eat, and your little ones have food. And they said, Thou hast preserved us; may we find grace in the eyes of my lord, and we will be the servants of Pharoh. And Joseph made it a statute unto this day over the land of Mizraim, that one of five should be given to Pharoh; only the land of the priests alone was not Pharoh's. And Israel dwelt in the land of Mizraim in the land of Goshen, and possessed it: and they increased and multiplied greatly.

SECTION XII.

VAYECHI.

And Jakob lived in the land of Mizraim seventeen years. And the days of the years of the life of Jakob were a hundred and forty and seven years. And the days of Israel drew near to die. And he called to his son, to Joseph, and said to him, If now I have found favour in thine eyes, put, I beseech thee, thine hand under my thigh, and deal with me in goodness and truth; nor bury me, I beseech thee, in Mizraim; but I will sleep with my fathers; and thou shalt carry me from Mizraim, and bury me in their sepulchre. And he said, I will do according to thy word. And he said, Swear to me; and he sware to him. And Israel

worshipped upon the pillow of the bed.

XLVIII. And it was after these words that it was said to Joseph, Behold, thy father is ill. And he took his two sons with him, Menashe and Ephraim. And it was shown to Jakob, and told (him,) Behold, thy son Al rish harsa, "upon the head of the bed."

Joseph cometh to thee. And Israel was strengthened, and he sat upon the bed. And Jakob said to Joseph, El Shadai revealed Himself to me in Luz, in the land of Kenaan, and blessed me; and He said to me, Behold, I will multiply thee, and make thee great, and will set thee for an assembly of tribes, and will give this land to thy sons after thee for an everlasting inheritance. And now thy two sons which were born to thee in the land of Mizraim, before my coming to thee into Mizraim, are mine; Ephraim and Menashe shall be as Reuben and Shimeon before me. And the children whom thou mayest beget after them, who shall be thine, after the name of their brethren they shall be called in their inheritance.6 And I, in my coming from Padan, Rahel died by me in the land of Kenaan, in the way, while as yet there was a space of ground to come unto Ephrath. And I buried her there, by the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Israel saw the sons of Joseph, and said, Who are these? And Joseph said to his father, They are my sons whom the Lord hath given me here. And he said, Bring them now near to me, that I may bless them. But the eyes of Israel were heavy from age, and he could not discern. And he brought them near to him, and he kissed them, and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, I had not hoped to see thy face, and, behold, the Lord hath showed me thy sons also. And Joseph led them from before him, and worshipped with his face on the earth. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim in his right hand, on the left of Israel, and Menashe in his left hand, on the right of Israel, and brought them to him. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger; and his left hand on the head of

5 Sam. Vers., "strengthened himself." Sam. Vers., "in their divisions."

7

7 Sam. Vers., "prayed."

9

8

Menashe, using his hands designingly; (or, instructing his hands;) for Menashe was the first-born. And he blessed Joseph, and said, The Lord, before whom my fathers Abraham and Izhak did serve; the Lord, who fed me from my coming unto this day; the Angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the youths; and let my name be called upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Izhak; and as the fish of the sea may they multiply among the children of men upon the earth! And Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim; and it was evil in his eyes. And he uplifted his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head, that it might rest on the head of Menashe. And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father; for this is the first-born : lay thy right hand on his head. But his father willed not, and said, I know, my son, I know: he also shall be for a people, and he also shall be great; yet his younger brother will be greater than he, and his sons shall have dominion among the nations. And he blessed them in that day, saying, By thee shall Israel bless, saying, The Lord set thee as Ephraim and as Menashe. And he set Ephraim before Menashe. And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I die; but the Word of the Lord will be your Helper, and restore you to the land of your fathers. And I will give thee one portion more than thy brethren, which I took from the hand of the Amoraah by my prayer and by my deprecation.

XLIX. And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather together, and I will show you what will befall you in the end of the days; assemble, and hearken, O sons of Jakob, and receive instruction from Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my first-born, my strength, and the

Sam. Vers., "from the house of my nativity." 'Sam. Vers., "be spread abroad."

beginning of my power. taking to take the three portions,—the birthright, the priesthood, and the kingdom: but because thou hast proceeded perversely, behold, as water outpoured thou wilt not prosper, neither wilt thou receive the excellent portion; because thou wentest up to thy father's place of sleep: then, my son, didst thou become profane, when thou wentest up to my bed.

Thine should it have been

3

Shimeon and Levi are brothers; mighty men in the land of their sojourning, they did mightily. My soul was not in their secret; into their company to come I would not have descended from mine honour. For in their anger they slew a slaughter, and in their wilfulness they razed the wall of their enemy.

4

Ac

cursed was their anger, for it was strong, and their wrath, for it was relentless. I will divide them in Jakob, and I will scatter them in Israel.

Jehuda, thou art praise and not shame; thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall prevail against thine adversaries, thine enemies shall be dispersed; they will be turned backward before thee, and the sons of thy father will come before thee with salutations. The dominion shall be (thine) in the beginning, and in the end the kingdom shall be increased from the house of Jehuda, because from the judgment of death, my son, hast thou withdrawn. He shall repose, and abide in strength as a lion, and as a lioness, there shall be no king that may cut him off. He who exerciseth dominion shall not pass away from the house of Jehuda, nor the saphra from his children's children for ever,

6

1 Sam. Vers., "the beginning of my time."

2 Or, "proceeded deceitfully." Azalta lakabel appeka.

3 Sam. Vers., "they accomplished the fraud of their covenant.”
4 Sam. Vers., "proud."
Sam. Vers., " love thee."

"Or, "gone up."

until the Meshiha come, whose is the kingdom, and unto whom shall be the obedience of the nations (or, whom the peoples shall obey). Israel shall pass round about in his cities; the people shall build his temple, they will be righteous round about him, and be doers of the law through his doctrine. Of goodly purple will be his raiment, and his vesture of crimson wool with colours. His mountains shall be red with his vineyards, and his hills be dropping with wine; his valleys shall be white with corn, and with flocks of sheep.

Zebulon will dwell nigh the haven of the sea; he will subdue provinces with ships, and will eat the good of the sea, and his boundary shall come unto Sidon.

8

Issakar, rich in substance, will have his heritage between the boundaries; and he, seeing his portion that it is good, and the land that it is fruit-bearing,9 will subdue the provinces of the people, and disperse their inhabitants, and they who remain of them will become servants to him and bringers of tribute.

From the house of Dan will be chosen and will arise a man in whose days his people shall be delivered, and in whose years the tribes of Israel have rest together. A chosen man will arise from the house of Dan, the terror of whom shall fall upon the peoples; (a man) who will smite the Philistines with strength, as the serpent, the deadly serpent,1 lurking by the way, he will slay the mighty of the Philistines' host, the horsemen with the foot; he will weaken (loosen) the horses 7 Or, "wool dyed bright with colours."

8

Sam. Vers., "Issakar, an ass sojourning, lying down between two burdens."

9 Sam. Vers., "fat."

1 Churman: "species serpentis ad cujus morsum nulla est medicina." —Castel. Root, charem, "to devote to destruction."

ઃઃ

2 Sam. Vers., " erecting itself."