The story of Abram and Nimrod is the age-old story of those who choose to live righteously by following Yehovah’s eternal and unchanging ways versus those who have chosen to rebel against them as did Nimrod and all his people.

Unknown to Abram this ongoing battle between good and evil started on the night of his birth. Jasher records how Terah, Abram’s father and one of the princes of Nimrod, was having a gathering in his home on the night of Abram’s birth. In attendance were “all the wise men of Nimrod (the king of Babylon) and his conjurors.”

Jasher 8:1 And it was in the night that Abram was born, that all the servants of Terah, and all the wise men of Nimrod, and his conjurors came and ate and drank in the house of Terah, and they rejoiced with him on that night.

By the time Abram was born it was late and as everyone started home they noticed a strange occurrence in the heavens.

Jasher 8:2 And when all the wise men and conjurors went out from the house of Terah, they lifted up their eyes toward heaven that night to look at the stars, and they saw, and behold one very large star came from the east and ran in the heavens, and he swallowed up the four stars from the four sides of the heavens.
3 And all the wise men of the king and his conjurors were astonished at the sight, and the sages understood this matter, and they knew its import.
4 And they said to each other, “This only betokens the child who has been born to Terah this night, who will grow up and be fruitful, and multiply, and possess all the earth, he and his sons for ever, and he and his seed will slay great kings, and inherit their lands.

From that very night Nimrod, with his spirit of rebellion, began trying to kill Abram. His father had to give Nimrod another child to kill in place of Abram and then Terah had to hide Abram in a cave for the first ten years of his life.

Jasher 8:35 And Terah took Abram his son secretly, together with his mother and nurse, and he concealed them in a cave, and he brought them their provisions monthly.
36 And Yehovah was with Abram in the cave and he grew up, and Abram was in the cave ten years, and the king and his princes, soothsayers and sages, thought that the king had killed Abram.

After the cave, Abram lived with Noah and Shem for 39 years and learned the ways of Yehovah. He never followed the statutes, judgment and laws given by Nimrod or his other elohim (lawmakers and judges).

Jasher 9:5 And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem, and he remained with them to learn the instruction of Yehovah and His ways, and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and Shem his son for a long time.
6 And Abram was in Noah’s house thirty-nine years, and Abram knew Yehovah from three years old, and he went in the ways of Yehovah until the day of his death, as Noah and his son Shem had taught him; and all the sons of the earth in those days greatly transgressed against Yehovah, and they rebelled against him and they served other elohim (gods), and they forgot Yehovah who had created them in the earth; and the inhabitants of the earth made unto themselves, at that time, every man his elohim; elohim of wood and stone which could neither speak, hear, nor deliver, and the sons of men served them and they became their elohim.

At age 49 Abraham, believing he was safe, returned to Terah and his father’s house; but it had many idols in it. And sometimes, when you know the truth, it is hard to condone wickedness. So when Abram saw the idols, he made a vow before Yehovah that he would destroy them all before three days was up; which he did.

Abram and Nimrod

In his anger Terah told Nimrod what his son had done. And when Abram was brought before Nimrod, he rebuked even Nimrod saying,

Jasher 11:55 Dost thou imagine that they [the idols] can deliver thee or do anything small or great, that thou should serve them? And why wilt thou not sense the Elohim of the whole universe, who created thee and in whose power it is to kill and keep alive?
56 0 foolish, simple, and ignorant king, woe unto thee forever.
57 I thought thou wouldst teach thy servants the upright way, but thou hast not done this, but hast filled the whole earth with thy sins and the sins of thy people who have followed thy ways.

Nimrod was furious with Abram and when he realized that Terah had deceived him 49 years back by giving him another child to kill, his anger turned to Terah also. But Terah is terrified and lies to save his life; he blames his son Haran for giving him the idea to substitute another child in place of Abram.  Abram and Haran are then thrown into a fiery furnace while all the people of the land looked on.  Haran died immediately but Abram walked in the midst of the flames for all to see. After 3 days Abraham was taken out and extolled with great honor. This may be a shadow picture of the heirs of Abraham in the last days, in reverse. The wicked who were watching to see Abram destroyed will be destroyed themselves by fire and the righteous heirs of Abraham and their families will again be saved from the fire.

Jasher 12:37 And the king, princes, and inhabitants of the land, when they saw that Abram was delivered from the fire, they came and bowed down to Abram.
38 And Abram said to them, Do not bow down to me, but bow down to the Elohim of the world who made you, and serve Him, and go in His ways for it is He who delivered me from out of this fire, and it is He who created the souls and spirits of all men, and formed man in his mother’s womb, and brought him forth into the world, and it is He who will deliver those who trust in him from all pain.
39 And this thing seemed very wonderful in the eyes of the king and princes, that Abram was saved from the fire and that Haran was burned; and the king gave Abram many presents and he gave him his two head servants from the king’s house; the name of one was Oni and the name of the other was Eliezer.
40 And all the kings, princes and servants gave Abram many gifts of silver and gold and pearl, and the king and his princes sent him away, and he went in peace.
41 And Abram went forth from the king in peace, and many of the king’s servants followed him, and about three hundred men joined him.
42 And Abram returned on that day and went to his father’s house, he and the men that followed him, and Abram served Yehovah his Elohim all the days of his life, and he walked in His ways and followed His law.
43 And from that day forward Abram inclined the hearts of the sons of men to serve Yehovah.

This was the second time that Nimrod tried to kill Abram.

Abram and Nimrod – Part 2