2. Hebrew Bible, Nehemiah, 13.23-13.29 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)
13.23. גַּם בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם רָאִיתִי אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִים הֹשִׁיבוּ נָשִׁים אשדודיות [אַשְׁדֳּדִיּוֹת] עמוניות [עַמֳּנִיּוֹת] מוֹאֲבִיּוֹת׃ 13.24. וּבְנֵיהֶם חֲצִי מְדַבֵּר אַשְׁדּוֹדִית וְאֵינָם מַכִּירִים לְדַבֵּר יְהוּדִית וְכִלְשׁוֹן עַם וָעָם׃ 13.25. וָאָרִיב עִמָּם וָאֲקַלְלֵם וָאַכֶּה מֵהֶם אֲנָשִׁים וָאֶמְרְטֵם וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵם בֵּאלֹהִים אִם־תִּתְּנוּ בְנֹתֵיכֶם לִבְנֵיהֶם וְאִם־תִּשְׂאוּ מִבְּנֹתֵיהֶם לִבְנֵיכֶם וְלָכֶם׃ 13.26. הֲלוֹא עַל־אֵלֶּה חָטָא־שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבַגּוֹיִם הָרַבִּים לֹא־הָיָה מֶלֶךְ כָּמֹהוּ וְאָהוּב לֵאלֹהָיו הָיָה וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ אֱלֹהִים מֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל גַּם־אוֹתוֹ הֶחֱטִיאוּ הַנָּשִׁים הַנָּכְרִיּוֹת׃ 13.27. וְלָכֶם הֲנִשְׁמַע לַעֲשֹׂת אֵת כָּל־הָרָעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה הַזֹּאת לִמְעֹל בֵּאלֹהֵינוּ לְהֹשִׁיב נָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת׃ 13.28. וּמִבְּנֵי יוֹיָדָע בֶּן־אֶלְיָשִׁיב הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל חָתָן לְסַנְבַלַּט הַחֹרֹנִי וָאַבְרִיחֵהוּ מֵעָלָי׃ 13.29. זָכְרָה לָהֶם אֱלֹהָי עַל גָּאֳלֵי הַכְּהֻנָּה וּבְרִית הַכְּהֻנָּה וְהַלְוִיִּם׃ | 13.23. In those days also saw I the Jews that had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab;" 13.24. and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’language, but according to the language of each people." 13.25. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God: ‘Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves." 13.26. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, and he was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless even him did the foreign women cause to sin." 13.27. Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to break faith with our God in marrying foreign women?’" 13.28. And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I chased him from me." 13.29. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covet of the priesthood, and of the Levites." |
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4. Septuagint, Ecclesiasticus (Siracides), 6.6, 23.27, 24.1-24.34, 25.1-25.11, 25.15-25.20, 25.22-25.26, 26.5-26.18, 28.2, 28.5, 33.20-33.21, 42.9, 47.19-47.20 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 24.1. Wisdom will praise herself,and will glory in the midst of her people. 24.1. In the holy tabernacle I ministered before him,and so I was established in Zion. 24.2. In the assembly of the Most High she will open her mouth,and in the presence of his host she will glory: 24.2. For the remembrance of me is sweeter than honey,and my inheritance sweeter than the honeycomb. 24.3. I came forth from the mouth of the Most High,and covered the earth like a mist. 24.3. I went forth like a canal from a river and like a water channel into a garden. 24.4. I dwelt in high places,and my throne was in a pillar of cloud. 24.5. Alone I have made the circuit of the vault of heaven and have walked in the depths of the abyss. 24.6. In the waves of the sea, in the whole earth,and in every people and nation I have gotten a possession. 24.7. Among all these I sought a resting place;I sought in whose territory I might lodge. 24.8. Then the Creator of all things gave me a commandment,and the one who created me assigned a place for my tent. And he said, `Make your dwelling in Jacob,and in Israel receive your inheritance. 24.9. From eternity, in the beginning, he created me,and for eternity I shall not cease to exist. 24.11. In the beloved city likewise he gave me a resting place,and in Jerusalem was my dominion. 24.12. So I took root in an honored people,in the portion of the Lord, who is their inheritance. 24.13. I grew tall like a cedar in Lebanon,and like a cypress on the heights of Hermon. 24.14. I grew tall like a palm tree in En-gedi,and like rose plants in Jericho;like a beautiful olive tree in the field,and like a plane tree I grew tall. 24.15. Like cassia and camels thorn I gave forth the aroma of spices,and like choice myrrh I spread a pleasant odor,like galbanum, onycha, and stacte,and like the fragrance of frankincense in the tabernacle. 