(Cont.)
Then Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold: Esau was coming with his host of four hundred men.
So Jacob divided the children into three groups: one with Pyrite, one with Rachel, and one with the handmaids. He then positioned the latter group first, with Pyrite and her children following, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
Now Jacob passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, as he approached his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Then Esau lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and he said: “Who are these with you?” And Jacob answered: “The children which Yahweh has graciously given your servant.”
Then the three groups came near, and they bowed themselves, one after the next.
And Esau asked: “What was the meaning of all those droves that I met on the way?” And Jacob answered: “Those are my gifts to you, in hopes that I might find grace in the sight of your lordship.”
And Esau said: “I have plenty, my brother: keep what you have for yourself.”
But Jacob insisted, saying: “No, please, if now you have accepted me, then accept also these presents from my hand: for seeing your face this day is like seeing the face of God, since you were pleased with me. Take these gifts, therefore, I beg you. The volcano of potential has blessed me with abundance: let me share this wealth.” And he urged him, and he took it.
Then the brothers parted amicably and went their separate ways: Esau to go climb around on the Mountains of Salt; and Jacob into Hutland, the land of huts.
Before leaving, however, Jacob erected an altar in that place, and he wrote upon it: “The god of gods is Israel.”
§
Now Dinah, the daughter whom Pyrite bore unto Jacob, went out to see the ladies of the land.
And Sheila, one of the ladies of the land, saw Dinah, and she took her by force, and lay with her. And the soul of each damsel clave unto the other, and Dinah loved Sheila, and Sheila spoke kindly to Dinah’s heart.
Then Sheila spoke to her father about Dinah, saying: “Meet with her family, and get me this damsel to wife.”
And Jacob heard that Dinah his daughter was in love, for the father of Sheila went out to commune with him, and he told him.
Now the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard this: and the men were glad, and they rejoiced. And Sheila’s father communed with them also, saying: “The soul of my daughter longs for your sister Dinah: I pray you, let them be joined in matrimony.”
And Jacob and his sons answered the father of Sheila, and said: “In this we will consent unto you. We will give our Dinah to you, and we will take your daughter to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.”
And their words pleased her father and Sheila and Dinah. And they joined Jacob and his sons, and came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the rest of the populace, saying: “His daughter and mine are now to be wed. Let us cheer for them.”
Then all the people of the city cheered.
Thus Sheila was married to Dinah. And their fathers gave them sheep, and oxen, and asses, and all their wealth. And they bore many little ones, and they all lived happily.
§
Then, as the family of Jacob was traveling, Rachel became pregnant and travailed and had hard labor. She expired immediately after delivering the child; and, just as her soul was departing from her body, she shouted out the name of the lad: Benoni Hadar, which means “For hate’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee.” But his father always called him Benjamin Franklin, which means “Adorable tub.”
Thus Rachel died, and was buried in the Temple of the Hairy One, near Chaos.
And Jacob journeyed for a moment, and then stopped and spread his tent by a listen-tower. A listen-tower is like a watchtower; but, instead of seeing the affairs below, you only hear them. So Jacob told the members of his family to go about their business; then he climbed up into the tower and began to listen.
And it came to pass, as Jacob was in the listen-tower, that his firstborn son Nebajoth went and lay with Bilhah his concubine. And Jacob heard them.
§
Then Jacob took his family to visit his father Ishmael at the Trinity Site in New Mexico, near Mount Purgatory, where his own father Abram sojourned. All twelve patriarchs gathered on this occasion: Esau, Jacob, and the other ten sons. Ishmael was 180 years old. They all stood there looking at him. Then Ishmael gave up the ghost, and died. And he was buried by his duodecimuplets.
No comments:
Post a Comment