• Torah (T): Bereshiyt (Genesis) 49:1-33
• Prophets (P): Micah 5:1-8
• Apostolic (A): Galatians 4:1-11; Ephesians 1:1-14
• Additional (ADD): Jubilees 34:1-10; Jubilees 45:14

RELATED SCRIPTURES

• Genesis 28:1-5 (T)
• Genesis 35:9-13, 14-20 (T)
• Genesis 29:31-33 (T)
• Genesis 31:36-42; Genesis 32:1-2 (T)
• Genesis 35:6-15 (T)
• Jeremiah 31:1-40 (T)
• John 4:1-26 (T)
• Numbers 24:1-9 (T)
• Micah 5:1-8 (T)
• Romans 11:1-36 (T)
• Deuteronomy 33:1-29 (T)

RELATED ADDITIONAL READINGS

• Sirach 47:1-25 (T)
• Genesis 48:1 – 49:26 from the Jerusalem Targum aka Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (T)
• Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus 2.8.1 (T)

Note: (T) means the verse relates to that week’s Torah portion. (P) means the verse relates to that week’s Prophets portion. (A) means the verse relates to that week’s Apostolic portion. (ADD) means the verse relates to that week’s Additional portion.

Torah Portion (T)

Bereshiyt (Genesis) 49:1-33

49:1 Jacob called to his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come. 2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father. 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in dignity, and excelling in power. 4 Boiling over like water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father's bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch. 5 “Shimon and Levi are brothers. Utensils of violence are their [caves].^(MTT) 6 My soul, don't come into their council. My glory, don't be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their will they hamstrung cattle. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. 8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons will bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, [until Shiloh he comes to whom it belongs].^{(LXX)(SP)(mss)} The obedience of the peoples will be to him. 11 Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk. 13 “Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon. 14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags. 15 He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor. 16 “Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan will be a serpent on the trail, an adder in the path, that bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward. 18 I have waited for your salvation, [Elohim].^(mss) 19 “A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel. 20 “Asher's food will be rich. He will produce royal dainties. 21 “Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns. 22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall. 23 The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him: 24 But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, [by the name]^(LXX) of the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, 25 even by the Elohim of your father, who will help you, by [El Shaddai],^(mss) who will bless you, with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of [ancient mountains],^(LXX) above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers. 27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the plunder.” 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his own blessing. 29 He instructed them, and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah: 32 the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.

Prophets Portion (P)

Micah 5:1-8

5:1 Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek. 2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times (cf. Matthew 2:6). 3 Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the sons of Israel. 4 He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of YHWH, in the majesty of the name of YHWH his Elohim. They will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth. 5 He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men. 6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod [with drawn swords].^(mss) He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border. 7 The remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from YHWH, like showers on the grass, that don’t wait for man nor wait for the sons of men. 8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no one to deliver.

Apostolic Portion (A)

Galatians 4:1-11; Ephesians 1:1-14

Additional Portion (ADD)

Jubilees 34:1-10; Jubilees 45:14

Between 1947 and 1956 approximately 15 Jubilees scrolls were found in five caves at Qumran, all written in Hebrew. The large number of manuscripts (more than for any biblical books except for Psalms, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Exodus, and Genesis, in descending order) indicates that Jubilees was widely used at Qumran. A comparison of the Qumran texts with the Ethiopic version, performed by James VanderKam, found that the Ethiopic was in most respects an accurate and literalistic translation. Scholars have dated Jubilees to have been written sometime around 160-150 B.C.

34:1 And in the sixth year of this week of this forty-fourth jubilee [2148 A.M.] Jacob sent his sons to pasture their sheep, and his servants with them, to the pastures of Shechem. 2. And the seven kings of the Amorites assembled themselves together against them, to slay them, hiding themselves under the trees, and to take their cattle as a prey. 3. And Jacob and Levi and Judah and Joseph were in the house with Isaac their father; for his spirit was sorrowful, and they could not leave him: and Benjamin was the youngest, and for this reason remained with his father. 4. And there came the king[s] of Tâphû, and the king[s] of †’Arêsa,† and the king[s] of Sêragân, and the king[s] of Sêlô, and the king[s] of Gâ’as, and the king of Bêthôrôn, and the king of †Ma’anîsâkîr,† and all those who dwell in these mountains (and) who dwell in the woods in the land of Canaan. 5. And they announced this to Jacob saying: “Behold, the kings of the Amorites have surrounded thy sons, and plundered their herds.” 6. And he arose from his house he and his three sons and all the servants of his father, and his own servants, and he went against them with six thousand men, who carried swords. 7. And he slew them in the pastures of Shechem, and pursued those who fled, and he slew them with the edge of the sword, and he slew †’Arêsa † and Tâphû and Sarêgân and Sêlô and †’Amânîsakîr† and Gâ[gâ]’as, and he recovered his herds. 8. And he prevailed over them, and imposed tribute on them that they should pay him tribute, five fruit products of their land, and he built Rôbêl 10 and Tamnâtârês 9. And he returned in peace, and made peace with them, and they became his servants, until the day that he and his sons went down into Egypt. And in the seventh year of this week [2149 A.M.] he sent Joseph to learn about the welfare of his brothers from his house to the land of Shechem, and he found them in the land of Dothan.

45:14. And Israel blessed his sons before he died and told them everything that would befall them in the land of Egypt; and he made known to them what would come upon them in the last days, and blessed them and gave to Joseph two portions in the land.

