Pgs.148- 156

Ch.47-50

SECTION XII.

VAYECHI.

AND Jakob lived in the land of Mizraim seventeen years. And the days ofthe years of the life of Jakob were a hundred and forty and seven years. Andthe days of Israel drew near to die. And he called to his son, to Joseph, andsaid to him, If now I have found favour in thine eyes, put, I beseech thee,thine hand under my thigh, and deal with me in goodness and truth; nor bury me,I beseech thee, in Mizraim; but I will sleep with my fathers; and thou shaltcarry me from Mizraim, and bury me in their sepulchre. And he said, I will doaccording to thy word. And he said, Swear to me; and he sware to him. AndIsrael worshipped upon the pillow[1] of the bed.

XLVIII.And it was after these words that it was said to Joseph, Behold, thy father isill. And he took his two sons with him, Menashe and Ephraim. And it was shownto Jakob, and told (him,) Behold, thy son Joseph cometh to thee. And Israelwas strengthened,[2] and he sat upon the bed. And Jakobsaid to Joseph, El Shadai revealed Himself to me in Luz, in the land of Kenaan,and blessed me; and He said to me, Behold, I will multiply thee, and make theegreat, and will set thee for an assembly of tribes, and will give this land tothy sons after thee for an everlasting inheritance. And now thy two sons whichwere born to thee in the land of Mizraim, before my coming to thee intoMizraim, are mine; Ephraim and Menashe shall be as Reuben and Shimeon beforeme. And the children whom thou mayest beget after them, who shall be thine,after the name of their brethren they shall be called in their inheritance.[3]And I, in my coming from Padan, Rahel died by me in the land of Kenaan, in theway, while as yet there was a space of ground to come unto Ephrath. And Iburied her there, by the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Israel saw thesons of Joseph, and said, Who are these? And Joseph said to his father, Theyare my sons whom the Lord hath given me here. And he said, Bring them now nearto me, that I may bless them. But the eyes of Israel were heavy from age, andhe could not discern. And he brought them near to him, and he kissed them, andembraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, I had not hoped[4] to seethy face, and, behold, the Lord hath showed me thy sons also. And Joseph ledthem from before him, and worshipped with his face on the earth. And Josephtook both of them, Ephraim in his right hand, on the left of Israel, andMenashe in his left hand, on the right of Israel, and brought them to him. AndIsrael stretched out his right hand, and laid it on the head of Ephraim, whowas the younger; and his left hand on the head of Menashe, using his handsdesigningly; (or, instructing his hands;) for Menashe was the first‑born.And he blessed Joseph, and said, The Lord, before whom my fathers Abraham andIzhak did serve; the Lord, who fed me from my coming[5] untothis day; the Angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the youths; and let myname be called upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Izhak; and asthe fish of the sea may they multiply[6] among the children of men upon theearth! And Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head ofEphraim; and it was evil in his eyes. And he uplifted his father's hand, toremove it from Ephraim's head, that it might rest on the head of Menashe. AndJoseph said to his father, Not so, my father; for this is the first‑born:lay thy right hand on his head. But his father willed not, and said, I know, myson, I know: he also shall be for a people, and he also shall be great; yet hisyounger brother will be greater than he, and his sons shall have dominion amongthe nations. And he blessed them in that day, saying, By thee shall Israelbless, saying, The Lord set thee as Ephraim and as Menashe. And he set Ephraimbefore Menashe. And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I die; but the Word of theLord will be your Helper, and restore you to the land of your fathers. And Iwill give thee one portion more than thy brethren, which I took from the bandof the Amoraah by my prayer and by my deprecation.

XLIX. AndJacob called his sons, and said, Gather together, and I will show you what willbefall you in the end of the days; assemble, and hearken, O sons of Jakob, andreceive instruction from Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my first‑born,my strength, and the beginning of my power.[7] Thine should it havebeen taking to take the three portions,‑the birthright, the priesthood,and the kingdom: but because thou hast proceeded perversely,[8]behold, as water outpoured thou wilt not prosper, neither wilt thou receive theexcellent portion; because thou wentest up to thy father's place of sleep:then, my son, didst thou become profane, when thou wentest up to my bed.

