First Book of Adam and Eve Part 7

5 G.o.d has sent us to take you and bring you to the border of the garden northwards; to the sh.o.r.e 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 G.o.d 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; wis.h.i.+ng, 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 - G.o.d tells Adam of the Devil's purpose. (v. 4).

1 But when the merciful G.o.d saw that Satan wished to kill Adam with his many tricks, and saw that Adam was meek and without guile, G.o.d 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 G.o.d, and begged for forgiveness of Him.

4 Then came the Word from G.o.d 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 G.o.d, and begged and prayed to Him to give him something from the garden, as a token to him, wherein to be comforted.

6 And G.o.d 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 G.o.d in His wisdom in order that these golden rods, being with Adam in the cave, should s.h.i.+ne 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 G.o.d's order, took golden rods, as G.o.d had commanded him, and brought them to G.o.d.

Chapter x.x.x - Adam receives the first worldly goods.

1 After these things, G.o.d commanded the angel Gabriel to go down to the garden, and say to the cherub who kept it, "Behold, G.o.d 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 G.o.d's order to the garden, and told the cherub as G.o.d had commanded him.

3 The cherub then said, "Well." And Gabriel went in and took the incense.

4 Then G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d, by the Tree of Life, in the garden.

8 Then G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 x.x.xI - They make themselves more comfortable in the Cave of Treasures on the third day.

1 After these things G.o.d 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 G.o.d, he wors.h.i.+pped before Him. He and Eve wors.h.i.+pped Him and gave Him thanks, because He had dealt mercifully with them.

5 Then G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 x.x.xII - 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 G.o.d to give us something from the garden, and He sent his angels who brought us what we had desired.