Related Scriptures

28:1 Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “You will not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May El Shaddai bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples, 4 and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which Elohim gave to Abraham.” 5 Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

35:9 Elohim appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him. 10 Elohim said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name will not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel. 11 Elohim said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assembly of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body. 12 The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your seed after you I will give the land.” 13 Elohim went up from him in the place where he spoke with him… 14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a libation offering on it, and poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the name of the place where Elohim spoke with him “Bethel”. 16 They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor. 17 When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.” 18 As her soul was departing, for she died, she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin. 19 Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath, also called Bethlehem. 20 Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

29:31 YHWH saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, “Because YHWH has looked at my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” 33 She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Because YHWH has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also.” She named him Shimon.

Genesis 31:36 Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 37 Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two. 38 These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I haven’t eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 That which was torn of animals, I didn’t bring to you. I bore its loss. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 This was my situation: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. 42 Unless the Elohim of my father, the Elohim of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. Elohim has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”

Genesis 32:1 Jacob went on his way, and the angels of Elohim met him. 2 When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is Elohim’s army.” He called the name of that place Mahanaim.

Genesis 35:6-15 (T)

35:6 So Jacob came to Luz, that is, Bethel, which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there [the Elohim]^(MTT) were revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother. 8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth. 9 Elohim appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him. 10 Elohim said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name will not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel. 11 Elohim said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body. 12 The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your seed after you I will give the land.” 13 Elohim went up from him in the place where he spoke with him. 14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a libation offering on it, and poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the name of the place where Elohim spoke with him Bethel.

31:1 “At that time,” says YHWH, “I will be the Elohim of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.” 2 YHWH says, “The people who survive the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.” 3 YHWH appeared of old to me, saying, “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness. 4 I will build you again, and you will be built, O virgin of Israel. You will again be adorned with your tambourines, and will go out in the dances of those who make merry. 5 Again you will plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria. The planters will plant, and will enjoy its fruit. 6 For there will be a day that the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim cry, ‘Arise! Let’s go up to Zion to YHWH our Elohim.’ ” 7 For YHWH says, “Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations. Publish, praise, and say, ‘YHWH, save your people, the remnant of Israel!’ 8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the land, along with the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who travails with child together. They will return as a great company. 9 They will come with weeping. I will lead them with petitions. I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they won’t stumble; for I am a father to Israel. Ephraim is my firstborn. 10 “Hear the word of YHWH, you nations, and declare it in the distant islands. Say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.’ 11 For YHWH has ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. 12 They will come and sing in the height of Zion, and will flow to the goodness of YHWH, to the grain, to the new wine, to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd. Their soul will be as a watered garden. They will not sorrow any more at all. 13 Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. 14 I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness,” says YHWH. 15 YHWH says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” 16 YHWH says: “Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” says YHWH. “They will come again from the land of the enemy. 17 There is hope for your latter end,” says YHWH. “Your children will come again to their own territory. 18 “I have surely heard Ephraim grieving thus, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as an untrained calf. Turn me, and I will be turned, for you are YHWH my Elohim. 19 Surely after that I was turned. I repented. After that I was instructed. I struck my thigh. I was ashamed, yes, even confounded, because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ 20 Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I still earnestly remember him. therefore my heart yearns for him. I will surely have mercy on him,” says YHWH. 21 “Set up road signs. Make guideposts. Set your heart toward the highway, even the way by which you went. Turn again, virgin of Israel. Turn again to these your cities. 22 How long will you go here and there, you backsliding daughter? For YHWH has created a new thing in the land: a woman will encompass a man.” 23 YHWH of Armies, the Elohim of Israel, says: “Yet again they will use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I reverse their captivity: ‘YHWH bless you, habitation of righteousness, mountain of holiness.’ 24 Judah and all its cities will dwell therein together, the farmers, and those who go about with flocks. 25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” 26 On this I awakened, and saw; and my sleep was sweet to me. 27 “Behold, the days come,” says YHWH, “that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of animal. 28 It will happen that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” says YHWH. 29 “In those days they will say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30 But everyone will die for his own iniquity. Every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. 31 “Behold, the days come,” says YHWH, “that I will make a renewed covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which covenant of mine they broke, although I was a husband to them,” says YHWH. 33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says YHWH: “I will put my Torah in their inward parts, and I will write it in their heart. I will be their Elohim, and they will be my people. 34 They will no longer each teach his neighbor, and every man teach his brother, saying, ‘Know YHWH;’ for they will all know me, from their least to their greatest,” says YHWH, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” 35 YHWH, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar— YHWH of Armies is his name, says: 36 “If these ordinances depart from before me,” says YHWH, “then the seed of Israel also will cease from being a nation before me forever.” 37 YHWH says: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the land searched out beneath, then I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done,” says YHWH. 38 “Behold, the days come,” says YHWH, “that the city will be built to YHWH from the tower of Hananel to the gate of the corner. 39 The measuring line will go out further straight onward to the hill Gareb, and will turn toward Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields to the brook Kidron, to the corner of the horse gate toward the east, will be holy to YHWH. It will not be plucked up or thrown down any more forever.”

4:1 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Yeshua was making and immersing more disciples than John 2 (although Yeshua himself didn’t immerse, but his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed into Galilee. 4 He needed to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there. Yeshua therefore, being tired from his journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Yeshua said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Yeshua answered her, “If you knew the gift of Elohim, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. So where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his children and his livestock?” 13 Yeshua answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.” 16 Yeshua said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Yeshua said to her, “You said well, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Yeshua said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. 22 You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. 24 Elohim is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah comes, he who is called Messiah. When he has come, he will declare to us all things.” 26 Yeshua said to her, “I am he, the one who speaks to you.”

