Levi, third son of Jacob and Leah, called his sons together when he knew his death was near. It had been revealed to him that he would die. When they gathered, he told them everything.
"I was born in Haran," Levi began, "and I came with my father to Shechem. I was young, about twenty years of age, when with Simeon I wrought vengeance on Hamor for our sister Dinah" (Genesis 34:25-29).
Then came the vision.
While feeding the flocks in Abel-Maul, the spirit of understanding fell upon Levi. He saw all humanity corrupting its way, unrighteousness building walls, lawlessness enthroned on towers. Grief-stricken for the human race, Levi prayed for deliverance. Sleep fell upon him. He found himself on a high mountain. The heavens opened.
An angel of God spoke: "Levi, enter."
He entered the first heaven and saw a great sea hanging in the void. He passed into a second heaven, far brighter, filled with boundless light. The angel told him: "Marvel not, for you shall see another heaven more brilliant and incomparable." When Levi ascended to the highest place, he would stand near the Lord, become His minister, and declare His mysteries to humanity.
The angel explained the structure of the heavens. The lowest heaven is gloomy because it beholds all the unrighteous deeds of men. It contains fire, snow, and ice prepared for the day of judgment. In the second heaven are the hosts of heavenly armies, ordained to execute vengeance on the spirits of deceit and Beliar. Above them dwell the holy ones. In the highest of all dwells the Great Glory, far above all holiness. Below that are the archangels, who minister and make propitiation to the Lord for the sins of the righteous, offering a sweet-smelling, bloodless offering. Further down are thrones and dominions, forever offering praise to God.
"When the Lord looks upon us," Levi said, "all of us are shaken. The heavens, the earth, and the abysses tremble at the presence of His majesty."
Then the angel opened the gates of heaven, and Levi saw the holy Temple. Upon a throne of glory sat the Most High, who said: "Levi, I have given you the blessings of the priesthood until I come and sojourn in the midst of Israel." The angel brought Levi back to earth, gave him a shield and a sword, and said: "Execute vengeance on Shechem because of Dinah your sister, for the Lord has sent me." Levi destroyed the sons of Hamor. When he asked the angel's name, the angel replied: "I am the angel who intercedes for the nation of Israel, that they may not be utterly smitten."
A second vision followed. At Bethel, after seventy days, Levi saw seven men in white garments. They said: "Arise, put on the robe of the priesthood, the crown of righteousness, the breastplate of understanding, the garment of truth, the plate of faith, the turban of the head, and the ephod of prophecy." One by one, seven angels vested him. The first anointed him with holy oil and gave him the staff of judgment. The second washed him with pure water and fed him bread and wine. The third clothed him in a linen vestment. The fourth girded him with a sash of purple. The fifth gave him a branch of rich olive. The sixth placed a crown on his head. The seventh set upon him a diadem of priesthood and filled his hands with incense.
"Levi, your seed shall be divided into three offices," they declared, "for a sign of the glory of the Lord who is to come." His descendants would include high priests, judges, and scribes. By their mouths the holy place would be guarded.
Isaac, grandfather of Levi, confirmed it all. He taught Levi the law of the priesthood: sacrifices, burnt-offerings, first-fruits, peace-offerings. He warned him especially against the spirit of lust, which would through Levi's descendants pollute the holy place. "Take a wife without blemish while you are young," Isaac counseled. "Before entering the holy place, bathe. When you offer sacrifice, wash. When you finish, wash again."
Levi foresaw a dark future: seventy weeks of priestly corruption, profaning sacrifices, making void the law, persecuting righteous men. The Temple would be laid waste. Israel would be scattered among the nations as captives.
But after the punishment, the priesthood would be renewed. "The Lord shall raise up a new priest," Levi prophesied. "His star shall arise in heaven as of a king, lighting up the light of knowledge as the sun lights the day. He shall shine forth upon the earth, and shall remove all darkness from under heaven. The heavens shall exult in his days, and the earth shall be glad. He shall open the gates of paradise and remove the threatening sword against Adam. He shall give the saints to eat from the Tree of Life. Beliar shall be bound by him, and he shall give power to his children to tread upon evil spirits."
