Book of Jasher. Anonymous

from the Lord, that they should not see the evil which the Lord spoke of concerning the sons of men.

      ²¹ And Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord chose him and his children to raise up seed from them upon the face of the whole earth.

      Chapter 5

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      ¹ And it was in the eighty-fourth year of the life of Noah, that Enoch the son of Seth died, he was nine hundred and five years old at his death.

      ² And in the one hundred and seventy ninth year of the life of Noah, Cainan the son of Enosh died, and all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

      ³ And in the two hundred and thirty fourth year of the life of Noah, Mahlallel the son of Cainan died, and the days of Mahlallel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

      ⁴ And Jared the son of Mahlallel died in those days, in the three hundred and thirty-sixth year of the life of Noah; and all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

      ⁵ And all who followed the Lord died in those days, before they saw the evil which God declared to do upon earth.

      ⁶ And after the lapse of many years, in the four hundred and eightieth year of the life of Noah, when all those men, who followed the Lord had died away from amongst the sons of men, and only Methuselah was then left, God said unto Noah and Methuselah, saying,

      ⁷ Speak ye, and proclaim to the sons of men, saying, Thus saith the Lord, return from your evil ways and forsake your works, and the Lord will repent of the evil that he declared to do to you, so that it shall not come to pass.

      ⁸ For thus saith the Lord, Behold I give you a period of one hundred and twenty years; if you will turn to me and forsake your evil ways, then will I also turn away from the evil which I told you, and it shall not exist, saith the Lord.

      ⁹ And Noah and Methuselah spoke all the words of the Lord to the sons of men, day after day, constantly speaking to them.

      ¹⁰ But the sons of men would not hearken to them, nor incline their ears to their words, and they were stiffnecked.

      ¹¹ And the Lord granted them a period of one hundred and twenty years, saying, If they will return, then will God repent of the evil, so as not to destroy the earth.

      ¹² Noah the son of Lamech refrained from taking a wife in those days, to beget children, for he said, Surely now God will destroy the earth, wherefore then shall I beget children?

      ¹³ And Noah was a just man, he was perfect in his generation, and the Lord chose him to raise up seed from his seed upon the face of the earth.

      ¹⁴ And the Lord said unto Noah, Take unto thee a wife, and beget children, for I have seen thee righteous before me in this generation.

      ¹⁵ And thou shalt raise up seed, and thy children with thee, in the midst of the earth; and Noah went and took a wife, and he chose Naamah the daughter of Enoch, and she was five hundred and eighty years old.

      ¹⁶ And Noah was four hundred and ninety-eight years old, when he took Naamah for a wife.

      ¹⁷ And Naamah conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Japheth, saying, God has enlarged me in the earth; and she conceived again and bare a son, and he called his name Shem, saying, God has made me a remnant, to raise up seed in the midst of the earth.

      ¹⁸ And Noah was five hundred and two years old when Naamah bare Shem, and the boys grew up and went in the ways of the Lord, in all that Methuselah and Noah their father taught them.

      ¹⁹ And Lamech the father of Noah, died in those days; yet verily he did not go with all his heart in the ways of his father, and he died in the hundred and ninety-fifth year of the life of Noah.

      ²⁰ And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy years, and he died.

      ²¹ And all the sons of men who knew the Lord, died in that year before the Lord brought evil upon them; for the Lord willed them to die, so as not to behold the evil that God would bring upon their brothers and relatives, as he had so declared to do.

      ²² In that time, the Lord said to Noah and Methuselah, Stand forth and proclaim to the sons of men all the words that I spoke to you in those days, peradventure they may turn from their evil ways, and I will then repent of the evil and will not bring it.

      ²³ And Noah and Methuselah stood forth, and said in the ears of the sons of men, all that God had spoken concerning them.

      ²⁴ But the sons of men would not hearken, neither would they incline their ears to all their declarations.

      ²⁵ And it was after this that the Lord said to Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me, on account of their evil deeds, and behold I will destroy the earth.

      ²⁶ And do thou take unto thee gopher wood, and go to a certain place and make a large ark, and place it in that spot.

      ²⁷ And thus shalt thou make it; three hundred cubits its length, fifty cubits broad and thirty cubits high.

      ²⁸ And thou shalt make unto thee a door, open at its side, and to a cubit thou shalt finish above, and cover it within and without with pitch.

      ²⁹ And behold I will bring the flood of waters upon the earth, and all flesh be destroyed, from under the heavens all that is upon earth shall perish.

      ³⁰ And thou and thy household shall go and gather two couple of all living things, male and female, and shall bring them to the ark, to raise up seed from them upon earth.

      ³¹ And gather unto thee all food that is eaten by all the animals, that there may be food for thee and for them.

      ³² And thou shalt choose for thy sons three maidens, from the daughters of men, and they shall be wives to thy sons.

      ³³ And Noah rose up, and he made the ark, in the place where God had commanded him, and Noah did as God had ordered him.

      ³⁴ In his five hundred and ninety-fifth year Noah commenced to make the ark, and he made the ark in five years, as the Lord had commanded.

      ³⁵ Then Noah took the three daughters of Eliakim, son of Methuselah, for wives for his sons, as the Lord had commanded Noah.

      ³⁶ And it was at that time Methuselah the son of Enoch died, nine hundred and sixty years old was he, at his death.

      Chapter 6

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      ¹ At that time, after the death of Methuselah, the Lord said to Noah, Go thou with thy household into the ark; behold I will gather to thee all the animals of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and they shall all come and surround the ark.

      ² And thou shalt go and seat thyself by the doors of the ark, and all the beasts, the animals, and the fowls, shall assemble and place themselves before thee, and such of them as shall come and crouch before thee, shalt thou take and deliver into the hands of thy sons, who shall bring them to the ark, and all that will stand before thee thou shalt leave.

      ³ And the Lord brought this about on the next day, and animals, beasts and fowls came in great multitudes and surrounded the ark.

      ⁴ And Noah went and seated himself by the door of the ark, and of all flesh that crouched before him, he brought into the ark, and all that stood before him he left upon earth.

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