Book of Jasher (Sefer haYashar) 8

~90~ And Jacob went out and went on his way to Harana and stayed and came as far as Mount Moriah, and they lived there near the city of Luz. And the Lord looked at Jacob's name that night and said to him, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, your father. And here I am with you, fear not, and I will guard you wherever you go, and I will multiply your seed like the stars of the sky. And I cast down all your enemies before you, and they fought against you and could not prevail against you, and I returned you to this land with joy in sons and great wealth. And Jacob awoke from his sleep and was very happy at the sight he saw, and called the name of that place Beth El. And Jacob arose from that place, happy, and his feet were light to walk from the joy, and he went from there to the land of Bnei Kedem and came to Harana and sat at the shepherds' well. And he found people there going out from Haran to graze the sheep, and Jacob asked them where they came from, and they said, "We are from Haran." And he said to them, "Do you know Laban son of Nahur?" and they said, "We know. And behold, Rachel his daughter came with the flock that belonged to her father to graze." We were still talking with them and Rachel daughter of Laban came with her father's flock to graze, for she is a shepherd. And Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Jacob ran and kissed her and raised his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was the son of Rebekah, her father's brother, and Rachel ran and told her father. And Yosef Jacob to weep because he has nothing in his power to bring a white house. And Laban heard that Jacob his sister's son had come, and he ran and kissed him and hugged him and brought him to his house and gave him bread and he ate. And Jacob told Laban what his brother Esau had done to him, and what his son Eliphaz had done to him on the way. And Jacob sat in the white house for a month, and ate and Jacob sat in the white house. And it happened after that, and Laban said to Jacob, Please tell me what your salary is and how you will serve me for free. And Levan has no sons but daughters, because his wives and mothers were still barren in those days. And these are the names of Laban's daughters that his wife Adina bore him, the name of the eldest Leah and the name of the youngest Rachel. And Leah's eyes were soft, and Rachel was beautiful in title and beautiful in appearance, and Jacob was loving. And Jacob said to Laban, I will serve you for seven years with your little daughter Rachel, and Laban loved this thing, and Jacob served Laban with Rachel his daughter for seven years.

~91~ And it happened in the second year of Jacob's Sabbath in Haran, which is the seventy-ninth year of Jacob's life, and Eber son of Shelah died in that year at the age of sixty-four years and he was four hundred years old at his death. And Jacob heard that he had died, and he was very saddened for him, and mourned him for many days. And in the third year of Jacob's sojourn in Haran, Esau's wife, Esau's wife, gave birth to a son, and Esau named him Reuel. And in the fourth year of Jacob's Sabbath in Laban's house, God visited Laban and remembered him for Jacob's sake and sons were born to him. And these are the names of Laban's sons who were born to him in those days, and the firstborn was born and his second was Alov and the third was inherited. And God will give the white man wealth and honor and sons and daughters, and the man will break out very, very much for Jacob's sake. And Jacob would serve his mother's brother Laban in those days in every craft and in every work in the house and in the field, and there was God's blessing in everything that Laban did in the house and in the field. And in the fifth year Judith the daughter of Bari, Esau's wife, died in the land of Canaan and had no sons but daughters. And these are the names of her daughters that she bore to Esau, the name of the older Mertzah and the name of the younger Poait. And when Judith died and Esau was comforted, he got up and went to Sheira to hunt game in the field like once in a while. And Esau lived in the land of Seir for many days. And in the sixth year, Esau took Ahlabimah daughter of Anah, daughter of Zebon the Hivi among his wives to be his wife, and Esau brought her to the land of Canaan. And Ahalbimah conceived and bore Esau Yeosh and Yalam and Korach, three sons. And there was war in those days in the land of Canaan, between the herdsmen of Esau's Canaan and the herdsmen of Canaan, the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. Because he was Esau's son and his possessions were very large from Shabbat in the land of Canaan in his father's house, and the land of Canaan could not bear him because of his son. And it came to pass when Esau saw that his war was great with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, and he took his wives and his sons and his daughters and all that he had, and from the house of our children, and all his possessions that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. And he went to the land of Seir before the inhabitants of the land, and Esau himself and all that he had dwelt in the land of Seir. But day by day and month by month, Esau would come to the land of Canaan to see his father and mother. And Esau married the Horites, and gave his daughters to the sons of Seir the Horites. And he gave Maritza his eldest daughter to Lana ben Zebon, his wife's brother, and he gave Poait to Atzer ben Belhan the Hori. And Esau dwelt in Mount Seir, he and his sons, and they grew and multiplied greatly.

