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Estimated Range of Dating: 70-200 A.D. There is no doubt that T. 12 P. are Christian in their present form and must have received that form sometime in the second half of the 2d century A.D. One first has to establish the meaning of the present T. 12 P. (allowing, of course, for possible alterations in the period between their origin and the origin of the archetype of our manuscript tradition) for a Christian audience around A.D. 200. Because the Christian passages cannot be removed without damaging the fabric of large sections of the work, we must assume at least a thoroughgoing Christian redaction. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to establish the exact contents of this "original" (pre-Christian) Jewish document, let alone to detect different stages in the redaction of that document. It is, in fact, uncertain whether one should speak of a Christian redaction of an existing Jewish T. 12 P. or of a Christian composition. I.-The Testament of Reuben Concerning Thoughts 1. The copy of the Testament of Reuben, what things he charged his sons before he died in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life. When he was sick two years after the death of Joseph, his sons and his sons' sons were gathered together to visit him. And he said to them, My children, I am dying, and go the way of my fathers. And when he saw there Judah and Gad and Asher, his brethren, he said to them, Raise me up, my brethren, that I may tell to my brethren and to my children what things I have hidden in my heart, for from henceforth my strength faileth me. And he arose and kissed them, and said, weeping: Hear, my brethren, give ear to Reuben your father, what things I command you. And, behold, I call to witness against you this day the God of heaven, that ye walk not in the ignorance of youth and fornication wherein I ran greedily, and I defiled the bed of Jacob my father. For I tell you that He smote me with a sore plague in my loins for seven months; and had not Jacob our father prayed for me to the Lord, surely the Lord would have destroyed me. For I was thirty years old when I did this evil in the sight of the Lord, and for seven months I was sick even unto death; and I repented for seven years in the set purpose of my soul before the Lord. Wine and strong drink I drank not, and flesh entered not into my mouth, and I tasted not pleasant food,1 mourning over my sin, for it was great. And it shall not so be done in Israel. 2. And now hear me, my children, what things I saw in my repentance concerning the seven spirits of error. Seven spirits are given against man from Beliar, and they are chief of the works of youth; and seven spirits are given to him at his creation, that in them should be done every work of man.2 The first (1) spirit is of life, with which man's whole being is created. The second (2) spirit is of sight, with which ariseth desire. The third (3) spirit is of hearing, with which cometh teaching. The fourth (4) spirit is of smelling, with which taste is given to draw air and breath. The fifth (5) spirit is of speech, with which cometh knowledge. The sixth (6) spirit is of taste, with which cometh the eating of meats and drinks; and by them strength is produced, for in food is the foundation of strength. The seventh (7) spirit is of begetting and sexual intercourse, with which through love of pleasure sin also entereth in: wherefore it is the last in order of creation, and the first of youth, because it is filled with ignorance, which leadeth the young as a blind man to a pit, and as cattle to a precipice. 3. Besides all these, there is an eighth (8) spirit of sleep, with which is created entrancement of man's nature, and the image of death. With these spirits are mingled the spirits of error. The first (1), the spirit of fornication, dwelleth in the nature and in the senses; the second (2) spirit of insatiateness in the belly; the third (3) spirit of fighting in the liver and the gall. The fourth (4) is the spirit of fawning and trickery, that through over-officiousness a man may be fair in seeming. The fifth (5) is the spirit of arrogance, that a man may be stirred up and become high-minded. The sixth (6) is the spirit of lying, in perdition and in jealousy to feign words, and to conceal3 words from kindred and friends. The seventh (7) is the spirit of injustice, with which are theft and pilferings, that a man may work the desire of his heart; for injustice worketh together with the other spirits by means of craft. Besides all these, the spirit of sleep, the eighth (8) spirit, is conjoined with error and fantasy. And so perisheth every young man, darkening his mind from the truth, and not understanding the law of God, nor obeying the admonitions of his fathers, as befell me also in my youth. And now, children, love the truth, and it shall preserve you. I counsel you, hear ye Reuben your father. Pay no heed to the sight of a woman, nor yet associate privately with a female under the authority of a husband, nor meddle with affairs of womankind. For had I not seen Bilhah bathing in a covered place, I had not fallen into this great iniquity.4 For my mind, dwelling on the woman's nakedness, suffered me not to sleep until I had done the abominable deed. For while Jacob our father was absent with Isaac his father, when we were in Gader, near to Ephratha in Bethlehem, Bilhah was drunk, and lay asleep uncovered in her chamber; and when I went in and beheld her nakedness, I wrought that impiety, and leaving her sleeping I departed. And forthwith an angel of God revealed to my father Jacob concerning my impiety, and he came and mourned over me, and touched her no more.5 4. Pay no heed, therefore, to the beauty of women, and muse not upon their doings; but walk in singleness of heart in the fear of the Lord, and be labouring in works, and roaming in study and among your flocks, until the Lord give to you a wife whom He will, that ye suffer not as I did. Until my father's death I had not boldness to look stedfastly into the face of Jacob, or to speak to any of my brethren, because of my reproach; and even until now my conscience afflicteth me by reason of my sin. And my father comforted me; for he prayed for me unto the Lord, that the anger of the Lord might pass away from me, even as the Lord showed me. From henceforth, then, I was protected, and I sinned not. Therefore, my children, observe all things whatsoever I command you, and ye shall not sin. For fornication is the destruction of the soul, separating it from God, and bringing it near to idols, because it deceiveth the mind and understanding, and bringeth down young men into hell before their time. For many hath fornication destroyed; because, though a man be old or noble, it maketh him a reproach and a laughing-stock with Beliar and the sons of men. For in that Joseph kept himself from every woman, and purged his thoughts from all fornication, he found favour before the Lord and men. For the Egyptian woman did many things unto him, and called for magicians, and offered him love potions, and the purpose of his soul admitted no evil desire. Therefore the God of my fathers delivered him from every visible and hidden death. For if fornication overcome not the mind, neither shall Beliar overcome you. 5. Hurtful are women, my children; because, since they have no power or strength over the man, they act subtilly through outward guise how they may draw him to themselves; and whom they cannot overcome by strength, him they overcome by craft. For moreover the angel of God told me concerning them, and taught me that women are overcome by the spirit of fornication more than men, and they devise in their heart against men; and by means of their adornment they deceive first their minds, and instil the poison by the glance of their eye, and then they take them captive by their doings, for a woman cannot overcome a man by force. Therefore flee fornication, my children, and command your wives and your daughters that they adorn not their heads and their faces; because every woman who acteth deceitfully in these things hath been reserved to everlasting punishment. For thus they allured the Watchers 6 before the flood; and as these continually beheld them , they fell into desire each of the other, and they conceived the act in their mind, and changed themselves into the shape of men, and appeared to them in their congress with their husbands; and the women, having in their minds desire toward their apparitions, gave birth to giants, for the Watchers appeared to them as reaching even unto heaven.7 6. Beware, therefore, of fornication; and if you wish to be pure in your