1
The seventh son of Jacob and Bilhah. The jealous one. He counsels against anger saying that "it gives peculiar vision." This is a notable thesis on anger.
THE copy of the words of Dan, which he spoke to his sons in his last days, in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life.
2For he called together his I family, and said: Hearken to my words, you sons of Dan; and give heed to the words of your father.
3I have proved in my heart, and in my whole life, that truth
with just dealing is good and well pleasing to God, and that lying and anger are evil, because they teach man all wickedness.
4I confess, therefore, this day to you, my children, that in my heart I resolved on the death of Joseph my brother, the true and good man. .
5And I rejoiced that he was sold, because his father loved him more than us.
6For the spirit of jealousy and vainglory said to me: You thyself also are his son.
7And one of the spirits of Beliar stirred me up, saying: Take this sword, and with it slay
Joseph: so shall your father love you when he is dead.
8Now this is the spirit of anger that persuaded me to crush Joseph as a leopard crushes a kid.
9But the God of my fathers did not allow him to fall into my hands, so that I should find him alone and slay him, and cause a second tribe to be destroyed in Israel.
10And now, my children, behold I am dying. And I tell you in truth, that unless you keep yourselves from the spirit of lying and of anger, and love truth and longsuffering, you shall perish.
11For anger is blindness, and does not suffer one to see the face of any man with truth.
12For though it be a father or a mother, he behaves towards them as enemies; though it be a brother, he knows him not; though it be a prophet of the Lord, he disobeys him; though a righteous man, he regards him not; though a friend, he does not acknowledge him.
13For the spirit of anger encompasses him with the net of deceit, and blinds his eyes, and through lying darkens his mind, and gives him its own peculiar vision.
14And with which encompasses it his eyes? With hatred of heart, so as to be envious of his brother.
15For anger is an evil thing, my children, for it troubles even the soul itself.
16And the body of the angry man it makes its own, and over his soul it gets the mastery, and it bestows upon the body power that it may work all iniquity.
17And when the body does all these things, the soul justifies what is done, since it sees not aright.
18Therefore he who is wrathful, if he be a mighty man, has a threefold power in his anger: one by the help of his servants. And a second by his wealth, whereby he persuades and overcomes wrongfully; and thirdly, having his own natural power he works thereby the evil.
19And though the wrathful man be weak, yet has he a power twofold of that which is by nature; for wrath ever aids such in lawlessness.
20This spirit goes always with lying at the right hand of Satan, that with cruelty and lying his works may be wrought.
21Understand you, therefore, the power of wrath, that it is vain.
22For it first of all gives provocation by word. Then by deeds it strengthens him who is angry, and with sharp losses disturbs his mind, and so stirs up with great wrath his soul.
23Therefore, when any one. speaks against you, be not you moved to anger, and if any man praises you as holy men, be not uplifted: be not moved either to delight or to disgust.
24For first it pleases the hearing, and so makes the mind keen to perceive the grounds for provocation; and then being enraged, he thinks that he is justly angry.
25If you fall into any loss or ruin, my children, be not afflicted. For this very spirit makes a man desire that which is perishable, in order that he may be enraged through the affliction.
26And if you suffer loss voluntarily, or involuntarily, be not vexed; for from vexation arises wrath with lying.
27Moreover, a twofold mischief is wrath with lying; and they assist one another in order to disturb the heart. And when the soul is continually disturbed, the Lord departs from it, and Beliar rules over it.
2
A prophecy of the sins, captivity, plagues, and ultimate restitution of the nation. They still talk of Eden (See Verse 18). Verse 23 is remarkable in the light of prophecy.
OBSERVE, therefore, my children, the commandments of the Lord, and keep His law; depart from wrath, and hate lying, that the Lord may dwell among you, and Beliar may flee from you.
2Speak truth each one with his neighbor. So shall you not fall into wrath and confusion; but you shall be in peace, having the God of peace, so shall no war prevail over you.
3Love the Lord through all your life, and one another with a true heart.
4I know that in the last days you shall depart from the Lord, and you shall provoke Levi to anger, and fight against Judah. But you shall not prevail against them, for an angel of the Lord shall guide them both; for by them shall Israel stand.
5And whensoever you depart from the Lord, you shall walk in all evil and work the abominations of the Gentiles, going a-whoring after women of the lawless ones, while with all wickedness the spirits of wickedness work in you.
6For I have read in the book of Enoch, the righteous, that your prince is Satan, and that all the spirits of wickedness and pride will conspire to attend constantly on the sons of Levi, to cause them to sin before the Lord.
7And my sons will draw near to Levi, and sin with them in all things; and the sons of Judah will be covetous, plundering other men's goods like lions.
8Therefore shall you be led away with them into captivity, and there shall you receive all the plagues of Egypt, and all the evils of the Gentiles.
9And so when you return to the Lord you shall obtain mercy, and He shall bring you into His sanctuary, and He shall give you peace.
10And there shall arise to you from the tribe of Judah and of Levi the salvation of the Lord; and he shall make war against Beliar.
11And execute an everlasting vengeance on our enemies. And the captivity shall he take from Beliar the souls of the saints, and turn disobedient hearts to the Lord, and give to those who call upon him eternal peace.
12And the saints shall rest in Eden, and in the New Jerusalem shall the righteous rejoice, and it shall be to the glory of God for ever.
13And no longer shall Jerusalem endure desolation, nor Israel be led captive. For the Lord shall be in the midst of it [living among men], and the Holy One of Israel shall reign over it in humility and in poverty. And he who believes on Him shall reign among men in truth.
14And now, fear the Lord, my children, and beware of Satan and his spirits.
15Draw near to God and to the angel that intercedes for you, for he is a mediator between God and man, and for the peace of Israel he shall stand up against the kingdom of the enemy.
16Therefore is the enemy eager to destroy all that call upon the Lord.
17For he knows that upon the day on which Israel shall repent, the kingdom of the enemy shall be brought to an end.
18For the very angel of peace shall strengthen Israel, that it fall not into the extremity of evil.
19And it shall be in the time of the lawlessness of Israel, that the Lord will not depart from them. But will transform them into a nation that does His will, for none of the angels will be equal to him.
20And His name shall be in every place in Israel, and among the Gentiles.
21Keep, therefore, yourselves, my children, from every evil work, and cast away wrath and all lying, and love truth and long-suffering.
22And the things which you have heard from your father, do you also impart to your children that the Savior of the Gentiles may receive you. For he is true and long-suffering, meek and
lowly, and teaches by his works the law of God.
23Depart, therefore, from all unrighteousness, and cleave to the righteousness of God, and your race will be saved for ever.
24And bury me near my fathers.
25And when he had said these things he kissed them, and fell asleep at a good old age.
26And his sons buried him, and after that they carried up his bones, and placed them near Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.
27Nevertheless, Dan prophesied to them that they should forget their God, and should be
alienated from the land of their inheritance and from the race of Israel, and from the family of their seed.