After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, his generals ripped apart his empire, and by 305 BC General Ptolemy had gained control of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Egypt, Judea, Cyprus, Cyrene, and coastal regions of modern Turkey. He established the dynasty of the Ptolemies that would rule Egypt for the next three centuries. The Ptolemys built one of the great wonders of the ancient world, the Library of Alexandria, which at its height was said to house over 400,000 scrolls. The original collection that was amassed in the first century of the library, was largely Greek works, and translations of Egyptian works, however in the mid-3rd century BC, King Ptolemy II Philadelphus ordered a translation of the ancient Israelite scriptures for the library.

A number of scholars were assembled, either 70 or 72 depending on the version of the story, and representing every Israelite sect. They created a translation that was later known as the Septuagint. The original version, published circa 250 BC, only included the Torah, or in Greek terms, the Pentateuch, or five books traditionally credited to Moses, circa 1500 BC: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This translation attempts to restore and translate the original Septuagint's Torah as it would have appeared circa 250 BC.

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