24:1 When Balaam saw that it pleased YHWH to bless Israel, he didn’t go, as at the other times, to use divination, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of Elohim came on him. 3 He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eyes are open says; 4 he says, who hears the words of Elohim, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open: 5 How goodly are your tents, Jacob, and your dwellings, Israel! 6 As valleys they are spread out, as gardens by the riverside, as aloes which YHWH has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters. 7 Water will flow from his buckets. His seed will be in many waters. His king will be higher than Agag. His reign will be exalted. 8 Elohim brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He will consume the nations his adversaries, will break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows. 9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who will rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed.”

5:1 Now you will gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek. 2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times. 3 Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the sons of Israel. 4 He will stand, and will shepherd in the strength of YHWH, in the majesty of the name of YHWH his Elohim. They will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the land. 5 He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men. 6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border. 7 The remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples, like dew from YHWH, like showers on the grass, that don’t wait for man, nor wait for the sons of men. 8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no one to deliver.

11:1 I ask then, did Elohim reject his people? May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 Elohim didn’t reject his people, which he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says about Elijah? How he pleads with Elohim against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars. I am left alone, and they seek my life.” 4 But how does Elohim answer him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. 7 What then? That which Israel seeks for, that he didn’t obtain, but the chosen ones obtained it, and the rest were hardened. 8 According as it is written, “Elohim gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.” 9 David says, “Let their table be made a snare, a trap, a stumbling block, and a retribution to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see. Always guard their backs bent.” 11 I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? May it never be! But by their fall salvation has come to the Nations, to provoke them to zeal. 12 Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Nations; how much more their fullness? 13 For I speak to you who are Nations. Since then as I am an emissary to Nations, I glorify my service; 14 if by any means I may provoke to zeal those who are my flesh, and may save some of them. 15 For if the rejection of them is the reconciling of the world, what would their acceptance be, but life from the dead? 16 If the first fruit is holy, so is the lump. If the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree, 18 don’t boast over the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.” 20 True; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith. Don’t be conceited, but fear; 21 for if Elohim didn’t spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 See then the goodness and severity of Elohim. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 They also, if they don’t continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for Elohim is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I don’t desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won’t be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Nations has come in, 26 and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written, “There will come out of Zion the Deliverer, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 27 This is my covenant with them, when I will take away their sins.” 28 Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake. 29 For the gifts and the calling of Elohim are irrevocable. 30 For as you in time past were disobedient to Elohim, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they may also obtain mercy. 32 For Elohim has bound all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all. 33 Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of Elohim! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to him, and it will be repaid to him again?” 36 For of him, and through him, and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.

33:1 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of Elohim blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2 He said, “YHWH came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them. He shone from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones. At his right hand was a fiery law for them. 3 Yes, he loves the people. All his saints are in your hand. They sat down at your feet. Each receives your words. 4 Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. 5 He was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. 6 “Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.” 7 This is for Judah. He said, “Hear, YHWH, the voice of Judah. Bring him in to his people. With his hands he contended for himself. You will be a help against his adversaries.” 8 About Levi he said, “Your Tummim and your Urim are for each of your kind ones, whom you proved at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah. 9 He said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him.’ He didn’t acknowledge his brothers, nor did he know his own children; for they have observed your word, and keep your covenant. 10 They will teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your law. They will put incense before you, and whole burnt offering on your altar. 11 YHWH, bless his skills. Accept the work of his hands. Strike through the hips of those who rise up against him, of those who hate him, that they not rise again.” 12 About Benjamin he said, “The beloved of YHWH will dwell in safety by him. He covers him all day long. He dwells between his shoulders.” 13 About Joseph he said, “His land is blessed by YHWH, for the precious things of the heavens, for the dew, for the deep that couches beneath, 14 for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, for the precious things that the moon can yield, 15 for the best things of the ancient mountains, for the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16 for the precious things of the land and its fullness, the good will of him who lived in the bush. Let this come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers. 17 Majesty belongs to the firstborn of his herd. His horns are the horns of the wild ox. With them he will push all the peoples to the ends of the land. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim. They are the thousands of Manasseh.” 18 About Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and Issachar, in your tents. 19 They will call the peoples to the mountain. There they will offer slaughters of righteousness, for they will draw out the abundance of the seas, the hidden treasures of the sand.” 20 About Gad he said, “He who enlarges Gad is blessed. He dwells as a lioness, and tears the arm and the crown of the head. 21 He provided the first part for himself, for the lawgiver’s portion was reserved for him. He came with the heads of the people. He executed the righteousness of YHWH, His ordinances with Israel.” 22 About Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps out of Bashan.” 23 About Naphtali he said, “Naphtali, satisfied with favor, full of the blessing of YHWH, Possess the west and the south.” 24 About Asher he said, “Asher is blessed with children. Let him be acceptable to his brothers. Let him dip his foot in oil. 25 Your bars will be iron and bronze. As your days, so your strength will be. 26 “There is no one like Elohim, Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens for your help, in his excellency on the heavens. 27 The eternal Elohim is your dwelling place. Underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrust out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’ 28 Israel dwells in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine. Yes, his the heavens drop down dew. 29 You are happy, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by YHWH, the shield of your help, the sword of your excellency? Your enemies will submit themselves to you. You will tread on their high places.”

Additional Readings​

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs is  comprised of the dying commands of the twelve sons of Jacob. It is part of the Oskan Armenian Orthodox Bible of 1666. Fragments of similar writings were found at Qumran, but opinions are divided as to whether these are the same texts.

The Testament of Judah (a portion of which is shown below) is primarily concerned with courage, monetary greed, and fornication. It begins by portraying Judah as idealistically courageous, involving bravery in front of wild beasts, as well as successful military expeditions, sometimes basing the narrative on acts that the canonical bible attributes to Jacob.

