YASHAR 64 (Jasher 64)

1 And Bil’am son of Be’or was at that time with Angĕas in the battle. And when he saw that Tsepho prevailed over Angĕas, he fled from there and came to the Ḥittites.

2 And Tsepho and the children of the Ḥittites received him with great honour, for Tsepho knew Bil’am’s wisdom, and Tsepho gave to Bil’am many gifts and he remained with him.

3 And when Tsepho had returned from the battle, he commanded all the children of the Ḥittites to be numbered who had gone into battle with him, and see, not one was missing.

4 And Tsepho rejoiced at this matter, and he renewed his reign, and he made a feast for all his subjects.

5 But Tsepho did not remember 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and did not consider that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had helped him in battle, and that He had delivered him and his people from the hand of the sovereign of Aphrika, but still walked in the ways of the children of the Ḥittites and the wicked children of Ĕsaw, to serve other mighty ones which his brothers the children of Ĕsaw had taught him. It is therefore said, “From the wicked goes forth wickedness.”

6 And Tsepho reigned over all the children of the Ḥittites safely, but did not know 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 who had delivered him and all his people from the hand of the sovereign of Aphrika. And the companies of Aphrika came no more to the Ḥittites to plunder as usual, for they knew of the power of Tsepho who had smitten them all with the edge of the sword. So Angĕas was afraid of Tsepho son of Eliphaz, and of the children of the Ḥittites all the days.

7 At that time when Tsepho had returned from the battle, and when Tsepho had seen how he prevailed over all the people of Aphrika and had smitten them in battle with the edge of the sword, then Tsepho took counsel with the children of the Ḥittites, to go to Mitsrayim to fight against the sons of Ya’aqoḇ and with Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim.

8 For Tsepho heard that the mighty men of Mitsrayim were dead and that Yosĕph and his brothers the sons of Ya’aqoḇ were dead, and that all their children, the children of Yisra’ĕl remained in Mitsrayim.

9 And Tsepho considered to go to fight against them and all Mitsrayim, to avenge the cause of his brothers the children of Ĕsaw, whom Yosĕph with his brothers and all Mitsrayim had smitten in the land of Kena’an, when they went up to bury Ya’aqoḇ in Ḥeḇron.

10 And Tsepho sent messengers to Haḏaḏ, son of Beḏaḏ, sovereign of Eḏom, and to all his brothers the children of Ĕsaw, saying,

11 “Did you not say that you would not fight against the sovereign of Aphrika for he is a member of your covenant? See, I fought with him and smote him and all his people.

12 “Now therefore I have resolved to fight against Mitsrayim and the children of Ya’aqoḇ who are there, and I will be avenged of them for what Yosĕph, his brothers and ancestors did to us in the land of Kena’an when they went up to bury their father in Ḥeḇron.

13 “Now then if you are willing to come to me to assist me in fighting against them and Mitsrayim, then we shall avenge the cause of our brothers.”

14 And the children of Ĕsaw listened to the words of Tsepho, and the children of Ĕsaw gathered themselves together, a very great people, and they went to assist Tsepho and the children of the Ḥittites in battle.

15 And Tsepho sent to all the children of the East and to all the children of Yishma’ĕl with words such as these, and they gathered themselves and came to the assistance of Tsepho and the children of the Ḥittites in the battle upon Mitsrayim.

16 And all these sovereigns, the sovereign of Eḏom and the children of the East, and all the children of Yishma’ĕl, and Tsepho the sovereign of the Ḥittites went out and arrayed all their armies in Ḥeḇron.

17 And the camp was very great, extending in length a distance of three days’ journey, a people numerous as the sand on the sea shore which cannot be counted.

18 And all these sovereigns and their armies went down and came against all Mitsrayim in battle, and encamped together in the valley of Pathros.

19 And all Mitsrayim heard their report, and they also gathered themselves together, all the people of the land of Mitsrayim, and of all the cities belonging to Mitsrayim – about three hundred thousand men.

20 And the men of Mitsrayim also sent to the children of Yisra’ĕl who in those days were in the land of Goshen, to come to them in order to go and fight against these sovereigns.

21 And the men of Yisra’ĕl assembled and were about one hundred and fifty men, and they went to battle to assist the Mitsrites.

22 And the men of Yisra’ĕl and of Mitsrayim went out, about three hundred thousand men and one hundred and fifty men, and they went toward these sovereigns to battle, and they placed themselves from without the land of Goshen opposite Pathros.

23 And the Mitsrites did not trust in Yisra’ĕl to go with them in their divisions together for battle, for all the Mitsrites said, “Maybe the children of Yisra’ĕl will deliver us into the hand of the children of Ĕsaw and Yishma’ĕl, for they are their brothers.”

