In the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life Gad assembled his
sons, and he spake to them: "I am the ninth son of Jacob, and I was a
valiant shepherd of the flocks. I guarded the herds, and when a lion or
any other wild beast approached, I pursued it, gripped it by the foot,
flung it a stone's throw from me, and killed it thus. Once, for a space
of thirty days, Joseph tended the flocks with us, and when he returned
to our father, he told him that the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah
slaughtered the best of the herds, and used the flesh without the
knowledge of Reuben and Judah. He had seen me snatch a lamb out of the
jaws of a bear, kill the bear, and slaughter the lamb, for it was too
badly injured to live. I was wroth with Joseph for his talebearing,
until he was sold into Egypt. I would neither look upon him nor hear
aught about him, for to our very faces he, blamed us, because we had
eaten the lamb without seeking the permission of Judah first. And
whatever Joseph told our father, he believed.
"Now I confess my sin, that ofttimes I longed to kill him, for I hated
him from the bottom of my heart, and on account of his dreams I hated
him still more, and I desired to destroy him from off the land of the
living. But Judah sold him by stealth to the Ishmaelites. Thus the God
of our fathers saved him out of our hands, and He did not permit us to
commit an abominable outrage in Israel.
"Hear now, my children, the words of truth, that ye may practice
justice and the whole law of the Most High, and permit yourselves not
to be tempted by the spirit of hatred. Evil is hatred, for it is the
constant companion of deception, it always contradicts the truth. A
little thing it magnifies into a great thing, light it takes for
darkness, the sweet it calls bitter, and it teaches slander, enkindles
anger, brings on war and violence, and fills the heart with devilish
poison. I tell you my own experience, my children, that ye may drive
hatred out of your hearts, and cleave to the love of the Lord.
Righteousness banishes hatred, and humility kills it, for he that fears
to give umbrage to the Lord, desires not to do wrong even in his
thoughts. This is what I recognized at the last, after I had done
penance on account of Joseph, for true atonement, pleasing to God,
enlightens the eyes, illumines the soul with knowledge, and creates a
counsel of salvation. My penance came in consequence of a sickness of
the liver that God inflicted upon me. Without the prayers of my father
Jacob, my spirit would have departed from me, for through the organ
wherewith man transgresses, he is punished. As my liver had felt no
mercy for Joseph, unmerciful suffering was caused unto me by my liver.
My judgment lasted eleven months, as long as my enmity toward Joseph.
"And now, my children, each of you shall love his brother, and ye shall
uproot hatred from your hearts by loving one another in word and deed
and the thoughts of the soul. For I spake peaceably with Joseph in the
presence of our father, but when I went out from before him, the spirit
of hatred darkened my understanding, and stirred up my soul to murder
him. If you see one that hath more good fortune than you, do not
grieve, but pray for him, that his happiness may be perfect, and if one
of the wicked even should grow rich in substance, like Esau, my
father's brother, do not envy him. Wait for the end of the Lord.
"This also tell unto your children, that they shall honor Judah and
Levi, for from them the Lord will cause a savior to arise unto Israel.
For I know that in the end your children will fall off from God, and
they will take part in all wickedness, malice, and corruptness, before
the Lord."
After Gad had rested a little while, he spake again, "My children,
hearken unto your father, and bury me with my fathers." Then he drew up
his feet, and slept in peace. After five years, his sons carried his
remains to Hebron unto his fathers.[15]