YASHAR 70 (Jasher 70)

1 And in the third year from the birth of Mosheh, Pharaoh was sitting at a feast, when Alparanith the sovereigness was sitting at his right and Bathia at his left, and the boy Mosheh was lying on her bosom, and Bil’am son of Be’or with his two sons, and all the princes of the reign were sitting at table in the sovereign’s presence.

2 And the boy stretched out his hand on the sovereign’s head, and took the crown from the sovereign’s head and placed it on his own head.

3 And when the sovereign and princes saw the deed which the boy had done, the sovereign and princes were afraid, and one man to his neighbour expressed astonishment.

4 And the sovereign said to the princes who were before him at the table, “What do you speak and what do you say, O you princes, in this matter, and what is to be the judgment against the boy because of this deed?”

5 And Bil’am son of Be’or the magician answered before the sovereign and princes, and he said, “Remember now, O my master and sovereign, the dream which you dreamed many days ago, and that which your servant interpreted to you.

6 “Now therefore this is a child from the Iḇri children, in whom is the Ruaḥ of Elohim, and let not my master the sovereign think that this youngster did this matter without knowledge.

7 “For he is an Iḇri boy, and wisdom and understanding are with him, although he is yet a child, and with wisdom he has done this and chosen for himself the reign of Mitsrayim.

8 “For this is the manner of all the Iḇrim, to deceive sovereigns and their nobles, to do all these matters cunningly, in order to make the sovereigns of the earth and their men tremble.

9 “Indeed you know that Aḇraham their father acted so, who deceived the army of Nimroḏ sovereign of Baḇel, and Aḇimeleḵ sovereign of Gerar, and that he took possession of the land of the children of Ḥĕth and all the reigns of Kena’an.

10 “And that he went down to Mitsrayim and said of Sarah his wife, ‘She is my sister’, in order to mislead Mitsrayim and her sovereign.

11 “His son Yitsḥaq also did so when he went to Gerar and dwelt there, and his strength prevailed over the army of Aḇimeleḵ sovereign of the Pelishtites.

12 “He also thought of making the reign of the Pelishtites stumble, in saying that Riḇqah his wife was his sister.

13 “Ya’aqoḇ also dealt treacherously with his brother, and took from his hand his birthright and his beraḵah.

14 “He then went to Paddan Aram to the house of Laḇan his mother’s brother, and cunningly obtained from him his daughter, his cattle, and all belonging to him, and fled away and returned to the land of Kena’an to his father.

15 “His sons sold their brother Yosĕph, who went down to Mitsrayim and became a slave, and was placed in the prison house for twelve years,

16 until the former Pharaoh dreamed dreams, and withdrew him from the prison house, and made him great above all the princes in Mitsrayim because of his interpreting his dreams to him.

17 “And when Elohim caused a scarcity of food throughout the land, he sent for and brought his father and all his brothers, and the whole of his father’s household, and supported them without price or reward, and bought the Mitsrites for slaves.

18 “Now therefore my master sovereign see, this child has risen up in their place in Mitsrayim, to do according to their deeds and to strive with every sovereign, prince and judge.

19 “If it please the sovereign, let us now spill his blood on the ground, lest he grow up and take away the reign from your hand, and the hope of Mitsrayim perish after he come to reign.”

20 And Bil’am said to the sovereign, “Let us also call for all the judges of Mitsrayim and the wise men thereof, and let us know if the judgment of death is due to this boy as you say, and then we will slay him.”

21 And Pharaoh sent and called for all the wise men of Mitsrayim, and they came before the sovereign, and a messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 came among them, and he was like one of the wise men of Mitsrayim.

22 And the sovereign said to the wise men, “Indeed you have heard what this Iḇri boy who is in the house has done, and thus has Bil’am judged in the matter.

23 “Now you judge also and see what is due to the boy for the deed he has done.

