YASHAR 61 (Jasher 61)

1 And it came to be at that time, Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim commanded all his people to make a strong palace for him in Mitsrayim.

2 And he also commanded the sons of Ya’aqoḇ to assist the Mitsrites in the building, and the Mitsrites made an attractive and elegant palace for a royal dwelling, and he dwelt in it and he renewed his reign and he reigned safely.

3 And Zeḇulun son of Ya’aqoḇ died in that year, that is the seventy-second year of the going down of the Yisra’elites to Mitsrayim. And Zeḇulun died a hundred and fourteen years old, and was put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.

4 And in the seventy-fifth year his brother Shim’on died. He was a hundred and twenty years old at his death, and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.

5 And Tsepho son of Eliphaz son of Ĕsaw, captain of the army to Angĕas sovereign of Dinhaḇah, was still daily enticing Angĕas to prepare for battle to fight against the sons of Ya’aqoḇ in Mitsrayim. But Angĕas was unwilling to do this matter, for his servants had related to him all the might of the sons of Ya’aqoḇ, what they had done to them in their battle with the children of Ĕsaw.

6 And in those days Tsepho was daily enticing Angĕas to fight against the sons of Ya’aqoḇ in those days.

7 And after some time Angĕas listened to the words of Tsepho and consented to him to fight against the sons of Ya’aqoḇ in Mitsrayim, and Angĕas got all his people in order, a people numerous as the sand which is upon the sea shore, and he formed his resolve to go to Mitsrayim to battle.

8 And among the servants of Angĕas was a young man, fifteen years old – Bil’am son of Be’or was his name – and the young man was very wise and understood the art of witchcraft.

9 And Angĕas said to Bil’am, “Please divine for us with the witchcraft, that we may know who will prevail in this battle to which we are now proceeding.

10 And Bil’am ordered that they should bring him wax, and he made from it the likeness of chariots and horsemen representing the army of Angĕas and the army of Mitsrayim. And he put them in the skillfully prepared waters that he had for that purpose, and he took in his hand the branches of myrtle trees, and he exercised his skill, and he cast spells over the water. And there appeared to him in the water the resembling images of the armies of Angĕas falling before the resembling images of the Mitsrites and the sons of Ya’aqoḇ.

11 And Bil’am told this matter to Angĕas, and Angĕas despaired and did not arm himself to go down to Mitsrayim to battle, but remained in his city.

12 And when Tsepho son of Eliphaz saw that Angĕas despaired of going out to battle with the Mitsrites, Tsepho fled from Angĕas from Aphrika, and he went and came to the Ḥittites.

13 And all the people of the Ḥittites received him with great honour, and they hired him to fight their battles all the days. And Tsepho became exceedingly rich in those days, and the companies of the sovereign of Aphrika spread themselves further in those days, and the children of the Ḥittites assembled and went to Mount Kuptitsia because of the companies of Angĕas sovereign of Aphrika, who were advancing on them.

14 And it came to be one day that Tsepho lost a young heifer, and he went to seek it, and he heard it lowing round about the mountain.

15 And Tsepho went and he looked and see, there was a large cave at the bottom of the mountain, and there was a great stone there at the entrance of the cave. And Tsepho split the stone and he came into the cave and he looked and see, a large beast was devouring the ox. From the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled a beast, and Tsepho rose up against the beast and slew it with his swords.

16 And the inhabitants of the Ḥittites heard of this matter, and they rejoiced exceedingly, and they said, “What shall we do to this man who has slain this beast that devoured our cattle?”

17 And they all assembled to qadosh one day in the year to him, and they called the name of it Tsepho after his name, and they brought to him drink offerings year after year on that day, and they brought gifts to him.

18 At that time Yaniah the daughter of Uzu wife of sovereign Angĕas became ill, and her illness was heavily felt by Angĕas and his officers. And Angĕas said to his wise men, “What shall I do to Yaniah and how shall I heal her from her illness?” And his wise men said to him, “Because the air of our country is not like the air of the land of the Ḥittites, and our water is not like their water, therefore from this has the sovereigness become ill.

19 “For through the change of air and water she became ill, and also because in her country she drank only the water which came from Purmah, which her ancestors had brought up with bridges.”

20 And Angĕas commanded his servants, and they brought to him in vessels of the waters of Purmah belonging to the Ḥittites, and they weighed those waters with all the waters of the land of Aphrika, and they found those waters lighter than the waters of Aphrika.

21 And Angĕas saw this matter, and he commanded all his officers to assemble the hewers of stone in thousands and tens of thousands, and they hewed stone without number. And the builders came and they built an exceedingly strong bridge, and they brought the spring of water from the land of the Ḥittites to Aphrika, and those waters were for Yaniah the sovereigness and for all her concerns, to drink from and to bake, wash and bathe, and also to water all seed from which food can be obtained, and all fruit of the ground.

22 And the sovereign commanded that they should bring the soil of the Ḥittites in large ships, and they also brought stones to build. And the builders built palaces for Yaniah the sovereigness, and the sovereigness became healed of her illness.

23 And at the turn of the year, the companies of Aphrika continued coming to the land of the Ḥittites to plunder as usual. And Tsepho son of Eliphaz heard their report, and he gave orders concerning them and he fought with them, and they fled before him, and he delivered the land of the Ḥittites from them.

24 And the children of the Ḥittites saw the might of Tsepho, and the children of the Ḥittites resolved and they made Tsepho sovereign over them, and he became sovereign over them. And while he reigned they went to subdue the children of Tuḇal, and all the surrounding islands.

25 And their sovereign Tsepho went at their head and they fought against Tuḇal and the islands, and they subdued them. And when they returned from the battle they renewed his reign for him, and they built for him a very large palace for his royal dwelling and throne. And they made a large throne for him, and Tsepho reigned over the whole land of the Ḥittites and over the land of Italiyah fifty years.