1“The copy of the Testament of Joseph.” “When he was about to die, he called his sons and his brothers together, and said to them:— My brothers and my children, listen to Joseph the beloved of Israel; hear me, my sons, to your father.” “I have seen in my life envy and death, yet I did not go astray, but persevered in the truth of the Lord.” “These my brothers hated me, but the Lord loved me: they wished to kill me, but the God of my fathers protected me: they let me down into a pit, and the Most High brought me up again.” “I was sold into slavery, and the Lord of all set me free: I was taken into captivity, and His strong hand helped me.” “I was plagued by hunger, and the Lord Himself nourished me.” “I was alone, and God comforted me: I was sick, and the Lord visited me: I was in prison, and my God showed me favor; in chains, and He freed me; slandered, and He defended me; harshly spoken of by the Egyptians, and He delivered me; envied by my fellow slaves, and He exalted me.”
2“And this chief captain of Pharaoh entrusted his house to me.” “And I struggled against a shameless woman, urging me to sin with her; but the God of Israel, my father, rescued me from the burning flame.” “I was thrown into prison, I was beaten, I was mocked; but the Lord let me find mercy with the keeper of the prison.” “For the Lord does not abandon those who fear Him, neither in darkness, nor in chains, nor in troubles, nor in hardships.” “For God is not put to shame as a man, nor is He afraid like a son of man, nor is He weak or frightened like one born of earth.” “But in all those things He provides protection, and in various ways He comforts, Though for a little while He departs to test the heart’s inclination.” “In ten trials He proved me worthy, and in all of them I endured; for endurance is a mighty charm, and patience gives many good things.”
3“How often did the Egyptian woman threaten me with death! How often did she give me over to punishment, then call me back and threaten me, and when I was unwilling to be with her, she said to me: ‘You will be lord over me, and all that is in my house, if you will give yourself to me, and you will be like our master.’” “But I remembered the words of my father, and going into my room, I wept and prayed to the Lord.” “And I fasted in those seven years, and I seemed to the Egyptians like someone living in luxury, for those who fast for God’s sake gain a beautiful appearance.” “And if my master was away from home, I drank no wine; nor did I eat for three days, but gave my food to the poor and the sick.” “And I rose early to seek the Lord, and I wept for the Egyptian woman of Memphis, for she troubled me without cease, and also came to me at night under the pretense of visiting me.” “And because she had no son, she pretended to treat me as her son, and so I prayed to the Lord, and she bore a male child.” “And for a time she embraced me as a son, and I was unaware; but later she tried to lead me into fornication.” “When I realized this, I grieved almost to death; and when she had gone out, I regained myself and mourned for her many days, because I recognized her cunning and deceit.” “And I spoke to her the words of the Most High, hoping that perhaps she would turn from her evil desire.”
4“Therefore, she often flattered me with words as though I were a holy man, and deceitfully praised my chastity before her husband, while desiring to trap me when we were alone.” “For she openly proclaimed me chaste, yet in secret she said to me: ‘Fear not my husband, for he is convinced of your chastity; for even if someone told him about us, he would not believe it.’” “Because of all this, I lay on the ground and begged God that the Lord would free me from her deception.” “And when she gained nothing by this, she came to me again under the guise of seeking instruction, that she might learn the word of God.” “And she said to me: ‘If you want me to abandon my idols, lie with me, and I will persuade my husband to turn from his idols, and we will follow the law of your Lord.’” “And I said to her: ‘The Lord does not will that those who honor Him live in impurity, nor does He delight in adulterers, but in those who come to Him with a pure heart and spotless lips.’” “But she remained silent, longing to fulfill her evil desire.” “And I devoted myself even more to fasting and prayer, that the Lord would rescue me from her.”
5“And again, at another time, she said to me: ‘If you will not commit adultery, I will poison my husband and take you as my husband.’” “Therefore, when I heard this, I tore my garments and said to her: ‘Woman, fear God, and do not commit this evil act, or you will be destroyed; for be certain that I will reveal this plan of yours to everyone.’” “She then, being afraid, begged me not to reveal this plan.” “And she left, trying to soothe me with gifts, and sending me every pleasure known to men.”
