Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

The Testament of Issachar Concerning Simplicity

Unknown

Section 1

About this work

Author: Unknown

1. The record of the words of Issachar.

‹ Salutation / Introduction Section 2 ›

He

called

his

sons

,

and

said

to

them

:

Hearken

,

my

children

,

to

Issachar

your

father

;

give

ear

to

my

words

,

ye

who

are

beloved

of

the

Lord

.

I

was

the

fifth

son

born

to

Jacob

,

even

the

hire

of

the

mandrakes

.

For

Reuben

brought

in

mandrakes

from

the

field

,

and

Rachel

met

him

and

took

them

.

And

Reuben

wept

,

and

at

his

voice

Leah

my

mother

came

forth

.

Now

these

mandrakes

were

sweet

-

smelling

apples

which

the

land

of

Aram

produced

on

high

ground

below

a

ravine

of

water

.

And

Rachel

said

,

I

will

not

give

them

to

thee

,

for

they

shall

be

to

me

instead

of

children

.

Now

there

were

two

apples

;

and

Leah

said

,

Let

it

suffice

thee

that

thou

hast

taken

the

husband

of

my

virginity

:

wilt

thou

also

take

these

?

And

she

said

,

Behold

,

let

Jacob

be

to

thee

this

night

instead

of

the

mandrakes

of

thy

son

.

And

Leah

said

to

her

,

Boast

not

,

and

vaunt

not

thyself

;

for

Jacob

is

mine

,

and

I

am

the

wife

of

his

youth

.

But

Rachel

said

,

How

so

?

for

to

me

was

he

first

espoused

,

and

for

my

sake

he

served

our

father

fourteen

years

.

What

shall

I

do

to

thee

,

because

the

craft

and

the

subtlety

of

men

are

increased

,

and

craft

prospereth

upon

the

earth

?

And

were

it

not

so

,

thou

wouldest

not

now

see

the

face

of

Jacob

.

For

thou

art

not

his

wife

,

but

in

craft

wert

taken

to

him

in

my

stead

.

And

my

father

deceived

me

,

and

removed

me

on

that

night

,

and

suffered

me

not

to

see

him

;

for

had

I

been

there

,

it

had

not

happened

thus

.

And

Rachel

said

,

Take

one

mandrake

,

and

for

the

other

thou

shalt

hire

him

from

me

for

one

night

.

And

Jacob

knew

Leah

,

and

she

conceived

and

bare

me

,

and

on

account

of

the

hire

I

was

called

Issachar

.

Notes

1
See Gen. xxx. 14 sqq.
2
The Cam. ms. reads ᾽Ιακώβ by an obvious error.
3
Sachar.