Pgs. 270-285 Targum of Palestine
SECTION VIII.
Vayishlach
And Jakob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Gabla the territory of the Edomites, and instructed them to say, Thus shall you speak to my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jakob, With Laban have I dwelt, and have tarried until now. And of all that in which my father blessed me there is nothing in my hand; but I have a few oxen and asses, sheep, and servants and handmaids; and I have sent to tell my lord that that blessing hath not profited me; that I may find mercy in thine eyes and that thou mayest not maintain (enmity) against me on account thereof.
And the messengers returned to Jakob, saying, We came to thy brother, to Esau, and he also cometh to meet thee, and four hundred chief‑warriors[1] with him. [Jerusalem. And four hundred men, warlike leaders with him.] And Jakob was greatly afraid, because for twenty years he had not been mindful of the glory of his father: and he had anxiety; and he divided the people who were with him, the sheep, and oxen, and camels, into three troops, for a portion. to Leah, and a portion to Rahel. And he said, If Esau come to the one troop of them and smite it, the remaining troop may escape. And Jakob said, God of my father Abraham, Thou, the God of my father Izhak, the Lord, who saidst to me, Return to thy country and to thy kindred, and I wilt do thee good: I am altogether less than any of the (acts of) goodness and truth which Thou hast exercised towards Thy servant: for with my staff, alone, I passed this Jardena, and now I am become two bands.
Deliver me I pray, from the hand of my elder brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him: for he hath been mindful of the glory of his father; lest he come and smite the mother with the children. But Thou hast promised, I Will surely do thee good, and will make thy sons many as the sand of the sea be numbered for that cannot be numbered for Multitude.
And he abode there that night; and he took what was ready at his hand a present for Esau his brother: she‑goats two hundred, and he‑goats twenty; ewes two hundred and rams twenty: milch camels with their young ones thirty; cows forty, and bulls ten, small colts ten..[Jerusalem. Arid small colts ten.] And he made them ready by the hand of his servants in flocks apart, and said to his servants, Pass over before me, and put much (room) between flock and flock. And he instructed the first, Saying, When Esau my brother shall meet thee, and ask of thee, saying, Whose art thou, and whither art thou journeying and whose are these before thee? Thou halt and sayth it is a gift of thy servant Jakob, which he sends to my lord Esau, and, behold, he also cometh after us. And so he instructed the second, and the third, and all them who followed the flock, saying According to these words You must speak with Esau when you find him, and say, And, behold, thy servant Jakob also cometh after us. For he said, I will make his countenance friendly by the gift which goeth before me, and afterward will see his face: peradventure he may accept me. And the present passed over before him, and he abode that night in camp And the night in the camp. And he arose in the night and took his two wives, and his two concubines, and eleven children, and went over the ford Jubeka. And taking them he made them pass over the torrent, and all that he had went over.
And Jakob remained alone beyond the Jubeka; and an Angel contended with him in the likeness of a man. And he said, Hast thou not promised to give the tenth of all that is thine? And, behold, thou hast ten sons and one daughter: nevertheless thou hast not tithed them. Immediately he set apart the four firstborn of the four mothers, and there remained eight. And he began to number from Shimeon, and Levi came up for the tenth.
Michael answered and said, Lord of the world is Thy lot. And on account of these things he (Michael) remained from God at the torrent till the column of the morning was ascending. And he saw that he had not power to hurt him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jakob's thigh was distorted in his contending with him.
And he said, Let me go, for the column of the morning ascendeth; and the hour cometh when the angels on high offer praise to the Lord of the world: and I am one of the angels of praise, but from the day that the world was created my time to praise hath not come until now.
And he said, I will not let thee go, until thou bless me. [JERUSALEM. And the hollow of Jakob's thigh was displaced in contending with him. And he said, Send me away, for the column of the dawn ariseth, and, behold, the hour cometh for the angels to praise. And he said, I will not release thee until thou bless me.]
And he said, What is thy name? He answered, Jakob. And he said, Thy name shall be no more called Jakob but Israel, because thou art magnified with the angels of the Lord and with the mighty, and thou hast prevailed with them. And Jakob asked and said, Show me now thy name. And he said, Why dost thou ask for my name? And he blessed Jakob there.
And Jakob called the name of the place Peniel; for he said, I have seen the Angels of the Lord face to face, and my soul is saved. And the sun rose upon him before his time, (the sun) which on his account had set before his time, on his going out from Beersheba, as he crossed over Peniel. And he began to journey, and was lame upon his thigh. Therefore the sons of Israel eat not the sinew which shrank, which is in the hollow of the thigh of cattle and of wild animals, until this day; because the Angel touched and laid hold of the hollow of the right thigh of Jakob, in the place of the sinew which shrank.
