First Book of Adam and Eve
by
Rutherford Platt
Part 1 out of 3
The First Book of Adam and Eve
Prologue
The First Book of Adam and Eve details the life and times
of Adam and Eve after they were expelled from the garden to
the time that Cain kills his brother Abel. It tells of
Adam and Eve's first dwelling - the Cave of Treasures;
their trials and temptations; Satan's many apparitions to
them; the birth of Cain, Abel, and their twin sisters; and
Cain's love for his beautiful twin sister, Luluwa, whom
Adam and Eve wished to join to Abel.
This book is considered by many scholars to be part of the
"Pseudepigrapha" (soo-duh-pig-ruh-fuh). The
"Pseudepigrapha" is a collection of historical biblical
works that are considered to be fiction. Because of that
stigma, this book was not included in the compilation of
the Holy Bible. This book is a written history of what
happened in the days of Adam and Eve after they were cast
out of the garden. Although considered to be
pseudepigraphic by some, it carries significant meaning and
insight into events of that time. It is doubtful that
these writings could have survived all the many centuries
if there were no substance to them.
This book is simply a version of an account handed down by
word of mouth, from generation to generation, linking the
time that the first human life was created to the time when
somebody finally decided to write it down. This particular
version is the work of unknown Egyptians. The lack of
historical allusion makes it difficult to precisely date
the writing, however, using other pseudepigraphical works
as a reference, it was probably written a few hundred years
before the birth of Christ. Parts of this version are
found in the Jewish Talmud, and the Islamic Koran, showing
what a vital role it played in the original literature of
human wisdom. The Egyptian author wrote in Arabic, but
later translations were found written in Ethiopic. The
present English translation was translated in the late
1800's by Dr. S. C. Malan and Dr. E. Trumpp. They
translated into King James English from both the Arabic
version and the Ethiopic version which was then published
in The Forgotten Books of Eden in 1927 by The World
Publishing Company. In 1995, the text was extracted from a
copy of The Forgotten Books of Eden and converted to
electronic form by Dennis Hawkins. It was then translated
into more modern English by simply exchanging 'Thou' s for
'You's, 'Art's for 'Are's, and so forth. The text was then
carefully re-read to ensure its integrity.
Chapter I - The crystal sea, God commands Adam, expelled
from Eden, to live in the Cave of Treasures.
1 On the third day, God planted the garden in the east
of the earth, on the border of the world eastward, beyond
which, towards the sun-rising, one finds nothing but water,
that encompasses the whole world, and reaches to the
borders of heaven.
2 And to the north of the garden there is a sea of
water, clear and pure to the taste, unlike anything else;
so that, through the clearness thereof, one may look into
the depths of the earth.
3 And when a man washes himself in it, he becomes
clean of the cleanness thereof, and white of its whiteness
-- even if he were dark.
4 And God created that sea of his own good pleasure,
for He knew what would come of the man He would make; so
that after he had left the garden, on account of his
transgression, men should be born in the earth. Among them
are righteous ones who will die, whose souls God would
raise at the last day; when all of them will return to
their flesh, bathe in the water of that sea, and repent of
their sins.
5 But when God made Adam go out of the garden, He did
not place him on the border of it northward. This was so
that he and Eve would not be able to go near to the sea of
water where they could wash themselves in it, be cleansed
from their sins, erase the transgression they had
committed, and be no longer reminded of it in the thought
of their punishment.
6 As to the southern side of the garden, God did not
want Adam to live there either; because, when the wind blew
from the north, it would bring him, on that southern side,
the delicious smell of the trees of the garden.
7 Wherefore God did not put Adam there. This was so
that he would not be able to smell the sweet smell of those
trees, forget his transgression, and find consolation for
what he had done by taking delight in the smell of the
trees and yet not be cleansed from his transgression.
8 Again, also, because God is merciful and of great
pity, and governs all things in a way that He alone knows --
He made our father Adam live in the western border of the
garden, because on that side the earth is very broad.
9 And God commanded him to live there in a cave in a rock --
the Cave of Treasures below the garden.
Chapter II - Adam and Eve faint when they leave the Garden.
God sends His Word to encourage them.
1 But when our father Adam, and Eve, went out of the
garden, they walked the ground on their feet, not knowing
they were walking.
2 And when they came to the opening of the gate of the
garden, and saw the broad earth spread before them, covered
with stones large and small, and with sand, they feared and
trembled, and fell on their faces, from the fear that came
over them; and they were as dead.
3 Because -- whereas until this time they had been in
the garden land, beautifully planted with all manner of
trees -- they now saw themselves, in a strange land, which
they knew not, and had never seen.
4 And because, when they were in the garden they were
filled with the grace of a bright nature, and they had not
hearts turned toward earthly things.
5 Therefore God had pity on them; and when He saw them fallen
before the gate of the garden, He sent His Word to our father,
Adam and Eve, and raised them from their fallen state.
Chapter III - Concerning the promise of the great five and
a half days.
1 God said to Adam, "I have ordained on this earth
days and years, and you and your descendants shall live and
walk in them, until the days and years are fulfilled; when
I shall send the Word that created you, and against which
you have transgressed, the Word that made you come out of
the garden, and that raised you when you were fallen.
2 Yes, the Word that will again save you when the five
and a half days are fulfilled."
3 But when Adam heard these words from God, and of the
great five and a half days, he did not understand the
meaning of them.
4 For Adam was thinking there would be only five and a
half days for him until the end of the world.
5 And Adam cried, and prayed to God to explain it to him.
6 Then God in his mercy for Adam who was made after
His own image and likeness, explained to him, that these
were 5,000 and 500 years; and how One would then come and
save him and his descendants.
7 But before that, God had made this covenant with our
father, Adam, in the same terms, before he came out of the
garden, when he was by the tree where Eve took of the fruit
and gave it to him to eat.
8 Because, when our father Adam came out of the garden,
he passed by that tree, and saw how God had changed the appearance
of it into another form, and how it shriveled.
9 And as Adam went to it he feared, trembled and fell
down; but God in His mercy lifted him up, and then made
this covenant with him.
10 And again, when Adam was by the gate of the garden,
and saw the cherub with a sword of flashing fire in his
hand, and the cherub grew angry and frowned at him, both
Adam and Eve became afraid of him, and thought he meant to
put them to death. So they fell on their faces, trembled
with fear.
11 But he had pity on them, and showed them mercy; and
turning from them went up to heaven, and prayed to the
Lord, and said; --
12 "Lord, You sent me to watch at the gate of the
garden, with a sword of fire.
13 But when Your servants, Adam and Eve, saw me, they
fell on their faces, and were as dead. O my Lord, what
shall we do to Your servants?"
14 Then God had pity on them, and showed them mercy,
and sent His Angel to keep the garden.
15 And the Word of the Lord came to Adam and Eve, and
raised them up.
16 And the Lord said to Adam, "I told you that at the
end of the five and a half days, I will send my Word and
save you.
17 Strengthen your heart, therefore, and stay in the
Cave of Treasures, of which I have before spoken to you."
18 And when Adam heard this Word from God, he was
comforted with that which God had told him. For He had
told him how He would save him.
Chapter IV - Adam mourns over the changed conditions.
Adam and Eve enter the Cave of Treasures.
1 But Adam and Eve cried for having come out of the
garden, their first home.
2 And indeed, when Adam looked at his flesh, that was
altered, he cried bitterly, he and Eve, over what they had
done. And they walked and went gently down into the Cave
of Treasures.
3 And as they came to it, Adam cried over himself and
said to Eve, "Look at this cave that is to be our prison
in this world, and a place of punishment!
4 What is it compared with the garden? What is its
narrowness compared with the space of the other?
