Chapter 35
the stars of heaven, and thou didst also promise me, and establish thou thy word, now that the kings of Canaan are coming together, to make war with my children because they committed violence [translation gives: no violence ].
66. Now therefore O Lord God, God of the whole earth, pervert I pray thee the counsel of these kings that they may not fight against my sons.
67. And impress the hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons, and bring down their pride, and that they may turn away from my sons.
68. And with thy strong hand and outstretched arm deliver my sons and their servants from them, for power and might are in thy hands to do all this.
69. And the sons of Jacob and their servants went toward these kings, and they trusted in the Lord their God, and whilst they were going, Jacob their father also prayed unto the Lord and said: O Lord God, powerful and exalted God, who hast reigned from days of old, from thence till now and forever.
70. Thou art He who stirreth up wars and causeth them to cease, in thy hand are power and might to exalt and to bring down; O may my prayer be acceptable before Thee that Thou mayest turn to me with thy mercies, to impress the hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons, and terrify them and their camps, and with thy great kindness deliver all those that trust in Thee, for it is Thou who canst bring people under us and reduce nations under our power.
1. AND all the kings of the Amorites came and took their stand in the field to consult with their counsellors what was to be done with the sons of Jacob, for they were still afraid of them, saying, behold, two of them slew the whole of the city of Shechem.
2. And the Lord heard the prayers of Isaac and Jacob, and He filled the hearts of all these royal councellors with great fear and terror so that they unanimously exclaimed:
3. Are you silly this day, or is there no understanding in you, that you will fight against the Hebrews, and why will you take a delight in your own destruction this day?
4. Behold two of them came to the city of Shechem without fear or terror, and they killed all the inhabitants of the city, that no man stood up against them, and how will you be able to fight against them all?
5. Surely you know that their God is exceedingly fond of them, and has done mighty things for them, such as have not been done from days of old. And amongst all the gods of nations there is none like He does mightily. [original translation: there is none can do like unto his mighty deeds. ]
6. Surely He delivered their father Abraham, the Hebrew, from the hand of Nimrod, and from the hand of all his people who had many times sought to slay him.
7. He delivered him also from the fire in which king Nimrod had cast him, and his God delivered him from it.
8. And who else can do the like? Surely it was Abraham who slew the five kings of Elam, when they had touched his brother's son, who in those days dwelt in Sodom.
9. And took his servant that was faithful in his house and a few of his men, and they pursued the kings of Elam in one night and killed them, and restored to his brother's son all his property, which they had taken from him.
10. And surely you know the God of these Hebrews is much delighted with them, and they are also delighted with him, for they know that He delivered them from all their enemies.
11. And behold through his love toward his God, Abraham took his only and precious son and intended to bring him up as a burnt offering to his God, and had it not been for God who prevented him from doing this, he would then have done it out of his love to his God.
12. And God saw all his works, and swore unto him, and promised him that He would deliver his sons and all his seed from every trouble that would befall them, because he had done this thing. And his love to his God stifled the compassion of his God for his child.
13. And have you not heard what their God did to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to Abimelech king of Gerar, because he took Abraham's wife, who said of her, she is my sister, lest they might slay him on account of her, and might think of taking her for a wife? And God did unto them and their people all that you heard of.
14. And behold, we ourselves saw with our eyes that Esau, Jacob's brother, came to him with four hundred men wanting to slay him, for he called to mind that he had taken away from him his father's blessing.
15. And he went to meet him, when he came from Syria, to smite the mother with the children. Who delivered him from his hands but his God in whom he trusted? He delivered him from the hand of his brother and also from the hands of his enemies, and surely He will protect them again .