The Odes of Solomon is a collection of 42 odes attributed to Solomon. Various scholars have dated the composition of these religious poems to anywhere in the range of the first three centuries A.D.. The original language of the Odes is thought to have been either Greek or Syriac, and to be generally Christian in background. After the discovery of portions of the Odes of Solomon in Pistis Sophia, scholars searched to find more complete copies of these intriguing texts. In 1909, James Rendel Harris discovered a pile of forgotten leaves from a Syriac manuscript lying on a shelf in his study. Unfortunately, all he could recall was that they came from the 'neighborhood of the Tigris'. The manuscript (Cod. Syr. 9 in the John Rylands Library) is the most complete of the extant texts of the Odes. The manuscript begins with the second strophe of the first verse of Ode 3 (the first two odes have been lost). The manuscript gives the entire corpus of the Odes of Solomon through to the end of Ode 42. Then the Psalms of Solomon (earlier Jewish religious poetry that is often bound with the later Odes) follow, until the beginning of Psalm 17:38 and the end of the manuscript has been lost. However, the Harris manuscript is a late copy — certainly no earlier than the 15th century. In 1912, F. C. Burkitt discovered an older manuscript of the Odes of Solomon in the British Museum (BM Add. 14538). The Codex Nitriensis came from the Monastery of the Syrian in Wadi El Natrun, sixty miles west of Cairo. It presents Ode 17:7b to the end of Ode 42, followed by the Psalms of Solomon in one continuous numbering. Nitriensis is written in far denser script than the Harris manuscript, which often makes it illegible. However, Nitriensis is earlier than Harris by about five centuries (although Mingana dated it to the 13th century).
The Odes of Solomon
Ode 1
1 The Lord is on my head like a crown, and I shall never be without Him.
2 Plaited for me is the crown of truth, and it caused Your branches to blossom in me.
3 For it is not like a parched crown that blossoms not;
4 For You live upon my head, and have blossomed upon me.
5 Your fruits are full and complete; they are full of Your salvation [. . .]
Ode 2
[Has not yet been found]
Ode 3
1 [. . .] I am putting on the love of the Lord.
2 And His members are with Him, and I am dependent on them; and He loves me.
3 For I should not have known how to love the Lord, if He had not continuously loved me.
4 Who is able to distinguish love, except him who is loved?
5 I love the Beloved and I myself love Him, and where His rest is, there also am I.
6 And I shall be no stranger, because there is no jealousy with the Lord Most High and Merciful.
7 I have been united to Him, because the lover has found the Beloved, because I love Him that is the Son, I shall become a son.
8 Indeed he who is joined to Him who is immortal, truly shall be immortal.
9 And he who delights in the Life will become living.
10 This is the Spirit of the Lord, which is not false, which teaches the sons of men to know His ways.
11 Be wise and understanding and awakened. Hallelujah.
Ode 4
1 No man can pervert Your holy place, O my God; nor can he change it, and put it in another place.
2 Because he has no power over it; for Your sanctuary You designed before You made special places.
3 The ancient one shall not be perverted by those which are inferior to it. You have given Your heart, O Lord, to Your believers.
4 Never will You be idle, nor will You be without fruits;
5 For one hour of Your faith is more excellent than all days and years.
6 For who shall put on Your grace and be rejected?
7 Because Your seal is known; and Your creatures are known to it.
8 And Your hosts possess it, and the elect archangels are clothed with it.
9 You have given to us Your fellowship, not that You were in need of us, but that we are always in need of You.
10 Shower upon us Your gentle rain, and open Your bountiful springs which abundantly supply us with milk and honey.
11 For there is no regret with You; that You should regret anything which You have promised;
12 Since the result was manifest to You.
13 For that which You gave, You gave freely, so that no longer will You draw back and take them again.
14 For all was manifest to You as God, and was set in order from the beginning before You.
15 And You, O Lord, have made all. Hallelujah.
Ode 5
1 I praise You, O Lord, because I love You.
2 O Most High, forsake me not, for You are my hope.
3 Freely did I receive Your grace, may I live by it.
4 My persecutors will come but let them not see me.
5 Let a cloud of darkness fall upon their eyes; and let an air of thick darkness obscure them.
6 And let them have no light to see, so that they cannot seize me.
7 Let their designs become hardened, so that whatever they have conspired shall return upon their own heads.
8 For they have devised a plan, but it was not for them.
9 They prepared themselves maliciously, but they were found to be impotent.
10 Indeed my confidence is upon the Lord, and I will not fear.
11 And because the Lord is my salvation, I will not fear.
12 And He is as a woven crown upon my head, and I shall not be shaken.
13 Even if everything should be shaken, I shall stand firm.
14 And though all things visible should perish, I shall not die;
15 Because the Lord is with me, and I with Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 6
1 As the wind glides through the harp and the strings speak,
2 So the Spirit of the Lord speaks through my members, and I speak through His love.
3 For He destroys whatever is alien, and everything is of the Lord.
4 For thus it was from the beginning, and will be until the end.
5 So that nothing shall be contrary, and nothing shall rise up against Him.
6 The Lord has multiplied his knowledge, and He was zealous that those things should be known which through His grace have been given to us.
7 And His praise He gave us on account of His name, our spirits praise His Holy Spirit.
8 For there went forth a stream, and it became a river great and broad; indeed it carried away everything, and it shattered and brought it to the Temple.
9 And the barriers which were built by men were not able to restrain it, nor even the arts of them who habitually restrain water.
10 For it spread over the surface of all the earth, and it filled everything.
11 Then all the thirsty upon the earth drank, and thirst was relieved and quenched;
12 For from the Most High the drink was given.
13 Blessed, therefore, are the ministers of that drink, who have been entrusted with His water.
14 They have refreshed the parched lips, and have aroused the paralyzed will.
15 Even living persons who were about to expire, they have held back from death.
16 And limbs which have collapsed, they have restored and set up.
17 They gave strength for their coming, and light for their eyes.
18 Because everyone recognized them as the Lord's, and lived by the living water of eternity. Hallelujah.
Ode 7
1 As is the course of anger over wickedness, so is the course of joy over the Beloved; and brings in of its fruits unhindered.
2 My joy is the Lord and my course is towards Him, this path of mine is beautiful.
3 For there is a Helper for me, the Lord. He has generously shown Himself to me in His simplicity, because His kindness has diminished His dreadfulness.
4 He became like me, that I might receive Him. In form He was considered like me, that I might put Him on.
5 And I trembled not when I saw Him, because He was gracious to me.
6 Like my nature He became, that I might understand Him. And like my form, that I might not turn away from Him.
7 The Father of knowledge is the Word of knowledge.
8 He who created wisdom is wiser than His works.
9 And He who created me when yet I was not knew what I would do when I came into being.
10 On account of this He was gracious to me in His abundant grace, and allowed me to ask from Him and to benefit from His sacrifice.
11 For He it is who is incorrupt, the perfection of the worlds and their Father.
12 He has allowed Him to appear to them that are His own; in order that they may recognize Him that made them, and not suppose that they came of themselves.
13 For towards knowledge He has set His way, he has widened it and lengthened it and brought it to complete perfection.
14 And has set over it the traces of His light, and it proceeded from the beginning until the end.
15 For by Him He was served, and He was pleased by the Son.
16 And because of his salvation He will possess everything. And the Most High will be known by His holy ones:
17 To announce to those who have songs of the coming of the Lord, that they may go forth to meet Him and may sing to Him, with joy and with the harp of many tones.
18 The Seers shall go before Him, and they shall be seen before Him.
19 And they shall praise the Lord in His love, because He is near and does see.
20 And hatred shall be removed from the earth, and with jealousy it shall be drowned.
21 For ignorance was destroyed upon it, because the knowledge of the Lord arrived upon it.
22 Let the singers sing the grace of the Lord Most High, and let them bring their songs.
23 And let their heart be like the day, and their gentle voices like the majestic beauty of the Lord.
24 And let there not be anyone who breathes that is without knowledge or voice.
25 For He gave a mouth to His creation: to open the voice of the mouth towards Him, and to praise Him.
26 Confess His power and declare His grace. Hallelujah.
Ode 8
1 Open, open your hearts to the exultation of the Lord, and let your love abound from the heart to the lips.
2 In order to bring forth fruits to the Lord, a holy life; and to talk with watchfulness in His light.
3 Rise up and stand erect, you who sometimes were brought low.
4 You who were in silence, speak, for your mouth has been opened.
5 You who were despised, from henceforth be lifted up, for your Righteousness has been lifted up;
6 For the right hand of the Lord is with you, and He will be your Helper.
7 And peace was prepared for you, before what may be your war.
8 Hear the word of truth, and receive the knowledge of the Most High.
9 Your flesh may not understand that which I am about to say to you; nor your garment that which I am about to show you.
10 Keep my mystery, you who are kept by it; keep my faith, you who are kept by it.
11 And understand my knowledge, you who know me in truth; love me with affection, you who love;
12 For I turn not my face from my own, because I know them.
13 And before they had existed, I recognized them; and imprinted a seal on their faces.
14 I fashioned their members, and my own breasts I prepared for them, that they might drink my holy milk and live by it.
15 I am pleased by them, and am not ashamed by them.
16 For my workmanship are they, and the strength of my thoughts.
17 Therefore who can stand against my work? Or who is not subject to them?
18 I willed and fashioned mind and heart, and they are my own. And upon my right hand I have set my elect ones.
19 And my righteousness goes before them, and they shall not be deprived of my name; for it is with them.
20 Pray and increase, and abide in the love of the Lord;
21 And you who were loved in the Beloved, and you who are kept in Him who lives, and you who are saved in Him who was saved.
22 And you shall be found incorrupt in all ages, on account of the name of your Father. Hallelujah.
Ode 9
1 Open your ears, and I shall speak to you.
2 Give me yourself, so that I may also give you myself.
3 The word of the Lord and His desires, the holy thought which He has thought concerning His Messiah.
4 For in the will of the Lord is your life, and His purpose is eternal life, and your perfection is incorruptible.
5 Be enriched in God the Father; and receive the purpose of the Most High. Be strong and redeemed by His grace.
6 For I announce peace to you, His holy ones, so that none of those who hear shall fall in the war.
7 And also that those who have known Him may not perish, and so that those who received Him may not be ashamed.
8 An everlasting crown is Truth; blessed are they who set it on their head.
9 It is a precious stone, for the wars were on account of the crown.
10 But Righteousness has taken it, and has given it to you.
11 Put on the crown in the true covenant of the Lord, and all those who have conquered will be inscribed in His book.
12 For their book is the reward of victory which is for you, and she sees you before her and wills that you shall be saved. Hallelujah.
Ode 10
1 The Lord has directed my mouth by His Word, and has opened my heart by His Light.
2 And He has caused to dwell in me His immortal life, and permitted me to proclaim the fruit of His peace.
3 To convert the lives of those who desire to come to Him, and to lead those who are captive into freedom.
4 I took courage and became strong and captured the world, and the captivity became mine for the glory of the Most High, and of God my Father.
5 And the Gentiles who had been dispersed were gathered together, but I was not defiled by my love for them, because they had praised me in high places.
6 And the traces of light were set upon their heart, and they walked according to my life and were saved, and they became my people for ever and ever. Hallelujah.
Ode 11
1 My heart was pruned and its flower appeared, then grace sprang up in it, and my heart produced fruits for the Lord.
2 For the Most High circumcised me by His Holy Spirit, then He uncovered my inward being towards Him, and filled me with His love.
3 And His circumcising became my salvation, and I ran in the Way, in His peace, in the way of truth.
4 From the beginning until the end I received His knowledge.
5 And I was established upon the rock of truth, where He had set me.
6 And speaking waters touched my lips from the fountain of the Lord generously.
7 And so I drank and became intoxicated, from the living water that does not die.
8 And my intoxication did not cause ignorance, but I abandoned vanity,
9 And turned toward the Most High, my God, and was enriched by His favors.
10 And I rejected the folly cast upon the earth, and stripped it off and cast it from me.
11 And the Lord renewed me with His garment, and possessed me by His light.
12 And from above He gave me immortal rest, and I became like the land that blossoms and rejoices in its fruits.
13 And the Lord is like the sun upon the face of the land.
14 My eyes were enlightened, and my face received the dew;
15 And my breath was refreshed by the pleasant fragrance of the Lord.
16 And He took me to His Paradise, wherein is the wealth of the Lord's pleasure.
[I beheld blooming and fruit-bearing trees,
And self-grown was their crown.
Their branches were sprouting and their fruits were shining.
From an immortal land were their roots.
And a river of gladness was irrigating them,
And round about them in the land of eternal life.]
17 Then I worshipped the Lord because of His magnificence.
18 And I said, Blessed, O Lord, are they who are planted in Your land, and who have a place in Your Paradise;
19 And who grow in the growth of Your trees, and have passed from darkness into light.
20 Behold, all Your laborers are fair, they who work good works, and turn from wickedness to your pleasantness.
21 For the pungent odor of the trees is changed in Your land,
22 And everything becomes a remnant of Yourself. Blessed are the workers of Your waters, and eternal memorials of Your faithful servants.
23 Indeed, there is much room in Your Paradise. And there is nothing in it which is barren, but everything is filled with fruit.
24 Glory be to You, O God, the delight of Paradise for ever. Hallelujah.
[Papyrus Bodmer XI, compiled in Egypt in the 3rd century, includes the entirety of Ode 11, headed ΩΔΗ ΣΟΛΟΜΩΝΤΟϹ, which includes a short section in the middle of the Ode that does not occur in the Rendel Harris version of it. Internal evidence suggests that this additional material is original to the Ode, and that the later Harris manuscript has omitted it].
Ode 12
1 He has filled me with words of truth, that I may proclaim Him.
2 And like the flowing of waters, truth flows from my mouth, and my lips declare His fruits.
3 And He has caused His knowledge to abound in me, because the mouth of the Lord is the true Word, and the entrance of His light.
4 And the Most High has given Him to His generations, which are the interpreters of His beauty, and the narrators of His glory, and the confessors of His purpose, and the preachers of His mind, and the teachers of His works.
5 For the subtlety of the Word is inexpressible, and like His utterance so also is His swiftness and His acuteness, for limitless is His progression.
6 He never falls but remains standing, and one cannot comprehend His descent or His way.
7 For as His work is, so is His expectation, for He is the light and dawning of thought.
8 And by Him the generations spoke to one another, and those that were silent acquired speech.
9 And from Him came love and equality, and they spoke one to another that which was theirs.
10 And they were stimulated by the Word, and knew Him who made them, because they were in harmony.
11 For the mouth of the Most High spoke to them, and His exposition prospered through Him.
12 For the dwelling place of the Word is man, and His truth is love.
13 Blessed are they who by means of Him have perceived everything, and have known the Lord in His truth. Hallelujah.
Ode 13
1 Behold, the Lord is our mirror. Open your eyes and see them in Him.
2 And learn the manner of your face, then declare praises to His Spirit.
3 And wipe the paint from your face, and love His holiness and put it on.
4 Then you will be unblemished at all times with Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 14
1 As the eyes of a son upon his father, so are my eyes, O Lord, at all times towards You.
2 Because my breasts and my pleasure are with You.
3 Turn not aside Your mercies from me, O Lord; and take not Your kindness from me.
4 Stretch out to me, my Lord, at all times, Your right hand, and be to me a guide till the end according to Your will.
5 Let me be pleasing before You, because of Your glory, and because of Your name let me be saved from the Evil One.
6 And let Your gentleness, O Lord, abide with me, and the fruits of Your love.
7 Teach me the odes of Your truth, that I may produce fruits in You.
8 And open to me the harp of Your Holy Spirit, so that with every note I may praise You, O Lord.
9 And according to the multitude of Your mercies, so grant unto me, and hasten to grant our petitions.
10 For You are sufficient for all our needs. Hallelujah.
Ode 15
1 As the sun is the joy of them who seek its daybreak, so is my joy the Lord;
2 Because He is my Sun, and His rays have lifted me up; and His light has dismissed all darkness from my face.
3 Eyes I have obtained in Him, and have seen His holy day.
4 Ears I have acquired, and have heard His truth.
5 The thought of knowledge I have acquired, and have enjoyed delight fully through Him.
6 I repudiated the way of error, and went towards Him and received salvation from Him abundantly.
7 And according to His generosity He gave to me, and according to His excellent beauty He made me.
8 I put on immortality through His name, and took off corruption by His grace.
9 Death has been destroyed before my face, and Sheol has been vanquished by my word.
10 And eternal life has arisen in the Lord's land, and it has been declared to His faithful ones, and has been given without limit to all that trust in Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 16
1 As the occupation of the ploughman is the ploughshare, and the occupation of the helmsman is the steering of the ship, so also my occupation is the psalm of the Lord by His hymns.
2 My art and my service are in His hymns, because His love has nourished my heart, and His fruits He poured unto my lips.
3 For my love is the Lord; hence I will sing unto Him.
4 For I am strengthened by His praises, and I have faith in Him.
5 I will open my mouth, and His Spirit will speak through me the glory of the Lord and His beauty,
6 The work of His hands, and the labor of His fingers;
7 For the multitude of His mercies, and the strength of His Word.
8 For the Word of the Lord investigates that which is invisible, and reveals His thought.
9 For the eye sees His works, and the ear hears His thought.
10 It is He who made the earth broad, and placed the waters in the sea.
11 He expanded the heaven, and fixed the stars.
12 And He fixed the creation and set it up, then He rested from His works.
13 And created things run according to their courses, and work their works, for they can never cease nor fail.
14 And the hosts are subject to His Word.
15 The reservoir of light is the sun, and the reservoir of darkness is the night.
16 For He made the sun for the day so that it will be light; but night brings darkness over the face of the earth.
17 And by their portion one from another they complete the beauty of God.
18 And there is nothing outside of the Lord, because He was before anything came to be.
19 And the worlds are by His Word, and by the thought of His heart.
20 Praise and honor to His name. Hallelujah.
Ode 17
1 Then I was crowned by my God, and my crown was living.
2 And I was justified by my Lord, for my salvation is incorruptible.
3 I have been freed from vanities, and am not condemned.
4 My chains were cut off by His hands, I received the face and likeness of a new person, and I walked in Him and was saved.
5 And the thought of truth led me, and I went after it and wandered not.
6 And all who saw me were amazed, and I seemed to them like a stranger.
7 And He who knew and exalted me, is the Most High in all His perfection.
8 And He glorified me by His kindness, and raised my understanding to the height of truth.
9 And from there He gave me the way of His steps, and I opened the doors which were closed.
10 And I shattered the bars of iron, for my own shackles had grown hot and melted before me.
11 And nothing appeared closed to me, because I was the opening of everything.
12 And I went towards all my bound ones in order to loose them; that I might not leave anyone bound or binding.
13 And I gave my knowledge generously, and my resurrection through my love.
14 And I sowed my fruits in hearts, and transformed them through myself.
15 Then they received my blessing and lived, and they were gathered to me and were saved;
16 Because they became my members, and I was their Head.
17 Glory to You, our Head, O Lord Messiah. Hallelujah.
Ode 18
1 My heart was lifted up and enriched in the love of the Most High, so that I might praise Him with my name.
2 My members were strengthened, that they may not fall from His power.
3 Infirmities fled from my body, and it stood firm for the Lord by His will; because His kingdom is firm.
4 O Lord, for the sake of those who are in need, do not dismiss Your Word from me.
5 Nor, for the sake of their works, withhold Your perfection from me.
6 Let not light be conquered by darkness, nor let truth flee from falsehood.
7 Let Your right hand set our salvation to victory, and let it receive from every region, and preserve it on the side of everyone who is besieged by misfortunes.
8 You are my God, falsehood and death are not in Your mouth; only perfection is Your will.
9 And vanity You know not, because neither does it know You.
10 And You know not error; because neither does it know You.
11 And ignorance appeared like dust, and like the foam of the sea.
12 And vain people thought that it was great, and they became like its type and were impoverished.
13 But those who knew understood and contemplated, and were not polluted by their thoughts;
14 Because they were in the mind of the Most High, and mocked those who were walking in error.
15 Then they spoke the truth, from the breath which the Most High breathed into them.
16 Praise and great honor to His name. Hallelujah.
Ode 19
1 A cup of milk was offered to me, and I drank it in the sweetness of the Lord's kindness.
2 The Son is the cup, and the Father is He who was milked; and the Holy Spirit is She who milked Him;
3 Because His breasts were full, and it was undesirable that His milk should be ineffectually released.
4 The Holy Spirit opened Her bosom, and mixed the milk of the two breasts of the Father.
5 Then She gave the mixture to the generation without their knowing, and those who have received it are in the perfection of the right hand.
6 The womb of the Virgin took it, and she received conception and gave birth.
7 So the Virgin became a mother with great mercies.
8 And she labored and bore the Son but without pain, because it did not occur without purpose.
9 And she did not require a midwife, because He caused her to give life.
10 She brought forth like a strong man with desire, and she bore according to the manifestation, and she acquired according to the Great Power.
11 And she loved with redemption, and guarded with kindness, and declared with grandeur. Hallelujah.
Ode 20
1 I am a priest of the Lord, and Him I serve as a priest;
2 And to Him I offer the offering of His thought.
3 For His thought is not like the world, nor like the flesh, nor like them who worship according to the flesh.
4 The offering of the Lord is righteousness, and purity of heart and lips.
5 Offer your inward being faultlessly; and let not your compassion oppress compassion; and let not yourself oppress a self.
6 You should not purchase a stranger because he is like yourself, nor seek to deceive your neighbor, nor deprive him of the covering for his nakedness.
7 But put on the grace of the Lord generously, and come to His Paradise, and make for yourself a garland from His tree.
8 Then put it on your head and be joyful, and recline upon His rest.
9 For His glory will go before you; and you shall receive of His kindness and of His grace; and you shall be anointed in truth with the praise of His holiness.
10 Praise and honor to His name. Hallelujah.
Ode 21
1 I lifted up my arms on high on account of the compassion of the Lord.
2 Because He cast off my bonds from me, and my Helper lifted me up according to His compassion and His salvation.
3 And I put off darkness, and put on light.
4 And even I myself acquired members. In them there was no sickness or affliction or suffering.
5 And abundantly helpful to me was the thought of the Lord, and His everlasting fellowship.
6 And I was lifted up in the light, and I passed before Him.
7 And I was constantly near Him, while praising and confessing Him.
8 He caused my heart to overflow, and it was found in my mouth; and it sprang forth unto my lips.
9 Then upon my face increased the exultation of the Lord and His praise. Hallelujah.
Ode 22
1 He who caused me to descend from on high, and to ascend from the regions below;
2 And He who gathers what is in the Middle, and throws them to me;
3 He who scattered my enemies, and my adversaries;
4 He who gave me authority over bonds, so that I might unbind them;
5 He who overthrew by my hands the dragon with seven heads, and set me at his roots that I might destroy his seed;
6 You were there and helped me, and in every place Your name surrounded me.
7 Your right hand destroyed his evil venom, and Your hand leveled the Way for those who believe in You.
8 And It chose them from the graves, and separated them from the dead ones.
9 It took dead bones and covered them with flesh.
10 But they were motionless, so It gave them energy for life.
11 Incorruptible was Your way and Your face; You have brought Your world to corruption, that everything might be resolved and renewed.
12 And the foundation of everything is Your rock. And upon it You have built Your kingdom, and it became the dwelling-place of the holy ones. Hallelujah.
Ode 23
1 Joy is for the holy ones. And who shall put it on but they alone?
2 Grace is for the elect ones. And who shall receive it but they who trusted in it from the beginning?
3 Love is for the elect ones. And who shall put it on but they who possessed it from the beginning?
4 Walk in the knowledge of the Lord, and you will know the grace of the Lord generously; both for His exultation and for the perfection of His knowledge.
5 And His thought was like a letter, and His will descended from on high.
6 And it was sent like an arrow which from a bow has been forcibly shot.
7 And many hands rushed to the letter, in order to catch it, then take and read it.
8 But it escaped from their fingers; and they were afraid of it and of the seal which was upon it.
9 Because they were not allowed to loosen its seal; for the power which was over the seal was greater than they.
10 But those who saw the letter went after it; that they might learn where it would land, and who should read it, and who should hear it.
11 But a wheel received it, and it came over it.
12 And a sign was with it, of the kingdom and of providence.
13 And everything which was disturbing the wheel, it mowed and cut down.
14 And it restrained a multitude of adversaries; and bridged rivers.
15 And it crossed over and uprooted many forests, and made an open way.
16 The head went down to the feet, because unto the feet ran the wheel, and whatever had come upon it.
17 The letter was one of command, and hence all regions were gathered together.
18 And there was seen at its head, the head which was revealed, even the Son of Truth from the Most High Father.
19 And He inherited and possessed everything, and then the scheming of the many ceased.
20 Then all the seducers became headstrong and fled, and the persecutors became extinct and were blotted out.
21 And the letter became a large volume, which was entirely written by the finger of God.
22 And the name of the Father was upon it; and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to rule for ever and ever. Hallelujah.
Ode 24
1 The dove fluttered over the head of our Lord Messiah, because He was her head.
2 And she sang over Him, and her voice was heard.
3 Then the inhabitants were afraid, and the foreigners were disturbed.
4 The bird began to fly, and every creeping thing died in its hole.
5 And the chasms were opened and closed; and they were seeking the Lord as those who are about to give birth.
6 But He was not given to them for nourishment, because He did not belong to them.
7 But the chasms were submerged in the seal of the Lord, and they perished in the thought with which they had remained from the beginning.
8 For they were in labor from the beginning, and the end of their travail was life.
9 And all of them who were lacking perished, because they were not able to express the word so that they might remain.
10 And the Lord destroyed the devices, of all those who had not the truth with them.
11 For they were lacking in wisdom, they who exalted themselves in their mind.
12 So they were rejected, because the truth was not with them.
13 For the Lord revealed His way, and spread widely His grace.
14 And those who understood it knew His holiness. Hallelujah.
Ode 25
1 I was rescued from my chains, and I fled unto You, O my God.
2 Because You are the right hand of salvation, and my Helper.
3 You have restrained those who rise up against me, and no more were they seen.
4 Because Your face was with me, which saved me by Your grace.
5 But I was despised and rejected in the eyes of many, and I was in their eyes like lead.
6 And I acquired strength from You, and help.
7 A lamp You set for me both on my right and on my left, so that there might not be in me anything that is not light.
8 And I was covered with the covering of Your Spirit, and I removed from me my garments of skin.
9 Because Your right hand exalted me, and caused sickness to pass from me.
10 And I became mighty in Your truth, and holy in Your righteousness.
11 And all my adversaries were afraid of me, and I became the Lord's by the name of the Lord.
12 And I was justified by His kindness, and His rest is for ever and ever. Hallelujah.
Ode 26
1 I poured out praise to the Lord, because I am His own.
2 And I will recite His holy ode, because my heart is with Him.
3 For His harp is in my hand, and the odes of His rest shall not be silent.
4 I will call unto Him with all my heart, I will praise and exalt Him with all my members.
5 For from the East and unto the West is His praise;
6 Also from the South and unto the North is His thanksgiving.
7 Even from the crest of the summits and unto their extremity is His perfection.
8 Who can write the odes of the Lord, or who can read them?
9 Or who can train himself for life, so that he himself may be saved?
10 Or who can press upon the Most High, so that He would recite from His mouth?
11 Who can interpret the wonders of the Lord? Though he who interprets will be destroyed, yet that which was interpreted will remain.