mind, guard your senses against every woman. And command them likewise not to company with men, that they also be pure in their mind. For constant meetings, even though the ungodly deed be not wrought, are to them an irremediable disease, and to us an everlasting reproach of Beliar; for fornication hath neither understanding nor godliness in itself, and all jealousy dwelleth in the desire thereof. Therefore ye will be jealous against the sons of Levi, and will seek to be exalted over them; but ye shall not be able, for God will work their avenging, and ye shall die by an evil death. For to Levi the Lord gave the sovereignty, and to Judah,8 and to me also with them,9 and to Dan and Joseph, that we should be for rulers. Therefore I command you to hearken to Levi, because he shall know the law of the Lord, and shall give ordinances for judgment and sacrifice for all Israel until the completion of the times of Christ, the High Priest whom the Lord hath declared. I adjure you by the God of heaven to work truth each one with his neighbour; and draw ye near to Levi in humbleness of heart, that ye may receive a blessing from his mouth. For he shall bless Israel; and specially Judah, because him hath the Lord chosen to rule over all the peoples. And worship we his Seed, because He shall die for us in wars visible and invisible, and shall be among you an everlasting king. 7. And Reuben died after that he had given command to his sons; and they placed him in a coffin until they bore him up from Egypt, and buried him in Hebron in the double10 cave where his fathers were. II.-The Testament of Simeon Concerning Envy. II.-The Testament of Simeon Concerning Envy. 1. The copy of the words of Simeon, what things he spake to his sons before he died, in the hundred and twentieth year of his life, in the year in which Joseph died. For they came to visit him when he was sick, and he strengthened himself and sat up and kissed them, and said to them: 2. Hear, O my children, hear Simeon your father, what things I have in my heart. I was born of Jacob my father, his second son; and my mother Leah called me Simeon, because the Lord heard her prayer.1 I became strong exceedingly; I shrank from no deed, nor was I afraid of anything. For my heart was hard, and my mind was unmoveable, and my bowels unfeeling: because valour also has been given from the Most High to men in soul and in body. And at that time I was jealous of Joseph because our father loved him;2 and I set my mind against him to destroy him, because the prince of deceit sent forth the spirit of jealousy and blinded my mind, that I regarded him not as a brother, and spared not Jacob my father. But his God and the God of his fathers sent forth His angel, and delivered him out of my hands. For when I went into Shechem to bring ointment for the flocks, and Reuben to Dotham, where were our necessaries and all our stores, Judah our brother sold him to the Ishmaelites. And when Reuben came he was grieved, for he wished to have restored him safe to his father.3 But I was wroth against Judah in that he let him go away alive, and for five months I continued wrathful against him; but God restrained me, and withheld from me all working of my hands, for my right hand was half withered for seven days. And I knew, my children, that because of Joseph this happened to me, and I repented and wept; and I besought the Lord that He would restore my hand unto me, and that I might be kept from all pollution and envy, and from all folly. For I knew that I had devised an evil deed before the Lord and Jacob my father, on account of Joseph my brother, in that I envied him. 3. And now, children, take heed of the spirit of deceit and of envy. For envy ruleth over the whole mind of a man, and suffereth him neither to eat, nor to drink, nor to do any good thing: it ever suggesteth to him to destroy him that he envieth; and he that is envied ever flourisheth, but he that envieth fades away. Two years of days I afflicted my soul with fasting in the fear of the Lord, and I learnt that deliverance from envy cometh by the fear of God. If a man flee to the Lord, the evil spirit runneth away from him, and his mind becometh easy. And henceforward he sympathizeth with him whom he envied, and condemneth not those who love him, and so ceaseth from his envy. 4. And my father asked concerning me, because he saw that I was sad; and I said, I am pained in my liver. For I mourned more than they all, because I was guilty of the selling of Joseph. And when we went down into Egypt, and he bound the as a spy, I knew that I was suffering justly, and I grieved not. Now Joseph was a good man, and had the Spirit of God within him: compassionate and pitiful, he bore not malice against me; nay, he loved me even as the rest of his brothers. Take heed, therefore, my children, of all jealousy and envy, and walk in singleness of soul and with good heart, keeping in mind the brother of your father, that God may give to you also grace and glory, and blessing upon your heads, even as ye saw in him. All his days he reproached us not concerning this thing, but loved us as his own soul, and beyond his own sons; and he glorified us, and gave riches, and cattle, and fruits freely to us all. Do ye then also, my beloved children, love each one his brother with a good heart, and remove from you the spirit of envy, for this maketh savage the soul and destroyeth the body; it turneth his purposes into anger and war, and stirreth up unto blood, and leadeth the mind into frenzy, and suffereth not prudence to act in men: moreover, it taketh away sleep, and causeth tumult to the soul and trembling to the body. For even in sleep some malicious jealousy, deluding him, gnaweth at his soul, and with wicked spirits disturbeth it, and causeth the body to be troubled, and the mind to awake from sleep in confusion; and as though having a wicked and poisonous spirit, so appeareth it to men. 5. Therefore was Joseph fair in appearance, and goodly to look upon, because there dwelt not in him any wickedness; for in trouble of the spirit the face declareth it. And now, my children, make your hearts good before the Lord, and your ways straight before men, and ye shall find grace before God and men. And take heed not to commit fornication, for fornication is mother of all evils, separating from God, and bringing near to Beliar. For I have seen it inscribed in the writing of Enoch4 that your sons shall with you be corrupted in fornication, and shall do wrong against Levi with the sword. But they shall not prevail against Levi, for he shall wage the war of the Lord, and shall conquer all your hosts; and there shall be a few divided in Levi and Judah, and there shall be none5 of you for sovereignty, even as also my father Jacob prophesied in his blessings. 6. Behold, I have foretold you all things, that I may be clear from the sin of your souls. Now, if ye remove from you your envy, and all your stiffneckedness, as a rose shall my bones flourish in Israel, and as a lily my flesh in Jacob, and my odour shall be as the odour of Libanus; and as cedars shall holy ones be multiplied from me for ever, and their branches shall stretch afar off. Then shall perish the seed of Canaan, and a remnant shall not be to Amalek, and all the Cappadocians 6 shall perish, and all the Hittites7 shall be utterly destroyed. Then shall fail the land of Ham, and every people shall perish. Then shall all the earth rest from trouble, and all the world under heaven from war. Then shall Shem be glorified, because the Lord God, the Mighty One of Israel, shall appear upon earth as man,8 and saved by Him Adam.9 Then shall all the spirits of deceit be given to be trampled under foot, and men shall rule over the wicked spirits. Then will I arise in joy, and will bless the Most High because of His marvellous works, because God hath taken a body and eaten with men and saved men. 7. And now, my children, obey Levi, and in Judah shall ye be redeemed:10 and be not lifted up against these two tribes, for from them shall arise to you the salvation of God. For the Lord shall raise up from Levi as it were a Priest,11 and from Judah as it were a King, God and man.12 So shall He save all the Gentiles and the race of Israel. Therefore I command you all things, in order that ye also may command your children, that they may observe them throughout their generations. 8. And Simeon made an end of commanding his sons, and slept with his fathers, being an hundred and twenty years old. And they laid him in a coffin of incorruptible wood, to take up his bones to Hebron. And they carried them up in a war of the Egyptians secretly: for the bones of Joseph the Egyptians guarded in the treasure-house of the palace; for the sorcerers told them that at the departure of the bones of Joseph there should be throughout the whole of Egypt darkness and gloom, and an exceeding great plague to the Egyptians, so that even with a lamp a man should not recognise his brother. 