1:16 And when the two kings of the Canaanites came sheathed, in armour against our flocks, and much people with them, single handed I rushed upon the king of Hazor, and smote him on the greives and dragged him down, and so I slew him. 17 And the other, the king of Tappuah, as he sat upon his horse, I slew, and so I scattered all his people. 18 Achor, the king, a man of giant stature, I found, hurling javelins before and behind as he sat on horseback, and I took up a stone of sixty pounds weight, and hurled it and smote his horse, and killed it. 19 And I fought with this other for two hours; and I clave his shield in twain, and I chopped off his feet, and killed him. 20 And as I was stripping off his breastplate, behold nine men his companions began to fight with me, 21 And I wound my garment on my hand; and I slung stones at them, and killed four of them, and the rest fled. 22 And Jacob my father slew Beelesath, king of all the kings, a giant in strength, twelve cubits high. 23 And fear fell upon them, and they ceased warring against us. 24 Therefore my father was free from anxiety in the wars when I was with my brethren. 25 For he saw in a vision concerning me that an angel of might followed me everywhere, that I should not be overcome. 26 And in the south there came upon us a greater war than that in Shechem; and I joined in battle array with my brethren, and pursued a thousand men, and slew of them two hundred men and four kings. 27 And I went up upon the wall, and I slew four mighty men. 28 And so we captured Hazor, and took all the spoil. 29 And the next day we departed to Aretan, a city strong and walled and inaccessible, threatening us with death. 30 But I and Gad approached on the east side of the city, and Reuben and Levi on the west. 31 And they that were upon the wall, thinking that we were alone, were drawn down against us. 32 And so my brothers secretly climbed up the wall on both sides by stakes, and entered the city, while the men knew it not. 33 And we took it with the edge of the sword. 34 And as for those who had taken refuge in the tower, we set fire to the tower and took both it and, them. 35 And as we were departing the men of Tappuah seized our spoil, and seeing this we fought with them. 36 And we slew them. all and recovered our spoil. 37 And when I was at the waters of Kozeba, the men of Jobel came against us to battle. 38 And we fought with them and routed them; and their allies from Shiloh we slew, and we did not leave them power to come in against us. 39 And the men of Makir came upon us the fifth day, to seize our spoil; and we attacked them and overcame them in fierce battle: for there was a host of mighty men amongst them, and we slew them before they had gone up the ascent. 40 And when we came to their city their women rolled upon us stones from the brow of the hill on which the city stood. 41 And I and Shimon had ourselves behind the town, and seized upon the heights, and destroyed this city also. 42 And the next day it was told us that the king of the city of Gaash with. a mighty host was coming against us. 43 I, therefore, and Dan feigned ourselves to be Amorites, and as allies went into their city. 44 And in the depth of night our brethren came and we opened to them the gates; and we destroyed all the men and their substance, and we took for a prey all that was theirs, and their three walls we cast down. 45 And we drew near to Thamna, where was all the substance of the hostile kings. 46 Then being insulted by them, I was therefore wroth, and rushed against them to the summit; and they kept slinging against me stones and darts. 47 And had not Dan my brother aided me, they would have slain me. 48 We came upon them, therefore, with wrath, and they all fled; and passing by another way, they fought my father, and he made peace with them. 49 And we did to them no hurt, and they became tributary to us, and we restored to them their spoil. 50 And I built Thamna, and my father built Pabael. 51 I was twenty years old when this war befell. And the Canaanites feared me and my brethren.

Sirach, or Wisdom of Sirach, and also known as the Book of Ecclesiasticus (abbreviated Ecclus.) or Ben Sira, is a work of ethical teachings, from approximately 200 to 175 B.C., written by the Jewish scribe Ben Sira of Jerusalem, on the inspiration of his father Joshua son of Sirach, sometimes called Jesus son of Sirach or Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira. The Sirach was almost completely uncovered in Hebrew in the Dead Sea Scrolls, at Masada, and the Cairo Geniza. The multiplicity of manuscript fragments uncovered in the Cairo Genizah evidence its authoritative status among Egyptian Jewry until the Middle Ages. Quotes from Sirach can be found in Rabbinic literature in multiple places  including the Talmud in Bava Kamma 92b:13 and Hagigah 13a:2. Additionally, the Gospels and other Apostolic Scriptures quote from the Book of Sirach including the Song of Miriam in Luke 1:52 (cf. Sirach 10:14); the description of the seed in Mark 4:5, 16–17 (cf. Sirach 40:15); the statement by Yeshua in Matthew 7:16,20 (cf. Sirach 27:6); and Ya’aqov (James) 1:19 (cf. Sirach 5:11).

