Testament IX

p. 29 IX.—The Testament of Gad Concerning Hatred.

1.  The record of the testament of Gad, what things he spake unto his sons, in the hundred and twenty-seventh year of his life, saying:  I was the seventh son born to Jacob, and I was valiant in keeping the flocks.  I guarded at night the flock; and whenever the lion came, or wolf, or leopard, or bear, or any wild beast against the fold, I pursued it, and with my hand seizing its foot, and whirling it round, I stunned it, and hurled it over two furlongs, and so killed it.  Now Joseph was feeding the flock with us for about thirty days, and being tender, he fell sick by reason of the heat.  And he returned to Hebron to his father, who made him lie down near him, because he loved him.  And Joseph told our father that the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah were slaying the best of the beasts, ¹⁵⁹ and devouring them without the knowledge of Judah and Reuben.  For he saw that I delivered a lamb out of the mouth of the bear, and I put the bear to death; and the lamb I slew, being grieved concerning it that it could not live, and we ate it, and he told our father.  And I was wroth with Joseph for that thing until the day that he was sold into Egypt.  And the spirit of hatred was in me, and I wished not either to see Joseph or to hear him.  And he rebuked us to our faces for having eaten of the flock without Judah.  And whatsoever things he told our father, he believed him.

2.  I confess now my sin, my children, that oftentimes I wished to kill him, because I hated him to the death, and there were in no wise in me bowels of mercy towards him.  Moreover, I hated him yet more because of his dreams; and I would have devoured him out of the land of the living, even as a calf devoureth the grass from the earth.  Therefore I and Judah sold him to the Ishmaelites for thirty ¹⁶⁰ pieces of gold, and ten of them we hid, and showed the twenty to our brethren:  and so through my covetousness I was fully bent on his destruction.  And the God of my fathers delivered him from my hands, that I should not work iniquity in Israel.

3.  And now, my children, hearken to the words of truth to work righteousness, and all the law of the Most High, and not go astray through the spirit of hatred, for it is evil in all the doings of men.  Whatsoever a man doeth, that doth the hater abhor:  though he worketh the law of the Lord, he praiseth him not; though he feareth the Lord, and taketh pleasure in that which is righteous, he loveth him not:  he dispraiseth the truth, he envieth him that ordereth his way aright, he delighteth in evil-speaking, he loveth arrogance, for hatred hath blinded his soul; even as I also looked on Joseph.

4.  Take heed therefore, my children, of hatred; for it worketh iniquity against the Lord Himself:  for it will not hear the words of His commandments concerning the loving of one’s neighbour, and it sinneth against God.  For if a brother stumble, immediately it wisheth to proclaim it to all men, and is urgent that he should be judged for it, and be punished and slain.  And if it be a servant, it accuseth him to his master, and with all affliction it deviseth against him, if it be possible to slay him.  For hatred worketh in envy, and it ever sickeneth with envy against them that prosper in well-doing, when it seeth or heareth thereof.  For as love would even restore to life the dead, and would call back them that are condemned to die, so hatred would slay the living, and those that have offended in a small matter it would not suffer to live.  For the spirit of hatred worketh together with Satan through hastiness ¹⁶¹ of spirit in all things unto men’s death; but the spirit of love worketh together with the law of God in long-suffering unto the salvation of men. ¹⁶²

5.  Hatred is evil, because it continually abideth with lying, speaking against the truth; and it maketh small things to be great, and giveth heed to darkness as to light, and calleth the sweet bitter, and teacheth slander, and war, and violence, and every excess of evil; and it filleth the heart with devilish poison.  And these things I say to you from experience, my children, that ye may flee hatred, and cleave to the love of the Lord.  Righteousness casteth out hatred, humility destroyeth hatred.  For he that is just and humble is ashamed to do wrong, being reproved not of another, but of his own heart, because the Lord vieweth his intent:  he speaketh not against any man, because the fear of the Most High overcometh hatred.  For, fearing lest he should offend the Lord, he will not do any wrong to any man, no, not even in thought.  These things I learnt at last, after that I had repented concerning Joseph.  For true repentance after a godly sort destroyeth unbelief, and driveth away the darkness, and enlighteneth the eyes, and giveth knowledge to the soul, and guideth the mind to salvation; and those things which it hath not learnt from man, it knoweth through repentance.  For God p. 30 brought upon me a disease of the heart; and had not the prayers of Jacob my father intervened, it had hardly failed that my spirit had departed.  For by what things a man transgresseth, by the same also is he punished. ¹⁶³   For in that my heart was set mercilessly against Joseph, in my heart too I suffered mercilessly, and was judged for eleven months, for so long a time as I had been envious against Joseph until he was sold.

