Book of Jasher (Sefer haYashar) 5 part 2/2

~65~ And Zuba ben Terah lived thirty years, and begat Aram and Achluz and Merik. And Aram son of Zuba son of Terah had three wives, and begat twelve sons and three daughters. And God gave Aram son of Zuba wealth and possessions and a large and heavy endowment of sheep and cattle, and the man prospered greatly. And Aram ben Tzuba he and his brothers and all his household traveled from Haran, and they went to live wherever they could find. Because their possessions were more than Shabbat in Haran, and they could not sit in Haran with the sons of Nahor their brothers together. And Aram ben Tzuba and his brothers went, and they found a valley from Leah to Eretz Kedem and settled there. And they also built a city there and called its name Aram like the name of their first brother, it is Aram Zuba to this day. And Isaac the son of Abraham grew up in those days, and Abraham his father taught him the way of God to know God, and God was with him. And it came to pass when Isaac was thirty-seven years old, and his brother Ishmael was walking and came with him in the tent. And Ishmael boasted about Isaac saying, I was thirteen years old when God spoke to my father to take us. And I will do the word of God, which he spoke to my father, and I will give my soul to God, and I will not transgress his word, which he commanded my father. And Isaac answered Ishmael saying, why do you brag about me in this matter for a little meat from your flesh which God commanded to remove from you. As God lives, the God of Abraham, my father, because if God says to my father, please take Isaac and bring him up before me as an ascension, I did not withhold my soul because I will do it with joy. And God heard the word that Isaac spoke to Ishmael and it was good in God's eyes, and He said to test Abraham in this matter. And it will come to pass today, and the sons of God will come to stand before God, and the devil will also come among them, to stand before God, to make the sons of men blind before God. And God said to the devil, where do you come from, and the devil answered God and said, Oar in the earth and how you walk in it. And the Lord said to the devil, what do you say to me about all the people of the earth, and the devil answered the Lord and said, "I have seen all the people of the earth who will worship you and remember you when they are in the rain from before you." And it will happen when you give them that thing that they ask of you, and they will return and forgive you and they will remember you no more. You showed Abraham son of Terah, who at first had no sons, and he served you and built altars to you wherever he went there and offered sacrifices on them, and called on your name to all the people of the land always. And now when his son Isaac was born to him and he left you and made a great feast for all the inhabitants of the land, and he forgot God.

~66~ Because of all that he did, he did not offer before you a burnt offering, or wholes, or one ox, or one calf, or one goat, of all that he slaughtered on the day of the camel, his son. Even from the day our son was born, today thirty-seven years he did not build an altar before you and did not offer a sacrifice on it to you, because he saw that you gave him what he asked of you and he left you. And the Lord said to the devil, set your heart on my servant Abraham, for there is no man like him in the land, perfect and upright before me, who fears God and turns away from evil. I am alive because if I said to him, please offer your son Isaac before me for the Ulah, he will not prevent him from me, and even though I say to him, the Ulah before me is from the sheep or from the cattle. And the devil answered God and said, My Lord, please speak to Abraham according to this thing which you have spoken, if he does not pass and change your words today. At that time God spoke to Abraham, and Abraham said to him, and he said, "Here I am." And he said, "Please take your son, your only son, whom you loved, Isaac, and go to the land of the Moriahs, and raise him there to the altar on one of the mountains, where you will see a cloud and glory there." And Avraham said in his heart, How shall I do until I separate Isaac, the son of Mishra from his mother, to bring him up before the Lord for an offering. And Abraham came to the tent and sat before Sarah his wife, and spoke to her like these words. Our son Yitzchak has grown up and has not studied the worship of his God for days, now I will go to my place tomorrow and bring us there and beyond my son and there he will learn the ways of God. Because they will teach him to know God and to know when he prays before God at any time and he will be answered, and to know there the way of worshiping God his God. And Sarah said, You have spoken well, go, Lord, and do to him as you have spoken. However, don't take my son away from me and he won't sit there for many days, because my soul is very much tied to his soul. And Abraham said to Sarah, my daughter please heal the face of the Lord our God, who will do good to us. And Sarah took her son Yitzchak and slept with her at night, and she watered him and hugged him and kept him until morning. And you will say to him, my son, how can my soul be separated from you, and you will water him and hug him more and weep with him. And she commanded Abraham his father over him, and Sarah said to Abraham, My Lord, please keep your son and keep your eyes on him, for I have no other son and no daughter but his mother. Please do not leave us if he is hungry, feed him bread and if he is thirsty give him water, and do not let him walk on his feet or sit in the sun. And don't leave him to walk the road alone and don't force him for whatever he says, and do to him whatever he tells you. And your grief sang another great cry to Yitzchak that night, and you will mourn him until the morning.