47:1 And after him rose up Nathan To prophesy in the days of David. 2 As is the fat when it is separated from the peace offering, So was David separated from the sons of Israel. 3 He played with lions as with kids, And with bears as with lambs of the flock. 4 In his youth did he not kill a giant, And take away reproach from the people, When he lifted up his hand with a sling stone, And beat down the boasting of Goliath? 5 For he called upon the Most High Lord; And he gave him strength in his right hand, To kill a man mighty in war, To exalt the horn of his people. 6 So they glorified him for his ten thousands, And praised him for the blessings of the Lord, In that there was given him a diadem of glory. 7 For he destroyed the enemies on every side, And brought to nothing the Philistines his adversaries, Brake their horn in pieces to this day. 8 In every work of his he gave thanks to the Holy One Most High with words of glory; With his whole heart he sang praise, And loved him that made him. 9 Also he set singers before the altar, And to make sweet melody by their music. 10 He gave beauty to the feasts, And set in order the seasons to perfection, While they praised his holy name, And the sanctuary sounded from early morning. 11 The Lord took away his sins, And exalted his horn forever; And gave him a covenant of kings, And a throne of glory in Israel. 12 After him rose up a son, a man of understanding; And for his sake he lived at large. 13 Solomon reigned in days of peace; And to him Elohim gave rest round about, That he might set up a house for his name, And prepare a sanctuary forever. 14 How wise you were made in your youth, And filled as a river with understanding! 15 Your soul covered the land, And you filled it with dark parables [“parables of riddles” in Greek]. 16 Your name reached to the isles afar off; And for your peace you were beloved. 17 For your songs and proverbs and parables, And for your interpretations, the countries marveled at you. 18 By the name of the Lord Elohim, Which is called the Elohim of Israel, You did gather gold as tin, And did multiply silver as lead. 19 You did bow your hips to women, And in your body you were brought into subjection. 20 You did blemish your honor, And profane your seed, To bring wrath upon your children; And I was grieved for your folly: 21 So that the sovereignty was divided, And out of Ephraim ruled a disobedient reign. 22 But the Lord will never forsake his mercy; And he will not destroy any of his works, Nor blot out the posterity of his elect; And the seed of him that loved him he will not take away; And he gave a remnant to Jacob, And to David a root out of him. 23 And so rested Solomon with his fathers; And of his seed he left behind him Rehoboam, Even the foolishness of the people, and one that lacked understanding, Who made the people to revolt by his counsel. Also Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Who made Israel to sin, And gave to Ephraim a way of sin. 24 And their sins were multiplied exceedingly, To remove them from their land. 25 For they sought out all manner of wickedness, Till vengeance should come upon them.

Genesis 48:1 – 49:26 from the Jerusalem Targum aka Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (T)

Composed in Talmudic Israel (c.150 – c.250 AD). Targum Pseudo-Jonathan is a western targum (translation) of the Torah (Pentateuch) from the land of Israel (as opposed to the eastern Babylonian Targum Onkelos). Its correct title was originally Targum Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Targum), which is how it was known in medieval times. But because of a printer’s mistake it was later labeled Targum Jonathan, in reference to Jonathan ben Uzziel. Some editions of the Pentateuch continue to call it Targum Jonathan to this day. Most scholars refer to the text as Targum Pseudo-Jonathan. This targum is more than a mere translation. It includes much Aggadic material collected from various sources as late as the Midrash Rabbah as well as earlier material from the Talmud. It is effectively a combination of a commentary and a translation. In the portions where it is pure translation, it often agrees with the Targum Onkelos. The date of its composition is disputed. It cannot have been completed before the Arabic conquest as it refers to Mohammad’s wife Fatimah, but might have been initially composed in the 4th Century AD. However, some scholars date it in the 14th Century.

Chapter 48 And after these things it was told Joseph, Behold, thy father is lying ill. And he took his two sons with him., Menasheh and Ephraim. And it was announced to Jakob, saying, Behold, thy son Joseph hath come to thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

And Jakob said to Joseph: El Shadai revealed Himself to me at Luz, in the land of Kenaan, and blessed me. And He said to me, Behold, I will increase thee and multiply thee, and make thee an assemblage of tribes, and will give this land to thy sons after thee for an everlasting inheritance. And now, thy two sons who have been born to thee in the land of Mizraim before I came to thee into Mizraim are mine; Ephraim and Menasheh as Reuben and Shimeon will be reckoned unto me. And thy children whom thou mayest beget after them will be thine; by the name of their brethren will they be called in their inheritance. And I beseech thee to bury me with my fathers. Rahel died by me suddenly in the land of Kenaan, while there was yet much ground to come to Ephrath; nor could I carry her to bury her in the Double Cave, but I buried her there, in the way of Ephrath which is Bethlechem.

And Israel looked at the sons of Joseph and said, From whom are these born to thee? And Joseph answered his father, They are my sons which the Word of the Lord gave me according to this writing, according to which I took Asenath the daughter of Dinah thy daughter to be my wife.

And he said, Bring them now near to me, and I will bless them. But Israel’s eyes were heavy from age, and he could not see. And he brought them to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, To see thy face I had not reckoned, but, behold, the Lord hath also showed me thy sons. And Joseph brought them out from (between) his knees, and worshipped on his face upon the ground. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right side, which was Israel’s left, and Menasheh on his left side, which was Israel’s right, and brought them to him.

And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon the head of Ephraim, though be was the younger; and his left hand upon the head of Menasheh, altering his hands, for Menasheh was the firstborn. [JERUSALEM. He altered his hands.] And he blessed Joseph, and said:

The Lord, before whom my fathers Abraham and Izhak, did serve; the Lord who hath fed me since I have been unto this day, be pleased that the angel whom thou didst ordain for me, to redeem me from all evil, may bless the children; and let my name be called upon them, and the names of my fathers Abrabam and Izhak. And as the fishes of the sea in multiplying are multiplied in the sea, so may the children of Joseph be multiplied abundantly in the midst of the earth.

And Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand upon Ephraim’s head; and it was evil before him, and he uplifted his father’s hand to remove it from off the head of Ephraim, that it might rest on the head of Menasheh. And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; lay thy right hand on his head. But his father was not willing, and said, I know, my son, I know that he is the firstborn, and also that he will be a great people, and will also be multiplied; yet will his younger brother be greater than he, and his sons be greater among the nations. And he blessed them in that day, saying, In thee, Joseph my son, will the house of Israel bless their infants in the day of their circumcision, saying, The Lord set thee as Ephraim and as Menasheh. And in the numbering of the tribes the prince of Ephraim will be numbered before the prince of Menasheh. And he appointed that Ephraim should be before Menasheh.