12 For it suffices to perceive and be satisfied, for the odists stand in serenity;
13 Like a river which has an increasingly gushing spring, and flows to the relief of them that seek it. Hallelujah.
Ode 27
1 I extended my hands and hallowed my Lord,
2 For the expansion of my hands is His sign.
3 And my extension is the upright cross. Hallelujah.
Ode 28
1 As the wings of doves over their nestlings, and the mouths of their nestlings towards their mouths, so also are the wings of the Spirit over my heart.
2 My heart continually refreshes itself and leaps for joy, like the babe who leaps for joy in his mother's womb.
3 I trusted, consequently I was at rest; because trustful is He in whom I trusted.
4 He has greatly blessed me, and my head is with Him.
5 And the dagger shall not divide me from Him, nor the sword;
6 Because I am ready before destruction comes, and have been set on His immortal side.
7 And immortal life embraced me, and kissed me.
8 And from that life is the Spirit which is within me. And it cannot die because it is life.
9 Those who saw me were amazed, because I was persecuted.
10 And they thought that I had been swallowed up, because I seemed to them as one of the lost.
11 But my injustice became my salvation.
12 And I became their abomination, because there was no jealousy in me.
13 Because I continually did good to every man I was hated.
14 And they surrounded me like mad dogs, those who in stupidity attack their masters.
15 Because their thought is depraved, and their mind is perverted.
16 But I was carrying water in my right hand, and their bitterness I endured by my sweetness.
17 And I did not perish, because I was not their brother, nor was my birth like theirs.
18 And they sought my death but did not find it possible, because I was older than their memory; and in vain did they cast lots against me.
19 And those who were after me sought in vain to destroy the memorial of Him who was before them.
20 Because the thought of the Most High cannot be prepossessed; and His heart is superior to all wisdom. Hallelujah.
Ode 29
1 The Lord is my hope, I shall not be ashamed of Him.
2 For according to His praise He made me, and according to His grace even so He gave to me.
3 And according to His mercies He exalted me, and according to His great honor He lifted me up.
4 And he caused me to ascend from the depths of Sheol, and from the mouth of death He drew me.
5 And I humbled my enemies, and He justified me by His grace.
6 For I believed in the Lord's Messiah, and considered that He is the Lord.
7 And He revealed to me His sign, and He led me by His light.
8 And He gave me the scepter of His power, that I might subdue the devices of the people, and humble the power of the mighty.
9 To make war by His Word, and to take victory by His power.
10 And the Lord overthrew my enemy by His Word, and he became like the dust which a breeze carries off.
11 And I gave praise to the Most High, because He has magnified His servant and the son of His maidservant. Hallelujah.
Ode 30
1 Fill for yourselves water from the living fountain of the Lord, because it has been opened for you.
2 And come all you thirsty and take a drink, and rest beside the fountain of the Lord.
3 Because it is pleasing and sparkling, and perpetually refreshes the self.
4 For much sweeter is its water than honey, and the honeycomb of bees is not to be compared with it;
5 Because it flowed from the lips of the Lord, and it named from the heart of the Lord.
6 And it came boundless and invisible, and until it was set in the middle they knew it not.
7 Blessed are they who have drunk from it, and have refreshed themselves by it. Hallelujah.
Ode 31
1 Chasms vanished before the Lord, and darkness dissipated before His appearance.
2 Error erred and perished on account of Him; and contempt received no path, for it was submerged by the truth of the Lord.
3 He opened His mouth and spoke grace and joy; and recited a new chant to His name.
4 Then He lifted his voice towards the Most High, and offered to Him those that had become sons through Him.
5 And His face was justified, because thus His Holy Father had given to Him.
6 Come forth, you who have been afflicted, and receive joy.
7 And possess yourselves through grace, and take unto you immortal life.
8 And they condemned me when I stood up, me who had not been condemned.
9 Then they divided my spoil, though nothing was owed them.
10 But I endured and held my peace and was silent, that I might not be disturbed by them.
11 But I stood undisturbed like a solid rock, which is continuously pounded by columns of waves and endures.
12 And I bore their bitterness because of humility; that I might redeem my nation and instruct it.
13 And that I might not nullify the promises to the patriarchs, to whom I was promised for the salvation of their offspring. Hallelujah.
Ode 32
1 To the blessed ones the joy is from their heart, and light from Him who dwells in them;
2 And the Word of truth who is self-originate,
3 Because He has been strengthened by the Holy Power of the Most High; and He is unshaken for ever and ever. Hallelujah.
Ode 33
1 But again Grace was swift and dismissed the Corruptor, and descended upon him to renounce him.
2 And he caused utter destruction before him, and corrupted all his work.
3 And he stood on the peak of a summit and cried aloud from one end of the earth to the other.
4 Then he drew to him all those who obeyed him, for he did not appear as the Evil One.
5 However, the perfect Virgin stood, who was preaching and summoning and saying:
6 O you sons of men, return, and you their daughters, come.
7 And leave the ways of that Corruptor, and approach me.
8 And I will enter into you, and bring you forth from destruction, and make you wise in the ways of truth.
9 Be not corrupted nor perish.
10 Obey me and be saved, for I am proclaiming unto you the grace of God.
11 And through me you will be saved and become blessed. I am your judge;
12 And they who have put me on shall not be falsely accused, but they shall possess incorruption in the new world.
13 My elect ones have walked with me, and my ways I will make known to them who seek me; and I will promise them my name. Hallelujah.
Ode 34
1 There is no hard way where there is a simple heart, nor barrier for upright thoughts,
2 Nor whirlwind in the depth of the enlightened thought.
3 Where one is surrounded on every side by pleasing country, there is nothing divided in him.
4 The likeness of that which is below is that which is above.
5 For everything is from above, and from below there is nothing, but it is believed to be by those in whom there is no understanding.
6 Grace has been revealed for your salvation. Believe and live and be saved. Hallelujah.
Ode 35
1 The gentle showers of the Lord overshadowed me with serenity, and they caused a cloud of peace to rise over my head;
2 That it might guard me at all times. And it became salvation to me.
3 Everyone was disturbed and afraid, and there came from them smoke and judgment.
4 But I was tranquil in the Lord's legion; more than shade was He to me, and more than foundation.
5 And I was carried like a child by its mother; and He gave me milk, the dew of the Lord.
6 And I was enriched by His favor, and rested in His perfection.
7 And I spread out my hands in the ascent of myself, and I directed myself towards the Most High, and I was redeemed towards Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 36
1 I rested on the Spirit of the Lord, and She lifted me up to heaven;
2 And caused me to stand on my feet in the Lord's high place, before His perfection and His glory, where I continued glorifying Him by the composition of His Odes.
3 The Spirit brought me forth before the Lord's face, and because I was the Son of Man, I was named the Light, the Son of God;
4 Because I was the most glorified among the glorious ones, and the greatest among the great ones.
5 For according to the greatness of the Most High, so She made me; and according to His newness He renewed me.
6 And He anointed me with His perfection; and I became one of those who are near Him.
7 And my mouth was opened like a cloud of dew, and my heart gushed forth like a gusher of righteousness.
8 And my approach was in peace, and I was established in the Spirit of Providence. Hallelujah.
Ode 37
1 I stretched out my hands towards the Lord, and towards the Most High I raised my voice.
2 And I spoke with the lips of my heart, and He heard me when my voice reached Him.
3 His Word came towards me, in order to give me the fruits of my labors;
4 And gave me rest by the grace of the Lord. Hallelujah.
Ode 38
1 I went up into the light of Truth as into a chariot, and the Truth led me and caused me to come.
2 And caused me to pass over chasms and gulfs, and saved me from cliffs and valleys.
3 And became for me a haven of salvation, and set me on the place of immortal life.
4 And He went with me and caused me to rest and did not allow me to err; because He was and is the Truth.
5 And there was no danger for me because I constantly walked with Him; and I did not err in anything because I obeyed Him.
6 For Error fled from Him, and never met Him.
7 But Truth was proceeding on the upright way, and whatever I did not understand He exhibited to me:
8 All the poisons of error, and pains of death which are considered sweetness.
9 And the corrupting of the Corruptor, I saw when the bride who was corrupting was adorned, and the bridegroom who corrupts and is corrupted.
10 And I asked the Truth, Who are these? And He said to me: This is the Deceiver and the Error.
11 And they imitate the Beloved and His Bride, and they cause the world to err and corrupt it.
12 And they invite many to the wedding feast, and allow them to drink the wine of their intoxication;
13 So they cause them to vomit up their wisdom and their knowledge, and prepare for them mindlessness.
14 Then they abandon them; and so they stumble about like mad and corrupted men.
15 Since there is no understanding in them, neither do they seek it.
16 But I have been made wise so as not to fall into the hands of the Deceivers, and I myself rejoiced because the Truth had gone with me.
17 For I was established and lived and was redeemed, and my foundations were laid on account of the Lord's hand; because He has planted me.
18 For He set the root, and watered it and endowed it and blessed it, and its fruits will be forever.
19 It penetrated deeply and sprang up and spread out, and it was full and was enlarged.
20 And the Lord alone was glorified, in His planting and in His cultivation;
21 In His care and in the blessing of His lips, in the beautiful planting of His right hand;
22 And in the attainment of His planting, and in the understanding of His mind. Hallelujah.
Ode 39
1 Raging rivers are the power of the Lord; they send headlong those who despise Him.
2 And entangle their paths, and destroy their crossings.
3 And snatch their bodies, and corrupt their natures.
4 For they are more swift than lightnings, even more rapid.
5 But those who cross them in faith shall not be disturbed.
6 And those who walk on them faultlessly shall not be shaken.
7 Because the sign on them is the Lord, and the sign is the Way for those who cross in the name of the Lord.
8 Therefore, put on the name of the Most High and know Him, and you shall cross without danger; because rivers shall be obedient to you.
9 The Lord has bridged them by His Word, and He walked and crossed them on foot.
10 And His footsteps stand firm upon the waters, and were not destroyed; but they are like a beam of wood that is constructed on truth.
11 On this side and on that the waves were lifted up, but the footsteps of our Lord Messiah stand firm.
12 And they are neither blotted out, nor destroyed.
13 And the Way has been appointed for those who cross over after Him, and for those who adhere to the path of His faith; and who adore His name. Hallelujah.
Ode 40
1 As honey drips from the honeycomb of bees, and milk flows from the woman who loves her children, so also is my hope upon You, O my God.
2 As a fountain gushes forth its water, so my heart gushes forth the praise of the Lord, and my lips bring forth praise to Him.
3 And my tongue becomes sweet by His anthems, and my members are anointed by His odes.
4 My face rejoices in His exultation, and my spirit exults in His love, and my nature shines in Him.
5 And he who is afraid shall trust in Him, and redemption shall be assured in Him.
6 And His possessions are immortal life, and those who receive it are incorruptible. Hallelujah.
Ode 41
1 Let all the Lord's babes praise Him, and let us receive the truth of His faith.
2 And His children shall be acknowledged by Him, therefore let us sing by His love.
3 We live in the Lord by His grace, and life we receive by His Messiah.
4 For a great day has shined upon us, and wonderful is He who has given to us of His glory.
5 Let us, therefore, all of us agree in the name of the Lord, and let us honor Him in His goodness.
6 And let our faces shine in His light, and let our hearts meditate in His love, by night and by day.
7 Let us exult with the exultation of the Lord.
8 All those who see me will be amazed, because I am from another race.
9 For the Father of Truth remembered me; he who possessed me from the beginning.
10 For His riches begat me, and the thought of His heart.
11 And His Word is with us in all our way, the Savior who gives life and does not reject ourselves.
12 The Man who humbled Himself, but was exalted because of His own righteousness.
13 The Son of the Most High appeared in the perfection of His Father.
14 And light dawned from the Word that was before time in Him.
15 The Messiah in truth is one. And He was known before the foundations of the world, that He might give life to persons for ever by the truth of His name.
16 A new chant is for the Lord from them that love Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 42
1 I extended my hands and approached my Lord, for the expansion of my hands is His sign.
2 And my extension is the upright cross, that was lifted up on the way of the Righteous One.
3 And I became useless to those who knew me not, because I shall hide myself from those who possessed me not.
4 And I will be with those who love me.
5 All my persecutors have died, and they sought me, they who declared against me, because I am living.
6 Then I arose and am with them, and will speak by their mouths.
7 For they have rejected those who persecute them; and I threw over them the yoke of my love.
8 Like the arm of the bridegroom over the bride, so is my yoke over those who know me.
9 And as the bridal chamber is spread out by the bridal pair's home, so is my love by those who believe in me.
10 I was not rejected although I was considered to be so, and I did not perish although they thought it of me.
11 Sheol saw me and was shattered, and Death ejected me and many with me.
12 I have been vinegar and bitterness to it, and I went down with it as far as its depth.
13 Then the feet and the head it released, because it was not able to endure my face.
14 And I made a congregation of living among his dead; and I spoke with them by living lips; in order that my word may not be unprofitable.
15 And those who had died ran towards me; and they cried out and said, Son of God, have pity on us.
16 And deal with us according to Your kindness, and bring us out from the bonds of darkness.
17 And open for us the door by which we may come out to You; for we perceive that our death does not touch You.
18 May we also be saved with You, because You are our Savior.
19 Then I heard their voice, and placed their faith in my heart.
20 And I placed my name upon their head, because they are free and they are mine. Hallelujah.
1 The Lord is on my head like a crown, and I shall never be without Him.
2 Plaited for me is the crown of truth, and it caused Your branches to blossom in me.
3 For it is not like a parched crown that blossoms not;
4 For You live upon my head, and have blossomed upon me.
5 Your fruits are full and complete; they are full of Your salvation [. . .]
Ode 2
[Has not yet been found]
Ode 3
1 [. . .] I am putting on the love of the Lord.
2 And His members are with Him, and I am dependent on them; and He loves me.
3 For I should not have known how to love the Lord, if He had not continuously loved me.
4 Who is able to distinguish love, except him who is loved?
5 I love the Beloved and I myself love Him, and where His rest is, there also am I.
6 And I shall be no stranger, because there is no jealousy with the Lord Most High and Merciful.
7 I have been united to Him, because the lover has found the Beloved, because I love Him that is the Son, I shall become a son.
8 Indeed he who is joined to Him who is immortal, truly shall be immortal.
9 And he who delights in the Life will become living.
10 This is the Spirit of the Lord, which is not false, which teaches the sons of men to know His ways.
11 Be wise and understanding and awakened. Hallelujah.
Ode 4
1 No man can pervert Your holy place, O my God; nor can he change it, and put it in another place.
2 Because he has no power over it; for Your sanctuary You designed before You made special places.
3 The ancient one shall not be perverted by those which are inferior to it. You have given Your heart, O Lord, to Your believers.
4 Never will You be idle, nor will You be without fruits;
5 For one hour of Your faith is more excellent than all days and years.
6 For who shall put on Your grace and be rejected?
7 Because Your seal is known; and Your creatures are known to it.
8 And Your hosts possess it, and the elect archangels are clothed with it.
9 You have given to us Your fellowship, not that You were in need of us, but that we are always in need of You.
10 Shower upon us Your gentle rain, and open Your bountiful springs which abundantly supply us with milk and honey.
11 For there is no regret with You; that You should regret anything which You have promised;
12 Since the result was manifest to You.
13 For that which You gave, You gave freely, so that no longer will You draw back and take them again.
14 For all was manifest to You as God, and was set in order from the beginning before You.
15 And You, O Lord, have made all. Hallelujah.
Ode 5
1 I praise You, O Lord, because I love You.
2 O Most High, forsake me not, for You are my hope.
3 Freely did I receive Your grace, may I live by it.
4 My persecutors will come but let them not see me.
5 Let a cloud of darkness fall upon their eyes; and let an air of thick darkness obscure them.
6 And let them have no light to see, so that they cannot seize me.
7 Let their designs become hardened, so that whatever they have conspired shall return upon their own heads.
8 For they have devised a plan, but it was not for them.
9 They prepared themselves maliciously, but they were found to be impotent.
10 Indeed my confidence is upon the Lord, and I will not fear.
11 And because the Lord is my salvation, I will not fear.
12 And He is as a woven crown upon my head, and I shall not be shaken.
13 Even if everything should be shaken, I shall stand firm.
14 And though all things visible should perish, I shall not die;
15 Because the Lord is with me, and I with Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 6
1 As the wind glides through the harp and the strings speak,
2 So the Spirit of the Lord speaks through my members, and I speak through His love.
3 For He destroys whatever is alien, and everything is of the Lord.
4 For thus it was from the beginning, and will be until the end.
5 So that nothing shall be contrary, and nothing shall rise up against Him.
6 The Lord has multiplied his knowledge, and He was zealous that those things should be known which through His grace have been given to us.
7 And His praise He gave us on account of His name, our spirits praise His Holy Spirit.
8 For there went forth a stream, and it became a river great and broad; indeed it carried away everything, and it shattered and brought it to the Temple.
9 And the barriers which were built by men were not able to restrain it, nor even the arts of them who habitually restrain water.
10 For it spread over the surface of all the earth, and it filled everything.
11 Then all the thirsty upon the earth drank, and thirst was relieved and quenched;
12 For from the Most High the drink was given.
13 Blessed, therefore, are the ministers of that drink, who have been entrusted with His water.
14 They have refreshed the parched lips, and have aroused the paralyzed will.
15 Even living persons who were about to expire, they have held back from death.
16 And limbs which have collapsed, they have restored and set up.
17 They gave strength for their coming, and light for their eyes.
18 Because everyone recognized them as the Lord's, and lived by the living water of eternity. Hallelujah.
Ode 7
1 As is the course of anger over wickedness, so is the course of joy over the Beloved; and brings in of its fruits unhindered.
2 My joy is the Lord and my course is towards Him, this path of mine is beautiful.
3 For there is a Helper for me, the Lord. He has generously shown Himself to me in His simplicity, because His kindness has diminished His dreadfulness.
4 He became like me, that I might receive Him. In form He was considered like me, that I might put Him on.
5 And I trembled not when I saw Him, because He was gracious to me.
6 Like my nature He became, that I might understand Him. And like my form, that I might not turn away from Him.
7 The Father of knowledge is the Word of knowledge.
8 He who created wisdom is wiser than His works.
9 And He who created me when yet I was not knew what I would do when I came into being.
10 On account of this He was gracious to me in His abundant grace, and allowed me to ask from Him and to benefit from His sacrifice.
11 For He it is who is incorrupt, the perfection of the worlds and their Father.
12 He has allowed Him to appear to them that are His own; in order that they may recognize Him that made them, and not suppose that they came of themselves.
13 For towards knowledge He has set His way, he has widened it and lengthened it and brought it to complete perfection.
14 And has set over it the traces of His light, and it proceeded from the beginning until the end.
15 For by Him He was served, and He was pleased by the Son.
16 And because of his salvation He will possess everything. And the Most High will be known by His holy ones:
17 To announce to those who have songs of the coming of the Lord, that they may go forth to meet Him and may sing to Him, with joy and with the harp of many tones.
18 The Seers shall go before Him, and they shall be seen before Him.
19 And they shall praise the Lord in His love, because He is near and does see.
20 And hatred shall be removed from the earth, and with jealousy it shall be drowned.
21 For ignorance was destroyed upon it, because the knowledge of the Lord arrived upon it.
22 Let the singers sing the grace of the Lord Most High, and let them bring their songs.
23 And let their heart be like the day, and their gentle voices like the majestic beauty of the Lord.
24 And let there not be anyone who breathes that is without knowledge or voice.
25 For He gave a mouth to His creation: to open the voice of the mouth towards Him, and to praise Him.
26 Confess His power and declare His grace. Hallelujah.
Ode 8
1 Open, open your hearts to the exultation of the Lord, and let your love abound from the heart to the lips.
2 In order to bring forth fruits to the Lord, a holy life; and to talk with watchfulness in His light.
3 Rise up and stand erect, you who sometimes were brought low.
4 You who were in silence, speak, for your mouth has been opened.
5 You who were despised, from henceforth be lifted up, for your Righteousness has been lifted up;
6 For the right hand of the Lord is with you, and He will be your Helper.
7 And peace was prepared for you, before what may be your war.
8 Hear the word of truth, and receive the knowledge of the Most High.
9 Your flesh may not understand that which I am about to say to you; nor your garment that which I am about to show you.
10 Keep my mystery, you who are kept by it; keep my faith, you who are kept by it.
11 And understand my knowledge, you who know me in truth; love me with affection, you who love;
12 For I turn not my face from my own, because I know them.
13 And before they had existed, I recognized them; and imprinted a seal on their faces.
14 I fashioned their members, and my own breasts I prepared for them, that they might drink my holy milk and live by it.
15 I am pleased by them, and am not ashamed by them.
16 For my workmanship are they, and the strength of my thoughts.
17 Therefore who can stand against my work? Or who is not subject to them?
18 I willed and fashioned mind and heart, and they are my own. And upon my right hand I have set my elect ones.
19 And my righteousness goes before them, and they shall not be deprived of my name; for it is with them.
20 Pray and increase, and abide in the love of the Lord;
21 And you who were loved in the Beloved, and you who are kept in Him who lives, and you who are saved in Him who was saved.
22 And you shall be found incorrupt in all ages, on account of the name of your Father. Hallelujah.
Ode 9
1 Open your ears, and I shall speak to you.
2 Give me yourself, so that I may also give you myself.
3 The word of the Lord and His desires, the holy thought which He has thought concerning His Messiah.
4 For in the will of the Lord is your life, and His purpose is eternal life, and your perfection is incorruptible.
5 Be enriched in God the Father; and receive the purpose of the Most High. Be strong and redeemed by His grace.
6 For I announce peace to you, His holy ones, so that none of those who hear shall fall in the war.
7 And also that those who have known Him may not perish, and so that those who received Him may not be ashamed.
8 An everlasting crown is Truth; blessed are they who set it on their head.
9 It is a precious stone, for the wars were on account of the crown.
10 But Righteousness has taken it, and has given it to you.
11 Put on the crown in the true covenant of the Lord, and all those who have conquered will be inscribed in His book.
12 For their book is the reward of victory which is for you, and she sees you before her and wills that you shall be saved. Hallelujah.
Ode 10
1 The Lord has directed my mouth by His Word, and has opened my heart by His Light.
2 And He has caused to dwell in me His immortal life, and permitted me to proclaim the fruit of His peace.
3 To convert the lives of those who desire to come to Him, and to lead those who are captive into freedom.
4 I took courage and became strong and captured the world, and the captivity became mine for the glory of the Most High, and of God my Father.
5 And the Gentiles who had been dispersed were gathered together, but I was not defiled by my love for them, because they had praised me in high places.
6 And the traces of light were set upon their heart, and they walked according to my life and were saved, and they became my people for ever and ever. Hallelujah.
Ode 11
1 My heart was pruned and its flower appeared, then grace sprang up in it, and my heart produced fruits for the Lord.
2 For the Most High circumcised me by His Holy Spirit, then He uncovered my inward being towards Him, and filled me with His love.
3 And His circumcising became my salvation, and I ran in the Way, in His peace, in the way of truth.
4 From the beginning until the end I received His knowledge.
5 And I was established upon the rock of truth, where He had set me.
6 And speaking waters touched my lips from the fountain of the Lord generously.
7 And so I drank and became intoxicated, from the living water that does not die.
8 And my intoxication did not cause ignorance, but I abandoned vanity,
9 And turned toward the Most High, my God, and was enriched by His favors.
10 And I rejected the folly cast upon the earth, and stripped it off and cast it from me.
11 And the Lord renewed me with His garment, and possessed me by His light.
12 And from above He gave me immortal rest, and I became like the land that blossoms and rejoices in its fruits.
13 And the Lord is like the sun upon the face of the land.
14 My eyes were enlightened, and my face received the dew;
15 And my breath was refreshed by the pleasant fragrance of the Lord.
16 And He took me to His Paradise, wherein is the wealth of the Lord's pleasure.
[I beheld blooming and fruit-bearing trees,
And self-grown was their crown.
Their branches were sprouting and their fruits were shining.
From an immortal land were their roots.
And a river of gladness was irrigating them,
And round about them in the land of eternal life.]
17 Then I worshipped the Lord because of His magnificence.
18 And I said, Blessed, O Lord, are they who are planted in Your land, and who have a place in Your Paradise;
19 And who grow in the growth of Your trees, and have passed from darkness into light.
20 Behold, all Your laborers are fair, they who work good works, and turn from wickedness to your pleasantness.
21 For the pungent odor of the trees is changed in Your land,
22 And everything becomes a remnant of Yourself. Blessed are the workers of Your waters, and eternal memorials of Your faithful servants.
23 Indeed, there is much room in Your Paradise. And there is nothing in it which is barren, but everything is filled with fruit.
24 Glory be to You, O God, the delight of Paradise for ever. Hallelujah.
[Papyrus Bodmer XI, compiled in Egypt in the 3rd century, includes the entirety of Ode 11, headed ΩΔΗ ΣΟΛΟΜΩΝΤΟϹ, which includes a short section in the middle of the Ode that does not occur in the Rendel Harris version of it. Internal evidence suggests that this additional material is original to the Ode, and that the later Harris manuscript has omitted it].
Ode 12
1 He has filled me with words of truth, that I may proclaim Him.
2 And like the flowing of waters, truth flows from my mouth, and my lips declare His fruits.
3 And He has caused His knowledge to abound in me, because the mouth of the Lord is the true Word, and the entrance of His light.
4 And the Most High has given Him to His generations, which are the interpreters of His beauty, and the narrators of His glory, and the confessors of His purpose, and the preachers of His mind, and the teachers of His works.
5 For the subtlety of the Word is inexpressible, and like His utterance so also is His swiftness and His acuteness, for limitless is His progression.