XXXIII. And Jakob lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men of war. And be divided the children unto Leah, and to Rahel, and to the two concubines, and placed the concubines and their sons foremost; for he said, If Esau come to destroy the children and abuse the women, he will do it with them, and meantime we will arise and encounter him in fight; and Leah and her children after, and Rahel and Joseph after them. And he himself went over before them, praying and asking mercy before the Lord; and he bowed upon the earth seven times, until he met with his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept. Esau wept on account of the pain of his teeth which were shaken; but Jakob wept because of the pain of his neck. [JERUSALEM. And Esau ran to meet him, and hugged him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him. Esau wept for the crushing of his teeth, and Jakob wept for the tenderness of his neck.[2]
And he lifted up his eyes and saw the wives and the children, and said, Who are these with thee? And he said, They are the souls which have been given to me through mercy from before the Lord upon thy servant. And the concubines came near, they and their children, and bowed themselves; and Leah also approached, and her children, and bowed; and afterward Joseph came near and stood before Rahel, and hid her by his stature, and they bowed. And he said, What to thee is all this troop that I have met? And he said, It is a present I have sent to find mercy in the eyes of my lord. And Esau said, I have much substance, my brother; let what thou hast be confirmed to thee. And Jakob said, Say not so, I beseech thee. If now I have found favor in thy eyes, accept my present from my hand; because I have seen the look of thy face, and it is to me as the vision of the face of thy angel; for, lo, thou art propitious to me. Receive now the present which is brought to thee, because it hath been given me through mercy from before the Lord, and because I have much substance. And he urged upon him, and he received.
And he said, Let us journey and proceed, and I will go along with thee, till thou come to the house of thy habitation. And he said to him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and kine giving milk are with me; and if I overdrive them one day, all the flock may die. Let me beseech my lord to pass over and journey before thy servant, and I will lead oil quietly alone, according to the foot of the work which is before me, and according to the foot of the instruction of the children; until the time that I come to my lord at Gabla. [JERUSALEM. That the children are tender.]
And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the soldiers who are with me. But he said, Why this? Let me find favour before thee, my lord. And a miracle was wrought for Jakob, and that day Esau returned on his way to Gabla.
And Jakob journeyed to Succoth, and sojourned there the twelve months of the year; and he builded in it a midrasha,[3] and for his flocks he made booths; therefore he called the name of the place Succoth.
Then came Jakob in peace with all that he had to the city of Shekem, in the land of Kenaan, in his Coming from Padan Aram; and he dwelt near the city, and bought the possession of a field where lie spread his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor father of Shekem, for a hundred pearls.[4] And he raised there an altar, and there he gave the tithes which he had set apart of all that he had before God, the God of Israel.
XXXIV. And Dinah the daughter of Leah whom she bare to Jakob, went forth to see the manners of the daughters of the people of the land And Shekem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the land, saw her, and took her by force, and lay with her and afflicted her. And his soul delighted in Dinah the daughter of Jakob; and he loved the girl, and spake kindly to the heart of the girl. And Shekem spake to Hamor his father, saying, Take for me this damsel to wife. But Jakob had heard that he had polluted Dinah his daughter, And his sons were with the flocks in the field, and Jakob was silent until they came.
And Hamor the father of Shekem came forth to Jakob to speak with him. And the sons of Jakob had come up from the field when they heard. And the men were indignant, and very violently moved, because Shekem had wrought dishonour in Israel in lying with the daughter of Jakob; for so it was not right to have been done.
And Hamor spake with them, saying, The soul of Shekem my son delighteth in your daughter: give her, I pray, to him to wife; and conjoin yourselves by marriage with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to you; and dwell with us, and the land shall be before you, to dwell where you please and do business in it and possess it. And Shekem said to her father and to her brethren, Let me find grace[5] in your sight, and what you shall tell me I will give. Multiply upon me greatly dowry and gift, and I will give as you shall tell me; only give me the damsel to wife. [JERUSALEM. Dotation and marriage portion.] But the sons of Jakob answered Shekem. and Hamor his father with subtilty, and so spake, because he had polluted Dinah their sister, and said to them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, because that would be a disgrace to us. But in this we will accede to you, if you will be as we are by circumcising every male. And we will give our daughters to you, and will take your daughters to us, and dwell with you, and be one people. But if you will not hearken to us to be circumcised, we will take our daughter by force and will go. And their words were pleasing in the eyes of Hamor, and in the eyes of Shekem, the son of Hamor. And the young man delayed not to do the thing; because he wished for the daughter of Jakob; and he was more honourable than all his father's house.