~67~ And it came to pass in the morning, that Sarah took a very good and beautiful garment from the clothes that she had in the house, than Abimelech had given her. And clothe your son Isaac and put a turban on his head, and put a precious stone on the turban. And she gave them a side on the way, and he went out, and Isaac and Abraham his father went, and their slaves went with them to Solomon on the way. And Sarah also went out with them and went on the road with them to Salem, and they said to her again, Go the tent. And Sarah heard the words of her son Isaac and wept bitterly, and Abraham, his wife, also wept. And Yitzchak, his son with her, also wept very bitterly, and those who went to battle also wept very bitterly. And Sarah strengthened her son Isaac and held him in her arms and hugged him and watered him, and she continued to weep with him. And Sarah said, who knows if I will see you again my son from this day. And they wept a great cry, and Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, and also those who went with them on the road to battle, wept a great cry with them. And after that Sarah sat over Isaac weeping profusely, and all her maidservants and servants returned with her to the tent, and Abraham went with Isaac his son to bring him up before the Lord as they commanded him. And Avraham also took his two boys with him, Ishmael son of Hagar and his servant Eliezer, and they went with them. And they were walking along the road, and the boys talked to each other like these things. And Ishmael said to Eliezer, Behold, my father Abraham is going to sacrifice Isaac to God as he commanded him, and he was on his return and gave me all that he had for his inheritance because I am his firstborn son. And Eliezer answered Ishmael and said to him, didn't Abraham drive you and your mother away and swear not to bequeath to you all that he has from the nation. And to whom will he give all that he has and all his affections if not to his faithful servant in his house whom I served day and night and will do all that he tells me, because he will bequeath to me all that he has after his death.

~68~ And it happened that Abraham was walking with his son Isaac on the road, and the devil came and resembled Abraham as a very old man, very meek and very low spirited. And he came to Abraham and said to him, You are a fool or a fool that you are going to do this thing today to your only son. Because God gave you a son at the end of your days, at the time of your old age, and you went and slaughtered him today for no hams, and you lost the life of your only son from the earth. Didn't you know if you hadn't heard that this thing is not from the Lord, because the Lord will not do to a man in this land to tell him to slaughter your son. And Avraham heard this, and knew that it was the word of the devil who sought to make him stray from the path of God. And Avraham did not want to hear the voice of the devil, and Avraham challenged him and went to him. And the devil sat down and came to Isaac, and he resembled Isaac as a man, a handsome young man with a very handsome appearance. And he approached Isaac and said to him, "Didn't you know if you hadn't heard that your father, this foolish old man, is bringing you to be slaughtered today for nothing?" Now, my son, you will not listen to him and you will not love him because the old man is a fool, and you will not lose your precious soul and you will prolong pleasure from the earth. And Isaac heard this thing and said to Abraham his father, hear my father what this man spoke to me so and so spoke. And Abraham answered Isaac his son and said to him, beware of him and do not listen to his words and do not love him, because Satan is for us to divert us from the commandments of our God today. And Avraham challenged the devil again, and the devil went to him above them. And he saw that he could not do it for them, and he hid himself from them, and he went and passed before them on the road, and it was like a big stream full of water on the road, and Abraham and Isaac and his two boys came to that place and they saw a very large and huge stream with tremendous water. And they will come inside the stream and pass through it, and the water passes under their feet. And they walked in that stream and drowned, and the water came up to their necks, and they were all afraid together of the water. And they were passing by a stream, and Avraham knew that place and knew that there was no water in that place. And Abraham said to Isaac his son, I know this place where there is no stream or water. Now Satan is the one who will do all these to us, to move us from the commandments of our God this day. And Abraham challenged the devil and said to him, God challenges you, Satan, go away from us, for we have walked in the commandments of our God. And Satan was afraid of Abraham's voice and went over them.

