Judah's Testimony

Judah’s testimony; “I was the fourth son born to my father Jacob; and Leah my mother named me Judah. I was swift in my youth and obedient to my father in everything. And I honored my mother and my mother’s sister. G-d showed me favor in all my works both in the field and in the house. I know that I raced a hind, and caught it, and prepared the meat for my father, and he did eat. I once took a bear by its paw and hurled it down the cliff, and it was crushed, such a lad I was.
I saw Parsaba, king of Adullam and he gave me his daughter Bathshua to wife and she bare me Er, Onan and Shelah; and two of them G-d smote: for Shelah lived, and his children are ye.
In the fortieth year of my life, Esau, the brother of my father, came upon us with a mighty and strong people. And Jacob smote Esau with an arrow, and he was taken up wounded on Mt. Sheir, and as he went he died at Anoniram. And we pursued after the sons of Esau until they asked us the terms of peace; and having taken counsel with our father, we received them as tributaries.
After these things my son Er took to wife Tamar, from Mesopatamia, a daughter of Aram. Er was wicked and on the third night an angel of the L-rd smote him. I gave Onan to her in marriage; and he also in wickedness knew her not, though he spent with her a year. When I threatened him he went in unto her, but he spilled the seed on the ground, according to the command of his mother, and he also died through wickedness. I wished to give Shelah also to her, but his mother would not permit it for she was not of the daughters of Canaan. Once when I was drunk with wine, and I did not recognize her, through the fashion of her adorning, I did go in with her and she conceived, I made her my second wife.
Now I command you, my children, hearken to Judah your father, and keep my sayings to perform all the ordinances of the L-rd, and obey the commandments of G-d. And walk not after you lusts, nor in the imaginations of your thoughts in haughtiness of heart; and glory not in the deeds and strength of your youth, for this also is evil in the eyes of the L-rd. And be not drunk with wine; for wine turneth the mind away from the truth, and inspires the passion of lust, and leadeth the eyes into error. For if a man drink wine to drunkenness, it disturbeth the mind with filthy thoughts leading to fornication, and heateth the body to carnal union; and if the occasion of the lust be present, he worketh the sin, and is not ashamed. For I gave my staff, that is the stay of my tribe; and my girdle, that is my power; and my diadeam, that is, the glory of my kingdom. And indeed I repented of these things. Observe, therefore the right limit in wind; for there are in it four evil spirits – of lust, of hot desire, of wastefulness, of filthy lucre. If ye drink wine in gladness, be ye modest in the fear of G-d.
I command you not to love money, for these things withdraw you from the Law of G-d, and blind the inclination of the soul, and teach arrogance, and suffer not a man to have compassion unto his neighbour, for he is a slave to two contrary passions, and cannot obey G-d, because they have blinded his soul, and He walketh in the day as in the night. But the G-d of my fathers had mercy on me, because I did it in ignorance and I learnt my own weakness while thinking myself invincible. And there is no time at which the works of men can be hid; for on the heart itself have they been written down before G-d.
Love Levi, for to me the L-rd gave the kingdom, and to him the priesthood, and He set the kingdom beneath the priesthood. To me He gave the things upon the earth; to him the things in the heavens. As the heaven is higher than the earth, so is the priesthood of G-d higher than the earthly kingdom until the appearing of the G-d of righteousness, that Jacob and all the Gentiles may rest in peace; until the L-rd visits you, when with perfect heart ye repent and walk in all His commandments and He bring you up from captivity among the Gentiles. And a man shall arise from my seed, like the sun of righteousness, walking with the sons of men in meekness and righteousness; and no sin shall be found in Him. And the Heavens shall be opened unto Him, to pour out the Spirit, even the blessing of the Holy Father; and He shall pour out the spirit of grace upon you; and ye shall be unto Him sons in truth, and ye shall walk in His commandments first and last.
Then shall the scepter of my kingdom shine forth; and from your root shall arise a stem; and from it shall grow a rod of righteousness to the Gentiles, to judge and to save all that call upon the L-rd. And after these things shall Abraham and Isaac and Jacob arise unto life, and I and my brethren shall be chiefs of the tribes of Israel: Levi first, I the second, Joseph third, Benjamin fourth, Simeon fifth, Issachar sixth, and so all in order.
And the L-rd bless Levi, and the Angel of the Presence, me; the powers of glory, Simeon; the heaven, Reuben; the earth, Issachar; the sea, Zebulun; the mountains, Joseph; the Tabernacle, Benjamin; the luminaries, Dan; Eden, Naphtali; the sun, Gad; the moon, Asher. And ye shall be the people of G-d and have one tongue; and there shall be no spirit of deceit of Beliar, for he shall be cast into the fire forever. And they who have died in grief shall arise in joy, and they who were poor for the L-rd’s sake shall be made rich, and they who are put to death for the L-rd’s sake shall awake to life.
Observe, therefore, my children, all the Law of the L-rd, for there is hope for all them who hold fast unto His ways. And he said to them: behold, I die before your eyes this day, a hundred and nineteen years old. Let no one bury me in costly apparel.”And Judah, when he had said these things, fell asleep; and his sons did according to all whatsoever he commanded them, and they buried him in Hebron with his fathers