Book of Jasher. Anonymous

in the places wherein they were scattered, and they called their cities after their names.

      ³¹ And the sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, and they built themselves cities and called the names of all their cities after their names.

      ³² And Ashur son of Shem and his children and household went forth at that time, a very large body of them, and they went to a distant land that they found, and they met with a very extensive valley in the land that they went to, and they built themselves four cities, and they called them after their own names and occurrences.

      ³³ And these are the names of the cities which the children of Ashur built, Ninevah, Resen, Calach and Rehobother; and the children of Ashur dwell there unto this day.

      ³⁴ And the children of Aram also went and built themselves a city, and they called the name of the city Uz after their eldest brother, and they dwell therein; that is the land of Uz to this day.

      ³⁵ And in the second year after the tower a man from the house of Ashur, whose name was Bela, went from the land of Ninevah to sojourn with his household wherever he could find a place; and they came until opposite the cities of the plain against Sodom, and they dwelt there.

      ³⁶ And the man rose up and built there a small city, and called its name Bela, after his name; that is the land of Zoar unto this day.

      ³⁷ And these are the families of the children of Shem according to their language and cities, after they were scattered upon the earth after the tower.

      ³⁸ And every kingdom, city, and family of the families of the children of Noah built themselves many cities after this.

      ³⁹ And they established governments in all their cities, in order to be regulated by their orders; so did all the families of the children of Noah forever.

      Chapter 11

       Table of Contents

      ¹ And Nimrod son of Cush was still in the land of Shinar, and he reigned over it and dwelt there, and he built cities in the land of Shinar.

      ² And these are the names of the four cities which he built, and he called their names after the occurrences that happened to them in the building of the tower.

      ³ And he called the first Babel, saying, Because the Lord there confounded the language of the whole earth; and the name of the second he called Erech, because from there God dispersed them.

      ⁴ And the third he called Eched, saying there was a great battle at that place; and the fourth he called Calnah, because his princes and mighty men were consumed there, and they vexed the Lord, they rebelled and transgressed against him.

      ⁵ And when Nimrod had built these cities in the land of Shinar, he placed in them the remainder of his people, his princes and his mighty men that were left in his kingdom.

      ⁶ And Nimrod dwelt in Babel, and he there renewed his reign over the rest of his subjects, and he reigned securely, and the subjects and princes of Nimrod called his name Amraphel, saying that at the tower his princes and men fell through his means.

      ⁷ And notwithstanding this, Nimrod did not return to the Lord, and he continued in wickedness and teaching wickedness to the sons of men; and Mardon, his son, was worse than his father, and continued to add to the abominations of his father.

      ⁸ And he caused the sons of men to sin, therefore it is said, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness.

      ⁹ At that time there was war between the families of the children of Ham, as they were dwelling in the cities which they had built.

      ¹⁰ And Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, went away from the families of the children of Ham, and he fought with them and he subdued them, and he went to the five cities of the plain and he fought against them and he subdued them, and they were under his control.

      ¹¹ And they served him twelve years, and they gave him a yearly tax.

      ¹² At that time died Nahor, son of Serug, in the forty-ninth year of the life of Abram son of Terah.

      ¹³ And in the fiftieth year of the life of Abram son of Terah, Abram came forth from the house of Noah, and went to his father's house.

      ¹⁴ And Abram knew the Lord, and he went in his ways and instructions, and the Lord his God was with him.

      ¹⁵ And Terah his father was in those days, still captain of the host of king Nimrod, and he still followed strange gods.

      ¹⁶ And Abram came to his father's house and saw twelve gods standing there in their temples, and the anger of Abram was kindled when he saw these images in his father's house.

      ¹⁷ And Abram said, As the Lord liveth these images shall not remain in my father's house; so shall the Lord who created me do unto me if in three days' time I do not break them all.

      ¹⁸ And Abram went from them, and his anger burned within him. And Abram hastened and went from the chamber to his father's outer court, and he found his father sitting in the court, and all his servants with him, and Abram came and sat before him.

      ¹⁹ And Abram asked his father, saying, Father, tell me where is God who created heaven and earth, and all the sons of men upon earth, and who created thee and me. And Terah answered his son Abram and said, Behold those who created us are all with us in the house.

      ²⁰ And Abram said to his father, My lord, shew them to me I pray thee; and Terah brought Abram into the chamber of the inner court, and Abram saw, and behold the whole room was full of gods of wood and stone, twelve great images and others less than they without number.

      ²¹ And Terah said to his son, Behold these are they which made all thou seest upon earth, and which created me and thee, and all mankind.

      ²² And Terah bowed down to his gods, and he then went away from them, and Abram, his son, went away with him.

      ²³ And when Abram had gone from them he went to his mother and sat before her, and he said to his mother, Behold, my father has shown me those who made heaven and earth, and all the sons of men.

      ²⁴ Now, therefore, hasten and fetch a kid from the flock, and make of it savory meat, that I may bring it to my father's gods as an offering for them to eat; perhaps I may thereby become acceptable to them.

      ²⁵ And his mother did so, and she fetched a kid, and made savory meat thereof, and brought it to Abram, and Abram took the savory meat from his mother and brought it before his father's gods, and he drew nigh to them that they might eat; and Terah his father, did not know of it.

      ²⁶ And Abram saw on the day when he was sitting amongst them, that they had no voice, no hearing, no motion, and not one of them could stretch forth his hand to eat.

      ²⁷ And Abram mocked them, and said, Surely the savory meat that I prepared has not pleased them, or perhaps it was too little for them, and for that reason they would not eat; therefore tomorrow I will prepare fresh savory meat, better and more plentiful than this, in order that I may see the result.

      ²⁸ And it was on the next day that Abram directed his mother concerning the savory meat, and his mother rose and fetched three fine kids from the flock, and she made of them some excellent savory meat, such as her son was fond of, and she gave it to her son Abram; and Terah his father did not know of it.

      ²⁹ And Abram took the savory meat from his mother, and brought it before his father's gods into the chamber; and he came nigh unto them that they might eat, and he placed it before them, and Abram sat before them all day, thinking perhaps they might eat.

      ³⁰ And Abram viewed them, and behold they had neither voice nor hearing, nor did one of them stretch forth his