24.16. Like a terebinth I spread out my branches,and my branches are glorious and graceful. 24.17. Like a vine I caused loveliness to bud,and my blossoms became glorious and abundant fruit. 24.19. Come to me, you who desire me,and eat your fill of my produce. 24.21. Those who eat me will hunger for more,and those who drink me will thirst for more. 24.22. Whoever obeys me will not be put to shame,and those who work with my help will not sin. 24.23. All this is the book of the covet of the Most High God,the law which Moses commanded us as an inheritance for the congregations of Jacob. 24.25. It fills men with wisdom, like the Pishon,and like the Tigris at the time of the first fruits. 24.26. It makes them full of understanding, like the Euphrates,and like the Jordan at harvest time. 24.27. It makes instruction shine forth like light,like the Gihon at the time of vintage. 24.28. Just as the first man did not know her perfectly,the last one has not fathomed her; 24.29. for her thought is more abundant than the sea,and her counsel deeper than the great abyss. 24.31. I said, "I will water my orchard and drench my garden plot";and lo, my canal became a river,and my river became a sea. 24.32. I will again make instruction shine forth like the dawn,and I will make it shine afar; 24.33. I will again pour out teaching like prophecy,and leave it to all future generations. 24.34. Observe that I have not labored for myself alone,but for all who seek instruction. 25.1. My soul takes pleasure in three things,and they are beautiful in the sight of the Lord and of men;agreement between brothers, friendship between neighbors,and a wife and a husband who live in harmony. 25.1. How great is he who has gained wisdom!But there is no one superior to him who fears the Lord. 25.2. My soul hates three kinds of men,and I am greatly offended at their life:a beggar who is proud, a rich man who is a liar,and an adulterous old man who lacks good sense. 25.3. You have gathered nothing in your youth;how then can you find anything in your old age? 25.4. What an attractive thing is judgment in gray-haired men,and for the aged to possess good counsel! 25.7. With nine thoughts I have gladdened my heart,and a tenth I shall tell with my tongue:a man rejoicing in his children;a man who lives to see the downfall of his foes; 25.8. happy is he who lives with an intelligent wife,and he who has not made a slip with his tongue,and he who has not served a man inferior to himself; 25.9. happy is he who has gained good sense,and he who speaks to attentive listeners. 25.11. The fear of the Lord surpasses everything;to whom shall be likened the one who holds it fast? 25.16. I would rather dwell with a lion and a dragon than dwell with an evil wife. 25.17. The wickedness of a wife changes her appearance,and darkens her face like that of a bear. 25.18. Her husband takes his meals among the neighbors,and he cannot help sighing bitterly. 25.19. Any iniquity is insignificant compared to a wifes iniquity;may a sinners lot befall her! 25.22. There is wrath and impudence and great disgrace when a wife supports her husband. 25.23. A dejected mind, a gloomy face,and a wounded heart are caused by an evil wife. Drooping hands and weak knees are caused by the wife who does not make her husband happy. 25.24. From a woman sin had its beginning,and because of her we all die. 25.25. Allow no outlet to water,and no boldness of speech in an evil wife. 25.26. If she does not go as you direct,separate her from yourself. 26.5. of three things my heart is afraid,and of a fourth I am frightened:The slander of a city, the gathering of a mob,and false accusation -- all these are worse than death. 26.6. There is grief of heart and sorrow when a wife is envious of a rival, and a tongue-lashing makes it known to all. 26.7. An evil wife is an ox yoke which chafes;taking hold of her is like grasping a scorpion. 26.8. There is great anger when a wife is drunken;she will not hide her shame. 26.9. A wifes harlotry shows in her lustful eyes,and she is known by her eyelids. 26.11. Be on guard against her impudent eye,and do not wonder if she sins against you. 26.12. As a thirsty wayfarer opens his mouth and drinks from any water near him,so will she sit in front of every post and open her quiver to the arrow. 