Book of Jasher, Chapter 12 — Abram Cast into the Fiery Furnace and Delivered; Nimrod's Dream; Abram Flees to the House of Noah
1And when the king heard the words of Abram, he ordered him to be put into prison; and Abram was ten days in prison.
2And at the end of those days the king ordered that all the kings, princes, and governors of the different provinces, and the sages, should come before him; and they sat before him, and Abram was still in the house of confinement.
3And the king said to the princes and sages, Have you heard what Abram, the son of Terah, has done to his father? Thus has he done to him, and I ordered him to be brought before me, and thus has he spoken; his heart did not fail him, nor did he flinch in my presence — and behold, now he is confined in the prison.
4Therefore decide what judgment is due to this man, who reviled the king, and who spoke and did all the things you have heard.
5And they all answered the king, saying, The man who reviles the king should be hanged upon a tree; but since he has done all the things he said, and has despised our gods, he must therefore be burned to death, for this is the law in this matter.
6If it pleases the king to do this, let him order his servants to kindle a fire night and day in your brick furnace, and then we will cast this man into it. And the king did so: he commanded his servants to prepare a fire for three days and three nights in the king's furnace, which is in Casdim; and the king ordered them to take Abram from the prison and bring him out to be burned.
7And all the king's servants, princes, lords, governors, and judges, and all the inhabitants of the land — about nine hundred thousand men — stood opposite the furnace to see Abram.
8And all the women and little ones crowded upon the roofs and towers to see what would be done with Abram; and they all stood together at a distance; and there was not a man left who did not come that day to behold the scene.
9And when Abram had come, the conjurers of the king and the sages saw Abram, and they cried out to the king, saying, Our sovereign lord, surely this is the man whom we know to have been the child at whose birth the great star swallowed the four stars — which we declared to the king, now fifty years ago.
10And behold, his father has also transgressed your commands, and mocked you, by bringing you another child — which you killed.
11And when the king heard their words, he was exceedingly angry, and he ordered Terah to be brought before him.
12And the king said, Have you heard what the conjurers have said? Now tell me truly, how you did it; and if you speak the truth, you shall be acquitted.
13And seeing that the king's anger was so greatly kindled, Terah said to the king, My lord and king, you have heard the truth, and what the sages have spoken is right. And the king said, How could you do this thing — to transgress my orders, and to give me a child that you did not father, and to take payment for him?
14And Terah answered the king, Because my tender feelings were stirred for my son at that time, and I took a son of my handmaid and brought him to the king.
15And the king said, Who advised you to this? Tell me — hide nothing from me — and then you shall not die.
16And Terah was greatly terrified in the king's presence, and he said to the king, It was Haran, my eldest son, who advised me to this. And Haran was, in those days when Abram was born, thirty-two years old.
17But Haran had not advised his father to anything, for Terah said this to the king in order to save his own life from the king, for he was greatly afraid. And the king said to Terah, Haran your son, who advised you to this, shall die by fire with Abram; for the sentence of death is upon him, for having rebelled against the king's will in doing this thing.
18And Haran at that time felt inclined to follow the ways of Abram — but he kept it within himself.
19And Haran said in his heart, Behold, now the king has seized Abram on account of the things Abram did; and it shall come to pass, that if Abram prevails over the king, I will follow him — but if the king prevails, I will go after the king.
20And when Terah had said this to the king concerning Haran his son, the king ordered Haran to be seized with Abram.
21And they brought them both — Abram and Haran his brother — to cast them into the fire; and all the inhabitants of the land, and the king's servants and princes, and all the women and little ones, were there, standing over them that day.
22And the king's servants took Abram and his brother, and they stripped them of all their clothes except the lower garments that were upon them.
23And they bound their hands and feet with linen cords, and the servants of the king lifted them up and cast them both into the furnace.
24And the Lord loved Abram, and he had compassion on him; and the Lord came down and delivered Abram from the fire, and he was not burned.
