as the works of his mother. And Izhak was consoled after his mother's death.

XXV. And Abraham added and took a wife, and her name was Keturah; she is Hagar, who had been bound 9 to him from the beginning. [Jerusalem. She is Hagar, who had been tied to him from the beginning.] And she bare to him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midyan, and Yishbak, and Shovack. And Jokshan begat Sheva and Dedan; and the sons of Dedan were merchants, and negotiators, and chiefs of peoples. [Jerusalem. Merchants, and artificers, and chiefs of peoples.] And the sons of Midyan, Eipher, and Epher, and Hanok, and Abida, were the sons of Keturah. gift of all he had to Izhak. concubines of Abraham gave Abraham riches and moveable property as gifts, and sent them away from Izhak his son while he (yet) lived; and they went and dwelt eastward in the land of the orient.

and Aldaah, all these And Abraham gave the And to the sons of the

And this is the number of the days of the life of Abraham, who lived a hundred and seventy and five years. And Abraham expired, and died in a good old age, aged and satisfied with all good. (Also Ishmael wrought repentance in his days, and afterwards was gathered to his people.) And Izhak and Ishmael his sons buried him in the double cavern, at the field of Ephran bar Zochar, the Hittite, which is before Mamre ; the field that Abraham purchased of the sons of Hittah : there was Abraham buried and Sarah his wife.

And because Abraham had not designed to bless Ishmael, therefore he blessed not Izhak; for had he blessed Izhak and not Ishmael, it would have kept them in enmity. But, after the death of Abraham, the Lord blessed Izhak; and Izhak dwelt near the well

9 Keturah," the bound one," from keter, "to bind."

at which was revealed the glory of the Living and Eternal One, who seeth and is not seen.

And these are the generations of Ishmael bar Abraham, whom Hagar the Mizreitha, the handmaid of Sarah, bare unto Abraham. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael by their names, according to their generations. The firstborn of Ishmael, Neboi, and Arab, and Abdeel, and Mibsham,—Hearing, Silence, Patience, and Sharpness: and Tema, Yetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael, and these their names in their villages, and in their fenced dwellings, twelve chiefs of their peoples. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years; and he was converted in repentance, and expired, and was gathered to his people. And they dwelt from Hindiki unto Chalutsa, which is in face of Mizraim from going up to Athur. Before the face of all his brethren he dwelt in his possession. [Jerusalem. In their villages, and in their fenced dwellings (or encampments). Twelve chiefs of their peoples. And they dwelt from Hindekaia unto Chalutsa, which is by the side of Mizraim, from thy going up towards Athur. Before all his brethren he dwelt.]

SECTION VI.

TOLEDOTH.

These are the generations of Izhak bar Abraham. And because the appearance of Izhak resembled the appearance of Abraham, the sons of men said, In truth Abraham begat Izhak. And Izhak was the son of

forty years when he took Rivekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramite, who was of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramite, unto him for a wife. And Izhak went to the mountain of worship, the place where his father had bound him. And Izhak in his prayer turned the attention of the Holy One, blessed be He! from that which He had decreed respecting his wife, because she had been barren twenty and two years; and changed also was the intention of the Holy One, blessed be He! from that which He had decreed concerning him who had been childless. And he was enlarged, and Rivekah his wife was with child. And the children pressed in her womb as men doing battle. And she said, If this is the anguish of a mother, what then are children to me? And she went into the school of Shem Rabba to supplicate mercy before the Lord. [Jerusalem. And the children pressed in her womb, and she said, If such be the anguish of a mother, what now is life, that children are to be mine? And she went to supplicate mercy before the Lord in the beth midrash of Shem Rabba.] And the Lord said to her, Two peoples are in thy womb, and two kingdoms from thy womb shall be separated; and one kingdom shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger, if the children of the younger will keep the commandments of the Law.

And the two hundred and seventy days of her being with child were completed to bring forth; and, behold, twins were in her womb. And the first came forth wholly red, as a garment of hair: and they called his name Esau,1 because he was born altogether complete, with the hair of the head, and the beard, and teeth, and grinders. [Jerusalem. And the first came forth wholly red, as a garment of hair: and they called his

1 "Ready made," or, according to others, "rough, hairy."

name Esau.] Afterward came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on the heel of Esau. And they called his name Jakob (Yaakov).2 And Izhak was a son of sixty years when he begat them.

son.

And the lads grew; and Esau was a man of idleness3 to catch birds and beasts, a man going forth into the field to kill lives, as Nimrod had killed, and Hanok his But Jakob was a man peaceful in his works, a minister of the instruction-house of Eber, seeking instruction before the Lord. And Izhak loved Esau, for words of deceit were in his mouth; but Rivekah loved Jakob.

On the day that Abraham died, Jakob dressed pottage of lentiles, and was going to comfort his father. And Esau came from the wilderness, exhausted; for in that day he had committed five transgressions: he had worshipped with strange worship, he had shed innocent blood, he had gone in unto a betrothed damsel, he had denied the life of the world to come, and had despised the birthright. And Esau said to Jakob, Let me now taste that red pottage, for I am faint, therefore he called his name Edom.4 And Jakob said, Sell to-day, as (on this very) day, what thou wouldst hereafter appropriate, thy birthright, unto me. And Esau said, Behold, I am going to die, and in another world I shall have no life; and what then to me is the birthright, or the portion in the world of which thou speakest ? And Jakob said, Swear to me to-day that so it shall be. And he sware to him, and sold his birthright to Jakob. And Jakob gave to Esau bread and pottage of lentiles. And he ate and drank, and arose and went. And Esau scorned the birthright, and the portion of the world that cometh. [JERUSALEM.

From agav, "to hold by the heel, to trip up, to act deceitfully." 3 Or, "leisure."

M

4 "Red."

And he arose, and went. And Esau despised the birthright, and vilified the portion in the world that cometh, and denied the resurrection of the dead.]

XXVI. And there was a mighty famine in the land of Kenaan, besides the former famine which had been in the days of Abraham; and Izhak went to Abimelek king of the Philistaee at Gerar. It had been in Izhak's heart to go down to Mizraim; but the Lord appeared to him, and said, Go not down to Mizraim; dwell in the land as I have told thee; sojourn in the land, and My Word shall be for thy help, and I will bless thee; for to the end to thy sons will I give all these lands, and I will establish the covenant which I have covenanted with Abraham thy father. And I will multiply thy sons as the stars of the heavens, and will give to thy sons all these lands, and through thy sons shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; on account that Abraham obeyed My word, and kept the keeping of My word, My statutes, My covenants, and My laws. And Izhak. dwelt in Gerar. And the men of the place inquired concerning his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he reasoned in his heart, Lest the men of the place should kill me for Rivekah, because she was of beautiful appearance. And it was when days had increased to him in abiding there, that Abimelek the king of the Philistaee looked from a window, and beheld, and Izhak was disporting with Rivekah his wife. [Jerusalem. And he looked.] And Abimelek called Izhak, and said, Nevertheless she is thy wife; and why hast thou said, She is my sister? And Izhak answered him, Because I said in my heart, Lest they kill me on her account. And Abimelek said, Why hast thou done this to us? It might have been that the king, who is the principal of the people, had lain with

5

5 Or, "the individual (m'yechad), the personal representative."