The Chronicles of Jerahmeel: Or, the Hebrew Bible Historiale. Being a Collection of Apocryphal and Pseudo-Epigraphical Books Dealing With the History of the World from the

LXIII. ELCHANAN THE

MERCHANT

(1) The story of Elchanan. Elchanan, the son of Joseph, was a large export

merchant, and owned many vessels. He hailed from the province of the tribe of

Dan, and was exceedingly wise and pious. He passed the day in praying,

maintaining the poor, and giving a helping hand to orphan boys and girls. By

means of his great skill he made a ship containing sixty chambers, of which each

one of his servants made one for himself and his goods. In the centre of the

vessel he constructed a tower which enabled him to see all his servants and their

chambers. All the rooms were placed far away from his, and his servants could

also not easily enter their neighbour's compartment, nor make any designs upon

his property.

(2) Elchanan himself was a mighty man of valour, as were also his sons,

being altogether four in the tower. The ship was loaded with 10,000 talents’

worth of pepper, 10,000 talents’ worth of frankincense, 10,000 of calamus and

cinnamon, 1,000 litres of machik (###), which they call saffron (###), and every

other kind of spice, filling the whole vessel from top to bottom. Some of the

servants appointed to guard the merchandise were Jews and others Ishmaelites.

Besides these, there were, of course, the sailors. He had with him also 10,000

talents of silver to buy beautiful garments in various parts of the world.

(3) He acted as captain himself. His intention was to travel to a large

kingdom, but was overtaken by a severe storm, which resulted in his ship

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drifting on to the sand in the Sea of Havila. (4) There R. Elchanan came across a

certain people who spoke Hebrew. 'Who are ye?' said he. 'We are descendants of

Dan,' answered they. And they forthwith invited him among them, and did very

great honour to him, for R. Elchanan was beautiful and majestic in appearance.

He then told them all his trouble and everything that befell him, and asked them

many questions how they came to that place. Thereupon they related to him all

their adventures. At the time when Jeroboam resigned, he said to the Israelites,

'Go ye and wage war with Rehoboam, the son of David.' And then the elders told

him, Among all the tribes of Israel there is not one containing such mighty men

of war and men so trained to battle as the tribe of Dan, and that they should

therefore go to battle with Rehoboam and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Thereupon. he (Jeroboam) said to them, 'Arise, ye sons of Dan, and fight the

men of Judah.' But they replied, 'By the life of our father, Dan, we shall never go

against our brothers the house of David and against the King of Judah, and why

should we shed innocent blood?' 'If that is so,' said he, 'then depart from this land

of Canaan.' For Jeroboam had made two calves of gold, by which he caused

Israel to sin, so that the kingdom of the house of David was divided from that

time. (5) They then took counsel against the Egyptians to destroy their land and

kill its inhabitants. But their chiefs said to them, 'Is it not written in the Torah,

"Ye shall no more see them?" How can we therefore go down to Egypt?' They

then had designs (counselled) against Edom, Ammon and Moab, but found it

stated in the Torah that God had forbidden Israel to inherit their borderland. But

God gave them good advice, and they left the land and marched until they

reached the brook of Pishon, a journey of seven years from Canaan. Then,

journeying upon camels, they came to Rush, i.e., Havila, a land both rich and

fertile, abounding in fields, vineyards, gardens and palaces. There they dwelt by

the . sea, where there were Ethiopians without number. (6) The news of their

advent having reached the ears of the king, they gathered themselves together as

one man, and said, 'It is better for us to die all on one day than little by little by

the hand of this strange nation.' The Kushite kings, numbering sixty-five,

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encamped on the one side of the brook of Pishon, facing the others, the town

being between the two hosts. The descendants of Dan, consisting of 200,000

foot, took their bows in their hands and crossed the brook, and a battle took

place by the water, in which twenty-five Ethiopian kings were slain. Each one of

these kings possessed 1,000 horsemen and 80,000 infantry.

(7) Soon after this, the descendants of Dan, while they were in their camp,

heard a great shouting and a loud noise of trumpets. Almost immediately they set

up a great shouting themselves, for about 300,000 men of the tribes of Naphtali,

as well as of Gad and Asher, had come to their assistance on their horses, and

said, 'Brethren, ye must be weary now; rest until the morrow, and we shall join

you.' Accordingly, on the morrow they slew all the kings of Kush, and, taking all

the spoil, divided it by lot, the silver and gold being as plentiful as stones. The

land of Havila measured a distance of a square, one side of which would take

four months to travel, each of the four tribes occupying one side. There they

dwell now securely. Concerning them it is written, 'How good and how pleasant

it is for brothers to dwell together.' A king is appointed over them, and they have

an abundance of sheep and oxen, silver and gold, horses, camels and asses; and

they sow and gather in the harvest. The king and the judges appointed by

themselves give battle every day to the kings of Rush and to strange kingdoms.

