1
Zebulun, the sixth son of Jacob and Leah. The inventor and philanthropist., What he learned as a result of the plot against Joseph.
THE copy of the words of Zebulun, which he enjoined on his sons before he died in the hundred and fourteenth year of his life, two years after the death of Joseph.
2And he said to them: Hearken to me, you sons of Zebulun attend to the words of your father.
31, Zebulun, was born a good gift to my parents.
4For when I was born my father was increased very very, both in flocks and herds, when with the straked rods he had his portion.
5I am not conscious that I have sinned all my days, save in thought.
6Nor yet do I remember that I have done any iniquity, except the sin of ignorance which I committed against Joseph. For I covenanted with my brethren not to tell my father what had been done.
7But I wept in secret many days on account of Joseph. For I feared my brethren, because they had all agreed that if any one should declare the secret, he should be slain.
8But when they wished to kill him, I adjured them much with tears not to be guilty of this sin.
9For Simeon and Gad came against Joseph to kill him, and he said to them with tears: Pity me, my brethren, have mercy upon the bowels of Jacob our father: lay not upon me your hands to shed innocent blood. For I have not sinned against you.
10And if indeed I have sinned, with chastening chastise me, my brethren, but lay not upon me your hand, for the sake of Jacob our father,
11And as he spoke these words, wailing as he did so, I was unable to bear his lamentations, and began to weep, and my liver was poured out, and all the substance of my bowels was loosened.
12And I wept with Joseph and my heart sounded, and the joints of my body trembled, and I was not able to stand.
13And when Joseph saw me weeping with him, and them coming against him to slay him, he fled behind me, begging them.
14But meanwhile Reuben arose and said: Come, my brethren, let us not slay him. But let us cast him into one of these dry pits, which our fathers dug and found no water.
15For for this cause the Lord forbade that water should rise up in them in order that Joseph should be preserved.
16And they did so, until they sold him to the Ishmaelites.
17For in his price I had no share, my children.
18But Simeon and Gad and six other of our brethren took the price of Joseph, and bought sandals for themselves, and their wives, and their children, saying:
19We will not eat of it, for it is the price of our brother's blood. But we will assuredly tread it under foot, because he said that he would be king over us, and so let us see what will become of his dreams.
20Therefore it is written in
the writing of the law of Moses, that whosoever will not raise up seed to his brother, his sandal should be unloosed, and they should spit in his face.
21And the brethren of Joseph wished not that their brother should live, and the Lord loosed from them the sandal which they wore against Joseph their brother.
22For when they came into Egypt they were unloosed by the servants of Joseph outside the gate, and so they made obeisance to Joseph after the fashion of King Pharaoh.
23And not only did they make obeisance to him, but were spit upon also, falling down before him at once, and so they were put to shame before. the Egyptians.
24For after this the Egyptians heard all the evils that they had done to Joseph.
25And after he was sold my brothers sat down to eat and drink.
26But I, through pity for Joseph, did not eat, but watched the pit, since Judah feared lest Simeon, Dan, and Gad should rush off and slay him.
27But when they saw that I did not eat, they set me to watch him, till he was sold to the Ishmaelites.
28And when Reuben came and heard that while he was away Joseph had been sold, he rent his garments, and mourning, said:
29How shall I look on the face of my father Jacob? And he took the money and ran after the merchants but as he failed to find them he returned grieving.
30But the merchants had left the broad road and marched through the Troglodytes by a short cut.
31But Reuben was grieved, and ate no food that day.
32Dan therefore came to him and said: Weep not, neither grieve; for we have found what we can say to our father Jacob.
33Let us slay a kid of the goats, and dip in it the coat of Joseph; and let us send it to Jacob, saying: Know, is this the coat of your son?
34And they did so. For they stripped off from Joseph his coat when they were selling him, and put upon him the garment of a slave.
35Now Simeon took the coat, and would not give it up, for he wished to rend it with his sword, as he was angry that Joseph lived and that he had not slain him.
36Then we all rose up and said to him: If you give not up the coat, we will say to our father that you alone did this evil thing in Israel.
37And so he gave it to them, and they did even as Dan had said.
2
He urges human sympathy and understanding of one's fellow men.
AND now children, I you (sic) to keep the commands of the Lord, and to show mercy to your neighbors, and to have compassion towards all, not towards men only, but also towards
beasts.
