Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
The spirit of God descended upon Kenaz, and he beheld a vision. He
prophesied that this world would continue to exist only seven thousand
years, to be followed then by the Kingdom of Heaven. These words
spoken, the prophetical spirit departed from him, and he straightway
forgot what he had uttered during his vision. Before he passed away, he
spoke once more, saying: "If such be the rest which the righteous
obtain after their death, it were better for them to die than live in
this corrupt world and see its iniquities." (20)
As Kenaz left no male heirs, Zebul was appointed his successor. Mindful
of the great service Kenaz had performed for the nation, Zebul acted a
father's part toward the three unmarried daughters of his predecessor.
At his instance, the people assigned a rich marriage portion to each of
them; they were given great domains as their property. The oldest of
the three, Ethema by name, he married to Elizaphan; the second, Pheila,
to Odihel; and the youngest, Zilpah, to Doel.
Zebul, the judge, instituted a treasury at Shiloh. He bade the people
bring contributions, whether of gold or of silver. They were only to
take heed not to carry anything thither that had originally belonged to
an idol. His efforts were crowned with success. The free-will offerings
to the temple treasure amounted to twenty talents of gold and two
hundred and fifty talents of silver.
Zebul's reign lasted twenty-five years. Before his death he admonished
the people solemnly to be God-fearing and observant of the law. (21)
OTHNIEL
Othniel was a judge of a very different type. His contemporaries said,
that before the sun of Joshua went down, the sun of Othniel, his
successor in the leadership of the people , appeared on the horizon.
The new leader's real name was Judah; Othniel was one of his epithets,
as Jabez was another. (22)
Among the judges, Othniel represents the class of scholars. His acumen
was so great that he was able, by dint of dialect reasoning, to restore
the seventeen hundred traditions (23) which Moses had taught the
people, and which had been forgotten in the time of mourning for Moses.
Nor was his zeal for the promotion of the study of the Torah inferior
to his learning. The descendants of Jethro left Jericho, the district
assigned to them, and journeyed to Arad, only that thy might sit at the
feed to Othniel. (24) His wife, the daughter of his half-brother Caleb,
was not so well pleased with him. She complained to her father that her
husband's house was bare of all earthly goods, and his only possession
was knowledge of the Torah. (25)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account