1The copy of the words of Levi, the things which he ordained to his sons, according to all that 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:
2I, Levi, was born in Haran, and I came with my father to Shechem. And I was young, about twenty years of age, when, with Simeon, I carried out 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 sat upon towers. And I was grieving for the race of the sons of men, and I prayed to the Lord that I might be saved.[1] Then I fell asleep, and I saw a high mountain, and I was on it. Then the heavens were opened, and an angel of God said to me, “Levi, enter.” And I entered from the first heaven, and I saw there a great sea hanging. And I saw a second heaven, far brighter and more brilliant, for there was boundless light there as well. And I said to the angel, “Why is this so?” And the angel said to me, “Don’t be amazed by this, for you will see another heaven more brilliant and incomparable.” And when you have ascended there, you will stand near the Lord, and will be His minister, and will declare His mysteries to men, and will proclaim about Him who will redeem Israel. And by you and Judah the Lord will appear among men, saving every race of men. And from the Lord’s portion will be your life, and He will be your field and vineyard, and fruits, gold, and silver.
3Hear, therefore, about the heavens that have been shown to you. The lowest is for this reason gloomy to you, since it sees 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. 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. And in the highest of all dwells the Great Glory, far above all holiness. 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. And in the heaven below this are the angels who bear answers to the angels of the presence of the Lord. And in the heaven next to this are thrones and dominions, in which always they offer praise to God. When, therefore, the Lord looks upon us, all of us are shaken; yes, the heavens, and the earth, and the abysses are shaken at the presence of His majesty. But the sons of men, having no perception of these things, sin and provoke the Most High.
4Now, therefore, know that the Lord will execute judgment upon the sons of men. Because when the rocks are being torn apart, 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 takes spoils through the visitations of the Most High, Men will be unbelieving and persist in their iniquity. On this account, they will be judged with punishment. Therefore the Most High has heard your prayer, To separate you from iniquity, and that you should become to Him a son, And a servant, and a minister of His presence. You will shine the light of knowledge in Jacob, And like the sun you will be to all the seed of Israel. And there will be given to you a blessing, and to all your descendants, Until the Lord visits all the Gentiles in His tender mercies forever. And therefore you have been given counsel and understanding, so that you might instruct your sons about this; Because those who bless Him will be blessed, And those who curse Him will perish.
5And then the angel opened to me the gates of heaven, and I saw the holy temple, and on a throne of glory was the Most High. And He said to me: “Levi, I have given you the blessings of the priesthood until I come and live 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: “Carry out vengeance on Shechem because of Dinah, your sister, and I will be with you because the Lord has sent me.” And I destroyed at that time the sons of Hamor, as it is written in the heavenly tables. And I said to him: “I beg you, O Lord, tell me Your name, that I may call upon You in a day of tribulation.” And he said: “I am the angel who intercedes for the nation of Israel so they may not be completely struck, for every evil spirit attacks it.” And after these things I awoke, and blessed the Most High, and the angel who intercedes for the nation of Israel and for all the righteous.
6And when I was going to my father, I found a bronze shield; so the name of the mountain is Aspis, which is near Gebal, to the south of Abila, and I kept these words in my heart. And after this I advised my father, and Reuben my brother, to tell the sons of Hamor not to be circumcised, because I was zealous about the abomination they had committed against my sister. And I killed Shechem first, and Simeon killed Hamor. And after this, my brothers came and attacked that city with the sword. And my father heard these things and was angry, and he was grieved that they had received the circumcision and then been put to death, and in his blessings he looked unfavorably on us. For we sinned because we had done 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 sister, but the Lord prevented them. And they persecuted Abraham our father when he was a foreigner, and they harassed his flocks when they were pregnant; and Eblaen, who was born in his house, they treated very shamefully. And thus they did to all strangers, taking away their wives by force, and they banished them. But the wrath of the Lord came upon them to the uttermost.
7And I said to my father Jacob: “Through you the Lord will despoil the Canaanites, and will give their land to you and your descendants after you.” For from this day forward Shechem will be called a city of imbeciles; for just as a man mocks a fool, so did we mock them. Because they had also committed folly in Israel by defiling my sister. And we departed and came to Bethel.
8And there again I saw a vision as the former, after we had spent there seventy days. And I saw seven men in white clothing saying to 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 turban for your head, and the ephod of prophecy.” And they each carried these things and put them on me, and said to me: “From now on, become a priest of the Lord, you and your descendants forever.” And the first anointed me with holy oil, and gave 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 clothed me with a holy and glorious robe. The third clothed me with a linen vestment like an ephod. The fourth put around me a sash like purple. The fifth gave me a branch of rich olive. The sixth placed a crown on my head. The seventh placed on my head a diadem of priesthood, and filled my hands with incense, that I might serve as priest to the Lord God. And they said to me: “Levi, your descendants will be divided into three offices, for a sign of the glory of the Lord who is to come.” And the first portion will be great; yes, there will be none greater than it. The second will be in the priesthood. And the third will be called by a new name, because a king will arise in Judah, and will 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. Therefore, every desirable thing in Israel will be for you and for your descendants, And you will eat everything pleasing to the eye, And your descendants will apportion the table of the Lord. And some of them will be high priests, and judges, and scribes; for by their mouth the holy place will be guarded. And when I awoke, I understood that this dream was like the first dream. And I kept this also in my heart, and did not tell anyone on the earth.
