Page:Sefer ha-Yashar or the book of Jasher (1840).djvu/61

Rh  built, Ninevah, Resen, Calach and Rehobother; and the children of Ashur dwell there unto this day.

And the children of Aram also went and built themselves a city, and they called the name of the city Uz after their eldest brother, and they dwell therein; that is the land of Uz to this day.

And in the second year after the tower a man from the house of Ashur, whose name was Bela, went from the land of Ninevah to sojourn with his household wherever he could find a place; and they came until opposite the cities of the plain against Sodom, and they dwelt there.

And the man rose up and built there a small city, and called its name Bela, after his name; that is the land of Zoar unto this day.

And these are the families of the children of Shem according to their language and cities, after they were scattered upon the earth after the tower.

And every kingdom, city, and family of the families of the children of Noah built themselves many cities after this.

And they established governments in all their cities, in order to be regulated by their orders; so did all the families of the children of Noah forever.

 

And Nimrod son of Cush was still in the land of Shinar, and he reigned over it and dwelt there, and he built cities in the land of Shinar.

And these are the names of the four cities which he built, and he called their names after the occurrences that happened to them in the building of the tower.

And he called the first Babel, saying, Because the Lord there confounded the language of the whole earth; and the name of the second he called Erech, because from there God dispersed them.

And the third he called Eched, saying there was a great battle at that place; and the fourth he called Calnah, because his princes and mighty men were consumed there, and they vexed the Lord, they rebelled and transgressed against him.

And when Nimrod had built these cities in the land of Shinar, he placed in them the remainder of his people, his princes and his mighty men that were left in his kingdom.

And Nimrod dwelt in Babel, and he there renewed his reign over the rest of his subjects, and he reigned securely, and the subjects and princes of Nimrod called his name Amraphel, saying that at the tower his princes and men fell through his means.

And notwithstanding this, Nimrod did not return to the Lord, and he continued in wickedness and teaching wickedness to the sons of men; and Mardon, his son, was worse than his father, and continued to add to the abominations of his father.

And he caused the sons of men to sin, therefore it is said, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness.

At that time there was war between the families of the children of Ham, as they were dwelling in the cities which they had built.

And Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, went away from the families of