And Hamor and Shekem his son came to the gate of their city, and spake with the men of the gate of their city, saying, These men are friendly with us; and they may dwell in the land and do business in it; and the land, behold, it is broad (in) limits before them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and give our daughters to them. But in this only will the men accede to us, to dwell with us, and to be one people, by every male of us being circumcised as they are. Their flocks, and their substance, and all their cattle, will they not be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us. And all they who came out of the gate of his city received from Hamor and from Shekem, his son; and they circumcised every male, all who came out of the gate of the city.
And it was on the third day, when they were weak from the pain of their circumcision, two of the sons of Jakob, Shimeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, took each man his sword, and came upon the city, which was dwelling securely and killed every male. And Hamor and Shekem his son they killed with the edge of the sword; and they took Dinah from the house of Shekem, and went forth. And the rest of the sons of Jakob came to the spoil of the slain, and they sacked the city because they had polluted their sister in the midst of it. Their flocks, and oxen, and asses, and whatever was in the city or in the field they spoiled; and all their wealth and all their little ones they took and spoiled, and all that was in the houses.
And Jakob said to Shimeon and Levi, You have made my name to go forth as evil among the inhabitants of the land, among the Kenaanites and Phezerites. And I am a people of (small) number, and they will gather together against me, and destroy me and the men of my house. And Shimeon and Levi answered, It would not have been fit to be said in the congregations of Israel that the uncircumcised polluted the virgin, and the worshippers of idols debased the daughter of Jakob: but it is fit that it should be said, The uncircumcised were slain on account of the virgin, and the worshippers of idols on account of the daughter of Jakob. Shekem bar Hamor will not (now) deride us with his words; for as a whorish woman and an outcast who hath no avenger would he have made our sister, if we had not done this thing.
[JERUSALEM. The two sons of Jakob answered together, and said to Israel their father, It would not be fit to be said in the congregations of Israel, in their house of instruction, that the uncircumcised polluted the virgin, and the worshippers of idols the daughter of Jakob; but it is fit that it be said in the congregations of Israel and in their house of instruction, that the uncircumcised were put to death for the sake of the virgin, and the worshippers of idols because they had defiled Dinah the daughter of Jakob. And Shekem bar Hamor will not boast in his heart and say, As a woman who hath no man to avenge her injury, so hath Dinah the daughter of Jakob been made. And they said, As an impure woman and an outcast would he have accounted our sister.]
XXXV. And the Lord said to Jakob, Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make there an altar unto Eloha, who revealed Himself to thee in thy flight from before Esau thy brother. And Jakob said to the men of his house, and to all who were with him, Put away the idols of the peoples which are among you which you took from the temple[6] of Shekem, and purify you from the uncleannesses of the slain whom you have and change your raiment. And we will arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar unto Eloha, who heard my prayer in the day when I was afflicted, and whose Word was my helper in the way that I went.
And they delivered into Jakob's hand all the idols of the people which were in their hands which they had taken from the temple of Shekem, and the jewels that had been in the ears of the inhabitants of the city of Shekem, in which was portrayed the likeness of their images; and Jakob hid them under the terebinth that was near to the city of Shekem.
And they journeyed from thence, offering praise and prayer before the Lord. And there was a tremor from before the Lord upon the people of the cities round about them, and they pursued not after the sons of Jakob. And Jakob came to Luz in the land of Kenaan, which is Bethel, he and all the people who were with him. And he builded there an altar, and named that place, To God, who made His Shekinah to dwell in Bethel, because there had been revealed to him the angels of the Lord, in his flight from before Esau his brother.
And Deborah, the nurse of Rivekah, died, and was buried below Bethel, in the field of the plain. And there it was told Jakob concerning the death of Rivekah his mother; and he called the name of it, The other weeping.[7]
And the Lord revealed Himself to Jakob again on his return from Padan of Aram, and the Lord blessed him by the name of His Word, after the death of his mother. And the Lord said to him, Heretofore was thy name Jakob: thy name shall be no more called Jakob, but Israel shall be thy name. And the Lord said to him, I am El Shadai: spread forth and multiply; a holy people, and a congregation of prophets and priests, shall be from thy sons whom thou hast begotten, and two kings shall yet from thee go forth. And the land which I gave to Abraham and to Izhak will I give unto thee, and to thy son, after thee will I give the land.
