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Testament of Issachar 1

Pseudonymously presented as Issachar'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). Praises simplicity and singleness of purpose, drawing on Issachar's agricultural life.
1THE copy of the words of Issachar.
Ἀντίγραφον λόγων Ἰσαχάρ. (2950)
2For he called his sons and said to them: Hearken, my children, to Issachar your father; give ear to the words of him who is beloved of the Lord.
Καλέσας γὰρ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἀκούσατε τέκνα Ἰσαχὰρ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν ἐνωτίσασθε ῥήματα ἠγαπημένου ὑπὸ Κυρίου. (14254)
3I was born the fifth son to Jacob, by way of hire for the mandrakes.
Ἐγὼ ἐτέχθην πέμπτος υἱὸς τῷ Ἰακὼβ ἐν μισθῷ τῶν μανδραγόρων. (8656)
4For Reuben my brother brought in mandrakes from the field, and Rachel met him and took them.
Ῥουβὶμ γὰρ ὁ ἀδελφός μου ἤνεγκεν μανδραγόρους ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ, καὶ προσαπαντήσασα ἡ Ῥαχιὴλ αὐτὸν ἔλαβεν αὐτούς. (9030)
5And Reuben wept, and at his voice Leah my mother came forth.
Ἔκλαιε δὲ ὁ Ῥουβίμ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ φωνῇ αὐτοῦ ἐξῆλθεν Λεία ἡ μήτηρ μου. (4922)
6Now these mandrakes were sweet-smelling apples which were produced in the land of Haran below a ravine of water.
Ἦσαν δὲ ταῦτα μῆλα εὔοσμα, ἅπερ γίνονται ἐν τῇ γῇ Χαράν ὑποκάτω φάραγγος ὑδάτων. (7975)
7And Rachel said: I will not give them to thee, but they shall be to me instead of children.
Εἶπε δὲ Ῥαχήλ· οὐ δώσω σοι ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ἵνα σχῶ ταῦτα ἀντὶ τέκνων· (8714)
8For the Lord hath despised me, and I have not borne children to Jacob.
παρεῖδε γάρ με ὁ Κύριος, καὶ τέκνα οὐκ ἐγέννησα τῷ Ἰακώβ. (4376)
9Now there were two apples; and Leah said to Rachel: Let it suffice thee that thou hast taken my husband: wilt thou take these also?
Δύο οὖν ἦσαν τὰ μῆλα. Καὶ εἶπεν ἡ Λία πρὸς Ῥαχήλ. Ἱκανούσθω σοι ὅτι ἔλαβες τὸν ἄνδρα μου· μὴ καὶ ταῦτα λήψῃ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ; (9024)
10And Rachel said to her: Thou shalt have Jacob this night for the mandrakes of thy son,
Εἶπε δὲ αὐτῇ Ῥαχήλ· Ἔστω σοι ὁ Ἰακὼβ τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ ἀντὶ τῶν μανδραγόρων τοῦ υἱοῦ σου. (11192)
See also: Genesis 30:15
11And Leah said to her: Jacob is mine, for I am the wife of his youth.
Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἡ Λεία· ἐμός ἐστιν ὁ Ἰακώβ, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι γυνὴ νεότητος αὐτοῦ. (7043)
12But Rachel said: Boast not, and vaunt not thyself; for he espoused me before thee, and for my sake he served our father fourteen years.
Καὶ εἶπε Ῥαχήλ· Μὴ καυχῶ μηδὲ δόξαζε σεαυτήν, ὅτι ἐμὲ πρότερόν σου ἡρμόσατο, καὶ δι' ἐμὲ ἐδούλευσε τῷ πατρὶ ἡμῶν ἔτη δεκατέσσαρα. (11424)
13And had not craft increased on the earth and the wickedness of men prospered, thou wouldst not now see the face of Jacob.