5 What is this rock, by the side of those groves?
What is the gloom of this cavern, compared with the light
of the garden?
6 What is this overhanging ledge of rock to shelter us,
compared with the mercy of the Lord that overshadowed us?
7 What is the soil of this cave compared with the
garden land? This earth, strewed with stones; and that,
planted with delicious fruit trees?"
8 And Adam said to Eve, "Look at your eyes, and at mine,
which before beheld angels praising in heaven;
and they too, without ceasing.
9 But now we do not see as we did; our eyes have become of flesh;
they cannot see like they used to see before."
10 Adam said again to Eve, "What is our body today, compared
to what it was in former days, when we lived in the garden?"
11 After this, Adam did not want to enter the cave,
under the overhanging rock; nor would he ever want to enter it.
12 But he bowed to God's orders; and said to himself,
"Unless I enter the cave, I shall again be a transgressor."
Chapter V - Eve makes a noble and emotional intercession,
taking the blame on herself.
1 Then Adam and Eve entered the cave, and stood praying,
in their own tongue, unknown to us, but which they knew well.
2 And as they prayed, Adam raised his eyes and saw the
rock and the roof of the cave that covered him overhead.
This prevented him from seeing either heaven or God's creatures.
So he cried and beat his chest hard, until he dropped, and was as dead.
3 And Eve sat crying; for she believed he was dead.
4 Then she got up, spread her hands toward God,
appealing to Him for mercy and pity, and said, "O God,
forgive me my sin, the sin which I committed, and don't
remember it against me.
5 For I alone caused Your servant to fall from the
garden into this condemned land; from light into this
darkness; and from the house of joy into this prison.
6 O God, look at this Your servant fallen in this
manner, and bring him back to life, that he may cry and
repent of his transgression which he committed through me.
7 Don't take away his soul right now; but let him live
that he may stand after the measure of his repentance, and
do Your will, as before his death.
8 But if You do not bring him back to life, then, O
God, take away my own soul, that I be like him, and leave
me not in this dungeon, one and alone; for I could not
stand alone in this world, but with him only.
9 For You, O God, caused him to fall asleep, and took
a bone from his side, and restored the flesh in the place
of it, by Your divine power.
10 And You took me, the bone, and make me a woman,
bright like him, with heart, reason, and speech; and in
flesh, like to his own; and You made me after the likeness
of his looks, by Your mercy and power.
11 O Lord, I and he are one, and You, O God, are our
Creator, You are He who made us both in one day.
12 Therefore, O God, give him life, that he may be
with me in this strange land, while we live in it on
account of our transgression.
13 But if You will not give him life, then take me,
even me, like him; that we both may die the same day."
14 And Eve cried bitterly, and fell on our father
Adam; from her great sorrow.
Chapter VI - God's reprimand to Adam and Eve in which he
points out how and why they sinned.
1 But God looked at them; for they had killed
themselves through great grief.
2 But He decided to raise them and comfort them.
3 He, therefore, sent His Word to them; that they
should stand and be raised immediately.
4 And the Lord said to Adam and Eve, "You transgressed
of your own free will, until you came out of the garden in
which I had placed you.
5 Of your own free will have you transgressed through
your desire for divinity, greatness, and an exalted state,
such as I have; so that I deprived you of the bright nature
in which you then were, and I made you come out of the
garden to this land, rough and full of trouble.
6 If only you had not transgressed My commandment and
had kept My law, and had not eaten of the fruit of the tree
which I told you not to come near! And there were fruit
trees in the garden better than that one.
7 But the wicked Satan did not keep his faith and had
no good intent towards Me, that although I had created him,
he considered Me to be useless, and sought the Godhead for
himself; for this I hurled him down from heaven so that he
could not remain in his first estate -- it was he who made
the tree appear pleasant in your eyes, until you ate of it,
by believing his words.
8 Thus have you transgressed My commandment, and
therefore I have brought on you all these sorrows.
9 For I am God the Creator, who, when I created My
creatures, did not intend to destroy them. But after they
had sorely roused My anger, I punished them with grievous
plagues, until they repent.
10 But, if on the contrary, they still continue
hardened in their transgression, they shall be under a
curse forever."
Chapter VII - The beasts are appeased.
1 When Adam and Eve heard these words from God, they
cried and sobbed yet more; but they strengthened their
hearts in God, because they now felt that the Lord was to
them like a father and a mother; and for this very reason,
they cried before Him, and sought mercy from Him.
2 Then God had pity on them, and said: "O Adam, I have
made My covenant with you, and I will not turn from it;
neither will I let you return to the garden, until My
covenant of the great five and a half days is fulfilled."
3 Then Adam said to God, "O Lord, You created us, and
made us fit to be in the garden; and before I transgressed,
You made all beasts come to me, that I should name them.
4 Your grace was then on me; and I named every one according
to Your mind; and you made them all subject to me.
5 But now, O Lord God, that I have transgressed Your
commandment, all beasts will rise against me and will
devour me, and Eve Your handmaid; and will cut off our life
from the face of the earth.
6 I therefore beg you, O God, that since You have made
us come out of the garden, and have made us be in a strange
land, You will not let the beasts hurt us."
7 When the Lord heard these words from Adam, He had
pity on him, and felt that he had truly said that the
beasts of the field would rise and devour him and Eve,
because He, the Lord, was angry with the two of them on
account of their transgressions.
8 Then God commanded the beasts, and the birds, and
all that moves on the earth, to come to Adam and to be
familiar with him, and not to trouble him and Eve; nor yet
any of the good and righteous among their offspring.
9 Then all the beasts paid homage to Adam, according
to the commandment of God; except the serpent, against
which God was angry. It did not come to Adam, with the beasts.
Chapter VIII - The "Bright Nature" of man is taken away.
1 Then Adam cried and said, "O God, when we lived in
the garden, and our hearts were lifted up, we saw the
angels that sang praises in heaven, but now we can't see
like we used to; no, when we entered the cave, all creation
became hidden from us."
2 Then God the Lord said to Adam, "When you were under
subjection to Me, you had a bright nature within you, and
for that reason could you see things far away. But after
your transgression your bright nature was withdrawn from
you; and it was not left to you to see things far away, but
only near at hand; after the ability of the flesh; for it
is brutish."
3 When Adam and Eve had heard these words from God,
they went their way; praising and worshipping Him with a
sorrowful heart.
4 And God ceased to commune with them.
Chapter IX - Water from the Tree of Life. Adam and Eve near drowning.
1 Then Adam and Eve came out of the Cave of Treasures,
and went near to the garden gate, and there they stood to
look at it, and cried for having come away from it.
2 And Adam and Eve went from before the gate of the
garden to the southern side of it, and found there the
water that watered the garden, from the root of the Tree of
Life, and that split itself from there into four rivers
over the earth.
3 Then they came and went near to that water, and
looked at it; and saw that it was the water that came forth
from under the root of the Tree of Life in the garden.
4 And Adam cried and wailed, and beat his chest, for
being severed from the garden; and said to Eve: --
5 "Why have you brought on me, on yourself, and on our
descendants, so many of these plagues and punishments?"
6 And Eve said to him, "What is it you have seen that
has caused you to cry and to speak to me in this manner?"
7 And he said to Eve, "Do you not see this water that
was with us in the garden, that watered the trees of the
garden, and flowed out from there?
8 And we, when we were in the garden, did not care
about it; but since we came to this strange land, we love
it, and turn it to use for our body."
9 But when Eve heard these words from him, she cried;
and from the soreness of their crying, they fell into that
water; and would have put an end to themselves in it, so as
never again to return and behold the creation; for when
they looked at the work of creation, they felt they must
put an end to themselves.