~92~ And it came to pass in the seventh year, and the work of Jacob, who served Laban, ended, and Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for the days of my work are fulfilled, and Laban did so. And Laban and Jacob gathered all the people of that place, and made a feast for them. And it came to pass in the evening, that Laban came to the house where Jacob had come with the people of the feast, and Laban put out all the candles that were there in that house. And Jacob said to Laban why do you do this thing to us, and Laban answered and said this is our judgment to do in this land. After that, Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob and he came to her, and Jacob did not know that it was Leah. And Leah his daughter Leah gave to Leah his maidservant. And all the people at the feast knew everything that Laban had done to Jacob, but they did not tell Jacob. And all these shepherds came that night to Jacob's house, and they ate and drank and rejoiced. And they laughed in front of Jacob that night with drums and dances and said, for their sake before Jacob, hallelujah hallelujah. And Jacob heard their words and did not understand their language, but said thus their judgment to make this land. And the shepherds spoke like this all that night before Jacob, and all the candles in the house were put out by Laban that night. And it was morning, and the day dawned, and Jacob turned to his wife, and he looked, and behold, Leah was lying in his lap. And Jacob said: Now here it is known, I knew what the shepherds said last night, she is Leah, she is Leah, they will say, and I did not know. And Jacob called Laban and said to him, What have you done to me, Rachel, your servant, and why did you betray me and give me Leah? And Laban answered Jacob saying, he will not do so in our place to give the younger woman before the older one. And now if you want to take her sister as well, take her in a job that will work for me for another seven years. And Jacob did so and also took Rachel as his wife, and served Laban another seven years. And Jacob also came to Rachel and loved Rachel as well, and gave her to Laban his slave girl for a slave. And God saw that he hated Leah and opened her womb, and she conceived and gave birth to Jacob in those days four sons. And those who died were named Reuben Levi Shimon and Yehuda, and the child was born after that.

~93~ And Rachel was barren at that time and did not bear children, and Rachel was jealous of her sister. And Rachel saw that she had not given birth to Jacob, and she took her maidservant Bilhah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. And Jacob came to Belaha, and she conceived and bore Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali. And Leah saw that she was about to give birth, and she also took Zelpa, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as his wife. And Jacob also brought Zelpa, and she also bore Jacob two sons, Gad and Asher. And Leah was added and conceived and gave birth to Jacob in those days, two sons and one daughter. And these are their names, Issachar and Zebulun and Dinah their sister. And Rachel was still barren in those days. And Rachel prayed to God at that time and said, Lord God, please remember me and please protect me because now I will be divorced personally because I have not borne him sons. Now, Lord God, please hear my stand before you and see my poverty and give me sons like one of the handmaids and I will not hear my shame anymore. And God heard Rachel's voice, and God remembered and opened her womb. And Rachel conceived and gave birth to a son and said, God has gathered my shame. And she called his name Yosef for the saying Yosef has another son for me, and Jacob was ninety-one years old when you gave birth to him. At that time Rebekah the mother of Jacob from the land of Canaan sent Deborah the daughter of Oz from her nursing home and two people from Isaac's slaves to Jacob. And they came to Jacob Harana and said to him, because Rebecca, we have sent you to return to your father's house in the land of Canaan. And Jacob listened to them about this thing that his mother spoke, and at that time ended the other seven years that Jacob served Laban in Rachel. And it came to pass at the end of fourteen years that Jacob dwelt in Haran, and Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, and send me, and I will go to my own country, for behold, my mother has sent me from the land of Canaan to bring me back to my father's house. And the son said to him, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not leave me, a woman who has bound me and will yield and sit with me." And Jacob said, This is what you will give me as my reward, which I will serve today with all your flock, and I will remove from them everything that is spotted and spotted and brown in goats and goats, and that will be my reward. And if you do this thing to me, I will return to me your flock and I will keep it when it starts. And Laban did so, and told Laban we found everything that Jacob had said, and gave it to him.

