Testament of Dan 1

1Testament of Dan, the seventh son of Jacob and Bilhah. A copy of the words of Dan, which he spoke to his sons in the last days of his life, in the 125th year of his life.

2Hear my words, sons of Dan, and pay attention to the words of your father.

3I have tested in my heart and in all my life that truth with righteous conduct is good and pleasing to God, and that falsehood and anger are evil, teaching a person every wickedness.

4So I confess to you today, my children, that in my heart I resolved concerning the death of Joseph my brother, that good and true man.

5And I rejoiced over his being sold, because his father loved him more than us.

6For the spirit of jealousy and arrogance kept saying to me, ‘You yourself also are his son.’

7And one of the spirits of Beliar was working with me, saying, ‘Take this sword and kill Joseph, and your father will love you after he dies.’

8This was the spirit of anger persuading me, that just as a leopard sucks out a young goat, so it put into me to suck out Joseph.

9But the God of my fathers did not allow him to fall into my hands, so that I might find him alone and kill him, and bring about the loosing of a second tribe from Israel.”