First Book of Adam and Eve Part 5

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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d, "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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d, "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 G.o.d 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 G.o.ds like you, when Satan the enemy deceived us."

6 Then G.o.d 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 G.o.d, have mercy on me, so far as to take on yourself, that which I will do."

2 But G.o.d 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 G.o.d.

6 Then Adam and Eve stood under the Altar and cried, thus praying to G.o.d, "Forgive us our trespa.s.s* 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 G.o.d.

* 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 - G.o.d represented as merciful and loving. The establis.h.i.+ng of wors.h.i.+p.

1 But G.o.d 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 G.o.d, "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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d 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.