And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, my end cometh to die. But the Word of the Lord will be your Helper, and restore you to the land of your fathers; and I, behold, I have given to thee the city of Shekem, one portion for a gift above thy brethren, which I took from the hand of the Amoraee at the time that you went into the midst of it, and I arose and helped you with my sword and with my bow. [Jerusalem. And I, behold, I have given thee one portion. above thy brethren, the robe of the first Adam. Abraham the father of my father took it from the hands of Nimrod the Wicked, and gave it to Izhak my father; and Izhak my father gave it to Esau, and I took it from the hands of Esau my brother, not with my sword nor with my bow, but through my righteousness and my good works.]

Chapter 49 And Jakob called his sons and said to them, Purify yourselves from uncleanness, and I will show you the hidden mysteries, the ends concealed, the recompense of reward for the righteous, the retribution of the wicked, and the bower of Eden, what it is. And the twelve tribes of Israel gathered themselves together around the golden bed whereon he reclined, and where was revealed to him the Shekina of the Lord, (though) the end for which the king Meshiha is to come had been concealed from him. Then said he, Come, and I will declare to you what will befall you at the end of the days. Gather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jakob, and receive instruction from Israel your father.

Reuben thou art my firstborn, the beginning of the strength of my generation, and the chief event of my thoughts To thee belonged the birthright, and the high priesthood, and the reign: but because thou hast sinned, my son, the birthright is given to Joseph, and the, reign to Jehuda, and the priesthood to Levi. I will liken thee to a little garden in the midst of which there enter torrents swift and strong, which it cannot bear, but is overwhelmed. Be repentant then, Reuben my son, for thou hast sinned, and add not; that wherein thou hast sinned it may be forgiven thee; for it is reckoned to thee as if thou wentest in to have to do with the wife of thy father at the time that thou didst confound my bed upon which thou wentest up.

Shimeon and Levi are brothers of the womb; their thoughts are of sharp weapons for rapine. In their counsel my soul bath not had pleasure, and in their gathering against Shekem. to destroy it mine honour was not united; for in their anger they slew the prince and his ruler, and in their ill will they demolished the wall of their adversary. And Jakob said, Accursed was the town of Shekem. when they entered within it to destroy it in their violent wrath; and their hatred against Joseph, for it was relentless. If, said Jakob, they dwell together, no king nor ruler may stand before them. Therefore will I divide the inheritance of the sons of Shimeon into two portions; one part will come to them out of the inheritance of the sons of Jehuda, and one part from among the rest of the tribes of Jakob; and the tribe of Levi I will disperse among all the tribes of Israel.

Jehuda, thou didst make confession in the matter of Tamar: therefore will thy brethren confess thee, and will be called Jehudain from thy name. Thy hand will avenge thee of thy adversaries, in throwing arrows upon them when they turn their backs before thee; and the sons of thy fathers will come before thee with salutations. I will liken thee, my son Jehuda, to a whelp, the young of a lion; for from the killing of Joseph my son thou didst uplift thy soul, and from the judgment of Tamar thou wast free. He dwelleth quietly and in strength, as a lion; and as an old lion when he reposeth, who may stir him up? Kings will not cease, nor rulers, from the house of Jehuda, nor sapherim teaching the law from his seed, till the time that the King the Meshiha, will come, the youngest of his sons; and on account of him will the peoples flow together How beauteous is the King, the Meshiha who will arise from the house of Jehuda! He hath girded his loins, and descended, and arrayed the battle against his adversaries, Slaying kings with their rulers; neither is there any king or ruler who will stand before him. The mountains become red with the blood of their slain; his garments, dipped in blood, are like the outpressed juice of grapes. How beautiful are the eyes of the king Meshiha, as the pure wine! He cannot look upon what is unclean, nor on the shedding of the blood of the innocent; and his teeth, purer than milk, cannot eat that which is stolen or torn; and therefore his mountains are red with wine, and his hills white with corn, and with the cotes of flocks.

Zebulon will dwell upon the banks of the sea, and have dominion over the havens he will surmount the breakers of the sea with ships and his border extend unto Zidon.

Issakar is an ass in the law; a strong tribe, knowing the order, of the times; and he lieth down between the, limits of his brethren. And he saw the rest of the world to come that it is good, and the portion of the land of Israel that it is pleasant; therefore bowed he his shoulders to labour in the law, and unto him will come his brethren bearing presents.

From the house of Dan there is to arise a man who will judge his people with the judgment of truth. All the tribes of Israel will hearken to him together. A chosen man will arise from the house of Dan, like the basilisk which lieth at the dividing of the way, and the nachash’s head which lurketh by the way, that biteth the horse in his heel, and the master from his terror is thrown backward. Even thus will Shimshon bar Manovach slay all the heroes of Philistia, the horsemen and the foot; he will hamstring their horses and hurl their riders backwards.

When Jakob saw Gideon bar Joash and Shimshon bar Manovach, who were established to be deliverers, he said, I expect not the salvation of Gideon, nor look I for the salvation of Shimshon; for their salvation will be the salvation of an hour; but for Thy salvation have I waited, and will look for, O Lord; for Thy salvation is the salvation of eternity.

The tribe of Gad with the rest of the tribes will, armed, pass over the streams of Arnona and subdue before them the pillars of the earth, and armed will they return into their limits with much substance and dwell in peace beyond the passage of Jardena; for so will they choose, and it will be to them to receive their inheritance.

Happy is Asher whose fruitage is plenteous, and whose land aboundeth in balsams and costly perfumes.

