Testament of Dan 1

Pseudonymously presented as Dan's deathbed testament, one of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs; actual author unknown and date debated (proposals span the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD). Warns against anger and falsehood as corrupting forces in the soul.

1THE copy of the words of Dan, which he spake to his sons in his last days, in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life.

Ἀντίγραφον λόγων Δάν, ὧν εἶπεν τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ εἰκοστῷ πέμπτῳ ἔτει τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ. (19474)

2For he called together his I family, and said: Hearken to my words, ye sons of Dan; and give heed to the words of your father.

Καλέσας γὰρ τὴν πατριὰν αὐτοῦ εἶπεν· Ἀκούσατε υἱοὶ Δὰν λόγων μου, καὶ προσέχετε ῥήμασι τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν. (10353)

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.

Ἐγὼ ἐπείρασα ἐν καρδίᾳ μου καὶ ἐν πάσῃ ζωῇ μου, ὅτι καλὸν καὶ θεῷ εὐάρεστον ἡ ἀλήθεια μετὰ δικαιοπραγίας καὶ ὅτι πονηρὸν τὸ ψεῦδος καὶ ὁ θυμὸς πᾶσαν κακίαν ἐκδιδάσκοντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. (13173)

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. .

Ὁμολογῶ οὖν ὑμῖν σήμερον, τέκνα μου, ὅτι ἐν καρδίᾳ μου ἐθέμην περὶ τοῦ θανάτου Ἰωσήφ, τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου, τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἀληθινοῦ. (12552)

5And I rejoiced that he was sold, because his father loved him more than us.

Καὶ ἔχαιρον ἐπὶ τῇ πράσει αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς ὁ πατὴρ αὐτὸν ἠγάπα. (5524)

6For the spirit of jealousy and vainglory said to me: Thou thyself also art his son.

Τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα τοῦ ζήλου καὶ τῆς ἀλαζονείας ἔλεγέ μοι· Καίγε σὺ αὐτὸς υἱὸς αὐτοῦ εἶ. (6893)

7And one of the spirits of Beliar stirred me up, saying: Take this sword, and with it slay Joseph: so shall thy father love thee when he is dead.

Καὶ ἐκ τῶν πνευμάτων τοῦ Βελίαρ συνήργει μοι, ὅτι Λαβὲ τὸ ξίφος καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἄνελε τὸν Ἰωσήφ, καὶ ἀγαπήσει σε ὁ πατήρ, ἀποθανόντος αὐτοῦ. (13534)

See also: Genesis 37:20

8Now this is the spirit of anger that persuaded me to crush Joseph as a leopard crusheth a kid.

Τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θυμοῦ τὸ πείθόν με· ὥσπερ πάρδαλις ἐκμύζουσα ἔριφον, οὕτως ἐμοὶ ἐνέβαλεν ἐκμυζῆσαι τὸν Ἰωσήφ. (12642)

9But the God of my fathers did not suffer 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.

Ἀλλ’ ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων μου οὐκ εἴασεν αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς τὰς χεῖράς μου, ἵνα καταμόνας εὑρὼν αὐτὸν ἀνελῶ, καὶ ποιήσω λυθῆναι σκῆπτρον δεύτερον τῷ Ἰσραήλ. (16254)

10And now, my children, behold I am dying, and I tell you of a truth, that unless ye keep yourselves from the spirit of lying and of anger, and love truth and longsuffering, ye shall perish.

Καὶ νῦν, τέκνα μου, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποθνήσκω, καὶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ φυλάξητε ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ψεύδους καὶ τοῦ θυμοῦ, καὶ ἀγαπήσητε τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν μακροθυμίαν, ἀπολεῖσθε. (17584)

11For anger is blindness, and does not suffer one to see the face of any man with truth.

Τύφλωσις γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θυμὸς καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷ ὁρᾶν πρόσωπόν τινος ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. (6845)

12For though it be a father or a mother, he behaveth towards them as enemies; though it be a brother, he knoweth him not; though it be a prophet of the Lord, he disobeyeth him; though a righteous man, he regardeth him not; though a friend, he doth not acknowledge him.

Ὅτι, κἂν πατήρ, ἢ μήτηρ ἐστίν, ὡς πολεμίοις προσέχει αὐτοῖς· ἢ ἀδελφός ἐστιν οὐκ οἶδεν· ἢ προφήτης Κυρίου, παρακούει· ἢ δίκαιος, οὐ βλέπει· ἢ φίλος, οὐ γνωρίζει. (13706)

13For the spirit of anger encompasseth him with the net of deceit, and blindeth his eyes, and through lying darkeneth his mind, and giveth him its own peculiar vision.

Περιβάλλεται γὰρ αὐτὸν τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θυμοῦ τὸ δίκτυον τῆς πλάνης καὶ τυφλοῖ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ψεύδους σκοτοῖ τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ὅρασιν παρέχει αὐτῷ. (19224)

14And wherewith encompasseth it his eyes? With hatred of heart, so as to be envious of his brother.

Ἐν τίνι δὲ περιβάλλει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ; ἐν μίσει καρδίας κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς φθόνον. (9061)

15For anger is an evil thing, my children, for it troubleth even the soul itself.

Καὶ γὰρ πονηρὸς ὁ θυμός, τέκνα μου, ὡς καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκταράσσει. (7136)

16And the body of the angry man it maketh its own, and over his soul it getteth the mastery, and it bestoweth upon the body power that it may work all iniquity.

Καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἴδιον ποιεῖται τοῦ θυμώδους, τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς κατακυριεύει, καὶ παρέχει τῷ σώματι δύναμιν, ἵνα ποιήσῃ πᾶσαν ἀνομίαν. (13386)

17And when the body does all these things, the soul justifieth what is done, since it seeth not aright.

Καὶ ὅταν ταῦτα πάντα πράξῃ τὸ σῶμα, δικαιοῖ τὰ πραχθέντα καὶ ἡ ψυχή, ἐπειδὴ οὐ βλέπει ὀρθῶς. (8758)

18Therefore he that is wrathful, if he be a mighty man, hath a threefold power in his anger: one by the help of his servants; and a second by his wealth, whereby he persuadeth and overcometh wrongfully; and thirdly, having his own natural power he worketh thereby the evil.

Διὰ τοῦτο ὁ θυμούμενος, ἐὰν μὲν ᾖ δυνατὸς τῷ σώματι, τριπλῆν ἐν τῷ θυμῷ τὴν δύναμιν κέκτηται· μίαν μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς βοηθείας τῶν ὑπουργούντων· δεύτερον δὲ διὰ τοῦ πλούτου πείθων καὶ νικῶν αὐτὸν ἀδίκως· τρίτον τὴν φυσικὴν ἔχων δύναμιν δι’ αὐτῆς δρᾷ τὸ κακόν. (28530)

19And though the wrathful man be weak, yet hath he a power twofold of that which is by nature; for wrath ever aideth such in lawlessness.

Ἐὰν δὲ ἀσθενὴς ᾖ ὁ θυμούμενος, διπλοῦν τὸ τῆς ὀργῆς πάθος ἐν αὐτῷ ἀναφύει· βοηθεῖ γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ θυμὸς πάντοτε ἐν παρανομίᾳ. (10398)

20This spirit goeth always with lying at the right hand of Satan, that with cruelty and lying his works may be wrought.

Τοῦτο τὸ πνεῦμα ἀεὶ μετὰ τοῦ ψεύδους ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Σατανᾶ πορεύεται, ἵνα ἐν ὠμότητι καὶ ψεύδει γίνονται αἱ πράξεις αὐτοῦ. (13176)

21Understand ye, therefore, the power of wrath, that it is vain.

Οὐκοῦν σύνετε τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ θυμοῦ ὅτι ματαία ἐστίν. (5870)

22For it first of all giveth provocation by word; then by deeds it strengtheneth him who is angry, and with sharp losses disturbeth his mind, and so stirreth up with great wrath his soul.

Ἐν γὰρ λόγῳ παροξύνεται πρῶτον εἶτα ἐν ἔργοις δυναμοῖ τὸν ὀργιζόμενον, καὶ ἐν ζημίαις πικραῖς διαταράσσει τὸ διαβούλιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὕτως διεγείρει ἐν θυμῷ μεγάλῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. (16994)

23Therefore, when any one. speaketh against you, be not ye moved to anger, and if any man praiseth you as holy men, be not uplifted: be not moved either to delight or to disgust.

Ὅτε οὖν λαλεῖ τις καθ’ ὑμῶν, ὑμεῖς μὴ κινεῖσθε εἰς ὀργήν, καὶ ἐάν τις ἐπαινέσῃ ὑμᾶς ὡς ἁγίους, μὴ ἐπαίρεσθε· μήτε μεταβάλλεσθε μήτε εἰς τέρψιν μήτε εἰς ἀηδίαν. (11359)

24For first it pleaseth the hearing, and so maketh the mind keen to perceive the grounds for provocation; and then being enraged, he thinketh that he is justly angry.

Πρῶτον γὰρ τέρπει τὴν ἀκοήν, καὶ οὕτως ὀξύνει τὸν νοῦν τοῦ νοῆσαι τὸ ἐρεθισθέν, καὶ θυμωθεὶς νομίζει δικαίως ὀργίζεσθαι. (10925)

25If ye fall into any loss or ruin, my children, be not afflicted; for this very spirit maketh a man desire that which is perishable, in order that he may be enraged through the affliction.

Ἐὰν δὲ ζημίᾳ ἢ ἀπωλείᾳ τινὶ περιπέσητε, τέκνα, μὴ ἐκθροεῖσθε· ὅτι αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ποιεῖ ἐπιθυμῆσαι τοῦ ἀπολλυμένου ἵνα θυμῷ πέσῃ διὰ τοῦ πάθους. (11215)

26And if ye suffer loss voluntarily, or involuntarily, be not vexed; for from vexation ariseth wrath with lying.

Καὶ ἐὰν ζημιωθῆτε ἑκουσίως ἢ ἀκουσίως μὴ λυπεῖσθε· ἀπὸ γὰρ λύπης ἐγείρεται καὶ θυμὸς μετὰ ψεύδους. (9762)

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 departeth from it, and Beliar ruleth over it.

Ἔστι δὲ διπρόσωπον κακὸν ὁ θυμὸς μετὰ ψεύδους, καὶ συναίρονται ἀλλήλοις ἵνα ταράξωσι τὴν καρδίαν· ταρασσομένης δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς συνεχῶς, ἀφίσταται ὁ Κύριος ἀπ’ αὐτῆς καὶ κυριεύει αὐτῆς ὁ Βελίαρ. (19888)