9. And the sons of Simeon bewailed their father according to the law of mourning, and they were in Egypt until the day of their departure from Egypt by the hand of Moses. III.-The Testament of Levi Concerning the Priesthood and Arrogance. 1. The copy of the words of Levi, what things he appointed to his sons, according to all that they should do, and what things should befall them until the day of judgment. He was in sound health when he called them to him, for it had been shown to him that he should die. And when they were gathered together be said to them : 2. I Levi was conceived in Haran and born there, and after that I came with my father to Shechem. And I was young, about twenty years of age, when with Simeon I wrought the vengeance on Hamor for our sister Dinah. And when we were feeding our flocks in Abel-Maul, a spirit of understanding of the Lord came upon me,1 and I saw all men corrupting their way, and that unrighteousness had built to itself walls, and iniquity sat upon towers; and I grieved for the race of men, and I prayed to the Lord that I might be saved. Then there fell upon me a sleep, and I beheld a high mountain: this is the mountain of Aspis 2 in Abel-Maul. And behold, the heavens were opened, and an angel of God said to me, Levi, enter. And I entered from the first heaven into the second, and I saw there water hanging between the one and the other. And I saw a third heaven far brighter than those two, for there was in it a height without bounds. And I said to the angel, Wherefore is this? And the angel said to me, Marvel not at these, for thou shall see four other heavens brighter than these, and without comparison, when thou shall have ascended thither: because thou shalt stand near the Lord, and shalt be His minister, and shall declare His mysteries to men, and shalt proclaim concerning Him who shall redeem Israel; 3 and by thee and Judah shall the Lord appear among men, saving in them every race of men; and of the portion of the Lord shall be thy life, and He shall be thy field and vineyard, fruits, gold, silver. 3. Hear, then, concerning the seven4 heavens. The lowest is for this cause more gloomy, in that it is near all the iniquities of men. The second hath fire, snow, ice, ready for the day of the ordinance of the Lord, in the righteous judgment of God: in it are all the spirits of the retributions for vengeance on the wicked. In the third are the hosts of the armies which are ordained for the day of judgment, to work vengeance on the spirits of deceit and of Beliar. And the heavens up to the fourth above these are holy, for in the highest of all dwelleth the Great Glory, in the holy of holies, far above all holiness. In the heaven next to it are the angels of the presence of the Lord, who minister and make propitiation to the Lord for all the ignorances of the righteous; and they offer to the Lord a reasonable sweet-smelling savour, and a bloodless offering. And in the heaven below this are the angels who bear the answers to the angels of the presence of the Lord. And in the heaven next to this are thrones, dominions, in which hymns are ever offered to God. Therefore, whenever the Lord looketh upon us, all of us are shaken; yea, the heavens, and the earth, and the abysses, are shaken at the presence of His majesty; but the sons of men, regarding not these things, sin, and provoke the Most High. 4. Now, therefore, know that the Lord will execute judgment upon the sons of men; because when the rocks are rent,5 and the sun quenched, and the waters dried up, and the fire trembling, and all creation troubled, and the invisible spirits melting away, and the grave6 spoiled in the suffering of the Most High,7 men unbelieving will abide in their iniquity, therefore with punishment shall they be judged. Therefore the Most High hath heard thy prayer, to separate thee from iniquity, and that thou shouldest become to Him a son, and a servant, and a minister of His presence. A shining light of knowledge shalt thou shine in Jacob, and as the sun shalt thou be to all the seed of Israel. And a blessing shall be given to thee, and to all thy seed, until the Lord shall visit all the heathen in the tender mercies of His Son, even for ever. Nevertheless thy sons shall lay hands upon Him to crucify Him; and therefore have counsel and understanding been given thee, that thou mightest instruct thy sons concerning Him, because he that blesseth Him shall be blessed, but they that curse Him shall perish. 5. And the angel opened to me the gates of heaven, and I saw the holy temple, and the Most High upon a throne of glory. And He said to me, Levi, I have given thee the blessings of the priesthood until that I shall come and sojourn in the midst of Israel. Then the angel brought me to the earth, and gave me a shield and a sword, and said, Work vengeance on Shechem because of Dinah, and I will be with thee, because the Lord hath sent me. And I destroyed at that time the sons of Hamor, as it is written in the heavenly tablets.8 And I said to Him, I pray Thee, O Lord, tell me Thy name, that I may call upon Thee in a day of tribulation. And He said, I am the angel who intercedeth for the race of Israel, that He smite them not utterly, because every evil spirit attacketh it. And after these things I was as it were awaked, and blessed the Most High, and the angel that intercedeth for the race of Israel, and for all the righteous.9 6. And when I came to my father I found a brazen shield; 10 wherefore also the name of the mountain is Aspis, which is near Gebal, on the right side of Abila; and I kept these words in my heart. I took counsel with my father, and with Reuben my brother, that he should bid the sons of Hamor that they should be circumcised; for I was jealous because of the abomination which they had wrought in Israel. And I slew Shechem at the first, and Simeon slew Hamor. And after this our brethren came and smote the city with the edge of the sword; and our father heard it and was wroth, and he was grieved in that they had received the circumcision, and after that had been put to death, and in his blessings he dealt otherwise with us. For we sinned because we had done this thing against his will, and he was sick upon that day. But I knew that the sentence of God was for evil upon Shechem; for they sought to do to Sarah as they did to Dinah our sister, and the Lord hindered them. And so they persecuted Abraham our father when he was a stranger, and they harried his flocks when they were multiplied upon him; and Jeblae his servant, born in his house, they shamefully handled. And thus they did to all strangers, taking away their wives by force, and the men themselves driving into exile. But the wrath of the Lord came suddenly upon them to the uttermost.11 7. And I said to my father, Be not angry, sir, because by thee will the Lord bring to nought the Canaanites, and will give their land to thee, and to thy seed after thee. For from this day forward shall Shechem be called a city of them that are without understanding; for as a man mocketh at a fool, so did we mock them, because they wrought folly in Israel to defile our sister. And we took our sister from thence, and departed, and came to Bethel. 8. And there I saw a thing again even as the former, after we had passed seventy days. And I saw seven men in white raiment saying to me, Arise, put on the robe of the priesthood, and the crown of righteousness, and the breastplate of understanding, and the garment of truth, and the diadem of faith, and the tiara of miracle, and the ephod of prophecy.12 And each one of them bearing each of these things put them on me, and said, From henceforth become a priest of the Lord, thou and thy seed for ever. And the first anointed me with holy oil, and gave to me the rod of judgment. The second washed me with pure water, and fed me with bread and wine, the most holy things,13 and clad me with a holy and glorious robe. The third clothed me with a linen vestment like to an ephod. The fourth put round me a girdle like unto purple. The fifth gave to me a branch of rich olive. The sixth placed a crown on my head. The seventh placed on my head a diadem of priesthood, and filled my hands with incense, so that I served as a priest to the Lord. And they said to me, Levi, thy seed shall be divided into three branches,14 for a sign of the glory of the Lord who is to come; and first shall he be that hath been faithful; no portion shall be greater than his. The second shall be in the priesthood. The third-a new name shall be called over Him, because He shall arise as King from Judah, and shall establish a new priesthood, after the fashion of the Gentiles, to all the Gentiles.15 And His appearing shall be unutterable, as of an exalted16 prophet of the seed of Abraham our father. Every desirable thing in Israel shall be for thee and for thy seed, and everything fair to look upon shall ye eat, and the table of the Lord shall thy seed apportion, and some of them shall be high priests, and judges, and scribes; for by their mouth shall the holy place be guarded. And when I awoke, I understood that this thing was like unto the former. And I hid this also in my heart, and told it not to any man upon the earth. 