Chapter X - Their bodies need water after they leave the garden.
1 Then God, merciful and gracious, looked at them thus
lying in the water, and close to death, and sent an angel,
who brought them out of the water, and laid them on the
seashore as dead.
2 Then the angel went up to God, was welcome, and
said, "O God, Your creatures have breathed their last."
3 Then God sent His Word to Adam and Eve, who raised
them from their death.
4 And Adam said, after he was raised, "O God, while we
were in the garden we did not require, or care for this
water; but since we came to this land we cannot do without it."
5 Then God said to Adam, "While you were under My
command and were a bright angel, you knew not this water.
6 But now that you have transgressed My commandment,
you can not do without water, wherein to wash your body and
make it grow; for it is now like that of beasts, and is in
want of water."
7 When Adam and Eve heard these words from God, they
cried a bitter cry; and Adam entreated God to let him
return into the garden, and look at it a second time.
8 But God said to Adam, "I have made you a promise;
when that promise is fulfilled, I will bring you back into
the garden, you and your righteous descendants."
9 And God ceased to commune with Adam.
Chapter XI - A recollection of the glorious days in the Garden.
1 Then Adam and Eve felt themselves burning with
thirst, and heat, and sorrow.
2 And Adam said to Eve, "We shall not drink of this
water, even if we were to die. O Eve, when this water
comes into our inner parts, it will increase our
punishments and that of our descendants."
3 Both Adam and Eve then went away from the water, and
drank none of it at all; but came and entered the Cave of
Treasures.
4 But when in it Adam could not see Eve; he only heard
the noise she made. Neither could she see Adam, but heard
the noise he made.
5 Then Adam cried, in deep affliction, and beat his
chest; and he got up and said to Eve, "Where are you?"
6 And she said to him, "Look, I am standing in this
darkness."
7 He then said to her, "Remember the bright nature in
which we lived, when we lived in the garden!
8 O Eve! Remember the glory that rested on us in the
garden. O Eve! Remember the trees that overshadowed us in
the garden while we moved among them.
9 O Eve! Remember that while we were in the garden,
we knew neither night nor day. Think of the Tree of Life,
from below which flowed the water, and that shed lustre
over us! Remember, O Eve, the garden land, and the
brightness thereof!
10 Think, oh think of that garden in which was no
darkness, while we lived in it.
11 Whereas no sooner did we come into this Cave of
Treasures than darkness surrounded us all around; until we
can no longer see each other; and all the pleasure of this
life has come to an end."
Chapter XII - How darkness came between Adam and Eve.
1 Then Adam beat his chest, he and Eve, and they
mourned the whole night until the crack of dawn, and they
sighed over the length of the night in Miyazia.
2 And Adam beat himself, and threw himself on the
ground in the cave, from bitter grief, and because of the
darkness, and lay there as dead.
3 But Eve heard the noise he made in falling on the
ground. And she felt about for him with her hands, and
found him like a corpse.
4 Then she was afraid, speechless, and remained by him.
5 But the merciful Lord looked on the death of Adam,
and on Eve's silence from fear of the darkness.
6 And the Word of God came to Adam and raised him from
his death, and opened Eve's mouth that she might speak.
7 Then Adam stood up in the cave and said, "O God, why
has light departed from us, and darkness covered us? Why
did you leave us in this long darkness? Why do you plague
us like this?
8 And this darkness, O Lord, where was it before it covered us?
It is because of this that we cannot see each other.
9 For so long as we were in the garden, we neither saw
nor even knew what darkness is. I was not hidden from Eve,
neither was she hidden from me, until now that she cannot
see me; and no darkness came over us to separate us from
each other.
10 But she and I were both in one bright light. I saw
her and she saw me. Yet now since we came into this cave,
darkness has covered us, and separated us from each other,
so that I do not see her, and she does not see me.
11 O Lord, will You then plague us with this darkness?"
Chapter XIII - The fall of Adam. Why night and day were created.
1 Then when God, who is merciful and full of pity,
heard Adam's voice, He said to him: --
2 "O Adam, so long as the good angel was obedient to
Me, a bright light rested on him and on his hosts.
3 But when he transgressed My commandment, I deprived
him of that bright nature, and he became dark.
4 And when he was in the heavens, in the realms of light,
he knew nothing of darkness.
5 But he transgressed, and I made him fall from the heaven
onto the earth; and it was this darkness that came over him.
6 And on you, O Adam, while in My garden and obedient
to Me, did that bright light rest also.
7 But when I heard of your transgression, I deprived you
of that bright light. Yet, of My mercy, I did not turn
you into darkness, but I made you your body of flesh,
over which I spread this skin, in order that it may bear
cold and heat.
8 If I had let My wrath fall heavily on you, I should
have destroyed you; and had I turned you into darkness, it
would have been as if I had killed you.
9 But in My mercy, I have made you as you are; when
you transgressed My commandment, O Adam, I drove you from
the garden, and made you come forth into this land; and
commanded you to live in this cave; and darkness covered
you, as it did over him who transgressed My commandment.
10 Thus, O Adam, has this night deceived you. It is
not to last forever; but is only of twelve hours; when it
is over, daylight will return.
11 Sigh not, therefore, neither be moved; and say not
in your heart that this darkness is long and drags on wearily;
and say not in your heart that I plague you with it.
12 Strengthen your heart, and be not afraid. This
darkness is not a punishment. But, O Adam, I have made the
day, and have placed the sun in it to give light; in order
that you and your children should do your work.
13 For I knew you would sin and transgress, and come
out into this land. Yet I wouldn't force you, nor be heard
over you, nor shut up; nor doom you through your fall; nor
through your coming out from light into darkness; nor yet
through your coming from the garden into this land.
14 For I made you of the light; and I willed to bring
out children of light from you and like to you.
15 But you did not keep My commandment one day; until
I had finished the creation and blessed everything in it.
16 Then, concerning the tree, I commanded you not to
eat of it. Yet I knew that Satan, who deceived himself,
would also deceive you.
17 So I made known to you by means of the tree, not to
come near him. And I told you not to eat of the fruit
thereof, nor to taste of it, nor yet to sit under it, nor
to yield to it.
18 Had I not been and spoken to you, O Adam,
concerning the tree, and had I left you without a
commandment, and you had sinned -- it would have been an
offence on My part, for not having given you any order; you
would turn around and blame Me for it.
19 But I commanded you, and warned you, and you fell.
So that My creatures cannot blame Me; but the blame rests
on them alone.
20 And, O Adam, I have made the day so that you and
your descendants can work and toil in it. And I have made
the night for them to rest in it from their work; and for
the beasts of the field to go forth by night and look for
their food.
21 But little of darkness now remains, O Adam, and
daylight will soon appear."
Chapter XIV - The earliest prophesy of the coming of Christ.
1 Then Adam said to God: "O Lord, take You my soul,
and let me not see this gloom any more; or remove me to
some place where there is no darkness."
2 But God the Lord said to Adam, "Indeed I say to you,
this darkness will pass from you, every day I have
determined for you, until the fulfillment of My covenant;
when I will save you and bring you back again into the
garden, into the house of light you long for, in which
there is no darkness*. I will bring you to it -- in the
kingdom of heaven."
3 Again said God to Adam, "All this misery that you
have been made to take on yourself because of your
transgression, will not free you from the hand of Satan,
and will not save you.
4 But I will. When I shall come down from heaven, and
shall become flesh of your descendants, and take on Myself
the infirmity from which you suffer, then the darkness that
covered you in this cave shall cover Me in the grave, when
I am in the flesh of your descendants.
5 And I, who am without years, shall be subject to the
reckoning of years, of times, of months, and of days, and I
shall be reckoned as one of the sons of men, in order to
save you."