"Choose for yourselves," Levi told his sons, "either the light or the darkness, either the law of the Lord or the works of Beliar." His sons answered before the Lord: "We will walk according to His law."
Levi stretched out his feet on the bed and was gathered to his fathers at a hundred and thirty-seven years. They buried him in Hebron, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
TESTAMENT OF LEVI, THE THIRD SON OF JACOB AND LEAH
1 1 The copy of the words of Levi, the things which he ordained unto
his sons, according to all that 2 they should do, and what things should befall
them until the day of judgement. He was sound in health when he called them to
him; for it had been revealed to him that he should die. And when they were
gathered together he said to them:
2 1, 2 I, Levi, was born in Haran, and I came with my father to
Shechem. And I was young, about
3 twenty years of age, when, with Simeon, I wrought vengeance on Hamor for
our sister Dinah. And when I was feeding the flocks in Abel-Maul, the spirit of
understanding of the Lord came upon me, and I saw all men corrupting their way,
and that unrighteousness had built for itself walls, and lawlessness 4 sat upon
towers. And I was grieving for the race of the sons of men, and I prayed to the
5 Lord that I might be saved. Then there fell upon me a sleep, and I beheld a
high mountain, and 6 I was upon it. And behold the heavens were opened and an
angel of God said to me, Levi enter 7 And I entered from the first heaven, and I
saw there a great sea hanging. 8 And further I saw a second heaven far brighter
and more brilliant, for there was a boundless light also therein. 9 And I said
to the angel, Why Is this so? And the angel said to me, Marvel not at this, for
thou shalt see another heaven more brilliant and incomparable. 10 And when thou
hast ascended thither, Thou shalt stand near the Lord, And shalt be His
minister, And shalt declare His mysteries to men, And shall proclaim concerning
Him that shall redeem Israel. 11 And by thee and Judah shall the Lord appear
among men Saving every race of men. 12 And from the Lord's portion shall be thy
life, And He shall be thy field and vineyard, And fruits, gold, and silver.
3 l Hear, therefore, regarding the heavens which have been shown to
thee. The lowest is for this cause gloomy unto thee, in that it beholds all the
unrighteous deeds of men. 2 And it has fire, snow, and ice made ready for the
day of judgement, in the righteous judgement of God; for in it are all the
spirits of the retributions for vengeance on men. 3 And in the second are the
hosts of the armies which are ordained for the day of judgement, to work
vengeance on the spirits of deceit and of Beliar. And above them are the holy
ones. 4 And in the highest of all dwelleth the Great Glory, far above all
holiness. 5 In [the heaven next to] it are the archangels, who minister and make
propitiation to the Lord for all the sins of ignorance of the righteous;
Offering to the Lord a sweet- smelling savour, a reasonable and a bloodless
offering. 7 And [in the heaven below this] are the angels who bear answers to
the angels of the presence of the Lord. 8 And in the heaven next to this are
thrones and dominions, in which always they offer praise to God. 9 When,
therefore, the Lord looketh upon us, all of us are shaken; yea, the heavens, and
the earth, and the abysses are shaken at the presence of His majesty. 10 But the
sons of men, having no perception of these things sin and provoke the Most High.
4 1 Now, therefore, know that the Lord shall execute judgment upon the
sons of men. Because when the rocks are being rent, And the sun quenched, And
the waters dried up, And the fire cowering, And all creation troubled, And the
invisible spirits melting away; And Hades taketh spoils through the visitations
of the Most High, Men will be unbelieving and persist in their iniquity. On this
account with punishment shall they be judged. 2 Therefore the Most High hath
heard thy prayer, To separate thee from iniquity, and that thou shouldst become
to Him a son, And a servant, and a minister of His presence. 3 The light of
knowledge shalt thou light up in Jacob, And as the sun shalt thou be to all the
seed of Israel. 4 And there shall be given to thee a blessing, and to all thy
seed, Until the Lord shall visit all the Gentiles in His tender mercies for
ever. 5 And therefore there have been given to thee counsel and understanding,
That thou mightst instruct thy sons concerning this; 6 Because they that bless
Him shall be blessed, And they that curse Him shall perish.
