we

For we sinned because we had done this thing against his will, and he was sick on that day.

For we sinned because we had done this thing against his will, and he was sick on that day.

For from this day forward shall Shechem be called a city of imbeciles; for as a man mocketh a fool, so did we mock them.

Because also they had wrought folly in Israel by defiling my sister. And we departed and came to Bethel.

And there again I saw a vision as the former, after we had spent there seventy days.

And when we came to Bethel, my father saw a vision concerning me, that I should be their priest unto God.

And he rose up early in the morning, and paid tithes of all to the Lord through me. And so we came to Hebron to dwell there.

And she conceived and bare a son, and I called his name Gersam, for we were sojourners in our land.

And his sons answered him., saying, Before the Lord we will walk according to His law.

And his sons said unto him: We are witnesses.

And so we captured Hazor, and took all the spoil.

And the next day we departed to Aretan, a city strong and walled and inaccessible, threatening us with death.

And they that were upon the wall, thinking that we were alone, were drawn down against us.

And we took it with the edge of the sword.

And as for those who had taken refuge in the tower, we set fire to the tower and took both it and, them.

And as we were departing the men of Tappuah seized our spoil, and seeing this we fought with them.

And as we were departing the men of Tappuah seized our spoil, and seeing this we fought with them.

And we slew them. all and recovered our spoil.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And when we came to their city their women rolled upon us stones from the brow of the hill on which the city stood.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And we drew near to Thamna, where was all the substance of the hostile kings.

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.

And we did to them no hurt, and they became tributary to us, and we restored to them their spoil.

And we did to them no hurt, and they became tributary to us, and we restored to them their spoil.

AND eighteen years my father abode in peace with his brother Esau, and his sons with us, after that we came from Mesopotamia, from Laban.

And we pursued after the sons of Esau.

Now they had a city with walls of iron and gates of brass; and we could not enter into it, and we encamped around, and besieged it.

Now they had a city with walls of iron and gates of brass; and we could not enter into it, and we encamped around, and besieged it.

Then they asked from us terms of peace; and having taken counsel with our father, we received them as tributaries.

And they gave us five hundred cors of wheat, five hundred baths of oil, five hundred measures of wine, until the famine, when we went down into Egypt.

And after this we came into Egypt to Joseph, because of the famine.

We will not eat of it, for it is the price of our brother's blood, but we will assuredly tread it under foot, because he said that he would be king over us, and so let us see what will become of his dreams.

We will not eat of it, for it is the price of our brother's blood, but we will assuredly tread it under foot, because he said that he would be king over us, and so let us see what will become of his dreams.

Dan therefore came to him and said: Weep not, neither grieve; for we have found what we can say to our father Jacob.

Dan therefore came to him and said: Weep not, neither grieve; for we have found what we can say to our father Jacob.

Then we all rose up and said unto him: If thou givest not up the coat, we will say to our father that thou alone didst this evil thing in Israel.

Then we all rose up and said unto him: If thou givest not up the coat, we will say to our father that thou alone didst this evil thing in Israel.

And I sailed therein along the shores, catching fish for the house of my father until we came to Egypt.

And when we went down into Egypt, Joseph bore no malice against us.

And we all of us ran together, and Levi laid hold of the sun, and Judah outstripped the others and seized the moon, and they were both of them lifted up with them.

And lo, a bull upon the earth, with two great horns, and an eagle's wings upon its back; and we wished to seize him, but could not.

And again, after seven days, I saw our father Jacob standing by the sea of Jamnia, and we were with him.

And we, being tost with the tempest, were borne along over the sea; and the ship was filled with water, and was pounded by mighty waves, until it was broken up.

And Joseph fled away upon a little boat, and we were all divided upon nine planks, and Levi and Judah were together.

And we were all scattered unto the ends of the earth. 16 Then Levi, girt about with sackcloth, prayed for us all unto the Lord.

