Adam became the father of Seth when he was 130 years old, and lived for another 800 years, until the 56th year of Lamech.
Seth became the father of Enosh when he was 105 years old, and lived for another 807 years, until the 168th year of Lamech.
Enosh became the father of Kenan when he was 90 years old, and lived for another 815 years, until the 84th year of Noah.
Kenan became the father of Mahalalel when he was 70 years old, and lived for another 840 years, until the 179th year of Noah.
Mahalalel became the father of Jared when he was 65 years old, and lived for another 830 years, until the 234th year of Noah.
Jared became the father of Enoch when he was 162 years old, and lived for another 800 years, until the 366th year of Noah.
Enoch became the father of Methuselah when he was 65 years old, and lived for another 300 years, until he was taken away in the 113th year of Lamech.
Methuselah became the father of Lamech when he was 187 years old, and lived for another 782 years, up until the time of the flood.
Lamech became the father of Noah when he was 182 years old, and lived for another 595 years. He died five years before the flood.
[p83] Noah became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth when he was 500 years old, 100 years before the time of the flood. The flood occurred in the 600th year of Noah, and he lived for another 350 years after the flood, until the 58th year of Abraham.
In total, 1,656 years.
This version differs from the Septuagint by a total of 586 years. This is the difference from the Septuagint in the number of years for which each of them lived before their sons were born; apart from Jared, Methuselah and Lamech, who are given the same number of years in both versions. From the agreement with respect to these three, we can deduce that the version which we use is more reliable, because the longer length of years which is assigned to Jared and his descendants in the Hebrew version makes it clear that the years of their predecessors should also be the same as in the Septuagint version. If the later and more recent generations are found, with the addition of the hundred years, to be assigned the same number of years in both the Hebrew and the Septuagint versions, how much likely is it that the previous generations, their forefathers, lived to be older than their descendants? For in the summary of each man's life, the number of years before his son was born, and the number of year that he lived afterwards, added together gives the same total of years in the Hebrew version and the Septuagint translation. It is only the numbers of years before their sons were born which are shorter in the account preserved in the Jewish copies. Therefore we suspect that this was something which the Jews did: that they ventured to compress and shorten the time before these sons were born, in order to encourage early marriages. For if these most ancient of men, who lived such long lives, came quite soon to marriage and fatherhood, as their account declares, who would not want to imitate them and marry early?
The Hebrew version, of the Samaritans
Adam, the first man, became the father of Seth when he was 130 years old, and lived for another 800 years, until the 223rd year of Noah.
[p85] Seth became the father of Enosh when he was 105 years old, and lived for another 807 years, until the 335th year of Noah.
Enosh became the father of Kenan when he was 90 years old, and lived for another 815 years, until the 433rd year of Noah.
Kenan became the father of Mahalalel when he was 70 years old, and lived for another 840 years, until the 528th year of Noah.
Mahalalel became the father of Jared when he was 65 years old, and lived for another 830 years, until the 583rd year of Noah.
Jared became the father of Enoch when he was 62 years old, and lived for another 785 years, up until the time of the flood.
Enoch became the father of Methuselah when he was 65 years old, and lived for another 300 years, until he was taken away in the 180th year of Noah.
Methuselah became the father of Lamech when he was 67 years old, and lived for another 653 years, up until the time of the flood.
Lamech became the father of Noah when he was 53 years old, and lived for another 600 years, up until the time of the flood.
Noah became the father of Shem when he was 500 years old, 100 years before the time of the flood. The flood occurred in the 600th year of Noah, and he lived for another 350 years after the flood, until the 83rd year of Eber.
In total, 1,307 years.
[The Samaritan version] differs from the Jewish version by 349 years; and it differs from the Septuagint translation by 935 years. That is the end of our discussion of the period before the flood.