9And after two days Judah and I went up with our father Jacob to Isaac our grandfather. And my grandfather blessed me according to all the words of the visions I had seen. And he would not come with us to Bethel.[3] And when we came to Bethel, my father saw a vision concerning me, that I should be their priest to God. And he rose early in the morning and paid tithes of everything to the Lord through me. And so we came to Hebron to live there. And Isaac called me continually to remind me of the law of the Lord, just as the angel of the Lord showed to me. And he taught me the law of the priesthood, of sacrifices, whole burnt offerings, first fruits, freewill offerings, peace offerings. And each day he was instructing me and was busy on my behalf before the Lord, and said to me: “Beware of the spirit of fornication; for it will continue and will by your descendants pollute the holy place.” “Take, therefore, for yourself a wife without blemish or corruption, while you are still young, and not from the lineage of foreign nations. And before entering the holy place, bathe; and when you offer the sacrifices, wash; and again, when you finish the sacrifice, wash. Of twelve trees having leaves, offer to the Lord, as Abraham also taught me. And of every clean beast and bird, offer a sacrifice to the Lord. And of all your first fruits and of wine, offer the first as a sacrifice to the Lord God; and every sacrifice you shall salt with salt.”
10Now, therefore, observe whatever I command you, children: for whatever I have heard from my fathers I have declared to you. And behold, I am clear of your ungodliness and transgression, which you will commit at the end of the ages against the Saviour of the world, Christ, acting godlessly, deceiving Israel, and stirring up great evils against it from the Lord. And you will deal lawlessly together with Israel, so He will not bear with Jerusalem because of your wickedness; but the veil of the temple will be torn, so as not to cover your shame. And you will be scattered as captives among the Gentiles, and will be for a reproach and for a curse there. For the house which the Lord will choose will be called Jerusalem, as is contained in the book of Enoch the righteous.
11Therefore, when I married I was twenty-eight years old, and my wife’s name was Melcha. And she conceived and bore a son, and I called his name Gersam, for we were foreigners in our land. And I saw concerning him that he would not be in the first rank. And Kohath was born in the thirty-fifth year of my life, at sunrise. And I saw in a vision that he was standing on high in the midst of all the congregation. Therefore, I called his name Kohath, which is, beginning of majesty and instruction. And she bore me a third son in the fortieth year of my life; and since his mother bore him with difficulty, I called him Merari, that is, ‘my bitterness,’ because he too was close to dying. And Jochebed was born in Egypt, in my sixty-fourth year, for I was renowned then among my brothers.
12And Gersam married, and his wife bore Lomni and Semei. And the sons of Kohath were Ambram, Issachar, Hebron, and Ozeel. And the sons of Merari were Mooli and Mouses. And in the ninety-fourth year, Ambram took my daughter Jochebed as his wife, for they were born on the same day, he and my daughter. I was eight years old when I went into the land of Canaan, and eighteen years old when I killed Shechem, and nineteen when I became a priest, and at twenty-eight I married, and at forty-eight I went into Egypt. And behold, my children, you are a third generation. In my one hundred eighteenth year Joseph died.
13And now, my children, I command you: Fear the Lord your God with all your heart, and walk in simplicity according to all His law. And you also, teach your children letters, so that they may have understanding all their lives, reading continually the law of God. For everyone who knows the law of the Lord will be honored, and will not be a stranger wherever he goes. Yes, he will gain many friends—more even than his parents—and many will desire to serve him and to hear the law from his mouth. Therefore, my children, do righteousness upon the earth, so that you may have it as a treasure in heaven. And sow good things in your souls, so that you may find them in your life.[4] But if you sow evil things, you will reap every trouble and affliction. Acquire wisdom in the fear of God with diligence; for though there be captivity, and cities and lands are destroyed, and gold and silver and every possession perish, nothing can take away the wisdom of the wise, except the blindness of ungodliness and the callousness that comes from sin. For if one keeps oneself from these evils, then even among his enemies wisdom will be his glory, and in a foreign land it will be his homeland, and in the midst of foes it will prove a friend. Whoever teaches noble things and does them will be enthroned with kings, as Joseph my brother was.
