The Book Of Jubilees Chapter 32

Levi is made the priest of the Most High YAHWEH

1 And he abode that night at Bethel, and Levi dreamed that they had ordained and made him the priest of the Most High YAHWEH, him and his sons forever; and he awoke from his sleep and blessed YAHWEH.

2 And Yacob rose early in the morning, on the fourteenth of this month, and he gave a tithe of all that came with him, both of men and cattle, both of gold and every vessel and garment, yes, he gave tithes of all.

3 And in those days Rachel became pregnant with her son Benjamin. And Yacob counted his sons from him upwards and Levi fell to the portion of YAHWEH, and his father clothed him in the garments of the priesthood and filled his hands.

4 And on the fifteenth of this month, he brought to the altar fourteen oxen from amongst the cattle, and twenty-eight rams, and forty-nine sheep, and seven lambs, and twenty-one kids of the goats as a burnt-offering on the altar of sacrifice, well pleasing for a sweet savor before YAHWEH.

5 This was his offering, in consequence of the vow which he had vowed that he would give a tenth, with their fruit-offerings and their drink offerings.

6 And when the fire had consumed it, he burnt incense on the fire over the fire, and for a thank-offering two oxen and four rams and four sheep, four he-goats, and two sheep of a year old, and two kids of the goats; and thus he did daily for seven days.

7 And he and all his sons and his men were eating (this) with joy there during seven days and blessing and thanking YAHWEH, who had delivered him out of all his tribulation and had given him his vow.

8 And he tithed all the clean animals, and made a burnt sacrifice, but the unclean animals he gave (not) to Levi his son, and he gave him all the souls of the men.

9 And Levi discharged the priestly office at Bethel before Yacob his father in preference to his ten brothers, and he was a priest there, and Yacob gave his vow: thus he tithed again the tithe to YAHWEH and sanctified it, and it became kodesh unto Him.

10 And for this reason it is ordained on the heavenly tablets as a Torah for the tithing again the tithe to eat before YAHWEH from year to year, in the place where it is chosen that His NAME should dwell, and to this Torah there is no limit of days forever.

11 This ordinance is written that it may be fulfilled from year to year in eating the second tithe before YAHWEH in the place where it has been chosen, and nothing shall remain over from it from this year to the year following.

12 For in its year shall the seed be eaten till the days of the gathering of the seed of the year, and the wine till the days of the wine, and the oil till the days of its season.

13 And all that is left thereof and becomes old, let it be regarded as polluted: let it be burnt with fire, for it is unclean.

14 And thus let them eat it together in the sanctuary, and let them not suffer it to become old.

15 And all the tithes of the oxen and sheep shall be kodesh unto YAHWEH, and shall belong to his priests, which they will eat before Him from year to year; for thus is it ordained and engraved regarding the tithe on the heavenly tablets.

16 And on the following night, on the twenty-second day of this month, Yacob resolved to build that place, and to surround the court with a wall, and to sanctify it and make it kodesh forever, for himself and his children after him.

17 And YAHWEH appeared to him by night and blessed him and said to him: 'Your name shall not be called Yacob, but Yisrael shall they name your name.'

18 And He said to him again: 'I am YAHWEH who created the heaven and the earth, and I will increase you and multiply you exceedingly, and kings shall come forth from you, and they shall judge everywhere wherever the foot of the sons of men has trodden.

19 And I will give to your seed all the earth which is under heaven, and they shall judge all the nations according to their desires, and after that they shall get possession of the whole earth and inherit it forever.'

20 And He finished speaking with him, and He went up from him, and Yacob looked till He had ascended into heaven.

21 And he saw in a vision of the night, and behold an malak descended from heaven with seven tablets in his hands, and he gave them to Yacob, and he read them and knew all that was written therein which would befall him and his sons throughout all the ages.

21 And he showed him all that was written on the tablets, and said to him: 'Do not build this place, and do not make it an eternal sanctuary, and do not dwell here; for this is not the place. Go to the house of Abraham your father and dwell with Yitschaq your father until the day of the death of your father.

23 For in Egypt you shall die in shalom, and in this land you shall be buried with honor in the sepulchre of your fathers, with Abraham and Yitschaq.

24 Fear not, for as you have seen and read it, thus shall it all be; and do you write down everything as you have seen and read.'

25 And Yacob said: 'YAHWEH, how can I remember all that I have read and seen? 'And he said to him: 'I will bring all things to your remembrance.'

26 And he went up from him, and he awoke from his sleep, and he remembered everything which he had read and seen, and he wrote down all the words which he had read and seen.

27 And he celebrated there yet another day, and he sacrificed thereon according to all that he sacrificed on the former days, and called its name 'Addition,' for this day was added and the former days he called 'The Feast '.

28 And thus it was manifested that it should be, and it is written on the heavenly tablets: wherefore it was revealed to him that he should celebrate it, and add it to the seven days of the feast.

29 And its name was called 'Addition,' because that it was recorded amongst the days of the feast days, according to the number of the days of the year.

30 And in the night, on the twenty-third of this month, Deborah Rebecca's nurse died, and they buried her beneath the city under the oak of the river, and he called the name of this place, 'The river of Deborah,' and the oak, 'The oak of the mourning of Deborah.'

31 And Rebecca went and returned to her house to his father Yitschaq, and Yacob sent by her hand rams and sheep and he-goats that she should prepare a meal for his father such as he desired.

32 And he went after his mother till he came to the land of Kabratan, and he dwelt there.

33 And Rachel bare a son in the night, and called his name 'Son of my sorrow '; for she suffered in giving him birth: but his father called his name Benjamin, on the eleventh of the eighth month in the first of the sixth week of this jubilee. [2143 A.M.]

34 And Rachel died there and she was buried in the land of Ephrath, the same is Bethlehem, and Yacob built a pillar on the grave of Rachel, on the road above her grave.