25But all the cords with which they had bound him were burned, while Abram remained, and walked about in the fire.
26And Haran died when they cast him into the fire, and he was burned to ashes, for his heart was not perfect with the Lord; and as for the men who cast him into the fire — the flame of the fire spread over them, and they were burned, and twelve men of them died.
27And Abram walked in the midst of the fire three days and three nights; and all the servants of the king saw him walking in the fire, and they came and told the king, saying, Behold, we have seen Abram walking about in the midst of the fire, and even the lower garments upon him are not burned — but the cord with which he was bound is burned.
28And when the king heard their words, his heart failed him, and he would not believe them; so he sent other trusted princes to see the matter, and they went and saw it and told the king. And the king rose to go and see it, and he saw Abram walking to and fro in the midst of the fire, and he saw Haran's body burned; and the king wondered greatly.
29And the king ordered Abram to be taken out of the fire; and his servants approached to take him out, and they could not, for the fire was all around, and the flame rose up toward them out of the furnace.
30And the king's servants fled from it; and the king rebuked them, saying, Make haste and bring Abram out of the fire, or you shall die!
31And the servants of the king again approached to bring Abram out, and the flames came upon them and burned their faces, so that eight of them died.
32And when the king saw that his servants could not approach the fire without being burned, the king called to Abram, O servant of the God who is in heaven — come out from the midst of the fire, and come here before me! And Abram listened to the voice of the king, and he came out of the fire and came and stood before the king.
33And when Abram came out, the king and all his servants saw Abram coming before the king with his lower garments upon him — for they were not burned, but only the cord with which he had been bound was burned.
34And the king said to Abram, How is it that you were not burned in the fire?
35And Abram said to the king, The God of heaven and earth, in whom I trust, and who has all things in his power — he delivered me from the fire into which you cast me.
36And Haran the brother of Abram was burned to ashes; and they searched for his body, and they found it consumed.
37And Haran was eighty-two years old when he died in the fire of Casdim. And the king, the princes, and the inhabitants of the land, seeing that Abram was delivered from the fire, came and bowed down to Abram.
38And Abram said to them, Do not bow down to me — bow down to the God of the world who made you, and serve him, and walk in his ways; for it is he who delivered me out of this fire, and it is he who created the souls and spirits of all men, and formed man in his mother's womb, and brought him forth into the world; and it is he who will deliver from all pain those who trust in him.
39And this thing seemed very wonderful in the eyes of the king and the princes — that Abram was saved from the fire, and that Haran was burned; and the king gave Abram many presents, and he gave him his two chief servants from the king's house: the name of one was Oni, and the name of the other was Eliezer.
40And all the kings, princes, and servants gave Abram many gifts of silver and gold and pearls; and the king and his princes sent him away, and he went in peace.
41And Abram went out from the king in peace, and many of the king's servants followed him, and about three hundred men joined him.
42And Abram returned that day and went to his father's house, he and the men who followed him; and Abram served the Lord his God all the days of his life, and he walked in his ways and followed his law.
43And from that day forward Abram inclined the hearts of the sons of men to serve the Lord.
44And at that time Nahor and Abram took wives for themselves — the daughters of their brother Haran; the wife of Nahor was Milca, and the name of Abram's wife was Sarai. And Sarai, the wife of Abram, was barren; she had no offspring in those days.
45And at the end of two years from Abram's coming out of the fire — that is, in the fifty-second year of his life — behold, king Nimrod sat in Babel upon the throne; and the king fell asleep, and dreamed that he was standing with his troops and hosts in a valley opposite the king's furnace.
46And he lifted up his eyes and saw a man in the likeness of Abram coming out of the furnace; and he came and stood before the king with his drawn sword, and then sprang at the king with his sword; and the king fled from the man, for he was afraid. And while he was running, the man threw an egg upon the king's head — and the egg became a great river.