6 And God ceased to commune with Adam.
* Reference: John 12:46
Chapter XV - Adam and Eve grieve over the suffering of God
to save them from their sins.
1 Then Adam and Eve cried and sorrowed by reason of
God's word to them, that they should not return to the
garden until the fulfillment of the days decreed on them;
but mostly because God had told them that He should suffer
for their salvation.
Chapter XVI - The first sunrise. Adam and Eve think it is
a fire coming to burn them.
1 After this, Adam and Eve continued to stand in the
cave, praying and crying, until the morning dawned on them.
2 And when they saw the light returned to them, they
retrained from fear, and strengthened their hearts.
3 Then Adam began to come out of the cave. And when
he came to the mouth of it, and stood and turned his face
towards the east, and saw the sunrise in glowing rays, and
felt the heat thereof on his body, he was afraid of it, and
thought in his heart that this flame came forth to plague him.
4 He then cried and beat his chest, then he fell on
the ground on his face and made his request, saying: --
5 "O Lord, plague me not, neither consume me, nor yet
take away my life from the earth."
6 For he thought the sun was God.
7 Because while he was in the garden and heard the
voice of God and the sound He made in the garden, and
feared Him, Adam never saw the brilliant light of the sun,
neither did its flaming heat touch his body.
8 Therefore he was afraid of the sun when flaming rays
of it reached him. He thought God meant to plague him
therewith all the days He had decreed for him.
9 For Adam also said in his thoughts, as God did not
plague us with darkness, behold, He has caused this sun to
rise and to plague us with burning heat.
10 But while he was thinking like this in his heart,
the Word of God came to him and said: --
11 "O Adam, get up on your feet. This sun is not God;
but it has been created to give light by day, of which I
spoke to you in the cave saying, 'that the dawn would come,
and there would be light by day.'
12 But I am God who comforted you in the night."
13 And God ceased to commune with Adam.
Chapter XVII - The Chapter of the Serpent.
1 The Adam and Eve came out at the mouth of the cave,
and went towards the garden.
2 But as they went near it, before the western gate,
from which Satan came when he deceived Adam and Eve, they
found the serpent that became Satan coming at the gate, and
sorrowfully licking the dust, and wiggling on its breast on
the ground, by reason of the curse that fell on it from God.
3 And whereas before the serpent was the most exalted
of all beasts, now it was changed and become slippery, and
the meanest of them all, and it crept on its breast and
went on its belly.
4 And whereas it was the fairest of all beasts, it had
been changed, and was become the ugliest of them all.
Instead of feeding on the best food, now it turned to eat
the dust. Instead of living, as before, in the best
places, now it lived in the dust.
5 And, whereas it had been the most beautiful of all
beasts, all of which stood dumb at its beauty, it was now
abhorred of them.
6 And, again, whereas it lived in one beautiful home,
to which all other animals came from elsewhere; and where
it drank, they drank also of the same; now, after it had
become venomous, by reason of God's curse, all beasts fled
from its home, and would not drink of the water it drank;
but fled from it.
Chapter XVIII - The mortal combat with the serpent.
1 When the accursed serpent saw Adam and Eve, it
swelled its head, stood on its tail, and with eyes blood-
red, acted like it would kill them.
2 It made straight for Eve, and ran after her; while
Adam standing by, cried because he had no stick in his hand
with which to hit the serpent, and did not know how to put
it to death.
3 But with a heart burning for Eve, Adam approached
the serpent, and held it by the tail; when it turned
towards him and said to him: --
4 "O Adam, because of you and of Eve, I am slippery,
and go on my belly." Then with its great strength,
it threw down Adam and Eve and squeezed them,
and tried to kill them.
5 But God sent an angel who threw the serpent away
from them, and raised them up.
6 Then the Word of God came to the serpent, and said
to it, "The first time I made you slick, and made you to go
on your belly; but I did not deprive you of speech.
7 This time, however, you will be mute, and you and
your race will speak no more; because, the first time My
creatures were ruined because of you, and this time you
tried to kill them."
8 Then the serpent was struck mute, and was no longer
able to speak.
9 And a wind blew down from heaven by the command of
God and carried away the serpent from Adam and Eve, and
threw it on the seashore where it landed in India.
Chapter XIX - Beasts made subject to Adam.
1 But Adam and Eve cried before God. And Adam said to Him: --
2 "O Lord, when I was in the cave, I said this to you, my Lord,
the beasts of the field would rise and devour me,
and cut off my life from the earth."
3 Then Adam, because of what had happened to him, beat
his chest and fell on the ground like a corpse. Then the
Word of God came to him, who raised him, and said to him,
4 "O Adam, not one of these beasts will be able to hurt you;
because I have made the beasts and other moving things
come to you in the cave. I did not let the serpent come
with them because it might have risen against you and made
you tremble; and the fear of it should fall into your hearts.
5 For I knew that the accursed one is wicked; therefore
I would not let it come near you with the other beasts.
6 But now strengthen your heart and fear not. I am
with you to the end of the days I have determined on you."
Chapter XX - Adam wishes to protect Eve.
1 Then Adam cried and said, "O God, take us away to
some other place, where the serpent can not come near us
again, and rise against us. For fear that it might find
Your handmaid Eve alone and kill her; for its eyes are
hideous and evil."
2 But God said to Adam and Eve, "From now on, don't be
afraid, I will not let it come near you; I have driven it
away from you, from this mountain; neither will I leave in
it the ability to hurt you."
3 Then Adam and Eve worshipped before God and gave Him
thanks, and praised Him for having delivered them from death.
Chapter XXI - Adam and Eve attempt suicide.
1 Then Adam and Eve went in search of the garden.
2 And the heat beat like a flame on their faces; and
they sweated from the heat, and cried before the Lord.
3 But the place where they cried was close to a high mountain,
facing the western gate of the garden.
4 Then Adam threw himself down from the top of that
mountain; his face was torn and his flesh was ripped; he
lost a lot of blood and was close to death.
5 Meanwhile Eve remained standing on the mountain
crying over him, thus lying.
6 And she said, "I don't wish to live after him; for
all that he did to himself was through me."
7 Then she threw herself after him; and was torn and
ripped by stones; and remained lying as dead.
8 But the merciful God, who looks over His creatures,
looked at Adam and Eve as they lay dead, and He sent His
Word to them, and raised them.
9 And said to Adam, "O Adam, all this misery which you
have brought on yourself, will have no affect against My rule,
neither will it alter the covenant of the 5, 500 years."
Chapter XXII - Adam in a gracious mood.
1 Then Adam said to God, "I dry up in the heat, I am
faint from walking, and I don't want to be in this world.
And I don't know when You will take me out of it to rest."
2 Then the Lord God said to him, "O Adam, it cannot be
now, not until you have ended your days. Then shall I
bring you out of this miserable land."
3 And Adam said to God, "While I was in the garden I
knew neither heat, nor languor, neither moving about, nor
trembling, nor fear; but now since I came to this land, all
this affliction has come over me.
4 Then God said to Adam, "So long as you were keeping
My commandment, My light and My grace rested on you. But
when you transgressed My commandment, sorrow and misery
came to you in this land."
5 And Adam cried and said, "O Lord, do not cut me off
for this, neither punish me with heavy plagues, nor yet
repay me according to my sin; for we, of our own will,
transgressed Your commandment, and ignored Your law, and
tried to become gods like you, when Satan the enemy
deceived us."
6 Then God said again to Adam, "Because you have
endured fear and trembling in this land, languor and
suffering, treading and walking about, going on this
mountain, and dying from it, I will take all this on Myself
in order to save you."