5 1 And thereupon the angel opened to me the gates of heaven, and I
saw the holy temple, and upon 2 a throne of glory the Most High. And He said to
me: Levi, I have given thee the blessings of the 3 priesthood until I come and
sojourn in the midst of Israel. Then the angel brought me down to the earth, and
gave me a shield and a sword, and said to me: Execute vengeance on Shechem
because 4 of Dinah, thy sister, and I will be with thee because the Lord hath
sent me. And I destroyed at 5 that time the sons of Hamor, as it is written in
the heavenly tables. And I said to him: I pray 6 thee, O Lord, tell me Thy name,
that I may call upon Thee in a day of tribulation. And he said: I am the angel
who intercedeth for the nation of Israel that they may not be smitten utterly, 7
for every evil spirit attacketh it. And after these things I awaked, and blessed
the Most High, and the angel who intercedeth for the nation of Israel and for
all the righteous.
6 1 And when I was going to my father, I found a brazen shield;
wherefore also the name of the 2 mountain is Aspis, which is near Gebal, to the
south of Abila And I kept these words in my 3 heart. And after this I counselled
my father, and Reuben my brother, to bid the sons of Hamor not to be
circumcised; for I was zealous because of the abomination which they had wrought
on 4, 5 my sister. And I slew Shechem first, and Simeon slew Hamor. And after
this my brothers 6 came and smote that city with the edge of the sword. And my
father heard these things and was wroth, and he was grieved in that they had
received the circumcision, and after that had been 7 put to death, and in his
blessings he looked amiss upon us. For we sinned because we had done 8 this
thing against his will, and he was sick on that day. But I saw that the sentence
of God was for evil upon Shechem; for they sought to do to Sarah and Rebecca as
they had done to Dinah our 9 sister, but the Lord prevented them. And they
persecuted Abraham our father when he was a stranger, and they vexed his flocks
when they were big with young; and Eblaen, who was born in his 10 house, they
most shamefully handled. And thus they did to all strangers, taking away their
11 wives by force, and they banished them. But the wrath of the Lord came upon
them to the uttermost.
7 1 And I said to my father Jacob: By thee will the Lord despoil the
Canaanites, and will give 2 their land to thee and to thy seed after thee. For
from this day forward shall Shechem be 3 called a city of imbeciles; for as a
man mocketh a fool, so did we mock them. Because also 4 they had wrought folly
in Israel by defiling my sister. And we departed and came to Bethel.
8 1, 2 And there again I saw a vision as the former, after we had
spent there seventy days. And I saw seven men in white raiment saying unto me:
Arise, put on the robe of the priesthood, and the crown of righteousness, and
the breastplate of understanding, and the garment of truth, and the plate of
faith, and the 3 turban of the head, and the ephod of prophecy. And they
severally carried (these things) and put (them,) on me, and said unto me: From
henceforth become a priest of the Lord, thou and thy seed for 4, 5 ever. And the
first anointed me with holy oil, and gave to me the staff of judgment. The
second washed me with pure water, and fed me with bread and wine (even) the most
holy things, and clad 6, 7 me with a holy and glorious robe. The third clothed
me with a linen vestment like an ephod. The 8, 9 fourth put round me a girdle
like unto purple. The fifth gave me a branch of rich olive. The sixth 10 placed
a crown on my head. The seventh placed on my head a diadem of priesthood, and
filled my 11 hands with incense, that I might serve as priest to the Lord God.