47And the king dreamed that all his troops sank in that river and died; and the king took flight with three men who were before him, and he escaped.
48And the king looked at those men: they were clothed in princely garments, like the garments of kings, and they had the appearance and majesty of kings.
49And while they were running, the river turned again into an egg before the king; and out of the egg came a young bird, which came before the king, and flew at his head, and plucked out the king's eye.
50And the king was grieved at the sight, and he awoke out of his sleep, and his spirit was agitated, and he felt a great terror.
51And in the morning the king rose from his couch in fear, and he ordered all the wise men and magicians to come before him; and the king related his dream to them.
52And a wise servant of the king, whose name was Anuki, answered the king, saying, This is nothing else but the evil of Abram and his seed, which will spring up against my lord and king in the latter days.
53And behold, the day will come when Abram and his seed and the children of his household will war with my king, and they will strike down all the king's hosts and his troops.
54And as for what you said concerning the three men you saw, who were like yourself, and who escaped — this means that only you will escape, with three kings from the kings of the earth who will be with you in battle.
55And what you saw of the river that turned back into an egg as at first, and the young bird plucking out your eye — this means nothing else but the seed of Abram, which will slay the king in the latter days.
56This is my king's dream, and this is its interpretation; and the dream is true, and the interpretation your servant has given you is right.
57Now therefore, my king — surely you know that it is now fifty-two years since your sages saw this at the birth of Abram; and if my king allows Abram to live in the earth, it will be to the injury of my lord and king; for all the days that Abram lives, neither you nor your kingdom will be established, for this was known formerly, at his birth. And why should my king not slay him, that his evil may be kept from you in the latter days?
58And Nimrod listened to the voice of Anuki, and he sent some of his servants in secret, to go and seize Abram and bring him before the king to be put to death.
59And Eliezer, Abram's servant, whom the king had given him, was at that time in the presence of the king, and he heard what Anuki had advised the king, and what the king had said to bring about Abram's death.
60And Eliezer said to Abram, Hurry — rise up and save your life, so that you do not die at the hands of the king; for thus did he see in a dream concerning you, and thus did Anuki interpret it, and thus also did Anuki advise the king concerning you.
61And Abram listened to the voice of Eliezer; and Abram hurried and ran for safety to the house of Noah and his son Shem, and he concealed himself there and found a place of safety. And the king's servants came to Abram's house to seek him, but they could not find him; and they searched throughout the country, and he was not to be found; and they went and searched in every direction, and he was not to be met with.
62And when the king's servants could not find Abram, they returned to the king; and the king's anger against Abram subsided, since they did not find him, and the king put this matter concerning Abram out of his mind.
63And Abram was concealed in Noah's house for one month, until the king had forgotten the matter; but Abram was still afraid of the king. And Terah came to see Abram his son secretly in the house of Noah — and Terah was very great in the eyes of the king.
64And Abram said to his father, Do you not know that the king plans to slay me, and to annihilate my name from the earth, by the advice of his wicked counselors?
65Now whom do you have here, and what do you have in this land? Arise, let us go together to the land of Canaan, that we may be delivered from his hand — lest you also perish through him in the latter days.
66Do you not know, or have you not heard, that it is not out of love that Nimrod gives you all this honor? It is only for his own benefit that he bestows all this good upon you.
67And even if he does you greater good than this — surely these are only vanities of the world, for wealth and riches cannot avail in the day of wrath and anger.
68Now therefore listen to my voice: let us arise and go to the land of Canaan, out of the reach of Nimrod's harm; and serve the Lord who created you in the earth, and it will be well with you; and cast away all the vain things you are pursuing.
69And Abram ceased speaking; and Noah and his son Shem answered Terah, saying, True is the word that Abram has spoken to you.
70And Terah listened to the voice of his son Abram, and Terah did all that Abram said — for this was from the Lord, that the king should not cause Abram's death.