9. And after two days I and Judah went up to Isaac after17 our father; and the father of my father blessed me according to all the words of the visions which I had seen: and he would not come with us to Bethel. And when we came to Bethel, my father Jacob saw in a vision concerning me, that I should be to them for a priest unto the Lord; and he rose up early in the morning, and paid tithes of all to the Lord through me. And we came to Hebron to dwell there, and Isaac called me continually to put me in remembrance of the law of the Lord, even as the angel of God showed to me. And he taught me the law of the priesthood, of sacrifices, whole burnt-offerings, first-fruits, free-will offerings, thank-offerings. And each day he was instructing me, and was busied for me before the Lord. And he said to me, Take heed, my child, of the spirit of fornication; for this shall continue, and shall by thy seed pollute the holy things. Take therefore to thyself, while yet thou art young, a wife, not having blemish, nor yet polluted, nor of the race of the Philistines or Gentiles. And before entering into the holy place, bathe;18 and when thou offerest the sacrifice, wash; and again when thou finishest the sacrifice, wash. Of twelve trees ever having leaves, offer up the fruits to the Lord, as also Abraham taught me; and of every clean beast and clean bird offer a sacrifice to the Lord, and of every firstling and of wine offer first-fruits; and every sacrifice thou shalt salt with salt. 19 10. Now, therefore, observe whatsoever I command you, children; for whatsoever things I have heard from my fathers I have made known to you. I am clear from all your ungodliness and transgression which ye will do in the end of the ages against the Saviour of the world, acting ungodly, deceiving Israel, and raising up against it great evils from the Lord.20 And ye will deal lawlessly with Israel, so that Jerusalem shall not endure your wickedness; but the veil of the temple shall be rent, so as not to cover your shame. And ye shall be scattered as captives among the heathen, and shall be for a reproach and for a curse, and for a trampling under foot. For the house which the Lord shall choose shall be called Jerusalem, as is contained in the book of Enoch the righteous.21 11. Therefore, when I took a wife I was twenty-eight years old, and her name was Melcha. And she conceived and bare a son, and she called his name Gersham, for we were sojourners in our land: for Gersham is interpreted sojourning. And I saw concerning him that he would not be in the first rank. And Kohath was born in my thirty-fifth year, towards the east. And I saw in a vision that he was standing on high in the midst of all the congregation. Therefore I called his name Kohath, which meaneth, beginning of majesty and instruction. And thirdly, she bare to me Merari, in the fortieth year of my life; and since his mother bare him with difficulty, she called him Merari, which meaneth my bitterness, because he also died. And Jochebed was born in my sixty-fourth year, in Egypt, for I was renowned then in the midst of my brethren. 12. And Gersham took a wife, and she bare to him Lomni and Semei. And the sons of Kohath, Ambram, Isaar, Chebro, and Ozel. And the sons of Merari, Mooli and Homusi. And in my ninety-fourth year Ambram took Jochebed my daughter to him to wife, for they were born in one day, he and my daughter. Eight years old was I when I went into the land of Canaan, and eighteen years when I slew Shechem, and at nineteen years I became priest, and at twenty-eight years I took a wife, and at forty years I went into Egypt. And behold, ye are my children, my children even of a third generation. In my hundred and eighteenth year Joseph died. 13. And now, my children, I command you that ye fear our Lord with your whole heart, and walk in simplicity according to all His22 law. And do ye also teach your children learning, that they may have understanding in all their life, reading unceasingly the law of God; for every one who shall know the law of God shall be honoured, and shall not be a stranger wheresoever he goeth. Yea, many friends shall he gain more than his forefathers; and many men shall desire to serve him, and to hear the law from his mouth. Work righteousness, my children, upon the earth, that ye may find treasure in the heavens, and sow good things in your souls, that ye may find them in your life. For if ye sow evil things, ye shall reap all trouble and affliction. Get wisdom in the fear of God with diligence; for though there shall be a leading into captivity, and cities be destroyed, and lands and gold and silver and every possession shall perish, the wisdom of the wise none can take away, save the blindness of ungodliness and the palsy of sin: for even among his enemies shall it be to him glorious, and in a strange country a home, and in the midst of foes shall it be found a friend. If a man teach these things and do them, he shall be enthroned with kings, as was also Joseph our brother. 14. And now, my children, I have learnt from the writing of Enoch that at the last ye will deal ungodly, laying your hands upon the Lord in all malice; and your brethren shall be ashamed because of you, and to all the Gentiles shall it become a mocking. For our father Israel shall be pure from the ungodliness of the chief priests who shall lay their hands upon the Saviour of the world. Pure is the heaven above the earth, and ye are the lights of the heaven as the sun and the moon. What shall all the Gentiles do if ye be darkened in ungodliness? So shall ye bring a curse upon our race for whom came the light of the world, which was given among you for the lighting up of every man.23 Him will ye desire to slay, teaching commandments contrary to the ordinances of God. The offerings of the Lord will ye rob, and from His portion will ye steal; and before ye sacrifice to the Lord, ye will take the choicest parts, in despitefulness eating them with harlots. Amid excesses24 will ye teach the commandments of the Lord, the women that have husbands will ye pollute, and the virgins of Jerusalem will ye defile; and with harlots and adulteresses will ye be joined. The daughters of the Gentiles will ye take for wives, purifying them with an unlawful purification; and your union shall be like unto Sodom and Gomorrah in ungodliness. And ye will be puffed up because of the priesthood lifting yourselves up against men. And not only so, but being puffed up also against the commands of God, ye will scoff at the holy things, mocking in despitefulness. 15. Therefore the temple which the Lord shall choose shall be desolate in uncleanness, and ye shall be captives throughout all nations, and ye shall be an abomination among them, and ye shall receive reproach and everlasting shame from the righteous judgment of God; and all who see you shall flee from you. And were it not for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob our fathers, not one from my seed should be left upon the earth. 