Chapter XXIII - Adam and Eve strengthen themselves and make
the first altar ever built.
1 Then Adam cried more and said, "O God, have mercy on
me, so far as to take on yourself, that which I will do."
2 But God withdrew His Word from Adam and Eve.
3 Then Adam and Eve stood on their feet; and Adam said to Eve,
"Strengthen yourself, and I also will strengthen myself."
And she strengthened herself, as Adam told her.
4 Then Adam and Eve took stones and placed them in the
shape of an altar; and they took leaves from the trees
outside the garden, with which they wiped, from the face of
the rock, the blood they had spilled.
5 But that which had dropped on the sand, they took
together with the dust with which it was mingled and
offered it on the altar as an offering to God.
6 Then Adam and Eve stood under the Altar and cried,
thus praying to God, "Forgive us our trespass* and our sin,
and look at us with Thine eye of mercy. For when we were
in the garden our praises and our hymns went up before you
without ceasing.
7 But when we came into this strange land, pure praise
was not longer ours, nor righteous prayer, nor
understanding hearts, nor sweet thoughts, nor just
counsels, nor long discernment, nor upright feelings,
neither is our bright nature left us. But our body is
changed from the likeness in which it was at first, when we
were created.
8 Yet now look at our blood which is offered on these
stones, and accept it at our hands, like the praise we used
to sing to you at first, when in the garden."
9 And Adam began to make more requests of God.
* ORIGINAL OF THE LORD'S PRAYER SAID TO BE USED ABOUT
150 YEARS BEFORE OUR LORD: Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
be gracious unto us, O Lord our God, hallowed be Your Name,
and let the remembrance of Thee be glorified Heaven above
and upon earth here below.
Let Your kingdom reign over us now and forever. The
Holy Men of old said remit and forgive unto all men
whatsoever they have done unto me. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing; for Thine
is the kingdom and Thou shalt reign in glory forever and
forevermore, AMEN.
Chapter XXIV - A vivid prophecy of the life and death of Christ.
1 Then the merciful God, good and lover of men, looked
at Adam and Eve, and at their blood, which they had held up
as an offering to Him; without an order from Him for so
doing. But He wondered at them; and accepted their
offerings.
2 And God sent from His presence a bright fire, that
consumed their offering.
3 He smelled the sweet savor of their offering, and
showed them mercy.
4 Then came the Word of God to Adam, and said to him,
"O Adam, as you have shed your blood, so will I shed My own
blood when I become flesh of your descendants; and as you
died, O Adam, so also will I die. And as you built an
altar, so also will I make for you an altar of the earth;
and as you offered your blood on it, so also will I offer
My blood on an altar on the earth.
5 And as you sued for forgiveness through that blood,
so also will I make My blood forgiveness of sins, and erase
transgressions in it.
6 And now, behold, I have accepted your offering, O
Adam, but the days of the covenant in which I have bound
you are not fulfilled. When they are fulfilled, then will
I bring you back into the garden.
7 Now, therefore, strengthen your heart; and when
sorrow comes over you, make Me an offering, and I will be
favorable to you."
Chapter XXV - God represented as merciful and loving.
The establishing of worship.
1 But God knew that Adam believed he should frequently
kill himself and make an offering to Him of his blood.
2 Therefore He said to him, "O Adam, don't ever kill
yourself like this again, by throwing yourself down from
that mountain."
3 But Adam said to God, "I was thinking to put an end
to myself at once, for having transgressed Your
commandments, and for my having come out of the beautiful
garden; and for the bright light of which You have deprived
me; and for the praises which poured forth from my mouth
without ceasing, and for the light that covered me.
4 Yet of Your goodness, O God, do not get rid of me
altogether; but be favorable to me every time I die, and
bring me to life.
5 And thereby it will be made known that You are a
merciful God, who does not want anyone to perish; who loves
not that one should fall; and who does not condemn any one
cruelly, badly, and by whole destruction."
6 Then Adam remained silent.
7 And the Word of God came to him, and blessed him,
and comforted him, and covenanted with him, that He would
save him at the end of the days determined for him.
8 This, then, was the first offering Adam made to God;
and so it became his custom to do.
Chapter XXVI - A beautiful prophecy of eternal life and joy
(v. 15). The fall of night.
1 Then Adam took Eve, and they began to return to the
Cave of Treasures where they lived. But when they got
closer to it and saw it from a distance, heavy sorrow fell
on Adam and Eve when they looked at it.
2 Then Adam said to Eve, "When we were on the mountain
we were comforted by the Word of God that conversed with
us; and the light that came from the east shown over us.
3 But now the Word of God is hidden from us; and the
light that shown over us is so changed as to disappear, and
let darkness and sorrow come over us.
4 And we are forced to enter this cave which is like a
prison, in which darkness covers us, so that we are
separated from each other; and you can not see me, neither
can I see you."
5 When Adam had said these words, they cried and
spread their hands before God; for they were full of
sorrow.
6 And they prayed to God to bring the sun to them, to
shine on them, so that darkness would not return to them,
and that they wouldn't have to go under this covering of
rock. And they wished to die rather than see the darkness.
7 Then God looked at Adam and Eve and at their great
sorrow, and at all they had done with a fervent heart, on
account of all the trouble they were in, instead of their
former well-being, and on account of all the misery that
came over them in a strange land.
8 Therefore God was not angry with them; nor impatient
with them; but he was patient and forbearing towards them,
as towards the children He had created.
9 Then came the Word of God to Adam, and said to him,
"Adam, as for the sun, if I were to take it and bring it to
you, days, hours, years and months would all stop, and the
covenant I have made with you, would never be fulfilled.
10 But then you would be deserted and stuck in a
perpetual plague, and you would never be saved.
11 Yes, rather, bear long and calm your soul while you
live night and day; until the fulfillment of the days, and
the time of My covenant is come.
12 Then shall I come and save you, O Adam, for I do
not wish that you be afflicted.
13 And when I look at all the good things in which you
lived, and why you came out of them, then would I willingly
show you mercy.
14 But I cannot alter the covenant that has gone out
of My mouth; otherwise I would have brought you back into
the garden.
15 When, however, the covenant is fulfilled, then
shall I show you and your descendants mercy, and bring you
into a land of gladness, where there is neither sorrow nor
suffering; but abiding joy and gladness, and light that
never fails, and praises that never cease; and a beautiful
garden that shall never pass away."
16 And God said again to Adam, "Be patient and enter the cave,
for the darkness, of which you were afraid, shall only be
twelve hours long; and when ended, light shall come up."
17 Then when Adam heard these words from God, he and
Eve worshipped before Him, and their hearts were comforted.
They returned into the cave after their custom, while tears
flowed from their eyes, sorrow and wailing came from their
hearts, and they wished their soul would leave their body.
18 And Adam and Eve stood praying until the darkness
of night came over them, and Adam was hid from Eve, and she
from him.
19 And they remained standing in prayer.
Chapter XXVII - The second tempting of Adam and Eve.
The devil takes on the form of a beguiling light.
1 When Satan, the hater of all good, saw how they
continued in prayer, and how God communed with them, and
comforted them, and how He had accepted their offering --
Satan made an apparition.
2 He began with transforming his hosts; in his hands
was a flashing fire, and they were in a great light.
3 He then placed his throne near the mouth of the cave
because he could not enter into it by reason of their prayers.
And he shed light into the cave, until the cave glistened over
Adam and Eve; while his hosts began to sing praises.
4 And Satan did this, in order that when Adam saw the
light, he should think within himself that it was a
heavenly light, and that Satan's hosts were angels; and
that God had sent them to watch at the cave, and to give
him light in the darkness.