Naphatalis a swift messenger, like a hind that runneth on the tops of the mountains, bringing good tidings: he it was who announced that Joseph was living; he it was who hasteneth to go into Mizraim, and bring the contract of the double field in which Esau had no portion; and when he will open his mouth in the congregation of Israel to give praise, he will be the chosen of all tongues. Joseph, my son, thou bast become great; Joseph, my son, thou hast become great and mighty; the end (determined) on thee was (that thou shouldst) be mighty, because thou didst subdue thy inclination in the matter of thy mistress, and in the work of thy brethren. Thee will I liken to a vine planted by fountains of water, which sendeth forth her roots, and overrunneth the ridges of stone, and covereth by her branches all unfruitful trees; even so didst thou my son Joseph subject by thy wisdom and thy good works all the magicians of Mizraim; and when, celebrating thy praises, the daughters of princes walking on the high places cast before thee bracelets and chains of gold, that thou shouldst lift up thine eyes upon them, thine eyes thou wouldst not lift up on one of them, to become guilty in the great day of judgment. And all the magicians of Mizraim were bitter and angry against him, and brought accusations against him before Pharaoh, expecting to bring him down from his honour They spake against him with the slanderous tongue which is severe as arrows. But he returned to abide in his early strength, and would not yield himself unto sin, and subdued his inclinations by the strong discipline he had received from Jakob, and thence became worthy of being a ruler, and of being joined in the engraving of the names upon the stones of Israel. From the Word of the Lord will be thy help; and He who is called the All‑Sufficient will bless thee with the blessings which descend with the dew of heaven from above, and with the good blessing of the fountains of the deep which ascend and clothe the herbage from beneath. The breasts are blessed at which thou wast suckled, and the womb in which thou didst lie, The blessings of thy father be added to the blessings wherewith my fathers Abraham and Izhak have blessed me, and which the princes of the world Ishmael and Esau and all the sons of Keturah have desired: let all these blessings be united, and form a diadem of majesty for the head of Joseph, and for the brow of the man who became chief and ruler in Mizraim, and the brightness of the glory of his brethren.

Benjamin is a strong tribe, (like) the wolf (with) his prey. In his land will dwell the Shekina of the Lord of the world, and the house of the sanctuary be builded in his inheritance. In the morning will the priests offer the lamb continually until the fourth hour, and between the evenings the second lamb, and at eventide will they divide the residue remaining of the offering, and eat, every man, his portion.

[Jerusalem Targum. And our father Jakob called his sons, and said to them, Gather together, and I will teach yon the concealed end, the secret mysteries, the recompense of reward for the just, and the punishment of the wicked, and the blessedness of Eden, what it is. And the twelve tribes of Jakob assembled and surrounded the golden bed whereon our father Jakob lay, desiring that he should teach them (at the) end in benediction and consolation. Then was revealed to him the secret that had been hidden from him, and then was opened the door which had been shut to him. Our father Jakob turned therefore and blessed his sons, every man according to his good did he bless him.

[When the twelve tribes of Jakob were assembled, and surrounded the golden bed whereon our father Jakob lay, they expected that he would make known to them the order of blessing and consolation: but they were hidden from him. Our father Jakob answered and said to them: From Abraham my father’s father arose the profane Ishmael and all the sons of Keturah; and from Izhak my father arose the profane Esau, my brother; and I am afraid lest there should be among you a man whose heart is separated from his brethren to go and worship before strange idols. The twelve tribes of Jakob answered all together, and said, Hear us, Israel our father! The Lord our Elohim is one Lord! And Jakob our father answered, and said, May His Great Name be blessed for ever and ever!

[REUBEN,my firstborn art thou, my strength, and the beginning of my sorrow. To thee my son Reuben would it have pertained to receive three portions above thy brethren, birthright, priesthood, reign: but because thou hast sinned, Reuben, my son, the birthright is given unto Joseph, the reign to Jehuda, and the high priesthood to the tribe of Levi. I will liken thee, my son Reuben, to a little garden into the midst of which there enter rapid torrents, which it cannot bear, but is carried away before them. Be repentant then, my son Reuben, with good works, for thou hast sinned; and sin no more, that that which thou hast sinned may be forgiven thee.

[5. Shimeon and Levi are brothers of the womb, men who are masters of sharp weapons; they made war from their youth; in the land of their adversary they wrought out the triumphs of war. In their counsels my soul found no pleasure; and in their gathering together at the city of Shekem to destroy it, they were not favourable to my honour; for in their anger they slew kings with princes, and in their wilfulness they sold Joseph their brother, who is compared to the ox. Accursed was the town of shekem when Shimeon and Levi entered to destroy it in their wrath, for it was strong, and in their anger, for it was cruel. And Jakob our father said, If these remain together, no people or reign can stand before them. I will divide the tribe of Shimeon, that they may become preachers and teachers of the law in the congregation of Jakob; and I will disperse the tribe of Levi in the houses of instruction for the sons of Israel

[8. JEHUDA, thee will all thy brethren praise, and from thy name will all be called Jehudaee; thy hand will avenge thee of thy adversaries; all the sons of thy father will come before thee with salutation. I will liken thee, my son Jehuda, to a whelp the son of a lion: from the slaying of Joseph thou wast free, from the judgment of Tamar thou, my son, wast acquitted. He remaineth tranquil in the midst of war, as the lion and as the lioness; nor is there people or reign that can stand against thee. Kings will not cease from the house of Jehuda, nor sapherim teaching the law from his children’s children, until the time that the King Meshiha will come, whose is the reign, and to whom all the reigns of the earth will be obedient. How beauteous is the King Meshiha, who is to arise from the house of Jehuda!