6“And afterward, she sent me food mixed with spells.” “And when the eunuch who brought it arrived, I looked up and saw a terrifying man giving me a sword with the dish, and I realized that her scheme was to deceive me.” “And when he had gone out, I wept and did not taste that or any other food she sent.” “So then, after one day she came to me and saw the food, and said to me: ‘Why haven’t you eaten the food?’ And I said to her: ‘Because you have filled it with deadly spells; and how can you say: I do not go near idols, but to the Lord alone?’” “Therefore, know that the God of my father has revealed your evil to me through His angel, and I have kept it to accuse you, if perhaps you might see and repent.” “But so you might learn that the wickedness of the godless has no power over those who worship God in purity, look, I will take some of it and eat it in front of you.” “And having said this, I prayed: ‘God of my fathers and the angel of Abraham, be with me,’ and I ate.” “When she saw this, she fell on her face at my feet, weeping; I lifted her up and warned her.” “And she promised not to commit this sin again.”
7“But her heart was still set on evil, and she looked for a way to trap me; sighing deeply, she grew depressed, though she was not ill.” “And when her husband saw her, he said to her: ‘Why is your face so sad?’ And she said to him: ‘My heart aches, and the groanings of my spirit weigh me down.’ And so he comforted her, though she was not ill.” “Then, when the moment came, she rushed to me while her husband was still outside, and said to me: ‘I will hang myself or throw myself off a cliff if you will not lie with me.’” “When I saw that the spirit of Beliar was troubling her, I prayed to the Lord and said to her: ‘Why, miserable woman, are you so troubled and disturbed, blinded by your sins? Remember that if you kill yourself, Asteho, your husband’s concubine—your rival—will beat your children, and you will erase your name from the earth.’” “And she said to me: ‘Look, then you love me; let that be enough for me. Only save my life and my children, and I expect I will have my desire as well.’” “But she did not know that I spoke so for the sake of my master, not for her.” “For if a man has fallen prey to a wicked desire and become enslaved by it, as she had, whatever good thing he may hear concerning that desire, he receives it only in service of his wicked craving.”
8“So I declare to you, my children, that it was about the sixth hour when she left me; and I knelt before the Lord all day and all night, and around dawn I rose up, weeping and praying for deliverance from her.” “At last, she grabbed my clothing and tried to force me to have intercourse with her.” “So when I saw that in her frenzy she held tight to my garment, I left it behind and fled naked.” “And clinging to the garment, she falsely accused me; and when her husband came, he threw me into the prison in his house; and the next day he whipped me and sent me to Pharaoh’s prison.” “And while I was in chains, the Egyptian woman was weighed down with sorrow; she came and heard how I gave thanks to the Lord and sang praises in that place of darkness, and with a joyful voice I rejoiced, glorifying my God for delivering me from the lustful desire of the Egyptian woman.”
9“And often she has sent word to me, saying: ‘Agree to satisfy my desire, and I will free you from your chains, and I will deliver you from the darkness.’” “But I did not yield to her, not even in my thoughts.” “For God loves the one who, in a den of evil, practices both fasting and purity, rather than the one who, in royal chambers, couples luxury with license.” “And if a man lives in chastity and also desires glory, and the Most High knows it is good for him, He also grants it to him, as He did for me.” “How often, even when she was ill, did she come down to me at unexpected times and listen to me as I prayed! And when I heard her groans, I remained silent.” “For when I was in her house, she used to expose her arms, breasts, and legs, so that I might lie with her; for she was very beautiful and lavishly adorned to deceive me.” “But the Lord protected me from her schemes.”