5 So that when Adam came out of the cave and saw them,
and Adam and Eve bowed to Satan, then he would overcome
Adam thereby, and a second time humble him before God.
6 When, therefore, Adam and Eve saw the light,
fancying it was real, they strengthened their hearts; yet,
as they were trembling, Adam said to Eve: --
7 "Look at that great light, and at those many songs
of praise, and at that host standing outside who won't come
into our cave. Why don't they tell us what they want,
where they are from, what the meaning of this light is,
what those praises are, why they have been sent to this
place, and why they won't come in?
8 If they were from God, they would come into the cave
with us, and would tell us why they were sent."
9 Then Adam stood up and prayed to God with a burning
heart, and said: --
10 "O Lord, is there in the world another god besides
You, who created angels and filled them with light, and
sent them to keep us, who would come with them?
11 But, look, we see these hosts that stand at the
mouth of the cave; they are in a great light; they sing
loud praises. If they are of some other god than You, tell
me; and if they are sent by you, inform me of the reason
for which You have sent them."
12 No sooner had Adam said this, than an angel from
God appeared to him in the cave, who said to him, "O Adam,
fear not. This is Satan and his hosts; he wishes to
deceive you as he deceived you at first. For the first
time, he was hidden in the serpent; but this time he is
come to you in the likeness of an angel of light; in order
that, when you worshipped him, he might enslave you, in the
very presence of God."
13 Then the angel went from Adam and seized Satan at
the opening of the cave, and stripped him of the pretense
he had assumed, and brought him in his own hideous form to
Adam and Eve; who were afraid of him when they saw him.
14 And the angel said to Adam, "This hideous form has
been his ever since God made him fall from heaven. He
could not have come near you in it; he therefore
transformed himself into an angel of light."
15 Then the angel drove away Satan and his hosts from
Adam and Eve, and said to them, "Fear not; God who created
you, will strengthen you."
16 And the angel left them.
17 But Adam and Eve remained standing in the cave; no
consolation came to them; they divided in their thoughts.
18 And when it was morning they prayed; and then went
out to seek the garden. For their hearts were towards it,
and they could get no consolation for having left it.
Chapter XXVIII - The Devil pretends to lead Adam and Eve to
the water to bathe.
1 But when the crafty Satan saw them, that they were
going to the garden, he gathered together his host, and
came in appearance on a cloud, intent on deceiving them.
2 But when Adam and Eve saw him thus in a vision, they
thought they were angels of God come to comfort them about
having left the garden, or to bring them back again into it.
3 And Adam spread his hands before God, beseeching Him
to make him understand what they were.
4 Then Satan, the hater of all good, said to Adam, "O
Adam, I am an angel of the great God; and, behold the hosts
that surround me.
5 God has sent us to take you and bring you to the
border of the garden northwards; to the shore of the clear
sea, and bathe you and Eve in it, and raise you to your
former gladness, that you return again to the garden."
6 These words sank into the heart of Adam and Eve.
7 Yet God withheld His Word from Adam, and did not
make him understand at once, but waited to see his
strength; whether he would be overcome as Eve was when in
the garden, or whether he would prevail.
8 Then Satan called to Adam and Eve, and said,
"Behold, we go to the sea of water," and they began to go.
9 And Adam and Eve followed them at some little distance.
10 But when they came to the mountain to the north of
the garden, a very high mountain, without any steps to the
top of it, the Devil drew near to Adam and Eve, and made
them go up to the top in reality, and not in a vision;
wishing, as he did, to throw them down and kill them, and
to wipe off their name from the earth; so that this earth
should remain to him and his hosts alone.
Chapter XXIX - God tells Adam of the Devil's purpose. (v. 4).
1 But when the merciful God saw that Satan wished to
kill Adam with his many tricks, and saw that Adam was meek
and without guile, God spoke to Satan in a loud voice, and
cursed him.
2 Then he and his hosts fled, and Adam and Eve
remained standing on the top of the mountain, from there
they saw below them the wide world, high above which they
were. But they saw none of the host which time after time
were by them.
3 They cried, both Adam and Eve, before God, and
begged for forgiveness of Him.
4 Then came the Word from God to Adam, and said to
him, "Know you and understand concerning this Satan, that
he seeks to deceive you and your descendants after you."
5 And Adam cried before the Lord God, and begged and
prayed to Him to give him something from the garden, as a
token to him, wherein to be comforted.
6 And God considered Adam's thought, and sent the
angel Michael as far as the sea that reaches India, to take
from there golden rods and bring them to Adam.
7 This did God in His wisdom in order that these
golden rods, being with Adam in the cave, should shine
forth with light in the night around him, and put an end to
his fear of the darkness.
8 Then the angel Michael went down by God's order,
took golden rods, as God had commanded him, and brought
them to God.
Chapter XXX - Adam receives the first worldly goods.
1 After these things, God commanded the angel Gabriel
to go down to the garden, and say to the cherub who kept
it, "Behold, God has commanded me to come into the garden,
and to take from it sweet smelling incense, and give it to Adam."
2 Then the angel Gabriel went down by God's order to
the garden, and told the cherub as God had commanded him.
3 The cherub then said, "Well." And Gabriel went in
and took the incense.
4 Then God commanded his angel Raphael to go down to
the garden, and speak to the cherub about some myrrh, to
give to Adam.
5 And the angel Raphael went down and told the cherub
as God had commanded him, and the cherub said, "Well."
Then Raphael went in and took the myrrh.
6 The golden rods were from the Indian sea, where
there are precious stones. The incense was from the
eastern border of the garden; and the myrrh from the
western border, from where bitterness came over Adam.
7 And the angels brought these things to God, by the
Tree of Life, in the garden.
8 Then God said to the angels, "Dip them in the spring
of water; then take them and sprinkle their water over Adam
and Eve, that they be a little comforted in their sorrow,
and give them to Adam and Eve.
9 And the angels did as God had commanded them, and
they gave all those things to Adam and Eve on the top of
the mountain on which Satan had placed them, when he sought
to make an end of them.
10 And when Adam saw the golden rods, the incense and
the myrrh, he was rejoiced and cried because he thought
that the gold was a token of the kingdom from where he had
come, that the incense was a token of the bright light
which had been taken from him, and that the myrrh was a
token of the sorrow in which he was.
Chapter XXXI - They make themselves more comfortable
in the Cave of Treasures on the third day.
1 After these things God said to Adam, "You asked Me
for something from the garden, to be comforted therewith,
and I have given you these three tokens as a consolation to
you; that you trust in Me and in My covenant with you.
2 For I will come and save you; and kings shall bring
me when in the flesh, gold, incense and myrrh; gold as a
token of My kingdom; incense as a token of My divinity; and
myrrh as a token of My suffering and of My death.
3 But, O Adam, put these by you in the cave; the gold
that it may shed light over you by night; the incense, that
you smell its sweet savor; and the myrrh, to comfort you in
your sorrow."
4 When Adam heard these words from God, he worshipped
before Him. He and Eve worshipped Him and gave Him thanks,
because He had dealt mercifully with them.
5 Then God commanded the three angels, Michael,
Gabriel and Raphael, each to bring what he had brought, and
give it to Adam. And they did so, one by one.
6 And God commanded Suriyel and Salathiel to bear up
Adam and Eve, and bring them down from the top of the high
mountain, and to take them to the Cave of Treasures.
7 There they laid the gold on the south side of the cave,
the incense on the eastern side, and the myrrh on the western side.
For the mouth of the cave was on the north side.
8 The angels then comforted Adam and Eve, and departed.
9 The gold was seventy rods*; the incense, twelve
pounds; and the myrrh, three pounds.