6 He never falls but remains standing, and one cannot comprehend His descent or His way.
7 For as His work is, so is His expectation, for He is the light and dawning of thought.
8 And by Him the generations spoke to one another, and those that were silent acquired speech.
9 And from Him came love and equality, and they spoke one to another that which was theirs.
10 And they were stimulated by the Word, and knew Him who made them, because they were in harmony.
11 For the mouth of the Most High spoke to them, and His exposition prospered through Him.
12 For the dwelling place of the Word is man, and His truth is love.
13 Blessed are they who by means of Him have perceived everything, and have known the Lord in His truth. Hallelujah.
Ode 13
1 Behold, the Lord is our mirror. Open your eyes and see them in Him.
2 And learn the manner of your face, then declare praises to His Spirit.
3 And wipe the paint from your face, and love His holiness and put it on.
4 Then you will be unblemished at all times with Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 14
1 As the eyes of a son upon his father, so are my eyes, O Lord, at all times towards You.
2 Because my breasts and my pleasure are with You.
3 Turn not aside Your mercies from me, O Lord; and take not Your kindness from me.
4 Stretch out to me, my Lord, at all times, Your right hand, and be to me a guide till the end according to Your will.
5 Let me be pleasing before You, because of Your glory, and because of Your name let me be saved from the Evil One.
6 And let Your gentleness, O Lord, abide with me, and the fruits of Your love.
7 Teach me the odes of Your truth, that I may produce fruits in You.
8 And open to me the harp of Your Holy Spirit, so that with every note I may praise You, O Lord.
9 And according to the multitude of Your mercies, so grant unto me, and hasten to grant our petitions.
10 For You are sufficient for all our needs. Hallelujah.
Ode 15
1 As the sun is the joy of them who seek its daybreak, so is my joy the Lord;
2 Because He is my Sun, and His rays have lifted me up; and His light has dismissed all darkness from my face.
3 Eyes I have obtained in Him, and have seen His holy day.
4 Ears I have acquired, and have heard His truth.
5 The thought of knowledge I have acquired, and have enjoyed delight fully through Him.
6 I repudiated the way of error, and went towards Him and received salvation from Him abundantly.
7 And according to His generosity He gave to me, and according to His excellent beauty He made me.
8 I put on immortality through His name, and took off corruption by His grace.
9 Death has been destroyed before my face, and Sheol has been vanquished by my word.
10 And eternal life has arisen in the Lord's land, and it has been declared to His faithful ones, and has been given without limit to all that trust in Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 16
1 As the occupation of the ploughman is the ploughshare, and the occupation of the helmsman is the steering of the ship, so also my occupation is the psalm of the Lord by His hymns.
2 My art and my service are in His hymns, because His love has nourished my heart, and His fruits He poured unto my lips.
3 For my love is the Lord; hence I will sing unto Him.
4 For I am strengthened by His praises, and I have faith in Him.
5 I will open my mouth, and His Spirit will speak through me the glory of the Lord and His beauty,
6 The work of His hands, and the labor of His fingers;
7 For the multitude of His mercies, and the strength of His Word.
8 For the Word of the Lord investigates that which is invisible, and reveals His thought.
9 For the eye sees His works, and the ear hears His thought.
10 It is He who made the earth broad, and placed the waters in the sea.
11 He expanded the heaven, and fixed the stars.
12 And He fixed the creation and set it up, then He rested from His works.
13 And created things run according to their courses, and work their works, for they can never cease nor fail.
14 And the hosts are subject to His Word.
15 The reservoir of light is the sun, and the reservoir of darkness is the night.
16 For He made the sun for the day so that it will be light; but night brings darkness over the face of the earth.
17 And by their portion one from another they complete the beauty of God.
18 And there is nothing outside of the Lord, because He was before anything came to be.
19 And the worlds are by His Word, and by the thought of His heart.
20 Praise and honor to His name. Hallelujah.
Ode 17
1 Then I was crowned by my God, and my crown was living.
2 And I was justified by my Lord, for my salvation is incorruptible.
3 I have been freed from vanities, and am not condemned.
4 My chains were cut off by His hands, I received the face and likeness of a new person, and I walked in Him and was saved.
5 And the thought of truth led me, and I went after it and wandered not.
6 And all who saw me were amazed, and I seemed to them like a stranger.
7 And He who knew and exalted me, is the Most High in all His perfection.
8 And He glorified me by His kindness, and raised my understanding to the height of truth.
9 And from there He gave me the way of His steps, and I opened the doors which were closed.
10 And I shattered the bars of iron, for my own shackles had grown hot and melted before me.
11 And nothing appeared closed to me, because I was the opening of everything.
12 And I went towards all my bound ones in order to loose them; that I might not leave anyone bound or binding.
13 And I gave my knowledge generously, and my resurrection through my love.
14 And I sowed my fruits in hearts, and transformed them through myself.
15 Then they received my blessing and lived, and they were gathered to me and were saved;
16 Because they became my members, and I was their Head.
17 Glory to You, our Head, O Lord Messiah. Hallelujah.
Ode 18
1 My heart was lifted up and enriched in the love of the Most High, so that I might praise Him with my name.
2 My members were strengthened, that they may not fall from His power.
3 Infirmities fled from my body, and it stood firm for the Lord by His will; because His kingdom is firm.
4 O Lord, for the sake of those who are in need, do not dismiss Your Word from me.
5 Nor, for the sake of their works, withhold Your perfection from me.
6 Let not light be conquered by darkness, nor let truth flee from falsehood.
7 Let Your right hand set our salvation to victory, and let it receive from every region, and preserve it on the side of everyone who is besieged by misfortunes.
8 You are my God, falsehood and death are not in Your mouth; only perfection is Your will.
9 And vanity You know not, because neither does it know You.
10 And You know not error; because neither does it know You.
11 And ignorance appeared like dust, and like the foam of the sea.
12 And vain people thought that it was great, and they became like its type and were impoverished.
13 But those who knew understood and contemplated, and were not polluted by their thoughts;
14 Because they were in the mind of the Most High, and mocked those who were walking in error.
15 Then they spoke the truth, from the breath which the Most High breathed into them.
16 Praise and great honor to His name. Hallelujah.
Ode 19
1 A cup of milk was offered to me, and I drank it in the sweetness of the Lord's kindness.
2 The Son is the cup, and the Father is He who was milked; and the Holy Spirit is She who milked Him;
3 Because His breasts were full, and it was undesirable that His milk should be ineffectually released.
4 The Holy Spirit opened Her bosom, and mixed the milk of the two breasts of the Father.
5 Then She gave the mixture to the generation without their knowing, and those who have received it are in the perfection of the right hand.
6 The womb of the Virgin took it, and she received conception and gave birth.
7 So the Virgin became a mother with great mercies.
8 And she labored and bore the Son but without pain, because it did not occur without purpose.
9 And she did not require a midwife, because He caused her to give life.
10 She brought forth like a strong man with desire, and she bore according to the manifestation, and she acquired according to the Great Power.
11 And she loved with redemption, and guarded with kindness, and declared with grandeur. Hallelujah.
Ode 20
1 I am a priest of the Lord, and Him I serve as a priest;
2 And to Him I offer the offering of His thought.
3 For His thought is not like the world, nor like the flesh, nor like them who worship according to the flesh.
4 The offering of the Lord is righteousness, and purity of heart and lips.
5 Offer your inward being faultlessly; and let not your compassion oppress compassion; and let not yourself oppress a self.
6 You should not purchase a stranger because he is like yourself, nor seek to deceive your neighbor, nor deprive him of the covering for his nakedness.
7 But put on the grace of the Lord generously, and come to His Paradise, and make for yourself a garland from His tree.
8 Then put it on your head and be joyful, and recline upon His rest.
9 For His glory will go before you; and you shall receive of His kindness and of His grace; and you shall be anointed in truth with the praise of His holiness.
10 Praise and honor to His name. Hallelujah.
Ode 21
1 I lifted up my arms on high on account of the compassion of the Lord.
2 Because He cast off my bonds from me, and my Helper lifted me up according to His compassion and His salvation.
3 And I put off darkness, and put on light.
4 And even I myself acquired members. In them there was no sickness or affliction or suffering.
5 And abundantly helpful to me was the thought of the Lord, and His everlasting fellowship.
6 And I was lifted up in the light, and I passed before Him.
7 And I was constantly near Him, while praising and confessing Him.
8 He caused my heart to overflow, and it was found in my mouth; and it sprang forth unto my lips.
9 Then upon my face increased the exultation of the Lord and His praise. Hallelujah.
Ode 22
1 He who caused me to descend from on high, and to ascend from the regions below;
2 And He who gathers what is in the Middle, and throws them to me;
3 He who scattered my enemies, and my adversaries;
4 He who gave me authority over bonds, so that I might unbind them;
5 He who overthrew by my hands the dragon with seven heads, and set me at his roots that I might destroy his seed;
6 You were there and helped me, and in every place Your name surrounded me.
7 Your right hand destroyed his evil venom, and Your hand leveled the Way for those who believe in You.
8 And It chose them from the graves, and separated them from the dead ones.
9 It took dead bones and covered them with flesh.
10 But they were motionless, so It gave them energy for life.
11 Incorruptible was Your way and Your face; You have brought Your world to corruption, that everything might be resolved and renewed.
12 And the foundation of everything is Your rock. And upon it You have built Your kingdom, and it became the dwelling-place of the holy ones. Hallelujah.
Ode 23
1 Joy is for the holy ones. And who shall put it on but they alone?
2 Grace is for the elect ones. And who shall receive it but they who trusted in it from the beginning?
3 Love is for the elect ones. And who shall put it on but they who possessed it from the beginning?
4 Walk in the knowledge of the Lord, and you will know the grace of the Lord generously; both for His exultation and for the perfection of His knowledge.
5 And His thought was like a letter, and His will descended from on high.
6 And it was sent like an arrow which from a bow has been forcibly shot.
7 And many hands rushed to the letter, in order to catch it, then take and read it.
8 But it escaped from their fingers; and they were afraid of it and of the seal which was upon it.
9 Because they were not allowed to loosen its seal; for the power which was over the seal was greater than they.
10 But those who saw the letter went after it; that they might learn where it would land, and who should read it, and who should hear it.
11 But a wheel received it, and it came over it.
12 And a sign was with it, of the kingdom and of providence.
13 And everything which was disturbing the wheel, it mowed and cut down.
14 And it restrained a multitude of adversaries; and bridged rivers.
15 And it crossed over and uprooted many forests, and made an open way.
16 The head went down to the feet, because unto the feet ran the wheel, and whatever had come upon it.
17 The letter was one of command, and hence all regions were gathered together.
18 And there was seen at its head, the head which was revealed, even the Son of Truth from the Most High Father.
19 And He inherited and possessed everything, and then the scheming of the many ceased.
20 Then all the seducers became headstrong and fled, and the persecutors became extinct and were blotted out.
21 And the letter became a large volume, which was entirely written by the finger of God.
22 And the name of the Father was upon it; and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to rule for ever and ever. Hallelujah.
Ode 24
1 The dove fluttered over the head of our Lord Messiah, because He was her head.
2 And she sang over Him, and her voice was heard.
3 Then the inhabitants were afraid, and the foreigners were disturbed.
4 The bird began to fly, and every creeping thing died in its hole.
5 And the chasms were opened and closed; and they were seeking the Lord as those who are about to give birth.
6 But He was not given to them for nourishment, because He did not belong to them.
7 But the chasms were submerged in the seal of the Lord, and they perished in the thought with which they had remained from the beginning.
8 For they were in labor from the beginning, and the end of their travail was life.
9 And all of them who were lacking perished, because they were not able to express the word so that they might remain.
10 And the Lord destroyed the devices, of all those who had not the truth with them.
11 For they were lacking in wisdom, they who exalted themselves in their mind.
12 So they were rejected, because the truth was not with them.
13 For the Lord revealed His way, and spread widely His grace.
14 And those who understood it knew His holiness. Hallelujah.
Ode 25
1 I was rescued from my chains, and I fled unto You, O my God.
2 Because You are the right hand of salvation, and my Helper.
3 You have restrained those who rise up against me, and no more were they seen.
4 Because Your face was with me, which saved me by Your grace.
5 But I was despised and rejected in the eyes of many, and I was in their eyes like lead.
6 And I acquired strength from You, and help.
7 A lamp You set for me both on my right and on my left, so that there might not be in me anything that is not light.
8 And I was covered with the covering of Your Spirit, and I removed from me my garments of skin.
9 Because Your right hand exalted me, and caused sickness to pass from me.
10 And I became mighty in Your truth, and holy in Your righteousness.
11 And all my adversaries were afraid of me, and I became the Lord's by the name of the Lord.
12 And I was justified by His kindness, and His rest is for ever and ever. Hallelujah.
Ode 26
1 I poured out praise to the Lord, because I am His own.
2 And I will recite His holy ode, because my heart is with Him.
3 For His harp is in my hand, and the odes of His rest shall not be silent.
4 I will call unto Him with all my heart, I will praise and exalt Him with all my members.
5 For from the East and unto the West is His praise;
6 Also from the South and unto the North is His thanksgiving.
7 Even from the crest of the summits and unto their extremity is His perfection.
8 Who can write the odes of the Lord, or who can read them?
9 Or who can train himself for life, so that he himself may be saved?
10 Or who can press upon the Most High, so that He would recite from His mouth?
11 Who can interpret the wonders of the Lord? Though he who interprets will be destroyed, yet that which was interpreted will remain.
12 For it suffices to perceive and be satisfied, for the odists stand in serenity;
13 Like a river which has an increasingly gushing spring, and flows to the relief of them that seek it. Hallelujah.
Ode 27
1 I extended my hands and hallowed my Lord,
2 For the expansion of my hands is His sign.
3 And my extension is the upright cross. Hallelujah.
Ode 28
1 As the wings of doves over their nestlings, and the mouths of their nestlings towards their mouths, so also are the wings of the Spirit over my heart.
2 My heart continually refreshes itself and leaps for joy, like the babe who leaps for joy in his mother's womb.
3 I trusted, consequently I was at rest; because trustful is He in whom I trusted.
4 He has greatly blessed me, and my head is with Him.
5 And the dagger shall not divide me from Him, nor the sword;
6 Because I am ready before destruction comes, and have been set on His immortal side.
7 And immortal life embraced me, and kissed me.
8 And from that life is the Spirit which is within me. And it cannot die because it is life.
9 Those who saw me were amazed, because I was persecuted.
10 And they thought that I had been swallowed up, because I seemed to them as one of the lost.
11 But my injustice became my salvation.
12 And I became their abomination, because there was no jealousy in me.
13 Because I continually did good to every man I was hated.
14 And they surrounded me like mad dogs, those who in stupidity attack their masters.
15 Because their thought is depraved, and their mind is perverted.
16 But I was carrying water in my right hand, and their bitterness I endured by my sweetness.
17 And I did not perish, because I was not their brother, nor was my birth like theirs.
18 And they sought my death but did not find it possible, because I was older than their memory; and in vain did they cast lots against me.
19 And those who were after me sought in vain to destroy the memorial of Him who was before them.
20 Because the thought of the Most High cannot be prepossessed; and His heart is superior to all wisdom. Hallelujah.
Ode 29
1 The Lord is my hope, I shall not be ashamed of Him.
2 For according to His praise He made me, and according to His grace even so He gave to me.
3 And according to His mercies He exalted me, and according to His great honor He lifted me up.
4 And he caused me to ascend from the depths of Sheol, and from the mouth of death He drew me.
5 And I humbled my enemies, and He justified me by His grace.
6 For I believed in the Lord's Messiah, and considered that He is the Lord.
7 And He revealed to me His sign, and He led me by His light.
8 And He gave me the scepter of His power, that I might subdue the devices of the people, and humble the power of the mighty.
9 To make war by His Word, and to take victory by His power.
10 And the Lord overthrew my enemy by His Word, and he became like the dust which a breeze carries off.
11 And I gave praise to the Most High, because He has magnified His servant and the son of His maidservant. Hallelujah.
Ode 30
1 Fill for yourselves water from the living fountain of the Lord, because it has been opened for you.
2 And come all you thirsty and take a drink, and rest beside the fountain of the Lord.
3 Because it is pleasing and sparkling, and perpetually refreshes the self.
4 For much sweeter is its water than honey, and the honeycomb of bees is not to be compared with it;
5 Because it flowed from the lips of the Lord, and it named from the heart of the Lord.
6 And it came boundless and invisible, and until it was set in the middle they knew it not.
7 Blessed are they who have drunk from it, and have refreshed themselves by it. Hallelujah.
Ode 31
1 Chasms vanished before the Lord, and darkness dissipated before His appearance.
2 Error erred and perished on account of Him; and contempt received no path, for it was submerged by the truth of the Lord.
3 He opened His mouth and spoke grace and joy; and recited a new chant to His name.
4 Then He lifted his voice towards the Most High, and offered to Him those that had become sons through Him.
5 And His face was justified, because thus His Holy Father had given to Him.
6 Come forth, you who have been afflicted, and receive joy.
7 And possess yourselves through grace, and take unto you immortal life.
8 And they condemned me when I stood up, me who had not been condemned.
9 Then they divided my spoil, though nothing was owed them.
10 But I endured and held my peace and was silent, that I might not be disturbed by them.
11 But I stood undisturbed like a solid rock, which is continuously pounded by columns of waves and endures.
12 And I bore their bitterness because of humility; that I might redeem my nation and instruct it.
13 And that I might not nullify the promises to the patriarchs, to whom I was promised for the salvation of their offspring. Hallelujah.
Ode 32
1 To the blessed ones the joy is from their heart, and light from Him who dwells in them;
2 And the Word of truth who is self-originate,
3 Because He has been strengthened by the Holy Power of the Most High; and He is unshaken for ever and ever. Hallelujah.
Ode 33
1 But again Grace was swift and dismissed the Corruptor, and descended upon him to renounce him.
2 And he caused utter destruction before him, and corrupted all his work.
3 And he stood on the peak of a summit and cried aloud from one end of the earth to the other.
4 Then he drew to him all those who obeyed him, for he did not appear as the Evil One.
5 However, the perfect Virgin stood, who was preaching and summoning and saying:
6 O you sons of men, return, and you their daughters, come.
7 And leave the ways of that Corruptor, and approach me.
8 And I will enter into you, and bring you forth from destruction, and make you wise in the ways of truth.
9 Be not corrupted nor perish.
10 Obey me and be saved, for I am proclaiming unto you the grace of God.
11 And through me you will be saved and become blessed. I am your judge;
12 And they who have put me on shall not be falsely accused, but they shall possess incorruption in the new world.
13 My elect ones have walked with me, and my ways I will make known to them who seek me; and I will promise them my name. Hallelujah.
Ode 34
1 There is no hard way where there is a simple heart, nor barrier for upright thoughts,
2 Nor whirlwind in the depth of the enlightened thought.
3 Where one is surrounded on every side by pleasing country, there is nothing divided in him.
4 The likeness of that which is below is that which is above.
5 For everything is from above, and from below there is nothing, but it is believed to be by those in whom there is no understanding.
6 Grace has been revealed for your salvation. Believe and live and be saved. Hallelujah.
Ode 35
1 The gentle showers of the Lord overshadowed me with serenity, and they caused a cloud of peace to rise over my head;
2 That it might guard me at all times. And it became salvation to me.
3 Everyone was disturbed and afraid, and there came from them smoke and judgment.
4 But I was tranquil in the Lord's legion; more than shade was He to me, and more than foundation.
5 And I was carried like a child by its mother; and He gave me milk, the dew of the Lord.
6 And I was enriched by His favor, and rested in His perfection.
7 And I spread out my hands in the ascent of myself, and I directed myself towards the Most High, and I was redeemed towards Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 36
1 I rested on the Spirit of the Lord, and She lifted me up to heaven;
2 And caused me to stand on my feet in the Lord's high place, before His perfection and His glory, where I continued glorifying Him by the composition of His Odes.
3 The Spirit brought me forth before the Lord's face, and because I was the Son of Man, I was named the Light, the Son of God;
4 Because I was the most glorified among the glorious ones, and the greatest among the great ones.
5 For according to the greatness of the Most High, so She made me; and according to His newness He renewed me.
6 And He anointed me with His perfection; and I became one of those who are near Him.
7 And my mouth was opened like a cloud of dew, and my heart gushed forth like a gusher of righteousness.
8 And my approach was in peace, and I was established in the Spirit of Providence. Hallelujah.
Ode 37
1 I stretched out my hands towards the Lord, and towards the Most High I raised my voice.
2 And I spoke with the lips of my heart, and He heard me when my voice reached Him.
3 His Word came towards me, in order to give me the fruits of my labors;
4 And gave me rest by the grace of the Lord. Hallelujah.
Ode 38
1 I went up into the light of Truth as into a chariot, and the Truth led me and caused me to come.
2 And caused me to pass over chasms and gulfs, and saved me from cliffs and valleys.
3 And became for me a haven of salvation, and set me on the place of immortal life.
4 And He went with me and caused me to rest and did not allow me to err; because He was and is the Truth.
5 And there was no danger for me because I constantly walked with Him; and I did not err in anything because I obeyed Him.
6 For Error fled from Him, and never met Him.
7 But Truth was proceeding on the upright way, and whatever I did not understand He exhibited to me:
8 All the poisons of error, and pains of death which are considered sweetness.
9 And the corrupting of the Corruptor, I saw when the bride who was corrupting was adorned, and the bridegroom who corrupts and is corrupted.
10 And I asked the Truth, Who are these? And He said to me: This is the Deceiver and the Error.
11 And they imitate the Beloved and His Bride, and they cause the world to err and corrupt it.
12 And they invite many to the wedding feast, and allow them to drink the wine of their intoxication;
13 So they cause them to vomit up their wisdom and their knowledge, and prepare for them mindlessness.
14 Then they abandon them; and so they stumble about like mad and corrupted men.
15 Since there is no understanding in them, neither do they seek it.
16 But I have been made wise so as not to fall into the hands of the Deceivers, and I myself rejoiced because the Truth had gone with me.
17 For I was established and lived and was redeemed, and my foundations were laid on account of the Lord's hand; because He has planted me.
18 For He set the root, and watered it and endowed it and blessed it, and its fruits will be forever.
19 It penetrated deeply and sprang up and spread out, and it was full and was enlarged.
20 And the Lord alone was glorified, in His planting and in His cultivation;
21 In His care and in the blessing of His lips, in the beautiful planting of His right hand;
22 And in the attainment of His planting, and in the understanding of His mind. Hallelujah.
Ode 39
1 Raging rivers are the power of the Lord; they send headlong those who despise Him.
2 And entangle their paths, and destroy their crossings.
3 And snatch their bodies, and corrupt their natures.
4 For they are more swift than lightnings, even more rapid.
5 But those who cross them in faith shall not be disturbed.
6 And those who walk on them faultlessly shall not be shaken.
7 Because the sign on them is the Lord, and the sign is the Way for those who cross in the name of the Lord.
8 Therefore, put on the name of the Most High and know Him, and you shall cross without danger; because rivers shall be obedient to you.
9 The Lord has bridged them by His Word, and He walked and crossed them on foot.
10 And His footsteps stand firm upon the waters, and were not destroyed; but they are like a beam of wood that is constructed on truth.
11 On this side and on that the waves were lifted up, but the footsteps of our Lord Messiah stand firm.
12 And they are neither blotted out, nor destroyed.
13 And the Way has been appointed for those who cross over after Him, and for those who adhere to the path of His faith; and who adore His name. Hallelujah.
Ode 40
1 As honey drips from the honeycomb of bees, and milk flows from the woman who loves her children, so also is my hope upon You, O my God.
2 As a fountain gushes forth its water, so my heart gushes forth the praise of the Lord, and my lips bring forth praise to Him.
3 And my tongue becomes sweet by His anthems, and my members are anointed by His odes.
4 My face rejoices in His exultation, and my spirit exults in His love, and my nature shines in Him.
5 And he who is afraid shall trust in Him, and redemption shall be assured in Him.
6 And His possessions are immortal life, and those who receive it are incorruptible. Hallelujah.
Ode 41
1 Let all the Lord's babes praise Him, and let us receive the truth of His faith.
2 And His children shall be acknowledged by Him, therefore let us sing by His love.
3 We live in the Lord by His grace, and life we receive by His Messiah.
4 For a great day has shined upon us, and wonderful is He who has given to us of His glory.
5 Let us, therefore, all of us agree in the name of the Lord, and let us honor Him in His goodness.
6 And let our faces shine in His light, and let our hearts meditate in His love, by night and by day.
7 Let us exult with the exultation of the Lord.
8 All those who see me will be amazed, because I am from another race.
9 For the Father of Truth remembered me; he who possessed me from the beginning.
10 For His riches begat me, and the thought of His heart.
11 And His Word is with us in all our way, the Savior who gives life and does not reject ourselves.
12 The Man who humbled Himself, but was exalted because of His own righteousness.
13 The Son of the Most High appeared in the perfection of His Father.
14 And light dawned from the Word that was before time in Him.
15 The Messiah in truth is one. And He was known before the foundations of the world, that He might give life to persons for ever by the truth of His name.
16 A new chant is for the Lord from them that love Him. Hallelujah.
Ode 42
1 I extended my hands and approached my Lord, for the expansion of my hands is His sign.
2 And my extension is the upright cross, that was lifted up on the way of the Righteous One.
3 And I became useless to those who knew me not, because I shall hide myself from those who possessed me not.
4 And I will be with those who love me.
5 All my persecutors have died, and they sought me, they who declared against me, because I am living.
6 Then I arose and am with them, and will speak by their mouths.
7 For they have rejected those who persecute them; and I threw over them the yoke of my love.
8 Like the arm of the bridegroom over the bride, so is my yoke over those who know me.
9 And as the bridal chamber is spread out by the bridal pair's home, so is my love by those who believe in me.
10 I was not rejected although I was considered to be so, and I did not perish although they thought it of me.
11 Sheol saw me and was shattered, and Death ejected me and many with me.
12 I have been vinegar and bitterness to it, and I went down with it as far as its depth.
13 Then the feet and the head it released, because it was not able to endure my face.
14 And I made a congregation of living among his dead; and I spoke with them by living lips; in order that my word may not be unprofitable.