16. And now I have learnt in the book of Enoch that for seventy weeks will ye go astray, and will profane the priesthood, and pollute the sacrifices, and corrupt the law, and set at nought the words of the prophets. In perverseness ye will persecute righteous men, and hate the godly; the words of the faithful will ye abhor, and the man who reneweth the law in the power of the Most High will ye call a deceiver;25 and at last, as ye suppose, ye will slay Him, not understanding His resurrection, wickedly taking upon your own heads the innocent blood.26 Because of Him shall your holy places be desolate, polluted even to the ground, and ye shall have no place that is clean; but ye shall be among the Gentiles a curse and a dispersion, until He shall again look upon you, and in pity shall take you to Himself through faith and water.27 17. And because ye have heard concerning the seventy weeks, hear also concerning the priesthood; for in each jubilee there shall be a priesthood. In the first jubilee, the first who is anointed into the priesthood shall be great, and shall speak to God as to a Father; and his priesthood shall be filled with the fear of the Lord, and in the day of his gladness shall he arise for the salvation of the world. In the second jubilee, he that is anointed shall be conceived in the sorrow of beloved ones; and his priesthood shall be honoured, and shall be glorified among all. And the third priest shall be held fast in sorrow; and the fourth shall be in grief, because unrighteousness shall be laid upon him exceedingly, and all Israel shall hate each one his neighbour. The fifth shall be held fast in darkness, likewise also the sixth and the seventh. And in the seventh there shall be such pollution as I am not able to express, before the Lord and men, for they shall know it who do these things. Therefore shall they be in captivity and for a prey, and their land and their substance shall be destroyed. And in the fifth week they shall return into their desolate country, and shall renew the house of the Lord. And in the seventh week shall come the priests, worshippers of idols, contentious, lovers of money, proud, lawless, lascivious, abusers of children and beasts. 18. And after their punishment shall have come from the Lord, then will the Lord raise up to the priesthood a new Priest, to whom all the words of the Lord shall be revealed; and He shall execute a judgment of truth upon the earth,28 in the fulness of days. And His star shall arise in heaven,29 as a king shedding forth the light of knowledge in the sunshine of day, and He shall be magnified in the world until His ascension. He shall shine forth as the sun in the earth, and shall drive away all darkness from the world under heaven, and there shall be peace in all the earth. The heavens shall rejoice in His days, and the earth shall be glad, and the clouds shall be joyful, and the knowledge of the Lord shall be poured forth upon the earth, as the water of seas; and the angels of the glory of the presence of the Lord shall be glad in Him. The heavens shall be opened, and from the temple of glory shall the sanctification come upon Him with the Father's voice, as from Abraham the father of Isaac. And the glory of the Most High shall be uttered over Him, and the spirit of understanding and of sanctification shall rest upon Him in the water. He shall give the majesty of the Lord to His sons in truth for evermore; and there shall none succeed Him for all generations, even for ever.30 And in His priesthood shall all sin come to an end, and the lawless shall rest from evil, and the just shall rest in Him. And He shall open the gates of paradise, and shall remove31 the threatening sword against Adam; and He shall give to His saints to eat from the tree of life,32 and the spirit of holiness shall be on them. And Beliar shall be bound by Him, and He shall give power to His children to tread upon the evil spirits.33 And the Lord shall rejoice in His children, and the Lord shall be well pleased in His beloved for ever. Then shall Abraham and Isaac and Jacob be joyful, and I will be glad, and all the saints shall put on gladness. 19. And now, my children, ye have heard all; choose therefore for yourselves either the darkness or the light, either the law of the Lord or the works of Beliar. And we answered our father, saying, Before the Lord will we walk according to His law. And our father said, The Lord is witness, and His angels are witnesses, and I am witness, and ye are witnesses, concerning the word of your mouth. And we said, We are witnesses. And thus Levi ceased giving charge to his sons; and he stretched out his feet, and was gathered to his fathers, after he had lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. And they laid him in a coffin, and afterwards they buried him in Hebron, by the side of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. IV.-The Testament of Judah Concerning Fortitude, and Love of Money, and Fornication. 1. The copy of the words of Judah, what things he spake to his sons before he died. They gathered themselves together, and came to him, and he said to them: I was the fourth son born to my father, and my mother called me Judah, saying, I give thanks to the Lord, because He hath given to me even a fourth son.1 I was swift and active in my youth, and obedient to my father in everything. And I honoured my mother and my mother's sister. And it came to pass, when I became a man, that my father Jacob prayed over me, saying, Thou shall be a king, and prosperous in all things. 2. And the Lord showed me favour in all my works both in the field and at home. When I saw that I could run with the hind, then I caught it, and prepared meat for my father. I seized upon the roes in the chase, and all that was in the plains I outran. A wild mare I outran, and I caught it and tamed it; and I slew a lion, and plucked a kid out of its mouth. I took a bear by its paw, and rolled it over a cliff; and if any beast turned upon me, I rent it like a dog. I encountered the wild boar, and overtaking it in the chase, I tore it. A leopard in Hebron leaped upon the dog, and I caught it by the tail, and flung it from me, and it was dashed to pieces in the coasts of Gaza. A wild ox feeding in the field I seized by the horns; and whirling it round and stunning it, I cast it from me, and slew it. 3. And when the two kings of the Canaanites came in warlike array against our flocks, and much people with them, I by myself rustled upon King Sur and seized him; and I beat him upon the legs, and dragged him down, and so I slew him. And the other king, Taphue,2 I slew as he sat upon his horse, and so I scattered all the people. Achor the king, a man of giant stature, hurling darts before and behind as he sat on horseback, I slew; for I hurled a stone of sixty pounds weight, and cast it upon his horse, and killed him. And I fought with Achor for two hours, and I killed him; and I clave his shield into two parts, and I chopped off his feet. And as I stripped off his breastplate, behold, eight men his companions began to fight with me. I wound round therefore my garment in my hand; and I slang stones at them, and killed four of them, and the rest fled. And Jacob my father slew Beelisa, king of all the kings, a giant in strength, twelve cubits high; and fear fell upon them, and they ceased from making war with us. Therefore my father had no care in the wars when I was among my brethren. For he saw in a vision concerning me, that an angel of might followed me everywhere, that I should not be overcome. 4. And in the south there befell us a greater war than that in Shechem; and I joined in battle array with my brethren, and pursued a thousand men, and slew of them two hundred men and four kings. And I went up against them upon the wall, and two other kings I slew; and so we freed Hebron, and took all the captives of the kings. 5. On the next day we departed to Areta,3 a city strong and walled and inaccessible, threatening us with death. Therefore I and Gad approached on the east side of the city, and Reuben and Levi on the west and south. And they that were upon the wall, thinking that we were alone, charged down upon us; and so our brethren secretly climbed up the wall on both sides by ladders, and entered into the city, while the men knew it not. And we took it with the edge of the sword; and those who had taken refuge in the tower,-we set fire to the tower, and took both it and them. And as we were departing the men of Thaffu set upon our captives, and we took it with our sons, and fought with them even to Thaffu; and we slew them, and burnt their city, and spoiled all the things that were therein. 6. And when I was at the waters of Chuzeba,4 the men of Jobel came against us to battle, and we fought with them; and their allies from Selom5 we slew, and we allowed them no means of escaping, and of coming against us. And the men of Machir6 came upon us on the fifth day, to carry away our captives; and we attacked them, and overcame them in fierce battle: for they were a host and mighty in themselves, and we slew them before they had gone up the ascent of the hill. And when we came to their city, their women rolled upon us stones from the brow of the hill on which the city stood. And I and Simeon hid ourselves behind the town, and seized upon the heights, and utterly destroyed the whole city. 7. And the next day it was told us that the cities7 of the two
kings with a great host were coming against us. I therefore and Dan
reigned ourselves to be Amorites, and went as allies into their city.