24 And all the Mitsrites said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, “You remain here together in your position and we will go and fight against the children of Ĕsaw and Yishma’ĕl, and if these sovereigns should prevail over us, then you come all together upon them and assist us.” And the children of Yisra’ĕl did so.

25 And Tsepho son of Eliphaz son of Ĕsaw sovereign of the Ḥittites, and Haḏaḏ son of Beḏaḏ sovereign of Eḏom, and all their divisions, and all the children of the East, and children of Yishma’ĕl, a people numerous as sand, encamped together in the valley of Pathros opposite Taḥpanḥes.

26 And Bil’am son of Be’or the Aramean was there in the camp of Tsepho, for he came with the children of the Ḥittites to the battle. And Bil’am was a man highly honoured in the eyes of Tsepho and his men.

27 And Tsepho said to Bil’am, “Try by divination for us that we may know who will prevail in the battle, we or the Mitsrites.”

28 And Bil’am rose up and tried the art of divination, and he was skillful in the knowledge of it, but he was confused and the work was destroyed in his hand.

29 And he tried it again but it did not succeed, and Bil’am despaired of it and left it and did not complete it, for this was from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, in order to cause Tsepho and his people to fall into the hand of the children of Yisra’ĕl, who had trusted in 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, the Elohim of their ancestors, in their battle.

30 And Tsepho and Haḏaḏ put their armies in battle array, and all the Mitsrites went alone against them – about three hundred thousand men – and not one man of Yisra’ĕl was with them.

31 And all the Mitsrites fought with these sovereigns opposite Pathros and Taḥpanḥes, and the battle was fierce against the Mitsrites.

32 And the sovereigns were stronger than the Mitsrites in that battle, and about one hundred and eighty men of Mitsrayim fell on that day. And about thirty men of the armies of the sovereigns, and all the men of Mitsrayim fled from before the sovereigns, so the children of Ĕsaw and Yishma’ĕl pursued the Mitsrites, continuing to smite them to the place where the camp of the children of Yisra’ĕl was.

33 And all the Mitsrites cried to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, “Hasten to us and assist us and save us from the hand of Ĕsaw, Yishma’ĕl and the children of the Ḥittites!”

34 And the hundred and fifty men of the children of Yisra’ĕl ran from their position to the camps of these sovereigns, and the children of Yisra’ĕl cried to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 their Elohim to deliver them.

35 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 listened to Yisra’ĕl, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 gave all the men of the sovereigns into their hand, and the children of Yisra’ĕl fought against these sovereigns, and the children of Yisra’ĕl smote about four thousand of the sovereigns’ men.

36 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 threw a great confusion into the camp of the sovereigns, so that the fear of the children of Yisra’ĕl fell upon them.

37 And all the armies of the sovereigns fled from before the children of Yisra’ĕl, and the children of Yisra’ĕl pursued them continuing to smite them to the borders of the land of Kush.

38 And the children of Yisra’ĕl slew of them on the way a further two thousand men, but not one of the children of Yisra’ĕl fell.

39 And when the Mitsrites saw that the children of Yisra’ĕl had fought with such few men with the sovereigns, and that the battle was so very fierce against them,

40 all the Mitsrites were greatly afraid for their lives because of the mighty battle, and all the Mitsrites fled, every man hiding himself from the arrayed armies, and they hid themselves on the way, and they left the Yisra’ĕlites to fight.

41 And the children of Yisra’ĕl inflicted a terrible blow upon the sovereigns’ men, and they returned from them after they had driven them to the border of the land of Kush.

42 And all Yisra’ĕl knew the matter which the men of Mitsrayim had done to them, that they had fled from them in battle, and had left them to fight alone.

43 So the children of Yisra’ĕl also acted with cunning, and as the children of Yisra’ĕl returned from battle, they found some of the Mitsrites on the way and smote them there.

44 And while they slew them, they said to them these words:

45 “Why did you go from us and leave us, being few people, to fight against these sovereigns who had a great people to smite us, that you might thereby deliver your own beings?”

46 And of some which the Yisra’ĕlites met on the way, then the children of Yisra’ĕl spoke to each other, saying, “Smite, smite, for he is a Yishma’ĕlite, or an Eḏomite, or from the children of the Ḥittites!” And they stood over him and slew him, but they knew that he was a Mitsrite.

47 And the children of Yisra’ĕl did these matters cunningly against the Mitsrites, because they had deserted them in battle and had fled from them.

48 And the children of Yisra’ĕl slew of the men of Mitsrayim, about two hundred men on the way in this manner.

49 And all the men of Mitsrayim saw the evil which the children of Yisra’ĕl had done to them, so all Mitsrayim greatly feared the children of Yisra’ĕl, for they had seen their great power, and that not one man of them had fallen.

50 So all the children of Yisra’ĕl returned with joy on their way to Goshen, and the rest of Mitsrayim returned, each man to his place.