15 And those who had died ran towards me; and they cried out and said, Son of God, have pity on us.
16 And deal with us according to Your kindness, and bring us out from the bonds of darkness.
17 And open for us the door by which we may come out to You; for we perceive that our death does not touch You.
18 May we also be saved with You, because You are our Savior.
19 Then I heard their voice, and placed their faith in my heart.
20 And I placed my name upon their head, because they are free and they are mine. Hallelujah.
The Second Book of Enoch (usually abbreviated 2 Enoch, and otherwise variously known as Slavonic Enoch or The Secrets of Enoch) is a pseudepigraphic text (a text whose claimed authorship is unfounded) of the Old Testament. It is usually considered to be part of the Apocalyptic literature. The dating often preferred for the writing of 2 Enoch is late 1st century A.D.. The text has been preserved in full only in Slavonic, but in 2009 it was announced that Coptic fragments of the book had been identified. Greek is indicated as the language from which the Slavonic version was translated. 2 Enoch is not regarded as scripture by Jews or any Christian group. It was rediscovered and published at the end of the 19th century. Most scholars consider 2 Enoch to be composed by an unknown Jewish sectarian group, while some authors think it is a 1st-century Christian text. Others consider it a later Christian work. 2 Enoch is distinct from the Book of Enoch, known as 1 Enoch. There is also an unrelated 3 Enoch. The numbering of these texts has been applied by scholars to distinguish the texts from one another.
The Book of the Secrets of Enoch
Also known as Slavonic Enoch or 2 Enoch
Chapter 1
1 There was a wise man, a great artificer, and the Lord conceived love for him and received him, that he should behold the uppermost dwellings and be an eye-witness of the wise and great and inconceivable and immutable realm of God Almighty, of the very wonderful and glorious and bright and many-eyed station of the Lord’s servants, and of the inaccessible throne of the Lord, and of the degrees and manifestations of the incorporeal hosts, and of the ineffable ministration of the multitude of the elements, and of the various apparition and inexpressible singing of the host of Cherubim, and of the boundless light.
2 At that time, he said, when my one hundred and sixty-fifth year was completed, I begat my son Methuselah.
3 After this too I lived two hundred years and completed of all the years of my life three hundred and sixty-five years.
4 On the first day of the month I was in my house alone and was resting on my bed and slept.
5 And when I was asleep, great distress came up into my heart, and I was weeping with my eyes in sleep, and I could not understand what this distress was, or what would happen to me.
6 And there appeared to me two men, exceeding big, so that I never saw such on earth; their faces were shining like the sun, their eyes too were like a burning light, and from their lips was fire coming forth with clothing and singing of various kinds in appearance purple, their wings were brighter than gold, their hands whiter than snow.
7 They were standing at the head of my bed and began to call me by my name.
8 And I arose from my sleep and saw clearly those two men standing in front of me.
9 And I saluted them and was seized with fear and the appearance of my face was changed from terror, and those men said to me:
10 Have courage, Enoch, do not fear; the eternal God sent us to you, and lo! You shalt to-day ascend with us into heaven, and you shall tell your sons and all your household all that they shall do without you on earth in your house, and let no one seek you till the Lord return you to them.
11 And I made haste to obey them and went out from my house, and made to the doors, as it was ordered me, and summoned my sons Methuselah and Regim and Gaidad and made known to them all the marvels those men had told me.
Chapter 2
1 Listen to me, my children, I know not whither I go, or what will befall me; now therefore, my children, I tell you: turn not from God before the face of the vain, who made not Heaven and earth, for these shall perish and those who worship them, and may the Lord make confident your hearts in the fear of him. And now, my children, let no one think to seek me, until the Lord return me to you.
Chapter 3
1 It came to pass, when Enoch had told his sons, that the angels took him on to their wings and bore him up on to the first heaven and placed him on the clouds. And there I looked, and again I looked higher, and saw the ether, and they placed me on the first heaven and showed me a very great Sea, greater than the earthly sea.
Chapter 4
1 They brought before my face the elders and rulers of the stellar orders, and showed me two hundred angels, who rule the stars and their services to the heavens, and fly with their wings and come round all those who sail.
Chapter 5
1 And here I looked down and saw the treasure-houses of the snow, and the angels who keep their terrible store-houses, and the clouds whence they come out and into which they go.
Chapter 6
1 They showed me the treasure-house of the dew, like oil of the olive, and the appearance of its form, as of all the flowers of the earth; further many angels guarding the treasure-houses of these things, and how they are made to shut and open.
Chapter 7
1 And those men took me and led me up on to the second heaven, and showed me darkness, greater than earthly darkness, and there I saw prisoners hanging, watched, awaiting the great and boundless judgment, and these angels were dark-looking, more than earthly darkness, and incessantly making weeping through all hours.
2 And I said to the men who were with me: Wherefore are these incessantly tortured? They answered me: These are God’s apostates, who obeyed not God’s commands, but took counsel with their own will, and turned away with their prince, who also is fastened on the fifth heaven.
3 And I felt great pity for them, and they saluted me, and said to me: Man of God, pray for us to the Lord; and I answered to them: Who am I, a mortal man, that I should pray for angels? Who knows whither I go, or what will befall me? Or who will pray for me?
Chapter 8
1 And those men took me thence, and led me up on to the third heaven, and placed me there; and I looked downwards, and saw the produce of these places, such as has never been known for goodness.
2 And I saw all the sweet-flowering trees and beheld their fruits, which were sweet-smelling, and all the foods borne by them bubbling with fragrant exhalation.
3 And in the midst of the trees that of life, in that place whereon the Lord rests, when he goes up into paradise; and this tree is of ineffable goodness and fragrance, and adorned more than every existing thing; and on all sides it is in form gold-looking and vermilion and fire-like and covers all, and it has produce from all fruits.
4 Its root is in the garden at the earth’s end.
5 And paradise is between corruptibility and incorruptibility.
6 And two springs come out which send forth honey and milk, and their springs send forth oil and wine, and they separate into four parts, and go round with quiet course, and go down into the PARADISE OF EDEN, between corruptibility and incorruptibility.
7 And thence they go forth along the earth, and have a revolution to their circle even as other elements.
8 And here there is no unfruitful tree, and every place is blessed.
9 And there are three hundred angels very bright, who keep the garden, and with incessant sweet singing and never-silent voices serve the Lord throughout all days and hours.
10 And I said: How very sweet is this place, and those men said to me:
Chapter 9
1 This place, O Enoch, is prepared for the righteous, who endure all manner of offence from those that exasperate their souls, who avert their eyes from iniquity, and make righteous judgment, and give bread to the hungering, and cover the naked with clothing, and raise up the fallen, and help injured orphans, and who walk without fault before the face of the Lord, and serve him alone, and for them is prepared this place for eternal inheritance.
Chapter 10
1 And those two men led me up on to the Northern side, and showed me there a very terrible place, and there were all manner of tortures in that place: cruel darkness and unillumined gloom, and there is no light there, but murky fire constantly flaming aloft, and there is a fiery river coming forth, and that whole place is everywhere fire, and everywhere there is frost and ice, thirst and shivering, while the bonds are very cruel, and the angels fearful and merciless, bearing angry weapons, merciless torture, and I said:
2 Woe, woe, how very terrible is this place.
3 And those men said to me: This place, O Enoch, is prepared for those who dishonour God, who on earth practice sin against nature, which is child-corruption after the sodomitic fashion, magic-making, enchantments and devilish witchcrafts, and who boast of their wicked deeds, stealing, lies, calumnies, envy, rancour, fornication, murder, and who, accursed, steal the souls of men, who, seeing the poor take away their goods and themselves wax rich, injuring them for other men’s goods; who being able to satisfy the empty, made the hungering to die; being able to clothe, stripped the naked; and who knew not their creator, and bowed to the soulless and lifeless gods, who cannot see nor hear, vain gods, who also built hewn images and bow down to unclean handiwork, for all these is prepared this place among these, for eternal inheritance.
Chapter 11
1 Those men took me, and led me up on to the fourth heaven, and showed me all the successive goings, and all the rays of the light of sun and moon.
2 And I measure their goings, and compared their light, and saw that the sun’s light is greater than the moon’s.
3 Its circle and the wheels on which it goes always, like the wind going past with very marvellous speed, and day and night it has no rest.
4 Its passage and return are accompanied by four great stars, and each star has under it a thousand stars, to the right of the sun’s wheel, and by four to the left, each having under it a thousand stars, altogether eight thousand, issuing with the sun continually.
5 And by day fifteen myriads of angels attend it, and by night A thousand.
6 And six-winged ones issue with the angels before the sun’s wheel into the fiery flames, and a hundred angels kindle the sun and set it alight.
Chapter 12
1 And I looked and saw other flying elements of the sun, whose names are Phoenixes and Chalkydri, marvellous and wonderful, with feet and tails in the form of a lion, and a crocodile’s head, their appearance is empurpled, like the rainbow; their size is nine hundred measures, their wings are like those of angels, each has twelve, and they attend and accompany the sun, bearing heat and dew, as it is ordered them from God.
2 Thus the sun revolves and goes, and rises under the heaven, and its course goes under the earth with the light of its rays incessantly.
Chapter 13
1 Those men bore me away to the east, and placed me at the sun’s gates, where the sun goes forth according to the regulation of the seasons and the circuit of the months of the whole year, and the number of the hours day and night.
2 And I saw six gates open, each gate having sixty-one stadia and A quarter of one stadium, and I measured them truly, and understood their size to be so much, through which the sun goes forth, and goes to the west, and is made even, and rises throughout all the months, and turns back again from the six gates according to the succession of the seasons; thus the period of the whole year is finished after the returns of the four seasons.
Chapter 14
1 And again those men led me away to the western parts, and showed me six great gates open corresponding to the eastern gates, opposite to where the sun sets, according to the number of the days three hundred and sixty-five and A quarter.
2 Thus again it goes down to the western gates, and draws away its light, the greatness of its brightness, under the earth; for since the crown of its shining is in heaven with the Lord, and guarded by four hundred angels, while the sun goes round on wheel under the earth, and stands seven great hours in night, and spends half its course under the earth, when it comes to the eastern approach in the eighth hour of the night, it brings its lights, and the crown of shining, and the sun flames forth more than fire.
Chapter 15
1 Then the elements of the sun, called Phoenixes and Chalkydri break into song, therefore every bird flutters with its wings, rejoicing at the giver of light, and they broke into song at the command of the Lord.
2 The giver of light comes to give brightness to the whole world, and the morning guard takes shape, which is the rays of the sun, and the sun of the earth goes out, and receives its brightness to light up the whole face of the earth, and they showed me this calculation of the sun’s going.
3 And the gates which it enters, these are the great gates of the calculation of the hours of the year; for this reason the sun is a great creation, whose circuit lasts twenty-eight years, and begins again from the beginning.
Chapter 16
1 Those men showed me the other course, that of the moon, twelve great gates, crowned from west to east, by which the moon goes in and out of the customary times.
2 It goes in at the first gate to the western places of the sun, by the first gates with thirty-one days exactly, by the second gates with thirty-one days exactly, by the third with thirty days exactly, by the fourth with thirty days exactly, by the fifth with thirty-one days exactly, by the sixth with thirty-one days exactly, by the seventh with thirty days exactly, by the eighth with thirty-one days perfectly, by the ninth with thirty-one days exactly, by the tenth with thirty days perfectly, by the eleventh with thirty-one days exactly, by the twelfth with twenty-eight days exactly.
3 And it goes through the western gates in the order and number of the eastern, and accomplishes the three hundred and sixty-five and a quarter days of the solar year, while the lunar year has three hundred fifty-four, and there are wanting to it twelve days of the solar circle, which are the lunar epacts of the whole year.
4 Thus, too, the great circle contains five hundred and thirty-two years.
5 The quarter of a day is omitted for three years, the fourth fulfills it exactly.
6 Therefore they are taken outside of heaven for three years and are not added to the number of days, because they change the time of the years to two new months towards completion, to two others towards diminution.
7 And when the western gates are finished, it returns and goes to the eastern to the lights, and goes thus day and night about the heavenly circles, lower than all circles, swifter than the heavenly winds, and spirits and elements and angels flying; each angel has six wings.
8 It has a sevenfold course in nineteen years.
Chapter 17
1 In the midst of the heavens I saw armed soldiers, serving the Lord, with tympana and organs, with incessant voice, with sweet voice, with sweet and incessant voice and various singing, which it is impossible to describe, and which astonishes every mind, so wonderful and marvellous is the singing of those angels, and I was delighted listening to it.
Chapter 18
1 The men took me on to the fifth heaven and placed me, and there I saw many and countless soldiers, called Grigori, of human appearance, and their size was greater than that of great giants and their faces withered, and the silence of their mouths perpetual, and their was no service on the fifth heaven, and I said to the men who were with me:
2 Wherefore are these very withered and their faces melancholy, and their mouths silent, and wherefore is there no service on this heaven?
3 And they said to me: These are the Grigori, who with their prince Satanail rejected the Lord of light, and after them are those who are held in great darkness on the second heaven, and three of them went down on to earth from the Lord’s throne, to the place Ermon, and broke through their vows on the shoulder of the hill Ermon and saw the daughters of men how good they are, and took to themselves wives, and befouled the earth with their deeds, who in all times of their age made lawlessness and mixing, and giants are born and marvellous big men and great enmity.
4 And therefore God judged them with great judgment, and they weep for their brethren and they will be punished on the Lord’s great day.
5 And I said to the Grigori: I saw your brethren and their works, and their great torments, and I prayed for them, but the Lord has condemned them to be under earth till the existing heaven and earth shall end for ever.
6 And I said: Wherefore do you wait, brethren, and do not serve before the Lord’s face, and have not put your services before the Lord’s face, lest you anger your Lord utterly?
7 And they listened to my admonition, and spoke to the four ranks in heaven, and lo! As I stood with those two men four trumpets trumpeted together with great voice, and the Grigori broke into song with one voice, and their voice went up before the Lord pitifully and affectingly.
Chapter 19
1 And thence those men took me and bore me up on to the sixth heaven, and there I saw seven bands of angels, very bright and very glorious, and their faces shining more than the sun’s shining, glistening, and there is no difference in their faces, or behaviour, or manner of dress; and these make the orders, and learn the goings of the stars, and the alteration of the moon, or revolution of the sun, and the good government of the world.
2 And when they see evildoing they make commandments and instruction, and sweet and loud singing, and all songs of praise.
3 These are the archangels who are above angels, measure all life in heaven and on earth, and the angels who are appointed over seasons and years, the angels who are over rivers and sea, and who are over the fruits of the earth, and the angels who are over every grass, giving food to all, to every living thing, and the angels who write all the souls of men, and all their deeds, and their lives before the Lord’s face; in their midst are six Phoenixes and six Cherubim and six six-winged ones continually with one voice singing one voice, and it is not possible to describe their singing, and they rejoice before the Lord at his footstool.
Chapter 20
1 And those two men lifted me up thence on to the seventh heaven, and I saw there a very great light, and fiery troops of great archangels, incorporeal forces, and dominions, orders and governments, Cherubim and seraphim, thrones and many-eyed ones, nine regiments, the Ioanit stations of light, and I became afraid, and began to tremble with great terror, and those men took me, and led me after them, and said to me:
2 Have courage, Enoch, do not fear, and showed me the Lord from afar, sitting on His very high throne. For what is there on the tenth heaven, since the Lord dwells there?
3 On the tenth heaven is God, in the Hebrew tongue he is called Aravat.
4 And all the heavenly troops would come and stand on the ten steps according to their rank, and would bow down to the Lord, and would again go to their places in joy and felicity, singing songs in the boundless light with small and tender voices, gloriously serving him.
Chapter 21
1 And the Cherubim and seraphim standing about the throne, the six-winged and many-eyed ones do not depart, standing before the Lord’s face doing his will, and cover his whole throne, singing with gentle voice before the Lord’s face: Holy, holy, holy, Lord Ruler of Sabaoth, heavens and earth are full of Your glory.
2 When I saw all these things, those men said to me: Enoch, thus far is it commanded us to journey with you, and those men went away from me and thereupon I saw them not.
3 And I remained alone at the end of the seventh heaven and became afraid, and fell on my face and said to myself: Woe is me, what has befallen me?
4 And the Lord sent one of his glorious ones, the archangel Gabriel, and he said to me: Have courage, Enoch, do not fear, arise before the Lord’s face into eternity, arise, come with me.
5 And I answered him, and said in myself: My Lord, my soul is departed from me, from terror and trembling, and I called to the men who led me up to this place, on them I relied, and it is with them I go before the Lord’s face.
6 And Gabriel caught me up, as a leaf caught up by the wind, and placed me before the Lord’s face.
7 And I saw the eighth heaven, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Muzaloth, changer of the seasons, of drought, and of wet, and of the twelve constellations of the circle of the firmament, which are above the seventh heaven.
8 And I saw the ninth heaven, which is called in Hebrew Kuchavim, where are the heavenly homes of the twelve constellations of the circle of the firmament.
Chapter 22
1 On the tenth heaven, which is called Aravoth, I saw the appearance of the Lord’s face, like iron made to glow in fire, and brought out, emitting sparks, and it burns.
2 Thus in a moment of eternity I saw the Lord's face, but the Lord’s face is ineffable, marvellous and very awful, and very, very terrible.
3 And who am I to tell of the Lord’s unspeakable being, and of his very wonderful face? And I cannot tell the quantity of his many instructions, and various voices, the Lord's throne is very great and not made with hands, nor the quantity of those standing round him, troops of Cherubim and seraphim, nor their incessant singing, nor his immutable beauty, and who shall tell of the ineffable greatness of his glory.
4 And I fell prone and bowed down to the Lord, and the Lord with his lips said to me:
5 Have courage, Enoch, do not fear, arise and stand before my face into eternity.
6 And the archistratege Michael lifted me up, and led me to before the Lord’s face.
7 And the Lord said to his servants tempting them: Let Enoch stand before my face into eternity, and the glorious ones bowed down to the Lord, and said: Let Enoch go according to Your word.
8 And the Lord said to Michael: Go and take Enoch from out of his earthly garments, and anoint him with my sweet ointment, and put him into the garments of My glory.
9 And Michael did thus, as the Lord told him. He anointed me, and dressed me, and the appearance of that ointment is more than the great light, and his ointment is like sweet dew, and its smell mild, shining like the sun’s ray, and I looked at myself, and I was transfigured like one of his glorious ones.
10 And the Lord summoned one of his archangels by name Pravuil, whose knowledge was quicker in wisdom than the other archangels, who wrote all the deeds of the Lord; and the Lord said to Pravuil: Bring out the books from my store-houses, and a reed of quick-writing, and give it to Enoch, and deliver to him the choice and comforting books out of your hand.
Chapter 23
1 And he was telling me all the works of heaven, earth and sea, and all the elements, their passages and goings, and the thunderings of the thunders, the sun and moon, the goings and changes of the stars, the seasons, years, days, and hours, the risings of the wind, the numbers of the angels, and the formation of their songs, and all human things, the tongue of every human song and life, the commandments, instructions, and sweet-voiced singings, and all things that it is fitting to learn.
2 And Pravuil told me: All the things that I have told you, we have written. Sit and write all the souls of mankind, however many of them are born, and the places prepared for them to eternity; for all souls are prepared to eternity, before the formation of the world.
3 And all double thirty days and thirty nights, and I wrote out all things exactly, and wrote three hundred and sixty-six books.
Chapter 24
1 And the Lord summoned me, and said to me: Enoch, sit down on my left with Gabriel.
2 And I bowed down to the Lord, and the Lord spoke to me: Enoch, beloved, all that you see, all things that are standing finished I tell to you even before the very beginning, all that I created from non-being, and visible things from invisible.
3 Hear, Enoch, and take in these my words, for not to My angels have I told my secret, and I have not told them their rise, nor my endless realm, nor have they understood my creating, which I tell you to-day.
4 For before all things were visible, I alone used to go about in the invisible things, like the sun from east to west, and from west to east.
5 But even the sun has peace in itself, while I found no peace, because I was creating all things, and I conceived the thought of placing foundations, and of creating visible creation.
Chapter 25
1 I commanded in the very lowest parts, that visible things should come down from invisible, and Adoil came down very great, and I beheld him, and lo! He had a belly of great light.
2 And I said to him: Become undone, Adoil, and let the visible come out of you.
3 And he came undone, and a great light came out. And I was in the midst of the great light, and as there is born light from light, there came forth a great age, and showed all creation, which I had thought to create.
4 And I saw that it was good.
5 And I placed for myself a throne, and took my seat on it, and said to the light: Go thence up higher and fix yourself high above the throne, and be A foundation to the highest things.
6 And above the light there is nothing else, and then I bent up and looked up from my throne.
Chapter 26
1 And I summoned the very lowest a second time, and said: Let Archas come forth hard, and he came forth hard from the invisible.
2 And Archas came forth, hard, heavy, and very red.
3 And I said: Be opened, Archas, and let there be born from you, and he came undone, an age came forth, very great and very dark, bearing the creation of all lower things, and I saw that it was good and said to him:
4 Go thence down below, and make yourself firm, and be a foundation for the lower things, and it happened and he went down and fixed himself, and became the foundation for the lower things, and below the darkness there is nothing else.
Chapter 27
1 And I commanded that there should be taken from light and darkness, and I said: Be thick, and it became thus, and I spread it out with the light, and it became water, and I spread it out over the darkness, below the light, and then I made firm the waters, that is to say the bottomless, and I made foundation of light around the water, and created seven circles from inside, and imaged the water like crystal wet and dry, that is to say like glass, and the circumcession of the waters and the other elements, and I showed each one of them its road, and the seven stars each one of them in its heaven, that they go thus, and I saw that it was good.
2 And I separated between light and between darkness, that is to say in the midst of the water hither and thither, and I said to the light, that it should be the day, and to the darkness, that it should be the night, and there was evening and there was morning the first day.
Chapter 28
1 And then I made firm the heavenly circle, and made that the lower water which is under heaven collect itself together, into one whole, and that the chaos become dry, and it became so.
2 Out of the waves I created rock hard and big, and from the rock I piled up the dry, and the dry I called earth, and the midst of the earth I called abyss, that is to say the bottomless, I collected the sea in one place and bound it together with a yoke.
3 And I said to the sea: Behold I give you your eternal limits, and you shalt not break loose from your component parts.
4 Thus I made fast the firmament. This day I called me the first-created.
Chapter 29
1 And for all the heavenly troops I imaged the image and essence of fire, and my eye looked at the very hard, firm rock, and from the gleam of my eye the lightning received its wonderful nature, which is both fire in water and water in fire, and one does not put out the other, nor does the one dry up the other, therefore the lightning is brighter than the sun, softer than water and firmer than hard rock.
2 And from the rock I cut off a great fire, and from the fire I created the orders of the incorporeal ten troops of angels, and their weapons are fiery and their raiment a burning flame, and I commanded that each one should stand in his order.
3 And one from out the order of angels, having turned away with the order that was under him, conceived an impossible thought, to place his throne higher than the clouds above the earth, that he might become equal in rank to my power.
4 And I threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless.
Chapter 30
1 On the third day I commanded the earth to make grow great and fruitful trees, and hills, and seed to sow, and I planted Paradise, and enclosed it, and placed as armed guardians flaming angels, and thus I created renewal.
2 Then came evening, and came morning the fourth day.
3 On the fourth day I commanded that there should be great lights on the heavenly circles.
4 On the first uppermost circle I placed the stars, Kruno, and on the second Aphrodit, on the third Aris, on the fifth Zoues, on the sixth Ermis, on the seventh lesser the moon, and adorned it with the lesser stars.
5 And on the lower I placed the sun for the illumination of day, and the moon and stars for the illumination of night.
6 The sun that it should go according to each constellation, twelve, and I appointed the succession of the months and their names and lives, their thunderings, and their hour-markings, how they should succeed.
7 Then evening came and morning came the fifth day.
8 On the fifth day I commanded the sea, that it should bring forth fishes, and feathered birds of many varieties, and all animals creeping over the earth, going forth over the earth on four legs, and soaring in the air, male sex and female, and every soul breathing the spirit of life.
9 And there came evening, and there came morning the sixth day.
10 On the sixth day I commanded my wisdom to create man from seven consistencies: one, his flesh from the earth; two, his blood from the dew; three, his eyes from the sun; four, his bones from stone; five, his intelligence from the swiftness of the angels and from cloud; six, his veins and his hair from the grass of the earth; seven, his soul from my breath and from the wind.
11 And I gave him seven natures: to the flesh hearing, the eyes for sight, to the soul smell, the veins for touch, the blood for taste, the bones for endurance, to the intelligence sweetness.
12 I conceived a cunning saying to say, I created man from invisible and from visible nature, of both are his death and life and image, he knows speech like some created thing, small in greatness and again great in smallness, and I placed him on earth, a second angel, honourable, great and glorious, and I appointed him as ruler to rule on earth and to have my wisdom, and there was none like him of earth of all my existing creatures.
13 And I appointed him a name, from the four component parts, from east, from west, from south, from north, and I appointed for him four special stars, and I called his name Adam, and showed him the two ways, the light and the darkness, and I told him:
14 This is good, and that bad, that I should learn whether he has love towards me, or hatred, that it be clear which in his race love me.
15 For I have seen his nature, but he has not seen his own nature, therefore through not seeing he will sin worse, and I said After sin what is there but death?
16 And I put sleep into him and he fell asleep. And I took from him A rib, and created him a wife, that death should come to him by his wife, and I took his last word and called her name mother, that is to say, Eve.
Chapter 31
1 Adam has life on earth, and I created a garden in Eden in the east, that he should observe the testament and keep the command.
2 I made the heavens open to him, that he should see the angels singing the song of victory, and the gloomless light.
3 And he was continuously in paradise, and the devil understood that I wanted to create another world, because Adam was lord on earth, to rule and control it.
4 The devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fugitive he made Sotona from the heavens as his name was Satanail, thus he became different from the angels, but his nature did not change his intelligence as far as his understanding of righteous and sinful things.
5 And he understood his condemnation and the sin which he had sinned before, therefore he conceived thought against Adam, in such form he entered and seduced Eve, but did not touch Adam.
6 But I cursed ignorance, but what I had blessed previously, those I did not curse, I cursed not man, nor the earth, nor other creatures, but man’s evil fruit, and his works.
Chapter 32
1 I said to him: Earth you are, and into the earth whence I took you you shalt go, and I will not ruin you, but send you whence I took you.
2 Then I can again receive you at My second presence.
3 And I blessed all my creatures visible and invisible. And Adam was five and half hours in paradise.
4 And I blessed the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, on which he rested from all his works.
Chapter 33
1 And I appointed the eighth day also, that the eighth day should be the first-created after my work, and that the first seven revolve in the form of the seventh thousand, and that at the beginning of the eighth thousand there should be a time of not-counting, endless, with neither years nor months nor weeks nor days nor hours.
