The First Book of Adam and Eve
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.