Καὶ εἰ μὴ ὁ δόλος ἐπλήθυνεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἡ πονηρία τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐχώρησεν, οὐκ ἂν εἶ σὺ ὁρῶσα τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Ἰακώβ. (12905)
14For thou art not his wife, but in craft wert taken to him in my stead.
Οὐ γὰρ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ εἶ σύ, ἀλλὰ δόλῳ ἀντὶ ἐμοῦ εἰσήχθης. (5703)
15And my father deceived me, and removed me on that night, and did not suffer Jacob to see me; for had I been there, this had not happened to him.
Καὶ ἐμὲ ἐπλάνησεν ὁ πατήρ μου, καὶ μετέστησέ με τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην, καὶ οὐκ εἴασε τῷ Ἰακὼβ ἰδεῖν με, ἐπεί, ἐὰν ἤμην ἐκεῖ, τοῦτο αὐτῷ οὐκ ἐγένετο. (10665)
16Nevertheless, for the mandrakes I am hiring Jacob to thee for one night.
Ἀλλ' οὖν ἀντὶ τῶν μανδραγούρων ἐκμισθῶ σοι μίαν νύκτα τῷ Ἰακώβ. (7880)
17And Jacob knew Leah, and she conceived and bare me, and on account of the hire I was called Issachar.
Ἔγνω δὲ Ἰακὼβ τῇ Λεία, καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν ἐμέ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτον τὸν μισθὸν ἐκλήθην Ἰσαχάρ. (6931)
18Then appeared to Jacob an angel of the Lord, saying: Two children shall Rachel bear, inasmuch as she hath refused company with her husband, and hath chosen continency.
Τότε οὖν ὤφθη τῷ Ἰακὼβ ἄγγελος Κυρίου λέγων, ὅτι τέκνα τέξει Ῥαχήλ, ἐπειδὴ κατέπτυσεν συνουσίαν ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἐξελέξατο τὴν ἐγκράτειαν. (13219)
19And had not Leah my mother paid the two apples for the sake of his company, she would have borne eight sons; for this reason she bare six, and Rachel bare the two: for on account of the mandrakes the Lord visited her.
Καὶ εἰ μὴ Λεία ἡ μήτηρ μου ἀντὶ συνουσίας ἀπέδοτο τὰ δύο μῆλα, ἔτι ὀκτὼ υἱοὺς ἔμελλε τεκεῖν· διὰ τοῦτο ἓξ ἔτεκε, καὶ Ῥαχιὴλ τέτοκε τοὺς δύο ὅτι ἐν τοῖς μανδραγόροις ἐπεσκέψατο αὐτὴν ὁ Κύριος. (16638)
20For He knew that for the sake of children she wished to company with Jacob, and not for lust of pleasure.
Εἶδε γὰρ ὅτι διὰ τέκνα ἤθελεν συνεῖναι τῷ Ἰακώβ, καὶ οὐ διὰ φιληδονίαν. (4914)
21For on the morrow also she again gave up Jacob.
Προσθεῖσα γὰρ καὶ τῇ ἐπαύριον ἀπέδωκε τὸν Ἰακώβ. (4002)
22Because of the mandrakes, therefore, the Lord hearkened to Rachel.
Ἐν τοῖς μανδραγόροις οὖν ἐπήκουσε Κύριος τῇ Ῥαχήλ. (4439)
23For though she desired them, she cat them not, but offered them in the house of the Lord, presenting them to the priest of the Most High who was at that time.
Ὅτι καί γε ποθήσασα τούτους οὐκ ἔφαγεν, ἀλλὰ ἀνέθηκεν ταῦτα ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, προσάξασα τῷ ἱερεῖ τῷ ὄντι ἐν τῷ τότε χρόνῳ. (13872)
24When, therefore, I grew up, my children, I walked in uprightness of heart, and I became a husbandman for my father and my brethren, and I brought in fruits from the field according to their season.