2 And now, Enoch, all that I have told you, all that you have understood, all that you have seen of heavenly things, all that you have seen on earth, and all that I have written in books by my great wisdom, all these things I have devised and created from the uppermost foundation to the lower and to the end, and there is no counsellor nor inheritor to my creations.
3 I am self-eternal, not made with hands, and without change.
4 My thought is my counsellor, my wisdom and my word are made, and my eyes observe all things how they stand here and tremble with terror.
5 If I turn away my face, then all things will be destroyed.
6 And apply your mind, Enoch, and know him who is speaking to you, and take thence the books which you yourself have written.
7 And I give you Samuil and Raguil, who led you up, and the books, and go down to earth, and tell your sons all that I have told you, and all that you have seen, from the lower heaven up to my throne, and all the troops.
8 For I created all forces, and there is none that resists me or that does not subject himself to me. For all subject themselves to my monarchy, and labour for my sole rule.
9 Give them the books of the handwriting, and they will read them and will know me for the creator of all things, and will understand how there is no other God but me.
10 And let them distribute the books of your handwriting–children to children, generation to generation, nations to nations.
11 And I will give you, Enoch, my intercessor, the archistratege Michael, for the handwritings of your fathers Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahaleleel, and Jared your father.
Chapter 34
1 They have rejected my commandments and my yoke, worthless seed has come up, not fearing God, and they would not bow down to me, but have begun to bow down to vain gods, and denied my unity, and have laden the whole earth with untruths, offences, abominable lecheries, namely one with another, and all manner of other unclean wickedness, which are disgusting to relate.
2 And therefore I will bring down a deluge upon the earth and will destroy all men, and the whole earth will crumble together into great darkness.
Chapter 35
1 Behold from their seed shall arise another generation, much afterwards, but of them many will be very insatiate.
2 He who raises that generation, shall reveal to them the books of your handwriting, of your fathers, to them to whom he must point out the guardianship of the world, to the faithful men and workers of my pleasure, who do not acknowledge my name in vain.
3 And they shall tell another generation, and those others having read shall be glorified thereafter, more than the first.
Chapter 36
1 Now, Enoch, I give you the term of thirty days to spend in your house, and tell your sons and all your household, that all may hear from my face what is told them by you, that they may read and understand, how there is no other God but me.
2 And that they may always keep my commandments, and begin to read and take in the books of your handwriting.
3 And after thirty days I shall send my angel for you, and he will take you from earth and from your sons to me.
Chapter 37
1 And the Lord called upon one of the older angels, terrible and menacing, and placed him by me, in appearance white as snow, and his hands like ice, having the appearance of great frost, and he froze my face, because I could not endure the terror of the Lord, just as it is not possible to endure A stove’s fire and the sun’s heat, and the frost of the air.
2 And the Lord said to me: Enoch, if your face be not frozen here, no man will be able to behold your face.
Chapter 38
1 And the Lord said to those men who first led me up: Let Enoch go down on to earth with you, and await him till the determined day.
2 And they placed me by night on my bed.
3 And Methuselah expecting my coming, keeping watch by day and by night at my bed, was filled with awe when he heard my coming, and I told him, Let all my household come together, that I tell them everything.
Chapter 39
1 Oh my children, my beloved ones, hear the admonition of your father, as much as is according to the Lord’s will.
2 I have been let come to you to-day, and announce to you, not from my lips, but from the Lord’s lips, all that is and was and all that is now, and all that will be till judgment-day.
3 For the Lord has let me come to you, you hear therefore the words of my lips, of a man made big for you, but I am one who has seen the Lord’s face, like iron made to glow from fire it sends forth sparks and burns.
4 You look now upon my eyes, the eyes of a man big with meaning for you, but I have seen the Lord’s eyes, shining like the sun’s rays and filling the eyes of man with awe.
5 You see now, my children, the right hand of a man that helps you, but I have seen the Lord’s right hand filling heaven as he helped me.
6 You see the compass of my work like your own, but I have seen the Lord’s limitless and perfect compass, which has no end.
7 You hear the words of my lips, as I heard the words of the Lord, like great thunder incessantly with hurling of clouds.
8 And now, my children, hear the discourses of the father of the earth, how fearful and awful it is to come before the face of the ruler of the earth, how much more terrible and awful it is to come before the face of the ruler of heaven, the judge of the quick and dead, and of the heavenly troops. Who can endure that endless pain?
Chapter 40
1 And now, my children, I know all things, for this is from the Lord’s lips, and this my eyes have seen, from beginning to end.
2 I know all things, and have written all things into books, the heavens and their end, and their plenitude, and all the armies and their marchings.
3 I have measured and described the stars, the great countless multitude of them.
4 What man has seen their revolutions, and their entrances? For not even the angels see their number, while I have written all their names.
5 And I measured the sun’s circle, and measured its rays, counted the hours, I wrote down too all things that go over the earth, I have written the things that are nourished, and all seed sown and unsown, which the earth produces and all plants, and every grass and every flower, and their sweet smells, and their names, and the dwelling-places of the clouds, and their composition, and their wings, and how they bear rain and raindrops.
6 And I investigated all things, and wrote the road of the thunder and of the lightning, and they showed me the keys and their guardians, their rise, the way they go; it is let out gently in measure by a chain, lest by A heavy chain and violence it hurl down the angry clouds and destroy all things on earth.
7 I wrote the treasure-houses of the snow, and the store-houses of the cold and the frosty airs, and I observed their season’s key-holder, he fills the clouds with them, and does not exhaust the treasure-houses.
8 And I wrote the resting-places of the winds and observed and saw how their key-holders bear weighing-scales and measures; first, they put them in one weighing-scale, then in the other the weights and let them out according to measure cunningly over the whole earth, lest by heavy breathing they make the earth to rock.
9 And I measured out the whole earth, its mountains, and all hills, fields, trees, stones, rivers, all existing things I wrote down, the height from earth to the seventh heaven, and downwards to the very lowest hell, and the judgment-place, and the very great, open and weeping hell.
10 And I saw how the prisoners are in pain, expecting the limitless judgment.
11 And I wrote down all those being judged by the judge, and all their judgment and sentences and all their works.
Chapter 41
1 And I saw all forefathers from all time with Adam and Eve, and I sighed and broke into tears and said of the ruin of their dishonour:
2 Woe is me for my infirmity and for that of my forefathers, and thought in my heart and said:
3 Blessed is the man who has not been born or who has been born and shall not sin before the Lord’s face, that he come not into this place, nor bring the yoke of this place.
Chapter 42
1 I saw the key-holders and guards of the gates of hell standing, like great serpents, and their faces like extinguishing lamps, and their eyes of fire, their sharp teeth, and I saw all the Lord’s works, how they are right, while the works of man are some good, and others bad, and in their works are known those who lie evilly.
Chapter 43
1 I, my children, measured and wrote out every work and every measure and every righteous judgment.
2 As one year is more honourable than another, so is one man more honourable than another, some for great possessions, some for wisdom of heart, some for particular intellect, some for cunning, one for silence of lip, another for cleanliness, one for strength, another for comeliness, one for youth, another for sharp wit, one for shape of body, another for sensibility, let it be heard everywhere, but there is none better than he who fears God, he shall be more glorious in time to come.
Chapter 44
1 The Lord with his hands having created man, in the likeness of his own face, the Lord made him small and great.
2 Whoever reviles the ruler’s face, and abhors the Lord’s face, has despised the Lord's face, and he who vents anger on any man without injury, the Lord’s great anger will cut him down, he who spits on the face of man reproachfully, will be cut down at the Lord’s great judgment.
3 Blessed is the man who does not direct his heart with malice against any man, and helps the injured and condemned, and raises the broken down, and shall do charity to the needy, because on the day of the great judgment every weight, every measure and every makeweight will be as in the market, that is to say they are hung on scales and stand in the market, and every one shall learn his own measure, and according to his measure shall take his reward.
Chapter 45
1 Whoever hastens to make offerings before the Lord’s face, the Lord for his part will hasten that offering by granting of his work.
2 But whoever increases his lamp before the Lord’s face and make not true judgment, the Lord will not increase his treasure in the realm of the highest.
3 When the Lord demands bread, or candles, or the flesh of beasts, or any other sacrifice, then that is nothing; but God demands pure hearts, and with all that only tests the heart of man.
Chapter 46
1 Hear, my people, and take in the words of my lips.
2 If any one bring any gifts to an earthly ruler, and have disloyal thoughts in his heart, and the ruler know this, will he not be angry with him, and not refuse his gifts, and not give him over to judgment?
3 Or if one man make himself appear good to another by deceit of tongue, but have evil in his heart, then will not the other understand the treachery of his heart, and himself be condemned, since his untruth was plain to all?
4 And when the Lord shall send a great light, then there will be judgment for the just and the unjust, and there no one shall escape notice.
Chapter 47
1 And now, my children, lay thought on your hearts, mark well the words of your father, which are all come to you from the Lord’s lips.
2 Take these books of your father’s handwriting and read them.
3 For the books are many, and in them you will learn all the Lord’s works, all that has been from the beginning of creation, and will be till the end of time.
4 And if you will observe my handwriting, you will not sin against the Lord; because there is no other except the Lord, neither in heaven, nor in earth, nor in the very lowest places, nor in the one foundation.
5 The Lord has placed the foundations in the unknown, and has spread forth heavens visible and invisible; he fixed the earth on the waters, and created countless creatures, and who has counted the water and the foundation of the unfixed, or the dust of the earth, or the sand of the sea, or the drops of the rain, or the morning dew, or the wind’s breathings? Who has filled earth and sea, and the indissoluble winter?
6 I cut the stars out of fire, and decorated heaven, and put it in their midst.
Chapter 48
1 That the sun go along the seven heavenly circles, which are the appointment of one hundred and eighty-two thrones, that it go down on a short day, and again one hundred and eighty-two, that it go down on a big day, and he has two thrones on which he rests, revolving hither and thither above the thrones of the months, from the seventeenth day of the month Tsivan it goes down to the month Thevan, from the seventeenth of Thevan it goes up.
2 And thus it goes close to the earth, then the earth is glad and makes grow its fruits, and when it goes away, then the earth is sad, and trees and all fruits have no florescence.
3 All this he measured, with good measurement of hours, and fixed A measure by his wisdom, of the visible and the invisible.
4 From the invisible he made all things visible, himself being invisible.
5 Thus I make known to you, my children, and distribute the books to your children, into all your generations, and amongst the nations who shall have the sense to fear God, let them receive them, and may they come to love them more than any food or earthly sweets, and read them and apply themselves to them.
6 And those who understand not the Lord, who fear not God, who accept not, but reject, who do not receive the books, a terrible judgment awaits these.
7 Blessed is the man who shall bear their yoke and shall drag them along, for he shall be released on the day of the great judgment.
Chapter 49
1 I swear to you, my children, but I swear not by any oath, neither by heaven nor by earth, nor by any other creature which God created.
2 The Lord said: There is no oath in me, nor injustice, but truth.
3 If there is no truth in men, let them swear by the words, Yea, yea, or else, Nay, nay.
4 And I swear to you, yea, yea, that there has been no man in his mother’s womb, but that already before, even to each one there is a place prepared for the repose of that soul, and a measure fixed how much it is intended that a man be tried in this world.
5 Yea, children, deceive not yourselves, for there has been previously prepared a place for every soul of man.
Chapter 50
1 I have put every man’s work in writing and none born on earth can remain hidden nor his works remain concealed.
2 I see all things.
3 Now therefore, my children, in patience and meekness spend the number of your days, that you inherit endless life.
4 Endure for the sake of the Lord every wound, every injury, every evil word and attack.
5 If ill-requitals befall you, return them not either to neighbour or enemy, because the Lord will return them for you and be your avenger on the day of great judgment, that there be no avenging here among men.
6 Whoever of you spends gold or silver for his brother’s sake, he will receive ample treasure in the world to come.
7 Injure not widows nor orphans nor strangers, lest God’s wrath come upon you.
Chapter 51
1 Stretch out your hands to the poor according to your strength.
2 Hide not your silver in the earth.
3 Help the faithful man in affliction, and affliction will not find you in the time of your trouble.
4 And every grievous and cruel yoke that come upon you bear all for the sake of the Lord, and thus you will find your reward in the day of judgment.
5 It is good to go morning, midday, and evening into the Lord’s dwelling, for the glory of your creator.
6 Because every breathing thing glorifies him, and every creature visible and invisible returns him praise.
Chapter 52
1 Blessed is the man who opens his lips in praise of God of Sabaoth and praises the Lord with his heart.
2 Cursed every man who opens his lips for the bringing into contempt and calumny of his neighbour, because he brings God into contempt.
3 Blessed is he who opens his lips blessing and praising God.
4 Cursed is he before the Lord all the days of his life, who opens his lips to curse and abuse.
5 Blessed is he who blesses all the Lord’s works.
6 Cursed is he who brings the Lord’s creation into contempt.
7 Blessed is he who looks down and raises the fallen.
8 Cursed is he who looks to and is eager for the destruction of what is not his.
9 Blessed is he who keeps the foundations of his fathers made firm from the beginning.
10 Cursed is he who perverts the decrees of his forefathers.
11 Blessed is he who imparts peace and love.
12 Cursed is he who disturbs those that love their neighbours.
13 Blessed is he who speaks with humble tongue and heart to all.
14 Cursed is he who speaks peace with his tongue, while in his heart there is no peace but a sword.
15 For all these things will be laid bare in the weighing-scales and in the books, on the day of the great judgment.
Chapter 53
1 And now, my children, do not say: Our father is standing before God, and is praying for our sins, for there is there no helper of any man who has sinned.
2 You see how I wrote all works of every man, before his creation, all that is done amongst all men for all time, and none can tell or relate my handwriting, because the Lord see all imaginings of man, how they are vain, where they lie in the treasure-houses of the heart.
3 And now, my children, mark well all the words of your father, that I tell you, lest you regret, saying: Why did our father not tell us?
Chapter 54
1 At that time, not understanding this let these books which I have given you be for an inheritance of your peace.
2 Hand them to all who want them, and instruct them, that they may see the Lord’s very great and marvellous works.
Chapter 55
1 My children, behold, the day of my term and time have approached.
2 For the angels who shall go with me are standing before me and urge me to my departure from you; they are standing here on earth, awaiting what has been told them.
3 For to-morrow I shall go up on to heaven, to the uppermost Jerusalem to my eternal inheritance.
4 Therefore I bid you do before the Lord’s face all his good pleasure.
Chapter 56
1 Mathosalam having answered his father Enoch, said: What is agreeable to your eyes, father, that I may make before your face, that you may bless our dwellings, and your sons, and that your people may be made glorious through you, and then that you may depart thus, as the Lord said?
2 Enoch answered to his son Mathosalam and said: Hear, child, from the time when the Lord anointed me with the ointment of his glory, there has been no food in me, and my soul remembers not earthly enjoyment, neither do I want anything earthly.
Chapter 57
1 My child Methosalam, summon all your brethren and all your household and the elders of the people, that I may talk to them and depart, as is planned for me.
2 And Methosalam made haste, and summoned his brethren, Regim, Riman, Uchan, Chermion, Gaidad, and all the elders of the people before the face of his father Enoch; and he blessed them, and said to them:
Chapter 58
1 Listen to me, my children, to-day.
2 In those days when the Lord came down on to earth for Adam’s sake, and visited all his creatures, which he created himself, after all these he created Adam, and the Lord called all the beasts of the earth, all the reptiles, and all the birds that soar in the air, and brought them all before the face of our father Adam.
3 And Adam gave the names to all things living on earth.
4 And the Lord appointed him ruler over all, and subjected to him all things under his hands, and made them dumb and made them dull that they be commanded of man, and be in subjection and obedience to him.
5 Thus also the Lord created every man lord over all his possessions.
6 The Lord will not judge a single soul of beast for man’s sake, but adjudges the souls of men to their beasts in this world; for men have a special place.
7 And as every soul of man is according to number, similarly beasts will not perish, nor all souls of beasts which the Lord created, till the great judgment, and they will accuse man, if he feed them ill.
Chapter 59
1 Whoever defiles the soul of beasts, defiles his own soul.
2 For man brings clean animals to make sacrifice for sin, that he may have cure of his soul.
3 And if they bring for sacrifice clean animals, and birds, man has cure, he cures his soul.
4 All is given you for food, bind it by the four feet, that is to make good the cure, he cures his soul.
5 But whoever kills beast without wounds, kills his own souls and defiles his own flesh.
6 And he who does any beast any injury whatsoever, in secret, it is evil practice, and he defiles his own soul.
Chapter 60
1 He who works the killing of a man’s soul, kills his own soul, and kills his own body, and there is no cure for him for all time.
2 He who puts a man in any snare, shall stick in it himself, and there is no cure for him for all time.
3 He who puts a man in any vessel, his retribution will not be wanting at the great judgment for all time.
4 He who works crookedly or speaks evil against any soul, will not make justice for himself for all time.
Chapter 61
1 And now, my children, keep your hearts from every injustice, which the Lord hates. Just as a man asks something for his own soul from God, so let him do to every living soul, because I know all things, how in the great time to come there is much inheritance prepared for men, good for the good, and bad for the bad, without number many.
2 Blessed are those who enter the good houses, for in the bad houses there is no peace nor return from them.
3 Hear, my children, small and great! When man puts a good thought in his heart, brings gifts from his labours before the Lord’s face and his hands made them not, then the Lord will turn away his face from the labour of his hand, and that man cannot find the labour of his hands.
4 And if his hands made it, but his heart murmur, and his heart cease not making murmur incessantly, he has not any advantage.
Chapter 62
1 Blessed is the man who in his patience brings his gifts with faith before the Lord’s face, because he will find forgiveness of sins.
2 But if he take back his words before the time, there is no repentance for him; and if the time pass and he do not of his own will what is promised, there is no repentance after death.
3 Because every work which man does before the time, is all deceit before men, and sin before God.
Chapter 63
1 When man clothes the naked and fills the hungry, he will find reward from God.
2 But if his heart murmur, he commits a double evil; ruin of himself and of that which he gives; and for him there will be no finding of reward on account of that.
3 And if his own heart is filled with his food and his own flesh, clothed with his own clothing, he commits contempt, and will forfeit all his endurance of poverty, and will not find reward of his good deeds.
4 Every proud and magniloquent man is hateful to the Lord, and every false speech, clothed in untruth; it will be cut with the blade of the sword of death, and thrown into the fire, and shall burn for all time.
Chapter 64
1 When Enoch had spoken these words to his sons, all people far and near heard how the Lord was calling Enoch. They took counsel together:
2 Let us go and kiss Enoch, and two thousand men came together and came to the place Achuzan where Enoch was, and his sons.
3 And the elders of the people, the whole assembly, came and bowed down and began to kiss Enoch and said to him:
4 Our father Enoch, may you be blessed of the Lord, the eternal ruler, and now bless your sons and all the people, that we may be glorified to-day before your face.
5 For you shalt be glorified before the Lord’s face for all time, since the Lord chose you, rather than all men on earth, and designated you writer of all his creation, visible and invisible, and redeemed of the sins of man, and helper of your household.
Chapter 65
1 And Enoch answered all his people saying: Hear, my children, before that all creatures were created, the Lord created the visible and invisible things.
2 And as much time as there was and went past, understand that after all that he created man in the likeness of his own form, and put into him eyes to see, and ears to hear, and heart to reflect, and intellect wherewith to deliberate.
3 And the Lord saw all man’s works, and created all his creatures, and divided time, from time he fixed the years, and from the years he appointed the months, and from the months he appointed the days, and of days he appointed seven.
4 And in those he appointed the hours, measured them out exactly, that man might reflect on time and count years, months, and hours, their alternation, beginning, and end, and that he might count his own life, from the beginning until death, and reflect on his sin and write his work bad and good; because no work is hidden before the Lord, that every man might know his works and never transgress all his commandments, and keep my handwriting from generation to generation.
5 When all creation visible and invisible, as the Lord created it, shall end, then every man goes to the great judgment, and then all time shall perish, and the years, and thenceforward there will be neither months nor days nor hours, they will be adhered together and will not be counted.
6 There will be one aeon, and all the righteous who shall escape the Lord’s great judgment, shall be collected in the great aeon, for the righteous the great aeon will begin, and they will live eternally, and then too there will be amongst them neither labour, nor sickness, nor humiliation, nor anxiety, nor need, nor brutality, nor night, nor darkness, but great light.
7 And they shall have a great indestructible wall, and a paradise bright and incorruptible, for all corruptible things shall pass away, and there will be eternal life.
Chapter 66
1 And now, my children, keep your souls from all injustice, such as the Lord hates.
2 Walk before his face with terror and trembling and serve him alone.
3 Bow down to the true God, not to dumb idols, but bow down to his similitude, and bring all just offerings before the Lord’s face. The Lord hates what is unjust.
4 For the Lord sees all things; when man takes thought in his heart, then he counsels the intellects, and every thought is always before the Lord, who made firm the earth and put all creatures on it.
5 If you look to heaven, the Lord is there; if you take thought of the sea’s deep and all the under-earth, the Lord is there.
6 For the Lord created all things. Bow not down to things made by man, leaving the Lord of all creation, because no work can remain hidden before the Lord’s face.
7 Walk, my children, in long-suffering, in meekness, honesty, in provocation, in grief, in faith and in truth, in reliance on promises, in illness, in abuse, in wounds, in temptation, in nakedness, in privation, loving one another, till you go out from this age of ills, that you become inheritors of endless time.
8 Blessed are the just who shall escape the great judgment, for they shall shine forth more than the sun sevenfold, for in this world the seventh part is taken off from all, light, darkness, food, enjoyment, sorrow, paradise, torture, fire, frost, and other things; he put all down in writing, that you might read and understand.
Chapter 67
1 When Enoch had talked to the people, the Lord sent out darkness on to the earth, and there was darkness, and it covered those men standing with Enoch, and they took Enoch up on to the highest heaven, where the Lord is; and he received him and placed him before his face, and the darkness went off from the earth, and light came again.
2 And the people saw and understood not how Enoch had been taken, and glorified God, and found a roll in which was traced The Invisible God; and all went to their dwelling places.
Chapter 68
1 Enoch was born on the sixth day of the month Tsivan, and lived three hundred and sixty-five years.
2 He was taken up to heaven on the first day of the month Tsivan and remained in heaven sixty days.
3 He wrote all these signs of all creation, which the Lord created, and wrote three hundred and sixty-six books, and handed them over to his sons and remained on earth thirty days, and was again taken up to heaven on the sixth day of the month Tsivan, on the very day and hour when he was born.
4 As every man’s nature in this life is dark, so are also his conception, birth, and departure from this life.
5 At what hour he was conceived, at that hour he was born, and at that hour too he died.
6 Methosalam and his brethren, all the sons of Enoch, made haste, and erected an altar at that place called Achuzan, whence and where Enoch had been taken up to heaven.
7 And they took sacrificial oxen and summoned all people and sacrificed the sacrifice before the Lord’s face.
8 All people, the elders of the people and the whole assembly came to the feast and brought gifts to the sons of Enoch.
9 And they made a great feast, rejoicing and making merry three days, praising God, who had given them such a sign through Enoch, who had found favour with him, and that they should hand it on to their sons from generation to generation, from age to age.
10 Amen.
3 Baruch or the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch is a visionary, Jewish pseudepigraphic text thought to have been written in the first to third centuries A.D., probably after the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 A.D.. It is one of the Pseudepigrapha, attributed to the 6th-century BC scribe of Jeremiah, Baruch ben Neriah, and does not form part of the biblical canon of either Jews or Christians. It survives in certain Greek manuscripts, and also in a few Old Church Slavonic ones. It is significant that the Old Church Slavonic versions do not contain the Christian overtones of the Greek text, which suggests that the Greek text represents a rewriting in the Christian age.
THE THIRD BOOK OF BARUCH
A Narrative and Revelation of Baruch, Concerning Those Ineffable Things Which He Saw By Command of God. Bless Thou, O Lord.
A Revelation of Baruch, Who Stood Upon the River Gel Weeping Over the Captivity of Jerusalem, When Also Abimelech Was Preserved By the Hand of God, at the Farm of Agrippa. And He Was Sitting Thus at the Beautiful Gates, Where the Holy of Holies Lay.
Date: first to third century A.D.
Chapter 1
1 Woe, now I Baruch was weeping in my mind and considering the people and how King Nebuchadnezzar was permitted by God to plunder his city, saying:
2 “Lord, why have you set fire to your vineyard and laid it waste?” Why have you done this? And why, Lord, did you not requite us with another punishment, but rather handed us over to such heathen so that they reproach us saying, “Where is their God?”
3 And behold, while I was weeping and saying such things, I saw an angel of the Lord coming and saying to me, “Know, O man, greatly beloved man, and do not concern yourself so much over the salvation of Jerusalem. For thus says the Lord God Almighty,
4 and he sent me before you in order that I should proclaim and disclose to you all things of God;
5 For your prayer has been heard before him and has entered the ears of the Lord God;
6 And when he told me these things, I became clam, and the angel said to me “Cease irritating God, and I will disclose to you other mysteries greater than these.”
7 And I Baruch said, “As the Lord lives, if you disclose a word to me and I hear it from you, I shall speak no further. May God add to me punishment on the Day of Judgment if I speak in the future.”
8 And the angel of hosts said to me, “Come and I shall disclose to you the mysteries of God.”
Chapter 2
1 And taking me, he lad me to where the heaven was set fast and where there was a river which no one is able to cross, not even one of the foreign which God created.
2 And taking me, he led me up to the first heaven and showed me a very large door. And he said to me, “Let us enter through it.” And we entered as on wings about the distance of 30 days journey.
3 And he showed me a plain within the heaven. And there were men dwelling on it with faces of cattle and horns of deer and feet of goats and loins of sheep.
4 And I Baruch asked the angel, “Tell me, I pray you, what is the thickness of this heaven in which we have journeyed, and what is its width, and what is this plain, that I may report these to the sons of men.”
5 And the angel, whose name was Phamael, said to me, “This door which you see is the door of heaven, and its thickness is as great as the distance from earth to heaven, and the width of the plain which you saw is the same distance again.”
6 And again the angel of hosts said to me “Come and I will show you greater mysteries.”
7 And I said, “I pray you, show me what those men are.” And he said to me “These are the ones who built the tower of the war against God, and the Lord removed them.”
Chapter 3
1 And taking me, the angel of the Lord led me to a second heaven, And he showed me there a door similar to the first. And he said, “Let us enter through it.”