And they said to me: Levi, thy 12 seed shall be divided into three offices, for
a sign of the glory of the Lord who is to come. And the 13 first portion shall
be great; yea, greater than it shall none be. The second shall be in the
priesthood. 14 And the third shall be called by a new name, because a king shall
arise in Judah, and shall 15 establish a new priesthood, after the fashion of
the Gentiles [to all the Gentiles]. And His presence is beloved, as a prophet of
the Most High, of the seed of Abraham our father. 16 Therefore, every desirable
thing in Israel shall be for thee and for thy seed, And ye shall eat everything
fair to look upon, And the table of the Lord shall thy seed apportion. 17 And
some of them shall be high priests, and judges, and scribes; For by their mouth
shall the holy place be guarded. 18, 19 And when I awoke, I understood that this
(dream) was like the first dream. And I hid this also in my heart, and told it
not to any man upon the earth.
9 1, 2 And after two days I and Judah went up with our father Jacob to
Isaac our father's father. And my father's father blessed me according to all
the words of the visions which I had seen. And 3 he would not come with us to
Bethel. And when we came to Bethel, my father saw a vision 4 concerning me, that
I should be their priest unto God. And he rose up early in the morning, 5 and
paid tithes of all to the Lord through me. And so we came to Hebron to dwell
there. 6 And Isaac called me continually to put me in remembrance of the law of
the Lord, even as the 7 angel of the Lord showed unto me. And he taught me the
law of the priesthood, of sacrifices, 8 whole burnt-offerings, first-fruits,
freewill-offerings, peace-offerings. And each day he was instructing me, and was
busied on my behalf before the Lord, and said to me: Beware of the spirit of 10
fornication; for this shall continue and shall by thy seed pollute the holy
place. Take, therefore, to thyself a wife without blemish or pollution, w bile
yet thou art young, and not of the race of 11 strange nations. And before
entering into the holy place, bathe; and when thou offerest the 12 sacrifices
wash; and again, when thou finishest the sacrifice, wash Of twelve trees having
leaves 13, offer to the Lord, as Abraham taught me also. And of every clean
beast and bird offer a 14 sacrifice to the Lord. And of all thy first -fruits
and of wine offer the first, as a sacrifice to the Lord God; and every sacrifice
thou shalt salt with salt.
10 1 Now, therefore, observe whatsoever I command you, children: for
whatsoever things I have 2 heard from my fathers I have declared unto you. And
behold I am clear from your ungodliness and transgression, which ye shall commit
in the end of the ages [against the Saviour of the world, Christ, acting
godlessly], deceiving Israel, and stirring up against it great evils from the 3
Lord. And ye shall deal lawlessly together with Israel, so He shall not bear
with Jerusalem because of your wickedness; but the veil of the temple shall be
rent, so as not to cover your 4 shame. And ye shall be scattered as captives
among the Gentiles, and shall be for a reproach 5 and for a curse there. For the
house which the Lord shall choose shall be called Jerusalem, as is contained in
the book of Enoch the righteous.
11 1,2 Therefore when I took a wife I was twenty-eight years old, and
her name was Melcha. And she conceived and bare a son, and I called his name
Gersam, for we were sojourners in our land 3, 4 And I saw concerning him, that
he would not be in the first rank, And Kohath was born in the 5 thirty-fifth
year of my life, towards sunrise. And I saw in a vision that he was standing on
high 6 in the midst of all the congregation, Therefore I called his name Kohath
[which is, beginning of 7 majesty and instruction]. And she bare me a third son,
in the fortieth year of my life; and since his mother bare him with difficulty,
I called him Merari, that is, 'my bitterness,' because he also was 8 like to
die. And Jochebed was born in Egypt, in my sixty-fourth year, for I was renowned
then in the midst of my brethren.
12 1, 2 And Gersam took a wife, and she bare to him Lomni and Semei.
And the sons of Kohath, 3, 4 Ambram, Issachar, Hebron, and Ozeel. And the sons
of Merari, Mooli, and Mouses. And in the ninety-fourth year Ambram took Jochebed
my daughter to him to wife, for they were born in one 5 day, he and my daughter.