6.  And now, my children, love ye each one his brother, and put away hatred from your hearts, loving one another in deed, and in word, and in thought of the soul.  For in the presence of our father I spake peaceably with Joseph; and when I had gone out, the spirit of hatred darkened my mind, and moved my soul to slay him.   ¹⁶⁴ Love ye therefore one another from your hearts; and if a man sin against thee, tell him of it gently, and drive out the poison of hatred, and foster not guile in thy soul.  And if he confess and repent, forgive him; and if he deny it, strive not with him, lest he swear, and thou sin doubly.  Let not a stranger hear your secrets amid your striving, lest he hate and become thy enemy, and work great sin against thee; for ofttimes he will talk guilefully ¹⁶⁵ with thee, or evilly overreach thee, taking his poison from himself.  Therefore, if he deny it, and is convicted and put to shame, and is silenced, do not tempt him on.  For he who denieth repenteth, so that he no more doeth wrong against thee; yea also, he will honour thee, and fear thee, and be at peace with thee.  But if he be shameless, and abideth in his wrongdoing, even then forgive him from the heart, and give the vengeance to God.

7.  If a man prospereth more than you, be not grieved, but pray also for him, that he may have perfect prosperity.  For perchance it is expedient for you thus; and if he be further exalted, be not envious, remembering that all flesh shall die:  and offer praise to God, who giveth things good and profitable to all men.  Seek out the judgments of the Lord, and so shall thy mind rest and be at peace.  And though a man become rich by evil means, even as Esau the brother of my father, be not jealous; but wait for the end of the Lord.  For either He taketh His benefits away from the wicked, or leaveth them still to the repentant, or to the unrepentant reserveth punishment for ever.  For the poor man who is free from envy, giving thanks to the Lord in all things, is rich among all men, because he hath not evil jealousy of men.  Put away, therefore, hatred from your souls, and love one another with uprightness of heart.

8.  And do ye also tell these things to your children, that they honour Judah and Levi, for from them shall the Lord raise up a Saviour to Israel. ¹⁶⁶   For I know that at the last your children shall depart from them, and shall walk in all wickedness, and mischief, and corruption before the Lord.  And when he had rested for a little while, he said again to them, My children, obey your father, and bury me near to my fathers.  And he drew up his feet, and fell asleep in peace.  And after five years they carried him up, and laid him in Hebron with his fathers.

Footnotes

29:159

Cf. Targum Ps. Jon. of Gen. xxxvii. 2.

29:160

The narrative of Genesis (Gen. 37.28) gives twenty pieces of silver; the LXX. twenty pieces of gold, with which latter agrees Josephus’ μνῶν εἴκοσιν (Antiq., ii. 3. 3).  [It is worthy of note that Judas took a meaner price for the “Son of Joseph.”]

29:161

For this unusual use of ὀλιγοψυχία, cf. Prov. xiv. 29, LXX., where there is the same contrast with μακροθυμία.

29:162

[This passage is cited by Lardner as conspicuously fine.]

30:163

[Wis. xi. 16.]

30:164

The Ox. ms. omits from here to the last clause of c. 7.

30:165

For δολωφωνῆσαι , the reading of the Cam. ms. here, Grabe conjectured δολοφονήσει.  Probably δολοφωνήσει is to be preferred.

30:166

[The Virgin was the daughter of Judah, but had kinship with Levi.  Luke i. 36.  Compare Jer. xxxiii. 20-22.]