Book of Jubilees: The Book of Jubilees: The Family of Terah in Haran; Abram's Experiences there; his Journey to Canaan (xii. 15-31)

The Family of Terah in Haran; Abram's Experiences there; his Journey to Canaan (xii. 15-31; cf. Gen. xi, 31-xii. 3).

15. And Terah went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, he and his sons, to go into the land of Lebanon and into the land of Canaan, and he dwelt in the land of Haran, and Abram, dwelt with Terah his father in

1 16. And in the sixth week, in the fifth year thereof, Abram sat up throughout the night on the new moon of the seventh month to observe the stars from the evening to the morning, in order to see what would be the character of the year with regard to the rains, and he was alone as he sat and observed. 17. And a word came into his heart and he said: "All the signs of the stars, and the signs of the moon and of the sun are all in the hand of the Lord. Why do I search (them) out?

18. If He desireth, He causeth it to rain, morning and evening;
And if He desireth, He withholdeth it, And all things are in His hand."

19. And he prayed that night and said
"My God, God Most High, Thou alone art my God,
And Thee and Thy dominion have I chosen.
And Thou hast created all things,
And all things that are are the work of Thy hands.

20. Deliver me from the hands of evil spirits who have sway over the thoughts of men's hearts,
And let them not lead me astray from Thee, my God.
And stablish Thou me and my seed for ever
That we go not astray from henceforth and for evermore."

195 I A.M.

1

2 for it had ceased from the mouths of all the children of men from the day of the overthrow (of Babel). 26. And I 3 opened his mouth, and his ears and his lips, and I began to speak with him in Hebrew in the tongue of the creation. 27. And he took the books of his fathers, and these were written in Hebrew and he transcribed them, and he began from henceforth to study them, and I made known to him that which he could not (understand), and he studied them during the six rainy months. 4 28. And it came to pass in the seventh year of the sixth week

May the eternal God make thy path straight, And the Lord [(be) with thee, and] protect thee from all evil, And grant unto thee grace, mercy and favour before those who see thee, And may none of the children of men have power over thee to harm thee; Go in peace. Footnotes 90:1 Cf. Gen. xi. 31. 91:1 Cf. Gen. xii. 1-3 (cf. Acts vii. 3). 91:2 i. e. the sacred language, Hebrew, knowledge of which had been lost since the overthrow of Babel. According to another tradition Heber alone retained knowledge of Hebrew because he had taken no part in the building of the Tower. 91:3 The angel is the speaker. 91:4 i. e. the winter.