My LORD’s BibleEpistle of Barnabas 13
1But let us see if this people is the heir, or the former, and if the covenant belongs to us or to them. Hear ye now what the Scripture saith concerning the people. Isaac prayed for Rebecca his wife, because she was barren; and she conceived. Furthermore also, Rebecca went forth to inquire of the Lord; and the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples in thy belly; and the one people shall surpass the other, and the elder shall serve the younger.” You ought to understand who was Isaac, who Rebecca, and concerning what persons He declared that this people should be greater than that. And in another prophecy Jacob speaks more clearly to his son Joseph, saying, “Behold, the Lord hath not deprived me of thy presence; bring thy sons to me, that I may bless them.” And he brought Manasseh and Ephraim, desiring that Manasseh should be blessed, because he was the elder. With this view Joseph led him to the right hand of his father Jacob. But Jacob saw in spirit the type of the people to arise afterwards. And what says [the Scripture]? And Jacob changed the direction of his hands, and laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, the second and younger, and blessed him. And Joseph said to Jacob, “Transfer thy right hand to the head of Manasseh, for he is my first-born son.” And Jacob said, “I know it, my son, I know it; but the elder shall serve the younger: yet he also shall be blessed.” Ye see on whom he laid [his hands], that this people should be first, and heir of the covenant. If then, still further, the same thing was intimated through Abraham, we reach the perfection of our knowledge. What, then, says He to Abraham? “Because thou hast believed, it is imputed to thee for righteousness: behold, I have made thee the father of those nations who believe in the Lord while in [a state of] uncircumcision.”
Ἴδωμεν δὲ εἰ οὗτος ὁ λαὸς κληρονομεῖ ἣ ὁ πρῶτος, καὶ ἡ διαθήκη εἰς ἡμᾶς ἢ εἰς ἐκείνους. ἀκούσατε οὖν - περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τί λέγει ἡ γραφή: ᾿Ελεῖτο δὲ ᾿Ιοδὰκ περὶ ‘PeBex- KAC THC γγνδικὸς ayTOY, ὅτι CTEIpA HN. Kal CYNEAQBEN. εἶτα ἐξῆλθεν “PeBéxxa πγθέεθδι παρὰ Kypioy. Kai εἶπεν Kypioc πρὸς αὐτήν. Ayo ἔθνη ἐν TH γδοτρί coy Kal δύο Aaol ἐν TH κοιλίδ coy, καὶ ὑπερέξει λδὸς λδοῦ, Kat ὁ μείζων AOYAEYCE! τῷ EAACCONL αἰσθάνεσθαι ὀφείλετε τίς ὁ ᾿Ισαὰκ καὶ τίς ἡ Ῥεβέκκα, καὶ ἐπὶ τίνων δέδειχεν ὅτι μείζων ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ἢ ἐκεῖνος. Καὶ ἐν ἄλλῃ προφητείᾳ λέγει φανερώτερον ὃ Ἰακὼβ πρὸς Ἰωσὴφ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, λέγων ᾿ΙλοΥ, οὐκ ἐοστέρηςέν με Kypioc ΤΟΥ͂ mpocwrmoy coy’ mpocdraré μοι τοὺς γίογς coy, ina eyAorHcw ayToyc. καὶ προσήγαγεν "Edpaly καὶ Μανασσῆ, τὸν Μανασσῆ θέλων iva εὐλογηθῇ, ὅτι πρεσβύτερος ἦν" ὁ γὰρ Ἰωσὴφ προσήγαγεν εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν χεῖρα τοῦ πατρὸς ἼἸακωβ. εἶδεν δὲ ᾿Ιακὼβ τύπον τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ μεταξύ. καὶ τί λέγει ; Kai ἐποίηςεν ᾿Ιδκὼβ ἐνδλλὰξ τὰς χεῖράς ΑΥ̓ΤΟΥ͂, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν THN δεξιὰν ἐπὶ THN κεφάλῆν ‘Eqpaim τοῦ λεγτέρου Kal νεωτέρου, KAI εὐλόγηςεν δύτόν. καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ιωοὴφ πρὸς ᾿Ιακώδ' Λλετάθες coy τὴν δεξιὰν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφδλὴν Λλανδοοῆ, ὅτι πρωτύτοκός moy yidc ἐστιν. καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ιδκὼβ πρός ᾿Ιωςήφ᾽ Oiaa, τέκνον, οἶδδ᾽ ἀλλ᾽ ὁ μείζων AoyAeycel τῷ EAdCCONI. Kal οὗτος δὲ εὐλογηθήςεται. 6 Βλέπετε ἐπὶ τίνων τέθεικεν, τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον εἶναι πρῶτον καὶ τῆς διαθήκης κληρονόμον. εἰ οὖν ἔτι καὶ διὰ τοῦ ᾿Αβραὰμ ἐμνήσθη, ἀπέχομεν τὸ τέλειον τῆς γνώσεως ἡμῶν. τί οὖν λέγει τῷ ᾿Αβραάμ, ὅτε μόνος πιστεύσας ἐτέθη εἰς δικαιοσύνην ; ᾿ΙλοΥ τέθεικά ce, ᾿Αβρδάμ, , TlATépa ἐθνῶν τῶν πιοτεγόντων A! ἀκροβγοτίδς τῷ Θεῷ. ee das