(8) These are the names of the kingdoms: Zaqlah the first (or the Eastern),

Batua

ḥ, Qelalah, Arirah, ‘Adirah, Zeridah, Zaryonah, Latusqah (###), Tira‘h,

Tiqunah, Qomah, Qalmah, Ahalah, Aholibah, Riphtah, Saqvah, Qadvah

(Qadovah), and Horiyah. They converse with each of these peoples in their own

language, and, having made a covenant with them, they dwell by the rivers of

Kush called 'Zahab Tob,' which is on the border of the land of Havila.

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(9) These four tribes having given battle to these strange kings, they (the

kings) brought them presents. Concerning this it is written, "Othri, the daughter

of Pu

ṣi (###), shall bring them gifts. . . .' They possess vineyards and large

fields, and dwell in tents made of hair, and no stranger can enter the land of

Havila. Therein also dwells their king, Abiel, the son of Shaphat, and also the

captain of the host, Abi

ḥail, the son of Shaphat, both of them of the tribe of Dan.

When the trumpeter sounds the trumpet, the captain of the host comes forth with

the armies, consisting of 173 banners, under each one serving 1,500 men of each

tribe, and just as they go out, so they return.

(10) Then the second tribe comes forth, each of the four tribes serving three

months. Each tribe keeps its own spoil, and they converse with each other in

Hebrew, and in the language of Kedar, and they are all of them pious men. I

dwelt among them for twelve months.

(11) They inflict the four capital punishments in accordance with the

decisions of the Beth Din. The tribe of Moses is also among them, as it is said,

'And all the children of Levi gathered unto him.' They encamp by the brook of

Kedron, together with scattered remnants of the exiles. The brook is called

Sambatyon (###), which encompasses them with a radius of two months’ walk.

They sleep in houses built like towers, nor is any unclean bird or animal found

among them, not even flies, or gnats, or vermin, but only their flocks and herds,

which breed twice every year. Nor is there any scorpion or serpent. They reap a

hundredfold for every measure of corn they sow, and they possess all kinds of

fruits, herbs, spelt, leeks, melons, onions and garlic. They are living together as

one nation, and possess many wells, from the waters of which all the lands are

irrigated. They also possess all kinds of spices, and round about them there fly

about all manner of clean birds. The river, the sand and stones continue in a

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whirl during the six days of the week, but on the Sabbath they rest. On the eve of

every Sabbath a flaming fire ascends from one side of the river, so that no one

can approach it until the Sabbath has come to an end. No man has ever seen

these flames of the river Sambatyon except the descendants of Dan, Asher, Gad

and Naphtali. They alone commune with them, and with reference to them it is

said, 'To say to those that are bound, Go forth,' etc.

(12) They have an abundance of silver and gold; they sow and reap, and

grow the worms that make the crimson colour, and they make unto themselves

beautiful garments and robes, and they are more numerous than they were when

they left Egypt. Concerning these four tribes it is written, 'Ah! the land of the

rustling of wings which is beyond the rivers of Kush.' The river Sambatyon is

four cubits wide, as far as a bowshot reaches. The noise it makes is exceedingly

loud, like the billows of the sea and like a mighty tempest, and in the night-time

the sound is heard at a distance of half a day's journey. If sand from that river is

placed in a flask, it whirls about during the six days of the week, but on the

Sabbath it rests.

(13) The four tribes, together with their cattle, go near the river Sambatyon

to shear their flock, for the land is plain and smooth, where neither thorns nor

herbs grow. When the descendants of Moses see them, they assemble at the side

of the brook, and, raising their voices, say, 'O children of Dan, show us a camel,

or ass, or dog.' And they exclaim, 'How long is this camel! and see the length of

its neck! How short its ear is! It is very ugly!' These men are pious and

charitable, besides being well versed in the Torah, Mishna, and Talmud. When

they study they use to say, 'We have received this by tradition from Joshua and

Moses, our teachers, and from God.' They do not know the other sages and their

traditions are written down in the language in which our teacher Moses delivered

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them to them. The laws of the killing of animals are according to the words of

the sages. They never swore by the name of God.

(14) But the children of Dan did so, and the children of Levi said to them,

'Why do ye take the name of God (in vain)? for has He not given thee bread to

eat and water to drink? Why do ye therefore do this thing? Know now that your

sons and your daughters shall die in their youth on account of your iniquities, but

as for us, no son or daughter shall die in the lifetime of their father, but shall live

to the ripe age of 120.' These people do not possess any manservants or

maidservants, since they are themselves skilled workmen and merchants. They

have shutters with which to close their shops, but never do so because there are

no thieves. It is usual for a child to go a distance of several days with the cattle,

without any fear of wild beasts, evil spirits, demons or injurious beings, since

they are pure and still sanctified with the holiness of Moses our teacher, as it is

said, 'For they shall eat the fruit of their actions.'