10 These remained by Adam in the Cave of Treasures**.
11 God gave these three things to Adam on the third day
after he had come out of the garden, in token of the
three days the Lord should remain in the heart of the earth.
12 And these three things, as they continued with Adam
in the cave, gave him light by night; and by day they gave
him a little relief from his sorrow.
* A rod is a unit of linear measure equivalent to 5.5
yards and also a unit of area measure equivalent to 30.25
square yards. In this case, the word rod simply means a kind
of long, thin piece of gold of unspecified size and weight.
** This is the original text which appears to contain
embedded editorial content: "These remained by Adam in the
House of Treasures; therefore was it called 'of
concealment.' But other interpreters say it was called the
'Cave of Treasures,' by reason of the bodies of righteous
men that were in it.
Chapter XXXII - Adam and Eve go into the water to pray.
1 And Adam and Eve remained in the Cave of Treasures
until the seventh day; they neither ate of the fruit the
earth, nor drank water.
2 And when it dawned on the eighth day, Adam said to
Eve, "O Eve, we prayed God to give us something from the
garden, and He sent his angels who brought us what we had
desired.
3 But now, get up, let us go to the sea of water we
saw at first, and let us stand in it, praying that God will
again be favorable to us and take us back to the garden; or
give us something; or that He will give us comfort in some
other land than this in which we are."
4 Then Adam and Eve came out of the cave, went and
stood on the border of the sea in which they had before
thrown themselves, and Adam said to Eve:--
5 Come, go down into this place, and come not out of
it until the end of thirty days, when I shall come to you.
And pray to God with burning heart and a sweet voice, to
forgive us.
6 And I will go to another place, and go down into it,
and do like you."
7 Then Eve went down into the water, as Adam had
commanded her. Adam also went down into the water; and
they stood praying; and besought the Lord to forgive them
their offense, and to restore them to their former state.
8 And they stood like that praying, until the end of
the thirty-five days.
Chapter XXXIII - Satan falsely promises the "bright light."
1 But Satan, the hater of all good, sought them in the cave,
but found them not, although he searched diligently for them.
2 But he found them standing in the water praying and
thought within himself, "Adam and Eve are standing like
that in that water praying to God to forgive them their
transgression, and to restore them to their former state,
and to take them from under my hand.
3 But I will deceive them so that they shall come out
of the water, and not fulfil their vow."
4 Then the hater of all good, went not to Adam, but he
went to Eve, and took the form of an angel of God, praising
and rejoicing, and said to her:--
5 "Peace be to you! Be glad and rejoice! God is
favorable to you, and He sent me to Adam. I have brought
him the glad tidings of salvation, and of his being filled
with bright light as he was at first.
6 And Adam, in his joy for his restoration, has sent
me to you, that you come to me, in order that I crown you
with light like him.
7 And he said to me, 'Speak to Eve; if she does not
come with you, tell her of the sign when we were on the top
of the mountain; how God sent his angels who took us and
brought us to the Cave of Treasures; and laid the gold on
the southern side; incense, on the eastern side; and myrrh
on the western side.' Now come to him."
8 When Eve hear these words from him, she rejoiced
greatly. And thinking Satan's appearance was real, she
came out of the sea.
9 He went before, and she followed him until they came to Adam.
Then Satan hid himself from her, and she saw him no more.
10 She then came and stood before Adam, who was
standing by the water and rejoicing in God's forgiveness.
11 And as she called to him, he turned around, found
her there and cried when he saw her, and beat his chest;
and from the bitterness of his grief, he sank into the water.
12 But God looked at him and at his misery, and at his
being about to breathe his last. And the Word of God came
from heaven, raised him out of the water, and said to him,
"Go up the high bank to Eve." And when he came up to Eve
he said to her, "Who told you to come here?"
13 Then she told him the discourse of the angel who
had appeared to her and had given her a sign.
14 But Adam grieved, and gave her to know it was Satan.
He then took her and they both returned to the cave.
15 These things happened to them the second time they
went down to the water, seven days after their coming out
of the garden.
16 They fasted in the water thirty-five days;
altogether forty-two days since they had left the garden.
Chapter XXXIV - Adam recalls the creation of Eve.
He eloquently appeals for food and drink.
1 And on the morning of the forty-third day, they came
out of the cave, sorrowful and crying. Their bodies were
lean, and they were parched from hunger and thirst, from
fasting and praying, and from their heavy sorrow on account
of their transgression.
2 And when they had come out of the cave they went up
the mountain to the west of the garden.
3 There they stood and prayed and besought God to
grant them forgiveness of their sins.
4 And after their prayers Adam began to beg God,
saying, "O my Lord, my God, and my Creator, You commanded
the four elements* to be gathered together, and they were
gathered together by Thine order.
5 Then You spread Your hand and created me out of one
element, that of dust of the earth; and You brought me into
the garden at the third hour, on a Friday, and informed me
of it in the cave.
6 Then, at first, I knew neither night nor day, for I
had a bright nature; neither did the light in which I lived
ever leave me to know night or day.
7 Then, again, O Lord, in that third hour in which You
created me, You brought to me all beasts, and lions, and
ostriches, and fowls of the air, and all things that move
in the earth, which You had created at the first hour
before me of the Friday.
8 And Your will was that I should name them all, one
by one, with a suitable name. But You gave me
understanding and knowledge, and a pure heart and a right
mind from you, that I should name them after Thine own mind
regarding the naming of them.
9 O God, You made them obedient to me, and ordered
that not one of them break from my sway, according to Your
commandment, and to the dominion which You had given me
over them. But now they are all estranged from me.
10 Then it was in that third hour of Friday, in which
You created me, and commanded me concerning the tree, to
which I was neither to go near, nor to eat thereof; for You
said to me in the garden, 'When you eat of it, of death you
shall die.'
11 And if You had punished me as You said, with death,
I should have died that very moment.
12 Moreover, when You commanded me regarding the tree,
I was neither to approach nor to eat thereof, Eve was not
with me; You had not yet created her, neither had You yet
taken her out of my side; nor had she yet heard this order
from you.
13 Then, at the end of the third hour of that Friday,
O Lord, You caused a slumber and a sleep to come over me,
and I slept, and was overwhelmed in sleep.
14 Then You drew a rib out of my side, and created it
after my own likeness and image. Then I awoke; and when I
saw her and knew who she was, I said, 'This is bone of my
bones, and flesh of my flesh; from now on she shall be
called woman.'
15 It was of Your good will, O God, that You brought a
slumber in a sleep over me, and that You immediately
brought Eve out of my side, until she was out, so that I
did not see how she was made; neither could I witness, O my
Lord, how awful and great are Your goodness and glory.
16 And of Your goodwill, O Lord, You made us both with
bodies of a bright nature, and You made us two, one; and
You gave us Your grace, and filled us with praises of the
Holy Spirit; that we should be neither hungry nor thirsty,
nor know what sorrow is, nor yet faintness of heart;
neither suffering, fasting nor weariness.
17 But now, O God, since we transgressed Your
commandment and broke Your law, You have brought us out
into a strange land, and have caused suffering, and
faintness, hunger and thirst to come over us.
18 Now, therefore, O God, we pray you, give us
something to eat from the garden, to satisfy our hunger
with it; and something wherewith to quench our thirst.
19 For, behold, many days, O God, we have tasted
nothing and drunk nothing, and our flesh is dried up, and
our strength is wasted, and sleep is gone from our eyes
from faintness and crying.
20 Then, O God, we dare not gather anything from the
fruit of trees, from fear of you. For when we transgress
at first You spared us and did not make us die.
21 But now, we thought in our hearts, if we eat of the
fruit of the trees, without God's order, He will destroy us
this time, and will wipe us off from the face of the earth.
