Book of Jubilees (Ethiopic)

...he might attempt to restore the text. But so that readers would not depend solely upon the judgment of a single editor, I have placed variant readings different versions of the text found in different manuscripts at the bottom of each page. From these, I have recorded all those that seemed to hold value for understanding the words in different ways. However, regarding those variants which pertain only to the rules of grammar or serve merely to prove the negligence of the scribes, I have added many but omitted many more 1): for it is a vain pursuit that brings boredom to both editor and reader to attempt to transcribe every "hallucination" of the Ethiopian original: "Abyssinicorum" scribes, such as they are today.

You have here, therefore, the text of the Jubilees just as it was possible to weave it together from the manuscript books. Although in many places I might have conjectured 2) Conjecture: an educated guess by an editor to fix a word that seems broken in all surviving copies better readings than those the books provide, I have nevertheless introduced emendations into the body of the text or the notes only where it was possible to "heal" clearly corrupt or empty readings of the books by some slight change of vowels or consonants. I have explicitly stated what was my own contribution and what belonged to the manuscripts. Those things which I corrected silently pertain only to spelling orthography|The correct way of writing/spelling words and grammar 3): for in such matters, no authority should be attributed to books produced so late and written so carelessly. Other variations of this kind, which seemed tolerable, I have left untouched 4), as well as proper names, however much cor- The text cuts off mid-word, likely "corrupt"

1) For example, on page 48, Codex T usually shows ጸጕር፡ ṣagʷr; hair instead of ጶጕር፡ p̣ogʷr.

2) For example: on page 39 line 17, it seems one should read ለሊሁ፡ himself instead of ለወልዱ፡ for his son; on page 40 line 13 አምሐሉ፡ they swore instead of አምሐሊ፡ one who causes to swear; page 61 line 16 ነፋስቲሁሙ፡ instead of ነፋሰቲሁሙ፡ their spirits/winds; page 112 line 6 ውሉደ፡ children instead of ውሉዱ፡ his children; on page 74 line 6 ትምክሕት፡ pride/boasting is contrary to the proper sense of the passage.

3) For example, for the word ሂዋን፡, which the manuscripts provide almost everywhere, and for ሔዋን፡ Eve, and for ልሳናት፡ tongues/languages which they occasionally provide, I have restored the standard forms ሂዋን፡, ሔዋን፡, and ልሳናት፡. Likewise, on page 22 line 8, I substituted the reading ይትወለጠ፡ be changed for ይትወለወ፡, and on page 24 line 14, ይትገን፡ be subdued for ይንትጊ፡.

4) For example: page 18 line 11, the Subjunctive instead of the Indicative ይረስዩ፡ they make/place; page 33 line 4, the form ደሞክሙ፡ instead of ደምክሙ፡ your blood; line 6, ለዘህለወ፡ instead of the simpler ዘህለወ፡ which was; page 37 line 17, መንገለ፡ ሀለባ፡ instead of the simpler ሀለባ፡ milk; page 44 line 9, I set ሀለባ፡ in the absolute state as ሀለበ፡; page 60 line 18, the form ውውሉደ፡ is preferred over ውሉደ፡ children; page 50 line 18, ይሰልጡ፡ they prevail is a less-than-ideal form.