2 And we entered, flying about the distance of 60 days’ journey.
3 And he showed me there also a plain, and it was full of men, and their appearance was like that of dogs, and their feet like those of deer.
4 And I asked the angel, “I pray you, lord, tell me who these are.”
5 And he said, “These are the ones who plotted to build the tower. These whom you see forced many men and women to make bricks. Among them one woman was making bricks in the time of her delivery; they did not permit her to be released, but while making bricks she gave birth. And she carried her child in her cloak and continued making bricks.
6 And appearing to them , the Lord changed their languages; by that time they had built the tower 463 cubits high.
7 And taking an auger, they attempted to pierce the heaven, saying, ‘Let us see whether the heaven is made of clay or copper or iron.’
8 Seeing these things, God did not permit them to continue, but struck them with blindness and with confusion of tongues, and he made them be as you see.”
Chapter 4
1 And I Baruch said, “Behold, lord, you have shown me great and wondrous things. Now show me all, for the Lord’s sake.”
2 And the angel said to me, “Come, let us go through” [. . .] with the angel from that place, a journey of about 185 days.
3 And he showed me a plain and a serpent who appeared to be stone. And he showed me Hades, and its appearance was gloomy and unclean.
4 And I said, “What is this dragon and this monster around it?”
5 And the angel said. “This dragon is the one which eats the bodies of those who pass through their lives badly, and he is nourished by them.
6 And this is Hades which is like him, in that also he drinks about one cubit from the sea, and nothing is diminished from the sea.”
7 Baruch said, “And how is that?” And the angel said, “Listen, the Lord God made 360 rivers, the primary ones of them being the Alphias, the Aburos, and the Gerikos, and because of these the sea is not diminished.”
8 And I said, “I pray you, show me which is the tree which caused Adam to stray.” And the angel said, “It is the vine which the angel Samail planted by which the Lord God became angered, and he cursed him and his planting. For this reason he did not permit Adam to touch it. And because of this the devil became envious and tricked him by means of his vine.”
9 And I Baruch said, “And since the vine became the cause of such evil and was cursed by God and was the destruction of the first formed, how is it now of such great use?”
10 And the angel said, “Rightly you ask; when God caused the Flood over the earth and destroyed all flesh and 409,000 giants, and the water rose over the heights 15 cubits, the water entered Paradise and killed every flower, but it removed the sprig of the vine completely and brought it outside.”
11 And when the earth appeared from the water and Noah left the ark, he started to plant some of the discovered plants.
12 He also found the sprig, and taking it, he considered in his mind what it was. And I came and told him about it.
13 And he said, ‘Should I plant it, or what should I do with it? Since Adam was destroyed by means of it, will I also encounter the anger of God through this? And while saying these things, he prayed for God to reveal to him what he should do with this.
14 And in 40 days he completed his prayer and entreating much and crying, he said, ‘Lord, I implore you to reveal to me what I should do with this plant.’
15 And God sent the angel Sarasel, and he said to him, ‘Rise, Noah, plant the sprig, for the Lord says this: “Its bitterness will be changed into sweetness, and its curse will become a blessing, and its fruit will become the blood of God, and just as the race of men have been condemned through it, so through Jesus Christ Emmanuel in it they will receive a calling and entrance into Paradise.”
16 Then know, Baruch, that just as Adam through this tree was condemned and was stripped of the glory of God, thus men now who insatiably drink the wine deriving from it transgress worse than Adam, and become distant from the glory of God, and will secure for themselves eternal fire.
17 For no good derives from it. For those who drink excessively do these things: Brother does not have mercy on brother, nor father on son, nor children on parents, but by means of the fall through wine come forth all these: murder, adultery, fornication, perjury, theft, and similar things. And nothing good is accomplished through it.”
Chapter 5
1 And I Baruch said to the angel, “May I ask you one question, lord?
2 Since you told me that the serpent drinks one cubit from the sea, tell me how large its belly is.”
3 And the angel said, “Its belly is Hades. As far as 300 men can throw a weight, so great is his belly. Come now and I will show you works greater than these.”
Chapter 6
1 And taking me, he led me where the sun goes forth.
2 And he showed me a chariot drawn by four horses and fire underneath it. And upon the chariot sat a man wearing a fiery crown. The chariot was drawn by forty angels. And behold, a bird runs along before the sun, as large as nine mountains.
3 And I said to the angel, “What is this bird?” And he said to me, “This is the guardian of the world.”
4 And I said, “Lord how is the guardian of the world? Teach me.”
5 And the angel said to me, “This bird accompanies the sun and spreading its wings absorbs its fire-shaped rays.
6 For if it did not absorb them none of the race of men would survive, nor anything else that lives, so God appointed this bird.”
7 And he unfolded his wings, and I saw on his right wing very large letters like the place of a threshing floor, having the space of 4000 media, and the letters were gold.
8 And the angel said to me, “Read them.” And I read, and they said thus: “Neither earth nor heaven bear me, but the wings of fire bear me.”
9 And I said, “Lord, what is this bird, and what is its name?”
10 And the angel told me, “His name is Phoenix.”
11 “And what does he eat?” And he told me, “The manna of heaven and the dew of the earth.
12 And I said, “Does the bird excrete?” And he said to me, “He excretes a worm, and from the excretion, the worm, cinnamon comes into existence, which kings and princes use. But wait and you will see the glory of God.”
13 And while he was speaking, there was a thunderclap and the place where we stood was shaken. And I asked the angel, “My lord, what is this sound?” And the angel said to me, “The angel are opening the 365 gates of heaven now, and light is separating itself from darkness.”
14 And a voice came saying, “Light giver, give splendor to the world!”
15 And hearing the sound of the bird, I said, “Lord, what is this sound?”
16 And he said, “This is what wakens the cocks on earth, for just as articulate beings do, thus also the cock informs those on the earth according to its own tongue. For the sun is being prepared by the angels and the cock is crowing.”
Chapter 7
1 And I said, “And where does the sun begin to work after the cock crows?”
2 And the angel said to me, “Listen, Baruch, everything I have shown you is in the first and second heaven; and in the third heaven the sun passes through and gives splendor to the world, But wait and you will see the glory of God.”
3 And while I was speaking to him, I saw the bird, and he appeared ahead and grew little by little, and became full sized.
4 And after him I saw the sun gleaming and with him angels carrying him and a crown on his head; we were not able to look directly into this sight and see.
5 And at the same time as the sun shone out, the phoenix spread out its wings. Seeing such glory, I became overcome with a great fear and fled and hid in the wings of the angel.
6 And the angel said to me; “Do not fear, Baruch, but wait and you will see them setting.”
Chapter 8
1 And taking me, he led me to the west. And when the time of the setting of the sun came, I saw again the bird coming in front and the sun coming with the angels. When he came, I saw the angels, and they removed the crown from his head.
2 And the bird was overcome and let his wings droop.
3 And when I saw these things, I said, “Why do they remove the crown from his head and why is the bird so overcome?”
4 And the angel said to me, “When the day is completed, 4 angels take the crown of the sun and carry it to heaven and renew it because it and its rays are defiled upon earth. And every day it is renewed.”
5 And I Baruch said, “Lord, by what are its rays defiled upon earth?” And the angel said to me, “By the sight of the lawlessness and unrighteousness of men committing fornication, adultery, theft, robbery, idol-worship, drunkenness, murder, discord, jealousy, slander, murmuring, gossip, divination, and other things which are unacceptable to God. By means of these it is defiled, and because of this it is renewed.
6 And now, concerning how the bird becomes overcome; It is overcome because it checks the rays of the sun and the fire and burning the whole day.
7 For if its wings did not draw around the rays of the sun as earlier said, no living being would survive.”
Chapter 9
1 And when they had withdrawn, night arrived, and with it the moon and the stars.
2 And I Baruch said, “Lord, explain this also to me, please. How does it depart and where is it going, and in what pattern does it travel?”
3 And the angel said, “Wait and you will see this shortly.” And on the morrow I saw this also in the form of a woman, seated in a wheeled chariot. And in front of it were oxen and lambs near the chariot, and also many angels.
4 And I said, “Lord, what are the oxen and lambs?” And he said to me, “These are angels also.”
5 And again I asked, “Why does it sometimes grow larger and sometimes grow smaller?”
6 “Listen, O Baruch: This which you see was designed by God to be beautiful with out peer.
7 And during the transgression of the first Adam, she gave light to Samael when he took the serpent as a garment, and did not hide, but on the contrary, waxed. And God was angered with her, and diminished her and shortened her days.”
8 And I said, “And why does she not shine all the time, but only at night?” And the angel said. “Listen: Just as servants are unable to speak freely before kings, so also before the sun, the moon and stars are unable to shine. For the stars are permanently suspended, but they are dispersed by the sun; and the moon, while being safe, is exhausted by the heat of the sun.”
Chapter 10
1 And when I had been taught all these things by the archangel, he took me to a third heaven.
2 And I saw an unbroken plain and in the middle of it was a lake of water.
3 And in it were many birds of every species but unlike those here. But I saw a crane, like large oxen. And all were great, excelling those on earth.
4 And I asked the angel, “What is the plain and what is the lake and what are the multitude of birds around it?”
5 And the angel said, “Listen, Baruch: This plain which surrounds the lake, and in which are other mysteries, is the place where the souls of the righteous come when they assemble, living together choir by choir.
6 And the water is that which the clouds receive to send as rain upon the earth, and then fruit grows.”
7 And again I said to the angel of the Lord, “What are the birds?” And he said to me, “These are the ones who continuously praise the Lord.”
8 And I Baruch said,”Lord, why do men say that the water which rains is from the sea?”
9 And the angel said, “There is rain from the sea and from water on earth; but that which produces the fruits is from here. Know from now on that what is called the dew of heaven comes from here.”
Chapter 11
1 And taking me from this, the angel led me to the fifth heaven.
2 And the gate was closed. And I said, “Lord, will the gate be opened so that we can enter?” And the angel said to me, “We are not able to enter until Michael the holder of the keys of the kingdom of heaven comes. But wait and you will see the glory of God.”
3 And there was a great noise like thunder, and I said, “Lord, what is this noise?”
4 And he said to me, “The commander-in-chief Michael is descending to receive the prayers of men.”
5 And behold a voice came: “Let the gate be opened!” And they opened, and there was a shriek as from thunder.
6 And Michael came, and the angel with me went to meet him and made obeisance to him and said, “Hail, commander-in-chief of all our regiment.”
7 And Michael said, “Hail thou also, our brother, interpreter of revelations to those who pass through life rightly.”
8 And after they greeted each other, they stood still. And I saw the commander-in-chief Michael take hold of a very large bowl, its depth being so great as from heaven to earth, and its width so great as from north to south. And I said, “Lord, what is it that Michael the archangel is holding?”
9 And he said to me, “This is where the virtues of the righteous and the good works which they do are carried, which are brought by him before the heavenly God..”
Chapter 12
1 And while I was speaking with them, behold angels came carrying baskets filled with flowers, and they gave them to Michael.
2 And I asked the angel, “Lord, who are these and what is it that they are carrying?”
3 And he said to me, “These are the angels over the principalities.”
4 And taking the baskets, the archangel emptied them into his bowl.
5 And the angel said to me, “These above-mentioned flowers are the virtues of the righteous.”
6 And I saw other angels carrying baskets which were less than full. And they came distressed, and did not dare to approach, for they did not achieve the full prizes.
7 And Michael cried out, saying, “Come also, you angels, bring what you have brought.”
8 And Michael was greatly distressed and so was the angel with me, because they had not filled the bowl.
Chapter 13
1 And then similarly came other angels crying and lamenting and saying with fear, “See how we are, blackened, Lord, for we are handed over to evil men, and we want to be withdrawn from them.”
2 And Michael said, “So that the enemy will not dominate at the end, you must not withdraw from them. But tell me what you desire.”
3 And they said, “We beg you, Michael our commander-in-chief, transfer us from them, for we are unable to remain with evil and foolish men. For there is no goodness in them, but only every unrighteousness and greediness.
4 Indeed we have seen them enter into no church, nor go to the spiritual fathers, nor to anything good. But wherever there is murder, they are in the midst of it, and wherever there is fornication, adultery, theft, slander, perjury, envy, drunkenness, strife, jealousy, grumbling, gossip, idol worship, divination, and things similar to these, There are with these men works of such nature and worse; therefore we ask to be released from them.”
5 And Michael said to the angels, “Wait until I learn from the Lord what is to happen.”
Chapter 14
1 And at that time Michael departed and the doors closed. And a noise like thunder came.
2 And I asked the angel, “What is the noise?” And he said to me, “Now Michael is bringing the virtues of men to God.”
Chapter 15
1 And at that time Michael came down, and the gate opened, and he brought oil.
2 And for the angels who had brought the full baskets, he filled the baskets with oil saying, “Take, give a hundredfold reward to our friends, and to those who have laboriously done good works. For those who have sown well, harvest well.”
3 And he said to those who had brought the half-full baskets, “Come you also, receive the reward according to what you brought, and give it to the sons of men.
4 Then he said to those who brought the full baskets and those who brought the half-full baskets, “Go, bless our friends and tell them that thus says the Lord: You have been faithful over a little, he will set you over much; enter into the delight of our Lord.”
Chapter 16
1 And turning, he said to those who had brought nothing, “Be not sad, and cry not, but do not let the sons of men alone.
2 But since they have provoked me to anger by their deeds, go and provoke them to jealousy, and provoke them to anger, and embitter them against those who are no nation, against a people without understanding;
3 Moreover, send forth caterpillars and locusts, rust and grasshoppers, hail with lightning and fury. Punish them with the sword and death, and their children with demons.
4 For they did not listen to my voice, nor observe my commands, nor carry them our, but they despised my commands and my churches, and insulted the priests proclaiming my words to them.”
Chapter 17
1 And while he was speaking, the door closed and we withdrew
2 And taking me, the angel returned me to where I was at the beginning.
3 And when I came to myself, I praised God, who had deemed me worthy of such honors.
4 And you, brethren, who happen upon these revelations, glorify God also so that he will glorify us now and forever to all eternity! AMEN.
The Assumption of Moses (otherwise called the Testament of Moses) is a Jewish apocryphal pseudepigraphical work. It is known from a single sixth-century incomplete manuscript in Latin that was discovered by Antonio Ceriani in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan in the mid-nineteenth century and published by him in 1861. It purports to contain secret prophecies Moses revealed to Joshua before passing leadership of the Israelites to him. The final chapter is reconstructed by using Jude 9, Gelasius’ History of the Church 2.21.7, The Palaea Historica, The Slavonic Life of Moses and an 1844 patristic catena. It is only a proposal.
THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES
also known as
THE TESTAMENT OF MOSES
Chapter 1
The Testament of Moses even the things which he commanded in the one hundred and twentieth year of his life, that is the two thousand five hundredth year from the creation of the world: But according to oriental reckoning the two thousand and seven hundredth, and the four hundredth after the departure from Phoenicia, when the people had gone forth after the Exodus that was made by Moses to Amman beyond the Jordan, in the prophecy that was made by Moses in the book Deuteronomy: and he called to him Joshua the son of Nun, a man approved of the Lord, that he might be the minister of the people and of the tabernacle of the testimony with all its holy things, and that he might bring the people into the land given to their fathers, that it should be given to them according to the covenant and the oath, which He spoke in the tabernacle to give it by Joshua: saying to Joshua these words: 'Be strong and of a good courage so as to do with thy might all that has been commanded that you may be blameless unto God.' So says the Lord of the world. For He has created the world on behalf of His people. But He was not pleased to manifest this purpose of creation from the foundation of the world, in order that the Gentiles might thereby be convicted, yea to their own humiliation might by their arguments convict one another. Accordingly He designed and devised me, and He prepared me before the foundation of the world, that I should be the mediator of His covenant. And now I declare unto you that the time of the years of my life is fulfilled and I am passing away to sleep with my fathers even in the presence of all the people And receive this writing that you may know how to preserve the books which I shall deliver unto you: and you shall set these in order and anoint them with oil of cedar and put them away in earthen vessels in the place which He made from the beginning of the creation of the world, that His name should be called upon until the day of repentance in the visitation wherewith the Lord will visit them in the consummation of the end of the days.
Chapter 2
And now they shall go by means of you into the land which He determined and promised to give to their fathers, in the which you shall bless and give to them individually and confirm unto them their inheritance in me and establish for them the kingdom, and you shall appoint them local magistrates according to the good pleasure of their Lord in judgment and righteousness. And five years after they enter into the land, that thereafter they shall be ruled by chiefs and kings for eighteen years, and during nineteen years the ten tribes shall break away. And the twelve tribes shall go down and transfer the tabernacle of the testimony. Then the God of heaven will make the court of His tabernacle and the tower of His sanctuary, and the two holy tribes shall be there established: but the ten tribes shall establish kingdoms for themselves according to their own ordinances. And they shall offer sacrifices throughout twenty years: and seven shall entrench the walls, and I will protect nine, but four shall transgress the covenant of the Lord, and profane the oath which the Lord made with them. And they shall sacrifice their sons to strange gods, and they shall set up idols in the sanctuary, to worship them. And in the house of the Lord they shall work impiety and engrave every form of beast, even many abominations.
Chapter 3
And in those days a king from the east shall come against them and his cavalry shall cover their land. And he shall burn their colony with fire together with the holy temple of the Lord, and he shall carry away all the holy vessels. And he shall cast forth all the people, and he shall take them to the land of his nativity, yea he shall take the two tribes with him. Then the two tribes shall call upon the ten tribes, and shall march as a lioness on the dusty plains, being hungry and thirsty. And they shall cry aloud: 'Righteous and holy is the Lord, for, inasmuch as ye have sinned, we too, in like manner, have been carried away with you, together with our children.' Then the ten tribes shall mourn on hearing the reproaches of the two tribes, and they shall say: 'What have we done unto you, brethren? Has not this tribulation come on all the house of Israel?' And all the tribes shall mourn, crying unto heaven and saying: 'God of Abraham God of Isaac and God of Jacob, remember Thy covenant which You made with them, and the oath which You did swear unto them by Yourself, that their seed should never fail from the land which You hast given them.' Then they shall remember me, saying, in that day, tribe unto tribe and each man unto his neighbor: 'Is not this that which Moses did then declare unto us in prophecies, who suffered many things in Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness during forty years: and assuredly called heaven and earth to witness against us, that we should not transgress His commandments, in the which he was a mediator unto us? Behold these things have befallen us after his death according to his declaration, as he declared to us at that time, yes, behold these have taken place even to our being carried away captive into the country of the east.' Who shall be also in bondage for about seventy and seven years.
Chapter 4
Then there shall enter one who is over them, and he shall spread forth his hands, and kneel upon his knees and pray on their behalf saying: 'Lord of all, King on the lofty throne, who rules the world, and did will that this people should be Your elect people, then indeed You did will that You should be called their God, according to the covenant which You did make with their fathers. And yet they have gone in captivity in another land with their wives and their children, and around the gates of strange peoples and where there is great vanity. Regard and have compassion on them, O Lord of heaven.' Then God will remember them on account of the covenant which He made with their fathers. and He will manifest His compassion in those times also. And He will put it into the mind of a king to have compassion on them, and he shall send them off to their land and country. Then some portions of the tribes shall go up and they shall come to their appointed place, and they shall anew surround the place with walls. And the two tribes shall continue in their prescribed faith, sad and lamenting because they will not be able to offer sacrifices to the Lord of their fathers. And the ten tribes shall increase and multiply among the Gentiles during the time of their captivity.
Chapter 5
And when the times of chastisement draw nigh and vengeance arises through the kings who share in their guilt and punish them, they themselves also shall be divided as to the truth. Wherefore it hath been said: 'They shall turn aside from righteousness and approach iniquity, and they shall defile with pollutions the house of their worship,' and because 'they shall prostitute themselves with strange gods.' For they shall not follow the truth of God, but some shall pollute the altar with the very gifts which they offer to the Lord, who are not priests but slaves, sons of slaves. And many in those times shall have respect unto desirable persons and receive gifts, and pervert judgment on receiving presents. And on this account the colony and the borders of their habitation shall be filled with lawless deeds and iniquities: those who wickedly depart from the Lord shall be judges: they shall be ready to judge for money as each may wish.
Chapter 6
Then there shall be raised up unto them kings bearing rule, and they shall call themselves priests of the Most High God: they shall assuredly work iniquity in the holy of holies. And an insolent king shall succeed them, who will not be of the race of the priests, a man bold and shameless, and he shall judge them as they shall deserve. And he shall cut off their chief men with the sword, and shall destroy them in secret places, so that no one may know where their bodies are. He shall slay the old and the young, and he shall not spare. Then the fear of him shall be bitter unto them in their land. And he shall execute judgments on them as the Egyptians executed upon them, during thirty and four years, and he shall punish them. And he shall beget children, who succeeding him shall rule for shorter periods. Into their parts cohorts and a powerful king of the west shall come, who shall conquer them: and he shall take them captive, and burn a part of their temple with fire, and shall crucify some around their colony.
Chapter 7
And when this is done the times shall be ended, in a moment the second course shall be ended, the four hours shall come. They shall be forced [. . .]. And, in the time of these, destructive and impious men shall rule, saying that they are just. And these shall stir up the poison of their minds, being treacherous men, self-pleasers, dissemblers in all their own affairs and lovers of banquets at every hour of the day. gluttons, gourmands [. . .]. Devourers of the goods of the poor saying that they do so on the ground of their justice, but in reality to destroy them, complainers, deceitful, concealing themselves lest they should be recognized, impious, filled with lawlessness and iniquity from sunrise to sunset: saying: 'We shall have feastings and luxury, eating and drinking, and we shall esteem ourselves as princes.' And though their hands and their minds touch unclean things, yet their mouth shall speak great things, and they shall say furthermore: 'Do not touch me lest you should pollute me in the place where I stand' [. . .].
Chapter 8
And there shall come upon them a second visitation and wrath, such as has not befallen them from the beginning until that time, in which He will stir up against them the king of the kings of the earth and one that rules with great power, who shall crucify those who confess to their circumcision: and those who conceal it he shall torture and deliver them up to be bound and led into prison. And their wives shall be given to the gods among the Gentiles, and their young sons shall be operated on by the physicians in order to bring forward their foreskin. And others amongst them shall be punished by tortures and fire and sword, and they shall be forced to bear in public their idols, polluted as they are like those who keep. them. And they shall likewise be forced by those who torture them to enter their inmost sanctuary, and they shall be forced by goads to blaspheme with insolence the word, finally after these things the laws and what they had above their altar.
Chapter 9
Then in that day there shall be a man of the tribe of Levi, whose name shall be Taxo, who having seven sons shall speak to them exhorting them: 'Observe, my sons, behold a second ruthless and unclean visitation has come upon the people, and a punishment merciless and far exceeding the first. For what nation or what region or what people of those who are impious towards the Lord, who have done many abominations, have suffered as great calamities as have befallen us? Now, therefore, my sons, hear me: for observe and know that neither did the fathers nor their forefathers tempt God, so as to transgress His commands. And you know that this is our strength, and thus we will do. Let us fast for the space of three days and on the fourth let us go into a cave which is in the field, and let us die rather than transgress the commands of the Lord of Lords, the God of our fathers. For if we do this and die, our blood shall be avenged before the Lord.
Chapter 10
And then His kingdom shall appear throughout all His creation, And then Satan shall be no more, And sorrow shall depart with him. Then the hands of the angel shall be filled Who has been appointed chief, And he shall forthwith avenge them of their enemies. For the Heavenly One will arise from His royal throne, And He will go forth from His holy habitation With indignation and wrath on account of His sons. And the earth shall tremble: to its confines shall it be shaken: And the high mountains shall be made low And the hills shall be shaken and fall. And the horns of the sun shall be broken and he shall be turned into darkness; And the moon shall not give her light, and be turned wholly into blood. And the circle of the stars shall be disturbed. And the sea shall retire into the abyss, And the fountains of waters shall fail, And the rivers shall dry up. For the Most High will arise, the Eternal God alone, And He will appear to punish the Gentiles, And He will destroy all their idols. Then you, O Israel, shall be happy, And you shall mount upon the necks and wings of the eagle, And they shall be ended. And God will exalt you, And He will cause you to approach to the heaven of the stars, In the place of their habitation. And you will look from on high and see your enemies in Gehenna And you shall recognize them and rejoice, And you shall give thanks and confess thy Creator. And do you; Joshua the son of Nun, keep these words and this book; for from my death until His advent there shall be 250 times*. And this is the course of the times which they shall pursue till they are consummated. And I shall go to sleep with my fathers. Wherefore, Joshua you son of Nun, be strong and be of good courage; for God has chosen you to be minister in the same covenant.
Chapter 11
And when Joshua had heard the words of Moses that were so written in his writing all that he had before said, he rent his clothes and cast himself at Moses' feet. And Moses comforted him and wept with him. And Joshua answered him and said: 'Why do you comfort me, my lord Moses ? And how shall I be comforted in regard to the bitter word which you hast spoken which has gone forth from thy mouth, which is full of tears and lamentation, in that you depart from this people? But now what place shall receive you? Or what shall be the sign that marks your sepulcher? Or who shall dare to move your body from there as that of a mere man from place to place? For all men when they die have according to their age their sepulchers on earth; but your sepulcher is from the east to the west, and from the south to the confines of the north: all the world is your sepulcher. My lord, you are departing, and who shall feed this people? Or who is there that shall have compassion on them and who shall be their guide by the way? Or who shall pray for them, not omitting a single day, in order that I may lead them into the land of their forefathers? How therefore am I to foster this people as a father his only son, or as a mistress her daughter, a virgin who is being prepared to be given to the husband whom she will revere, while she guards her person from the sun and takes care that her feet are not unshod for running upon the ground. And how shall I supply them with food and drink according to the pleasure of their will? For of them, there shall be 600,000 men, for these have multiplied to this degree through your prayers, my lord Moses. And what wisdom or understanding have I that I should judge or answer by word in the house of the Lord? And the kings of the Amorites also when they hear that we are attacking them, believing that there is no longer among them the holy spirit who was worthy of the Lord, manifold and incomprehensible, the lord of the word, who was faithful in all things, God's chief prophet throughout the earth, the most perfect teacher in the world, that he is no longer among them, shall say "Let us go against them. If the enemy have but once wrought impiously against their Lord, they have no advocate to offer prayers on their behalf to the Lord, like Moses the great messenger, who every hour day and night had his knees fixed to the earth, praying and looking for help to Him that rules all the world with compassion and righteousness, reminding Him of the covenant of the fathers and winning the favor of the Lord with the oath." For they shall say: "He is not with them: let us go therefore and destroy them from off the face of the earth." What shall then become of this people, my lord Moses?'
