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Chapter 11
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Verse 1

In the thirty-fifth jubilee, during the third week — in its first year [1681] — Ragew married a woman whose name was Ara, the daughter of Ur, Kesed’s son. She gave birth to a son for him, and he named him Serug in the seventh year of this week [1687].

Verse 2

During this jubilee Noah’s children began to fight one another, to take captives, and to kill one another; to shed human blood on the earth, to consume blood; to build fortified cities, walls, and towers; men to elevate themselves over peoples, to set up the first kingdoms; to go to war — people against people, nations against nations, city against city; and everyone to do evil, to acquire weapons, and to teach warfare to their sons. City began to capture city and to sell male and female slaves.

Verse 3

Ur, Kesed’s son, built the city of Ara of the Chaldeans. He named it after himself and his father.

Verse 4

They made molten images for themselves. Each one would worship the idol which he had made as his own molten image. They began to make statues, images, and unclean things; the spirits of the savage ones were helping and misleading (them) so that they would commit sins, impurities, and transgression.

Verse 5

Prince Mastema was exerting his power in effecting all these actions and, by means of the spirits, he was sending to those who were placed under his control (the ability) to commit every (kind of) error and sin and every (kind of) transgression; to corrupt, to destroy, and to shed blood on the earth.

Verse 6

For this reason Serug was named Serug: because everyone turned to commit every (kind of) sin.

Verse 7

He grew up and settled in Ur of the Chaldeans near the father of his wife’s mother. He was a worshiper of idols. During the thirty-sixth jubilee, in the fifth week, in its first year [1744], he married a woman whose name was Melcha, the daughter of Kaber, the daughter of his father’s brother.

Verse 8

She gave birth to Nahor for him during the first year of this week [1744]. He grew up and settled in Ur — in the one that is the Ur of the Chaldeans. His father taught him the studies of Chaldeans: to practice divination and to augur by the signs of the sky.

Verse 9

During the thirty-seventh jubilee, in the sixth week, in its first year [1800], he married a woman whose name was lyaseka, the daughter of Nestag of the Chaldeans.

Verse 10

She gave birth to Terah for him in the seventh year of this week [1806].

Verse 11

Then Prince Mastema sent ravens and birds to eat the seed which would be planted in the ground and to destroy the land in order to rob mankind of their labors. Before they plowed in the seed, the ravens would pick (it) from the surface of the ground.

Verse 12

For this reason he named him Terah: because the ravens and birds reduced them to povery and ate their seed.

Verse 13

The years began to be unfruitful due to the birds. They would eat all the fruit of the trees from the orchards. During their time, if they were able to save a little of all the fruit of the earth, it was with great effort.

Verse 14

During the thirty-ninth jubilee, in the second week, in the first year [1870], Terah married a woman whose name was Edna, the daughter of Abram, the daughter of his father’s sister.

Verse 15

In the seventh year of this week [1876] she gave birth to a son for him, and he named him Abram after his mother’s father because he had died before his daughter’s son was conceived.

Verse 16

The child began to realize the errors of the earth — that everyone was going astray after the statues and after impurity. His father taught him (the art of) writing. When he was two weeks of years [= 14 years], he separated from his father in order not to worship idols with him.

Verse 17

He began to pray to the creator of all that he would save him from the errors of mankind and that it might not fall to his share to go astray after impurity and wickedness.

Verse 18

When the time for planting seeds in the ground arrived, all of them went out together to guard the seed from the ravens. Abram — a child of 14 years — went out with those who were going out.

Verse 19

As a cloud of ravens came to eat the seed, Abram would run at them before they could settle on the ground. He would shout at them before they could settle on the ground to eat the seed and would say: ‘Do not come down; return to the place from which you came’! And they returned.

Verse 20

That day he did (this) to the cloud of ravens 70 times. Not a single raven remained in any of the fields where Abram was.

Verse 21

All who were with him in any of the fields would see him shouting: then all of the ravens returned (to their place). His reputation grew large throughout the entire land of the Chaldeans.

Verse 22

All who were planting seed came to him in this year, and he kept going with them until the seedtime came to an end. They planted their land and that year brought in enough food. So they ate and were filled.

Verse 23

In the first year of the fifth week [1891] Abram taught the people who made equipment for bulls — the skillful woodworkers — and they made an implement above the ground, opposite the plow beam, so that one could place seed on it. The seed would then drop down from it onto the end of the plow and be hidden in the ground; and they would no longer be afraid of the ravens.

Verse 24

They made (something) like this above the ground on every plow beam. They planted seed, and all the land did as Abram told them. So they were no longer afraid of the birds.

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Chapter 11
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