YAHUḎAH 4 (Judah 4)

1  And now, my children, I command you, love Lĕwi, that ye may abide, and exalt not yourselves against him, lest ye be utterly destroyed.

2 For to me 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 gave the sovereignty, and to him the kehunnah, and He set the sovereignty beneath the kehunnah.

3 To me He gave the things upon the earth; to him the things in the shamayim.

4 As the shamayim is higher than the earth, so is the kehunnah of Elohim higher than the earthly sovereignty, unless it falls away through sin from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and is dominated by the earthly sovereignty.

5 For the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said unto me: 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 chose him rather than thee, to draw near to Him, and to eat of His table and to offer Him the first-fruits of the choice things of the sons of Yisra’ĕl; but thou shalt be sovereign of Ya’aqoḇ.

6 And thou shalt be amongst them as the sea.

7 For as, on the sea, just and unjust are tossed about, some taken into captivity while some are enriched, so also shall every race of men be in thee: some shall be impoverished, being taken captive, and others grow rich by plundering the possessions of others.

8 For the sovereigns shall be as sea-monsters.

9 They shall swallow men like fishes: the sons and daughters of freemen shall they enslave; houses, lands, flocks, money shall they plunder:

10 And with the flesh of many shall they wrongfully feed the ravens and the cranes; and they shall advance in evil in covetousness uplifted, and there shall be false neḇi’im like tempest, and they shall persecute all righteous men.

11 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 shall bring upon them divisions one against another.

12 And there shall be continual wars in Yisra’ĕl; and among men of another race shall my sovereignty be brought to an end, until the deliverance of Yisra’ĕl shall come.

13 Until the appearing of the Elohim of Righteousness, that Ya’aqoḇ, and all the Gentiles may rest in peace.

14 And He shall guard the might of my sovereignty forever; for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 swore to me with an oath that He would not destroy the sovereignty from my seed forever.

15 Now I have much grief, my children, because of your lewdness and witchcrafts, and idolatries which ye shall practise against the sovereignty, following them that have familiar spirits, diviners, and demons of error.

16 Ye shall make your daughters singing girls and harlots, and ye shall mingle in the abominations of the Gentiles.

17 For which things’ sake 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 shall bring upon you famine and pestilence, death and the sword, beleaguering by enemies, and revilings of friends, the slaughter of children, the rape of wives, the plundering of possessions, the burning of the Hĕyḵal of Elohim, the laying waste of the land, the enslavement of yourselves among the Gentiles.

18 And they shall make some of you eunuchs for their wives.

19 Until 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 visit you, when with perfect heart ye repent and walk in all His Commandments, and He bring you up from captivity among the Gentiles.

20 And after these things shall a star arise to you from Ya’aqoḇ in peace,

21 and a Man shall arise from my seed, like the sun of righteousness,

22 walking with the sons of men in meekness and righteousness;

23 And no sin shall be found in Him.

24 And the shamayim shall be opened unto him, to pour out the Ruaḥ, even the beraḵah of the Qodesh Father; and He shall pour out the Ruaḥ of Favor upon you;

25 And ye shall be unto Him sons in truth, and ye shall walk in His Commandments first and last.

26 Then shall the sceptre of my sovereignty 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 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

27 And after these things shall Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq and Ya’aqoḇ arise unto ḥai; and I and my brethren shall be chiefs of the tribes of Yisra’ĕl:

28 Lĕwi first, I the second, Yosĕph third, Binyamin fourth, Shim’on fifth, Yissasḵar sixth, and so all in order.

29 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 blessed Lĕwi, and the Messenger of the Presence, me; the powers of favor Shim’on; the shamayim, Re’uḇĕn; the earth, Yissasḵar; the sea, Zeḇulun; the mountains, Yosĕph; the Mishkan, Binyamin ; the luminaries, Dan; Ĕḏen, Naphtali; the sun, Gaḏ; the moon, Ashĕr.

30 And ye shall be the people of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and have one tongue; and there shall be there no spirit of deceit of Beliar, for he shall be cast into the fire forever.

31 And they who have died in grief shall arise in joy, and they who were poor for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄’s sake shall be made rich, and they who are put to death for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄’s sake shall awake to ḥai.

32 And the hearts of Ya’aqoḇ shall run in joyfulness, and the eagles of Yisra’ĕl shall fly in gladness; and all the people shall glorify 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 forever.

33 Observe, therefore, my children, all the Torah of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, for there is hope for all them who hold fast unto His ways.

34 And he said to them: Behold, I die before your eyes this day, a hundred and nineteen years old.

35 Let no one bury me in costly apparel, nor tear open my bowels, for this shall they who are sovereigns do; and carry me up to Ḥeḇron with you.

36 And Yahuḏah, when he had said these things, fell asleep; and his sons did according to all whatsoever he commanded them, and they buried him in Ḥeḇron, with his father