Chapter 12
And when Joshua had finished these words, he cast himself again at the feet of Moses. And Moses took his hand and raised him into the seat before him, and answered and said unto him: Joshua, do not despise yourself; but set your mind at ease, and hear my words. All the nations which are in the earth God has created and us, He has foreseen them and us from the beginning of the creation of the earth unto the end of the age, and nothing has been neglected by Him even to the least thing, but all things He hath foreseen and caused all to come forth. Yes, all things which are to be in this earth the Lord has foreseen and, look, they are brought forward into the light [. . .]. The Lord, has on their behalf appointed me to pray for their sins and make intercession for them. For not for any virtue or strength of mine, but of His good pleasure have His compassion and long-suffering fallen to my lot. For I say unto you, Joshua: it is not on account of the godliness of this people that you shall root out the nations. The lights of the heaven, the foundations of the earth have been made and approved by God and are under the signet ring of His right hand. Those, therefore, who do and fulfill the commandments of God shall increase and be prospered: but those who sin and set at naught the commandments shall be without the blessings before mentioned, and they shall be punished with many torments by the nations. But wholly to root out and destroy them is not permitted. For God will go forth, who has foreseen all things for ever, and His covenant has been established, and by the oath which the Lord made**.
RECONSTRUCTION OF ASSUMPTION OF MOSES FRAGMENTS***
Chapter 13
And Moses said to Joshua of Nun: Let us go up on the mountain. And when they had gone up Moses saw the land of promise and said to him: Go down to the people and announce to them that I am dead. And Joshua went down to the people, and Moses came to the end of his life. And the devil tried to bring his corpse down to the people so that they might make him a god, but Michael the archangel, by the order of God, came to take it and remove it. Now the devil resisted him and said: This body is mine, since I am the master of matter. Moses is a murderer; he slew a man in Egypt and hid him in the sand. And Michael and the devil made war. Then Michael prayed to God and there was thunder and lightning. The archangel therefore became angry and rebuked him, saying: The Lord rebuke you, devil. For from his holy spirit we were all created. From the face of God his spirit went out, and the world came into being. And thus the adversary was defeated and suddenly the devil disappeared. Then the archangel Michael removed the corpse of Moses to where he was ordered, and no one saw the burial of Moses. Michael buried him with his own hands.
Here Ends The Assumption of Moses
*year-weeks = 1750 years
**See Chapter 2 (the ending here has been supplied by corresponding this last sentence with a similar one made previously)
***This new final chapter has been constructed using Jude 9, Gelasius’ History of the Church 2.21.7, The Palaea Historica, The Slavonic Life of Moses and an 1844 patristic catena. This final chapter is only a proposal on how the book could have ended. It is not definite by any means.
The Lives of the Prophets is an ancient apocryphal account of the lives of the prophets from the Old Testament. It is not regarded as scripture by any Jewish or Christian denomination. The work may have been known by the author of some of the Pauline Epistles, as there are similarities in the descriptions of the fates of the prophets, although without naming the individuals concerned. The work survives only in Christian manuscripts. There are two groups of Greek manuscripts: the first group includes many versions, well known in the past centuries, with heavy Christian additions. Some of these versions were attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis, others to Dorotheus of Tyre. The other group of Greek manuscripts is more stable and free from the interpolations found in the previous group: the best codex is a 6th-century A.D. manuscript usually referred to as Q or as anonymous recension. There is also a Latin version with a text near to Q used by Isidore of Seville (before 636 A.D.). There are also versions in Syriac, Armenian, and Arabic.
The Lives of the Prophets
Translated by Charles Cutler Torrey, 1946
The Names of the Prophets, and whence they were, where they died, and how and where they were buried.
Isaiah
1 He was of Jerusalem. He met his death at the hands of Manasseh, sawn in two, and was buried below the fountain of Rogel, hard by the conduit of the waters which Hezekiah spoiled for the enemy by blocking their course.
2 For the prophet's sake God wrought the miracle of Siloah; for before his death, in fainting condition he prayed for water, and it was sent to him from this source. Hence it was called Siloah, which means "sent."
3 Also in the time of Hezekiah, before the king made the pools and the reservoirs, at the prayer of Isaiah a little water came forth here, lest the city, at that time besieged by the Gentiles, should be destroyed through lack of water.
4 For the enemy were seeking a drinking place, and as they invested the city they encamped near Siloah. If then the Hebrews came to the pool, water flowed forth; if the Gentiles came, there was none. Hence even to the present day the water issues suddenly, to keep the miracle in mind.
5 Because this was wrought through the prayer of Isaiah, the people in remembrance buried his body near the spot, with care and high honor, in order that through his prayers, even after his death, they might continue to have the benefit of the water. Indeed, a revelation had been given them concerning him.
6 His tomb, however, is near the tomb of the kings, behind the tomb of the priests on the side toward the south.
7 Solomon constructed the tombs, which had been designed by David, on the east of Zion, where there is an entering road from Gibeon, the town twenty stadia distant from the city. He made a winding construction, its location unsuspected; even to the present day it is unknown to the most of the priests, and wholly unknown to the people.
8 There the king kept the gold and the spices from Ethiopia. When Hezekiah showed to the Gentiles the secret of David and Solomon, and defiled the bones of his ancestors, therefore God laid upon him the curse, that his descendants should be in servitude to their enemies; and God made him to be childless, from that day.
Jeremiah
1 He was of Anathoth, and he died in Taphnes in Egypt, stoned to death by the Jews.
2 He is buried in the place where Pharaoh's palace stood; for the Egyptians held him in honor, because of the benefit which they had received through him.
3 For at his prayer, the serpents which the Egyptians call ephoth departed from them;
4 and even at the present day the faithful servants of God pray on that spot, and taking of the dust of the place they heal the bites of serpents.
5 We have been told by the children of Antigonus and Ptolemy, aged men," that Alexander the Macedonian, when he stood at the place where the prophet was buried, and learned of the wonders which he had wrought, carried away his bones to
6 Alexandria, placing them round about with due ceremony; where¬upon the whole race of poisonous serpents was driven out of the land. With like purpose he had introduced into Egypt the so-called argolai, that is, "snake-fighters".
7 Jeremiah also gave a sign to the priests of Egypt, that their idols would be shaken and their gods made with hands would all collapse, when there should arrive in Egypt a virgin bearing a child of divine appearance.
8 Wherefore even to the present time they honor a virgin mother, and placing a babe in a manger they bow down to it. When Ptolemy the king sought the reason for this, they said to him: "It is a mystery handed down from our fathers, a sign delivered to them by a holy prophet, and we are awaiting its fulfiment."
9 This prophet, before the destruction of the temple, took possession of the ark of the law and the things within it, and caused them to be swallowed up in a rocky cliff, and he said to those who were present:
10 "The Lord departed from Sinai into heaven, and he will again come with might; and this shall be for you the sign of his appearance, when all the Gentiles worship a piece of wood."
11 He said also: "No one shall bring forth this ark but Aaron, and the tables within it no one of the priests or prophets shall unfold but Moses the elect of God."
12 And in the resurrection the ark will rise first, and come forth from the rock, and will be placed on Mount Sinai; and all the saints will be assembled to it there, awaiting the Lord and fleeing from the enemy wishing to destroy them.
13 He sealed in the rock with his finger the name of God, and the writing was as though carved with iron. A cloud then covered the name; and no one knows the place, nor can the writing be read, to the present day and even to the end.
14 The rock is in the wilderness where the ark was at first, between the two mountains on which Moses and Aaron are buried, and by night there is a cloud as it were of fire, according to the primal ordinance that the glory of God should never cease from his law.
15 And God gave to Jeremiah the favor of completing this wonder, so that he might be the associate of Moses, and they are together to this day.
Ezekiel
1 He was from the district of Sarira, of the priests; and he died in the land of Chaldea, in the time of the captivity, after uttering many prophecies to those who were in Judea.
2 He was slain by the leader of the Israelite exiles, who had been rebuked by him for his worship of idols;
3 and they buried him in the field of Nahor, in the tomb of Shem and Arphaxad, the ancestors of Abraham.
4 The tomb is a double cave, according to whose plan Abraham also made the tomb of Sarah in Hebron.
5 It is called "double" because it has a winding stairway and there is an upper chamber hidden from the main floor, hung in the rock above the ground-level.
6 This prophet gave to the people a sign, that they should pay attention to the river Chebar;
7 when its waters should fail, they were to expect "the sickle of desolation to the ends of the earth" when it should overflow, the return to Jerusalem.
8 While the saint was dwelling there, many kept coming to him;
9 and on one occasion, when a throng had assembled to him, the Chaldeans feared an uprising and came upon them to destroy them.
10 He made the water cease its flow, so that they could flee to the other side; but when the enemy ventured to pursue, they were drowned.
11 Through his prayer he provided for them ample sustenance in fish which came of their own accord to be caught. Many who were at the point of death he cheered with the news of life coming to them from God.
12 When the people were being destroyed by the enemy, he went to the hostile captains and so terrified them with marvels which he wrought that they ceased.
13 It was then that he said to the people: "Are we indeed perishing? is our hope at an end?" and by the vision of the dry bones" he persuaded them that there is hope for Israel both now and in the time to come.
14 While he was there he showed to the people of Israel what was being done in Jerusalem and in the temple.
15 He himself was borne away thence, and came to Jerusalem, for a rebuke to the faithless.
16 Also after the manner of Moses he foresaw the fashion of the temple, with its walls and its broad surroundings, as Daniel also declared that it should be built.
17 He pronounced judgment in Babylon on the tribes of Dan and Gad, because they dealt wickedly against the Lord,
18 persecuting those who were keeping the law; and he wrought upon them this grievous wonder, that their children and all their cattle should be killed by serpents.
19 He also foretold, that because of their sin Israel would not return to its land but would remain in Media, until the end of this evildoing.
20 One of their number was the man who slew Ezekiel, for they opposed him all the days of his life.
Daniel
1 He was of the tribe of Judah, of a family prominent in the service of the king; but in his childhood he was carried away from Judea to the land of Chaldea.
2 He was born in Upper Beth-horon. In his manhood he was chaste, so that the Jews thought him a eunuch.
3 He mourned greatly over the city, and in fasting abstained from every sort of dainty food. He was lean and haggard in the eyes of men, but beautiful in the grace of the Most High.
4 He made great supplication in behalf of Nebuchadnezzar, whose son Belshazzar besought him for aid at the time when the king became a beast of the field, lest he should perish.
5 For his head and foreparts were those of an ox, his legs and hinder parts those of a lion.
6 The meaning of this marvel was revealed to the prophet: the king became a beast because of his self-indulgence and his stubbornness.
7 It is the manner of tyrants, that in their youth they come under the yoke of Satan; in their latter years they become wild beasts, snatching, destroying, smiting, and slaying.
8 The prophet knew by divine revelation that the king was eating grass like an ox, and that it became for him the food of a human being.
9 Therefore it was that Nebuchadnezzar himself, recovering human reason when digestion was completed, used to weep and beseech the Lord, praying forty times each day and night.
10 Then the mind of a dumb animal would again take possession of him and he would forget that he had been a human being.
11 His tongue had lost the power of speech; when he understood his condition he wept, and his eyes were like raw flesh from his weeping.
12 There were many who went out from the city to see him; Daniel alone had no wish to see him, but during all the time of his transformation he was in prayer for him.
13 He declared that the king would be restored to human form, but they did not believe him.
14 Daniel caused the seven years to become seven months.
15 The mystery of the seven times was fulfilled upon the king, for in seven months he was restored, and in the remaining six years and five months he was doing penance to the Lord and confessing his wickedness. When his sin had been forgiven, the kingdom was given back to him.
16 He ate neither bread nor flesh in the time of his repentance, for Daniel had bidden him eat pulse and greens while appeasing the Lord.
17 The king named the prophet Baltasar because he wished to make him a joint heir with his children;
18 but the holy man said: "Far be it from me to forsake the heritage of my fathers and join in the inheritances of the uncircumcised."
19 He also did for the other Persian kings many wonderful things which were not written down.
20 He died there, and was buried with great honor, by himself, in the royal sepulcher.
21He appointed a sign in the mountains which are above Babylon: When the mountain on the north shall smoke, the end of Babylon will come; when it shall burn as with fire, the end of all the earth will be at hand. If the mountain on the south shall flow with water, Israel will return to its land; if it shall run blood, it portends a slaughter brought by Satan on all the earth.
22 And the holy prophet slept in peace.
Hosea
1 He was from Belemoth, of the tribe of Issachar, and he was buried in peace, in his own land.
2 He gave a sign, that the Lord would come to the earth when the oak tree which is in Shiloh should of its own accord be divided and become twelve oaks.
Micah
1 He was of the tribe of Ephraim. Having given much trouble to King Ahab, he was killed, thrown from a cliff, by Ahab's son Joram, because he rebuked him for the wickedness of his fathers.
2 He was given solitary burial in his own land, near the burying place of the giants.
Amos
1 He was from Tekoa. Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, had often beaten him, and at last Amaziah's son killed him with a cudgel, striking him on the temple.
2 While still living he made his way to his land, and after some days died and was buried there.
Joel
1 He was from the territory of Reuben, of the field of Beth-meon. He died in peace, and was buried there.
Obadiah
1 He was from the region of Shechem, of the field of Beth-hakkerem.
2 He was a pupil of Elijah, and having done much in his service he was saved from death by him.
3 He was that third captain of fifty whom Elijah spared, and went down with him to Ahaziah.
4 Afterward, leaving the service of the king he became a prophet, and upon his death he was buried with his fathers.
Jonah
1 He was from the district of Kiriath-maon, near the Gentile city of Azotus on the sea.
2 After he had been cast on shore by the whale and had made his journey to Nineveh, on his return he did not stay in his own land, but took his mother and settled in Tyre, a country of foreign peoples.
3 For he said, "In this way I will take away my reproach, that I prophesied falsely against the great city Nineveh."
4 Elijah was at that time rebuking the house of Ahab, and having called a famine upon the land he fled. Coming to the region of Tyre he found the widow and her son, for he himself could not lodge with the uncircumcised.
5 He brought her a blessing; and when her child died, God raised him from the dead through Elijah, for he wished to show him that it is not possible to flee from God.
6 After the famine was over, Jonah came into the land of Judea. On the way thither his mother died, and he buried her beside the oak of Deborah.
7 Thereafter having settled in the land of Seir, he died there and was buried in the tomb of the Kenizzite, the first who became judge in the days when there was no king.
8 He gave a sign to Jerusalem and to all the land: When they should see a stone crying aloud in distress, the end would be at hand; and when they should see all the Gentiles gathered in Jerusalem, the city would be razed to its foundations.
Nahum
1 He was of Elkosh, on the other side of the mountains toward Beth-gabrin, of the tribe of Simeon.
2 This prophet after the time of Jonah gave a sign to Nineveh, that it would be destroyed by fresh waters and by underground fire; and indeed this came to pass.
3 For the lake which surrounded the city overwhelmed it in an earthquake, and fire coming from the desert burned its upper portion.
4 He died in peace, and was buried in his land.
Habakkuk
1 He was from the tribe of Simeon, of the field of Beth-zachariah.
2 Before the captivity he had a vision of the destruction of Jerusalem, and he grieved exceedingly.
3 When Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem, he fled to Ostracina, in Egypt, and then sojourned in the land of Ishmael.
4 When the Chaldeans returned to their country, and all those who were left in Jerusalem went down to Egypt, he settled again in his own land.
5 He was accustomed to carry food to the reapers of the harvest in his field;
6 and one day, as he received the food, he announced to his family: "I am off for a far country, but will return immediately; if I should delay, carry out the food to the reapers."
7 Finding himself straightway in Babylon, and having given Daniel his meal, he stood by the reapers as they ate; and he told no one what had happened.
8 He had knowledge that the people would soon come back from Babylon.
9 Two years before the return he died, and was buried alone in his own field.
10 He gave a sign to the people in Judea, that they would see in the temple a light shining, and thus they would know the glory of the sanctuary.
11 Concerning the end of the temple, he foretold that it would be brought to pass by a western nation.
12 Then, he said, the veil of the inner sanctuary will be torn to pieces, and the capitals of the two pillars will be taken away,
13 and no one will know where they are; but they will be carried away by angels into the wilderness where in the beginning the
14 Tabernacle of Witness was pitched. By them in the end the presence of the Lord will be made known, for they will give light to those who are pursued by the Serpent in darkness as at the beginning.
Zephaniah
1 He was of the tribe of Simeon, of the field of Sabaratha.
2 He prophesied concerning the city, also concerning the end of the nations and the confounding of the wicked.
3 When he died he was buried in his own field.
Haggai
1 Probably as a youth he came from Babylon to Jerusalem, and he had prophesied publicly in regard to the return of the people.
2 He witnessed in part the building of the temple. Upon his death he was buried near the tomb of the priests, honored as though one of their number.
Zechariah son of Iddo
1 He came from Chaldea when already advanced in age. While there, he prophesied often to the people, and did wonders in proof of his authority.
2 He foretold to Jozadak that he would beget a son who would serve as priest in Jerusalem;
3 he also congratulated Shealtiel on the birth of a son and gave him the name Zerubbabel.
4 In the time of Cyrus he gave the king a sign of victory, and foretold the service which he was destined to perform for Jerusalem, and he praised him greatly.
5 His prophecies uttered in Jerusalem had to do with the end of the nations, with Israel and the temple, with the laziness of prophets and priests, and with a double judgment.
6 After reaching great age he was taken ill, and dying, was buried beside Haggai.
Malachi
1 He was born in Sopha, after the return from the exile.
2 Even in his boyhood he lived a blameless life, and since all the people paid him honor for his piety and his mildness, they called him "Malachi" [angel]; he was also fair to look upon.
3 Moreover, whatever things he uttered in prophecy were repeated on that same day by an angel of God who appeared; as had happened in the days when there was no king in Israel, as is written in the book of Judges.
4 While yet in his youth, he was joined to his fathers in his own field.
Nathan
1 He, David's prophet, was from Gibeon, of a Hivite clan, and it was he who taught the king the law of the Lord.
2 He foresaw David's sin with Bathsheba, and set out in haste to warn him, but Beliar thwarted his attempt. He found lying by the road the naked body of a man who had been slain;
3 and while he was detained by this duty, he knew that in that night the king had committed the sin;
4 so he turned back to Gibeon in sorrow. Then when David caused the death of Bathsheba's husband, the Lord sent Nathan to convict him.
5 He lived to an advanced old age, and when he died he was buried in his own land.
Ahijah
1 He was from Shiloh, the city of Eli, where the tabernacle stood in days of old.
2 He declared of Solomon, that he would provoke the Lord to anger.
3 He also rebuked Jeroboam, because he dealt treacherously with the Lord, and he had a vision of two bullocks trampling on the people and charging upon the priests.
4 He foretold to Solomon that his wives would bring disgrace on him and all his house.
5 Upon his death he was buried beside the oak of Shiloh.
Joed
1 He was of the district of Samarlm. He was that prophet whom the lion attacked and slew, when he had rebuked Jeroboam concerning the bullocks;
2 he who was buried in Bethel beside the false prophet who led him astray.
Azariah
1 He was from Subatha, the prophet who turned away from Judah the captivity that befell Israel.
2 His burial was in his own field.
Zechariah son of Jehoiada
1 He was of Jerusalem, the son of Jehoiada the priest, the prophet whom Joash king of Judah slew beside the altar, whose blood the house of David shed within the sanctuary, in the court. The priests buried him beside his father.
2 From that time on there were portentous appearances in the temple, and the priests could see no vision of angels of God, nor give forth oracles from the inner sanctuary; nor were they able to inquire with the ephod, nor to give answer to the people by Urim and Thummim, as in former time.
Elijah
1 He was a Tishbite, from the land of the Arabs, of the family of Aaron, residing in Gilead because Tishbi had been assigned to the priests.
2 At the time of his birth his father, Shobach, saw how certain men of shining white appearance addressed the babe, and that they wrapped him in swaddling clothes of fire and gave him a flame of fire to eat.
3 When he went and reported this in Jerusalem, the oracle gave answer: Fear not; for his dwelling will be light, and his word revelation, and he will judge Israel with sword and with fire.
Elisha
1 He was from Abel-meholah, of the territory of Reuben.
2 When he was born, in Gilgal, a marvelous thing happened: the golden calf bellowed so loudly that the shrill sound was heard in Jerusalem;
3 and the priest announced by Urim and Thummim that a prophet had been born to Israel who should destroy their graven and molten idols.
4 Upon his death he was buried in Samaria.
The Names of the Prophets, and whence they were, where they died, and how and where they were buried.
Isaiah
1 He was of Jerusalem. He met his death at the hands of Manasseh, sawn in two, and was buried below the fountain of Rogel, hard by the conduit of the waters which Hezekiah spoiled for the enemy by blocking their course.
2 For the prophet's sake God wrought the miracle of Siloah; for before his death, in fainting condition he prayed for water, and it was sent to him from this source. Hence it was called Siloah, which means "sent."
3 Also in the time of Hezekiah, before the king made the pools and the reservoirs, at the prayer of Isaiah a little water came forth here, lest the city, at that time besieged by the Gentiles, should be destroyed through lack of water.
4 For the enemy were seeking a drinking place, and as they invested the city they encamped near Siloah. If then the Hebrews came to the pool, water flowed forth; if the Gentiles came, there was none. Hence even to the present day the water issues suddenly, to keep the miracle in mind.
5 Because this was wrought through the prayer of Isaiah, the people in remembrance buried his body near the spot, with care and high honor, in order that through his prayers, even after his death, they might continue to have the benefit of the water. Indeed, a revelation had been given them concerning him.
6 His tomb, however, is near the tomb of the kings, behind the tomb of the priests on the side toward the south.
7 Solomon constructed the tombs, which had been designed by David, on the east of Zion, where there is an entering road from Gibeon, the town twenty stadia distant from the city. He made a winding construction, its location unsuspected; even to the present day it is unknown to the most of the priests, and wholly unknown to the people.
8 There the king kept the gold and the spices from Ethiopia. When Hezekiah showed to the Gentiles the secret of David and Solomon, and defiled the bones of his ancestors, therefore God laid upon him the curse, that his descendants should be in servitude to their enemies; and God made him to be childless, from that day.
Jeremiah
1 He was of Anathoth, and he died in Taphnes in Egypt, stoned to death by the Jews.
2 He is buried in the place where Pharaoh's palace stood; for the Egyptians held him in honor, because of the benefit which they had received through him.
3 For at his prayer, the serpents which the Egyptians call ephoth departed from them;
4 and even at the present day the faithful servants of God pray on that spot, and taking of the dust of the place they heal the bites of serpents.
5 We have been told by the children of Antigonus and Ptolemy, aged men," that Alexander the Macedonian, when he stood at the place where the prophet was buried, and learned of the wonders which he had wrought, carried away his bones to
6 Alexandria, placing them round about with due ceremony; where¬upon the whole race of poisonous serpents was driven out of the land. With like purpose he had introduced into Egypt the so-called argolai, that is, "snake-fighters".
7 Jeremiah also gave a sign to the priests of Egypt, that their idols would be shaken and their gods made with hands would all collapse, when there should arrive in Egypt a virgin bearing a child of divine appearance.
8 Wherefore even to the present time they honor a virgin mother, and placing a babe in a manger they bow down to it. When Ptolemy the king sought the reason for this, they said to him: "It is a mystery handed down from our fathers, a sign delivered to them by a holy prophet, and we are awaiting its fulfiment."
9 This prophet, before the destruction of the temple, took possession of the ark of the law and the things within it, and caused them to be swallowed up in a rocky cliff, and he said to those who were present:
10 "The Lord departed from Sinai into heaven, and he will again come with might; and this shall be for you the sign of his appearance, when all the Gentiles worship a piece of wood."
11 He said also: "No one shall bring forth this ark but Aaron, and the tables within it no one of the priests or prophets shall unfold but Moses the elect of God."
12 And in the resurrection the ark will rise first, and come forth from the rock, and will be placed on Mount Sinai; and all the saints will be assembled to it there, awaiting the Lord and fleeing from the enemy wishing to destroy them.
13 He sealed in the rock with his finger the name of God, and the writing was as though carved with iron. A cloud then covered the name; and no one knows the place, nor can the writing be read, to the present day and even to the end.
14 The rock is in the wilderness where the ark was at first, between the two mountains on which Moses and Aaron are buried, and by night there is a cloud as it were of fire, according to the primal ordinance that the glory of God should never cease from his law.
15 And God gave to Jeremiah the favor of completing this wonder, so that he might be the associate of Moses, and they are together to this day.
Ezekiel
1 He was from the district of Sarira, of the priests; and he died in the land of Chaldea, in the time of the captivity, after uttering many prophecies to those who were in Judea.
2 He was slain by the leader of the Israelite exiles, who had been rebuked by him for his worship of idols;
3 and they buried him in the field of Nahor, in the tomb of Shem and Arphaxad, the ancestors of Abraham.
4 The tomb is a double cave, according to whose plan Abraham also made the tomb of Sarah in Hebron.
5 It is called "double" because it has a winding stairway and there is an upper chamber hidden from the main floor, hung in the rock above the ground-level.
6 This prophet gave to the people a sign, that they should pay attention to the river Chebar;
7 when its waters should fail, they were to expect "the sickle of desolation to the ends of the earth" when it should overflow, the return to Jerusalem.
8 While the saint was dwelling there, many kept coming to him;
9 and on one occasion, when a throng had assembled to him, the Chaldeans feared an uprising and came upon them to destroy them.
10 He made the water cease its flow, so that they could flee to the other side; but when the enemy ventured to pursue, they were drowned.
11 Through his prayer he provided for them ample sustenance in fish which came of their own accord to be caught. Many who were at the point of death he cheered with the news of life coming to them from God.
12 When the people were being destroyed by the enemy, he went to the hostile captains and so terrified them with marvels which he wrought that they ceased.
13 It was then that he said to the people: "Are we indeed perishing? is our hope at an end?" and by the vision of the dry bones" he persuaded them that there is hope for Israel both now and in the time to come.
14 While he was there he showed to the people of Israel what was being done in Jerusalem and in the temple.
15 He himself was borne away thence, and came to Jerusalem, for a rebuke to the faithless.
16 Also after the manner of Moses he foresaw the fashion of the temple, with its walls and its broad surroundings, as Daniel also declared that it should be built.
17 He pronounced judgment in Babylon on the tribes of Dan and Gad, because they dealt wickedly against the Lord,
18 persecuting those who were keeping the law; and he wrought upon them this grievous wonder, that their children and all their cattle should be killed by serpents.