26.13. A wifes charm delights her husband,and her skill puts fat on his bones. 26.14. A silent wife is a gift of the Lord,and there is nothing so precious as a disciplined soul. 26.15. A modest wife adds charm to charm,and no balance can weigh the value of a chaste soul. 26.16. Like the sun rising in the heights of the Lord,so is the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home. 26.17. Like the shining lamp on the holy lampstand,so is a beautiful face on a stately figure. 26.18. Like pillars of gold on a base of silver,so are beautiful feet with a steadfast heart. 28.2. Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done,and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. 28.2. for its yoke is a yoke of iron,and its fetters are fetters of bronze; 28.5. If he himself, being flesh, maintains wrath,who will make expiation for his sins? 33.21. For it is better that your children should ask from you than that you should look to the hand of you sons. 42.9. A daughter keeps her father secretly wakeful,and worry over her robs him of sleep;when she is young, lest she do not marry,or if married, lest she be hated; 42.9. The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven,a gleaming array in the heights of the Lord. 47.19. But you laid your loins beside women,and through your body you were brought into subjection. |
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5. Josephus Flavius, Jewish Antiquities, 2.252-2.253, 8.191-8.194 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 2.252. Tharbis was the daughter of the king of the Ethiopians: she happened to see Moses as he led the army near the walls, and fought with great courage; and admiring the subtilty of his undertakings, and believing him to be the author of the Egyptians’ success, when they had before despaired of recovering their liberty, and to be the occasion of the great danger the Ethiopians were in, when they had before boasted of their great achievements, she fell deeply in love with him; and upon the prevalancy of that passion, sent to him the most faithful of all her servants to discourse with him about their marriage. 2.253. He thereupon accepted the offer, on condition she would procure the delivering up of the city; and gave her the assurance of an oath to take her to his wife; and that when he had once taken possession of the city, he would not break his oath to her. No sooner was the agreement made, but it took effect immediately; and when Moses had cut off the Ethiopians, he gave thanks to God, and consummated his marriage, and led the Egyptians back to their own land. 8.191. He grew mad in his love of women, and laid no restraint on himself in his lusts; nor was he satisfied with the women of his country alone, but he married many wives out of foreign nations; Sidontans, and Tyrians, and Ammonites, and Edomites; and he transgressed the laws of Moses, which forbade Jews to marry any but those that were of their own people. 8.192. He also began to worship their gods, which he did in order to the gratification of his wives, and out of his affection for them. This very thing our legislator suspected, and so admonished us beforehand, that we should not marry women of other countries, lest we should be entangled with foreign customs, and apostatize from our own; lest we should leave off to honor our own God, and should worship their gods. 8.193. But Solomon was Gllen headlong into unreasonable pleasures, and regarded not those admonitions; for when he had married seven hundred wives, the daughters of princes and of eminent persons, and three hundred concubines, and those besides the king of Egypt’s daughter, he soon was governed by them, till he came to imitate their practices. He was forced to give them this demonstration of his kindness and affection to them, to live according to the laws of their countries. 8.194. And as he grew into years, and his reason became weaker by length of time, it was not sufficient to recall to his mind the institutions of his own country; so he still more and more condemned his own God, and continued to regard the gods that his marriages had introduced; |
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