(15) The children of Isaachar are as numerous as the sand of the sea,

without number. They dwell on the mountains of the deep, behind the land of the

Medes and Persians, and a distance of four months’ journey from those who

dwell by the brook of Pishon. The law does not depart from their mouth, thus

fulfilling the command, 'The Torah shall not depart from thy mouth; thou shalt

meditate upon it day and night.' They accepted no earthly yoke, but only the

yoke of the kingdom of heaven, and do not fight with their fellow-men, but

discuss the Talmud and the Torah. They live in peace and tranquillity, with no

injurious thought or evil of any kind to tempt them, and dwell on an area of

thirteen days’ journey in each direction. Silver and gold, servants, camels, flocks

and herds, they have in plenty, but they breed none. The only warlike

instruments they use are knives for killing the sheep, oxen and birds. They

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receive a tribute from the heathen kingdoms, of all produce, a fourth, and of the

oxen and sheep a fifth every year. From this tribute they accumulate immense

riches. They have judges and they inflict the four capital punishments according

to the decisions of the Beth Din. They converse in the Hebrew language and in

that of Kedar.

(16) I dwelt among them for a period of two months, and then, taking my

departure on board ship, I fell in among the tribe of Zebulun, who dwell on the

mountains of Paran, in tents of hair, in the land of Lud and Pul. Entering their

land, I found them to be farmers, tilling the ground and reaping the harvest. They

possess all kinds of dainties and are men of valour. For four months they go out

to plunder, fighting and robbing people of their riches. They possess the Torah,

the Talmud and Mishna, and are men of great faith, who observe all the

Commandments. They are also good riders, having innumerable servants,

horses, sheep and oxen, as well as camels and asses. They dwell in peace and

tranquillity, where no man can intrude.

(17) Thence, after six days’ journey, I came to the tribe of Reuben, opposite

them, between Paran and Bethel, where they dwell without war. Concerning

them it is written, 'And I shall cause the wild beast to cease from the land, and no

sword shall pass over their land.' In the midst of the mountains of darkness they

possess a fertile and fruitful land, the stones of which are iron, and from the

mountains of which brass is hewn. It is a land in which one could eat his bread

without any danger, for no man passes among them. They watch the roads and

capture spoil without end. They dwell safely in tents of hair, and speak the

Hebrew language and another strange one (###).

(18) Thence I came to an extensive land by way of Shin‘ar, through Elam; it

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was the kingdom of Me

ḥumat (###) on the border of Madia, a distance of four

months’ journey from the city of (Medinat). I saw the river Gozan (###), and a

part of the tribes of Ephraim and Menasseh, who were harsh and hard-hearted.

They also are good riders, watching the roads, and having pity on no man. All

their possessions were plunder. They are men of valour and skilled in war; one

of them alone could smite a thousand men. Among themselves a large amount of

food could be obtained for two pieces of silver, and grapes could be obtained in

the same way. Concerning them it is said, 'Five of you shall pursue 100, and 100

of you 10,000.'

(19) A half of the tribe of Simeon lives together with the tribe of Judah in

the land of the Chasdim, near Jerusalem, a distance of four months’ journey.

They are countless and innumerable, and their faces are like lions’ faces. They

are all of them proficient riders, archers, spearsmen, and swordsmen, and dwell

in tents made of hair, in a wilderness the extent of which is a journey of two

months each way. They receive tribute from twenty-five kings, all of whom are

white, some belonging to the Ishmaelites and others to the descendants of

Keturah. They wage war with heathen kingdoms, always seeking battle. They

journey the way of Mathol (###), and the way of Babylon, until the city of the

madman (###); in all directions they journey with their cattle from border to

border, and nobody ever dares speak to them. Among themselves they speak

Hebrew and Greek, and are men of faith, skilled in the Torah, Talmud, Mishna,

and Agada, and also spoke the language of Togarma.

(20) I dwelt among the sons of Judah and Simeon for three years, until

merchants from the land of the Danites came to buy the spoil of which they had

great quantities, and also spices captured from merchants on the way, and which

they had acquired for nothing. I travelled with them on board ship until we came

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to Elam, after a journey of four months. After the lapse of ten years from the day

I departed from the Danites I returned. Those heathen whose land I passed

through, and among whom the tribes dwell, were some of them worshippers of

the earth, while some worshipped fire, and others worshipped a white horse and

were cannibals. [End of the words of R. Elchanan the Danite. I have heard that

this R. Elchanan was simple and upright, eschewing evil, and fearing God. He

came from the land of India.

[7]

]

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