Jubilees 31

Jacob Prepares to Fulfill His Vow

31 And in the new moon of the month, Jacob spoke to all the men of his house, saying: "Purify yourselves and change your clothes, and arising let us go up to Bethel, where I made a vow when I was fleeing from the face of Esau, my brother; because God has been with me, and has brought me into this land in peace. 2And remove the false gods that are in your midst. 3And tear away the false gods which are in your ears and on your necks, and the idols which Rachel took from her father Laban, and which she gave all to Jacob."

4And he burned and broke and destroyed and hid them under an oak, which was in the land of Shechem. 5And he ascended at the new moon of the seventh month to Bethel. 6And he built an altar at the place where he had slept, and he erected there a monument, and he sent for his father Isaac to come to him to the sacrifice, and to his mother Rebecca.

Jacob Journeys to Isaac and Rebecca

7And Isaac said: "Let my son Jacob come and let me see him before I die." 8And Jacob went to Isaac his father, and to his mother Rebecca, to the house of his father Abraham, and he took two of his sons with him, Levi and Judah, and came to his father Isaac and his mother Rebecca. 9And Rebecca came out of the tower to the front of the tower, that she might kiss Jacob and to embrace him, for her spirit was alive when she heard, "Behold thy son Jacob has come!", and she kissed him.

10And she saw the two sons and she knew them, and said to him: 11"Are these thy sons, my son?" and she embraced them and kissed them and blessed them, saying: "In you may the seed of Abraham be honored, and may ye be a blessing over the earth!"

12And Jacob went in to his father Isaac to his chamber where he slept, and his two sons with him, and he took the hand of his father, and bending down kissed him, and Isaac clung to the neck of Jacob his son, and wept on his neck. 13And the darkness left the eyes of Isaac, and he saw the two sons of Jacob, Levi and Judah, and he said, "Are these thy sons, my son? for they are like thee."

14And he said that in truth they were his sons, and "in truth thou seest that they are my sons."

The Prophecy of Isaac Concerning Levi

15And they approached him, and they turned, and he kissed them and embraced them all together. 16And the spirit of prophecy fell into his mouth, and he took Levi by the right hand, and Judah by the left hand. 17And he turned to Levi and began to bless him first, saying, "May the Lord God of all, the Lord of all the worlds, bless thee and thy children in all the worlds. 18And may the Lord give thee and thy seed greatness and great honor, and cause thee and thy seed to approach to him from among all flesh, that they shall serve him in his sanctuary like the angels of the face, and like the holy ones that shall be the seed of thy sons for honor and greatness and holiness: and may he make them great in all the worlds. 19And they shall be princes and lords and leaders for all the seed of the sons of Jacob: they shall speak the words of the Lord in truth, and shall judge all his judgments in truth, and speak my ways to Jacob, and they shall appear to Israel: may the blessing of the Lord be given into their mouths, that they may bless all the seed of the beloved. 20And thy mother has called thy name Levi, and in truth has she thus called thee: thou shalt be very near to the Lord, and shalt have a part with all the sons of Jacob: his table shall be thine, and thou and thy sons shall eat thereof, and to all the generations may thy table be full, and may thy food not decrease to all eternity. 21And all those that hate thee shall fall before thee, and all thy enemies shall be rooted out and be destroyed, but they that bless thee shall be blessed, and all the nations that curse thee shall be cursed."

The Prophecy of Isaac Concerning Judah

22And to Judah he spoke: "May the Lord give thee strength and power that thou mayest tread down all that hate thee: be thou a prince, thou and one of thy sons over the sons of Jacob. 23May thy name and the name of thy sons be one that goes and encompasses the whole earth and the cities; then shall the gentiles fear thy face, and all the nations shall tremble and all the people shake. 24In thee let there be help to Jacob, and in thee may deliverance be found for Israel. 25And if thou sittest on the throne of the honor of thy righteousness, there shall be great peace to all the seed of the sons of the beloved. 26He that blesseth thee shall be blessed, and all that hate and trouble thee, and those that curse thee, shall be rooted out and be destroyed from the earth, and shall be accursed.

The Faith of Jacob is Accounted for Righteousness

27And turning around he kissed him again and embraced him and rejoiced greatly; for he had seen sons of Jacob, who was his son in truth. 28And he came from between his feet, and fell down and prostrated himself, and he blessed them, and he remained with Isaac, his father, on that night, and they ate and drank with joy. 29And he caused the two sons of Jacob to sleep, the one at his right, the other at his left, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

30And Jacob told his father everything during the night, how the Lord had been merciful to him, and how he had prospered him in all his ways and had protected him from all evil.

31And Isaac blessed the God of his father Abraham, who had not ceased his mercy and righteousness from the sons of his servant Isaac.

Jacob Returns to Bethel

32And in the morning Jacob told his father Isaac of the vow he had made to the Lord, and of the vision he had seen, and how he had built an altar, and that everything was ready for the sacrifice before the Lord, as he had vowed, and that he had come to place him upon an ass. 33And Isaac said to his son Jacob: I am not able to go with thee, for I am old and not able to endure the way: go, my son, in peace, for I am one hundred and sixty-five years old today; I am not able to travel. 34Take thy mother and let her go with thee. 35And I know, my son, that thou hast come on my account; and may this day be blessed upon which thou hast seen me alive and I have seen thee, my son. 36Prosper, and fulfil the vow which thou hast vowed, and do not delay thy vow, for thou must seek the vow. 37And now hasten to fulfil thy vow; and may he be pleased who has made all things, to whom thou hast made thy vow.

38And he said to Rebecca: "Go with Jacob, thy son. 39And Rebecca went with Jacob, and Deborah with her, and they came to Bethel.

40And 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. 41And he said: "Now I know that I have an eternal hope, and my sons also before the God of all".

And thus it is ordained concerning the two, and they have placed it as a testimony for them to eternity, upon the tablets of heaven as Isaac blessed them.