~94~ And Jacob gave all that he removed from the sheep to Laban in the hand of his sons, and Jacob shepherded the sheep of Laban that remained. And it came to pass when Isaac's servants saw that he had sent to Jacob that Jacob had not returned with them at that time to the land of Canaan to his father, and they went away from him and returned to their home in the land of Canaan. And Deborah dwelt with Jacob in Haran, she did not return with the servants of Isaac to the land of Canaan, and Deborah dwelt with Jacob's wives and his sons in Haran. And Jacob worked Laban in the flock for another six years, and it was at the time of the slaughtering of the flock and Jacob removed the points and the crooked from them when he spoke to Laban. And Jacob did the same to the lamb's flock for six years, and the man prospered greatly, and he had flocks and handmaids and camels and donkeys. And Jacob would have two hundred thousand flocks of sheep, and his flocks would be large in stature and very beautiful and give a great deal of fruit. And all men will desire to take from Jacob's flock for them, because they are good and very successful. And they came from all the people to take from Jacob's flock, and Jacob gave them one sheep, a slave or a mother, a donkey, or a camel, as much as Jacob wanted from them, and they gave it to him. And Jacob will have wealth, honor, and possessions in this act that he will do to the sons of men, and the sons of Laban will envy him for this honor. And there came a day, and he heard the words of Laban's sons saying, Jacob took all that belonged to our father and that belonged to our father he did all this honor. And Jacob saw the face of Laban and his sons, and behold, he is not with him as he was the day before yesterday. At the end of six years in those days, God looked at Jacob and said to him, Get up, get out of this land and return to the land of your homeland and I will be with you. And Jacob arose at that time and carried his sons and his wives and all that he had on the camels, and went to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. And Laban did not know that Jacob had gone away from him, because Laban had gone that day to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the tarifs that belonged to her father, and took them and hid them on the camel and sat down and went to her. And this is the deed of the tarifs that they will take, a man who will be a firstborn and they will slaughter him and cut off his head. And they took the salt and salted the head and anointed it with oil. And they took a small copper plate or a gold plate, and wrote the name on it and put that plate under his tongue. And they took that head and the tablet that was under the tongue and put it in the house and lit candles for it and bowed to it, and it was at the time when they bowed to him and he spoke to them in whatever they asked of him by the power of the name that is written in it. And there are those who make them in the form of a man from gold and silver, at times known to them. And that title received the power of the stars and spoke fortunes to them, and like this act were the tarifs that Rachel stole from her father. And Rachel stole those tarifs that belonged to her father, because the son did not know where Jacob was going. And Laban came to his house and asked about Jacob and his house was gone, and he asked Laban for his medicine to know where Jacob went and did not find it. And he went to other priests and asked them, and they told him that Jacob had fled from there to the land of Canaan to his father.