Shimeon and Levi are brothers; mighty men in the land of theirsojourning, they did mightily.[9] My soul was not in their secret; intotheir company to come I would not have descended from mine honour. For in theiranger they slew a slaughter, and in their wilfulness they razed the wall oftheir enemy. Accursed[10] was their anger, for it was strong,and their wrath, for it was relentless. I will divide them in Jakob, and I willscatter them in Israel.

Jehuda,thou art praise and not shame; thy brethren shall praise thee;[11] thyhand shall prevail against thine adversaries, thine enemies shall be dispersed;they will be turned backward before thee, and the sons of thy father will comebefore thee with salutations. The dominion shall be (thine) in the beginning,and in the end the kingdom shall be increased from the house of Jehuda, becausefrom the judgment of death, my son, hast thou withdrawn.[12] Heshall repose, and abide in strength as a lion, and as a lioness, there shall beno king that may cut him off. He who exerciseth dominion shall not pass awayfrom the house of Jehuda, nor the saphra from his children's children for ever,until the Meshiha come, whose is the kingdom, and unto whom shall be theobedience of the nations (or, whom the peoples shall obey). Israel shall passround about in his cities; the peopleshall build his temple, they will be righteous round about him, and be doers ofthe law through his doctrine. Of goodly purple will be his raiment, and hisvesture of crimson wool with colours.[13] His mountains shall be red with hisvineyards, and his hills be dropping with wine; his valleys shall be white withcorn, and with flocks of sheep.

Zebulon will dwell nigh the haven of the sea; he will subdue provinceswith ships, and will eat the good of the sea, and his boundary shall come untoSidon.

Issakar,[14] rich in substance, will have hisheritage between the boundaries; and he, seeing his portion that it is good,and the land that it is fruit‑bearing,[15] will subdue theprovinces of the people, and disperse their inhabitants, and they who remain ofthem will become servants to him and bringers of tribute.

From thehouse of Dan will be chosen and will arise a man in whose days his people shallbe delivered, and in whose years the tribes of Israel have rest together. Achosen man will arise from the house of Dan, the terror of whom shall fall uponthe peoples; (a man) who will smite the Philistines’ with strength, as theserpent, the deadly serpent,[16] lurking[17] bythe way, be will slay the mighty of the Philistines host, the horsemen with thefoot; he will weaken (loosen) the horses and chariots, and throw their ridersbackward. For thy salvation have I waited, O Lord!

From the house of Gad will armed hosts go over the Jardena before theirbrethren to the battle ; and with much substance will they return unto theirland.

The land of Asher will be good; and he shall be nourished with thedainties of kings.

In a good land will the lot of Naphtali be cast, and his inheritance befruitful; over them will they give praise and benediction.[18]

Joseph ismy son who shall increase, my son who shall be blessed, as a vine planted by afountain of waters. Two tribes will come forth from his sons, and they shallreceive a portion and inheritance. The mighty men, the men of division, werebitter against him; they afflicted him and sorely grieved him and his prophecyshall be fulfilled in them, because he was faithful to the law in secret, andset his confidence firmly. Therefore was gold laid upon his arm, and thekingdom was strengthened and confirmed. This was to him from the mighty God ofJacob, who by His Word pastureth the fathers and the children of the seed ofIsrael. The Word of the God of thy father shall be thy Helper, and the All‑Sufficientshall bless thee, with the blessings of the dew that descends from the heavensabove, with the blessings that spring from the depths of the earth beneath,with the blessings of thy father and of thy mother. The blessing of thy fathershall be added upon the blessing with which my fathers blessed me; which theprinces who are of the world have desired: all of them shall be upon the headof Joseph, and upon the man who was separated from his brethren.

Benjamin: inhis land will dwell the Shekina, and in his possession will the sanctuary bebuilded. In the morning and evening[19] will the priests offer the oblation,and at eventime divide the remaining portions of the residue of the sacredthings.

All these thetribes of Israel are twelve; and this it is which their father spake to them,and blessed them; according to the blessing of each man, blessed he them. Andhe commanded them, and said to them, I am to be gathered unto my people; buryme with my fathers in the cavern which is in the field of Ephron the Hitaah; inthe cavern which is in the double field over against Mamre, in the land ofKenaan, which field Abraham bought of Ephron the Hitaah for aninheritancesepulchre. There buried they Abraham and Sarah his wife; thereburied they Izhak and Revekah his wife; and there buried I Leah. The field, andthe cavern that is in it, purchased of the sons of Hitaah. And Jakob ceased toinstruct his sons, and drew his feet together in the bed, and died, and wasgathered unto his people.