Eight years old was I when I went into the land of Canaan, and eighteen years
when I slew Shechem, and at nineteen years I became priest, and at twenty-eight
years I took 6 a wife, and at forty-eight I went into Egypt. And behold, my
children, ye are a third generation. 7 In my hundred and eighteenth year Joseph
died.
13 1 And now, my children, I command you: Fear the Lord your God with
your whole heart, And walk in simplicity according to all His law. 2 And do ye
also teach your children letters, That they may have understanding all their
life, Reading unceasingly the law of God. 3 For every one that knoweth the law
of the Lord shall be honoured, And shall not be a stranger whithersoever he
goeth. 4 Yea, many friends shall he gain more than his parents, And many men
shall desire to serve him, And to hear the law from his mouth. 5 Work
righteousness, therefore, my children, upon the earth, That ye may have (it) as
a treasure in heaven. 6 And sow good things in your souls, That ye may find them
in your life. But if ye sow evil things, Ye shall reap every trouble and
affliction. 7 Get wisdom in the fear of God with diligence; For though there be
a leading into captivity, And cities and lands be destroyed, And gold and silver
and every possession perish, The wisdom of the wise nought can take away, Save
the blindness of ungodliness, and the callousness (that comes) of sin. 8 For if
one keep oneself from these evil things, Then even among his enemies shall
wisdom be a glory to him, And in a strange country a fatherland, And in the
midst of foes shall prove a friend. 9 Whosoever teaches noble things and does
them, Shall be enthroned with kings, As was also Joseph my brother.
14 1 Therefore, my children, I have learnt that at the end of the ages
ye will transgress against the Lord, stretching out hands to wickedness [against
Him]; and to all the Gentiles shall ye become a scorn. 2 For our father Israel
is pure from the transgressions of the chief priests [who shall lay their hands
upon the Saviour of the world]. 3 For as the heaven is purer in the Lord's sight
than the earth, so also be ye, the lights of Israel, (purer) than all the
Gentiles. 4 But if ye be darkened through transgressions, what, therefore, will
all the Gentiles do living in blindness? Yea, ye shall bring a curse upon our
race, because the light of the law which was given for to lighten every man this
ye desire to destroy by teaching commandments contrary to the ordinances of God.
5 The offerings of the Lord ye shall rob, and from His portion shall ye steal
choice portions, 6 eating (them) contemptuously with harlots. And out of
covetousness ye shall teach the commandments of the Lord, wedded women shall ye
pollute, and the virgins of Jerusalem shall ye defile: and with harlots and
adulteresses shall ye be joined, and the daughters of the Gentiles shall ye take
to wife, purifying them with an unlawful purification; and your union shall be
like unto Sodom and 7 Gomorrah. And ye shall be puffed up because of your
priesthood, lifting yourselves up against 8 men, and not only so, but also
against the commands of God. For ye shall contemn the holy things with jests and
laughter.
15 1 Therefore the temple, which the Lord shall choose, shall be laid
waste through your uncleanness, 2 and ye shall be captives throughout all
nations. And ye shall be an abomination unto them, and ye 3 shall receive
reproach and everlasting shame from the righteous judgement of God. And all who
hate 4 you shall rejoice at your destruction. And if you were not to receive
mercy through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers, not one of our seed should
be left upon the earth.
16 1 And now I have learnt that for seventy weeks ye shall go astray,
and profane the priesthood, and 2 pollute the sacrifices. And ye shall make void
the law, and set at nought the words of the prophets by evil perverseness. And
ye shall persecute righteous men, and hate the godly the words of the 3 faithful
shall ye abhor. [And a man who reneweth the law in the power of the Most High,
ye shall call a deceiver; and at last ye shall rush (upon him) to slay him, not
knowing his dignity, taking 4 innocent blood through wickedness upon your
heads.] And your holy places shall be laid waste 5 even to the ground because of
him. And ye shall have no place that is clean; but ye shall be among the
Gentiles a curse and a dispersion until He shall again visit you and in pity
shall receive you [through faith and water].