~69~ And that place became dry as it was in the beginning, and Abraham and Isaac went to the place that God told him. And it came to pass on the third day, that Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place that God had told him from afar. And he saw upon him a pillar of fire from the earth to the heavens and a heavy cloud on the mountain, and the glory of God in the cloud. And Abraham said to Isaac his son, You have shown on that mountain which we see from afar what I see on it. And Isaac answered and said to his father, I saw and behold a pillar of fire and a cloud, and the glory of God was seen in the cloud above it. And Avraham knew that his son Yitzchak wanted to ascend before God. Abraham said to Eliezer and to his son Ishmael, you also showed what we saw on that mountain from afar. And they answered and said, We saw nothing but a mountain like the mountains of the whole earth, and Abraham knew that we would not be willing before God to go with them. And Abraham said to them, Come back here with the donkey, and I and Isaac my son, let us go up to that mountain, and we will bow there before God and return to you. And her name Eliezer and Ishmael dwelt in that place, when Avraham fasted. And Abraham took wood for the offering and put it on Isaac his son, and they took the fire and the food and they both went to that place. And when they were gone, Isaac said to his father, Here is a fire and the wood with us, and where is the lamb to sacrifice before God for the offering. And Abraham answered his son Isaac, saying, My son, God has chosen you to be an innocent sacrifice under the Lamb. And Isaac said to his father, All that the Lord has spoken to you, I will do with joy and kindness. And Abraham said further to Isaac his son, is there in your heart a thought about this or a counsel that is not right, tell me, my son, do not perish from me. And Isaac answered his father Abraham and said to him, As the Lord lives, my father, and as my soul lives, if there is anything in my heart to be right and wrong about the thing that the Lord has spoken to you. And neither bone of my body nor flesh of my flesh moved nor moved from this thing, nor did I think of any evil thing or advice in this matter in my heart, for if I have a happy heart and a good soul I am in God's word, but I said blessed is God, who desires me today to come before Him. And Abraham was very happy at Isaac's words, and they both went and came to that place of which God had spoken. And Avraham came to build the altar in that place, and Avraham was building and Isaac gave stones and material in his hand until they were all used up to build the altar.

~70~ And Avraham took the trees and piled them on the altar that he had built, and took his son Isaac and imprisoned him in his place on the trees that were on the altar to be slaughtered before the Lord. And Isaac said to his father, My father is very strict, and bind me, and then put me on the altar, lest I return and move and break away from the support of the food that is in my flesh and defile the burnt offering, and Abraham did so. And Isaac said to his father, Father, when you have slaughtered me and burned me as a sacrifice, take with you what is left of my ashes and bring it to Sarah my mother and tell her this is a smell for Isaac. But you shall not speak this thing to her on her Sabbath before a well or in a high place, lest she cast her soul upon me and die. And Abraham heard the words of Isaac, and Abraham raised his voice and wept at the words of Isaac, and Abraham's tears fell on his son Isaac. Isaac also wept very much and said to his father, Hurry my father and do the will of the Lord our God in me as he commanded. And the heart of Abraham and Isaac rejoiced in this thing, which is the Lord's fast, but the eye of Mr. will weep and the heart rejoice. And Abraham tied his son Isaac and placed him on the altar above the trees, and Isaac simply bowed his neck before his father on the altar. And Avraham sent his hand to take the food, to slaughter his son for the offering on the altar. And angels of mercy came at that time before G-d, and spoke to him on Isaac's behalf as mentioned. Please, Lord, you are a merciful and gentle king for all that you have created in heaven and on earth and you give life to them all, grant a ransom and redemption under your servant Isaac and have mercy on Abraham and Isaac his son who have done your word today. You showed, O God, that your servant Isaac, son of Abraham, was bound and bound for sacrifice on the altar as an animal. Now, O God, have mercy on them. At that time God appeared to Abraham and called to him from heaven and said to him, Do not lay your hand on the boy and do not do anything to him because now I know that you fear God in doing this thing, and you have not darkened your only son from me. And Avraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold a ram clinging to the thicket by its horns, it is the ram that the Lord God created in the earth on the day he made earth and heaven. And where is the Lord God that lamb from that day forward, to be under Isaac for the Ulah. And that ram went closer and closer to Abraham, and the devil took hold of him and entangled his horns in a thicket so that he would not come near Abraham so that Abraham would slaughter his son. And Avraham saw that ram coming closer and closer in front of Avraham, and the devil stopped us. And Abraham went and took him and brought him before the altar, released his son Isaac from his prison and placed that ram under him.