24 And the messenger, who seemed like one of the wise men of Pharaoh, answered and said as follows, before all the wise men of Mitsrayim and before the sovereign and the princes:

25 “If it please the sovereign, let the sovereign send for men who shall bring before him a shoham stone and a coal of fire, and place them before the child, and if the child stretches out his hand and take the shoham stone, then we shall know that with wisdom the boy has done all that he has done, and we must slay him.

26 “But if he stretches out his hand on the coal, then we shall know that it was not with knowledge that he did this matter, and he shall live.”

27 And the word seemed good in the eyes of the sovereign and the princes, so the sovereign did according to the word of the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

28 And the sovereign ordered the shoham stone and coal to be brought and placed before Mosheh.

29 And they placed the boy before them, and the boy strove to stretch out his hand to the shoham stone, but the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 took his hand and placed it on the coal, and the coal became extinguished in his hand, and he lifted it up and put it into his mouth, and burned part of his lips and part of his tongue, and he became slow in mouth and tongue.

30 And when the sovereign and princes saw this, they knew that Mosheh had not acted with wisdom in taking off the crown from the sovereign’s head.

31 So the sovereign and princes refrained from slaying the child, so Mosheh remained in Pharaoh’s house, growing up, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was with him.

32 And while the boy was in the sovereign’s house, he was robed in purple and he grew among the children of the sovereign.

33 And when Mosheh grew up in the sovereign’s house, Bathia the daughter of Pharaoh considered him as a son, and all the household of Pharaoh honoured him, and all the men of Mitsrayim were afraid of him.

34 And he went out daily and came to the land of Goshen, where his brothers the children of Yisra’ĕl were, and Mosheh saw them daily in shortness of breath and hard labour.

35 And Mosheh asked them, saying, “Why is this labour weighed out to you day by day?”

36 And they told him all that had befallen them, and all the commands which Pharaoh had put upon them before his birth.

37 And they told him all the counsels which Bil’am son of Be’or had counselled against them, and what he had also counselled against him in order to slay him when he had taken the sovereign’s crown from off his head.

38 And when Mosheh heard these words his wrath was kindled against Bil’am, and he sought to kill him, and he was in ambush for him day by day.

39 And Bil’am was afraid of Mosheh, and he and his two sons rose up and went out from Mitsrayim, and they fled and delivered their beings and took themselves to the land of Kush to Kikianus, sovereign of Kush.

40  And Mosheh was in the sovereign’s house going out and coming in. 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 gave him favour in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all of his servants, and in the eyes of all the people of Mitsrayim, and they loved Mosheh exceedingly.

41 And the day arrived when Mosheh went to Goshen to see his brothers, that he saw the children of Yisra’ĕl in their burdens and hard labour, and Mosheh was grieved for their sakes.

42 And Mosheh returned to Mitsrayim and went to the house of Pharaoh, and came before the sovereign, and Mosheh bowed down before the sovereign.

43 And Mosheh said to Pharaoh, “Please my master, I have come to seek a small request from you, do not turn my face away empty.” And Pharaoh said to him, “Speak.”

44 And Mosheh said to Pharaoh, “Let there be given to your servants the children of Yisra’ĕl who are in Goshen, one day to rest from their labour on it.”

45 And the sovereign answered Mosheh and said, “Look, I have lifted up your face in this matter to grant your request.”

46 And Pharaoh ordered a call to be issued throughout Mitsrayim and Goshen, saying,

47 “To you, all the children of Yisra’ĕl, thus says the sovereign, ‘For six days you shall do your work and labour, but on the seventh day you shall rest, and shall not preform any work, thus shall you do all the days, as the sovereign and Mosheh son of Bathia have commanded.’ ”

48 And Mosheh rejoiced at this word which the sovereign had granted to him, and all the children of Yisra’ĕl did as Mosheh ordered them.

49 For this matter was from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to the children of Yisra’ĕl, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had begun to remember the children of Yisra’ĕl to save them for the sake of their fathers.

50 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was with Mosheh and his name went throughout Mitsrayim.

51 And Mosheh became great in the eyes of all the Mitsrites, and in the eyes of all the children of Yisra’ĕl, seeking good for his people Yisra’ĕl and speaking words of peace regarding them to the sovereign.