Jubilees

And on the new moon of the month Jacob spoke to all his household, saying: "Purify yourselves and change your garments, and let us arise and go up to Bethel, where I made a vow with Him on the day when I fled from the face of Esau, my brother, because He has been with me and brought me to this land in peace. And turn away from the strange gods that are among you!"

And they gave up the strange gods. Those that were in their ears and those that were on their necks and the idols that Rachel had stolen from Laban, her father, and she gave everything to Jacob. And he burned them and broke them in pieces and destroyed them, and hid them under an oak in the land of Shechem.

And he went up on the new moon of the seventh month to Bethel. And he built an altar in the place where he had slept, and he erected a pillar there, and he sent a message to his father Isaac saying that he would come to the sacrifice, and also sent to his mother Rebekah.

And Isaac said: "Let my son come, and let me see him before I die."

And Jacob went to his father Isaac and to his mother Rebekah, to the house of his father Abraham, and he brought two of his sons with him, Levi and Judah, and he came to his father Isaac and to his mother Rebekah.

And Rebekah came from the tower to the front to kiss Jacob and embrace him; because her spirit had revived when she heard it said: "Behold, Jacob, your son, has come." And she kissed him.

And she saw his two sons, and recognized them, and said to them: "Are these your sons, my son?" And she embraced them and kissed them, and blessed them saying: "In you the descendants of Abraham shall become illustrious, and you shall prove a blessing upon the earth."

And Jacob entered to Isaac, his father, into the chamber where he was lying, and his two sons were with him, and he took his father's hand, and bowing down kissed him. And Isaac grasped the neck of Jacob, his son, and wept upon his neck.

And darkness left Isaac's eyes, and he saw Jacob's two sons: Levi and Judah. And he said: "Are these your sons, my son?" Because they look like you."

And he said to him that they were truly his sons: "And you truly saw that they are truly my sons."

And they came near to him, and he turned and kissed them and embraced them both together.

And the spirit of prophecy descended upon his mouth, and he took Levi by his right hand and Judah by his left.

And he turned to Levi first, and began to bless him first, and said to him: "May the God of All, the God of all ages, bless you and your sons for all ages.

And may the Lord give you and your descendants greatness and great glory, and cause that you and your descendants, from among all flesh, draw near to Him to serve Him in His sanctuary as the angels of the presence and as the holy ones. And as they, may the descendants of your sons be for glory and greatness and holiness, and may He make them great for all ages.

And they shall be judges and princes, and chiefs of all the descendants of Jacob. They shall speak the word of the Lord in righteousness, and they shall proclaim all His judgments in righteousness. And they shall announce my ways to Jacob and my paths to Israel. The blessing of the Lord shall be given to your mouths to bless all the descendants of the beloved.

Your mother called you by the name of Levi, and she was right in choosing your name. You shall be with the Lord and be a companion of the sons of Jacob. May His table be yours, and may you and your sons eat from it. And may your table be full in all generations, and may your food not fail in all ages.

And may all who hate you fall before you, and may all your adversaries be exterminated and perish. And blessed be he who blesses you, and cursed be every nation that curses you."

And to Judah he said: "May the Lord give you strength and power to trample down all who hate you; A prince you shall be, you and one of your sons, over all the sons of Jacob; May your name and the name of your sons advance and cross all the earth and region. Then the Gentiles shall fear before your face, and all nations shall tremble.

In you shall be the help of Jacob, and in you shall be found the salvation of Israel.

And when you sit on the throne of honor of your righteousness there shall be great peace for all the descendants of the sons of the beloved; Blessed be he who blesses you, and everyone who hates you and afflicts you and curses you shall be exterminated and destroyed from the earth and be cursed."

And turning, he kissed him again and embraced him, and rejoiced greatly; because he had truly seen the sons of his son Jacob.

And he went out from between his feet and prostrated himself and bowed to him, and he blessed them and rested there with Isaac his father that night, and they ate and drank with joy.

And he made the two sons of Jacob sleep, one on his right and the other on his left, and this was counted to him as righteousness.

And Jacob told his father all through the night how the Lord had shown him great mercy, and how He had prospered him in all his ways and protected him from all evil.

And Isaac blessed the God of his father Abraham, who did not withhold His mercy and His righteousness from the sons of His servant Isaac.

And in the morning Jacob told his father Isaac about the vow he had made to the Lord, and about the vision he had seen, and that he had built an altar, and that everything was ready for the sacrifice to be made before the Lord in the way he had made the vow, and that he had come to mount it on a donkey.

And Isaac said to Jacob, his son: "I am not able to go with you, because I am old and not able to endure the way. Go, my son, in peace; for I am one hundred and sixty years old. I am no longer able to travel. Mount your mother and let her go with you.

And I know, my son, that you came because of me, and may this day be blessed in which you saw me alive, and I also saw you, my son.

May you prosper and fulfill the vow you made, and do not discard your vow, so that you may not be called one who has touched a vow, now therefore hasten to fulfill it, and may He rejoice, He who made all things for whom you made the vow."

And he said to Rebekah: "Go with Jacob, your son." And Rebekah went with Jacob, her son, and Deborah with her, and they went to Bethel.

And Jacob remembered the prayer with which his father had blessed him and his two sons, Levi and Judah, and he rejoiced and blessed the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac.

And he said: "Now I know that I have an eternal hope, and also my sons, before the God of all." And thus it is ordained concerning the two, and they engraved for eternal testimony on the heavenly tablets as Isaac blessed them.