Simeon, second son of Jacob and Leah, was dying in his hundred and twentieth year. Joseph his brother had already passed. When his sons came to visit, Simeon strengthened himself, sat up, kissed them, and began to speak.
What he confessed was monstrous.
"I was strong exceedingly," he said. "My heart was hard, my liver immovable, my bowels without compassion." In his youth, Simeon had been consumed with jealousy of Joseph, because their father loved Joseph beyond all the others. The prince of deceit sent forth the spirit of envy and blinded Simeon's mind, until he regarded Joseph not as a brother, but as an enemy to be destroyed.
He laid out the events plainly. When Simeon went to Shechem for ointment, and Reuben to Dothan for supplies, Judah sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:28). When Reuben heard, he grieved, for he had wished to restore Joseph to their father. But Simeon was furious that Judah had let Joseph go alive. For five months, rage consumed him.
Then God intervened directly. "The Lord restrained me," Simeon said, "and withheld from me the power of my hands. My right hand was half withered for seven days." This was the sign. Simeon understood: because of Joseph, this had befallen him. He repented and wept. He besought the Lord that his hand might be restored and that he might hold himself aloof from all envy and folly.
"Beware of the spirit of deceit and envy," Simeon warned his children. "For envy rules over the whole mind of a man. It suffers him neither to eat nor to drink nor to do any good thing. It ever urges him to destroy the one he envies. And so long as the envied one flourishes, the one who envies fades away." Two years of fasting in the fear of God taught Simeon the cure: if a man flees to the Lord, the evil spirit runs from him, and his mind is lightened.
When the brothers went down to Egypt, Joseph bound Simeon as a spy. Simeon knew he was suffering justly and did not grieve. And Joseph, who had the Spirit of God within him, bore no malice. He loved Simeon as he loved all his brothers. All his days, Joseph never reproached them. He loved them as his own soul, glorified them beyond his own sons, and gave them riches, cattle, and fruits.
"Love each one his brother with a good heart," Simeon pleaded, "and the spirit of envy will withdraw from you. For envy makes savage the soul and destroys the body. It causes anger and war in the mind, stirs up deeds of blood, leads the mind into frenzy. Even in sleep, malicious jealousy gnaws at a man, disturbs his soul with wicked spirits, and wakes him in confusion."
Joseph's beauty of face, Simeon explained, came from the fact that no wickedness dwelt in him. The trouble of the spirit shows itself in the face. A pure heart makes a person radiant.
Looking to the future, Simeon declared that the Mighty One of Israel would glorify Shem, and the Lord God would appear on earth to save humanity. All the spirits of deceit would be trodden underfoot, and men would rule over wicked spirits. He commanded his sons to obey Levi and Judah, for from them would arise the salvation of God: from Levi a High Priest, and from Judah a righteous King.
Simeon slept with his fathers at a hundred and twenty years old. They laid him in a wooden coffin to take his bones to Hebron. They carried them secretly during a war of the Egyptians, for the Egyptians guarded the bones of Joseph in the tombs of their kings. Their sorcerers had prophesied that when Joseph's bones departed, darkness and plague would fall upon all Egypt, so terrible that even with a lamp a man could not recognize his own brother.
TESTAMENT OF SIMEON, THE SECOND OF JACOB AND LEAH.
1 1 The copy of the words of Simeon, the things which he spake to his
sons before he died, in the 2 hundred and twentieth year of his life, at which
time Joseph, his brother, died. For when Simeon was sick , his sons came to
visit him, and he strengthened himself and sat up and kissed them, and said:--
2 1 Hearken, my children, to Simeon your father, And I will declare
unto you what things I have in my heart. 2 I was born of Jacob as my father's
second son; And my mother Leah called me Simeon, Because the Lord had heard her
prayer. 3 Moreover, I became strong exceedingly; I shrank from no achievement,
Nor was I afraid of ought. 4 For my heart was hard, And my liver was immovable,
And my bowels without compassion. 5, 6 Because valour also has been given from
the Most High to men in soul and body. For in the time of my youth I was jealous
in many things of Joseph, because my father loved him beyond 7 all. And I set my
mind against him to destroy him, because the prince of deceit sent forth the
spirit of jealousy and blinded my mind, so that I regarded him not as a brother,
nor did I spare even 8 Jacob my father. But his God and the God of his fathers
sent forth His angel, and delivered him 9 out of my hands. For when I went to
Shechem to bring ointment for the flocks, and Reuben to Dothan, where were our
necessaries and all our stores, Judah my brother sold him to the Ishmaelites. 10
And when Reuben heard these things he was grieved, for he wished to restore him
to his father. 11 But on hearing this I was exceedingly wroth against Judah in
that he let him go away alive, and 12 for five months I continued wrathful
against him. But the Lord restrained me, and withheld from 13 me the power of my
hands; for my right hand was half withered for seven days. And I knew, my
children, that because of Joseph this had befallen me, and I repented and wept;
and I besought the Lord God that my hand might be restored, and that I might
hold aloof from all pollution and envy 14 and from all folly. For I knew that I
had devised an evil thing before the Lord and Jacob my father, on account of
Joseph my brother, in that I envied him.
