The Testament of Judah The Fourth Son of Jacob and Leah Part 1 Chapter 1 1. The copy of the words of Judah, what things he spoke to his sons before he died. 2. They gathered themselves together, therefore, and came to him, and he said to them: Listen, my children, to Judah your father. 3. I was the fourth son born to my father Jacob; and Leah my mother named me Judah, saying, I give thanks to the Lord, because he has given me a fourth son also. 4. I was swift in my youth and obedient to my father in everything. 5. And I honored my mother and my mother’s sister. 6. And it came to pass, when I became a man, that my father blessed me, saying, you shall be a king, prospering in all things. 7. And the Lord showed me favor in all my works both in the field and in the house. 8. I know that I raced a hind, and caught it, and prepared the meat for my father, and he did eat. 9. And the roes I used to master in the chase, and overtake all that was in the plains. 10. A wild mare I overtook, and caught it and tamed it. 11. I killed a lion and plucked a kid out of its mouth. 12. I took a bear by its paw and hurled it down the cliff, and it was crushed. 13. I outran the wild boar, and seizing it as I ran, I tore it in parts. 14. A leopard in Hebron leaped upon my dog, and I caught it by the tail and hurled it on the rock, and it was broken in two. 15. I found a wild ox feeding in the fields, and seizing it by the horns, and whirling it round and stunning it, I cast it from me and killed it. 16. And when two kings of the Canaanites came sheathed in armor against our flocks, and much people with them, single handed I rushed upon the king of Hazor, and struck him on the greaves and dragged him down, and so I killed him. 17. And the other, the king of Tappuah, as he sat upon his horse, I killed, and so I scattered all his people. 18. Achor, the king, a man of giant stature, I found, hurling javelins before and behind as he sat on horseback, and I took up a stone of sixty pounds weight, and hurled it and struck his horse, and killed it. 19. And I fought with the other for two hours; and I split his shield in two, and I chopped off his feet, and killed him. 20. And as I was stripping off his breastplate, behold nine men his companions began to fight with me. 21. And I wound my garment on my head; and I slung stones at them, and killed four of them, and the rest fled. 22. And Jacob my father killed Beelesath, king of all the kings, a giant in strength, twelve cubits high. (18 feet) 23. And fear fell upon them, and they ceased warring against us. 24. Therefore my father was free from anxiety in the wars when I was with my brethren. 25. for he saw in a vision concerning me that an angel of might followed me everywhere, that I should not be overcome. 26. And in the south there came upon us a greater war than that in Shechem; and I joined in battle array with my brethren, and pursued a thousand men, and killed of them two hundred men and four kings. 27. And I went up upon the wall, and I killed four mighty men. 28. And so we captured Hazor, and took all the spoil. 29. And the next day we departed to Aretan, a city strong and walled and inaccessible, threatening us with death. 30. But I and Gad approached on the east side of the city, and Reuben and Levi on the west. 31. And they that were upon the wall, thinking that we were alone, were drawn down against us. 32. And so my brethren secretly climbed up the wall on both sides by stakes, and entered the city, while the men knew it not. 33. And we took it with the edge of the sword. 34. And as for those who had taken refuge in the tower, we set fire to the tower and took both it and them. 35. And as we were departing the men of Tappuah seized our spoil, and seeing this we fought with them. 36. And we killed them all and recovered our spoil. 37. And when I was at the waters of Kozeba, the men of Jobel came against us to battle. 38. And e fought with them and routed them; and their allies from Shiloh we killed, and we did not leave them power to come against us. 39. 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 killed them before they had gone up the ascent. 40. And when we came to their city their women rolled upon us stones from the brow of the hill on which the city stood. 41. And I and Simeon had ourselves behind the town, and seized upon the heights, and destroyed this city also. 42. And the next day it was told us that the king of the city of Gaash with a mighty host was coming against us. 43. I. therefore, and Dan feigned ourselves to be Amorites and as allies went into their city. 44. And in the depth of night our brethren came and we opened 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. 45. And we drew near to Thamna, where was all the substance of the hostile kings. 46. Then being, insulted by them, I was therefore angry, and rushed against them to the summit; and they kept slinging against me stones and darts. 47. And had not Dan my brother aided me, they would have killed me. 48. We came upon them, therefore, with anger, and they all fled; and passing by another way, they appealed to my father, and he made peace with them. 49. And we did to them no hurt, and they became tributary to us, and we restored to them their spoil. 50. And I built Thamna, and my father built Pabael. 51. I was twenty years old when this war befell. And the Canaanites feared me and my brethren. 52. And I had many cattle, and I had for chief herdsman Iram the Adullamite. 53 And when I went to him I saw Parsaba, king of Adullam; and he spoke unto us, and he made us a feast; and when I was heated he gave me his daughter Bathshua to wife. 54. She bare me Er, and Onan and Shelah; and two of them the Lord killed, for Shelah lived and his children are you. KJV (Genesis 38:1 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in to her. 3 And she conceived, and gave birth to a son; and he called his name Er. 4 And she conceived again, and gave birth to a son; and she called his name Onan. 5 And she yet again conceived, and gave birth to a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she gave birth to him. 6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. 7 And Er, Judahs firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord killed him. 8 And Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brothers wife, and marry her, and raise up children to your brother. 9 And Onan knew that the children should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brothers wife, that he spilled his semen upon the ground, lest that he should give children to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: therefore he killed him also.)
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 17:34:01 +0000
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