And in the depth of night our brethren came, and we opened to them
the gates; and we destroyed all the men and their substance, and we
took for a prey all that was theirs, and their three walls we cast
down. And we drew near to Thamna,8 where was all the refuge of the
hostile kings. Then having received hurt I was wroth, and charged
upon them to the brow of the hill; and they slang at me with stones
and darts; and had not Dan my brother aided me, they would have been
able to slay me. We came upon them therefore with wrath, and they all
fled; and passing by another way, they besought my father, and he made
peace with them, and we did to them no hurt, but made a truce with
them, and restored to them all the captives. And I built Thamna, and
my father built Rhambael.9 I was twenty years old when this war
befell, and the Canaanites feared me and my brethren.
9. Eighteen years we abode at peace, our father and we, with his
brother Esau, and his sons with us, after that we came from
Mesopotamia, from Laban. And when eighteen years were fulfilled, in
the fortieth year of my life, Esau, the brother of my father, came
upon us with much people and strong; and he fell by the bow of Jacob,
and was taken up dead in Mount Seir: even as he went above Iramna11
was he slain. And we pursued after the sons of Esau. Now they had a
city with walls of iron and gates of brass; and we could not enter
into it, and we encamped around, and besieged them. And when they
opened not to us after twenty days, I set up a ladder in the sight
of all, and with my shield upon my head I climbed up, assailed with
stones of three talents' weight; and I climbed up, and slew four who
were mighty among them. And the next day Reuben and Gad entered in
and slew sixty others. Then they asked from us terms of peace; and
being aware of our father's purpose, we received them as tributaries.
And they gave us two hundred cors of wheat, five hundred baths of oil,
fifteen hundred measures of wine, until we went down into Egypt.
10. After these things, my son Er took to wife Tamar, from
Mesopotamia, a daughter of Aram.12 Now Er was wicked, and he doubted
concerning Tamar, because she was not of the land of Canaan. And on
the third day an angel of the Lord smote him in the night, and he had
not known her, according to the evil craftiness of his mother, for
he did not wish to have children from her. In the days of the
wedding-feast I espoused Onan to her; and he also in wickedness knew
her not, though he lived with her a year. And when I threatened him,
he lay with her,13 ...according to the command of his mother, and he
also died in his wickedness. And I wished to give Shelah also to her,
but my wife Bathshua suffered it not; for she bore a spite against
Tamar, because she was not of the daughters of Canaan, as she herself
was.
11. And I knew that the race of Canaan was wicked, but the thoughts
of youth blinded my heart. And when I saw her pouring out wine, in
the drunkenness of wine was I deceived, and I fell before her. And
while I was away, she went and took for Shelah a wife from the land
of Caanan. And when I knew what she had done, I cursed her in the
anguish of my soul, and she also died in the wickedness of her sons.
12. And after these things, while Tamar was a widow, she heard
after two years that I was going up to shear my sheep; then she decked
herself in bridal array, and sat over against the city by the gate.
For it is a law of the Amorites, that she who is about to marry sit
in fornication seven days by the gate.14 I therefore, being drunk at
the waters of Chozeb, recognised her not by reason of wine; and her
beauty deceived me, through the fashion of her adorning. And I turned
aside to her, and said, I would enter in to thee. And she said to me,
What wilt thou give me? And I gave her my staff, and my girdle, and
my royal crown; and I lay with her, and she conceived. I then, not
knowing what she had done, wished to slay her; but she privily sent
my pledges, and put me to shame. And when I called her, I heard also
the secret words which I spoke when lying with her in my drunkenness;
and I could not slay her, because it was from the Lord. For I said,
Lest haply she did it in subtlety, and received the pledge from another
woman: but I came near her no more till my death, because I had done
this abomination in all Israel. Moreover, they who were in the city
said that there was no bride in the city, because she came from
another place, and sat for awhile in the gate, and she thought that
no one knew that I had gone in to her.15 And after this we came into
Egypt to Joseph, because of the famine. Forty and six years old was
I, and seventy and three years lived I there.
13. And now, my children, in what things so ever I command you
hearken to your father, and keep all my sayings to perform the
ordinances of the Lord, and to obey the command of the Lord God.
And walk not after your lusts, nor in the thoughts of your imaginations
in the haughtiness of your heart; and glory not in the works of the
strength of youth, for this also is evil in the eyes of the Lord. For
since I also gloried that in wars the face of no woman of goodly form
ever deceived me, and upbraided Reuben my brother concerning Bilhah,
the wife of my father, the spirits of jealousy and of fornication
arrayed themselves within me, until I fell before Bathshua the
Canaanite, and Tamar who was espoused to my sons, And I said to my
father-in-law, I will counsel with my father, and so will I take thy
daughter. And he showed me a boundless store of gold in his daughter
's behalf, for he was a king. And he decked her with gold and pearls,
and caused her to pour out wine for us at the feast in womanly
beauty. And the wine led my eyes astray, and pleasure blinded my heart;
and I loved her, and I fell, and transgressed the commandment of the
Lord and the commandment of my fathers, and I took her to wife. And
the Lord rewarded me according to the thought of my heart, insomuch
that I had no joy in her children.
14. And now, my children, be not drunk with wine; for wine turneth
the mind away from the truth, and kindleth in it the passion of lust,
and leadeth the eyes into error. For the spirit of fornication hath
wine as a minister to give pleasures to the mind; for these two take
away the power from a man. For if a man drink wine to drunkenness,
he disturbeth his mind with filthy thoughts to fornication, and
exciteth his body to carnal union; and if the cause of the desire
be present, he worketh the sin, and is not ashamed. Such is wine, my
children; for he who is drunken reverenceth no man. For, lo, it made
me also to err, so that I was not ashamed of the multitude in the city,
because before the eyes of all I turned aside unto Tamar, and I worked
a great sin, and I uncovered the covering of the shame of my sons.
After that I drank wine I reverenced not the commandment of God, and
I took a woman of Canaan to wife. Wherefore, my children, he who
drinketh wine needeth discretion; and herein is discretion in drinking
wine, that a man should drink as long as he keepeth decency; but if
he go beyond this bound, the spirit of deceit attacketh his mind and
worketh his will; and it maketh the drunkard to talk filthily, and
to transgress and not to be ashamed, but even to exult in his
dishonour, accounting himself to do well.
15. He that committeth fornication, and16 uncovereth his nakedness,
hath become the servant of fornication, and escapeth not17 from the
power thereof, even as I also was uncovered. For I gave my staff, that
is, the stay of my tribe; and my girdle, that is, my power; and my
diadem, that is, the glory of my kingdom. Then I repented for these
things, and took no wine or flesh until my old age, nor did I behold
any joy. And the angel of God showed me that for ever do women bear
rule over king and beggar alike; and from the king they take away his
glory, and from the valiant man his strength, and from the beggar
even that little which is the stay of his poverty.
