YASHAR 76 (Jasher 76)

1 And Mosheh son of Amram was still sovereign in the land of Kush in those days, and he prospered in his reign, and he conducted the reign of the children of Kush in justice, in righteousness, and integrity.

2 And all the children of Kush loved Mosheh all the days that he reigned over them, and all the inhabitants of the land of Kush greatly revered him.

3 And in the fortieth year of the reign of Mosheh over Kush, Mosheh was sitting on the royal throne while Aḏoniyah the sovereigness was before him, and all the nobles were sitting around him.

4 And Aḏoniyah the sovereigness said before the sovereign and the princes, “What is this deed which you, the children of Kush, have done for this long time?

5 “Indeed you know that for the forty years this man has reigned over Kush he has not approached me, nor has he served the mighty ones of the children of Kush.

6 “Now therefore hear, O you children of Kush, and no longer let this man reign over you as he is not of our flesh.

7 “Look Menakrus my son is grown up, let him reign over you, for it is better for you to serve the son of your master, than to serve a stranger; a slave of the sovereign of Mitsrayim.”

8 And all the people and nobles of the children of Kush heard the words which Aḏoniyah the sovereigness had spoken in their ears.

9 And all the people were preparing until the evening, and in the morning they rose early and made Menakrus, son of Kikianus, sovereign over them.

10 But all the children of Kush were afraid to stretch out their hand against Mosheh, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was with Mosheh, and the children of Kush remembered the oath which they swore to Mosheh, so they did no harm to him.

11 But the children of Kush gave many presents to Mosheh, and sent him from them with great honour.

12 So Mosheh went out from the land of Kush, and went home and ceased to reign over Kush. And Mosheh was sixty-six years old when he went out from the land of Kush, for the matter was from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, for the period had arrived which he had appointed in the days of old, to bring out Yisra’ĕl from the affliction of the children of Ḥam.

13 So Mosheh went to Miḏyan, for he was afraid to return to Mitsrayim because of Pharaoh, and he went and sat at a well of water in Miḏyan.

14 And the seven daughters of Re’uw’ĕl the Miḏyanite went out to feed their father’s flock.

15 And they came to the well and drew water to water their father’s flock.

16 So the shepherds of Miḏyan came and drove them away, and Mosheh rose up and helped them and watered the flock.

17 And they came home to their father Re’uw’ĕl, and told him what Mosheh did for them.

18 And they said, “A Mitsrite man has delivered us from the hands of the shepherds; he drew up water for us and watered the flock.”

19 And Re’uw’ĕl said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why have you left the man?”

20 And Re’uw’ĕl sent for him and fetched him and brought him home, and he ate bread with him.

21 And Mosheh related to Re’uw’ĕl that he had fled from Mitsrayim and that he reigned forty years over Kush, and that afterward they had taken the reign from him, and had sent him away in peace with honour and with presents.

22 And when Re’uw’ĕl had heard the words of Mosheh, Re’uw’ĕl said within himself, “I will put this man into the prison house, whereby I shall appease the children of Kush, for he has fled from them.”

23 And they took and put him in the prison house, and Mosheh was in prison ten years. And while Mosheh was in the prison house, Tsipporah the daughter of Re’uw’ĕl took pity on him, and supported him with bread and water all the time.

24 And all the children of Yisra’ĕl were still in the land of Mitsrayim serving the Mitsrites in all manner of hard labour, and the hand of Mitsrayim continued in severity over the children of Yisra’ĕl in those days.

25 At that time 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 smote Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, and afflicted him with the plague of leprosy from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Because of the cruel treatment of the children of Yisra’ĕl this plague was at that time from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 on Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim.

26 For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had listened to the prayer of His people the children of Yisra’ĕl, and their cry reached Him for the sake of their hard labour.

27 Still his wrath did not turn from them, and the hand of Pharaoh was still outstretched against the children of Yisra’ĕl, and Pharaoh hardened his neck before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and he increased his yoke over the children of Yisra’ĕl, and embittered their lives with all manner of hard work.

28 And when 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had inflicted the plague upon Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, he asked his wise men and sorcerers to cure him.

29 And his wise men and sorcerers said to him that if the blood of little children were put into the wounds he would be healed.

30 And Pharaoh listened to them, and sent his attendants to Goshen to the children of Yisra’ĕl to take their little children.

31 And Pharaoh’s attendants went and took the infants of the children of Yisra’ĕl from the bosoms of their mothers by force, and they brought them to Pharaoh daily, a child each day, and the physicians killed them and applied them to the plague; thus they did all the days.

