Paul's statement, 'As Jannes and Mambres withstood Moses' (2 Tim. iii. 8) is not found in the 'public' scriptures, but in a secret (apocryphal) book entitled the Book of Jannes and Mambres.
2For Jannes and Mambres were brothers, magicians or poisoners, of the Egyptians, who thought they could resist by the art of their magic the mighty works of God which were being accomplished through them.
3But when the might of Moses in his works proved greater, they were humbled, and confessed, with the pain of their wounds, that it was God that wrought in Moses.
4Moses chastised Jannes and Jambres with sores and sent the mother of one of them to death.
5Mambres opened the magical books of his brother Jannes, and did necromancy and brought up from hell the shade of his brother.
6The soul of Jannes answered him saying: I thy brother died not unjustly, but of a truth justly, and judgment will go against me, for I was wiser than all wise magicians, and I withstood the two brethren, Moses and Aaron, who did great signs and wonders: therefore died I and was brought down from among men into hell, where there is great burning, and the pit (lake) of perdition, whence there is no coming up.
7And now, my brother Mambres, take heed to thyself in thy lifetime to do good to thy sons and thy friends: for in hell there is nothing of good, but sadness and darkness: and when thou shalt have died and shalt be in hell among the dead, thy dwelling-place and thy abode (seat) will be twenty (probably two) cubits broad and four cubits long.
8They in the midst of their lying wonders acknowledged the finger of God, but I was wholly set upon it that there was no God.
9If God did not pardon them who even partly recognized Him, how should He pardon me who ignored Him altogether?
10They show, to them that seek to behold, the faces (or persons) that have slept in the earth from the ages.
11But concerning the mountains Jannes and Jambres spake, signifying the sign of the manger of the Lord; and concerning the stone whereby the stone of the tomb, as also it was said by the prophet: The stone which the builders rejected.
12In the time of Moses the magicians rose up against the son of Amram: but the finger of God overcame them, as they themselves also confessed.
13The righteousness of God smote the wicked men with an evil sore, that even against their will they might proclaim the truth: for the Truth is wont to bear patiently until deceivers repent: but when they are puffed up and think themselves safe, then are they cast down into the pit.
14For when Moses was sent to bring the people out of Egypt, at the bidding of Pharaoh's Lord he came to Pharaoh and told him the command of God.
15When Pharaoh heard it he was driven to rage and fury and turned to blasphemy; and when the matter was published throughout the city and was come to the ears of the nobles of those parts, some said: It is the command of God and must be obeyed at all costs.
16But the King, when he saw Moses, feared, and began to feel the punishment that hung over him.
17Is there any that does not fear at the sight of the Lord? or who would not tremble at beholding God? So Pharaoh feared Moses, because he was the god of Pharaoh.
18The whole multitude of the magicians of Egypt hasted together to see a new marvel, for in the face of Moses was the angel of fire and wind, surpassing the brightness of the sun and of lightning, so that whoever fixed his eyes on him took him for a god; but they who heard his voice—for he was stammering and stuttered—despised and contemned him as a man.
19And one affirmed that he was come down from heaven: another set him wholly at naught: for, said he, if there were any great thing in him, surely he would have healed himself.
20Now Moses, as you have heard, knew the tongue of that country well; bred up in the house of Pharaoh, he had drunk in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, as the Apostle witnesses to us of him.
21And though he were not aware of it himself, yet he had the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, from whom he had learned all that had happened from Adam even to his own days, and was not ignorant of what the magicians were plotting against him.
22So Pharaoh called together all the magicians and their disciples and spoke to them of Moses thus: It is now time that whatever power you have you should put forth for the common good.
23When war is upon us there is need of mighty men, and the skill of physicians appears then when diseases are rife.
24Throughout all the world the people will laugh at us with great disgrace of our name if we are overcome by this stammering stutterer.
25Be therefore strong in conflict till we bear off victory: contend valiantly till we triumph.