22 And if we drink of this water, without God's order,
He will make an end of us and root us up at once.
23 Now, therefore, O God, that I am come to this place
with Eve, we beg You to give us some fruit from the garden,
that we may be satisfied with it.
24 For we desire the fruit that is on the earth, and
all else that we lack in it."
* The medieval belief that there were only four
elements - fire, earth, air, and water - was widely
accepted until about 1500 AD when the current atomic theory
was in its infancy.
Chapter XXXV - God's reply.
1 Then God looked again at Adam and his crying and groaning,
and the Word of God came to him, and said to him: --
2 "O Adam, when you were in My garden, you knew
neither eating nor drinking; neither faintness nor
suffering; neither leanness of flesh, nor change; neither
did sleep depart from thine eyes. But since you
transgressed, and came into this strange land, all these
trials are come over you."
Chapter XXXVI - Figs.
1 Then God commanded the cherub, who kept the gate of
the garden with a sword of fire in his hand, to take some
of the fruit of the fig-tree, and to give it to Adam.
2 The cherub obeyed the command of the Lord God, and
went into the garden and brought two figs on two twigs,
each fig hanging to its leaf; they were from two of the
trees among which Adam and Eve hid themselves when God went
to walk in the garden, and the Word of God came to Adam and
Eve and said to them, "Adam, Adam, where are you?"
3 And Adam answered, "O God, here I am. When I heard the sound
of You and Your voice, I hid myself, because I am naked."
4 Then the cherub took two figs and brought them to
Adam and Eve. But he threw them to them from a distance;
for they might not come near the cherub by reason of their
flesh, that could not come near the fire.
5 At first, angels trembled at the presence of Adam
and were afraid of him. But now Adam trembled before the
angels and was afraid of them.
6 Then Adam came closer and took one fig, and Eve also
came in turn and took the other.
7 And as they took them up in their hands, they looked
at them, and knew they were from the trees among which they
had hidden themselves.
Chapter XXXVII - Forty-three days of penance do not redeem
one hour of sin (v. 6).
1 Then Adam said to Eve, "Do you not see these figs
and their leaves, with which we covered ourselves when we
were stripped of our bright nature? But now, we do not
know what misery and suffering may come over us from eating them.
2 Now, therefore, O Eve, let us restrain ourselves and
not eat of them, you and I; and let us ask God to give us
of the fruit of the Tree of Life."
3 Thus did Adam and Eve restrain themselves, and did
not eat of these figs.
4 But Adam began to pray to God and to beseech Him to
give him of the fruit of the Tree of Life, saying thus: "O
God, when we transgressed Your commandment at the sixth
hour of Friday, we were stripped of the bright nature we
had, and did not continue in the garden after our
transgression, more than three hours.
5 But in the evening You made us come out of it. O
God, we transgressed against You one hour, and all these
trials and sorrows have come over us until this day.
6 And those days together with this the forty-third
day, do not redeem that one hour in which we transgressed!
7 O God, look at us with an eye of pity, and do not
avenge us according to our transgression of Your
commandment, in Your presence.
8 O God, give us of the fruit of the Tree of Life,
that we may eat of it, and live, and turn not to see
sufferings and other trouble, in this earth; for You are God.
9 When we transgressed Your commandment, You made us
come out of the garden, and sent a cherub to keep the Tree
of Life, lest we should eat thereof, and live; and know
nothing of faintness after we transgressed.
10 But now, O Lord, behold, we have endured all these
days, and have borne sufferings. Make these forty-three
days an equivalent for the one hour in which we transgressed."
Chapter XXXVIII - "When 5500 years are fulfilled. . . ."
1 After these things the Word of God came to Adam, and said to him: --
2 "O Adam, as to the fruit on the Tree of Life that
you have asked for, I will not give it to you now, but only
when the 5500 years are fulfilled. At that time I will
give you fruit from the Tree of Life, and you will eat, and
live forever, you, and Eve, and your righteous descendants.
3 But these forty-three days cannot make amends for
the hour in which you transgressed My commandment.
4 O Adam, I gave you the fruit of the fig-tree to eat
in which you hid yourself. Go and eat of it, you and Eve.
5 I will not deny your request, neither will I
disappoint your hope; therefore, endure until the
fulfillment of the covenant I made with you."
6 And God withdrew His Word from Adam.
Chapter XXXIX - Adam is cautious -- but too late.
1 Then Adam returned to Eve, and said to her, "Get up,
and take a fig for yourself, and I will take another; and
let us go to our cave."
2 Then Adam and Eve took each a fig and went towards
the cave; the time was about the setting of the sun; and
their thoughts made them long to eat of the fruit.
3 But Adam said to Eve, "I am afraid to eat of this fig.
I know not what may come over me from it."
4 So Adam cried, and stood praying before God, saying,
"Satisfy my hunger, without my having to eat this fig; for
after I have eaten it, what will it profit me? And what
shall I desire and ask of you, O God, when it is gone?"
5 And he said again, "I am afraid to eat of it; for I
know not what will befall me through it."
Chapter XL - The first Human hunger.
1 Then the Word of God came to Adam, and said to him,
"O Adam, why didn't you have this dread, or this fasting,
or this care before now? And why didn't you have this fear
before you transgressed?
2 But when you came to live in this strange land, your
animal body could not survive on earth without earthly
food, to strengthen it and to restore its powers."
3 And God withdrew His Word for Adam.
Chapter XLI - The first Human thirst.
1 Then Adam took the fig, and laid it on the golden
rods. Eve also took her fig, and put it on the incense.
2 And the weight of each fig was that of a water-melon;
for the fruit of the garden was much larger than the
fruit of this land*.
3 But Adam and Eve remained standing and fasting the
whole of that night, until the morning dawned.
4 When the sun rose they were still praying, but after
they had finished praying, Adam said to Eve: --
5 "O Eve, come, let us go to the border of the garden
looking south; to the place from where the river flows, and
is parted into four heads. There we will pray to God, and
ask Him to give us some of the Water of Life to drink .
6 For God has not fed us with the Tree of Life, in
order that we may not live. Therefore, we will ask him to
give us some of the Water of Life, and to quench our thirst
with it, rather than with a drink of water of this land."
7 When Eve heard these words from Adam, she agreed;
and they both got up and came to the southern border of the
garden, at the edge of the river of water a short distance
from the garden.
8 And they stood and prayed before the Lord, and asked
Him to look at them this once, to forgive them, and to
grant them their request.
9 After this prayer from both of them, Adam began to
pray with his voice before God, and said; --
10 "O Lord, when I was in the garden and saw the water
that flowed from under the Tree of Life, my heart did not
desire, neither did my body require to drink of it; neither
did I know thirst, for I was living; and above that which I am now.
11 So that in order to live I did not require any Food
of Life, neither did I drink of the Water of Life.
12 But now, O God, I am dead; my flesh is parched with
thirst. Give me of the Water of Life that I may drink of
it and live.
13 Of Your mercy, O God, save me from these plagues
and trials, and bring me into another land different from
this, if You will not let me live in Your garden."
* This is substantiated by Genesis 3:7 whereby the
leaves of the fig tree were large enough that Adam and Eve
could fashion garments from them.
Chapter XLII - A promise of the Water of Life. The third
prophecy of the coming of Christ.
1 Then came the Word of God to Adam, and said to him:--
2 "O Adam, as to what you said, 'Bring me into a land
where there is rest,' it is not another land than this, but
it is the kingdom of heaven where alone there is rest.
3 But you can not make your entrance into it at
present; but only after your judgment is past and
fulfilled.
4 Then will I make you go up into the kingdom of
heaven, you and your righteous descendants; and I will give
you and them the rest you ask for at present.
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