32 And the number of the children which Pharaoh slew was three hundred and seventy-five.

33 But 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 did not listen to the physicians of the sovereign of Mitsrayim, and the plague went on increasing greatly.

34 And Pharaoh was afflicted ten years with that plague, still the heart of Pharaoh was more hardened against the children of Yisra’ĕl.

35 And at the end of ten years 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 continued to afflict Pharaoh with destructive plagues.

36 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 smote him with an evil tumor and sickness of the stomach, and the plague turned into a severe boil.

37 At that time the two attendants of Pharaoh came from the land of Goshen where all the children of Yisra’ĕl were, and went to the house of Pharaoh and said to him, “We have seen the children of Yisra’ĕl slacken in their work and are negligent in their labour.”

38 And when Pharaoh heard the words of his attendants, his wrath was kindled against the children of Yisra’ĕl exceedingly, for he was greatly grieved at his bodily pain.

39 And he answered and said, “Now that the children of Yisra’ĕl know that I am ill, they turn and scoff at us! Now therefore harness my chariot for me, and I will take myself to Goshen and will see the scoffing of the children of Yisra’ĕl with which they are mocking me.” So his servants harnessed the chariot for him,

40 and they took and made him ride on a horse, for he was not able to ride by himself.

41 And he took ten horsemen and ten footmen with him, and went to the children of Yisra’ĕl to Goshen.

42 And when they had come to the border of Mitsrayim, the sovereign’s horse passed into a narrow place, elevated in the hollow part of the vineyard, fenced on both sides; the low, plain country being on the other side.

43 And the horses ran rapidly in that place and pressed each other, and the other horses pressed the sovereign’s horse.

44 And the sovereign’s horse fell into the low plain while the sovereign was riding on it, and when he fell, the chariot rolled over the sovereign’s face and the horse lay upon the sovereign. And the sovereign cried out, for his flesh was very sore.

45 And the flesh of the sovereign was torn from him, and his bones were broken and he could not ride, for this matter was from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 on him, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had heard the cries of His people the children of Yisra’ĕl and their affliction.

46 And his servants carried him on their shoulders, a little at a time, and they brought him back to Mitsrayim, and the horsemen who were with him also came back to Mitsrayim.

47 And they placed him in his bed, and the sovereign knew that his end was come to die, so Aparanith the sovereigness, his wife came and cried before the sovereign, and the sovereign wept a great weeping with her.

48 And all his nobles and servants came on that day and saw the sovereign in that affliction, and wept a great weeping with him.

49 And the princes of the sovereign and all his counsellors advised the sovereign to cause one to reign in his place in the land, whosoever he should choose from his sons.

50 And the sovereign had three sons and two daughters which Aparanith the sovereigness, his wife had borne to him, besides the sovereign’s children of concubines.

51 And these were their names: the first-born Othri, the second Aḏiqam, and the third Morion, and their sisters, the name of the elder Bathia and of the other Akuzi.

52 And Othri the first-born of the sovereign was a fool, hasty and hurried in his words.

53 But Aḏiqam was a cunning and wise man and knowing in all the wisdom of Mitsrayim, but of ugly appearance, fat fleshed, and very short in stature; his height was one ammah.

54 And when the sovereign saw Aḏiqam his son intelligent and wise in all matters, the sovereign resolved that he should be sovereign in his place after his death.

55 And he took for him a wife, Geḏuḏah daughter of Aḇilot, and he was ten years old, and she bore to him four sons.

56 And afterward he went and took three wives and brought forth eight sons and three daughters.

57 And the condition greatly prevailed over the sovereign, and his flesh stank like the flesh of a carcass cast on the field in summer time, during the heat of the sun.

58 And when the sovereign saw that his sickness had greatly strengthened itself over him, he ordered his son Aḏiqam to be brought to him, and they made him sovereign over the land in his place.

59 And at the end of three years, the sovereign died, in shame, disgrace and disgust, and his servants carried him and buried him in the burial place of the sovereigns of Mitsrayim in Tso’an Mitsrayim.

60 But they did not embalm him as was usual with sovereigns, for his flesh was putrid, and they could not approach to embalm him because of the stench, so they buried him in haste.

61 For this evil was from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 on him, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had repayed him evil for the evil which he had done to Yisra’ĕl in his days.

62 And he died with fear and with shame, and his son Aḏiqam reigned in his place.