Jubilees 25

Rebecca admonishes Jacob not to marry a Canaanitish Woman. Rebecca’s Blessing.

¹And in the second year of this week in this jubilee, Rebecca called Jacob her son, and spake unto him, saying: “My son, do not take thee a wife of the daughters of Canaan, as Esau, thy brother, who took him two wives of the daughters of Canaan, and they have embittered my soul with all their unclean deeds: for all their deeds are fornication and lust, and there is no righteousness with them, for (their deeds) are evil. ²And I, my son, love thee exceedingly, and my heart and my affection bless thee every hour of the day and watch of the night. ³And now, my son, hearken to my voice, and do the will of thy mother, and do not take thee a wife of the daughters of this land, but only of the house of my father, and of my father’s kindred. Thou wilt take thee a wife of the house of my father, and the Most High God will bless thee, and thy children will be a righteous generation and a holy seed.” ⁴And then spake Jacob to Rebecca, his mother, and said unto her: “Behold, mother, I am nine weeks of years old, and I neither know nor have I touched any woman, nor have I betrothed myself to any, nor even think of taking me a wife of the daughters of Canaan. ⁵For I remember, mother, the words of Abraham, our father, for he commanded me not to take a wife of the daughters of Canaan, but to take me a wife from the seed of my father’s house and from my kindred. ⁶I have heard before that daughters have been born to Laban, thy brother, and I have set my heart on them to take a wife from amongst them. ⁷And for this reason I have guarded myself in my spirit against sinning or being corrupted in all my ways throughout all the days of my life; for with regard to lust and fornication, Abraham, my father, gave me many commands. ⁸And, despite all that he hath commanded me, these two and twenty years my brother hath striven with me, and spoken frequently to me and said: ‘My brother, take to wife a sister of my two wives’; but I refuse to do as he hath done. ⁹I swear before thee, mother, that all the days of my life I will not take me a wife from the daughters of the seed of Canaan, and I will not act wickedly as my brother hath done. ¹⁰Fear not, mother; be assured that I shall do thy will and walk in uprightness, and not corrupt my ways for ever.” ¹¹And thereupon she lifted up her face to heaven and extended the fingers of her hands, and opened her mouth and blessed the Most High God, who had created the heaven and the earth, and she gave Him thanks and praise. ¹²And she said: “Blessed be the Lord God, and may His holy name be blessed for ever and ever, who hath given me Jacob as a pure son and a holy seed; for He is Thine, and Thine shall his seed be continually and throughout all the generations for evermore. ¹³Bless him, O Lord, and place in my mouth the blessing of righteousness, that I may bless him.” ¹⁴And at that hour, when the spirit of righteousness descended into her mouth, she placed both her hands on the head of Jacob, and said: