T H E T E S TA M E N T O F

ASHER
CHAPT ER 1 1 T he copy of the testament of Asher, what things he spak e to his sons in the hu ndred and twenty -fifth yea r of his life. 2 For while he was still in health, he sa id to them: Heark en, ye chil dren of Asher, to your father, and I will declare to you all that is u pright in the sight of God. 3 Two ways hath God given to the sons o f men, and two inclinations, a nd two k inds of action, and two mode s (of action), and two issu es. 4 T herefore all things are by twos, one over against the other. 5 For there are two ways of good a nd evil, and with these are the two inclina tions in ou r breasts discrim ina ting them. 6 T herefore if the sou l tak e ple a su re in the good (inclination), all its a ctions are in righteou sness; and if it sin it strai ghtway repenteth. 7 For, having its thou ghts set u pon righteou sness, and casting away wick edness, it straightway overt hroweth the evil, and u prooteth the sin. 8 Bu t if it incline to the evil incl ina tion, all its actions are in wick e dness, a nd it driveth away the good, a nd cleaveth to the evil, and is ruled by Beliar; even thou gh it work what is good, he perverteth it to evil. 9 For whenever it beginneth to do good, he forceth the issu e of the a ction into evil for him, seeing that the treasu re of the inclina tion is filled with an evil spirit. CHAPT ER 2 1 A person, then, may with words help the good for the sak e of the evil, yet the issu e of the action lea deth to mischief. 2 T here is a man who showeth no compassion u pon him who serveth his tu rn in evil; and this thing hath two aspects, bu t the whole is evil. 3 And there is a man that loveth him that work eth evil, becau se he wou ld prefer ev en to die in evil for his sak e; and concerning this it is clear that it hath two aspects, bu t the whole is an evil work . 4 T hou gh, indeed, he have love, yet is he wick ed who co ncealeth what is evil for the sak e of the g ood name, bu t the end of the action tendeth u nto evil. 5 Another stealeth, doeth u nju stly, plu ndereth, defrau deth, and withal pitieth the poor: this too hath a twofold aspect, bu t the whole is evil. 6 He who defrau deth his neighbour provok eth God, and sweareth falsely against the Most High, and yet p itieth the poor: the Lord Who co m mandeth the law he setteth at nou ght and provok eth, and yet he refresheth the poor. 7 He defileth the sou l, and mak eth gay the body; he killeth many, a nd pitieth a few: this, too, hath a tw ofold aspect, bu t the whole is evil. 8 Another committeth adu ltery a nd fornication, and abstaineth from meats, and when he fasteth he doeth evil, and by the power of his wealth overwhelmeth many; and notwit hstanding his excessive wick edness he doeth then commandments: this, too, hath a twofold aspect, bu t the

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whole is evil. 9 Su ch men are hares; for they are ha lf clean, but in very deed are u nclea n. 10 For God in the tables of the comma ndments hath thu s declared. CHAPT ER 3 1 But do not ye, my children, wear two fa ces lik e u nto them, of goo d ness a nd of wi ck edness; bu t cleave u nto goodness o nly, for God hath His ha bitation therein, and men d e sire it. 2 Bu t from wick edness flee away, destroying the (evil) inclination by you r good work s; for they that are dou ble-faced serve not God, bu t their own lu sts, so that they may plea se Beliar and men lik e u nto themselv es. CHAPT ER 4 1 For good men, even they that are of single face, thou gh they be thou ght by them that are dou ble fa ced to sin, are ju st before God. 2 For many in k illing the wick ed do two work s, of good and evil; bu t the whole is goo d, becau se he hath u prooted and destroyed that which is evil. 3 One man hateth the mercifu l and u nju st man, and the man who co m mitteth adultery and fasteth: this, too, ha s a twofold aspect, bu t the whole work is good, becau se he fo lloweth the Lord's example, in that he a ccepteth not the seeming g ood a s the genu ine good. 4 Another desireth not to see a good day with them that riot, lest he defile his body and pollu te his sou l: this, too, is dou ble-faced, bu t the whole is good. 5 For su ch men are lik e to stags

and to hinds, becau se in the manner of wild animals they seem to b e u nclean, but they are altogether clean; becau se they walk in zeal for the Lord and abstain from what God a lso hateth and forbiddeth by His commandments, warding off the evil from the good. CHAPT ER 5 1 Ye see, my children, how that there are two in all things, one against the other, and the one is hidden by the other: in wealth (is hidden) covetou sness, in convivia l ity dru nk enness, in lau ghter grief, in wedlock profl igacy. 2 Death su cceedeth to life, dish onou r to glory, night to day, and dark ness to light; and all things are u nder the day, ju st things u nder life, u nju st things u nder death; wherefore also eternal life awaiteth death. 3 Nor may it be said that tru th is a lie, nor right wrong; for all tru th is u nder the light, even as all things are u nder God. 4 All these things, therefore, I proved in my life, and I wandered not from the tru th of the Lord, and I searched ou t the commandments o f the Most High, walk ing according to all my strength with singleness o f face u nto that which is good. CHAPT ER 6 1 Tak e heed, therefore, ye also, my children, to the commandments o f the Lord, following the tru th with singleness o f face. 2 For they that are dou ble -faced are gu ilty of a twofold sin; for they both do the evil thing and they have pleasu re in them that do i t, following the example of the spirits of d eceit, and striving against mankind.

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3 Do ye, therefore, my children, k eep the law of th e Lord, and give not heed u nto evil as u nto good; bu t look u nto the thing that is really good, and k eep it in all comman dments of the Lord, having your co nversa tion therein, and resting ther ein. 4 For the latter ends o f men do show their righteou sness (or u nrig hteou sness), when they meet the a ngels of the Lord and of Satan. 5 For when the sou l departeth trou bled, it is tormented by the evil spirit which also it served in lu sts a nd evil work s. 6 Bu t if he is peacefu l with joy he meeteth the angel of peace, and he lea deth him into eternal life. CHAPT ER 7 1 Become not, my children, as S odom, which k new n ot the angels of the Lord, and perished for ever. 2 For I k now that ye shall sin, and be delivered into the hands of you r enemie s; and you r land shall be ma de desolate, and you r holy places destroyed, and ye shall be scattered u nto the fou r corners of the earth. And y e shall be set at nou ght in the Dispersion as u seless water, 3 Until the Most High shall visit the ea rth, coming Himself as man, with men eating and drinking, and brea king the head of the dragon in the wa ter. He shall save Israel and a ll the Gentiles God speak ing in the person of man. 4 T herefore do ye also, my chi ldren, tell these things to your chi ldren, that they disobey Him not. 5 For I have k nown that ye shall a ssu redly be disobedient, and ass u redly a ct u ngodly, not giving heed to the law of God, bu t to the co m -

mandments o f men, being corru pted throu gh wick edness. 6 And therefore shall ye be sca ttered as Gad and Dan my brethren, and ye shall k now not your own lands, tribe, and tongu e. 7 Bu t the Lord will gather you t ogether in faith throu gh His tender mercy, and for t he sak e of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

CHAPT ER 8 1 And when he had said these things u nto them, he commanded saying: Bu ry me in Hebron. And he fell asleep and died at a good old age. 2 And his sons did as he had co mmanded them, and they carried him u p to Hebron, and bu ried him with his fathers.