17 1 And whereas ye have heard concerning the seventy weeks, hear also
concerning the priesthood. 2 For in each jubilee there shall be a priesthood.
And in the first jubilee, the first who is anointed to the priesthood shall be
great, and shall speak to God as to a father. And his priesthood shall be
perfect with the Lord, [and in the day of his gladness shall he arise for the
salvation of the world]. 3 In the second jubilee, he that is anointed shall be
conceived in the sorrow of beloved ones; and his 4 priesthood shall be honoured
and shall be glorified by all. And the third priest shall be taken hold 5 of by
sorrow. And the fourth shall be in pain, because unrighteousness shall gather
itself against 6 him exceedingly, and all Israel shall hate each one his
neighbour. The fifth shall be taken hold of 7 by darkness Likewise also the
sixth and the seventh. And in the seventh shall be such pollution 8 as I cannot
express before men, for they shall know it who do these things. Therefore shall
they 9 be taken captive and become a prey, and their land and their substance
shall be destroyed. 10 And in the fifth week they shall return to their desolate
country, and shall renew the house of the 11 Lord. And in the seventh week shall
become priests, (who are) idolaters, adulterers, lovers of money, proud,
lawless, lascivious, abusers of children and beasts.
18 1 And after their punishment shall have come from the Lord, the
priesthood shall fail. 2 Then shall the Lord raise up a new priest. And to him
all the words of the Lord shall be revealed; And he shall execute a righteous
judgement upon the earth for a multitude of days. 3 And his star shall arise in
heaven as of a king. Lighting up the light of knowledge as the sun the day, And
he shall be magnified in the world. 4 He shall shine forth as the sun on the
earth, And shall remove all darkness from under heaven, And there shall be peace
in all the earth. 5 The heavens shall exult in his days, And the earth shall be
glad, And the clouds shall rejoice, [And the knowledge of the Lord shall be
poured forth upon the earth, as the water of the seas; And the angels of the
glory of the presence of the Lord shall be glad in him. 6 The heavens shall be
opened, And From the temple of glory shall come upon him sanctification, With
the Father's voice as from Abraham to Isaac. 7 And the glory of the Most High
shall be uttered over him, And the spirit of understanding and sanctification
shall rest upon him [in the water]. 8 For he shall give the majesty of the Lord
to His sons in truth for evermore; And there shall none succeed him for all
generations for ever. 9 And in his priesthood the Gentiles shall be multiplied
in knowledge upon the earth, And enlightened through the grace of the Lord: In
his priesthood shall sin come to an end, And the lawless shall cease to do evil.
[And the just shall rest in him.] 10 And he shall open the gates of paradise,
And shall remove the threatening sword against Adam. 11 And he shall give to the
saints to eat from the tree of life, And the spirit of holiness shall be on
them. 12 And Beliar shall be bound by him, And he shall give power to His
children to tread upon the evil spirits. 13 And the Lord shall rejoice in His
children, And be well pleased in His beloved ones for ever. 14 Then shall
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob exult, And I will be glad, And all the saints shall
clothe themselves with joy.
19 1 And now, my children, ye have heard all; choose, therefore, for
yourselves either the light or the 2 darkness, either the law of the Lord or the
works of Beliar. And his sons answered him, saying, 3 Before the Lord we will
walk according to His law. And their father said unto them, The Lord is witness,
and His angels are witnesses, and ye are witnesses, and I am witness, concerning
the word 4 of your mouth. And his sons said unto him: We are witnesses. And thus
Levi ceased commanding his sons; and he stretched out his feet on the bed, and
was gathered to his fathers, after he had 5 lived a hundred and thirty-seven
years. And they laid him in a coffin, and afterwards they buried him in Hebron,
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
THE