[Binding his loins, and going forth to war against them that hate him, he will slay kings with princes, and make the rivers red with the blood of their slain, and his hills white with the fat of their mighty ones; his garments will be dipped in blood, and he himself be like the juice of the winepress. More beautiful are the eyes of the king Meshiha to behold than pure wine; they will not look upon that which is unclean, or the shedding of the blood of the innocent. His teeth are employed according to the precept rather than in eating the things of violence and rapine; his mountains will be red with vines, and his presses with his wine, and his hills be white with much corn and with flocks of sheep.

[14. ISSAKAR is a strong tribe, and his limits will be in the midst between two boundaries. And he saw the house of the sanctuary, which is called Quietness, that it is good, and the land that its fruits are rich; and bared his shoulders to labour in the law, and to him will be all his brethren bringing tribute.

[17. (Of DAN) He will be the deliverer who is to arise, strong will he be and elevated above all reigns. And be will be like the nachash that lieth in the way, and the basilisk which lurketh at the dividing of the road, which striketh the horse in his heel, and thinketh by the terror of him to throw his rider backward. He is Shimshon bar Manovach, who will be a terror upon his adversaries, and a fear upon them that hate him, and who will slay kings with princes. Our father Jakob said, My soul hath not waited for the redemption of Gideon bar Joash which is for an hour, nor for the redemption of Shimshon which is a creature redemption, but for the Redemption which Thou hast said in Thy Word will come for Thy people the sons of Israel, for this Thy Redemption my soul hath waited.

[19. From the house of GA.D. will go forth hosts arrayed in arms. They will bring Israel over Jardena put them in possession of the land of Kenaan, and afterwards return in peace to their tabernacles.

[Of happy Asher how fertile is the land! His land will satisfy with dainties the kings of the sons of Israel.

[Naphtali is a swift messenger declaring good tidings. He first declared to our father Jakob that Joseph was yet in life, and he went down to Mizraim in a little time, and brought the contract of the Double Field from the palace of Joseph. And when he openeth his mouth in the congregation of Jakob, his tongue is sweet as honey.

[22. My son who hast become great, JOSEPH, my son, who hast become great, and waxed mighty, that thou wouldst become mighty was foreseen. Thee, Joseph, my son, will I liken to a vine planted by fountains of water, which sendeth her roots into the depth and striketh the ridges of the rocks, uplifting herself on high and surmounting all the trees. So hast thou, 0 Joseph my son, risen by thy wisdom above all magicians of Mizraim, and all the wise men who were there, what time thou didst ride in the second chariot of Pharaoh, and they proclaimed before thee and said, This is the father of the king, Long live the, father of the king Great in wisdom, though few in years. And the daughters of kings and of princes danced before thee at the windows, and beheld thee from the balconies, and scattered before thee bracelets rings collars, necklaces, and all ornaments of gold, in hope thou wouldst uplift thine eyes and regard one of them. But thou my son Joseph wast far from lifting thine eyes on any one of them, though the daughters of kings and of princes spake one to another, This is the holy man Joseph, who walks not after the sight of his eyes nor after the imagination of his heart; because the sight of the eyes and the imagination of his heart make the son of woman to perish from the world. Therefore will arise from thee the two tribes Menasheh and Ephraim, who will receive portion and inheritance with their brethren in the dividing of the land. The magicians of Mizraim and all the wise men spake against him, but could not prevail over him; they spake evil of him before his lord, they accused him before Pharaoh king of Mizraim, to bring him down from his dignity; they spake against him in the palace of Pharaoh with a slanderous tongue severe as arrows. But the strength of his confidence remained in both his hands and his arms, and he sought mercy from the strength of his father Jakob, under the arms of whose power the tribes of Israel are led, and do come. Blessed are the breasts that suckled thee, and the womb in which thou didst lie. The blessing of thy father be added upon thee, upon the blessings wherewith thy fathers Abraham and Izhak who are like mountains blessed thee, and upon the blessing of the four mothers’ Sarah, Rivekah, Rahel, and Leah, who are like hills; let all these blessings come, and make a diadem of majesty upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the man who became a chief and ruler in the land of Mizraim, and the brightness of the glory of his brethren.

---

Josephus was born Joseph ben Mattathias in 37 AD in Jerusalem of a priestly and royal family. He excelled in his studies of Jewish law and studied with the Sadducees, Pharisees, and the Essenes, eventually aligning himself with the Pharisees. In 62 AD he went to Rome to free some imprisoned priests. After accomplishing this mission through the intercession of Nero’s wife, Poppaea, he returned to Jerusalem in 65 AD to find the country in revolt against Rome. Josephus shrewdly reinterpreted the Messianic prophecies. He predicted that Vespasian would become the ruler of the ‘entire world’. His prophecy became true in 68 AD when Nero committed suicide and Vespasian became Ceasar. As a result, Josephus was freed; he moved to Rome and became a Roman citizen, taking the Vespasian family name Flavius. Vespasian commissioned Josephus to write a history of the war, which he finished in 78 AD, the Jewish War. His second major work, the Antiquities of the Jews, was completed in 93 AD. The extant manuscripts of the book Antiquities of the Jews contain two references to Yeshua of Nazareth (18.3.3. and 20.9.1.) and one reference to the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist (18.5.2.).

2.8.1. Now when Jacob had lived seventeen years in Egypt, he fell into a disease, and died in the face of his sons; but not till he made his prayers for their enjoying prosperity, and till he had foretold to them prophetically how every one of them was to dwell in the land of Canaan. But this happened many years afterward. He also enlarged upon the praises of Joseph 15 how he had not remembered the evil doings of his brethren to their disadvantage; nay, on the contrary, was kind to them, bestowing upon them so many benefits, as seldom are bestowed on men’s own benefactors. He then commanded his own sons that they should admit Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasses, into their number, and divide the land of Canaan in common with them; concerning whom we will treat hereafter. However, he made it his request that he might be buried at Hebron.