their brothers, to learn the Ways of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and His Torot.

36 And Ya’aqoḇ and his sons dwelt in the land of Mitsrayim in the land of Goshen, and they took possession in it, and they were fruitful and multiplied in it.