| And He gave us a great sign, the Sabbath day, that we
should work six days, but 18 keep Sabbath on the seventh day from
all work. And all the angels of the presence, and all the angels of sanctification,
these two great classes -He hath bidden us to keep the Sabbath with Him
19 in heaven and on earth. And He said unto us: 'Behold, I will separate
unto Myself a people from among all the peoples, and these shall keep the
Sabbath day, and I will sanctify them unto Myself as My people, and will
bless them; as I have sanctified the Sabbath day and do sanctify (it) unto
20 Myself, even so will I bless them, and they shall be My people and I
will be their God. And I have chosen the seed of Jacob from amongst all
that I have seen, and have written him down as My first-born son,and have
sanctified him unto Myself for ever and ever; and I will teach them the
21 Sabbath day, that they may keep Sabbath thereon from all work.' And
thus He created therein a sign in accordance with which they should keep
Sabbath with us on the seventh day, to eat and to drink, and to bless Him
who has created all things as He has blessed and sanctified unto Himself
22 a peculiar people above all peoples, and that they should keep Sabbath
together with us. And He caused His commands to ascend as a sweet savour
acceptable before Him all the days . . .23 There (were) two and twenty
heads of mankind from Adam to Jacob, and two and twenty kinds of work were
made until the seventh day; this is blessed and holy; and the former also
is blessed and 24 holy; and this one serves with that one for sanctification
and blessing. And to this (Jacob and his seed) it was granted that they
should always be the blessed and holy ones of the first testimony 25 and
law, even as He had sanctified and blessed the Sabbath day on the seventh
day. He created heaven and earth and everything that He created in six
days, and God made the seventh day holy, for all His works; therefore He
commanded on its behalf that, whoever does any work thereon
26 shall die, and that he who defiles it shall surely die. Wherefore do thou command the children of Israel to observe this day that they may keep it holy and not do thereon any work, and not to 27 defile it, as it is holier than all other days. And whoever profanes it shall surely die, and whoever does thereon any work shall surely die eternally, that the children of Israel may observe this day throughout their generations, and not be rooted out of the land; for it is a holy day and a blessed 28 day. And every one who observes it and keeps Sabbath thereon from all his work, will be holy and 29 blessed throughout all days like unto us. Declare and say to the children of Israel the law of this day both that they should keep Sabbath thereon, and that they should not forsake it in the error of their hearts; (and) that it is not lawful to do any work thereon which is unseemly, to do thereon their own pleasure, and that they should not prepare thereon anything to be eaten or drunk, and (that it is not lawful) to draw water, or bring in or take out thereon through their gates any burden, 30 which they had not prepared for themselves on the sixth day in their dwellings. And they shall not bring in nor take out from house to house on that day; for that day is more holy and blessed than any jubilee day of the jubilees; on this we kept Sabbath in the heavens before it was made 31 known to any flesh to keep Sabbath thereon on the earth. And the Creator of all things blessed it, but he did not sanctify all peoples and nations to keep Sabbath thereon, but Israel alone: them 32 alone he permitted to eat and drink and to keep Sabbath thereon on the earth. And the Creator of all things blessed this day which He had created for blessing and holiness and glory above all 33 days. This law and testimony was given to the children of Israel as a law for ever unto their generations. |
| 6 And behold the commandment regarding the Sabbaths -I
have written (them) down for thee-7 and all the judgments of its laws.
Six days shalt thou labour, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the
Lord your God. In it ye shall do no manner of work, ye and your sons, and
your men-8 servants and your maid-servants, and all your cattle and the
sojourner also who is with you. And the man that does any work on it shall
die: whoever desecrates that day, whoever lies with (his) wife, or whoever
says he will do something on it, that he will set out on a journey thereon
in regard to any buying or selling: and whoever draws water thereon which
he had not prepared for himself on the sixth day, and whoever takes up
any burden to carry it out of his tent or out of his house 9 shall die.
Ye shall do no work whatever on the Sabbath day save what ye have prepared
for yourselves on the sixth day, so as to eat, and drink, and rest, and
keep Sabbath from all work on that day, and to bless the Lord your God,
who has given you a day of festival and a holy day: and
10 a day of the holy kingdom for all Israel is this day among their days for ever. For great is the honour which the Lord has given to Israel that they should eat and drink and be satisfied on this festival day, and rest thereon from all labour which belongs to the labour of the children of men save burning frankincense and bringing oblations and sacrifices before the Lord for days and for 11 Sabbaths. This work alone shall be done on the Sabbath-days in the sanctuary of the Lord your God; that they may atone for Israel with sacrifice continually from day to day for a memorial well-pleasing before the Lord, and that He may receive them always from day to day according as thou 12 hast been commanded. And every man who does any work thereon, or goes a journey, or tills (his) farm, whether in his house or any other place, and whoever lights a fire, or rides on any beast, or travels by ship on the sea, and whoever strikes or kills anything, or slaughters a beast or a bird, or 13 whoever catches an animal or a bird or a fish, or whoever fasts or makes war on the Sabbaths: The man who does any of these things on the Sabbath shall die, so that the children of Israel shall observe the Sabbaths according to the commandments regarding the Sabbaths of the land, as it is written in the tablets, which He gave into my hands that I should write out for thee the laws of the seasons, and the seasons according to the division of their days. |
| By unchasity, (namely), taking two wives in their lives, while the foundation of creation is "Male and female he created them" [Gen 1:27]. And those who entered (Noah's) ark went two by two into the ark. And of the prince it is written, "Let him not multiply wives for himself" [Deut 17:17]. And David did not read the sealed book of the Torah which was in the Ark (of the Covenant), for it was not opened in Israel since the day of the death of Eleazar and Joshua and the elders. For (thier successors) worshipped the Ashtoreth, and that which had been revealed was hidden until Zadok arose, so David's works were accepted, witht he exception of Uriah's blood, and God forgave him for them. |
| The school of Shammai say, A man may not divorce his wife unless he has found in her anything improper, as it is said, "Because he has found some improper thing in her" (Deut 24:1). But the school of Hillel say, Even if she has spoiled a dish for him, as it is said, "Because he has found some improper thing in her." R. Akiba says, Even if he found another more beautiful than she is, as it is said, "Then it comes to passs if she finds no favor in his eyes." |