L. AndJoseph fell upon his father's face, and wept over him, and kissed him. AndJoseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father; and thephysicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were completed to him; for so arecompleted the days of the embalmed; and the Mizraee mourned for him seventydays. And the days of his mourning passed: and Joseph spake with the house ofPharoh, saying, If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak, I pray, beforePharoh, saying My father adjured me, saying, Behold, I die; in my sepulchrewhich I have prepared for me in the land of Kenaan, there shalt thou bury me.And now let me go up, I pray, and I will bury my father and return. And Pharohsaid, Go up and bury thy father, as he adjured thee. And Joseph went up to buryhis father; and all the servants of Pharoh, the elders of his house, and allthe elders of the land of Mizraim, went up with him; and all the house ofJoseph, and his brethren, and the house of his father: only the children, andthe flocks, and the cattle, they left in the land of Goshen. And with him wentup, also, chariots and horsemen;[20] and there was a very great host. Andthey came to the threshing‑floor[21] of Atad, which isbeyond Jardena, and lamented there with lamentations great and very strong. Andhe made a mourning for his father seven days. And the inhabitants of the landof Kenaan saw the mourning at the threshing‑floor of Atad, and said,This is a mighty mourning of the Mizraee; therefore its name is called AbelMizraim; which is beyond Jardena. And his sons did as he had commanded them.And his sons carried him into the land of Kenaan, and buried him in the cavernof the Double Field, which Abraham bought for an inheritancesepulchre of Ephronthe Hitaah, before Mamre. And Joseph returned into Mizraim, he and hisbrethren, and all who went up with him to bury his father, after he had buriedhis father. And the brethren of Joseph saw that their father was dead; and theysaid, Perhaps Joseph will retain enmity against us, and requiting will requiteus all the evil which we did him. And they made visitation to Joseph, saying,Thy father commanded before his death, saying, Thus shall you speak to Joseph,I pray you to forgive the guilt of thy brethren and their sin wherewith theydid evil against thee. And now forgive, I beseech thee, the guilt of theservants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake with him.And his brethren came and fell before him, and said, Behold, we are thy servants.And Joseph said to them, Fear not, for I fear the Lord. When you thought evilagainst me, before the Lord it was intended for good, to be done, as at thisday, for the preservation of much people. And now do not fear; I will sustainyou and your children. And he consoled them, and spake consolation to theirheart.

And Joseph dwelt in Mizraim, he and his father's house. And Josephlived an hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw of Ephraim three sons; also thesons of Makir, the son of Menashe, were born, whom Joseph brought up.

And Josephsaid to his brethren, I die; but the Lord remembering will remember you, andbring you up from, this land to the land of which He sware to Abraham, toIzhak, and to Jakob. And Joseph adjured the sons of Israel, saying, The Lordremembering will remember you, and you shall carry my bones up from hence. AndJoseph died, the son of a hundred and ten years, and they embalmed him, andlaid him in an ark in Mizraim.

                                             END OF ONKELOS ON BERESHITH.

[1] Al rish harsa, 'upon the head of the bed."

[1] Sam. Vers. "strengthenedhimself."

[1] Sam. Vers. "in theirdivisions."

[1] Sam. Vers. "prayed."

[1] Sam. Vers. "from the house of mynativity."

[1] Sam. Vers. "be spread abroad."

[1] Sam. Vers. "the beginning of mytime."

[1] Or, "proceeded deceitfully." Azaltalakabel appeka.

[1] Sam. Vers. "they accomplished thefraud of their covenant."

[1] Sam, Vers. "proud."

[1] Sam. Vers. "love thee."

[1] Or, "gone up."

[1] Or, "wool dyed bright withcolours."

[1] Sam. Vers. 'Issakar, an ass sojourning,lying down between two burdens."

[1] Sam. Vers. "fat."

[1] Churman: "species serpentis as cujus morsum nulla est medicina." --Castel. Root, charem, "to devote to destruction."

[1] Sam. Vers. "erecting itself."

[1] Sam. Vers. "Naphatali is a hind sentforth, giving words of freedom."

[1] Pania.Conf. the Ethiopic in Castel, under panu, col. 3021.

[1] Sam. Vers. "footmen."

[1] :The house of barns,"