Genesis A

by Unknown

XIX.

Then for the second time Noe began to establish his1555
home, with his kinsfolk, and to till the earth for food;
he struggled and toiled, planted a vineyard, sowed many
seeds and tended them carefully, so that the green1560
earth, with its fertile boon, brought him fair harvests.

Then it befell once that the blessed man was in his
dwelling, drunken with wine; weary of feasting he slept,
and thrust the robe from his body, as was not fitting, and1565
lay there with naked limbs: little he noticed that it went
so ill with him in his hall, when intoxication in his breast
gripped his heart in the holy house. In this torpor his1570
intelligence was cruelly crippled, so that he could not
call to mind [the necessity for] covering himself with his
clothing and concealing his nakedness, as was ordained
for men and women, ever since the minister of Glory1575
locked the native abode of life behind our [first father]
and mother, with a fiery sword. Now Cam, the son
of Noe, chanced to come in where his father lay bereft
of consciousness: thereupon would he dutifully no honor1580
show to his own father nor at least conceal the dis-
grace from his kinsmen; but laughing aloud he told
his brothers how the patriarch rested in the house.
They repaired thither speedily, their faces carefully1585
veiled under cloaks, so that they bore aid to the dear
man: they were both good men, Sem and Iafeth.

Then the son of Lamech awoke from his sleep and
soon perceived that Cham would not show him, the nobly1590
born, any affection and duty, when honor was due him.
That was bitter to the heart of the holy man, and he
began to curse his son with [harsh] words: he said that
Ham should be humbled under the heavens, the servant1595
of his kinsfolk on earth: on him and his race those
baneful words have fallen heavily, ever since. Then
Noe enjoyed his broad heritage with his sons, free men,
for 350 winters of this life after the flood: then he passed1600
away.

After that his sons dispensed the treasures: they
begot children: great was their wealth. Thus to Iafeth
was progeny born, a pleasing family of promising young1605
ones, sons and daughters. He was a good man [and]
ever prosperously held his patrimony, [sharing his]
abundance with his children, until the treasure of his
breast, his spirit longing for release, was summoned to1610
the judgment of God: thereupon Geomor, Iafeth's son,
shared his father's property with his friends, dear ones,
and relatives; with his descendants was filled by genera-
tion no small portion of the earth.—

Sons of Cham were born, likewise, heirs for the pa-1615
trimony: the eldest were called Chus and Cham, very
noble of soul, the first-born of Cham. Chus was the
chief of the leaders, dispenser of treasure and worldly1620
riches to his brothers, the private property of his father,
after Cham fared forth from the body when death fell
to his lot. This leader of the people delivered judgments1625
for his race until the number of his days had run: then
the hero yielded up this world's goods and sought another
life. After that, the son of Chus, first-born of the
brothers, ruled the paternal[21] heritage, a widely known1630
man. So the Scriptures tell us, that he had the greatest
might and strength of all mankind, in those days: he
was a prince of the Babylonian Empire, and first of the
nobles raised, spread, and exalted its fame. At that1635
time one tongue was still common to all dwellers on
earth.