And, lo, our father came, and we all rejoiced with one accord.

For he saw that I had delivered a lamb out of the mouth of a bear, and put the bear to death; but had slain the lamb, being grieved concerning it that it could not live, and that we had eaten it.

And the spirit of hatred was in me, and I wished not either to hear of Joseph with the ears, or see him with the eyes, because he rebuked us to our faces saying that we were eating of the flock without Judah.

Thus the God of our fathers delivered him from our hands, that we should not work great lawlessness in Israel.

Often, therefore, did she flatter me with words as a holy man, and guilefully in her talk praise my chastity before her husband, while desiring to ensnare me when we were alone.

And she said unto me: If thou willest that I should leave my idols, lie with me, and I will persuade my husband to depart from his idols, and we will walk in the law by thy Lord.

Now when we came into Egypt they strove concerning me, which of them should buy me and take me.

And they came and said unto me: How is it that thou saidst that thou wast a slave? and lo, we have learnt that thou art the son of a mighty man in the land of Canaan, and thy father still mourneth for thee in sackcloth and ashes.

Then shall we also rise, each one over our tribe, worshipping the King of heaven, who appeared upon earth in the form of a man in humility.

AND when the king of Egypt had made sure that Haiqar was slain, he arose straightway and wrote a letter to king Sennacherib, reminding him in it 'of the peace and the health and the might and the honour which we wish specially for thee, my beloved brother, king Sennacherib.

But as for us, we have no skill in this, unless it be Nadan, his sister's son, for he taught him all his wisdom and learning and knowledge. Call him to thee, perchance he may untie this hard knot.'

'Bring us clay and stone, that we may build a castle for king Pharaoh, for we are idle.'

'Bring us clay and stone, that we may build a castle for king Pharaoh, for we are idle.'

And he said to him, 'Thou hast told the truth in this saying. But we have heard of Haiqar, that king Sennacherib has slain him, yet thou dost seem to be alive and well.'

'Peace be to thee, O my brother! and what we make known to thee by this is that a brother has need of his brother, and kings of each other, and my hope from thee is that thou wouldst lend me nine hundred talents of gold, for I need it for the victualling of some of the soldiers, that, I may spend it upon them. And after a little while I will send it thee.'

Blessed be God who hath made thee perfect in wisdom and hath adorned thee with philosophy and knowledge. 9 And now, O Haiqar, there remains what we desire from thee, that thou shouldst build as a castle between heaven and earth.'

And the boys began to shout, saying, 'Bring bricks, bring clay, that we may build the king's castle, for we are standing idle!'

And the boys began to shout, saying, 'Bring bricks, bring clay, that we may build the king's castle, for we are standing idle!'

And Haiqar said to him, 'O my lord! how shall we build a castle in the air? and if my lord the king were here, he would have built several castles in a single day.'

And Pharaoh said to him, 'Go, O Haiqar, to thy dwelling, and rest, for we have given up building the castle, and to-morrow come to me.'

And Pharaoh said, 'O Haiqar, we have a millstone here and it has been broken and I want thee to sew it up.'

And he said to him, 'Go in peace, O strength of his lord and pride of his Doctors! have any of the Sultans thy like? give my greetings to thy lord king Sennacherib, and say to him how we have sent him gifts, for kings are content with little.'

O my boy! thou art like the cat to whom they said: "Leave off thieving till we make for thee a chain of gold and feed thee with sugar and almonds."

This is what happened and (what) we found about the tale of Haiqar, and praise be to God for ever. Amen, and peace.

For neither the pleasure derived from gold nor any other of the possessions which are prized by shallow minds confers the same benefit as the pursuit of culture and the study which we expend in securing it.

Since the law which we wish not only to transcribe but also to translate belongs to the whole Jewish race, what justification shall we be able to find for our embassy while such vast numbers of them remain in a state of slavery in your kingdom?