Ὅτε οὖν ἡδρύνθην ἐγώ, τέκνα μου, ἐπορεύθην ἐν εὐθύτητι καρδίας, καὶ ἐγενόμην γεωργὸς τῷ πατρί μου καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, καὶ ἔφερον καρποὺς ἐξ ἀγρῶν. (13904)
25And my father blessed me, for he saw that I walked in rectitude before him.
Καὶ ηὐλόγει με ὁ πατήρ μου βλέπων με ὅτι ἐν ἁπλότητι πορεύομαι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. (6423)
26And I was not a busybody in my doings, nor envious and malicious against my neighbour.
Καὶ οὐκ εἰμὶ περίεργος ἐν ταῖς πράξεσίν μου, οὐδὲ φθονερὸς καὶ βάσκανος τῷ πλησίον μου. (6857)
27I never slandered any one, nor did I censure the life of any man, walking as I did in singleness of eye.
Οὐ κατελάλησά τινος πώποτε, οὐδὲ ἔψεξα βίον ἀνθρώπου. (5923)
See also: Matthew 6:22
28Therefore, when I was thirty-five years old, I took to myself a wife, for my labour wore away my strength, and I never thought upon pleasure with women; but owing to my toil, sleep overcame me.
Τριάκοντα καὶ πέντε ἐτῶν ἔλαβον ἐμαυτῷ γυναῖκα, ὅτι ὁ κάματος κατήσθιε τὴν ἰσχύν μου, καὶ οὐκ ἐνενόουν ἡδονὴν γυναικός, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ κόπου ὁ ὕπνος μοι περιεγένετο. (13705)
29And my father always rejoiced in my rectitude, because I offered through the priest to the Lord all first-fruits; then to my father also.
Καὶ ἔχαιρε πάντοτε ἐπὶ τῇ ἁπλότητί μου ὁ πατήρ μου διότι καὶ πᾶν πρῶτον γέννημα διὰ τοῦ ἱερέως τῷ Κυρίῳ προσέφερον, ἔπειτα καὶ τῷ πατρί μου. (14500)
30And the Lord increased ten thousandfold His benefits in my hands; and also Jacob, my father, knew that God aided my singleness.
Καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐμυριοπλασίασε τὰ ἀγαθὰ αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς χερσί μου· ἤδει δὲ καὶ Ἰακὼβ ὁ πατήρ μου, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς συνεργεῖ τῇ ἁπλότητί μου. (10624)
31For on all the poor and oppressed I bestowed the good things of the earth in the singleness of my heart.
Πάντα γὰρ πένησι καὶ θλιβομένοις παρεῖχον ἐκ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῆς γῆς ἐν ἁπλότητι καρδίας μου. (6790)
32And now, hearken to me, my children, and walk in singleness of your heart, for I have seen in it all that is well-pleasing to the Lord. '
Καὶ νῦν ἀκούσατέ μου, τέκνα, καὶ πορεύεσθε ἐν ἁπλότητι καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι εἶδον ἐν ὑμῖν πᾶσαν εὐαρέστησιν Κυρίου. (9484)
33The single-minded man coveteth not gold, he overreacheth not his neighbour, he longeth not after manifold dainties, he delighteth not in varied apparel.
Ὁ ἁπλοῦς χρυσίον οὐ πλεονεκτεῖ βρωμάτων ποικίλων οὐκ ἐφίεται ἐσθῆτα διάφορον οὐ θέλει. (9667)
See also: Hebrews 13:5
34He doth not desire to live a long life, but only waiteth for the will of God.
Χρόνους πολλοὺς οὐκ ἐπιγράφει τοῦ ζῆν ἀλλὰ μόνον ἐκδέχεται τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ. (7418)
35And the spirits of deceit have no power against him, for he looketh not on the beauty of women, lest he should pollute his mind with corruption.
Καί γε τὰ πνεύματα τῆς πλάνης οὐδὲν ἰσχύουσιν πρὸς αὐτόν, οὐ γὰρ εἶδεν ἐπιδέξασθαι κάλλος θηλείας ἵνα μὴ ἐν διαστροφῇ μιάνῃ τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ. (11108)
36There is no envy in his thoughts, no malicious person maketh his soul to pine away, nor worry with insatiable desire in his mind.
