Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
"Then the angel explained the uses of the different heavens to me, and
all that happens in each, and he proclaimed the judgment day. He opened
the gates of the third heaven, where I beheld the holy Temple, and God
seated upon the Throne of Glory. The Lord spake to me: 'Levi, upon thee
have I bestowed the blessing of the priesthood, until I come and dwell
in the midst of Israel.' Then the angel carried me back to earth, and
gave me a shield and a sword, saying, 'Execute vengeance upon Shechem
for Dinah, and I will be with thee, for the Lord hath sent me.' I asked
the angel what his name was, and he replied: 'I am the angel that
intercedes for the people of Israel, that it may not be destroyed
utterly, for every evil spirit attacks it.'
"When I awoke, I betook myself to my father, and on the way, near
Gebal, I found a brass shield, such as I had seen in my dream. Then I
advised my father and my brother Reuben to bid the sons of Hamor
circumcise themselves, for I was quivering with rage on account of the
abominable deed they had done. I slew Shechem first of all, and then
Simon slew Hamor, and all my other brothers came out and destroyed the
whole city. Our father took this in ill part, and in his blessing he
remembered our conduct. Although we did a wrong thing in acting thus
against his wishes, yet I recognized it to be the judgment of God upon
the people of Shechem on account of their sins, and I said to my
father: 'Be not wroth, my lord, for God will exterminate the Canaanites
through this, and he will give the land to thee and to thy seed after
thee. Henceforth Shechem will be called the city of imbeciles, for as a
fool is mocked at, so have we made a mockery of them.'
"When we journeyed to Beth-lehem, and had been abiding there for
seventy days, another vision was vouchsafed me, like unto the former. I
saw seven men clad in white, and they spake to me, saying: 'Rise up,
and array thyself in the priestly garments, set the crown of
righteousness upon thy head, and put on the ephod of understanding, and
the robe of truth, and the mitre-plate of faith, and the mitre of
dignity, and the shoulderpieces of prophecy.' And each of the men
brought a garment unto me and invested me therewith, and spake:
'Henceforth be the priest of the Lord, thou and thy seed unto eternity.
And ye shall eat all that is lovely to look upon, and the table of the
Lord thy descendants will appropriate for themselves, and from them
will come high priests, judges, and scholars, for all that is holy will
be guarded by their mouth.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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