Since the law which we wish not only to transcribe but also to translate belongs to the whole Jewish race, what justification shall we be able to find for our embassy while such vast numbers of them remain in a state of slavery in your kingdom?

They worship the same God--the Lord and Creator of the Universe, as all other men, as we ourselves, O king, though we call him by different names, such as Zeus [*1] or Dis.

They worship the same God--the Lord and Creator of the Universe, as all other men, as we ourselves, O king, though we call him by different names, such as Zeus [*1] or Dis.

We think that it was against our father's will and against all propriety that they should have been made captives and that the devastation of their land and the transportation of the Jews to Egypt was an act of military wantonness.

Wherefore, since it is acknowledged that we are accustomed to render justice to all men and especially to those who are unfairly in a condition of servitude, and since we strive to deal fairly with all men according to the demands of justice and piety, we have decreed, in reference to the persons of the Jews who are in any condition of bondage in any part of our dominion, that those who possess them shall receive the stipulated sum of money and set them at liberty and that no man shall show any tardiness in discharging his obligations.

Wherefore, since it is acknowledged that we are accustomed to render justice to all men and especially to those who are unfairly in a condition of servitude, and since we strive to deal fairly with all men according to the demands of justice and piety, we have decreed, in reference to the persons of the Jews who are in any condition of bondage in any part of our dominion, that those who possess them shall receive the stipulated sum of money and set them at liberty and that no man shall show any tardiness in discharging his obligations.

Wherefore, since it is acknowledged that we are accustomed to render justice to all men and especially to those who are unfairly in a condition of servitude, and since we strive to deal fairly with all men according to the demands of justice and piety, we have decreed, in reference to the persons of the Jews who are in any condition of bondage in any part of our dominion, that those who possess them shall receive the stipulated sum of money and set them at liberty and that no man shall show any tardiness in discharging his obligations.

For we consider that it will be advantageous to us and to our affairs that the matter should be brought to a conclusion.

If it please you, O king, a letter shall be written to the High Priest in Jerusalem, asking him to send six elders out of every tribe--men who have lived the noblest life and are most skilled in their law--that we may find out the points in which the majority of them are in agreement, and so having obtained an accurate translation may place it in a conspicuous place in a manner worthy of the work itself and your purpose.

It will be a kindness on your part and a reward for my zeal if you will select six elders from each of your tribes, men of noble life and skilled in your law and able to interpret it, that in questions of dispute we may be able to discover the verdict in which the majority agree, for the investigation is of the highest possible importance.

Wherefore we must not transgress or go beyond the proper measure.

Now the upper edge of the two sides, being elevated, was sharp since, as we have said, the rim was three-sided, from whatever point of view one approached it.

When we arrived in the land of the Jews we saw the city situated in the middle of the whole of Judea on the top of a mountain of considerable altitude.

When we arrived in the land of the Jews we saw the city situated in the middle of the whole of Judea on the top of a mountain of considerable altitude.

We were greatly astonished, when we saw Eleazar engaged in the ministration, at the mode of his dress, and the majesty of his appearance, which was revealed in the robe which he wore and the precious stones upon his person.

We were greatly astonished, when we saw Eleazar engaged in the ministration, at the mode of his dress, and the majesty of his appearance, which was revealed in the robe which he wore and the precious stones upon his person.

But in order that we might gain complete information, we ascended to the summit of the neighboring citadel and looked around us.

But in order that we might gain complete information, we ascended to the summit of the neighboring citadel and looked around us.

It is situated in a very lofty spot, and is fortified with many towers, which have been built up to the very top, of immense stones, with the object, as we were informed, of guarding the temple precincts, so that if there were an attack, or an insurrection or an onslaught of the enemy, no one would be able to force an entrance within the walls that surround the temple.

They were very reluctant to admit us--though we were but two unarmed men--to view the offering of the sacrifices.

We were told that from the neighbouring mountains of Arabia copper and iron were formerly obtained.