~71~ And Avraham slaughtered the ram on the altar, and brought it up as an offering under his son Isaac. And Abraham saw the blood of the ram on the altar and called and said, This is under my son and this will be counted today as my son's blood before God. And there was everything that Abraham did with that lamb on the altar, and he called and said, "This is under my son, and this will be considered today before God for my son." And Abraham finished all the work on the altar, and the work was pleasing before God and counted as Isaac, and God blessed Abraham and his seed that day. And the devil went to Sarah and looked like an old man, lowly and very humble, and Abraham still offered the burnt offering to God. And he said to her, Don't you know all the deeds that Abraham did for your son Isaac today? Because he took Isaac and built an altar and slaughtered him and sacrificed him on the altar, and Isaac cried out and cried before his father and no one looked at him and had no pity on him. And the devil spoke these things to Sarah several more times, and went before her. And Sarah heard all the words of the devil and thought that an old man was one of the human beings who was with her son and came and told her like these words, and Sarah lifted up her voice and cried and shouted a loud and bitter cry for her son and threw her soul to the ground and threw dirt on her head. And she said, My son Isaac, my son, who will let me die, I am under you this day. And she continued to weep and said, I feel sorry for you because you grew up and nurtured you, and my difference over you turned into mourning. Because my lust for you was for shouting and prayer until I gave birth to you for ninety years, and now you were for food and fire this day for a meal. But I myself console you with the word of God, my son, because you have done the commandments of your God, for who can transgress the words of our God, in whose hand is the soul of every living being. You are righteous, O Lord our God, for all your works are good and righteous, for I also rejoice in your word which you have commanded, but my eyes are filled with weeping and my heart rejoices. And Sarah will lay her head in the bosom of one of her families, after that she will stand still as a stone. And she got up after that and went away and asked and went all the way to Hebron and asked all the wayfarers whom she met on the way, and nothing was said to her as to what was done with her son.

~72~ And she came with her maidservants and servants to Kiryat Arba, which is Hebron, and asked about her son, and sat there, and sent her servants to ask for Anna, where Abraham and Isaac went. And they went to look for them in a house there and passed by and did not find them, and they looked all over the country and there was none. And behold, Satan came to Sarah in the form of a man and came and stood before her, and said to her, I have spoken a lie to you because Abraham did not slaughter his son Isaac and he did not die. And it came to pass when she heard this, that she was very happy for her son, and her soul went out of her joy, and she died and was gathered to her people. And Abraham finished his work and sat down with his son Isaac to his boys, and they got up and went together to Bara Sheva to their home. And they looked for Sarah, but he did not find her, and they asked about her, and said to them, "I have gone all the way to Hebron to ask for you. This is where you went, because such and such was betrayed to her." And Avraham went and went to Hebron and found her dead, and they all raised their voices and wept over her. And Isaac fell on his mother's face and wept for her, and said, "My mother, my mother, how have you left me, and you have gone here and there, and how you have left me." And Abraham and Isaac wept bitterly and all their servants wept with them for Sarah, and they mourned her in a great and heavy eulogy.