26There is no man who knows not our name or extols you not as workers of wonders: we (ye?) have been wont to be helpers even of Kings when war came upon them.
27If then they see us made a laughing-stock to a stammerer, much more shall we be despised by all other men.
28Up then, put on a manly spirit, and go forth to battle like heroes of renown, that we may gain an eternal name; and so all who hear of it may be smitten with fear and not dare to resist our people.
29And though I excel in royal dignity, yet I uphold the common cause with you: to all of us there will be like honour or like shame.
30The magicians, stirred by these words, as if made drunk with wine, promised seas and mountains to Pharaoh King of Egypt.
31The sun, said they, shall not again rise to lighten Egypt before the son of Amram has ceased to live.
32What time thou, O King, takest quiet slumber in thy bed, then shalt thou hear that Moses has been punished by a shameful death.
33And this, indeed, we account as nothing: it is child's play.
34Come then, enter thy chamber and climb up upon thy bed and sleep: for the death of Moses is at the doors, and he shall not, believe us, see another day.
35Thus the magicians left Pharaoh.
36And he, believing their words, could not sleep for his impatience, looking for the dawn of day: nor, had he slept, could he rest without the coming of the same images to him in his slumber.
37But they, practising their arts, called up devils and sent them against Moses.
38The evil spirits rushed in hosts upon the holy man: but the power of God and the prayer of the righteous one drove them back as the storm scatters the fire and the wind the smoke.
39So did the demons fly from the face of Moses as the conquered flee in battle before the victors, and thieves turn their backs when they hear the voices of the watchmen approaching.
40As light dispels darkness, so did Moses drive away the wicked ones.
41Headlong they returned to the magicians by whom they had been hired; and, said they: We lose our labour against this man, for he is stronger than we, and we cannot get near to the border of the place where he dwells.
42Meanwhile the day dawned, and Pharaoh anxiously expected that what the magicians had promised him, of the death of Moses, should have been fulfilled.
43But when the appointed time was past, and there came none to tell the tidings he desired, the King called the magicians and spake thus to them: Why, said he, hath the matter fallen out otherwise than as you promised? for you said, Moses shall not see another day after this.
44The magicians said to him: Have patience a little: the man's death is indeed near, but we can do nothing in haste, O King, and this day allows it not, for to-day it is new moon: when the moon begins to wane, then shall the life of Moses fail.
45This was the cause they pretended to him, until the appointed hour should come to Moses: but the King received their words gladly, being subject to the same errors as they.
46The magicians therefore set to work: they took somewhat of the hairs and garments of Moses, and made an image of him, and laid it up in a tomb, and set evil demons against it.
47Immediately the demons came, and the princes of them: Satan was ready with his hosts, all of them in divers forms, to destroy Moses.
48They ran against him in a troop.
49But when they lifted up their eyes to the holy prophet and saw him encompassed by a host of angels, like as it was once with Elisha, they could not bear the look of him, much less attack him, and all together they fled away in confusion with cries and howlings.
50This thing brought the magicians to perplexity.
51They turned therefore to other means to save their name and not be found guilty of deceit and lying before the King.
52Accordingly they took a cup full of wine and by their enchantments compelled vipers and dragons to spue their venom into it; and when it was ready they gave the cup to Moses, that he might drink it and burst asunder.
53Take, said they, this wine which the King of Egypt sends thee, and drink it, for to this pinnacle of honour he will have thee raised, as he hath long ago desired; and this wine itself is like the desire of the King, for it is old, and by reason of length of time is become muddy and dark.
54At this Moses smiled, and took the cup and signed it in the name of God and drank the wine without any hurt.
55But that they might know that their deceit was not hidden from him, he turned to them and said: Come, tell the King, who hath sent me to drink wine mingled with the poison of serpents, that none of these things do any hurt to the servants of God.
56Thus far concerning Moses and the Magicians.