Οὐ ζηλοῖ ἐν διαβουλίοις οὐ βάσκανος ἐκτήκει τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ περισπασμὸς ἐν ἀπληστείᾳ ἐν νοΐ. (8466)
37For he walketh in singleness of soul, and beholdeth all things in uprightness of heart, shunning eyes made evil through the error of the world, lest he should see the perversion of any of the commandments of the Lord.
Πορεύεται δὲ ἐν ἁπλότητι ψυχῆς πάντα ὁρᾷ ἐν εὐθύτητι καρδίας μὴ ἐπιδεχόμενος ὀφθαλμοὺς πονηροὺς ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης τοῦ κόσμου ἵνα μὴ ἴδῃ διεστραμμένας τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Κυρίου. (16265)
38Keep, therefore, my children, the law of God, and get singleness, and walk in guilelessness, not playing the busybody with the business of your neighbour, but love the Lord and your neighbour, have compassion on the poor and weak.
Φυλάξατε οὖν τέκνα μου νόμον Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἁπλότητα κτήσασθε, καὶ ἐν ἀκακίᾳ πορεύεσθε, μὴ περιεργαζόμενοι τοῦ πλησίον τὰς πράξεις. Ἀλλὰ ἀγαπήσατε τὸν Κύριον καὶ τὸν πλησίον· πένητα καὶ ἀσθενῆ ἐλεήσατε. (13113)
See also: 2 Thessalonians 3:11
39Bow down your back unto husbandry, and toil in labours in all manner of husbandry, offering gifts to the Lord with thanksgiving.
Ὑποτίθετε τὸν νῶτον ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ γεωργεῖν καὶ ἐργάζεσθε ἐν ἔργοις καθ' ἑκάστην γεωργίαν, δῶρα μετ' εὐχαριστείας Κυρίῳ προσφέροντες. (14207)
40For with the first-fruits of the earth will the Lord bless you, even as He blessed all the saints from Abel even until now.
Ὅτι ἐν πρωτογεννήμασιν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς εὐλογήσει ὑμᾶς Κύριος καθὼς εὐλόγησε πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους ἀπὸ Ἀβὲλ ἕως τοῦ νῦν. (12645)
See also: Hebrews 11:4
41For no other portion is given to you than of the fatness of the earth, whose fruits are raised by toil.
Οὐ γὰρ δέδοται ὑμῖν ἄλλη μερὶς εἰ μὴ τῆς πιότητος τῆς γῆς ἐν πόνοις καρπῶν. (5806)
42For our father Jacob blessed me with blessings of the earth and of first-fruits.
Ὅτι καὶ ὁ πατήρ μου Ἰακὼβ ἐν εὐλογίαις τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀπαρχῶν καρπῶν εὐλόγησέ με. (7296)
43And Levi and Judah were glorified by the Lord even among the sons of Jacob; for the Lord gave them an inheritance, and to Levi He gave the priesthood, and to Judah the kingdom.
Καὶ ὁ Λευὶ καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας ἐδοξάσθησαν παρὰ Κυρίου καὶ ἐν υἱοῖς Ἰακώβ. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐκληροδότησεν αὐτούς, καὶ τῷ μὲν Λευὶ ἔδωκε τὴν ἱερατείαν, τῷ δὲ Ἰούδᾳ τὴν βασιλείαν. (13479)
44And do ye therefore obey them, and walk in the singleness of your father; for unto Gad hath it been given to destroy the troops that are coming upon Israel.
Καὶ ὑμεῖς οὖν αὐτοῖς ὑπακούετε καὶ τῇ ἁπλότητι τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν περιπατεῖτε. τῷ δὲ Γὰδ ἐδόθη ἀπολέσαι τὰ ἐπερχόμενα πειρατήρια τῷ Ἰσραήλ. (13244)