And it came to pass that when God carried[1] us away with a mighty captivity by the hands of the kings of Edom, from city to city and from country to country in bitter anxiety, this book, called “The Generations of Adam” together with other books came into our hands, for they came from that house in Sevilia, and they came afterward to our city Napuli, which city is under the sway of the king of Spain, (whose glory may be exalted.) And when we saw these books, that they were books of all wisdom, we resolved in our minds to print them like all the books that came to our hands. Now this book is the best and most valuable of all, and of this book twelve copies have reached us, and we searched in them and found them all of one copy, there was no difference, nothing added and nothing deficient, nor any alteration in letters, words or events, for they were all alike as it were of one copy.
Since, therefore, we saw in this book great merit urging us to this resolve, we are determined to print it — and it is found written that this book is called the Book Jasher, because all its transactions are in that order as they had taken place in the world as regards priority and succession, for thou wilt not find in this book any postponement of events that were anterior, or priority of those that were posterior, but every thing is recorded in its place and time.
Thou wilt thus find that it relates the death of such a one at the particular time of the life of another and thus throughout. Owing to this it was called Sepher Hajashar, but it is customary to call it the Generations of Adam, the reason of which is that they call it by that with which it commences, but the chief name thereof is the book “Jasher” owing to the reasons we have assigned. Now it is found that this book is translated into Greek, entitled “Lo libris de los divitiis”.
It is also found written in the book of the Asmoneans which has come down to us, that in the days of Ptolemy king of Egypt, he ordered his servants to go and gather all the books of laws, and all the books of Chronicles which they could find in the world, so that he might become wise through them, and by examining them become acquainted with the subjects and events of the world, and to compile from them a book in all matters of jurisdiction regarding the affairs of life, thereby to exercise pure justice. So they went and collected for him nine hundred and sixty five books and brought to him, when he commanded them to go again and seek to complete the number of a thousand books, and they did so. After this, some of the persecutors of Israel stood up before him and said, O king, why wilt thou trouble thyself in this manner? Send to the Jews in Jerusalem that they shall bring unto thee the book of their law which was written for them from the mouth of the Lord by their Prophets, from which thou mayest become wise, and regulate all judgments and laws according to thy desire; so the king hearkened to their words, and sent to the Jews upon this matter, who sent to him this book, for they could not give unto him the book of the Lord, for they said, we cannot give the law
- ↑ See same expression, Isaiah 22. 17.