[JERUSALEM. And Deborah the nurse of Rivekah died, and was buried below Beth El under an oak:[8] and he called the name of it, The Oak of Weeping.[9] The God of eternity, whose name be Blessed for ever and ever, hath taught us precepts which are beautiful and statutes that are comely: He hath taught us the blessing of matrimony from Adam and his bride, as the scripture expoundeth And the Word of the Lord blessed them, and the Word of the Lord said to them, Be strong and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it. He hath taught us to visit the afflicted, from our father Abraham the Righteous, when He revealed Himself to him in the plain of Vision, and gave him the precept of circumcision, and made him to sit in the door of his tent in the heat of the day; as the scripture expoundeth and saith, And the Word of the Lord revealed Himself to him in the plain of Vision. And again He hath taught us to bless those who mourn, from our father Jakob the Righteous: for He revealed Himself to him on his coming from Padan of Aram, when the way of the world had happened to Deborah, the nurse of Rivekah his mother, and Rahel died by him in the way, and Jakob our father sat weeping and bewailing her, and mourning and crying. Then wast Thou, 0 Lord of all worlds, in the perfection of Thy free mercies revealed to him, and didst comfort him, and blessing the mourners didst bless him concerning his mother, even as the scripture expoundeth and saith, The Word of the Lord revealed Himself unto Jakob the second time on his coming from Padan Aram, and blessed him.]
And the Shekinah of the Lord ascended from him in the place where He had spoken
with him And Jakob erected there a pillar of stone in the place where He had spoken
with him, a pillar of stone; and he outpoured upon it a libation of wine, and a libation of
water, because thus it was to be done at the feast of Tabernacles; and he poured oil of olives thereupon. And Jakob called the name of the place where the Lord bad spoken with him Beth El.
And they proceeded from Beth El; and there was yet much space of provision land in the coming to Ephrath and Rahel travailed, and had hard labour in her birth. And it was in the hardness of her travail that the midwife said to her, Fear not, for this also is to thee a male child. And it was in the going forth of her soul, for death came upon her, that she called his name The son of my woe: but his father called him Benjamin [JERUSALEM. And there was a space, as much ground, to come unto Ephrath; and Rahel travailed, and had hard labour in her birth . . . But his father called him in the language of the sanctuary, Benjamin.]
And Rahel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jakob erected a pillar over the house of burying:[10] which is the pillar of the tomb of Rahel unto this day.
And Jakob proceeded and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder, the place from whence, it is to be, the King Meshiha will be revealed at the end of the days.
And it was while Israel dwelt in this land that Reuben went and confounded[11] the bed of Bilhah the concubine of his father, which had been ordained along with the bed of Leah his mother; and this is reputed with regard to him, as if he had lain with her. And Israel heard it, and it afflicted him, and he said, Alas, that one should have come forth from me so profane, even as Ishmael came forth from Abraham, and Esau from my father! The Spirit of Holiness answered and thus spake to him: fear not, for all are righteous and none of them is profane!
So, after Benjamin was born, the sons of Jakob were twelve. The sons of Leah, the first‑born of Jakob, Reuben, and Shimeon, and Levi, and Jehudah, and Issakar, and Zabulon. The sons of Rahel, Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rahel, Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpha, the handmaid of Leah, Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jakob who were born to him in Padan Aram.
And Jakob came to Izhak his father, at Mamre the city of Arba, which is Hebron, for there Abraham and Izhak had dwelt. And the days of Izhak were an hundred and eighty years. And Izhak expired and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days, and Esau and Jakob his sons buried him.
XXXVI. These are the genealogies of Esau, who is called Edom. Esau took wives of the daughters of Kenaan, Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittah, and Ahalibama the daughter of Ana, the daughter of Sibeon the Hiva, and Basemath the daughter of Ishmael whom Nebaioth her brother gave to him. And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz, and Basemath bare Reuel. And Ahalibama, bare to Esau Jehus, and Jaalam, and Korach. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Kenaan. And Esau had taken his wives and his sons and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his flocks and his cattle, and all the substance which he had gotten in the land of Kenaan, and had gone into another land; for there fell upon him a fear of Jakob his brother: for their possessions would be too great for them to dwell together, neither would the land of their sojourning maintain them, on account of their flocks. And Esau dwelt in the mountain of Gabal. He is Esau the prince of the Edomites.