10“You see, then, my children, the great things that patience accomplishes, along with prayer and fasting.” “So you too, if you pursue chastity and purity with patience and prayer, fasting in humility of heart, the Lord will dwell among you, because He loves chastity.” “And wherever the Most High dwells, even though envy, slavery, or slander befalls a man, the Lord who dwells in him, for the sake of his purity, not only delivers him from evil but also exalts him as He did me.” “For in every way a man is elevated, whether in deed, word, or thought.” “My brothers knew how my father loved me, yet I did not exalt myself in my mind; although I was a child, I had the fear of God in my heart, for I knew that all things would fade away.” “And I did not lift myself against them with evil intentions, but I honored my brothers. Even when I was being sold, out of respect for them, I kept from telling the Ishmaelites that I was the son of Jacob, a great and powerful man.”
11“You also, my children, keep the fear of God in all your works, and honor your brothers.” “For everyone who does the law of the Lord shall be loved by Him.” “And when I arrived among the Indocolpitae with the Ishmaelites, they asked me: ‘Are you a slave?’ And I said that I was a homeborn slave, so that I would not disgrace my brothers.” “And the eldest of them said to me: ‘You are not a slave, for even your appearance makes it clear.’” “But I told them I was their slave.” “Now when we reached Egypt, they argued among themselves over who would buy me and take me.” “So it pleased them all that I stay in Egypt with the merchant of their trade, until they returned with goods.” “And the Lord gave me favor in the merchant’s eyes, and he entrusted his household to me.” “And God blessed him through me and increased his gold, silver, and servants.” “And I stayed with him for three months and five days.”
12“And about that time the Memphian woman, the wife of Pentephri, came down in a chariot with great pomp, because she had heard from her eunuchs about me.” “And she told her husband that the merchant had grown rich through a young Hebrew, and they say that he was surely stolen out of the land of Canaan.” “Now, therefore, give him justice, and bring the youth to your house; then the God of the Hebrews will bless you, for grace from heaven is upon him.”
13“And Pentephris was persuaded by her words and commanded that the merchant be brought, and he said to him: ‘What is this that I hear about you—that you steal people from the land of Canaan and sell them as slaves?’ But the merchant fell at his feet and pleaded with him, saying: ‘I beg you, my lord, I do not know what you mean.’” “And Pentephris said to him: ‘Then where is the Hebrew slave from?’ And he said: ‘The Ishmaelites left him with me until they return.’” “But he did not believe him, and ordered him to be stripped and beaten.” “And when he kept insisting on this claim, Pentephris said: ‘Bring the young man.’” “And when I was brought in, I bowed down to Pentephris for he was third in rank among Pharaoh’s officers.” “And he took me aside and said to me: ‘Are you a slave or free?’ And I said: ‘A stave.’” “And he said: ‘Whose?’ And I said: ‘The Ishmaelites.’” “And he said: ‘How did you become their slave?’ And I said: ‘They bought me out of the land of Canaan.’” “And he said to me: ‘Surely you are lying!’ and immediately he ordered me to be stripped and beaten.”
14“Now the Memphian woman was watching me through a window as I was being beaten, because her house was nearby, and she sent word to him, saying: ‘Your judgment is unjust; for you punish a free man who has been stolen, as though he were a criminal.’” “And when I did not change my statement, even though I was beaten, he ordered me to be imprisoned until, he said, the owners of the boy would come.” “And the woman said to her husband: ‘Why do you keep the captive, well-born boy in chains, who ought instead to be set free and served?’ For she wished to see me out of sinful desire, but I was unaware of all this.” “And he said to her: ‘It is not Egyptian custom to take what belongs to others before there is proof.’” “He said this about the merchant; but as for the boy, he must remain imprisoned.”
15“Now after twenty-four days, the Ishmaelites came, for they had heard that Jacob, my father, was grieving greatly over me.” “And they came and said to me: ‘How is it that you said you were a slave? Look, we have learned that you are the son of a great man in the land of Canaan, and your father still mourns you in sackcloth and ashes.’” “When I heard this, my heart melted, and I longed greatly to weep, but I held myself back so as not to shame my brothers.” “And I said to them: ‘I do not know. I am a slave.’” “Then they decided to sell me, so I would not be discovered in their hands.” “For they were afraid my father might come and inflict severe vengeance on them.” “For they had heard he was powerful with God and with men.” “Then the merchant said to them: ‘Deliver me from the judgment of Pentephri.’” “And they came and asked me: ‘Say that you were purchased by us with money, and he will release us.’”