16. Observe therefore, my children, moderation in wine; for there
are in it four evil spirits-of (1) lust, of (2) wrath, of (3) riot,
of (4) filthy lucre. If ye drink wine in gladness, with shamefacedness,
with the fear of God, ye shall live. For if ye drink not with
shamefacedness, and the fear of God departeth from you, then cometh
drunkenness, and shamelessness stealeth in. But18 even if ye drink
not at all, take heed lest ye sin in words of outrage, and fighting,
and slander, and transgression of the commandments of God; so shall
ye perish before your time. Moreover, wine revealeth the mysteries of
God and men to aliens, even as I also revealed the commandments of
God and the mysteries of Jacob my father to the Canaanitish Bathshua,
to whom God forbade to declare them. And wine also is a cause of war
and confusion.
17. I charge you, therefore, my children, not to love money, nor
to gaze upon the beauty of women; because for the sake of money and
beauty I was led astray to Bathshua the Canaanite. For I know that
because of these two things shall ye who are my race fall into
wickedness; for even wise men among my sons shall they mar, and shall
cause the kingdom of Judah to be diminished, which the Lord gave me
because of my obedience to my father.19 For I never disobeyed a word
of Jacob my father, for all things whatsoever he commanded I did.
And Abraham, the father of my father, blessed me that I should be
king in Israel, and Isaac further blessed me in like manner. And
I know that from me shall the kingdom be established.
18. For I have read also in the books of Enoch the righteous what
evils ye shall do in the last days. Take heed, therefore, my children,
of fornication and the love of money; hearken to Judah your father,
for these things do withdraw you from the law of God, and blind the
understanding of the soul, and teach arrogance, and suffer not a man
to have compassion upon his neighbour: they rob his soul of all
goodness, and bind him in toils and troubles, and take away his sleep
and devour his flesh, and hinder the sacrifices of God; and he remember
eth not blessing, and he hearkeneth not to a prophet when he speaketh,
and is vexed at the word of godliness. For one who serveth two
passions contrary to the commandments of God cannot obey God, because
they have blinded his soul, and he walketh in the day-time as in the
night.
19. My children, the love of money leadeth to idols; because, when
led astray through money, men make mention of those who are no gods,
and it causeth him who hath it to fall into madness. For the sake of
money I lost my children, and but for the repentance of my flesh,
and the humbling of my soul, and the prayers of Jacob my father, I
should have died childless. But the God of my fathers, who is pitiful
and merciful, pardoned me, because I did it in ignorance.20 For the
prince of deceit blinded me, and I was ignorant as a man and as flesh,
being corrupted in sins; and I learnt my own weakness while thinking
myself unconquerable.21
20.22 Learn therefore, my children, that two spirits wait upon
man-the spirit of truth and the spirit of error; and in the midst is
the spirit of the understanding of the mind, to which it belongeth to
turn whithersoever it will. And the works of truth and the works of
error are written upon the breast of men, and each one of them the
Lord knoweth. And there is no time at which the works of men can be
hid from Him; for on the bones of his breast hath he been written down
before the Lord. And the spirit of truth testifieth all things, and
accuseth all; and he who sinneth is burnt up by his own heart, and
cannot raise his face unto the Judge.
21. And now, my children, love Levi, that ye may abide, and exalt
not yourselves against him, lest ye be utterly destroyed. For to me
the Lord gave the kingdom, and to him the priesthood, and He set the
kingdom beneath the priesthood. To me He gave the things upon the
earth; to him the things in the heavens. As the heaven is higher
than the earth, so is the priesthood of God higher than the kingdom
upon the earth. For the Lord chose him above thee, to draw near to
Him, and to eat of His table and first-fruits, even the choice things
of the sons of Israel, and thou shall be to them as a sea. For as, on
the sea, just and unjust are tossed about, some taken into captivity
while others are enriched, so also shall every race of men be in thee,
some are in jeopardy and taken captive, and others shall grow rich by
means of plunder. For they who rule will be as great sea-monsters,
swallowing up men like fishes: free sons and daughters do they enslave;
houses, lands, flocks, money, will they plunder; and with the flesh of
many will they wrongfully feed the ravens and the cranes; and they
will go on further in evil, advancing on still in covetousness. And
there shall be false prophets like tempests, and they shall persecute
all righteous men.
22. And the Lord shall bring upon them divisions one against another,
and there shall be continual wars in Israel; and among men of other
race shall my kingdom be brought to an end, until the salvation of
Israel shall come, until the appearing of the God of righteousness,
that Jacob and all the Gentiles may rest in peace.23 And he shall
guard the might of my kingdom for ever: for the Lord sware to me with
an oath that the kingdom should never fail from me, and from my seed
for all days, even for ever.
23. Now I have much grief, my children, because of your lewdness,
and witchcrafts, and idolatries, which ye will work against the
kingdom, following them that have familiar spirits ye24 will make
your daughters singing girls25 and harlots for divinations and
demons of error, and ye will be mingled in the pollutions of the
Gentiles: for which things' sake the Lord shall bring upon you famine
and pestilence, death and the sword, avenging siege, and dogs for the
rending in pieces of enemies, and revilings of friends, destruction
and blighting of eyes, children slaughtered, wives carried off,
possessions plundered, temple of God in flames, your land desolated,
your own selves enslaved among the Gentiles, and they shall make some
of you eunuchs for their wives; and whenever ye will return to the
Lord with humility of heart, repenting and walking in all the
commandments of God, then will the Lord visit you in mercy and in
love, bringing you from out of the bondage of your enemies.
24. And after these things shall a Star arise to you from Jacob in
peace, and a Man shall rise from my seed, like the Sun of righteousness,
walking with the sons of men26 in meekness and righteousness, and no
sin shall be found in Him. And the heavens shall be opened above Him,
to shed forth the blessing of the Spirit from the Holy Father; and
He shall shed forth a spirit of grace upon you, and ye shall be unto
Him sons in truth, and ye shall walk in His commandments, the first
and the last. This is the Branch of God Most High, and this the
Well-spring unto life for all flesh.27 Then shall the sceptre of my
kingdom shine forth, and from your root shall arise a stem; and in
it shall arise a rod of righteousness to the Gentiles, to judge and
to save all that call upon the Lord.
25. And after these things shall Abraham and Isaac and Jacob arise
unto life, and I and my brethren will be chiefs, even your sceptre in
Israel: Levi first, I the second, Joseph third, Benjamin fourth,
Simeon fifth, Issachar sixth, and so all in order. And the Lord
blessed Levi; the Angel of the Presence, me; the powers of glory, 28
Simeon; the heaven, Reuben; the earth, Issachar; the sea, Zebulun;
the mountains, Joseph; the tabernacle, Benjamin; the lights of heaven,
Dan; the fatness of earth, Naphtali; the sun, Gad; the olive, Asher:
and there shall be one people of the Lord, and one tongue; and there
shall no more be a spirit of deceit of Beliar, for he shall be cast
into the fire for ever. And they who have died in grief shall arise
in joy, and they who have lived in poverty for the Lord's sake shall
be made rich, and they who have been in want shall be filled, and
they who have been weak shall be made strong, and they who have been
put to death for the Lord's sake shall awake in life.29 And the harts
of Jacob shall run in joyfulness, and the eagles of Israel shall fly
in gladness; but the ungodly shall lament, and sinners all weep, and
all the people shall glorify the Lord for ever.