~95~ And Laban arose at that time and took his brothers and all his servants, and went out and pursued Jacob and stuck him in Mount Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob, "What is it that you have done to make me run away, and steal my heart, and take my daughters and their sons as prisoners of the sword?" And you did not abandon me to kiss them and fight with joy, and steal my God and go. And Jacob answered Laban saying, Because I was afraid lest you snatch your daughters away from me and with whomever you find your God, he will die. And Ben asked for the tarifs, and he felt in all the tents that belonged to Jacob and in all their vessels, but found none. And Laban said to Jacob, a covenant has been made together and it will be a witness between you and me. If you torture my daughters and if you take wives for my daughters, God will be a witness between me and you in this matter. And they took stones and made a wave, and he said to the son of this wave, until this day is between me and you - therefore he called his name Gilead. And Jacob and Ben sacrificed on the mountain and ate there on the wave, and spent the night there on the mountain. And Leben sat down and rose in the morning and wept with his daughters and he wept with them and went to his place, and Jacob also went his way. And it came to pass when Laban returned to his country, that he hastened and sent Beor his son, and he was seventeen years old, and with him Abihoraf son of Utz, son of Nahor, ten men with them. And they hastened and went and crossed the road before Jacob, and came by the other way to the land of Seir. And they came to Esau and said to him, Thus said your brother and your kinsman and your mother's brother to Laban son of Bethuel, saying, Hear what Jacob your brother did to me, who came to me at first naked and empty. And I will go out to meet him and bring him to my house with honor and raise him up and give him my two daughters as wives and my two slave girls, and God will bless him at my feet and he will prosper greatly and he will have sons and daughters and maidservants and also sheep and cattle and camels and donkeys. And when he saw that he was very sick, and left me when I went to shear my sheep, he got up and ran away in hiding. And he carried his wives and sons on the camels, and brought all his wealth and all his possessions that he had acquired in my land and set his face to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. And he will not forsake me to kiss my sons and my daughters, and he will lead my daughters as prisoners of the sword and he will also steal my God and run away. And now here I left him on the mountain of Nahal Yabok, and he and all that he had, lacked nothing. If it is your soul to go to him, go and there you will find him, and you will do to him when your soul desires. And angels came to Laban, and told him to do all these things.

~96~ And Esau heard all the words of the angels to Laban, and his nose was very angry with Jacob and he remembered his hatred and his anger burned in him. And Esau hastened and took his sons and his servants and all the souls of his household, sixty men. And he went and gathered together all the children of Seir Hori and all their men, three hundred and forty men. And he took this whole camp, four hundred men drawing swords, and went towards Jacob to strike him. And Esau divided this whole camp into seven parts. And he took his sons and all the souls of his household, sixty men for one head, and they were given by the hand of Eliphaz his eldest son. And the remaining six heads he gave into the hands of six sons of Sheir Hori, and each one of them was appointed over his descendants and his sons. And all this camp went when it was, and Esau went in the midst of them all towards Jacob, and they went with joy. And Laban's angels went out from Esau and went to the land of Canaan, and they came to the house of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. And they told her to say, Behold, your son Esau marched against his brother Jacob with four hundred men because he heard that he was coming, and went to fight with him and beat him and take everything he had. And Rebekah hastened and sent seventy-two men from Isaac's servants to meet Jacob on the road, because she said that Esau might fight on the road when he found him. And these angels went towards Jacob on the road, and struck him on the way of the stream against the crossing of the river Yabok. And Jacob said when he set up camp, it is from God to help me, and Jacob called the name of that place Mahanim. And Jacob knew all his father's men and kissed them and hugged them and cried with them, and Jacob asked them about his father and his mother and they said peace. And these angels said to Jacob, Because Rebecca your mother sent us to you to say. I heard, my son, that your brother Esau went out to meet you on the road with men from the sons of Sheir Hori. My son, listen to my voice and see with your advice what you will do, and when he comes to you, beg him and do not speak harshly to him, and give him a blessing that your hand will find and that God will have mercy on you. And when he asks you about everything you say and about you, don't hide anything from him. Perhaps Mahron will turn his nose on you and save your soul and all that belongs to you, because it is up to you to raise him because he is your older brother. And it came to pass when Jacob heard the words of his mother which the angels spoke to him, and Joseph lifted up his voice and wept bitterly. And he did as his mother commanded him at that time.