Jubilees

1And on the new moon of the month Jacob spake to all the people of his house, saying: "Purify yourselves and change your garments,

2and let us arise and go up to Bethel, where I vowed a vow to Him on the day when I fled from the face of Esau my brother, because He hath been with me and brought me into this land in peace,

3and put ye away the strange gods that are among you." And they gave up the strange gods and that which was in their ears and which was on their necks, and the idols which Rachel stole from Laban her brother

4she gave wholly to Jacob. And he burnt and brake them to pieces and destroyed them, and hid them under an oak which is in the land of Shechem.

5And he went up on the new moon of the seventh month to Bethel. And he built an altar at the place where he had slept, and he set up a pillar there,

6and he sent word to his father Isaac to come to him to his sacrifice, and to his mother Rebecca.

7And Isaac said: "Let my son Jacob come, and let me see him before I die."

8And Jacob went to his father Isaac and to his mother Rebecca, to the house of his father Abraham, and he took two of his sons with him, Levi and Judah, and he came to his father Isaac and to his mother Rebecca.

9And Rebecca came forth from the tower to the front of it to kiss Jacob and embrace him; for her spirit had revived when she heard: "Behold Jacob thy son hath come";

10and she kissed him. And she saw his two sons, and she recognised them, and said unto him: "Are these thy sons, my son?"

11and she embraced them and kissed them, and blessed them, saying: "In you shall the seed of Abraham become illustrious, and ye will prove a blessing on the earth."

12And Jacob went in to Isaac his father, to the chamber where he lay, and his two sons were with him,

13and he took the hand of his father, and stooping down he kissed him, and Isaac clung to the neck of Jacob his son, and wept upon his neck.

14And the darkness left the eyes of Isaac, and he saw the two sons of Jacob, Levi and Judah, and he said: "Are these thy sons, my son? for they are like thee."

15And he said unto him that they were truly his sons: "And thou hast truly seen that they are truly my sons."

16And they came near to him, and he turned and kissed them and embraced them both together.

17And the spirit of prophecy came down into his mouth, and he took Levi by his right hand and Judah by his left. And he turned to Levi first, and began to bless him first,

18and said unto him:, 'May the God of all, the very Lord of all the ages, bless thee and thy children throughout all the ages.

19And may the Lord give to thee and to thy seed greatness and great glory, and cause thee and thy seed, from among all flesh, to approach Him to serve in His sanctuary

20as the angels of the presence and as the holy ones. (Even) as they, will the seed of thy sons be for glory and greatness and holiness,

21and may He make them great unto all the ages. And they will be princes and judges, and chiefs of all the seed of the sons of Jacob;

22They will speak the word of the Lord in righteousness, And they will judge all His judgments in righteousness. And they will declare My ways to Jacob. And My paths to Israel.

23The blessing of the Lord will be given in their mouths To bless all the seed of the beloved.

24Thy mother hath called thy name Levi, And justly hath she called thy name; Thou wilt be joined to the Lord And be the companion of all the sons of Jacob;

25Let His table be thine, And do thou and thy sons eat thereof; And may thy table be full unto all generations, And thy food fail not unto all the ages.

26And let all who hate thee fall down before thee, And let all thy adversaries be rooted out and perish;

27And blessed be he that blesseth thee, And cursed be every nation that curseth thee.

28And to Judah he said: May the Lord give thee strength and power To tread down all that hate thee;

29A prince shalt thou be, thou and one of thy sons, over the sons of Jacob; May thy name and the name of thy sons go forth and traverse every land and region.

30Then will the Gentiles fear before thy face, And all the nations will quake [And all the peoples will quake].

31In thee shall be the help of Jacob, And in thee be found the salvation of Israel.

32And when thou sittest on the throne of the honour of thy righteousness, There will be great peace for all the seed of the sons of the beloved,

33And blessed will he be that blesseth thee; And all that hate thee and afflict thee and curse thee Shall be rooted out and destroyed from the earth and accursed."

34And turning he kissed him again and embraced him, and rejoiced greatly; for he had seen the sons of Jacob his son in very truth.

35And he went forth from between his feet and fell down and worshipped him. And he blessed them. And (Jacob) rested there with Isaac his father that night, and they ate and drank with joy.

36And he made the two sons of Jacob sleep, the one on his right hand and the other on his left and it was counted to him for righteousness.

37And Jacob told his father everything during the night, how the Lord had shown him great mercy, and how He had prospered (him in) all his ways, and protected him from all evil.

38And Isaac blessed the God of his father Abraham, who had not withdrawn His mercy and His righteousness from the sons of His servant Isaac.

39And in the morning Jacob told his father Isaac the vow which he had vowed to the Lord, and the vision which he had seen, and that he had built an altar, and that everything was ready for the sacrifice to be made before the Lord as he had vowed, and that he had come to set him on an ass.

40And Isaac said unto Jacob his son: "I am not able to go with thee; for I am old, and not able to bear the way:

41go, my son, in peace; for I am one hundred and sixty-five years this day; I am no longer able to journey,

42set thy mother (on an ass) and let her go with thee. And I know, my son, that thou hast come on my account, and may this day be blessed on which thou hast seen me alive, and I also have seen thee, my son.

43Mayest thou prosper and fulfil the vow which thou hast vowed, and put not off thy vow; for thou wilt be called to account as touching the vow;

44now therefore make haste to perform it, and may He be pleased who hath made all things, to whom thou hast vowed the vow."

45And he said to Rebecca: "Go with Jacob thy son"; and Rebecca went with Jacob her son, and Deborah with her, and they came to Bethel.

46And Jacob remembered the prayer with which his father had blessed him and his two sons, Levi and Judah, and he rejoiced and blessed the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac. And he said:

47"Now I know that I have an eternal hope, and my sons also, before the God of all;" and thus is it ordained concerning the two; and they record it as an eternal testimony unto them on the heavenly tables how Isaac blessed them.