2For all this thing's sake the Lord blessed me, and when all my brethren were sick, I escaped without sickness, for the Lord knows the purposes of each.
3Have, therefore, compassion in your hearts, my children, because even as a man does to his neighbor, even so also will the Lord do to him.
4For the sons of my brethren were sickening and were dying on account of Joseph, because they showed not mercy in their hearts; but my sons were preserved
without sickness, as you know.
5And when I was in the land of Canaan, by the sea-coast, I made a catch of fish for Jacob my father. And when many were choked in the sea, I continued unhurt.
6I was the first to make a boat to sail upon the sea, for the Lord gave me understanding and wisdom in it.
7And I let down a rudder behind it, and I stretched a sail upon another upright piece of wood in the midst.
8And I sailed in it along the shores, catching fish for the house of my father until we came to Egypt.
9And through compassion I shared my catch with every stranger.
10And if a man were a stranger, or sick, or aged, I boiled the fish, and dressed them well, and offered them to all men, as every man had need, grieving with and having compassion upon them.
11Wherefore also the Lord satisfied me with abundance of fish when catching fish; for he who shares with his neighbor receives manifold more from the Lord.
12For five years I caught fish and gave of it to every man whom I saw, and sufficed for all the house of my father.
13And in the summer I caught fish, and in the winter I kept sheep with my brethren.
14Now I will declare to you what I did.
15I saw a man in distress through nakedness in wintertime, and had compassion upon him, and stole away a garment secretly from my father's house, and gave it to him who was in
distress.
16Do you, therefore, my children, from that which God bestows upon you, show compassion and mercy without hesitation to all men, and give to every man with a good heart.
17And if you have not the wherewithal to give to him who needs, have compassion for him in bowels of mercy.
18I know that my hand found not the wherewithal to give to him who needed, and I walked with him weeping for seven furlongs, and my bowels yearned towards him in compassion.
19Have, therefore, yourselves also, my children, compassion towards every man with mercy, that the Lord also may have compassion and mercy upon you.
20Because also in, the last days God will send His compassion on the earth, and wheresoever He finds bowels of mercy He dwells in him.
21For in the degree in which a man has compassion upon his neighbors, in the same degree has the Lord also upon him.
22And when we went down into Egypt, Joseph bore no malice against us.
23To whom taking heed, do you also, my children, approve yourselves without malice, and love one another; and do not set down in account, each one of you, evil against his brother.
24For this breaks unity and divides all kindred, and troubles the soul, and wears away the countenance.
25Observe, therefore, the waters, and know when they flow together, they sweep along stones, trees, earth, and other things.
26But if they are divided into many streams, the earth swallows them up, and they vanish away.
27So shall you also be if you be divided. Be not You, therefore, divided into two heads for everything which the Lord made .has but one head, and two shoulders, two hands, two feet, and all the remaining members.
28For I have learned in the
writing of my fathers, that you shall be divided in Israel, and you shall follow two kings, and shall work every abomination.
29And your enemies shall lead you captive, and you shall be evil begged among the Gentiles, with many infirmities and tribulations.
30And after these things you shall remember the Lord and repent, and He shall have mercy upon you, for He is merciful and compassionate.
31And He sets not down in account evil against the sons of men, because they are flesh, and are deceived through their own wicked deeds.
32And after these things shall there arise to you the Lord Himself, the light of righteousness, and you shall return to your land.
33And you shall see Him in Jerusalem, for His name's sake.
34And again through the wickedness of your works shall you provoke Him to anger,
35And you shall be cast away by Him to the time of consummation.
36And now, my children, grieve not that I am dying, nor be cast down in that I am coming to my end.
37For I shall rise again in the midst of you, as a ruler in the midst of his sons. And I shall rejoice in the midst of my tribe, as many as shall keep the law of the Lord, and the
commandments of Zebulun their father.
38But upon the ungodly shall the Lord bring eternal fire, and destroy them throughout all generations.
39But I am now hastening away to my rest, as did also my fathers.
40But do you fear the Lord our God with all your strength all the days of your life.
41And when he had said these things he fell asleep, at a good old age.
42And his sons laid him in a wooden coffin. And afterwards they carried him up and buried
him in Hebron, with his fathers.