And these are the kindreds of Esau the prince of the Edomites, the place of whose dwelling was in the mountain. of Gabal. These are the names of the sons of Esau, Eliphaz bar Adah, wife of Esau; Reuel bar Basemath, wife of Esau. And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman Omar, Zephu, and Gaatam, and Kenaz, and Timna. And Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz bar Esau, and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek. He is Eliphaz the companion of Job. These are the sons of Adah wife of Esau. And these are the sons of Reuel, Nachath and Zerach, Shammah and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath wife of Esau. And these are the sons of Ahalibama the daughter of Anah the daughter of Sebeon wife of Esau; and she bare to Esau, Jehus, and Jaalam, and Korach.
These are the chieftains of the sons of Esau; the sons of Eliphaz, the first‑born of Esau, Rabba Teman, Rabba Omar, Rabba Zephu, Rabba Kenaz, Rabba Korach, Rabba Gaatam, Rabba Amalek: these are the chieftains of Eliphaz, whose habitation was in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Adah.
And these are the sons of Reuel bar Esau; Rabba Nachath, Rabba Zerach,, Rabba Shammah, Rabba Mizzah; these are the chieftains of Reuel, whose habitation was in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Basemath wife of Esau.
And these are the sons of Ahalibama wife of Esau; Rabba Jeush, Rabba Jaalam, Rabba Korach; these are the chieftains of Ahalibama, daughter of Adah wife of Esau. These are the sons of Esau, and these their chieftains. He is the father of the Edomites.
These are the sons of Gebal, the generations who before that had dwelt in that land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Sebeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Etser, and Dishon. These are the chieftains of the generations of the sons of Gebal, whose habitation was of old in the land of the Edomites. And the sons of Lotan were the Chori and Heman; and the sister of Lotan was Timna. And these are the sons of Shobal, Alvan, and Manachoth, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. And these are the sons of Sebeon, Aja and Anah: he is Anah who coupled the onagers with the she‑asses, and after a time found mules which had come forth from them, when he was tending the asses of Sebeon his father. And these are the children of Anah: Dishon; and Ahalibama was the daughter of Anah. And these are the sons of Dishon, Hemdan, and Jisban, and Jithran, and Keran. These are the sons of Etser, Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. These are the sons of Dishan, Hutz and Aram. These are the chieftains of the families: Rabba Lotan, Rabba Shobal, Rabba Sebeon, Rabba Anah, Rabba Dishon, Rabba Etser, Rabba Dishan: these are the chieftains of the families, according to their principalities, whose habitation was of old in the land of Gabla.
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel. In Edom reigned Bileam. the son of Behor, and the name of the city of the house of his kingdom was Dinhaba. And Bela died, and in his stead reigned Jobab the son of Zerach of Botsra. And Jobab died, and in his stead reigned Husham of the South country; and Husham died, and in his stead reigned Hadad the son of Bedad, who slew the Midianites when he arrayed war with them in the fields of Moab, and the name of the city of the house of his kingdom was Avith. And Hadad died, and in his stead reigned Simlah of Masrekah. And Simlah died, and instead of him reigned Shaul, who was of Rohoboth on the Pherat. And Shaul died, and in his stead reigned Baal Hanan bar Akbor. And Baal Hanan bar Akbor died, and instead of him reigned Hadar; and the name of the city of the house of his kingdom was Pahu; and the name of his wife was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred. He was the man who laboured with perseverance and vigilance, and who, after he had become wealthy and had gotten riches, turned to become more lofty in his heart, saying What is silver and what is g old? [JERUSALEM. And after him reigned Hadar; and the name of his city was Pahu, andthe daughter of Matred, the daughter of the changer of gold: the man who perseverance all the days of his life; but who, after he had eaten and was satisfied, converted and said, What is gold, and what is silver?]
And these are the names of the chieftains of Esau after their kindreds, after the place of their habitation,with their names Rabba Timna, Rabba Alva, Rabba Jetheth, Rabba Aholibama, Rabba Elah, Rabba Phinon, Rabba Kenaz, Rabba Teman, Rabba Mibzar, Rabba Magdiel, he was called Magdiel from the name of his city whose (migdol ) tower was strong, Rabba Hiram. These are the chieftains of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possessions. He is Esau the father of the Edomites.
[1] Polimarkeen
[1] See the remarks in the Introduction, pg. 13.l
[1] Ò A school.Ó
[1] Margaleen
[1] Or Òmercies.Ó
[1] Or Òthe house of idolsÓ
[1] Aocharan Bakutha
[1] Beluta, query, ÒchestnutÓ
[1] Belut Bakutha
[1] Beth Keburtha
[1] Bilbal