14Therefore, my children, I have learned that at the end of the ages you will transgress against the Lord, stretching out your hands to wickedness against Him; and you will become a scorn among all the Gentiles. For our father Israel is pure from the transgressions of the chief priests who will lay their hands on the Savior of the world. For as heaven is purer in the Lord’s sight than the earth, so also be you, the lights of Israel, purer than all the Gentiles. But if you become darkened through transgressions, then what will all the Gentiles do, living in blindness? Yes, you will bring a curse upon our race, because the light of the law given to enlighten everyone—this you desire to destroy by teaching commandments contrary to the ordinances of God. You will rob the offerings of the Lord, and you will steal choice portions from His share, eating them contemptuously with prostitutes. And out of greed you will teach the commandments of the Lord; you will defile married women, and you will dishonor the virgins of Jerusalem; and with prostitutes and adulteresses you will join yourselves. And you will marry the daughters of the Gentiles, purifying them with an unlawful purification; and your union will be like Sodom and Gomorrah. And you will be arrogant because of your priesthood, exalting yourselves over others, and not only that, but also going against the commands of God. For you will scorn the holy things with jokes and laughter.
15Therefore the temple, which the Lord will choose, will be laid waste through your uncleanness, and you will be captives among all nations. And you will be an abomination to them, and you will receive reproach and everlasting shame from the righteous judgment of God. And all who hate you will rejoice at your destruction. And if you were not to receive mercy through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers, not one of our descendants would be left on the earth.
16And now I have learned that for seventy weeks you will go astray, profane the priesthood, and pollute the sacrifices. And you will make the law void, and set the words of the prophets at nothing by evil perverseness. And you will persecute righteous men, and hate the godly—indeed, you will abhor the words of the faithful. And a man who renews the law in the power of the Most High, you will call a deceiver; and at last you will rush upon him to kill him, not recognizing his greatness, taking innocent blood on your heads through wickedness. And your holy places will be laid waste down to the ground because of him. And you will have no place that is clean; but you will be among the Gentiles a curse and a dispersion until He again visits you and in mercy receives you through faith and water.
17And since you have heard about the seventy weeks, hear also about the priesthood. For in each jubilee there will be a priesthood. And in the first jubilee, the first who is anointed to the priesthood will be great, and will speak to God as to a father. And his priesthood will be perfect with the Lord, and in the day of his gladness he will arise for the salvation of the world. In the second jubilee, he who is anointed will be conceived in the sorrow of beloved ones; and his priesthood will be honored and will be glorified by everyone. And the third priest will be seized by sorrow. And the fourth will be in distress, because unrighteousness will gather against him greatly, and all Israel will hate each one his neighbor. The fifth will be overtaken by darkness—so also the sixth and the seventh. And in the seventh there will be such corruption as I cannot speak of before humanity, for those who do these things will know it. Therefore, they will be taken captive and become plunder, and their land and their possessions will be destroyed. And in the fifth week they will return to their desolate land, and will rebuild the house of the Lord. And in the seventh week there will be priests who are idolaters, adulterers, lovers of money, proud, lawless, lustful, abusers of children and animals.
18And after their punishment has come from the Lord, the priesthood will fail. Then the Lord will raise up a new priest. And to him all the words of the Lord will be revealed; and he will execute a righteous judgment on the earth for many days. And his star will arise in heaven like that of a king. Lighting up the light of knowledge as the sun lights the day, and he will be magnified in the world. He will shine forth like the sun on the earth, and will remove all darkness from under heaven, and there will be peace throughout the earth. The heavens will exult in his days, and the earth will be glad, and the clouds will rejoice, and the knowledge of the Lord will be poured out on the earth, as the water of the seas. And the angels of the glory of the presence of the Lord will be glad in him. The heavens will be opened, and from the temple of glory sanctification will come upon him, with the Father’s voice, as from Abraham to Isaac. And the glory of the Most High will be proclaimed over him, and the spirit of understanding and sanctification will rest on him in the water.[5] For he will give the majesty of the Lord to His children in truth forever; and none will succeed him for all generations ever. And in his priesthood the Gentiles will be multiplied in knowledge on the earth, and enlightened by the grace of the Lord. In his priesthood, sin will come to an end, and the lawless will cease to do evil. And the just will rest in him. And he will open the gates of paradise, and will remove the threatening sword against Adam.[6] And he will give to the saints to eat from the tree of life, and the spirit of holiness will be upon them. And Beliar will be bound by him, and he will give power to His children to trample upon the evil spirits. And the Lord will rejoice in His children, and be well pleased in His beloved ones forever. Then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be joyful, and I will be glad, and all the saints will clothe themselves with joy.
19And now, my children, you have heard it all; therefore choose for yourselves either the light or the darkness, either the law of the Lord or the works of Beliar. And his sons answered him, saying, “We will walk before the Lord according to His law.” And their father said to them, “The Lord is witness, and His angels are witnesses, and you are witnesses, and I am witness, regarding the word you have spoken.” And his sons said to him, “We are witnesses.” And thus Levi ceased giving commands to his sons; and he stretched out his feet on the bed and was gathered to his fathers, after living one hundred thirty-seven years. And they laid him in a coffin, and afterward they buried him in Hebron, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.