16“Now the Memphian woman said to her husband: ‘Buy the young man, for I hear,’ she said, ‘that they are selling him.’” “And immediately she sent a eunuch to the Ishmaelites, and asked them to sell me.” “But since the eunuch would not agree to buy me at their price, he returned, having tested them, and he told his mistress that they demanded a large sum for their slave.” “And she sent another eunuch, saying: ‘Even if they demand two minas, give it to them; do not spare the gold. Just buy the boy and bring him to me.’” “So the eunuch went and gave them eighty pieces of gold, and he took me; but he told the Egyptian woman, ‘I have given a hundred.’” “And though I knew this, I remained silent, so that the eunuch would not be shamed.”
17“You see, then, my children, the great things I endured so that I would not disgrace my brothers.” “So you also should love one another, and with patience hide each other’s faults.” “For God takes pleasure in the unity of brothers, and in a heart that finds joy in love.” “And when my brothers came to Egypt, they learned that I had returned their money to them without rebuking them, and I comforted them.” “And after Jacob my father died, I loved them even more, and I fulfilled all of his commands for them in abundance, not allowing them to suffer in the smallest way; and I gave them everything in my power.” “And their children were like my children, and my children like their servants; their lives were my life, all their suffering was my suffering, and all their illnesses were my weakness.” “My land was their land, and their plans were my plans.” “And I did not exalt myself over them out of pride because of my worldly success, but I was among them as one of the least.”
18“If you also, then, follow the Lord’s commandments, my children, He will lift you up there and bless you with good things forever.” “And if anyone tries to harm you, do good to him and pray for him, and you will be delivered by the Lord from all evil.” “For, look, you see that from my humility and long-suffering I took as wife the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis.” “And a hundred talents of gold were given to me with her, and the Lord caused them to serve me.” “And He also gave me beauty, like a flower surpassing the beauties of Israel, and He kept me in strength and good looks into old age, because I resembled Jacob in every way.”
19“Hear me, then, about the vision I saw.” “I saw twelve deer grazing.” “And nine of them scattered.” “Now three were spared, but on the next day they too were scattered.” “And I saw that these three deer became three lambs, and they cried to the Lord, and He led them into a lush, well-watered place; yes, He brought them out of darkness into light.” “And there they cried to the Lord until the nine deer joined them, and they became twelve sheep, and after a short time they grew and became many flocks.” “And after this I saw—look!—twelve bulls nursing from one cow, which yielded a sea of milk, and the twelve flocks and countless herds drank from it.” “And the horns of the fourth bull rose up to heaven and became like a wall for the flocks, and between the two horns another horn appeared.” “And I saw a young bull that encircled them twelve times, and it became a complete help to the bulls.” “And I saw in the midst of the horns a virgin wearing a many-colored robe, and from her came a lamb; and on his right was like a lion; and all the beasts and all the reptiles rushed against him, and the lamb overpowered them and destroyed them.” “And the bulls rejoiced because of him, and the cow and the deer rejoiced with them.” “And these things must happen in their own time.” “Therefore, my children, keep the commandments of the Lord, and honor Levi and Judah, for from them will come for you the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, one who saves all the Gentiles and Israel.” “For His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, which will not pass away; but my kingdom among you will end like a watcher’s hammock, which disappears after the summer.”
20“For I know that after my death the Egyptians will oppress you, but God will avenge you and bring you into what He promised your ancestors.” “But you must carry my bones with you, for when my bones are carried up there, the Lord will be with you in light, and Beliar will be in darkness with the Egyptians.” “And also take Asenath your mother to the Hippodrome, and bury her near Rachel your mother.” “And when he had said these things, he stretched out his feet and died at a ripe old age.” “And all Israel and all Egypt mourned him with great lamentation.” “And when the children of Israel left Egypt, they brought Joseph’s bones with them, and buried him in Hebron with his fathers. He lived to be one hundred and ten years old.”