The Book Of Jubilees Chapter 31

Yacob went to his father Yitschaq and he blesses him

1 And on the new month of the month Yacob spoke to all the people of his house. saying: 'Purify yourselves and change your garments, and let us arise and go up to Bethel, where I vowed a vow to Him on the day when I fled from the face of Esau my brother, because he has been with me and brought me into this land in shalom, and put you away the strange gods that are among you.'

2 And they gave up the strange gods and that which was in their ears and which was on their necks and the idols which Rachel stole from Laban her father she gave wholly to Yacob. And he burnt and brake them to pieces and destroyed them, and hid them under an oak which is in the land of Shechem.

3 And he went up on the new month of the seventh month to Bethel. And he built an altar at the place where he had slept, and he set up a pillar there, and he sent word to his father Yitschaq to come to him to his sacrifice, and to his mother Rebecca.

4 And Yitschaq said: 'Let my son Yacob come, and let me see him before I die.'

5 And Yacob went to his father Yitschaq and to his mother Rebecca, to the house of his father Abraham, and he took two of his sons with him, Levi and Yahudah, and he came to his father Yitschaq and to his mother Rebecca.

6 And Rebecca came forth from the tower to the front of it to kiss Yacob and embrace him; for her spirit had revived when she heard: 'Behold Yacob your son has come'; and she kissed him.

7 And she saw his two sons, and she recognised them, and said to him: 'Are these your sons, my son?' and she embraced them and kissed them, and blessed them, saying: 'In you shall the seed of Abraham become illustrious, and you shall prove a blessing on the earth.'

8 And Yacob went in to Yitschaq his father, to the chamber where he lay, and his two sons were with him, and he took the hand of his father, and stooping down he kissed him, and Yitschaq clung to the neck of Yacob his son, and wept upon his neck.

9 And the darkness left the eyes of Yitschaq, and he saw the two sons of Yacob, Levi, and Yahudah, and he said: 'Are these your sons, my son? for they are like you.'

10 And he said to him that they were truly his sons: 'And you have truly seen that they are truly my sons'.

11 And they came near to him, and he turned and kissed them and embraced them both together.

12 And the spirit of prophecy came down into his mouth, and he took Levi by his right hand and Yahudah by his left.

13 And he turned to Levi first, and began to bless him first, and said to him: May the ALMIGHTY of all, the very YAHWEH of all the ages, bless you and your children throughout all the ages.

14 And may YAHWEH give to you and to your seed greatness and great splendor, and cause you and your seed, from among all flesh, to approach Him to serve in His sanctuary as the malakim of the presence and as the kodesh ones. (Even) as they, shall the seed of your sons be for splendor and greatness and kodeshness, and may He make them great unto all the ages.

15 And they shall be judges and princes, and chiefs of all the seed of the sons of Yacob; They shall speak the word of YAHWEH in righteousness, And they shall judge all His judgments in righteousness. And they shall declare My ways to Yacob And My paths to Yisrael. The blessing of YAHWEH shall be given in their mouths To bless all the seed of the beloved.

16 Your mother has called your name Levi, And justly has she called your name; You shall be joined to YAHWEH And be the companion of all the sons of Yacob; Let His table be yours, And do you and your sons eat thereof; And may your table be full unto all generations, And your food fail not unto all the ages.

17 And let all who hate you fall down before you, And let all your adversaries be rooted out and perish; And blessed be he that blesses you, And cursed be every nation that curses you.'

18 And to Yahudah he said: 'May YAHWEH give you strength and power To tread down all that hate you; A prince shall you be, you and one of your sons, over the sons of Yacob; May your name and the name of your sons go forth and traverse every land and region.

19 Then shall the Gentiles fear before your face, and all the nations shall quake [And all the peoples shall quake]. In you shall be the help of Yacob, And in you be found the yeshua of Yisrael.

20 And when you sit on the throne of honor of your righteousness, There shall be great shalom for all the seed of the sons of the beloved; Blessed be he that blesses you, And all that hate you and afflict you and curse you Shall be rooted out and destroyed from the earth and be accursed.'

21 And turning he kissed him again and embraced him, and rejoiced greatly; for he had seen the sons of Yacob his son in very truth.

22 And he went forth from between his feet and fell down and bowed down to him, and he blessed them and rested there with Yitschaq his father that night, and they eat and drank with joy.

23 And he made the two sons of Yacob sleep, the one on his right hand and the other on his left, and it was counted to him for righteousness.

24 And Yacob told his father everything during the night, how YAHWEH had shown him great mercy, and how he had prospered (him in) all his ways, and protected him from all evil.

25 And Yitschaq blessed YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of his father Abraham, who had not withdrawn his mercy and his righteousness from the sons of his servant Yitschaq.

26 And in the morning Yacob told his father Yitschaq the vow which he had vowed to YAHWEH, and the vision which he had seen, and that he had built an altar, and that everything was ready for the sacrifice to be made before YAHWEH as he had vowed, and that he had come to set him on an ass.

27 And Yitschaq said to Yacob his son: 'I am not able to go with you; for I am old and not able to bear the way: go, my son, in shalom; for I am one hundred and sixty-five years this day; I am no longer able to journey; set your mother (on an ass) and let her go with you.

28 And I know, my son, that you have come on my account, and may this day be blessed on which you have seen me alive, and I also have seen you, my son.

29 May you prosper and fulfill the vow which you have vowed; and put not off your vow; for you shall be called to account as touching the vow; now therefore make haste to perform it, and may He be pleased who has made all things, to whom you have vowed the vow.'

30 And he said to Rebecca: 'Go with Yacob your son'; and Rebecca went with Yacob her son, and Deborah with her, and they came to Bethel.

31 And Yacob remembered the prayer with which his father had blessed him and his two sons, Levi and Yahudah, and he rejoiced and blessed YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY of his fathers, Abraham and Yitschaq.

32 And he said: 'Now I know that I have an eternal hope, and my sons also, before the ALMIGHTY of all'; and thus is it ordained concerning the two; and they record it as an eternal testimony unto them on the heavenly tablets how Yitschaq blessed them.