19 He also foretold, that because of their sin Israel would not return to its land but would remain in Media, until the end of this evildoing.
20 One of their number was the man who slew Ezekiel, for they opposed him all the days of his life.
Daniel
1 He was of the tribe of Judah, of a family prominent in the service of the king; but in his childhood he was carried away from Judea to the land of Chaldea.
2 He was born in Upper Beth-horon. In his manhood he was chaste, so that the Jews thought him a eunuch.
3 He mourned greatly over the city, and in fasting abstained from every sort of dainty food. He was lean and haggard in the eyes of men, but beautiful in the grace of the Most High.
4 He made great supplication in behalf of Nebuchadnezzar, whose son Belshazzar besought him for aid at the time when the king became a beast of the field, lest he should perish.
5 For his head and foreparts were those of an ox, his legs and hinder parts those of a lion.
6 The meaning of this marvel was revealed to the prophet: the king became a beast because of his self-indulgence and his stubbornness.
7 It is the manner of tyrants, that in their youth they come under the yoke of Satan; in their latter years they become wild beasts, snatching, destroying, smiting, and slaying.
8 The prophet knew by divine revelation that the king was eating grass like an ox, and that it became for him the food of a human being.
9 Therefore it was that Nebuchadnezzar himself, recovering human reason when digestion was completed, used to weep and beseech the Lord, praying forty times each day and night.
10 Then the mind of a dumb animal would again take possession of him and he would forget that he had been a human being.
11 His tongue had lost the power of speech; when he understood his condition he wept, and his eyes were like raw flesh from his weeping.
12 There were many who went out from the city to see him; Daniel alone had no wish to see him, but during all the time of his transformation he was in prayer for him.
13 He declared that the king would be restored to human form, but they did not believe him.
14 Daniel caused the seven years to become seven months.
15 The mystery of the seven times was fulfilled upon the king, for in seven months he was restored, and in the remaining six years and five months he was doing penance to the Lord and confessing his wickedness. When his sin had been forgiven, the kingdom was given back to him.
16 He ate neither bread nor flesh in the time of his repentance, for Daniel had bidden him eat pulse and greens while appeasing the Lord.
17 The king named the prophet Baltasar because he wished to make him a joint heir with his children;
18 but the holy man said: "Far be it from me to forsake the heritage of my fathers and join in the inheritances of the uncircumcised."
19 He also did for the other Persian kings many wonderful things which were not written down.
20 He died there, and was buried with great honor, by himself, in the royal sepulcher.
21He appointed a sign in the mountains which are above Babylon: When the mountain on the north shall smoke, the end of Babylon will come; when it shall burn as with fire, the end of all the earth will be at hand. If the mountain on the south shall flow with water, Israel will return to its land; if it shall run blood, it portends a slaughter brought by Satan on all the earth.
22 And the holy prophet slept in peace.
Hosea
1 He was from Belemoth, of the tribe of Issachar, and he was buried in peace, in his own land.
2 He gave a sign, that the Lord would come to the earth when the oak tree which is in Shiloh should of its own accord be divided and become twelve oaks.
Micah
1 He was of the tribe of Ephraim. Having given much trouble to King Ahab, he was killed, thrown from a cliff, by Ahab's son Joram, because he rebuked him for the wickedness of his fathers.
2 He was given solitary burial in his own land, near the burying place of the giants.
Amos
1 He was from Tekoa. Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, had often beaten him, and at last Amaziah's son killed him with a cudgel, striking him on the temple.
2 While still living he made his way to his land, and after some days died and was buried there.
Joel
1 He was from the territory of Reuben, of the field of Beth-meon. He died in peace, and was buried there.
Obadiah
1 He was from the region of Shechem, of the field of Beth-hakkerem.
2 He was a pupil of Elijah, and having done much in his service he was saved from death by him.
3 He was that third captain of fifty whom Elijah spared, and went down with him to Ahaziah.
4 Afterward, leaving the service of the king he became a prophet, and upon his death he was buried with his fathers.
Jonah
1 He was from the district of Kiriath-maon, near the Gentile city of Azotus on the sea.
2 After he had been cast on shore by the whale and had made his journey to Nineveh, on his return he did not stay in his own land, but took his mother and settled in Tyre, a country of foreign peoples.
3 For he said, "In this way I will take away my reproach, that I prophesied falsely against the great city Nineveh."
4 Elijah was at that time rebuking the house of Ahab, and having called a famine upon the land he fled. Coming to the region of Tyre he found the widow and her son, for he himself could not lodge with the uncircumcised.
5 He brought her a blessing; and when her child died, God raised him from the dead through Elijah, for he wished to show him that it is not possible to flee from God.
6 After the famine was over, Jonah came into the land of Judea. On the way thither his mother died, and he buried her beside the oak of Deborah.
7 Thereafter having settled in the land of Seir, he died there and was buried in the tomb of the Kenizzite, the first who became judge in the days when there was no king.
8 He gave a sign to Jerusalem and to all the land: When they should see a stone crying aloud in distress, the end would be at hand; and when they should see all the Gentiles gathered in Jerusalem, the city would be razed to its foundations.
Nahum
1 He was of Elkosh, on the other side of the mountains toward Beth-gabrin, of the tribe of Simeon.
2 This prophet after the time of Jonah gave a sign to Nineveh, that it would be destroyed by fresh waters and by underground fire; and indeed this came to pass.
3 For the lake which surrounded the city overwhelmed it in an earthquake, and fire coming from the desert burned its upper portion.
4 He died in peace, and was buried in his land.
Habakkuk
1 He was from the tribe of Simeon, of the field of Beth-zachariah.
2 Before the captivity he had a vision of the destruction of Jerusalem, and he grieved exceedingly.
3 When Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem, he fled to Ostracina, in Egypt, and then sojourned in the land of Ishmael.
4 When the Chaldeans returned to their country, and all those who were left in Jerusalem went down to Egypt, he settled again in his own land.
5 He was accustomed to carry food to the reapers of the harvest in his field;
6 and one day, as he received the food, he announced to his family: "I am off for a far country, but will return immediately; if I should delay, carry out the food to the reapers."
7 Finding himself straightway in Babylon, and having given Daniel his meal, he stood by the reapers as they ate; and he told no one what had happened.
8 He had knowledge that the people would soon come back from Babylon.
9 Two years before the return he died, and was buried alone in his own field.
10 He gave a sign to the people in Judea, that they would see in the temple a light shining, and thus they would know the glory of the sanctuary.
11 Concerning the end of the temple, he foretold that it would be brought to pass by a western nation.
12 Then, he said, the veil of the inner sanctuary will be torn to pieces, and the capitals of the two pillars will be taken away,
13 and no one will know where they are; but they will be carried away by angels into the wilderness where in the beginning the
14 Tabernacle of Witness was pitched. By them in the end the presence of the Lord will be made known, for they will give light to those who are pursued by the Serpent in darkness as at the beginning.
Zephaniah
1 He was of the tribe of Simeon, of the field of Sabaratha.
2 He prophesied concerning the city, also concerning the end of the nations and the confounding of the wicked.
3 When he died he was buried in his own field.
Haggai
1 Probably as a youth he came from Babylon to Jerusalem, and he had prophesied publicly in regard to the return of the people.
2 He witnessed in part the building of the temple. Upon his death he was buried near the tomb of the priests, honored as though one of their number.
Zechariah son of Iddo
1 He came from Chaldea when already advanced in age. While there, he prophesied often to the people, and did wonders in proof of his authority.
2 He foretold to Jozadak that he would beget a son who would serve as priest in Jerusalem;
3 he also congratulated Shealtiel on the birth of a son and gave him the name Zerubbabel.
4 In the time of Cyrus he gave the king a sign of victory, and foretold the service which he was destined to perform for Jerusalem, and he praised him greatly.
5 His prophecies uttered in Jerusalem had to do with the end of the nations, with Israel and the temple, with the laziness of prophets and priests, and with a double judgment.
6 After reaching great age he was taken ill, and dying, was buried beside Haggai.
Malachi
1 He was born in Sopha, after the return from the exile.
2 Even in his boyhood he lived a blameless life, and since all the people paid him honor for his piety and his mildness, they called him "Malachi" [angel]; he was also fair to look upon.
3 Moreover, whatever things he uttered in prophecy were repeated on that same day by an angel of God who appeared; as had happened in the days when there was no king in Israel, as is written in the book of Judges.
4 While yet in his youth, he was joined to his fathers in his own field.
Nathan
1 He, David's prophet, was from Gibeon, of a Hivite clan, and it was he who taught the king the law of the Lord.
2 He foresaw David's sin with Bathsheba, and set out in haste to warn him, but Beliar thwarted his attempt. He found lying by the road the naked body of a man who had been slain;
3 and while he was detained by this duty, he knew that in that night the king had committed the sin;
4 so he turned back to Gibeon in sorrow. Then when David caused the death of Bathsheba's husband, the Lord sent Nathan to convict him.
5 He lived to an advanced old age, and when he died he was buried in his own land.
Ahijah
1 He was from Shiloh, the city of Eli, where the tabernacle stood in days of old.
2 He declared of Solomon, that he would provoke the Lord to anger.
3 He also rebuked Jeroboam, because he dealt treacherously with the Lord, and he had a vision of two bullocks trampling on the people and charging upon the priests.
4 He foretold to Solomon that his wives would bring disgrace on him and all his house.
5 Upon his death he was buried beside the oak of Shiloh.
Joed
1 He was of the district of Samarlm. He was that prophet whom the lion attacked and slew, when he had rebuked Jeroboam concerning the bullocks;
2 he who was buried in Bethel beside the false prophet who led him astray.
Azariah
1 He was from Subatha, the prophet who turned away from Judah the captivity that befell Israel.
2 His burial was in his own field.
Zechariah son of Jehoiada
1 He was of Jerusalem, the son of Jehoiada the priest, the prophet whom Joash king of Judah slew beside the altar, whose blood the house of David shed within the sanctuary, in the court. The priests buried him beside his father.
2 From that time on there were portentous appearances in the temple, and the priests could see no vision of angels of God, nor give forth oracles from the inner sanctuary; nor were they able to inquire with the ephod, nor to give answer to the people by Urim and Thummim, as in former time.
Elijah
1 He was a Tishbite, from the land of the Arabs, of the family of Aaron, residing in Gilead because Tishbi had been assigned to the priests.
2 At the time of his birth his father, Shobach, saw how certain men of shining white appearance addressed the babe, and that they wrapped him in swaddling clothes of fire and gave him a flame of fire to eat.
3 When he went and reported this in Jerusalem, the oracle gave answer: Fear not; for his dwelling will be light, and his word revelation, and he will judge Israel with sword and with fire.
Elisha
1 He was from Abel-meholah, of the territory of Reuben.
2 When he was born, in Gilgal, a marvelous thing happened: the golden calf bellowed so loudly that the shrill sound was heard in Jerusalem;
3 and the priest announced by Urim and Thummim that a prophet had been born to Israel who should destroy their graven and molten idols.
4 Upon his death he was buried in Samaria.
The Apocryphon of Ezekiel is an apocryphal book, written in the style of the Old Testament, as revelations of Ezekiel. It survives only in fragments including quotations in writings by Epiphanius, Clement of Rome and Clement of Alexandria, and the Chester Beatty Papyri 185. It is likely to have been composed c. 50 BC – 50 AD, although some scholars suggest a date closer to 70 AD. Pseudo-Ezekiel, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, is possibly further fragments of this text.
THE SECOND BOOK OF EZEKIEL
1 The lame and blind men in the garden
1 A certain king of this world had a beautiful fig garden. In this garden he had growing some beautiful and ripe figs. In his kingdom were living two men which he had neglected. They were a blind man and a lame man.
2 One night, the lame man conspired with the blind man to steal into the garden and help themselves to some of these figs. Leading the blind man to him with a rope, the lame man climbed upon his back, and acted as the eyes for the blind man. In this way, the two men managed to get into the garden, and eat the figs growing therein. When the king discovered that his figs were missing, he went to the blind man and asked him how such a thing could happen. The blind man responded by saying; "How could I have done this, I who cannot see?" Then the king went to the lame man and asked of him the same question. The lame man responded by saying; "How could I have done this, I who cannot walk?"
3 The king then put the lame man on the blind mans back, and demonstrated how the two had worked together to accomplish there goal, and they were unable to deny it. It is in this way that the body is connected to the soul, and the two will be judged by what both have done, and endure no separate judgment.
2 The Prophecy
1 Thus says the LORD, “It is what I have seen you doing that I will judge you for.
2 Repent, house of Israel, from your lawless ways. I say to you, my people, Even if the list of your sins stretches from heaven to earth, and if they are as black as they can be, and you turn to me, and with all of your heart say, 'Father', I will forgive you, and look on you as holy.
3 I will cure the lame, and heal the ill, those who have wandered away, I will return to the fold, and I will feed them upon my holy mountain [. . .] and I will be their shepherd and I will be as close to the as a second skin.
4 And my people shall be [. . .] with contented heart and with willing soul [. . .] and conceal yourself for a little while [. . .] and cleaving [. . .]. ”
5 The vision that Ezekiel saw [. . .] a radiance of a chariot, and four living creatures; a living creature [. . .] and they would not turn backwards while walking; each living creature was walking upon two legs; its two legs [. . .] was spiritual and their faces were joined to the other. As for the shape of the faces: one was that of a lion, and one of an eagle, and one of a calf, and one of a man. Each one had the hand of a man joined from the backs of the living creatures and attached to their wing. And the wheels [. . .] wheel joined to wheel as they went, and from the two sides of the wheels were streams of fire and in the midst of the coals were living creatures, like coals of fire, torches, as it were, in the midst of God the wheels and the living creatures. Over their heads was a firmament that looked like the terrifying ice. And from above the firmament came a sound [. . .].
6 In place of my grief [. . .] And my heart is in confusion, together with my soul. But the days will hasten on fast, until all humankind will say, Are not the days hurrying on in order that the children of Israel may inherit their land? And the Lord said to me: “I will not refuse you, Ezekiel. Behold, I will measure the time and shorten the days and the years [. . .] a little. As you said to [. . .] For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.”
7 And I said: “Lord, I have seen many men from Israel who loved your Name and walked in the Ways of Righteousness. And these things, when will they happen, and how will their Piety be rewarded?” The Lord said to me, “I shall show the children of Israel, so that they will know that I am the Lord.” Then he said, “Son of Man, prophesy over the bones and say: Draw together, bone to its bone and joint to its joint.” And it was so. Then he said a second time, “Prophesy, and let flesh cover them, and let them be covered with skin from above [. . .] and let sinews come upon them. And it was so.” Then he said again, “Prophesy to the four winds of Heaven, and let the winds blow on them, and they will stand up - a great people, men [. . .].
8 And they will know that I am the Lord.” And he said to me, “Consider carefully, Son of Man, the land of Israel.” And I said, “I see, Lord; it is desolate. When will you gather them together?” And the Lord said, “A son of Belial will plan to oppress my people, but I will not allow him to do so. His rule shall not come to pass, but he will cause a multitude to be defiled and there will be no seed left. The mulberry bush will not produce wine, nor the bee honey [. . .] I will slay the Wicked in Memphis, and leading My sons out of Memphis, I will turn upon the rest. Just as they will say, Peace and quiet is ours, so they will say, The land rests quietly. Just as it was in the days of [. . .] ancient [. . .], so [. . .] in the four corners of heaven [. . .] like a consuming fire [. . .].
9 Nor shall he have mercy on the down-trodden, and he shall go to Babylon. Now, Babylon is like a cup in the Lord’s hand; like refuse he will hurl it [. . .] in Babylon, and it will be [. . .] the dwelling of your fields [. . .] their land will lie desolate [. . .].
10 And sovereignty will devolve upon the Gentiles for many years, while the children of Israel [. . .] a heavy yoke in the lands of their captivity, and they will have no Deliverer, because [. . .] they have rejected My Laws, and their soul has scorned My teaching. Therefore I have hidden My face from them, until they fill up the measure of their sins. This will be the sign for them, when they fill up the measure of their sin [. . .] I have abandoned the land because they have hardened their hearts against Me, and they do not know that [. . .] they have done Evil again and again [. . .] and they broke My Covenant that I had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In those days a blasphemous king will arise among the Gentiles, and do evil things [. . .] Israel from being a people. In his days I will break the Kingdom of Egypt [. . .] both Egypt and Israel will I break, and give them over to the sword [. . .] high places of the land [. . .] I have removed its inhabitants and abandoned the land into the hands of the Angels of Belial. I have hidden My face from Israel. This will be their sign: in the day when they leave the land [. . .] the priests of Jerusalem to serve other Gods [. . .] three kings who will rule [. . .].
11 Look at the cow, She has given birth, and yet she is pregnant.”
This document has been reconstructed using the 5 known fragments of the APOCRYPHON OF EZEKIEL and the text found at Qumran entitled 4Q PSEUDO-EZEKIEL (which is believed to be part of the apocryphon in some way). As you can see, most of the Q4 text cannot be deciphered. I have edited all fragments together to the best of my ability.
II Ezekiel 1:-2:3, 11 from The Apocryphon of Ezekiel
II Ezekiel 2:4-10 from 4QPseudo-Ezekiel
1 A certain king of this world had a beautiful fig garden. In this garden he had growing some beautiful and ripe figs. In his kingdom were living two men which he had neglected. They were a blind man and a lame man.
2 One night, the lame man conspired with the blind man to steal into the garden and help themselves to some of these figs. Leading the blind man to him with a rope, the lame man climbed upon his back, and acted as the eyes for the blind man. In this way, the two men managed to get into the garden, and eat the figs growing therein. When the king discovered that his figs were missing, he went to the blind man and asked him how such a thing could happen. The blind man responded by saying; "How could I have done this, I who cannot see?" Then the king went to the lame man and asked of him the same question. The lame man responded by saying; "How could I have done this, I who cannot walk?"
3 The king then put the lame man on the blind mans back, and demonstrated how the two had worked together to accomplish there goal, and they were unable to deny it. It is in this way that the body is connected to the soul, and the two will be judged by what both have done, and endure no separate judgment.
2 The Prophecy
1 Thus says the LORD, “It is what I have seen you doing that I will judge you for.
2 Repent, house of Israel, from your lawless ways. I say to you, my people, Even if the list of your sins stretches from heaven to earth, and if they are as black as they can be, and you turn to me, and with all of your heart say, 'Father', I will forgive you, and look on you as holy.
3 I will cure the lame, and heal the ill, those who have wandered away, I will return to the fold, and I will feed them upon my holy mountain [. . .] and I will be their shepherd and I will be as close to the as a second skin.
4 And my people shall be [. . .] with contented heart and with willing soul [. . .] and conceal yourself for a little while [. . .] and cleaving [. . .]. ”
5 The vision that Ezekiel saw [. . .] a radiance of a chariot, and four living creatures; a living creature [. . .] and they would not turn backwards while walking; each living creature was walking upon two legs; its two legs [. . .] was spiritual and their faces were joined to the other. As for the shape of the faces: one was that of a lion, and one of an eagle, and one of a calf, and one of a man. Each one had the hand of a man joined from the backs of the living creatures and attached to their wing. And the wheels [. . .] wheel joined to wheel as they went, and from the two sides of the wheels were streams of fire and in the midst of the coals were living creatures, like coals of fire, torches, as it were, in the midst of God the wheels and the living creatures. Over their heads was a firmament that looked like the terrifying ice. And from above the firmament came a sound [. . .].
6 In place of my grief [. . .] And my heart is in confusion, together with my soul. But the days will hasten on fast, until all humankind will say, Are not the days hurrying on in order that the children of Israel may inherit their land? And the Lord said to me: “I will not refuse you, Ezekiel. Behold, I will measure the time and shorten the days and the years [. . .] a little. As you said to [. . .] For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.”
7 And I said: “Lord, I have seen many men from Israel who loved your Name and walked in the Ways of Righteousness. And these things, when will they happen, and how will their Piety be rewarded?” The Lord said to me, “I shall show the children of Israel, so that they will know that I am the Lord.” Then he said, “Son of Man, prophesy over the bones and say: Draw together, bone to its bone and joint to its joint.” And it was so. Then he said a second time, “Prophesy, and let flesh cover them, and let them be covered with skin from above [. . .] and let sinews come upon them. And it was so.” Then he said again, “Prophesy to the four winds of Heaven, and let the winds blow on them, and they will stand up - a great people, men [. . .].
8 And they will know that I am the Lord.” And he said to me, “Consider carefully, Son of Man, the land of Israel.” And I said, “I see, Lord; it is desolate. When will you gather them together?” And the Lord said, “A son of Belial will plan to oppress my people, but I will not allow him to do so. His rule shall not come to pass, but he will cause a multitude to be defiled and there will be no seed left. The mulberry bush will not produce wine, nor the bee honey [. . .] I will slay the Wicked in Memphis, and leading My sons out of Memphis, I will turn upon the rest. Just as they will say, Peace and quiet is ours, so they will say, The land rests quietly. Just as it was in the days of [. . .] ancient [. . .], so [. . .] in the four corners of heaven [. . .] like a consuming fire [. . .].
9 Nor shall he have mercy on the down-trodden, and he shall go to Babylon. Now, Babylon is like a cup in the Lord’s hand; like refuse he will hurl it [. . .] in Babylon, and it will be [. . .] the dwelling of your fields [. . .] their land will lie desolate [. . .].
10 And sovereignty will devolve upon the Gentiles for many years, while the children of Israel [. . .] a heavy yoke in the lands of their captivity, and they will have no Deliverer, because [. . .] they have rejected My Laws, and their soul has scorned My teaching. Therefore I have hidden My face from them, until they fill up the measure of their sins. This will be the sign for them, when they fill up the measure of their sin [. . .] I have abandoned the land because they have hardened their hearts against Me, and they do not know that [. . .] they have done Evil again and again [. . .] and they broke My Covenant that I had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In those days a blasphemous king will arise among the Gentiles, and do evil things [. . .] Israel from being a people. In his days I will break the Kingdom of Egypt [. . .] both Egypt and Israel will I break, and give them over to the sword [. . .] high places of the land [. . .] I have removed its inhabitants and abandoned the land into the hands of the Angels of Belial. I have hidden My face from Israel. This will be their sign: in the day when they leave the land [. . .] the priests of Jerusalem to serve other Gods [. . .] three kings who will rule [. . .].
11 Look at the cow, She has given birth, and yet she is pregnant.”
This document has been reconstructed using the 5 known fragments of the APOCRYPHON OF EZEKIEL and the text found at Qumran entitled 4Q PSEUDO-EZEKIEL (which is believed to be part of the apocryphon in some way). As you can see, most of the Q4 text cannot be deciphered. I have edited all fragments together to the best of my ability.
II Ezekiel 1:-2:3, 11 from The Apocryphon of Ezekiel
II Ezekiel 2:4-10 from 4QPseudo-Ezekiel
Odes of Solomon
II Enoch
III Baruch
Assumption of Moses
Lives of the Prophets
Apocryphon of Ezekiel
The Odes of Solomon is a collection of 42 odes attributed to Solomon. Various scholars have dated the composition of these religious poems to anywhere in the range of the first three centuries AD. The original language of the Odes is thought to have been either Greek or Syriac, and to be generally Christian in background.
The Second Book of Enoch (usually abbreviated 2 Enoch, and otherwise variously known as Slavonic Enoch or The Secrets of Enoch) is a pseudepigraphic (a text whose claimed authorship is unfounded) of the Old Testament. It is usually considered to be part of the Apocalyptic literature. Late 1st century CE is the dating often preferred. The text has been preserved in full only in Slavonic, but in 2009 it was announced that Coptic fragments of the book had been identified. Greek is indicated as the language behind the Slavonic version. It is not regarded as scripture by Jews or any Christian group. It was rediscovered and published at the end of 19th century.
3 Baruch or the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch is a visionary, Jewish pseudepigraphic text thought to have been written after AD 130, perhaps as late as the early 3rd century AD, after the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 AD. It is one of the Pseudepigrapha, attributed to the 6th-century BC scribe of Jeremiah, Baruch ben Neriah, and does not form part of the biblical canon of either Jews or Christians. It survives in certain Greek manuscripts, and also in a few Old Church Slavonic ones. Like 2 Baruch, this Greek Apocalypse of Baruch describes the state of Jerusalem after the sack by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC and discusses how Judaism can survive when the temple is no longer in existence. It frames this discussion as a mystical vision granted to Baruch ben Neriah. Also like 2 Baruch, 3 Baruch argues that the Temple has been preserved in heaven and is presented as fully functional and attended by angels; thus there is no need for the temple to be rebuilt on earth. This third book of Baruch addresses the question of why God permits good people to suffer, and answering with a vision of the afterlife in which sinners and the righteous get their just rewards.
The Assumption of Moses (otherwise called the Testament of Moses) is a Jewish apocryphal pseudepigraphical work. It is known from a single sixth-century incomplete manuscript in Latin that was discovered by Antonio Ceriani in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan in the mid-nineteenth century and published by him in 1861.
The Lives of the Prophets is an ancient apocryphal account of the lives of the prophets from the Old Testament. It is not regarded as scripture by any Jewish or Christian denomination. The work may have been known by the author of some of the Pauline Epistles, as there are similarities in the descriptions of the fates of the prophets, although without naming the individuals concerned. The work survives only in Christian manuscripts. There are two groups of Greek manuscripts: the first group includes many versions, well known in the past centuries, with heavy Christians additions. Some of these versions were attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis, others to Dorotheus of Tyre. The other group of Greek manuscripts is more stable and free from the interpolations found in the previous group: the best codex is a 6th century CE manuscript usually referred to as Q or as anonymous recension. There is also a Latin version with a text near to Q used by Isidore of Seville (before 636 CE). There are also versions in Syriac, Armenian, and Arabic.
Apocryphon of Ezekiel is an apocryphal book, written in the style of the Old Testament, as revelations of Ezekiel. It survives only in fragments including quotations in writings by Epiphanius, Clement of Rome and Clement of Alexandria, and the Chester Beatty Papyri 185. It is likely to have been composed circa 50 BC - 50 AD, although some scholars suggest a date closer to 70 CE. The largest fragment tells of a king who holds a feast to which he invites everyone except two beggars, a blind man and a cripple. The two are angry and determine to have their revenge: the cripple sits on the blind man's shoulders, and together they damage the king's orchard, but the king discovers what they have done and punishes them both. The moral of the story, according to the narrator, is that this proves the resurrection of the body, since soul and body must function together. Pseudo-Ezekiel, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, is possibly further fragments of this text.