3 1 2 And now, my children, hearken unto me and beware of the spirit
of deceit and envy. For envy ruleth over the whole mind of a man, and suffereth
him neither to eat nor to drink, nor to do any 3 good thing. But it ever
suggesteth (to him) to destroy him that he envieth; and so long as he that 4 is
envied flourisheth, he that envieth fadeth away. Two years therefore I afflicted
my soul with fasting in the fear of the Lord, and I learnt that deliverance from
envy cometh by the fear of God. 5 For if a man flee to the Lord, the evil spirit
runneth away from him, and his mind is lightened. 6 And henceforward he
sympathiseth with him whom he envied and forgiveth those who are hostile to him,
and so ceaseth from his envy.
4 1 And my father asked Concerning me, because he saw that I was sad;
and I said unto him, I am 2 pained in my liver. For I mourned more than they
all, because I was guilty of the selling of Joseph. 3 And when we went down into
Egypt, and he bound me as a spy, I knew that I was suffering justly, 4 and I
grieved not. Now Joseph was a good man, and had the Spirit of God within him:
being compassionate and pitiful, he bore no malice against me; but loved me even
as the rest of his 5 brethren. Beware, therefore, my children, of all jealousy
and envy, and walk in singleness of soul and with good heart, keeping in mind
Joseph your father's brother, that God may give you also grace and glory, and
blessing upon your heads, even as ye saw in 6 Joseph's case. All his days he
reproached us not concerning this thing, but loved us as his own 7 soul, and
beyond his own sons glorified us, and gave us riches, and cattle and fruits. Do
ye also, my children, love each one his brother with a good heart and the spirit
of envy will withdraw from 8 you. For this maketh savage the soul and destroyeth
the body; it causeth anger and war in the mind, and stirreth up unto deeds of
blood, and leadeth the mind into frenzy, and suffereth not prudence to act in
men; moreover, it taketh away sleep, [and causeth tumult to the soul and
trembling to the body]. 9 For even in sleep some malicious jealousy, deluding
him, gnaweth and with wicked spirits disturbeth his soul, and causeth the body
to be troubled, and waketh the mind from sleep in confusion; and as a wicked and
poisonous spirit, so appeareth it to men.
5 1 Therefore was Joseph comely in appearance and goodly to look upon,
because no wickedness 2 dwelt in him; for some of the trouble of the spirit the
face manifesteth. And now, my children, Make your hearts good before the Lord,
And your ways straight before men. And ye shall find grace before the Lord and
men. 3 Beware, therefore, of fornication, For fornication is mother of all
evils, Separating from God, and bringing near to Beliar. 4 For I have seen it
inscribed in the writing of Enoch that your sons shall be corrupted in
fornication, 5 and shall do harm to the sons of Levi with the sword. But they
shall not be able to withstand Levi; 6 for he shall wage the war of the Lord,
and shall conquer all your hosts. And they shall be few in number, divided in
Levi and Judah, and there shall be none of you for sovereignty, even as also our
father prophesied in his blessings.
6 1, 2 Behold I have told you all things, that I may be acquitted of
your sin. Now, if ye remove from you your envy and all stiff-neckedness, As a
rose shall my bones flourish in Israel, And as a lily my flesh in Jacob, And my
odour shall be as the odour of Libanus; And as cedars shall holy ones be
multiplied from me forever, And their branches shall stretch afar off. 3 Then
shall perish the seed of Canaan, And a remnant shall not be unto Amalek, And all
the Cappadocians shall perish, And all the Hittites shall be utterly destroyed.
4 Then shall fail the land of Ham, And all the people shall perish. Then shall
all the earth rest from trouble, And all the world under heaven from war. 5 Then
the Mighty One of Israel shall glorify Shem, For the Lord God shall appear on
earth, And Himself save men. 6 Then shall all the spirits of deceit be given to
be trodden under foot, And men shall rule over wicked spirits. 7 Then shall I
arise in joy, And will bless the Most High because of his marvellous works,
[Because God hath taken a body and eaten with men and saved men].
7 1 And now, my children, obey Levi and Judah, and be not lifted up
against these two tribes, for 2 from them shall arise unto you the salvation of
God. For the Lord shall raise up from Levi as it were a High-priest, and from
Judah as it were a King [God and man], He shall save all [the Gentiles 3 and]
the race of Israel. Therefore I give you these commands that ye also may command
your children that they may observe them throughout their generations.
8 1 And when Simeon had made an end of commanding his sons, he slept
with his fathers, being an 2 hundred and twenty years old. And they laid him in
a wooden coffin, to take up his bones to 3 Hebron. And they took them up
secretly during a war of the Egyptians. For the bones of Joseph 4 the Egyptians
guarded in the tombs of the kings. For the sorcerers told them; that on the
departure of the bones of Joseph there should be throughout all the land
darkness and gloom, and an exceeding great plague to the Egyptians, so that even
with a lamp a man should not recognize his brother.
9 1, 2 And the sons of Simeon bewailed their father. And they were in
Egypt until the day of their departure by the hand of Moses.
THE