26. Observe, therefore, my children, all the law of the Lord, for
there is hope for all them who follow His way aright. And he said to
them: I die before your eyes this day, a hundred and nineteen years
old. Let no one bury me in costly apparel, nor tear open my bowels, 30
for this shall they who are kings do: and carry me up to Hebron with
you. And Judah, when he had said these things, fell asleep; and his
sons did according to all whatsoever he commanded them, and they
buried him in Hebron with his fathers.
V.-The Testament of Issachar Concerning Simplicity.
1. The record of the words of Issachar. He called his sons, and
said to them: Hearken, my children, to Issachar your father; give ear
to my words, ye who are beloved of the Lord. I was the fifth son
born to Jacob, even the hire of the mandrakes.1 For Reuben2 brought
in mandrakes from the field, and Rachel met him and took them. And
Reuben wept, and at his voice Leah my mother came forth. Now these
mandrakes were sweet-smelling apples which the land of Aram produced
on high ground below a ravine of water. And Rachel said, I will not
give them to thee, for they shall be to me instead of children. Now
there were two apples; and Leaf said, Let it suffice thee that thou
hast taken the husband of my virginity: wilt thou also take these?
And she said, Behold, let Jacob be to thee this night instead of the
mandrakes of thy son. And Leah said to her, Boast not, and vaunt not
thyself; for Jacob is mine, and I am the wife of his youth. But
Rachel said, How so? for to me was he first espoused, and for my sake
he served our father fourteen years. What shall I do to thee, because
the craft and the subtlety of men are increased, and craft prospereth
upon the earth? And were it not so, thou wouldest not now see the face
of Jacob. For thou art not his wife, but in craft wert taken to him
in my stead. And my father deceived me, and removed me on that night,
and suffered me not to see him; for had I been there, it had not
happened thus. And Rachel said, Take one mandrake, and for the other
thou shalt hire him from me for one night. And Jacob knew Leah, and
she conceived and bare me, and on account of the hire3 I was called
Issachar.
2. Then appeared to Jacob an angel of the Lord, saying, Two children
shall Rachel bear; for she hath refused company with her husband, and
hath chosen continency. And had not Leah my mother given up the two
apples for the sake of his company, she would have borne eight sons;
and for this thing she bare six, and Rachel two: because on account
of the mandrakes the Lord visited her. For He knew that for the sake
of children she wished to company with Jacob, and not for lust of
pleasure.4 For she went further, and on the morrow too gave up Jacob
that she might receive also the other mandrake. Therefore the Lord
hearkened to Rachel because of the mandrakes: for though she desired
them, she ate them not, but brought them to the priest of the Most
High who was at that time, and offered them up in the house of the
Lord.
3. When, therefore, I grew up, my children, I walked in uprightness
of heart, and I became a husbandman for my parents and my brethren,
and I brought in fruits from the field according to their season; and
my father blessed me, for he saw that I walked in simplicity. And I
was not a busybody in my doings, nor malicious and slanderous against
my neighbour. I never spoke against any one, nor did I censure the
life of any man, but walked in the simplicity of my eyes. Therefore
when I was thirty years old I took to myself a wife, for my labour
wore away my strength, and I never thought upon pleasure with women;
but through my labour my sleep sufficed me, and my father always
rejoiced in my simplicity. For on whatever I laboured I offered first
to the Lord, by the hands of the priests, of all my produce and
all first-fruits; then to my father, and then took for myself. And
the Lord increased twofold His benefits in my hands; and Jacob also
knew that God aided my simplicity, for on every poor man and every
one in distress I bestowed the good things of the earth in simplicity
of heart.
4. And now hearken to me, my children, and walk in simplicity of
heart, for I have seen in it all that is well-pleasing to the Lord.
The simple coveteth not gold, defraudeth not his neighbour, longeth
not after manifold dainties, delighteth not in varied apparel, doth
not picture to himself to live a long life, but only waiteth for the
will of God, and the spirits of error have no power against him. For
he cannot allow within his mind a thought of female beauty, that he
should not pollute his mind in corruption. No envy can enter into his
thoughts, no jealousy melteth away his soul, nor doth he brood over
gain with insatiate desire; for he walketh in uprightness of life,
and beholdeth all things in simplicity, not admitting in his eyes
malice from the error of the world, lest he should see the perversion
of any of the commandments of the Lord.
5. Keep therefore the law of God, my children, and get simplicity,
and walk in guilelessness, not prying over-curiously into the commands
of God and the business of your neighbour; but love the Lord and your
neighbour, have compassion on the poor and weak. Bow down your back
unto husbandry, and labour in tillage of the ground in all manner of
husbandry, offering gifts unto the Lord with thanksgiving; for with
the first-fruits of the earth did the Lord bless me, even as He
blessed all the saints from Abel even until now. For no other portion
is given to thee than of the fatness of the earth, whose fruits are
raised by toil; for our father Jacob blessed me with blessings of the
earth and of first-fruits. And Levi and Judah were glorified by the
Lord among the sons of Jacob; for the Lord made choice of them, and
to the one He gave the priesthood, to the other the kingdom. Them
therefore obey, and walk in the simplicity of your father; for unto
Gad hath it been given to destroy the temptations that are coming
upon Israel.
6. I know, my children, that in the last times your sons will
forsake simplicity, and will cleave unto avarice, and leaving guilelessness
will draw near to malice, and forsaking the commandments of the Lord
will cleave unto Beliar, and leaving husbandry will follow after
their wicked devices, and shall be dispersed among the Gentiles, and
shall serve their enemies. And do you therefore command these things
to your children, that if they sin they may the more quickly return
to the Lord; for He is merciful, and will deliver them even to bring
them back into their land.
7. I am a hundred and twenty-two years old, and I know not against
myself a sin unto death. Except my wife, I have not known any woman.
I never committed fornication in the haughtiness of my eyes; I drank
not wine, to be led astray thereby; I coveted not any desirable thing
that was my neighbour's; guile never entered in my heart; a lie never
passed through my lips; if any man grieved, I wept with him, and
I shared my bread with the poor. I never ate alone; I moved no
landmark; in all my days I wrought godliness and truth. I loved the
Lord with all my strength; likewise also did I love every man even as
my own children. So ye also do these things, my children, and every
spirit of Beliar shall flee from you, and no deed of malicious men
shall rule over you; and every wild beast shall ye subdue, having with
yourselves the God of heaven walking with men in simplicity of heart.
And he commanded them that they should carry him up to Hebron, and
bury him there in the cave with his fathers. And he stretched out his
feet and died, the fifth son of Jacob, in a good old age; and with
every limb sound, and with strength unabated, he slept the eternal
sleep.
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| 12 İMANLININ ŞAHADETLERİ - İNGİLİZCE TERCÜME : 2. BÖLÜM |
| HZ. İSA MUAMMASI VE MESİH-MEHDİ MESELESİ |
| İÇİNDEKİLER |
| KADİM HIRİSTİYAN EL YAZMALARI |